Be a Valentine's Day Hero - Low Cost Ideas for Love - AOL's WalletPop Canada

I know; we just got over Christmas (and some of us are still paying for it) and retailers are already pushing yet another holiday - Valentine's Day. And if you have someone special in your life, you can't miss this one! I've collected a plethora of gift ideas and ways to show your care without breaking the bank.


Buy flowers early and from a grocery store as opposed to a flower shop; the latter tends to be much more expensive especially in the days leading up to the 14th.
Make your own fortune cookies with love notes inside and hide them around the house. Here's a recipe for them - http://chinesefood.about.com/od/diningout/r/fortunecookie.htm

Click here to read the full article:
http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2011/02/11/be-a-valentines-day-hero-low-cost-ideas-for-love/

Should frugal savers enjoy their money while they can? Globe & Mail's Cash Clash

Mike, 48, and Jill, 40, Edmonton

How much do you really need to save for retirement? This couple have built a nice nest egg, living below their means and diligently saving. She says it’s time to start enjoying the fruits while they’re still young, but he thinks they should keep socking money away for their old age. Is it too soon to raid the piggy bank?

Click this link to read the full article and my advice:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/rrsp/should-frugal-savers-enjoy-their-money-while-they-can/article1898322/

Is an RRSP an Investment? If You Answered Yes, You're Wrong! AOL's WalletPop Canada

If you think an RRSP is an investment, don't worry; many Canadians think the same. However, an RRSP - Registered Retirement Savings Plan, is simply a shelter, not an investment.

I like to explain it this way: think of your RRSP as a garage. It's essentially an empty structure. You still need to put cars into your garage. These cars could be GIC's at your bank, stocks, bonds, mutual funds or just about any combination and more. But without carefully choosing which cars go into your RRSP and periodically changing those cars up, many Canadians aren't optimizing their RRSPs.Thinking that the shelter is the investment is the number one error I see individuals making when it comes to RRSPs. They rush into their banker or financial advisor's office moments before the deadline and take a sigh of relief that their investment made it in time for a juicy tax refund to come. The professionals in the financial industry are swamped at RRSP time and may simply plunk your investment in a cash account within the RRSP (that's a car too) so that you can make the deadline and ask you to remember to come back at a less busy time of the year to property allocate (diversify) your contribution. You forget to do so, or at least, many do, and therefore your RRSP doesn't work as hard as it could to grow your retirement savings.

Read my full article here:
http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2011/02/07/is-an-rrsp-an-investment-if-you-answered-yes-youre-wrong/

Should near-retirees re-mortgage their home to play the stock market? Globe and Mail's Cash Clash

Bernie and Linda, 53, Calgary

Wanting to retire in a couple of years, these empty nesters have had a long-time goal: to ride off into the sunset with $1-million saved. They’re not quite there yet, and he’d like to top up their funds by re-mortgaging their house and investing the money in stocks. She thinks going back into debt is just plain loco. Who’s got the most horse sense?

Read the full article and my advice here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/household-finances/should-near-retirees-re-mortgage-their-home-to-play-the-stock-market/article1889939/

January Mini-Makeover: This Simple Trick Could Have You Debt Free Years Sooner - AOL's WalletPop Canada

It's nearing the end of the month and you've either received your credit card statement from Christmas or the dreaded mail is about to arrive. Have you taken a deep breath and braved opening the envelope, or are you resigned to letting it collect dust for now and deal with it later?

If you have the courage to open your credit card statement up, you'll notice something new - a measure the government forced companies to report a few months ago. And, if you carry a balance on your card, it might be a scary number to look at. There's a little box either on the side or back of your statement that now has to tell you how long it will take for you to pay off your credit card balance if you only make the minimum payment. This month's mini money make-over features Jeffrey, who's looking at a whopping 134 years and 7 months to pay off his credit card. Yes, you read that right. He's currently 37 years old, and if he doesn't learn a simple trick to financial freedom, his debt will outlive him by decades.Here's Jeffrey's deal:

Read the full article here:
http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2011/01/25/january-mini-makeover-this-simple-trick-could-have-you-debt-fre/

Should condo-dwellers shell out for a car? Globe & Mail's Cash Clash

Max, 37, and Rachel, 30, Toronto

Should these downtown condo-dwellers get a car? He thinks so – mainly for their frequent trips to visit family in Quebec, and to golf and ski. She thinks not, preferring to funnel the extra cash into their coming wedding and savings – and take the train. As they get ready to walk down the aisle, can they settle this spat before their engines get too revved? (*Their names have been changed.)

To read the entire article and my advice, click here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/should-condo-dwellers-shell-out-for-a-car/article1881712/

Want More Money this Year? Try These 5 Easy Steps - AOLs WalletPop Canada

Kelley Keehn
Jan 21st 2011 at 12:30PM



We're well into the new year now and if you haven't scrapped all of your resolutions by now, I hope being smarter with your money is one you'll aspire to all year long. Try these simple ideas for financial success.

Step #1: Know what your time is worth. I have a very successful friend that owns several businesses. I've watched him drive all over town for "cheap" gas when it goes on sale, stand in long lines to save a few bucks and spend way too much time clipping coupons. I figured out that he earns over $200 a working hour, yet, he'll waste time saving a fraction of that amount. Another girlfriend of mine earns $65 a working hour, and has very little time to spend with her family of five. Yet, she'll continue to spend several hours a week cleaning her house instead of hiring a housekeeper for $15-25 an hour.

Read the full article here:
http://www.walletpop.ca/blog/2011/01/21/want-more-money-this-year-try-these-5-easy-steps/