Everyone is familiar with the direct costs of life. You feel it every time you take some money out of your wallet to pay for food, gas, or tuition. Are you familiar, however, with the indirect costs, and the choices that you make everyday? I am not referring to hidden taxes or fees (such as [...]
Archive for the tag 'mortgages'
Filed under Growing Your Wealth,Miscellaneous,Opinion,Philosophy,Saving Your Money
The Importance of Opportunity Costs, and Why They Should Not Be Ignored
74 Comments Kevin on Oct 19th 2010
Filed under Growing Your Wealth,Guest Posts,Real Estate,Saving Your Money
If You Enjoy Financial Obligations, Don’t Read This.
The following guest post is by Greg McFarlane of Control Your Cash. When you write a book about personal finance, as rudimentary as it might be, friends ask your opinions on matters fiscal. A few days ago, I received this pithy email from one of the most financially conservative people I know: When does it [...]
17 Comments Guest on Sep 27th 2010
This has been a busy week so far. I started classes which I am taking twice a week after work, and there is quite a bit of homework and study attached. I really don’t remember how I used to mix work and school in the past! Here are my posts over the past week: Learn [...]
17 Comments Kevin on Sep 10th 2010
Filed under Growing Your Wealth,Saving Your Money
Is It Worth It to Have an Emergency Fund, or Should I Pay off My Mortgage Instead?
Ever wondered if you should be saving up money in an emergency fund or paying off your debt instead? A long time ago, I looked at whether it was better to pay down your mortgage, or invest the money instead. Today, I’m going to be looking at whether it’s better to keep an emergency fund, [...]
63 Comments Kevin on Sep 8th 2010
Filed under Weekend Reading
A Midsummer Night’s Reading
It’s midway through summer; the moon is shining brightly, the water is singing, and the fireflies are dancing. Here is your weekend reading:
14 Comments Kevin on Jul 23rd 2010
Filed under Miscellaneous,Real Estate,Saving Your Money
Should I Go with a Fixed or Variable Rate Mortgage?
As some of you might know, we recently made the decision to purchase a condominium. As the unit is still under construction, we won’t be able to move in until sometime in January. The long period of delivery posed a problem when attempting to get a mortgage approval from traditional places such as ING Direct, [...]
27 Comments Kevin on Jul 21st 2010
Not too long ago, the Bank of Canada raised the benchmark overnight rate by 0.25%. The ongoing sentiment at that time was that the Canadian economy was starting to heat up, and interest rates were about to start their long upward climb. People rushed to get into 5-year fixed mortgages, notwithstanding the fact that even [...]
12 Comments Kevin on Jul 14th 2010
Filed under Miscellaneous,Opinion,Real Estate
Purchasing Your First Home: Questions and Decisions to Consider
I’ve recently talked about some topics related to housing, such as the advantages and disadvantages between a house and a condominium, as well as the difference between a variable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage. I must admit that my interest was more than just academic, as I now have a personal stake in the matter as well: [...]
21 Comments Kevin on Jul 7th 2010
What is fear? Why do we experience fear, and how does it affect us? Well, fear is quite simply one of the most basic and primal emotions that we are capable of experiencing. Most animals share this emotion with us, from mice to men. Fear is the drive that takes us away from danger, and [...]
25 Comments Kevin on Jun 30th 2010
Another week passes by, and another tens of thousands of barrels of oil gush out into the Gulf of Mexico, adding to what is possibly the U.S.’ worst environmental disaster. With the failure of one attempt to stop the leak after another, pundits are now starting to look at more drastic (and perhaps insane) alternatives, [...]
8 Comments Kevin on Jun 6th 2010
