April 2010

Everything Is Better In The US

April 30, 2010

Happy Friday Everyone! This past week I was outed by a reader. Yes, I admit it…I am Canadian. I am your neighbour north of the boarder. So for this week’s weekly roundup we are discussing the relationship between America and Canada. I love America. I visit about 3 times a year. Actually, as you are [...]

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Book Giveaway! "The Little Book of Behavioral Investing"

April 29, 2010

Let’s give away a couple free books, shall we? Got an email about this newish one that just came out back in Feb, and from a quick glance over it seems pretty promising. Here’s a little more about this book by James Montier, followed by the directions on how to enter today’s contest: The Little [...]

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Drafting a Will and Keeping It Up to Date

April 28, 2010

This was not a topic that I had planned to write about this week but I felt the need to address the situation. As you know I work in a bank branch as a Personal Financial Planner. This past week I had two different clients come and see me with their children to get their [...]

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Is Negotiating Credit a Lost Cause?

April 27, 2010

Credit products such as Mortgages and Credit Cards can in some cases be negotiated on the client’s behalf. But don’t be mistaken, regardless of the wonderful deal that your personal banker is promising you; in the end the bank always make a profit. Sometimes (I admit to using this strategy) personal bankers will tell you [...]

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IRAs, Home Theaters, and Sicilian Graveyards

April 26, 2010

Are you like me? Do you experience night terrors about your parents moving in with you because they have failed to set up any kind of retirement plan? Does your spouse have to wake you in the middle of the night to assure you that your father-in-law is not in the kitchen scrambling eggs in [...]

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Weekly Recap: Scandals, Wealth, & The New $100 Bill

April 23, 2010

Hello DINKs and Happy Friday! We have survived another work week and now it’s time for some light reading to kick off the weekend. This week’s recap is full of fun and focused solely on money! So let’s get to it! First off I would like to congratulate Aaron @ Clarifinancial who is the official [...]

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If You Can Make it Here, You Can Make it Anywhere

April 22, 2010

Good Business Equals Good Finances. It is not a secret that you need to be successful to make money. Actually, let me rephrase that because we live in a society where people who party at nightclubs in NYC are famous, and people who are born rich become instant celebrities. In the majority of cases, being [...]

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AmEx Gold Card Promo: 25,000 pts!

April 21, 2010

American Express is running a special promotion right now for anyone looking. The details are below, but if you spend $1,000 in 3 months (not hard to to do if you use your credit card for everything), you’ll be handsomely rewarded 25,000 membership rewards points. You can then turn them into either $250 worth of [...]

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Changes Coming for Health Savings Accounts

April 21, 2010

If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA), you might be wondering what changes are coming down the pipe due to health care reform. But first, let’s backup and review what an HSA is in the first place. What’s a Heath Savings Account? An HSA is a tax-exempt account you can open to pay (or [...]

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When Your Dual Income is Cut in Half

April 20, 2010

On April 13, 2010 the US Census Bureau reported that Imports surpassed Exports in Foreign Trade. So, what does this mean for us? Well, for many it means that we have lost our job within the last 12 to 24 months. Now the question to ask is how can you adjust your current lifestyle when [...]

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