Say no to Minimum Payments on Credit Cards

Normal 0 0 1 380 2169 18 4 2663 11.1539 0 0 0 For years, the low monthly minimum payments required on credit card balances allowed consumers to spend far more than they could really afford—causing many to have serious financial difficulties and a bad credit score! Lately, however, some credit-card issuers have started to raise the level of the minimum monthly payment. Let’s be clear: an increase in the monthly minimum is actually good for consumers, as they will be paying off their credit card debt sooner. But that can still cause some real hardship in the short-run. Holders of MBNA MasterCard, for example, have seen their monthly minimums rise as much as seven-fold, causing a severe financial squeeze. Many of those cardholders...

Prudent's Gift of Giving photo contest.

Normal 0 0 1 63 364 3 1 447 11.1539 0 0 0 Enter Prudent's Gift of Giving photo contest on Facebook.Each day a $50 gift certificate is given away.Every dollar will be matched in your name by Prudent to Sick Children's Hospital. Click on the Photo Contest tab to the left to upload your favorite holiday photo, with a brief description.Your name will then go into a draw. Daily winners announced Mon-Fri for the next four weeks. If you want to watch a video on how to load your picture copy and paste this link in your browser http://vimeo.com/32646390 Normal 0 0 1 9 56 1 1 68 11.1539 0 0 0 Good lu...

How to Build Credit for New Immigrants or If You Have to For Yourself

Normal 0 0 1 370 2113 17 4 2594 11.1539 0 0 0 It’s very difficult to know where to start to build credit when you don’t have any. Financial institutions and creditor’s see new immigrants and people born here who have no credit at all as a high risk since they often don’t have any history to support their request for credit. If you search Google for www.canada.creditcards.com you will find more helpful information to help you along. Here are a few simple ways to get your credit started and to improve your credit so that lending Institutions and Creditor’s will start to give you a chance and approve you for credit. Understand how credit works. Get a credit report through Equifax or Trans Union to see what you have associated with...

Rebuilding your Life after Losing a Job or Bankruptcy

Normal 0 0 1 345 1968 16 3 2416 11.1539 0 0 0 While plenty of reports today have talked about the recent upswings in our economy, there are still some issues and people have undeniably suffered as a result. If you've lost a job or gone through a bankruptcy, there are plenty of effects that it may have on your family and your life. Keep in mind that it certainly isn't the end of the world, but you may need to take a moment to prepare yourself and your family for the changes on the horizon. From seeking a loan after bankruptcy or a loan after a proposal to changing some of your daily routines, there are numerous considerations to make. If you've lost a job, the first thing you'll be focused on is finding a new one. And if you've...

Should You Get a Payday Loan? - The Dangers of Payday Loans

  You've probably seen them, whether on your morning commute or through an online ad – the ads offering you a fast cash advance in the form of a payday loan. They hype themselves up as bad credit loans that can help you get a quick influx of money when you really need it, often using nothing but a couple of recent pay stubs as the only requirement. But while getting a few hundred dollars may seem tantalizing, the truth is that whether you apply online or visit a brick and mortar location, payday loans are bad news for pretty much anyone who takes one out. Payday loans are looked at with such a negative light by most financial experts that the government is actually in the process of cracking down on them.There are plenty of reasons, but the chief ones lie in their predatory...

Conserve on Household Energy and put Money in your Pocket

Have you tried cutting down on your Tim Horton’s coffee every day to see how much money you save? Often it’s the little things that can save a lot of money year round. When energy prices are rising, you may ask yourself, “How can I reduce my costs and save money on energy?” The federal government is bringing back the popular eco ENERGY Retrofit for Homes Grants Program, which assists eligible homeowners to receive grants up to $5000.00. It is important to have an energy evaluation completed before any work begins. On average, the program saves 20 percent on the energy bill. Apart from applying for the Retrofit Program, here are a few helpful tips below that you could consider implementing to start saving immediately: Install dimmer switches to use less electricity. Keep your fridge...