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Canadian Loonie


RECENT FINANCIAL POST NEWS

Why do young people have to foot the bill for Boomer pensions?
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:54:59 PST
The CPP provides high returns to those who entered the plan 40 years ago and it provides much lower returns to those entering the plan today

Forced into retirement
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:04:32 PST
Laid off from a high-paying corporate job, this man fears at the age of 58 he may be unwillingly retired. Can he make his life savings last?

The not-so-easy path to retirement
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:14:01 PST
'Suddenly one day you wake up and realize it#8217;s not a vacation anymore,' says retired 'workaholic' struggling with the easy life. 'It#8217;s forever'

Canadians on edge of debt cliff
Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:27:15 PST
With the ratio of debt to income already at a record 153%, how long until Canada approaches the landmark 160% hit by the United States before it tipped into crisis more than three years ago?

If Mitt Romney were Canadian, he would pay even less tax
Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:05:38 PST
If Mitt Romney were filing Canadian taxes, he would have paid less, though Canada#8217;s tax rates are considered to be substantially higher than the U.S.

Scattered results
Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:28:31 PST
Family Finance: An Alberta couple, both self-employed as consultants, have come to a point in their lives in which they have a good deal of unencumbered cash flow

Catching up your nest egg
Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:03:20 PST
Low interest rates for indebted homeowners may continue for awhile, but is it an equally auspicious time to borrow to maximize retirement savings plans?

Savings Squad: To RRSP or not to RRSP
Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:48:27 PST
Jason Heath: 'Despite the marketing machine the Canadian financial industry revs up this time of year, the question may not be what to put in your RRSP but do you need one at all'

Ignore those fallible forecasts
Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:16:42 PST
Michael Nairne: 'Just when an investor needs accurate guidance the most, the experts didn#8217;t deliver'

More mortgage rules planned if housing market gets too hot
Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:18:41 PST
A new round of mortgage rules from Ottawa could include tough new measures for calculating how the self-employed qualify for loans and tighten regulations for condominium buyers, sources say

Master the art of budgeting to tackle student debt
Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:40:05 PST
More than two million Canadian students rely on loans to help fund their education, and nearly a quarter of that group struggles to pay them back after graduation

Digging a financial foxhole
Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:29:09 PST
In the midst of a divorce, this woman has built up financial assets of more than $1-million and socks away more than half her take home pay. Still, she worries it won't be enough

Well-worn ?excuses? for keeping your money under the mattress
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:00:37 PST
Polls suggest fully 10% of investors claim they won#8217;t make an RRSP deduction because of shaky stock markets. Jonathan Chevreau says get on with it

Recovery at risk as Americans raid their piggy banks
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:16:47 PST
In an ominous sign for growth prospects, workers are paring back college fund contributions and growing numbers are borrowing from retirement accounts

Does it pay to be a couch potato?
Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:56:59 PST
Gordon Pape has succeeded in getting the potatoes to bestir themselves off their beloved couches with his opposition to the premise. But is he right?

Not poverty but not retired either
Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:34:35 PST
Family Finance: There are a lot of 'nos' for this couple, 'no' they can#8217;t afford to move to Alberta where their children live and 'no' the breadwinner of this family can#8217;t afford to quit working at the age of 61

Are you an American in Canada thinking of coming clean with the IRS? Read this
Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:40:12 PST
If you#8217;re considering getting up to date with U.S. tax and foreign bank account filings, here are some of the steps you might take

Gift card: Use it before you lose it
Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:51:59 PST
Chances are you're sitting on at least one gift card. We spend about $6-billion per year on gift cards and about $1-billion are never cashed

The five biggest pitfalls to staying rich
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:47:57 PST
Serious Money: Hard-won wealth easily dissipates if it is not managed properly. Here are five pitfalls to avoid

Here's how NOT to use a line of credit
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:54:30 PST
Family Finance: This couple is using their home equity line of credit as a revolving bank account, in effect 'letting their lender run their piggybank'

John Ivison: Public pensions a fat target for Conservatives
Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:19:58 PST
Whatever Ottawa does to reduce the $2.8-billion it contributes toward the public service pension plan, it can expect to face concerted opposition from unions that have proven their tenacity on the issue

How can we retire at 61 with less than $100,000?
Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:27:05 PST
Since most government pensions don#8217;t start till 65 and $100,000 could only be counted on to generate $5,000 a year, how exactly will people 'retire' at 61?

Why this retirement guru keeps on working
Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:24:03 PST
At 75, personal finance icon Gordon Pape and the author of more than 40 books, knows just how important it is that your money lasts as long as you do

Urge to splurge: 'A great reality check'
Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:39:04 PST
Throwing cold water on this reader's dreams: 'Maybe the average Canadian is in debt $1.50 for every dollar they earn because of banks'

New year brings new tax rules
Thu, 29 Dec 2011 09:59:19 PST
The first day of January ushers in not just a new year but introduces a fresh set of tax brackets and increased tax and benefit amounts that have been newly indexed to inflation

Time to face the spending music
Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:53:14 PST
Chevreau: The new year marks the start of another Investing Season, for those still solvent enough to take advantage of new contribution opportunities for RRSPs and Tax-Free Savings Accounts

Growing older, with all the amenities
Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:08:10 PST
Once the domain of high-rise buildings or mansions, the elevator is making its way into everyday homes #8212; albeit for people in the high end of the market who can afford it

Walking a financial tightrope
Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:37:37 PST
Family Finance: This couple needs to find a balance between their own needs and saving for their children's post-secondary education. It's going to take some work

Don?t let your kids ?boomerang? so easily
Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:57:50 PST
There#8217;s a balancing act between what will make our children happy today and what will help them become responsible, independent adults later

Urge to splurge: Lakeside home should remain a dream
Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:17:01 PST
Moving from a small house in Ottawa to a lakeside manse with five acres is the dream of this couple. But even though their balance sheet might look good at first glance, the dream house is as yet unaffordable

Urge to splurge: Can they afford a Gulf Island home and a condo?
Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:15:23 PST
A Gulf Island home for $300,000 and a small condo in Vancouver is a nice retirement scenario this couple. But can they do it on a present family gross income of $3,000 per month?

Student debt not just for the young
Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:09:20 PST
Middle-aged borrowers are piling up student debt faster than any other age group in the United States, according to a new analysis obtained by Reuters

Urge to splurge: Can she afford a to-die-for kitchen?
Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:44:13 PST
Even with a gross income of $325,000 per year #8212; take home is $202,000 #8212; can this 45-year-old B.C. doctor#8217;s budget handle the cost of a state-of-the-art kitchen?

REITs can be sexy, too
Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:08:54 PST
How would you like a nice 14% average total return each year for the past decade from your real estate holdings? Take a look at the Canadian real estate investment trust sector

Urge to splurge: Is it time for that Aston Martin?
Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:35:58 PST
Can Thomas afford a DB6V-12 Aston Martin? In this week-long series, FP Personal Finance calculates if readers#8217; bank accounts can fund their 2012 dream buys

A gift from risky markets
Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:29:51 PST
This holiday season, gloomy economic prospects and mercurial markets are actually bringing investors a gift in the form of increasingly attractive stock valuations

Are high fees putting investments under water?
Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:33:05 PST
It's not their assets that's the problem for this couple, it's the ravages of a bear market combined with high mutual fund fees that have taken a toll, eating up more than $10,000 a year

How to make a fortune after 50
Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:31:55 PST
At an age when others might ready for pre-retirement, some folks pass age 50 determined to start a new life in the business world #8212; and succeed beyond their rosiest business plan projections

How to make a fortune after 50
Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:33:00 PST
How to make a fortune after 50

Think twice before saying 'I will'
Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:44:20 PST
You may want to pause and consider the complexities that you may face if you have agreed to take on the role of administering the estate of one of your family members