6 Month Student Loan Update

It’s been about 6 months since I’ve started paying back my student loans (… for the second time…) and I wanted to do a bit of a recap.  When I posted my student loan repayment plan a few months ago, I ambitiously posted a scenario that would see me pay off my student loan in about...

Finding a way to say no

Things have been a little rough around here lately.  In the past, I’ve alluded to the fact that my parents have never had a lot of money, especially in the eyes of our relatives.  It’s only gotten worse over time as debts add up and bills kept going unpaid.  I think it’s reaching a...

How to transfer your RRSP’s to a brokerage

Earlier this year, CF wrote about tackling  big goals by breaking them down into smaller tasks. We’ve applied exactly this principle in our quest to transfer our mutual funds to a brokerage, so that we could switch to ETF investing. We’ve really been pushing to get our RRSP investments out of...

How do I get a down payment? (…in Vancouver?!)

Housing costs in Vancouver are infamously high.  I hear a lot of whining and moaning, especially from certain groups of people (*ahem*) who are used to living in big houses and driving fancy cars.  One girl I used to work with was studying to become a lawyer.  Her family arrived in Canada, with lots of...

Doing my 2012 Taxes with Turbo Tax

For the past several years, I have done my taxes using the Turbo Tax software. (Before that, I was a strictly pencil and paper tax form person!  Oh the mistakes I made…)  I like it for it’s simplicity, ease of use and relatively quick turnover.  You can use the software via the online portal...

Choosing NOT to participate in my employee stock plan

My current employer offers employees a chance to purchase company stock at a guaranteed discount.  You enrol in 6 month periods and allocate a certain percentage (2% and up) of your salary towards purchasing stock.  While there is a maximum number of stocks that you may purchase at one time (it’s a...