NEVER GET USED TO THE MONEY YOU EARN If I asked you whether you’d leave your current job for a new job that comes with a pay cut, what would you say? Most people would be on the fence not sure what to do and others might drop everything and dive right in. There are lots of things to consider before making a career change and it starts with the financials. There’s no way I would take a pay cut Sometimes you may have no option whether you get a pay cut or not so before you dismiss earning less money remember you are owed nothing and can lose it all in an instant. Perhaps a better way to view a pay cut is that it would take adjusting to but eventually it will work out. What does it mean to take a pay cut? It is what it is, a pay cut. It means you get less money for a job you perform whether it be your current job, a new role with-in a company or a 360 degree role change into something entirely new. It happens every day and to be honest more people need […]
Yearly Banking Fees of $1000 Seniors Could Have Avoided : Net Worth Update 2018 March (+0.51%)
MONEY OUT THE WINDOW OR MONEY WELL SPENT- THE CHOICE IS YOURS! You might be paying banking fees for every bank account you own whether it’s with the same financial institution or not. I know plenty of people who bank with several Big 5 banks and I’m not sure if they understand the costs of monthly banking fees and how it may be affecting their overall yearly savings power. Banking in Canada seemed fairly straight-forward to me when I arrived as a permanent resident. I was fortunate to set up my bank account at the time through President’s Choice Financial since my wife banked there but before I moved to Canada. It made life far easier for me especially when I needed to transfer money from my UK bank account to my Canadian bank account. What I loved about PC Financial what is now known as Simplii Financial Canada was that there were no banking fees. We didn’t have to pay for cheques either. If we had any issues we could make a phone call or visit any Canadian Imperial Bank of Canada (CIBC) for help. In total since I moved to Canada over 10 years ago now we’ve […]
Canadian 2018 Income Tax Season: Your Questions Answered
FILE YOUR NEXT INCOME TAX RETURN WITH CONFIDENCE As we welcome another tax year I thought it would be fitting to get to know what’s new for the 2018 income tax season in Canada. The last thing any Canadian tax payer wants to find out is that an expense is no longer being offered as you prepare to file your income tax return. This has happened to us but this year we took control and made sure we knew the answers that would affect our family and our income tax returns. Expectations and reality are two different things with income tax in Canada which is why I did not hesitate to bring in the professionals to have your 2018 income tax questions answered. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ask UFile resident tax expert Gerry Vittoratos your most important 2018 Income Tax questions. Earlier this month I asked you, the fans of Canadian Budget Binder if you had any income tax questions you for Gerry so we could get answers to the most important questions YOU have. Below are your questions all answered by Gerry along with information from Canada Revenue. Everyone ALWAYS asks this question, so […]
A Frozen Bank Account After Death Leaves Widow Broke : March 2018 Budget Update
LEARNING THAT YOUR SAVINGS ARE FROZEN MAY CAUSE FINANCIAL STRESS When dealing with the loss of your spouse life can be turned upside down especially when you are trying to use money that you have no right to get access to without following a process. No one expects a financial officer to tell them that their late spouse will have a frozen bank account which includes all the family savings. It’s certainly a stress not needed after death but very important to understand why and the implications. This exact scenario happened to my mother-in-law recently and I hope today that we shed some light on her situation in hopes of inspiring other couples to educate themselves about their finances before death. Even if you are named the executor in a WILL you still need to jump through legal hoops to unfreeze the bank account. Sadly, a frozen bank account happens quite often according to the banking representative we met with especially for couples who choose to bank separately. This sort of lit a fire under our butts since all of our bank accounts are not joint bank accounts. The costs of a funeral can run into the thousands of […]
How To Prepare Yourself Financially For a Union Strike
A UNION STRIKE AFFECTS EVERYONE FINANCIALLY WHO ARE DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY INVOLVED When a union goes on a legal strike not everyone is prepared financially especially when the union strike lingers on for weeks and in some cases months. I’ve followed current College strike news in Ontario as the teacher’s head into the third week on the picket lines and wanted to learn more about the financial plight that everyone suffers, including students and businesses. The last thing you think of when you start the College year whether you’re away from home or not is how you will survive a union strike. Listen, I’m not union expert but what I am certain of is the financial impact a union strike can have and I’ve got some critical financial planning tips today for those of you who work for a union or are directly involved with a union. Most of the post will revolve around the current Ontario Colleges Union strike as an example. What does it mean to go on strike? A union strike means that the union and management are unable to come up with negotiations that meet each others needs. After this the workers walk off the […]
