This report was written by Paul Murphy, a 20-year financial veteran and managing partner at 4 Pillars. In this report, you’ll find a data-backed picture of household debt and bankruptcy in Canada. Key questions answered in this report: What is the average household debt in Canada? What are the signs of a typical Canadian family facing...Continue reading
20-year financial veteran Paul Murphy explains his system for building a realistic money management plan. If you’d like an expert to review your debt situation, you can contact your local 4 Pillars office here. After working in the finance industry for 20 years, there’s one truth that seems to be proven again and again: people...Continue reading
La lutte contre la dette peut créer un stress énorme, mais vous n’avez pas à le faire seul. La première étape est de mieux comprendre les options qui vous sont offertes au moment ou vous auriez pris la décision de résoudre vos dettes et remettre vos finances sur la bonne voie. En ce moment, il...Continue reading
Struggling with debt is stressful, but you don’t have to deal with it alone. Understanding the options available to you when you decide to resolve your debt and get your finances back on track is the first step. It’s essential to have an advocate look out for your interests—not those of your creditors—in order...Continue reading
This past July, after seven years of leaving its key interest rate steady at near-historic lows, the Bank of Canada increased its overnight rate by 0.25 percentage points to 0.75 percent. In September, the bank raised it another quarter-point to 1.0 percent amid strong economic growth. While we’re unlikely to see another increase this year, they left...Continue reading
As Frank Sinatra had crooned, love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. If finance were part of this picture, it would be driving the carriage. Disagreements over the management of household finances have long been known to be a source of major stress on a relationship and, not uncommonly, lead to divorce....Continue reading
From pre-natal preparations to preschool to post-secondary, raising a child in Canada is not for the financially faint of heart. The average annual cost for raising a child to the age of 18 has been estimated to be a cool $13,000 which, of course, will not necessarily decrease at that age if you plan to...Continue reading
With the temperatures now dipping, winter is on its way and that means ‘tis soon the season for big cozy sweaters, holiday sweets and, for many of us, sunny trips down south to swap our snow suits for bathing suits. Whether you’re planning to head south to an all-inclusive resort or planning ahead for...Continue reading
At some time in our lives, most of us will need to borrow money. Whether to pursue higher education, purchase a home or a car, or start a business, there are times where you simply won’t have enough cash flow to fund a purchase without taking on debt. When a loan helps you to better...Continue reading
Although Canadians are carrying fewer credit cards, they’re carrying increasingly higher balances, according to a survey conducted by TransUnion. More alarming, consumers seem to be more focused on the points they are earning rather than the interest they are racking up. Credit cards are an important way to build credit history, they can be useful...Continue reading
