Debt & Frugality

As Didi says in the novel (Findependence Day), “There’s no point climbing the Tower of Wealth when you’re still mired in the basement of debt.” If you owe credit-card debt still charging an usurous 20% per annum, forget about building wealth: focus on eliminating that debt. And once done, focus on paying off your mortgage. As Theo says in the novel, “The foundation of financial independence is a paid-for house.”

What first-time home buyers should know about FHA loans (U.S.)

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By Cher Zevala

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

For most people, a home is the most significant purchase they will ever make, as well as one of the most complex. Finding a home is actually the easiest part in most cases, but financing the purchase can be stressful.

That stress is only amplified when you want to purchase a home, but don’t necessarily meet lender qualifications for an attractive mortgage. Simply put, it’s not always easy to get a mortgage for a home. Lenders have strict criteria in terms of down payment, income, and credit history, and failing to meet those criteria can mean disappointment, at least when you work with a traditional lender. Thankfully, there are other options for purchasing a home, such as an FHA mortgage.

What Is an FHA Mortgage?

An FHA mortgage or loan is a home loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration (in the United States).  Borrowers who get a mortgage under this program must purchase mortgage insurance, which protects the lender in the event of a default. The agency itself does not issue the loan, but instead works with traditional lenders, providing assurance that the bank will not lose money on the deal.

FHA loans are attractive to many home buyers because they typically have less stringent qualifications in terms of down payment and credit score, but still offer competitive interest rates. For instance, while a buyer who only has a 10 per cent down payment and a credit score of 600 is not likely to qualify for a traditional loan, he or she has a better chance of getting financing via an FHA loan. Continue Reading…

Why it’s NOT okay to be in debt when approaching Retirement

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By Douglas Hoyes

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

While we all strive for a Victory Lap leading to our Findependence, a growing number of Canadians can only dream about getting out of debt.

Every two years my firm, Hoyes, Michalos & Associates Inc., releases our Joe Debtor report, where we profile our clients who have filed a bankruptcy or a consumer proposal.  In our report two years ago we reported that seniors are the fastest growing risk group for insolvency, and that’s still the case today.

Almost one in five insolvencies involve pre-retirement debtors in their 50s, and more than one in 10 (12%) involve seniors in their 60s and 70s.

What’s the problem?  Shouldn’t older Canadians have a lifetime of savings to rely on as they enter their Victory Lap?  Many do.  If you had a well-paying stable job that allowed you to save and build assets,  have an employer-provided pension, or have been fortunate enough to own a house during the current real estate boom, you are probably in great shape heading into your golden years.

Many over 50s still have dependents

However, not everyone in the over 50 crowd is as fortunate.  Continue Reading…

Is it worth it to skip a Mortgage payment?

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By Alyssa Furtado, RateHub.ca

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Skipping a mortgage payment can seem like a good option, especially in an emergency if you don’t have a rainy day fund or savings to dip into. If you lose your job, your car breaks down, or you have any other type of unexpected expense, the option to skip a mortgage payment may look enticing. But is it worth it?

Some mortgage lenders allow you to skip a payment. Here’s what you need to know before deciding whether or not you should choose that option.

What does skipping really mean?

Sounds like a simple fix on a month when everything’s gone south, right? Not so fast. When you skip a payment, you’re not just pushing the expense back a month, you’re still racking up interest.

On a day-to-day basis, it looks like a simple monthly payment. But your mortgage payment actually has two component parts: The principal (the actual payment of the debt itself) and the interest. You don’t pay the principal, but your mortgage lender still charges you interest.

By skipping a month, you lose the chance to pay down the principal and you add on that month’s interest, which gets added to the total amount left on your mortgage.

You wind up with a higher mortgage rather than the number staying the same. The skip doesn’t freeze time. Any scenario where you add more interest should be looked at as borrowing more money.

Looking years down the line, the interest you pay after skipping will be even higher since your loan itself becomes larger. The increase won’t be huge, but if you just took on a mortgage with a 25-year amortization period, the additional interest will add up over time. If you’re close to paying off your mortgage, the interest costs won’t be as high.

Am I allowed to skip?

Continue Reading…

The 2017 MoneySense ETF All-Stars

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The fifth edition of the MoneySense ETF All-stars is available online here. This annual feature used to appear in the print edition of the magazine and was originally written by Dan Bortolotti, who is now a full time investment advisor with PWL Capital Inc., and well known for his Canadian Couch Potato blog.

In recent years, I’ve written it, with the assistance of an expert panel of ETF experts you can find in the link. They include Dan himself and his partner Justin Bender at PWL, Tyler Mordy at Forstrong Global Asset Management, Mark Yamada at PUR Data, Yves Rebetez, editor of ETF Insight), and Alan Fusty of Index Wealth Management. (The same members as last year).

As you’ll see, because the goal of the panel is to identify low-cost, well diversified ETFs that can be bought and held over the long run, we try not to make changes just for the sake of change. As a result, 12 of the 14 picks from 2016 are back in 2017, with two substitutions deemed necessary in the US equity and fixed income categories.

Changes in US equity and fixed-income categories

In the case of the US equity category, the panel stood pat with two Vanguard S&P 500 ETFs (hedged and unhedged) but replaced a third Vanguard ETF in this category, VUN, with a new offering, XUU, launched in 2015: the iShares Core S&P US Total Market Index ETF.

The other big change was in fixed-income. Four of our five fixed-income picks are back, with one major tweak: the removal of VAB, Vanguard Canadian Aggregate Bond Index ETF, and its replacement by ZAG, the BMO Aggregate Bond Index ETF.

For the most part, the panel was unanimous in making these two particular tweaks although of course there was a fair amount of debate throughout the process, which you can read about in the full article online.

 

Life Planning Basics: The Importance of an Emergency Fund

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Photo Credit: Pexels.com

by Jackie Waters

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

When setting up your financial life plan, it’s important to understand the absolute necessity of an emergency fund. Before you can start saving for what you want in your future, you have to save some for all the stuff you don’t want or expect to happen.

The main purpose of an emergency fund is to protect against life’s many contingencies. This includes, but is in no way limited to; job loss, medical co-pays, car troubles, home repairs, child expenses, and unexpected travel needs. Without an emergency fund, you’re forced to turn to other means to pay for things you simply can’t ignore. Many turn to credit cards, which increases personal debt and leaves people in insurmountable holes. It’s nearly impossible to invest in your future when you’re sitting under a pile of debt.

How much should be in your emergency fund?

Continue Reading…