Saving Strategies

In late 2018, we installed a mini-split heat pump for the purpose of reducing our electricity bill.  Around here in the most easterly parts of Canada, most of the houses use electric baseboard heating as the primary source of heating.  While baseboard heating is a lower cost option during installation, the operating costs can rack…

For income-oriented Canadian investors the choice between a Bond ETF and a GIC or high interest savings account has become more important than ever.  With interest rates at historic lows (and not looking up any time soon) picking the best option for the “safe” part of our portfolio can make a substantial difference to the…

After filing my income tax return in mid-April (yes, I tend to procrastinate), I noticed on the bottom of the screen the amount that we will receive for the Canada Child Benefit.  While we’ve been receiving this benefit since the Trudeau administration has been in power (2016), what really got me thinking is that we’ll…

Way back in 2008, we completed a custom home that we still live in today.  In that same year, I wrote a post about my regrets of not going with a heat pump to save money on energy bills.  I’m not sure if you use electric heat where you are from, but if you do,…

This post was originally written in 2016, but with new free products (see Borrowell below), and a friend asking about how to obtain credit scores, I thought there was value in updating this post. Credit cards and mortgages are a hot topic in the personal finance world.  Since both are essentially loans, credit issuers and…