Tag Archives: saving

The Apple Watch and Findependence

Posted By Jonathan Chevreau | April 17, 2015

My friend the inimitable Norman Rothery posted a blog at MoneySense.ca Thursday that was inspired by a Twitter exchange last weekend: the post is titled Apple Watch Delays Findependence.

On Twitter, I had publicly disclosed that I had pre-ordered the new Apple Watch, even though delivery is several weeks away. Norm made a query about the possible impact on Findependence, then followed up in his blog by suggesting that young people buying these gadgets might seriously be delaying the arrival of their Findependence Day (that is, the day they reach Financial Independence) by 17 days for the cheapest model and for as much as two years for the expensive glitzy gold model.

I have no great problem with the blog, a typically contrarian piece by a great value investor: it’s all grist for the mill, as they say and I’m happy to see an influential writer like Norm use the term Findependence. Even so, let me assure readers out there who may have fancied me to be a frugal kind of guy that I quite definitely did NOT purchase the expensive gold-banded version. For the curious, I picked one of the simple entry-level models with a black band and the smaller watch-face, roughly the model illustrated above.

I entirely agree with Norman that the first generation of technology tends to have kinks and it’s never a bad idea to wait for a few releases and let the pioneers suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous technology fortune.

My three reasons for pre-ordering Continue Reading…

Why It’s Important To Talk With Your Kids About Money

Posted By Jonathan Chevreau | April 15, 2015

By Gary Rabbior,

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Do you talk with your kids about money matters? Are you preparing them to handle the financial decisions and responsibilities they will face in their lives? Do you get a sense that your kids are getting the financial knowledge, or developing the financial skills, in school that they will need in life? Or do you know much at all about what your kids know about money – and how they make financial decisions>

If you are like many parents today, the answers to those questions may not be very encouraging. In this day and age, with money matters so dominant in so many peoples’ lives, it almost seems surprising to have to advocate for talking with our kids about money to help them prepare for their financial futures. But that is what we — The Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE) and BMO Financial Group — are doing with the Talk With Our Kids About Money Day program, which happens today (Wed., April 15th). We are encouraging and helping parents and teachers to talk with our kids about money.

Early days for school-based Fin Lit Continue Reading…

7 tips to achieve a Findependent Life

Posted By Jonathan Chevreau | March 31, 2015

By Good Nelly,

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Are you dreaming about a financially independent (aka “findependent”) life free of debt?

What do you mean by “Financial Independence?” Before you start working towards achieving “Findependence,” ask yourself: What does this mean to you? Do you dream of a life in which you can spend your time as you want? Does it mean a rich and varied lifestyle you wish to have? In short, you need a vision, depending on which you can plan your action.

Here are seven tips to achieve a financially independent life:

1.) Make yourself disciplined

Financial Planning for young couples serious about their future together

Posted By Jonathan Chevreau | March 22, 2015

By Dane O’Leary

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

When it comes to making huge decisions that amount to starting a new chapter in your life, financial planning is an essential precursor to such significant changes. In fact, it’s pretty irresponsible to, for example, buy a house before you’ve prepared yourself financially. Not only is it irresponsible, but in biting off more than you can chew you’re likely to choke; foreclosure isn’t just an empty threat your lender makes so you pay your bills on time.

In addition to buying a home, starting a family is another stage in your life that requires a thorough financial plan beforehand. Young adults who are ready to buy homes and start families are at an advantage because, by starting early, they have plenty of time to get their finances in order so huge life changes don’t lead to financial ruin.

However, many young adults don’t begin their preparation as early as they could despite experts who say it’s never too soon to get prepared. With that in mind, here are financial planning tips that will make buying a home and starting a family two of the best chapters in your life story.

Save, Save, Save Continue Reading…

A saving & spending plan you can live with

Posted By Jonathan Chevreau | February 11, 2015

Robb Engen, Boomer & Echo

In many ways, Elizabeth Warren’s 2005 bestseller All Your Worth was ahead of its time. Warren, a relentless consumer advocate, eschews mindless frugality and focuses instead on finding the right balance so you always have enough to pay your bills, have some fun, and save for the future.

The author suggests a simple formula for spending your after-tax dollars on needs, wants, and savings:

Allocate 50 per cent to needs: These must-haves include housing, transportation, groceries, insurance, and clothes that you really need.

Spend 30 per cent on wants: Wants include cable television, clothing beyond the basics, restaurant meals, concert tickets, hobbies, etc.

Set aside 20 per cent for savings: This includes both short- and-long term savings, as well as debt repayment.

Warren encourages saving AND having fun rather than scrimping and pinching pennies on the things that make you happy. That means saving money on big-ticket items like housing and transportation – effectively reducing the amount you spend on needs to free up money to save for the future and spend on wants.

“If you can’t afford to have fun, you can’t afford your life.”

When I applied this formula to my own spending I found the following breakdown:

Needs took up 53.5 per cent of our monthly budget, including the mortgage payment, property taxes, car payment, insurance (life, home, car), groceries, gas, utilities, cell phone, hair cuts, prescriptions, and clothing.

Wants made up just 18 per cent of our monthly spending, including cable and internet, restaurants, alcohol, children’s activities, hired cleaners (bi-weekly), credit card annual fees, subscriptions and memberships, gifts, summer vacation, and discretionary spending.

Finally, savings accounted for 28.5 per cent of our monthly budget. This amount includes repayment to our line of credit, contributions to my employer pension, RESP deposits, plus RRSP contributions.

Our car will be paid off late next year, which will free up $10,000 per year and reduce our “needs” allocation from 53.5 per cent down to about 44 per cent. Ideally, I’d prefer to shuffle that money over to savings and build up our TFSAs; however, I’ll keep the idea of balance in mind and consider adding a few thousand dollars into our “wants” allocation.