A year ago, Faye and David decided to get smart around saving money. "We both love the idea of retirement," says Faye. "But we could never seem to close the gap between what we earn and what it costs to run our life to increase our savings." As the couple approached their fifties, they decided to find innovative ways to save. "One of the ways we could do that was to spend less on the things we needed," says David. "We love a challenge, so we decided that we wouldn't make any major purchases for a year without comparison shopping or a money-saving coupon."
Ross and Janis lived a typical Canadian life. They were married, had two children, Melissa and Kyle, and both worked outside the home.
An avid golfer, Ross also went on fishing trips with friends and helped coach his son's hockey team. Janis played the piano, enjoyed bike rides with her friends, and was treasurer for her daughter's soccer team. They played in a mixed curling league.
Time is one of those daily realities that we usually take for granted. But when it comes to building wealth and managing investments, it is tremendously important. How you view, manage, and interact with "time" could deeply impact your financial success more than any other variable that you personally control.
"At this point last January, I was determined to change my relationship with money forever," says Daniel. This is a New Year's resolution he shared with 69% of Canadians last year1. However, unlike most others, Daniel has been able to stick with his promise to get control of his financial life. "I'd say 100% of my success comes down to working with a financial advisor who offered me a powerful way to get started and keep going."
If you're in your 50s, and thinking about your financial future makes you anxious, you're not alone. 70% of Canadians are worried they won't have enough money to retire1. While you can't go back in time to save more or spend less, it's not too late to get started. Even if you've been saving diligently, your 50s are a good time to assess where things are at. Financial choices you make today could have a big impact on where you are ten years from now.
Many investors are very focused on annual returns and others worry about losing money if the economy goes into a recession. The reality is that how to approach or react to different scenarios really depends on what type of investor you are. In other words, context and your financial plan are everything!
Now may be the perfect time to teach your children about financial independence. There are plenty of real-life examples in the media of how not to manage your finances. To really teach children money management skills, they must learn to handle money personally and to make consequential decisions on how to manage it.
It's that time of year when wish lists for gifts are circulating. Before purchasing that iPad, game system, e-bike or leather jacket, consider a gift that will keep giving well into the future.
According to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada1, good health is determined by mental, physical, and financial wellness. In other words: mind, body, and money. Physical and mental health makes sense, but what is financial wellness?
Financial wellness doesn’t necessarily mean you have millions of dollars invested, although you’ve achieved an admirable goal if you do. While it’s not about the balance in your savings account, financial wellness means you’re feeling good about the relationship you have with money, including:
Whether you're expecting a child, planning to have one soon or have just become a new parent, you're about to embark on one of the most rewarding journeys that life has to offer. It's also one of the most expensive: an average of $12,500 per year until age 18.1. That's $225,000 per child, and it doesn't include the cost of post-secondary education. Planning for this is one way to be the best parent you can be.
