Curling!

I had the opportunity to go curling for the first time and boy, was it hard! It was way more difficult than it seems. Those curlers on TV make it look like a walk in the park, but after watching multiple friends fall down and myself falling onto my side on my first go, I realized I had underestimated the sport. 

After a few drills and practice shots we slowly got the hang of it and it became really fun. Sure, we all sucked, but we had a blast doing it. If you haven't tried curling, I highly recommend you check it out one day. Even after my 10 bruises, I would totally do it again! 

Tax Refunds - Don't Blow It!

Now that tax seasons over, I'm sure we can all now breathe a sigh of relief (myself included). It's never fun for those that owe money, but those who are expecting a refund can jump for joy and do a happy dance. 

There are so many things you can spend the money on, and I'm sure taking a vacation or making that big purchase is tempting, but don't do it! So many people waste their refunds and it dissapears almost as quickly as it came. Invest it back onto yourself and make sure you come out ahead. 

You can put it towards your TFSA, or double up and make an RRSP deposit and get some more tax refunds next year. You can always put it towards something that makes a big difference in the long term like life insurance or more importantly, protecting your own health in the form of critical illness or disability insurance. Bottom line is, don't blow it on something that gives you satisfaction momentarily, but do something for yourself this time and make the smart financial decision that you'll be proud of down the road.

What to do with your tax refund

A Guide To Vancouver's Night Markets

As the weather gets warmer and we inch closer to summer, it also means that the plethora of summer night markets are beginning to open its doors. 

From Richmond nightmarkets that focus on Asian foods and knick-knacks to North Vancouver's Shipyard night market that is a bustling scene of food trucks, there is so much to do and see and here's a guide to sum it all up.

Vancouver's summer night markets

Disability Insurance: Why You Need It

You have no idea how many people I talk to don't have a personal disability policy, and how many of them should (almost everyone). This is by far, in my opinion, the most important piece of your financial plan, because when it comes down to it, if you can't earn money due to a disability, it doesn't matter what money goals you have (buy a house, go on a vacation, retirement), you will no more money to put towards those, and you may even begin to struggle to meet your day to day obligations (rent, groceries etc).

Disability Insurance: The Basics

Many people have what I call 'the Superman Syndrome', as in, "Oh no, this will happen to the next guy but never to me". They think they are invincible when in reality, nobody is. The fact of the matter is, it is quite likely and the definition of what constitutes as a disability is extremely broad and includes issues such as depression, stress and burnout. Read the article below to find out why disability insurance is so important. The sad truth is that you can only get it when you are healthy, yet nobody every thinks of the possibly of getting hurt until it's too late.

Why Disability Insurance Is So Important - Especially If You're Healthy.

Saving For Retirement

More and more people are worried about their ability to purchase in our current housing market, which is no surprise to anyone, and that goes in hand with worries about retirement. I seem to be talking to more young individuals that are becoming increasingly unsettled about their ability to retire in the future and how much they can expect to receive in retirement income. 

The truth is, it all depends on the individuals. Just like a major purchase goal, you need to prioritize and if a comfortable retirement is important, you need to be ready to sacrifice some of the things that give you instant gratification today for things that will give you long lasting benefits far in the future. 

Here Is How Much You Will Need To Save For Retirement

Everyone is different, and with factors such as different investments and its risk profile, inflation, the future purchase power of your money and the kind of lifestlye you want to live, there is no one stop shop solution for everyone. The most important thing is to sit down with your advisor and talk about this today and plan for your future, because the earlier you start, the better off you will be.

50 Things To Do In March

March is the time of the beauty cherry blossoms blooming, Saint Patricks Day, warmer weather and daylight savings. It's also a time where there's plenty of things to do in Vancouver, like the BC distilled festival and more. Check out the other events going on in and around our city below.

50 Things To Do This March

The Holidays

It was a great holiday season this year, albiet quite hectic with the move. I cooked on Christmas day as I normally do, and it was a wonderful couple days with family.

My dog, Kimchi, always tries to weasle his way in to grab some food scraps, and he's found that if he perches himself up on the couch, he can see the dinner table very clearly. Of course, my Dad would sneak food to him when I'm not looking, which I would then promptly yell at him for, but it's hard not to when he looks at you with those big puppy dog eyes. 

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday with your loved ones, and here's to all the good things 2016 has in store!

An Affordable Mini Getaway to Seattle!

From now until May 7, 2016, Canadian travellers can take advantage of this 'rare parity' deal that allows Canadian passport holders to book weekend stays at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel with the Candadian price at par with the US Dollar. 

Check out this list of things to do during your stay:

10 Ways to sip, see, shop, savour and stay in Seattle

RRSPs and TFSAs - The Basics

I've noticed that with most people that I come across, whether they are a client or not, don't seem to know the basics of an RRSP or TFSA. Most people don't actually don't what their holdings are, especially in their TFSA's. They are much more than just an account - they an investment vehicle in which you can host a number of things. 

Here's a refresher on the fundamentals:

The basics of an RRSP vs TFSA

Bad money habits keeping you from getting rich

I always tell my clients things such as 'paying yourself first' and 'asset allocation' and this article hits the nail on the head. We all do things that we don't think twice about, but they add up and will eat away at your cash flow.

If you still are doing some of these things, change it now! 

Bad money habits keeping you from getting rich

Best places for snowshoeing in Vancouver and Whistler

Since we don't really get any snow in Vancouver, especially this year being as warm as it is, it would be nice to get away to a snowy destination and bundle up during your little getaway. 

During the day, besides the obvious mountain sports like skiing and snowboarding, here are some awesome trails to go snowshoeing in Vancouver and Whistler. I haven't done it myself, but I plan on doing so in Gibsons over the holidays, and I've heard that it's beautiful and a wonderful experience. 

Where to go snowshoeing in Vancouver and Whistler

Healthy, low calorie recipes for your turkey leftovers

I don't know about you, but in my family, we always have a ton of leftover turkey after the big Christmas dinner. Since meals over the holidays tend to be rich, full of flavour and therefore packed full of calories and fat (not that there's anything wrong with that since the holidays are a time for indulgence!), here are some great recipes that are equally as tasty but much more forgiving on the waistline for those turkey leftovers. 

Healthy leftover turkey recipes

My nana's 90th!

I just came back from a long six week trip to China to visit my family. Other than my parents and sister, the rest of our family are all in China, so there's definitely a lot of people to visit!

I stayed with my grandma on my mother's side, but we also made a trip out to the countryside to visit my dad's side of the family. We went to celebrate my nana's 90th birthday with her, and although there was a big language barrier (she speaks a dialect that I can't understand), we had a blast and it was great to see everyone.

Six weeks is a long time to be away and I definitely got quite homesick. There were a lot of cultural shocks but despite it all, it was really nice to be able to spend some quality time with my grandma's.

Five financial Steps for New Parents

With so many friends and clients having babies in the past few months, I thought I'd share some simple tips for all the new parents out there. Having a baby is an exciting time in one's life, albiet a little scary.

Here are five simple tips for those overwhelmed parents regarding financial planning around your baby.

Five financial Steps for New Parents

Things to do in Vancouver this Christmas

It's that time of the year again and it's getting chilly outside! Here are 50 things for you to do this year in Vancouver. There are activities and events for all ages, so go out and have a blast!

Things to do this Christmas

My birthday in Mexico

This year for my birthday, I spent a week in Mexico. I stayed on a resort in the town of Akumal, which I highly recommend checking out. Our resort had a huge stretch of private beach where the sea turtles nest, and all along the beach we saw roped off areas indicating there were turtle nests present. I was fortunate enough to be able to see a nest of newly hatched baby turtles one morning- there were more than 50 of them in one nest! 

I also snorkled off our beach and saw a ton of multi-coloured fish, I saw a huge turtle poke its head out of the water (whose shell was over a feet long), and I swam right over top a gigantic sting ray! 

I also took a 20 minute collectivo ride from our resort to visit the Tulum ruins, one of the last cities ever built by the Mayans.. Above is a photo taken at the ruins atop one of the cliffs of the ruins. To cap it all off, my birthday is also coincidentally Mexico's national independence day, and our resort had activities all day from a tacos party to tequila tasting. What a way to spend a birthday! 

Read about Tulum and the ruins.

Are you prepared for an emergency?

If you were one of the lucky ones that didn't lose power during that crazy storm at the end of August, well then, I envy you. And if you were one of the unlucky ones who were without power for more than a day, then I hope you had a backup plan! 

Living on the west coast, we've all been told to have a 72 hour emergency kit ready for the 'Big One', or for a similar event. But how many of us really do? I know I for one am gulity of not having one, and if I had my power knocked out for a day, all my food in the freezer would go bad and I would run out of water pretty quickly with the 2 bottles of water I have... 

So for those of you who are like me and haven't prepared but want to, here are the things you should have in case of an emergency:

Build your survival kit

50 things to do in Vancouver

Now that summer has come and gone and the cooler weather is now upon us, it doesn't mean that the fun has to stop. There are plenty of things to do to chase away those fall blues, so get out there and have a blast!

Some ideas of things to do this fall.

Hiking at Joffre Lakes

I finally gave in and agreed to go on my first intensive hike over the August long weekend, and I'm proud to report that I made it out alive! No, but in all seriousness, it was well worth it. 

This photo was taken at the second lake, and the waters were so amazingly blue. Believe it or not, but the third lake at the top is even more blue and with the glaciers in the background, it was breathtaking. I highly recommend you give this hike a try. There are some steep parts, but you forget about the pain after you reach the lakes. If a beginner like me can do it, anyone can!

Read what others are saying about Joffre Lakes on TripAdvisor

Some things you should know before getting a mortgage

The difference between bank and personal mortgage life insurance

The one thing I can say with confidence is the same thing between all my clients is the desire to purchase a home. I hear this from every single person I sit down with that one of their biggest goals in the next 10 years is to be able to purchase a place in Vancouver. Now, whether or not that can be a reality is a different story. 

Regardless of your financial state, there are some basic things that a first time home buyer should know about getting a mortgage, from how you can qualify for one, how much you can qualify for, and the different options that are available. 

Things you need to know before getting a mortgage

After you've got everything sorted out, and you've purchased a home and have your mortgage worked out, you need some life insurance protection on the balance. If you have a mortgage and don't have protection, it's something you should definitely think about. Note that there are very significant differences between lender mortgage insurance and personal life insurance. Not only do you have no control or real ownership when getting it through the lender, but in many cases, individuals have been denied coverage at claim time. 

An example of a denied claim

Cheap travels: 10 countries you can visit on a college budget

We all know that living in Vancouver is expensive. Now add on the fact that you're living on a student's budget, or even if you've just entered the work force, our money doesn't go a long way here. 

Other than your typical Vegas or Mexico trip, here are 10 countries you can visit on a very small budget. Well, let me rephrase that. Airfare might still be a little pricey since there's nothing we can really do about international flights, but once you get there, you can experience a lot for very little. 

10 countries to visit if you are on a budget