Housing

Mortgages and Alternate Energy Systems – the Ins and Outs and Pitfalls

Are you considering reducing your carbon footprint and living off the grid? Living off the grid has a lot of benefits – you’ll save money on energy costs over the long-term, you have more freedom of choosing where you want to live and you’ll have  a positive impact on the environment. However, living off the grid isn’t for everyone. Unfortunately, a lot of Canadians wouldn’t consider living this lifestyle, even if it meant helping Mother Nature. As such, if you’re looking at purchasing an off grid property, obtaining a mortgage will be a little more challenging, but with the right…
Posted on by Sustainable PF
Career

How Self-Made Millionaires Aim for Success

Who doesn’t love the idea of being a millionaire? You could wake up in the morning, climb out from under your high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, wash your face in a diamond studded sink, and order your 10 servants to get busy with making the breakfast. Why 10 servants to make breakfast, you’re asking? Because you can afford it. Why else? The problem with being a millionaire, however, is that you first actually have to earn millions. This is no easy task of course, or everyone would be a millionaire. It takes skill, determination, a little bit of luck.…
Posted on by Sustainable PF
Personal Finance

What are options for cash emergencies?

Sometimes no matter how well you plan you can face bad luck in life.   Between cars, homes, apartments, medical bills, and just general expenses life can knock you back. While many financial professionals all state that you should have 6 months of your salary saved for an emergency, many of us know that is just impractical.  It’s hard to save 6 months of your salary in the world today. So, what do you do when a disaster strikes? Here are some things you can do. First, you can get a short term loan.  One option is to get a car…
Posted on by Sustainable PF
Blogging

How To Start Your Own Finance Blog

If you have a deep interest in finance—and you likely do if you’re reading this blog—you may eventually reach a point where you want to share your own knowledge and experience. Starting a blog is easy enough if you have the motivation, but maintaining a blog takes total dedication. Finance blogs are popular for many reasons. They help everyday people manage their money and provide them with sound advice on how to make investments that could ultimately change their lives. One of the first requirements is to be passionate about the topic. If you’re not passionate about finance, over time,…
Posted on by Sustainable PF
Purchases

Lab-Grown Diamonds vs Mined Diamonds

Up until recently, many scientists were still struggling to create high-quality diamonds in a lab setting. Experts have been trying to recreate diamonds in a scientific environment for decades - mostly with limited success. Many companies found that the results of their efforts were small, and only appropriate for industrial purposes, like making cutting tools. However, now that the processes used to create man-made diamonds are more sophisticated, companies can finally simulate the extreme pressure required to create stunning engagement rings and jewelry. The question is, what makes lab-grown diamonds so much more superior to their mined counterparts? Lab-Grown Diamonds…
Posted on by Sustainable PF
Investing

Common Mistakes Canadians Make When Saving for Retirement and How to Avoid Them

Disclaimer: The following post is sponsored by Sun Life Financial. The biggest mistakes most Canadians make when it comes to retirement planning is not saving anything at all. A recent study from Sun Life Financial shows that 25% of retired Canadians are in debt and 24% of working Canadians have raided their retirement savings. Canadians seem to be underestimating the amount of income they will require to spend their sunset years comfortably. Some may expect that government benefit pension programs will be adequate, believing that government money would be sufficient for their needs late in life. While the exact amount…
Posted on by Sustainable PF