Everyone has heard the saying that nothing is certain except for death and taxes. Both of these are scary things for people. However, by learning a little about taxes, you can make smart decisions to ensure you understand how you can optimize your resources.

When it comes time to purchase a home, one of the most important steps is finding the right mortgage. A mortgage is something people carry with them for a very long time, so it’s important to find the best rate possible. Fortunately, with some dedicated time and plenty of research, borrowers can find the right rate for their situation. But what exactly can borrowers do to ensure they’re getting the best mortgage rate possible?

Greetings!

For the past month, I’ve been obsessing over finances. Not how to make money—but what to do with the money I make.

Banking is a huge part of modern day economics. Banks have a large role and as such, sometimes too much power. I got my first bank account at around age 12 because I was making some money buying and reselling items on Craigslist and thus needed an account for safe-keeping. I thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of having my money so easily accessible in the online world, yet many things about the whole system bothered me. I distinctly remember one situation where I'd run out of money but they still processed an online order AND charged me an overdraft fee. I didn't understand why they couldn't just not let the transaction go through. Even as a kid, I knew that practice was wrong. Today, I understand more about banking and the economy, and still adamantly believe that bank fees are yet another way to make everyday life harder for those surviving on low incomes, and as such should be stopped.

Originally posted to my blog.

Payday loans are very short-term loans that can only go as high as $1000, depending on state legal maximum, and they must be repaid on your next payday, hence the name. To get the loan, you must write a check for the amount borrowed plus a fee. The due date is usually two to four weeks after the loan was made, and the exact due date is agreed upon on the payday loan agreement.

When we go to school, we learn how to read, write history, biology, math, etc. However, they do not teach us about credit. We end up in college, and we get into debt using student loans.

To the majority of the world, money is seen as an objective, something that they will give almost everything they have in order to obtain. Most do so with the belief that having a lot of money will supposedly make their lives happier. However, if we look at money as a means to an end, instead of the other way around, we have to wonder, just how happy will the way we spend our hard-earned money make us? The authors of Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending, Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, figure out the answer to that question, and compile five ways that we can spend money in order to make ourselves happier and our lives more satisfactory. These past two weeks, I analyzed my spending, and thought about how four of the five pieces of advice: buying experiences, making it a treat, investing in others, and buying time could make me a much happier person; and in the end, I realized that applying these rules to my lifestyle will not only create a happier effect on my life itself, but will also make me more responsible with my money overall.

I've done a little research and through my research there are only three credit cards worth considering if you're a FA living in Canada.

Paying taxes is something we all must do simply because not doing so is against the law. The great Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." This might sound whimsical or ominous, but either way, it’s true. It doesn’t matter what we do for a living, we have to pay taxes. However, there are certain strategies that might help you to minimize your taxes. So, if you want to be in charge of your finances and save some money, these top tax planning strategies will help you do it.

I get it, taking cash from your credit card can be extremely convenient. Credit cards are becoming accepted wherever you go, but sometimes we still need to pay by cash.