Have you heard about Government of Canada’s New COVID-19 Benefits

Many Canadian workers have missed work and pay due to COVID-19 can now apply for three new benefits from the Canadian Government.

Families and individuals who are facing financial difficulty can now get support through the following benefits that are available through Canada Revenue Agency (CRA):

Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)
Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB).
Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)

Applications for CRSB, CRCB, and CRB applications are now open.

Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB)

Workers who are sick or must self-isolate for COVID-19-related reasons, or have underlying conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19 can apply for CRSB.

If you are eligible for the CRSB, you can receive $500 ($450 after taxes withheld) for each 1-week period. Check your eligibility here – https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-sickness-benefit/crsb-who-apply.html

Canada Recovery Caregiver Benefit (CRCB)

Caregivers who need to care for a child(ren) under 12 years old who is affected by the illness or if their school, regular program, or facility is closed or unavailable due to COVID-19 is eligible for CRB. This also applies to other family members requiring supervised care, who cannot attend regular care facilities because of COVID-19, can apply for CRSB.

If you’re eligible for the CRCB, your household can receive $500 ($450 after taxes withheld) for each 1-week period. Check eligibility here Read more here https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-caregiving-benefit.html

Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB)

There is also assistance for self-employed workers who are not eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) and still require income support. These workers must be available and looking for work and accept work when it is reasonable to do so.

If you are eligible for the CRB, you can receive $1,000 ($900 after taxes withheld) for a 2-week period. Check eligibility here https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-benefit.html

Canadians can apply for these benefits online through CRA’s My Account or call 1-800-959-8281.

May 12, 2020May 12, 2020

How to Cut your Expenses to Stretch your Budget

Money may have become tighter for more and more families. Whether you’ve gone through your savings already or you’re worried about what is yet to come, it’s important to know where you can cut your expenses to save money right now.

While each family has different expenses and areas they can cut, we share some of our top tips to cut your expenses below.

Trim the Entertainment

Yes, we are all bored sitting at home, but there’s no reason to go overboard right now. Entertainment is probably one of the easiest areas to cut in your life. Consider cutting:

Subscriptions – How many subscriptions do you have? Do you use them, especially right now? Cutting your monthly subscriptions could save you significant money right now.

Movie streaming services – How many streaming services do you need? Can you cut it down to one main service that has most of what you need?

Shopping – While we can’t go to many of our favorite stores, online shopping can be just as dangerous, if not worse. Shopping when you’re bored can lead to excessive and needless spending.

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April 12, 2018

Calculating Multiple Streams of Income

The following article originally appeared in the Manitoba Teachers’ Society Balance Wellness Magazine.

march18_balance

In today’s world, there are many of us that have what I will call multiple streams of income. This can come from different sources, such as two or three part-time jobs versus one full-time job. It can include a second job throughout the summer months, a side business or a combination of receiving a pension and working part-time.
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July 25, 2017

Does Consumer Obsession Lead Us to Over Spending

The desire to “keep up with the Jones’s” has become more than a social status issue for many people.

Also, it is effortless to get caught up in a holiday season.

creditaid-overspending It has become a catalyst for overspending that has consumers running to banks and other lenders looking for ways to finance their purchases.

This issue also has countless consumers loaded up with credit card debt so steep it may take them a lifetime to get out of it.Give your financial literacy a good double-check, and if you are not already practicing the following financial practices, now is a great time to start today:

Pay bills on time and balance your cheque book each month. You can’t know how much you can afford to spend if you don’t know how much you currently have to spend.

Stop buying on impulse. If you want something, rather than charging it on your credit card and paying interest, save for the next few month and buy it when you have the money.
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December 21, 2016

Financial Wellness of our Seniors

As published in the December 2016 issue of Balance, a Manitoba Teachers’ Society publication.

By 2021, 22.8% of Canadians will be 65 years of age and older. Do we feel prepared as children and grand-children to help guide and protect them and their finances through their later years of life?

Senior woman meeting with agent Through the busyness of our own lives, we need to keep in mind that managing finances will become increasingly difficult for our parents and grandparents as they age. When a person ages they can easily lose sight of how to handle money, and even a financially astute person can quickly move to a state of being unable to cope with their finances. If this isn’t recognized it can be very stressful and costly for the elder.

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