Category Archives: Money Coaching

RRSP vs RESP: How to Make the Right Choice?

By Bruce Q. Thompson, B.Admin, CFP®

Family in kitchen with laptop smiling

From the moment our children are born we want the best for their future. Success is never guaranteed, but we hope to be able to offer them opportunities. And what better opportunity is there than education? So it seems like a straight forward assumption that we would contribute to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP).

But what about our own future? What about contributing to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)? Canadians are living longer, and the cost of living is always on the rise. If we don’t have a solid retirement plan, are we at risk of living in our well educated child’s basement? OK, that may be a tongue-in-cheek option, but the question of where to place our investment dollars is valid. What’s a parent to do?

The Fundamentals: What You Need to Know

Continue reading

Don’t Let Back to School Break the Bank

By Karen Richardson, FPSC Level 1® and Christine White, P.Eng., FPSC Level 1®

The back to school cliché is that kids dread it and parents are gleefully counting the hours. But in reality, lots of kids are excited to go back to school (albeit an excitement that usually fades with the first homework assignment) and many parents dread September because it feels like open season on their bank accounts. Back to school spending seems to escalate every year, but it doesn’t have to be that way. You may not be able to keep your kids excited about school, but saving on back to school expenses is possible with some planning.

Back to school basics

Don’t start from scratch

A costly mistake many parents make is buying everything new. School ended roughly 8 weeks ago. It is entirely likely that much of what your children wore last spring still fits them. The same goes for school supplies; rulers, binders, folders, pencil cases, calculators, erasers, etc… are often in fine shape for the new school year. Before you head to the mall make an inventory of what you already have.

Kids don’t need everything on the first day

Even if your stock taking reveals that the kids will need several new items to get through the year, they won’t likely need winter boots in the first several weeks. Keep purchases to the essentials by building on what they have and then start watching for sales. The holidays are just around the corner and adding to the kids’ wardrobe through birthday and Christmas gifts is also a great idea. Continue reading

5 Ways A Money Coach Can Help You Win Your Own Financial Olympics

By Christine Williston, B.A., FPSC Level 1™

What an amazing two weeks of athletic competition at the Olympic Games in Rio. Rosie MacLennan soared through the air with grace and precision and landed a gold medal in the gymnastics trampoline final. Andre de Grasse took silver (men’s 200m less than 1 second behind powerhouse runner Usain Bolt) and two bronze (men’s 100m and men’s 4x100m relay). Penny Oleksiak swam into Canadian hearts with a gold, a sliver and two bronze medals. Derek Drouin leapt to Gold in the men’s high jump and Erica Wiebe pinned a gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling. In total Canadian athletes brought home 4 gold, 3 silver and 15 bronze medals.

The side of Olympic glory that we don’t see

5 Ways A Money Coach Can Help You Win Your Own Financial Olympics

The moments of glory are electric and inspiring, but what we don’t see on the Olympic stage are the years and years of training, the tired muscles, the setbacks, disappointments, sacrifices and deep commitment to a goal. In the moment of triumph the athlete stands alone on the podium, but the path to the podium is paved by supporters and coaches. Becoming an Olympic calibre athlete starts with a personal dream, but also requires a great deal of financial resources for equipment, practice space, travel, physical therapy, and many other sport specific costs.

What’s your dream?

You may not be an aspiring Olympian, but you probably have your own Olympic sized dream: Continue reading

Coach Spotlight: Sabine Lay, Certified Money Coach

Sabine Lay, certified Money Coach

Sabine Lay, certified Money Coach

In the five years that Sabine Lay has been a Money Coach the question she has most frequently been asked is: How do other people manage their finances? Or even, “Am I the worst case you’ve seen?” She says the comparison question arises in one form or another from practically every client.

Give your money purpose

What Sabine tells them is that comparison has no benefits. What she shows them is that being clear on their own financial values and creating goals that give their money purpose, generates the kind of confidence that makes comparison questions unnecessary. Sabine helps her clients develop benchmarks and barometers of “success” of their own making.

Money Coaching was the missing piece in financial service

Sabine grew up in Germany and spent five years living in England before moving to Canada 17 years ago. She was working for an international bank when she found herself becoming dissatisfied with the limitations on how she could help her clients.

“I was frustrated by seeing so many people with good income in debt and struggling to make ends meet. I knew I could help them, but it wasn’t within the mandate of my position to offer that kind of help.”

When she read about Money Coaches Canada in an article in the Globe and Mail newspaper she knew it was the sort of work she wanted to do and from the beginning she knew she would specialize in debt and cash flow management. Sabine also helps her clients ensure they have a solid financial foundation as they prepare for retirement.

Building trust and finding clarity

“My first sessions with an individual or a couple are discussions. Before I can help I need to know what is important to them, and they need to get to know me before they can put their trust in me. The surprise that happens in Money Coaching is the person or couple learns a lot about themselves. Relationships with money are influenced by upbringing and by the culture we live in, but it’s important to look at those influences and question whether they help or hinder our financial well-being.”

Sabine Lay TweetClients who work with Sabine can expect her to be supportive and positive but honest. She doesn’t sugar coat her advice, but clients often remark on her warmth and sincerity. The greatest benefit of working with Sabine is the level of clarity she brings to the situation. Clients will have: clarity on their current situation (where their money is coming and going), clarity on their financial goals and clarity on the steps needed to achieve those goals.

“My greatest pleasure as a Money Coach is when I see the pieces of the new plan falling into place and the person or couple is happier and taking control because they have a plan geared to their life.”

Fresh insight and real change

Sabine works with individuals and couples and says that coaching offers different benefits for each.

“I help all my clients define what’s important to them and show them how to make financial decisions based on those values, but for single clients I can also serve as an accountability partner if that is what they need. For couples it is vital to their success that they have the same goals and the same dedication to the process. I can remain neutral and help couples create goals they are both excited about, if both partners are willing and committed.”

Sabine says that someone looking for real change in their financial life will benefit from the fresh insight and expertise of a Money Coach.  Although she prefers to think of the road to financial well-being as having challenges not problems, she believes this quote from Albert Einstein makes an excellent point about the value of a different perspective:

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

A new way of thinking about your money is just a click away. Contact Sabine for a free consultation

How to Take Charge and Say Goodbye to Financial Chaos

By Sheila Walkington, co-founder and CFO Money Coaches Canada and the Women’s Financial Learning Centre

Names and identifying details have been changed for privacy. Story used with permission.

Do you remember the children’s game Chutes and Ladders? Players are moving forward and climbing the ladders when suddenly a roll of the die lands them on a chute that sends them tumbling backwards. When we meet clients in Stage 1 of the 7 Stages of Financial Well-BeingTM – Chaos, it is almost always because a major life event (illness, death of a spouse, job loss, transition to self-employment or divorce), has sent them sliding down a chute into Chaos.

7 Stages of Financial Well-Being ChaosThe base of the 7 Stages of Financial Well-BeingTM pyramid represents those furthest removed from feeling in control and empowered financially. For many, Chaos represents their starting point on their journey to Financial Fulfillment.

It’s essential to understand that financial well-being comes with a deeper understanding of where you stand with money, emotionally and financially, developing concise and attainable goals, getting organized and implementing a manageable plan to move forward. The 7 Stages of Financial Well-BeingTM is a framework that will help you better understand where you are, and what actions to take, as you move towards Financial Fulfillment. Continue reading

Top 5 money challenges small business owners face

By Charmaine Huber, Money Coach

Portrait Of Couple Running Coffee Shop Behind Counter

Most people don’t start a business for the sole purpose of making money. There are much easier ways to make money than to build a business. At the risk of sounding too mystical; it’s more often a soul purpose that creates the energy behind entrepreneurial success. People who start businesses are passionate about what they do. But here’s the thing, people who stay in business, the people who thrive and grow, are also practical about what they do. They know that even if they don’t feel comfortable in the world of profits and losses, debts, taxes, budgets and retirement; learning how to take control of their money and having a financial plan in place will make them more successful and allow them to continue doing what they love.

Here are the top five money challenges you’ll face as a small business owner: Continue reading

Should I take CPP at age 60?

By Barbara Knoblach, PhD

Mature couple walking in countrysideChoosing the most optimal time to apply for Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits would be easier if you had a crystal ball to see into your retirement years; but with a bit of calculated foresight you can make a decision that suits your circumstances.

Here’s a look at some basics:

Canada Pension Plan benefits can be drawn as early as age 60 (reduced 0.6% for each month before 65) or as late as age 70 (increased 0.7% for each month after 65).

The average life expectancy for Canadians is age 80 for men and 84 for women. Statistics Canada predicts a continued rise in life expectancy of roughly two years over the next 15 years.

Things to consider:

Life expectancy

Contemplating your mortality may feel uncomfortable, but your health and whether or not longevity is a family trait, are things to consider when making your decision.

If you take your CPP starting at age 60, your breakeven point with someone who waits until age 65 is when you both turn 74. Confused? Let me put it another way; if Mary takes her CPP at 60 and Brenda takes hers at 65, Mary’s monthly CPP payment will be 36% lower than Brenda’s, but she will collect five years longer. They will be 74 when Brenda pulls ahead of Mary for overall amount collected. Continue reading

Money Coach Spotlight: Melanie Buffel

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” –Albert Einstein
Melanie Buffel Money Coach in Vancouver BC

Melanie Buffel, BA Psych, MBA Candidate

Melanie Buffel changes the way her clients think about money.

“When I begin working with clients,” she says, “whether they are individuals, couples or entrepreneurs, they usually present me with foggy numbers: unclear expenses, numbers that are rounded up or imprecise. Then at one point on the journey they begin updating their spreadsheets, rebalancing their plan and speaking with a level of confidence that tells me they’ve had a paradigm shift. It’s wonderful to see them believe in their capacity to make sound financial decisions.”

Understanding what’s important to her clients is the foundation of Melanie’s approach. She recognizes that every person, couple or business owner has different needs and goals, and on an even deeper level; everyone has an emotional relationship with money that has been shaped by their childhood and life experiences.

Conflicting money personalities can cause tension within a relationship, says Melanie. “I help people clarify their priorities, and as an objective third party I can ask the hard questions without judgement.”

Melanie’s objective perspective can also help couples who enable each other with magical thinking solutions to their challenges. Judging or enabling is just two sides of the same coin; nothing changes.

Clients working with Melanie can expect change. “It’s so important that we clear the fog and determine priorities and goals, but that is just the beginning. The end game is integrating workable solutions into the reality of their lives.” Continue reading

Credit card rewards: perk or pitfall?

By Karen RichardsonFPSC Level 1TM Certificant in Financial Planning

Photograph of a stack of credit cards

Credit cards, when used carefully, can play a positive role in your financial life. Using credit wisely is critical to building a solid credit history. If you need a loan or a mortgage, or you want to renegotiate a loan, a good credit rating is important and will help you negotiate the best terms. But credits cards used carelessly can send your life and finances into a tailspin.

But we all know this, right? So how do smart people with six figure incomes end up with more credit debt than they intended? Often it’s the seductive lure of credit card reward programs.

How many people do you know who put almost everything on their credit card so they can earn reward points? Maybe you do it too. Well let’s take a look at the perks and pitfalls of a rewards plan spending habit.

Perks

1. If you are using a card with rewards that are of value to you, and you are paying off your balance each month, you may be benefitting from the program.

Well that was a short list.

Pitfalls

Unfortunately this list isn’t as short. Continue reading

Do 6-figure professionals need a budget?

By Sheila Walkington, co-founder and CFO Money Coaches Canada and the Women’s Financial Learning Centre

new-years-eveHappy New Year!

The New Year is a natural time to look forward and set goals, but it is also a good time to reflect on how far you’ve come. Looking back one year life may not be dramatically different, but if you look back 10 or 15 years, so much has probably changed, especially in terms of your career and income.

When you were starting out you probably had a pretty simple financial plan – pay the bills so the lights stay on. Going out to the movies may have meant you’d have a smaller bag of groceries that week, and you may have dreamed of the day when you’d reach a level of success that you’d never need to budget again. But like the child who dreams of eating chocolate all day when (s)he becomes an adult, it isn’t such a good idea when the moment arrives. Now that you have achieved a good measure of success, you probably have a lot more reasons to stay on top of your finances.

So, do 6-figure professionals need a budget? Not if your idea of a budget is restriction and inflexibility. At Money Coaches Canada we’ve created a Spending and Savings Plan, not as a euphemism for the word budget, but as a tool that keeps you engaged with your money. Engagement fosters informed decisions and informed decisions will likely be in your best interest long term.

What happens to many high earners is that they get busy; they work hard, play hard and are often raising families at the same time, and they lose touch with where their money is going. They don’t have to choose between groceries and a movie anymore, so they may stop worrying about day to day spending in general. The catch is, with success comes different reasons to pay attention. Continue reading