A government study a few years ago showed that the average Canadian was spending 31% of pretax income on housing costs. With the rapidly increasing cost of electricity and heat, due in large part to Smart Meters and HST, we can say that many people spend half of their after-tax pay just...

Source: Financial Literacy Newsletter - March 2019 - Canada.ca Don’t buy into online shopping fraud The online world may offer tremendous convenience to consumers, but it’s also an anonymous space for fraudsters, who swindled more than… read...

There is an old expression which applies top many people who are faced with credit card debts and that is “the most expensive item you will ever buy is the one bought on credit”. We live in a society today where the emphasis has switched from saving toward the purchase of an item to...

Credit Counsellors often meet very intelligent students who are completely overwhelmed with their financial situation. With easy credit combined with the high cost of education students are graduating with very high debt loads. When this is combined with uncertainty in the job market it...

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CORUS/CTV Morning Show segment called “Christmas Shopping Tips: Don’t Let the Grinch Steal Christmas,” featuring Debbie Gillis, Director, Credit & Financial Counselling...

Step 1: Spending Habits The first step to a successful budget is knowing where every penny is spent over a one-month period. Write it all down, carry a small pad with you or keep all receipts. Track all spending including trips to the corner store and the coffee shop. Step 2: Get...

Newly Wed & Newly In Debt "All through school I'd managed to stay out of debt. Now that we were married, I saw that my husband didn't manage money the same way. We had two ways of looking at things. I went along at first -buying everything at once so that our home would be perfect....