Helping Canadians Get Out of Debt
Starting a plan to get out of debt and keeping that plan are often two different things. It’s a lot like starting a diet when the New Year starts. You start off good, but then a week or two into it, you quickly fizzle and go back to your old habits.
So how do you stop this from happening when you’re trying to get out of debt?
Here are many ways to stay motivated to get out of debt.
Continue reading “How to Stay Motivated when Getting out of Debt“
You’ve likely felt the effects of inflation already. Your grocery and gas bill probably felt it first. Suddenly it costs a lot more to feed the family or fill your gas tank, but these are things we need so we have to adjust elsewhere, right?
One area many people struggle is managing debt during inflation. If your wages don’t keep pace with inflation (most don’t), then keeping up with your debts may feel impossible.
Here are a few ways to help you manage debt with inflation rising.
Continue reading “How to Manage Debt with Inflation on the Rise”
Setting financial goals sounds great when you say them, but what about achieving them? If you don’t know how to execute the steps to reach your goals, they are just words. Whether you’ve fallen into the ‘New Year’s Resolution’ trap, or you are turning over a new leaf, here are X simple ways to keep your financial goals.
It doesn’t do any good to set goals you can’t achieve. Instead, set goals you know you can hit. Even if that means setting baby-step goals so you can see your progress, do it. Just make sure each goal can be measured.
Continue reading “Keeping your Financial Goals”
If you’re sitting on a lot of debt right now, first know that you aren’t alone. The pandemic wreaked havoc on most people’s finances. Now that we’re seeing life get back to somewhat normal, you may wonder what you should do with your debt or if it will just hound you the rest of your life.
The good news is there are ways to conquer it. Here’s what you can do.
Continue reading “You can Conquer your Debt”
How much debt is too much? It can feel impossible to tell, especially since any debt can feel burdensome. But there are a few ways to tell that you have too much debt and that it’s time to do something about it.
Before you use a credit card or take out a loan, it’s important to determine if you can afford the payment. If it will put you over the edge, it’s too much. Here are some other ways to tell if you have too much debt.
Continue reading “Warning Signs you May Have too Much Debt”
Social media is a way of life for most of us, but did you know it could affect your spending? You may not even realize the direct connection, but we’ll show you ways that you might be spending more than you intended all because of your Instagram or Facebook feeds.
How often do you watch someone’s feed and think poorly of yourself? Maybe they have something you don’t, or you want to be just like them. What do you do?
Continue reading “How Social Media Affects our Spending”
There can be advantages to having more than one credit card. However, there are just as many disadvantages. Understanding the pros and cons of having more than one credit card is important to help you decide what’s right for your personal financial situation.
It might seem simple. Having multiple credit cards means you can charge more and maybe even earn more rewards. While that’s true, consider these factors.
Continue reading “How Many Credit Cards Should I Have?”
If you received CERB during the pandemic, your tax liability may increase because you didn’t pay taxes at the time you received it – no one did.
Like any income, CERB is taxable, but there’s good news.
There aren’t special tax rates you must pay on any CERB you received. The tax rates are the same rates you pay on your employment income. This makes filing your taxes much less overwhelming than most people thought, but it’s still money you will owe.
How Much Tax will you Owe?
No two people will owe the same amount of taxes. Your tax rate depends on your total income and this year your total income includes all employment income plus any CERB you received. You can check your tax brackets here.
Like any tax debt, to figure out how much you owe, you must first file your taxes. It’s always important to file your taxes on time even if you think you can’t afford the tax debt. Get your taxes in and then take additional steps to manage the debt.
If you can’t pay your tax debt on time, contact the CRA. In most cases, they’ll offer a repayment plan or payment arrangement, but only if you ask. You must be proactive in your request, so you don’t fall behind.
If you can’t pay your CERB tax debt, here are your options:
Taxpayer relief is available for those who have extenuating circumstances including unemployment, chronic illness, or a natural disaster. It has to be something outside of your control that stops you from paying the taxes.
If you are in over your head in debt, you may consider a consumer proposal. This is a formal request for relief of your debts including your CERB tax debt. A proposal doesn’t eliminate the debt, but it may lower the amount you owe making it easier to afford.
If you’re in over your head in debt and now face tax debt too, get with a credit counsellor. If you free up some of your money by negotiating lower rates or consolidating debt, you may have more money available to pay your tax debt.
The key is not to ignore your debt. If you can’t pay it, work with professionals to find a way to make arrangements. Ignoring the debt only leads to more penalties and interest.
Don’t let the thought of tax debt put you over the edge. Yes, it’s another debt and if you’re already struggling it can feel like too much, but there are ways around it.
Contact our credit counselors today for your free consultation to find out how we can help make your tax debt more affordable. Sometimes it just means you need to free up some money by lowering your interest rates on other debts or negotiating other payment arrangements.
Did you know that much of your debt consists of interest? This is especially true if you’ve carried balances for a long time.
For example, if you have a $10,000 balance at 20%, it will take you 60 months to pay off the debt with a $264 monthly payment and a total of $5,896 paid in interest. Your $10,000 would cost you $15,896, which is made up of 37.09% interest charges.
Reducing your interest rates can help you save money and pay your debt off faster.
Continue reading “How Reducing Interest Rates Reduces Debt Faster”
It’s a common debate consumers face – do you pay down your debt or save money? You want to get rid of your debt, but you also need money saved for emergencies, so what do you do?
What if you could have the best of both worlds?
If you pay down your debt but continue ‘paying yourself’ the interest, you’ll get out of debt AND save money.
Here’s how!
Continue reading “Pay Down your Debt and Put the Interest Money Toward Savings”