Design Your Future Financial Services - Brought to You by The Financial Engineer

When was the last time you went on vacation and didn’t even think about work? If you’re like most people, it probably seems like forever ago. Here’s an idea.  Try turning off your mobile phone. Give one person at the office the phone number of the place you’ll be staying. Before you leave, offer to take that friendly co-worker out for a nice lunch or BBQ the week you get back — they get to pick the place if you don’t get a single call. It’ll be one of the best lunches you’ll ever pay for. Hey, there's still lots of summer left!  Make the most of it!  Try turning off that cell phone while at a BBQ with friends and family too.  At the end of the summer we can chat about how to be a financial role model for your child, until then, here's the recipe for my wife's "Million Dollar Burger".  It will be a huge success! Mix: 2 lbs of Lean Ground Beef (or yummy lean Bison) 2 Eggs 1 Packet of Onion Soup Mix 1/2 Cup of Ketchup 1 Diced Onion ...

If you’ve ever avoided looking at your bank account, if you’ve ever panicked about your finances, if you’ve been immobilized by indecision, or if you’ve overspent yourself into debt ... you’re afraid of money.  When asked what I do for a living – I used to respond  “I help families save and protect their money”  with a nice smile. As soon as I said the word “money” I would usually see instant fear in the person’s eyes and body language. Why, in a society where we idolize athletes and movie stars who get paid the big bucks, are most people afraid or uncomfortable about talking about money? Research and from my experience, it comes down to 3 things: 1) Media – fear sells. Guaranteed on the news in the next few weeks - stories about CRA and “wealthy” people penalized for trying to reduce their taxes. Who’s the villain in most movies and what are they trying to get?  2) Our upbringing – media has also influenced how were raised and raise our children. ...

Most likely the biggest lifetime expense you will encounter is TAXES.  If you invested $1,000 each year in a tax-sheltered plan for 30 years at 10% interest it would you give you just under $165,000!  That would be exciting result from your money that was yours all the time, but it also means that the $30,000 (30 years times $1,000) produced $135,000 of compound interest that the government was getting instead of you.  Do you feel they deserve it?  Then why let them use it? March 1st is the last day to contribute to your RRSP to receive a deduction in your 2017 income taxes.  Would you rather pay the government your money or would you like to invest in yourself? If you would rather invest in yourself and learn more, I'd be happy to send you "Wake Up and Smell the Taxes" - a book that I read back in 2008 that "woke me up!", for FREE. Simply email smaclellan02febc@wfgmail.ca to receive "Wake up and Smell the Taxes" by The Canadian Financ...

Happy New Year - I hope your new year is off to a great start! When thinking about the new year consider this – time can never be regained. Last year is gone. It's what we do this year that counts now.  2018 will the year of many great things! We will continue to work hard to ensure a solid financial future for families across the Maritimes and beyond.   Education is the first step, and that's where you come in -  what would you like to learn more about?  Your feedback is important and will influence the topics of this biweekly newsletter. Post your ideas below Bitcoin? MJ stocks and other investments? How $$ works? Insurance Tips? Leadership? New Careers? Trends for 2018? How to control time and income? Budgeting tips? Taxes and how to reduce them? RRSP vs TFSA? PK Subban? This newsletter will be educational and beneficial but better yet, let's get together to discuss your strategy for putting time on y...