Mathew Conniff
28 Fosbury Link T8B 0B3 Sherwood Park, AB, Canada

Finance Tip There are so many different facets to our financial lives it is hard to know where to start. Well here are 3 tips to help you get control of your finances: 1Have an understanding of your regular cash flow - this is your money in and money out. Best way to do this, imo, is with some sort of budget. You need to have an understanding of how much money you bring in, how much your expenses are, and how much you can spend. ... 2Live within your means - this goes hand in hand with point #1. It’s hard to truly know if you are living within your means without having an understanding of your cash flow. You don’t need the fancy car, or the super expensive clothes, it all works the same. Living within your means will make sure you don’t stretch yourself out of control. 3Start investing for your future - we have all heard it or say it, I’ll start investing laterbut will you? You are never going to get this time back. The earlier you start the more time you give your money to compound and therefore grow, which means more in the end. You need to invest for your future so start now. If you need help getting started with your finances, send me a message

Look we aren’t perfect, we all have some bad financial habits. Instead of beating yourself up about them you need to learn to live and deal with them. The first step is to watch this video

TFSA or RRSP? Which account is better to invest in? Well this answer is going to depend on your situation. The first thing we have to look at is the features of each account. Features of an RRSP: - Tax Deductible Contributions - Tax Deferred Growth ... - Most withdrawals incur taxes and loss of contribution room - Need employment income to accrue contribution room Features of a TFSA: - Tax free growth - Any loss of contribution room resets on Jan 1 - Withdrawals do not incur taxes - Grow new contribution room as long as you are 18 and a Canadian resident Now that we know the features of each account we need to know the point of our investing. This is going to ultimately decide which account we are going to invest in. For example, if you need the flexibility of accessing the money then the TFSA would make sense. If you have a high salary and you are investing for retirement the RRSP would make sense. If you dont make a lot of money but are still investing for retirement then either account may work for you. There are many cases where it makes sense to invest in an RRSP or a TFSA. There are plenty of people that invest in both accounts simultaneously for different reasons. Speaking with your advisor or a qualified financial professional is going to be key in making this decision. If you have questions about the RRSP or TFSA, feel free to drop them below or send me a message.

TFSA or RRSP? Which account is better to invest in? Well this answer is going to depend on your situation. The first thing we have to look at is the features of each account. Features of an RRSP: - Tax Deductible Contributions - Tax Deferred Growth ... - Most withdrawals incur taxes and loss of contribution room - Need employment income to accrue contribution room Features of a TFSA: - Tax free growth - Any loss of contribution room resets on Jan 1 - Withdrawals do not incur taxes - Grow new contribution room as long as you are 18 and a Canadian resident Now that we know the features of each account we need to know the point of our investing. This is going to ultimately decide which account we are going to invest in. For example, if you need the flexibility of accessing the money then the TFSA would make sense. If you have a high salary and you are investing for retirement the RRSP would make sense. If you dont make a lot of money but are still investing for retirement then either account may work for you. There are many cases where it makes sense to invest in an RRSP or a TFSA. There are plenty of people that invest in both accounts simultaneously for different reasons. Speaking with your advisor or a qualified financial professional is going to be key in making this decision. If you have questions about the RRSP or TFSA, feel free to drop them below or send me a message.

Something I think we are all looking for is financial freedom, or financial security. This goes by many different names or terms but at the end of the day it means we don’t really need to worry about our money or finances that much. I think we can all agree that each of us would like to achieve this some day. That being said, this can mean different things to different people. For some people financial freedom might mean getting rid of their debt. For others it might mean hav...ing the option to buy a home right now or to rent for a few months and wait for a housing market to cool down. For some people it might mean having the option to pay off debt or invest your money. Others might say their financial freedom is having $1,000,000. When it comes to financial freedom a lot of people think this means having a lot of money and I don’t fully agree with this. To me financial freedom means options. I really believe it is more powerful to have options with your finances than it is to simply have a lot of money. Now don’t get me wrong there is a certain amount of money you need in order to have options, but that amount can be different for everyone. What does financial freedom mean to you?

Something I think we are all looking for is financial freedom, or financial security. This goes by many different names or terms but at the end of the day it means we don’t really need to worry about our money or finances that much. I think we can all agree that each of us would like to achieve this some day. That being said, this can mean different things to different people. For some people financial freedom might mean getting rid of their debt. For others it might mean hav...ing the option to buy a home right now or to rent for a few months and wait for a housing market to cool down. For some people it might mean having the option to pay off debt or invest your money. Others might say their financial freedom is having $1,000,000. When it comes to financial freedom a lot of people think this means having a lot of money and I don’t fully agree with this. To me financial freedom means options. I really believe it is more powerful to have options with your finances than it is to simply have a lot of money. Now don’t get me wrong there is a certain amount of money you need in order to have options, but that amount can be different for everyone. What does financial freedom mean to you?

Tax time is upon us! Have you done your taxes yet? Are you getting a tax refund? Make sure you watch this video before you do

The financial industry loves acronyms and terms. We use them for everything, and anyone who has dealt with their finances has come across an acronym or term they have no idea what it means. So here is a post explaining some common acronyms and terms. TFSA - Tax Free Savings Account RRSP - Registered Retirement Savings Plan RRIF - Registered Retirement Income Fund... LIRA - Locked In Retirement Account LIF - Life Income Fund LRSP - Locked In Registered Retirement Savings Plan RESP - Registered Education Savings Plan RDSP - Registered Disability Savings Plan GIC - Guaranteed Investment Certificate ETF - Exchange Traded Fund EFT - Electronic Funds Transfer APR - Annual Percentage Rate ROR - Rate of Return MER - Management Expense Ratio Equities - This is just a fancy term for Stocks, or investments in companies Fixed Income - This is a term to describe instruments that provide a fixed stream of income like a bond or mortgage. Asset Allocation - This refers to the percentage mix of equities and bonds that your portfolio has. Is there a financial term you have been confused by? Drop it in the comment below and I will explain

One thing that I love to do is to watch movies As a kid I used to watch movies all the time, could never get enough of them. Mostly I like comedy and action movies, but the odd drama or suspense one is okay. Never been a big fan of horror movies. One thing me and my friends always did was quote movies. Loved those movies with the best one liners, pretty sure my parents hated it Thats what I think Superbad and Step Brothers are two of my all time favourite movies. They are both so hilarious and have so many good one liners! What is your favourite movie?

I believe budgeting is a fundamental building block to your finances. Meaning that we should all have a decent foundation around budgeting and understanding our own income and expenses. I find a lot of people don’t understand this and that is where trouble can start to creep in. So, by popular demand, I’m going to take you through how to set up a super simple and easy budget! All numbers and information in this video are purely for demonstrative purposes and may not be accurate.

Let’s talk bucket lists ! We all have them and there may be a few crazy things on the list but that’s what makes the bucket list so great. I’d like to think my top bucket list items are fairly achievable, maybe not right away, but some day. 1Number 1 on my list is to watch a Manchester United game in Manchester, England. I can say as of May 2019, I have successfully checked this off my list The problem is they lost, so now I have to go back to see them win 2Number 2 on... my list is to go to Bora Bora and stay in one of the over-the-water hut’s. I think this is a pretty common item but I don’t care. When I was in grade 8, I had to do a project and I did it on Bora Bora, ever since then it has been on my bucket list as a place to visit. Worst part of this is the fact that my parents went there a few years ago before I could, not sure I will ever forgive them for that. 3Number 3 on my list is probably the most lofty of them all and that is to visit the Galapagos Islands. I really like animals, I find them fascinating creatures and the Galapagos obviously has a lot of them and many different species. After all, Charles Dawrin went there to study animals. I hear it is quite the trip to get there and it definitely isn’t cheap. I just hope the islands are still around by the time I have the money to go. What are your top 3 bucket list items?

As many of you know I love soccer. It is definitely my favourite sport. For those who know me well, you know my favourite team is Manchester United and the English Premier League is my favourite league to watch. But what many of you don’t know is that I had a try out with a Welsh soccer team when I was 16, Cardiff City FC. My dad’s side of the family is from Wales and my dream was always to play professional soccer, we ended up getting in contact with Cardiff City and they invited me over for a trial. It was two weeks, and although I did not end up making it I had an incredible experience I will never forget. What is something many people don’t know about you?