personal finance
Posts about personal finance.
-
Preparing for the Next Recession – A Guide For The Canadian Middle Class
As a CPA and Licensed Insolvency Trustee, I had a front row seat during the Great Recession of 2009 – 2011. I saw the devastating impact it had on the lives of ordinary Canadians. These were everyday people who were for the most part honest, hard working, and played by the rules. Yet they found themselves on the short end of the stick when the Great Recession started 10 years ago: some lost their jobs, some had their financial portfolios decimated, some lost their homes and quite a few experienced losing all three. It’s been over 10 years since the onset of the Great Recession and Canadians are more indebted…
You May Also Like
The Dash Show
-
How Does a Credit Score in Canada Really Work?
Introduction In theory, a credit score should be quite simple – through an algorithm, you’re assigned a numerical score that determines your credit worthiness. The score is a weighted average of many factors, including but not limited to: Your payment history Your credit utilization rate, which is how much of your credit limit you have uses versus how much you have available to you Balance owing on your debts The length of your credit history Public records (such as bankruptcy) Number of inquiries into your credit file Different Credit Scores But the reality is not that simple. Here are the complicating factors: Each of the two major credit rating agencies,…
-
Filing bankruptcy with gambling and substance abuse problems
A readers asks First and foremost I’m a gambling addict and also have problems with substance abuse. I have accumulated so much debt that I have fallen into a deep depression and I just beat myself up daily because I did it to myself. My debts: $3,000 of credit card debt, $11,000 line of credit, $11,000 in payday loans (the worst I know). I pay around $380 a month just on interest charges; pretty much my debts are not going away. I have personal loans from friends of $6.500 and a student loan of $5,000 – I haven’t made a payment since around 2008. I also have a payday loan…
-
The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Financial Success
During my 20 years as a financial professional and business owner in Toronto, I’ve gotten to know some very successful people and not so successful people. Here are my observations about the former and the latter within the framework of the Big Five Personality Traits, namely (1) Agreeableness; (2) Conscientiousness; (3) Extraversion; (4) Neuroticism; and (5) Openness to Experience. Agreeableness: “Nice guys finish last” – in my experience, this saying is very true. The “difficult person” is usually going to come out ahead financially because he can negotiate more aggressively in his own best interest, be it a real estate deal, salary negotiation or business deal. He won’t be overly concerned…
-
Take Caution When Selling or Purchasing a Condo Assignment – GST/HST issues
There are significant financial risks in purchasing or selling a condominium assignment. We discuss the implications for the Assignor and Assignee.
-
Rules for Locked In Retirement Savings in Ontario
Introduction When you leave a job, you’ll typically have retirement savings locked in through pension legislation at your place of work. You’ll usually have a choice between leaving the monies in your pension plan or transferring it to a locked-in retirement account (LIRA), which is essentially an RRSP which is locked-in until you reach a certain age, which varies according to provincial pension legislation. Once you reach a minimum age (set by the province of residency, which is 55 years old in Ontario) you can start to receive income from this pension money by converting it into a Life Income Fund (LIF) or a Locked-in Registered Income Fund (LRIF). To…
-
Bankruptcy After Divorce
Introduction Divorce or marital breakdown is one of the most common causes of financial hardship, which often leads to a spouse filing for bankruptcy. The effect of family support obligations, the division of family assets, and the loss of income can have a devastating effect on both parties going through a separation. As these situations are becoming more common, we thought it would be worthwhile to provide an overview of this topic. This article will be divided into two sections: Matrimonial Property and Family Support Obligations. For ease in reviewing the issues at hand, we shall refer to these two parties as “husband” and “wife” and assume that: they are…
-
Creditor Proofing Tips for Business Owners
The failure of a prospective business owner to employ creditor proofing techniques before starting a business is a frequent cause of personal financial difficulties due to the failure of a business and the attendant business-related liabilities personally owed by the company owner. These individuals must often file for personal bankruptcy or make a consumer proposal to their creditors as result of business-related debts. Debtors completing their bankruptcy/ proposal often wish to start up another business sometime in the near future. The expected question then arises: how can they creditor-proof themselves in the event that their new business fails? Here are some ideas: Creditor proofing techniques 1. Consider incorporating the business.…
