Financial Friday #109: 5 Financial Tips That Never Get Old!

 
1. Start small and invest early
Starting small could be as little as $100 month and starting early means now! Invest what you can and don’t think a $100 monthly will never amount to anything. Only around 5% of Canadians under 25 have a TFSA, which means 95% have already missed out on 7 years of compounded returns! Investing that "measly" $100 month at 5% for 47 years (18-65) will give you $68,754 more than someone who did the same for 40 years starting from age 25. Time really is money when it comes to compounded returns, so get started as soon as possible.
 
2. Make more or spend less?
Our advice would be to do both, but there are limits on how much income you can generate and cutting back on expenses has a larger impact on your bottom line. You may even be able to cut back without a huge pain factor by first auditing your expenses and keeping track for a couple of months. You may find some expenses you could do without, like that "lightly used" gym membership or seldom watched 300-channel cable package. A part-time job or side hustle isn’t a bad idea, but it comes with its own pain factor in lost leisure time and taxes will also bite into your earnings.
 
3. Re-evaluate your wants and needs
A 1200 square foot 3-bedroom bungalow used to be the standard for many young Canadian families back in the early 1970’s. A lot of us grew up in a house like that with our parents, brothers, sisters, even the family cat managed to squeeze in! Houses are much  bigger now (over 2000 square feet on average) and many come with a lot of high-end finishes. Lifestyle creep is not limited to housing, it has inundated every part of our life. From what we drive to how often we eat out to where we go for vacation, we are constantly presented with a new norm as our wants slowly transition to needs. Being able to satisfy your wants later in life will only come from making smart spending decisions on your “needs” earlier in life and freeing up the cash to start saving and investing
 
4. Understand credit and debt
131 months – that’s how long it takes to pay off a $1000 credit balance paying the minimum monthly payment — and it will cost you another $1000 in interest charges! Many people carry a credit card balance and are blissfully unaware of just how much it is costing them each month. Car loans are another area where the financing costs are often a lot more than most people realize. It is also important to realize that not all debt is bad and mortgages are a great example. Even with recent increases in interest rates, 5-year variable mortgages are still a bargain at under 3%.
 
The key is to be knowledgeable about your debt. Track what you owe and what it is costing you as well as any alternatives that may lower that cost. For example, refinancing your mortgage or drawing on home equity to pay off higher interest loans or credit cards. If you struggle with debt then it's time to bear down on expenses and draw up a strict repayment plan.  
 
5. Get financially literate
Managing your money has become more difficult as we have a lot more spending, saving, and investing options, but we also have access to a lot more information and tools to help us. Some things like a Registered Education Savings Plan (guaranteed 20% annual return for your child’s education) are a no brainer and can easily be understood with an hour or two spent online. Understanding the fees on your investments and how much they will cost you over the life of those investments is another need-to-know piece of information that can be easily confirmed.
 
Managing your retirement savings is more complicated because there are a lot of variables (lifespan, health, income, taxes, lifestyle) as well as options (TFSA, RRSP, investment properties, pensions) to consider. You may want some professional advice at some point but arming yourself with as much financial knowledge as you have the time and motivation to learn will help you better evaluate any advice you do get.
 

Resources

Stock-market gamblers, worthless bitcoin and the risks of inflation
Sage investors Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger weighed-in with their take on the financial markets at the recent Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting.
 
Pay down mortgage or fund RRSP with extra cash?
What to do with extra cash is a nice problem to have, but you should carefully analyze your options.
 
Canadians slow to use and invest in Crypto
What's behind Canadians comparatively low acceptance of cryptocurrency?
 
Falling prices not making housing affordable any time soon
The headlines are raging about falling prices in some markets, but the fact is home are still very unaffordable as rising interest rates suck up any relief from falling prices.
 
Long-term car loans a major cause of debt spiral
Behind the amount of the loans, are ever longer terms, early trade-ins, and negative equity, an issue that’s been long known to insiders but remains poorly understood by many consumers.