Did you know that Canadian families can spend over $1000 a month on groceries? Stretch your grocery budget money further with these 13 hidden ways to save.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Financial Literacy Month in Canada, here are 10 top budgeting tips to help you manage your money and debt better.

The CERB and payment deferrals have costs that Canadians might not expect or be prepared for. Here are 2 bills to watch out for and how to be ready for them.

An emergency can happen when you least expect it. When you’re not prepared financially, you might be tempted to take out a payday loan. Here’s why not to & what to do instead.

I Need Financial Help Right Now in Canada By Kelly GabrielIf you are struggling with your finances and you’re thinking, “I need financial help right now! Fast!” We can help you. One of our professionally accredited credit & debt counsellors can help you go through...

There’s so Much to Lose if You Don’t File Your Taxes How Filing Your Taxes On Time Can Benefit Your Budget By Julie JaggernathA few years ago my husband became quite ill right at tax time. Juggling his needs, taking care of our kids and still keeping up with work...

4 Reality Checks to Make Before Starting a Side Hustle Thinking through a side hustle before you start is much better than facing a personal and financial reality check afterwards. While they are a great way to earn extra income, they don’t come without risks. In...

Keep Home Renovations Costs from Breaking Your Budget Home renovation costs can be hard for anyone’s budget. Maybe you’re planning to live in your house for a while, or maybe you want to raise its selling value. Many people start reno projects with great ideas and...

Steps for Effective Personal Finance Management and Planning For some people, personal finance management is a passionate hobby, while for others it’s a daunting chore. Either way, personal financial planning – including budgeting, tracking your spending, and saving –...

Avoid an Unexpected Financial Crisis and What to Do If Disaster Strikes Sometimes catastrophe strikes and we end up in a financial crisis. From natural disasters, large-scale pay system errors, illnesses, or sweeping layoffs, Canadians can face major financial...

4 Common Financial Goals – How to Make Them SMART & Be Successful When you’re new to setting financial goals, you might want to see some specific examples. Here are 4 of the most common goals we hear and what to do to make them SMART. When your goals – financial...

New Year’s Resolutions: How to Set and Achieve Specific Financial Goals in 2020 I want to lose weight. I want to save more money. I want to get out of debt. I want to quit smoking. At the start of a New Year – and in this case, a new decade! – many people set New...

Year-End Checklist: 9 Things to Do for a Financially Successful 2020 Welcome to 2020 – a clean slate to turn over a new leaf with your finances. As yet another year draws to a close and a new decade begins, it’s time to reflect on the past 12 months, how you’ve fared...

The Simplest Way to Track Your Money By Julie Jaggernath Keeping track of our money can be as simple or as complicated as we make it. It comes down to how you view your budget. Do you think of it as a way to plan how to spend your money, or as a way to keep track of...

What To Do When Your Financial Goals Feel Unrealistic Working towards your financial goals is a great, proactive move, but if goals are unrealistic, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment and veering off track. You may want to save up for a down payment...

Money Management Basics: Top Tips for How to Manage Your Money From paying off debt to creating an emergency fund and getting savings in the bank, your financial fate hinges on key money management basics. Getting familiar with the fundamentals of how to manage money...

3 Strategies to Manage Money as a Couple with Debt or Income Disparity Managing money as a couple can be tricky to sort out with two incomes and two financial situations merging. While you’re trying to manage money jointly, there could be major disparities in pay,...

3 Smart Money Management Tips Revealed Through Winter Storms By Julie Jaggernath All of the snow shovelling we recently had to do gave me time to think about what smart money management tips we can learn from the winter weather that has hit many parts of Canada and...

Facing a Pay Cut or Reduced Income? Here’s What to Do Right Now Facing a pay cut is scary, but when you know it’s going to happen, how you get ready for it is key. Instead of waiting until your pay cheque gets smaller, take steps right now to bring your spending in...

How to Use a Cash Only Diet to Kick Start Your Debt Repayments It’s easy to tap and swipe away on your debit and credit cards for groceries, gas, online shopping and nights out. But when you’re dealing with invisible money, it’s hard to track how much you’re spending....

How to Convince a Landlord to Rent to You By Julie Jaggernath Are you trying to convince a landlord to rent to you? Looking like the ideal renter and great tenant to make your application stand out takes a bit of planning. But to score the place you want – and keep...

The Early Warning Signs of Financial Problems Financial problems can seem to creep up on us out of nowhere. It's always surprising how so many people seem to be doing fine with their finances and then within a fairly short amount of time they encounter serious...

7 Ways to Protect Yourself from Rising Interest Rates in Canada Today the Bank of Canada raised the interest rate that all banks base their Prime rate on (the Prime rate is used to calculate interest on lines of credit and variable rate mortgages). There is talk that...

What to Do If You’re Saying “I Need Help Immediately” by Stacy Yanchuk Oleksy Sometimes when life presents us with challenges we think to ourselves “it’s okay Self, we got this. We can handle it.” And sometime we wonder, “maybe I need help immediately.” This is no...

How to Set Financial Goals in the New Year By Debra Pangestu Getting our finances in order is a common New Year’s resolution, and one of the best things you can do to achieve this is to know how to set financial goals. Setting financial goals – whether they’re...

6 Personal Finance Tips to Help You Achieve Financial Freedom in the Future Financial freedom is something many of us hope to achieve in the future, and although such a goal may seem unlikely when you’re in a tough financial spot, developing good personal finance...

Managing Money and Debt Wisely By Jane Rooney, Canada's Financial Literacy Leader Financial Literacy Month (FLM) is in its fifth year and I am happy to report that hundreds of events are taking place across the country helping people gain the knowledge, skills and...

5 Reasons Why You Should Avoid a Cash Advance By Debra Pangestu When you’re in a financial bind and in need of quick cash, taking a cash advance on your credit card may sound like a convenient way to get money; but there’s a price to pay for the convenience, and in...

How to Manage Money Better with These 6 Money Management Tips By Debra Pangestu For many people, knowing how to manage money better is one of the keys to achieving their financial goals. If you haven’t had a good track record of managing finances, don’t beat yourself...

Money Tips - 8 More Money Mistakes That Will Keep You Broke A while ago we shared some common money mistakes people make that keep them broke; however, a lot of you asked for more money tips, and we're more than happy to oblige. From making purchases during times of...

Easy Ways to Help Students Learn About Money | Bringing Financial Literacy Into the Classroom Q: I wish I had learned more about money growing up. I've recently graduated from university and have started teaching at a middle school. I've noticed that many of my...

Moving from Vancouver, BC to Toronto, ON – How to Manage Costs During the Transition Q: My husband has a great opportunity for career advancement, but it means relocating from Vancouver to Toronto. After weighing the pros and cons and considering what our teens had to...

Start With Bank Account, Cable, Internet and Cell Phone Fees, Plans, Bundles & Charges - Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Finances This Spring by Julie Jaggernath Have you ever been surprised to find a dust bunny lurking in a corner? While it’s easy to clean them up...

How to Break the RRSP Loan Cycle | Invest in RRSPs Without Borrowing Q: Every year when I hear the RRSP deadline ads, I head into the bank, take out an RRSP loan and try to pay it back before I need another loan next year. Retirement seems so far off for me so I don’t...

How to Deal with Financial Trouble in Retirement Q: We retired 5 years ago at the age of 60 without financial problems or a lot of debt, and things were going okay until the recession. Our RRSP’s took a pretty big hit and we shifted our money into low yield but safe...

Helping Employees Who Are Struggling with Financial Difficulties Q: I have a small business and employ 12 people full time. One of my long-time employees briefly mentioned that he’s facing some financial difficulties. Other employees have been commenting on how moody...

5 Tricks to Keep Your Cash Safe from Yourself | How to Control Spending Q. Every time there’s a “special event,” my friends like to have a pub night. We each spend at least $100 every time, often more when you include taxi fares. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and...

How to Avoid Freedom 85 - Tips to Retire Debt Free by Julie Jaggernath High consumer debt levels, possible interest rate increases within about a year, historically low savings rates and talk of pension changes in Canada; the message is that Canadians need to change...

How to Turn New Year's Resolutions into Results Q: My friends and I all make resolutions on January 1st but most of us don’t end up sticking to them. I’ve made the resolution to get my finances in order but I’m afraid that I’ll end up like most people at this time of...

How to Weather the Financial Storms of Life | Preparing for Financial Problems Q: A lot has happened this year to cause me to reflect about how unprepared my family and I are for a significant life event. We don’t want to end up in financial ruins, what can you...

Checklist for Snowbirds Heading South Many Snowbirds look forward to sunshine and warm temperatures in the winter months – it’s a big drawing card for those who have time to leave Canadian winters behind. However, as with any travel plans, you’re wise to consider the...

3 Steps to Get Out of Debt before Interest Rates Rise By all accounts it sounds like interest rates will likely remain low for up to another two years. But while we’ve gotten used to cheap money, a line of credit at 3% will quickly become a distant memory. Make...

The Cost of Living is Increasing – How to Protect Yourself from Inevitable Higher Costs of Living Q: We bought our first home a few years ago when interest rates were low. Both of us had good incomes so we spent as much as the bank would give us. Now I work part-time...

Financial Management & Planning for the Future | What Does a Groundhog Know About Money? By Julie Jaggernath Wouldn’t it be great to roll out of bed in the morning and know exactly what the day holds in store for you? Financially speaking, wouldn’t it be great to...

How to Manage Your Money the S.M.A.R.T. Way Q: I never have any money left over after paying my bills to even think about financial goals. I'm frustrated because I know I have to do more than just think about my future. Can you help? A: It's not how much you make, but...

Should you buy your next big screen TV in Canada? Q: My best friend and I have a bet going this year on who can get the best deal for a 50-inch, flat-screen TV. I bet him a large coffee that I could get my TV cheapest in the U.S., and he thinks that he'll get a better...

Don't let your worst financial fears become your reality Q: I am a mature woman and I've just got divorced for the second time. My children are on their own. Money was an issue during my first marriage, and I didn't realize how big an issue it was in my second...

What to do if you dread filing taxes Q: I always dread filing my taxes. I usually owe a few hundred dollars and struggle to find the money to pay the bill. What can you suggest? A: Tempting as it may be, procrastinating will only make it worse. Filing late might mean...

The 7 Smartest Things You Can Do for Your Finances Have you ever wondered what the best things are that you can do for your financial future? Here is our list of the smartest things that anyone can do for their finances. 1. Budget If you are spending more than you...

One of the Biggest Retirement Mistakes Most Canadians Don’t Know What Their Retirement Income Will Be According to one survey, 83 percent of Canadians don’t know how much income to expect when they stop working.* More and more Canadians seem to be waking up to what...

The Easiest Way to Prevent Financial Problems: Get Organized People have financial problems for all sorts of reasons: overspending, not planning, losing a job, family problems, business failure, and the list goes on. While any one of these issues may seem to be the...

Bringing Home The Gold Q: Why does it feel like managing my money is so much work? It's hard to stay focused. What can I do? A: It takes work to manage your money, but sometimes all the motivation you need is a fresh perspective. Take the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic...