Debt Free In 30

This past season, I have talked extensively with industry experts about payday loan solutions and alternatives. When I asked my guests from show 83, Brian Dijkema and Rhys McKendry, and my guest from show 85, Jonathon Bishop about what they think would improve the payday loan industry, they had so much to say that I wasn't able to air everything in the original podcasts. Today, I am sharing their previously un-aired thoughts. Brian Dijkema and Rhy McKendry, experts from the Cardus think-tank, authored a study titled: "Banking on the Margins: Finding Ways to Build an Enabling Small Dollar Credit Market." They suggest that the solution to payday loans is for communities to pool their resources to provide financial products with the assistance of someone with financial expertise that can help them evaluate risk. Jonathon Bishop, a Research and Parliamentary Affairs Analyst with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, suggests that the federal government repeal the usury law back to what it was before 2007. This

Today's show is a repeat broadcast of one of our most downloaded shows, with our guest Nicole Olsen, the Financial Literacy Program Director for Financial Fitness in Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario. Nicole shares 4 steps to save money at the grocery store (but it's her bonus tip on "unit pricing" that is a must listen).  Enjoy!  

Over the summer we will be airing rebroadcasts of our most downloaded shows.  Today's show features our most popular guest, and a mis-understood topic: Budgeting. It's a word that people either love or hate. We may get mixed reviews about the advice that I share on today's episode, but for many, budgeting is a waste of time. Budgeting takes discipline, it takes time and it takes some skill to use a budgeting spreadsheet or app. Because it's difficult, for some people it can actually have a negative impact on their finances. They lose motivation or interest, and eventually discouraged, stop paying attention to their finances all together. We are not advocating that people shouldn't manage their money, but we are suggesting that you need to find a solution that will work for you and your finances. It's very important to know where you're spending your money because if you don't know where it goes, you can't make adjustments to pay down debt and build your savings. Doug Hoyes is joined once again by money expert

Given today’s real estate market, it’s not surprising that the most popular podcast episodes of this year featured Hilliard MacBeth discussing his book, When The Bubble Bursts, Surviving the Canadian Real Estate Crash, and Ben Rabidoux sharing his thoughts on the Canadian real estate market. Clearly, listeners want to know if they should rent or if they should buy? While I am not a real estate expert, I want to help those who are trying to decide by comparing the different possible outcomes of renting vs buying. From our own Joe Debtor study, we know that home owners in high ratio mortgages are at an increased risk of becoming insolvent. The average insolvent home owner had a mortgage ratio of 90% and owed over $68,000 in unsecured debt. Why? Because most people focus on the mortgage payments and forget to pay attention to all the other costs associated with owning a home.

Generally, money problems and financial problems go hand in hand. In fact, 28% of our clients were separated or divorce when they filed for insolvency. And 19% cited marital or relationship breakdown as the main cause of their financial difficulties. To delve deeper into the relationship between divorce and bankruptcy law, Ted Michalos joins us today on Debt Free in 30. When a relationship starts to fail, the last thing anyone focuses on is taking care of money. In fact, spending often increases as a way to make things 'better' and both partners forget to pay attention to their debt. When the relationship falls apart, the debt that was incurred during the marriage will have to be dealt with.

Our guest on today’s podcast, Ben Rabidoux is the President of North Cove Advisors, a macro research firm that works with institutional investors like mutual fund companies, hedge funds, and pensions, providing a broad view of the economy at any time. Today he visits Debt Free in 30 to share his insights on the current status and future of the Canadian housing market (and it’s not pretty).

As our economy in Canada has evolved so has the nature of most people’s employment. Downsizing and outsourcing has become more prevalent, stable jobs have become more scarce, and more people are becoming self employed. While the freedom and potential for success are great, being self-employed brings it's own challenges when it comes to managing business debts. On this week's podcast I talk with Ian Martin, Scott Schaefer and Ted Michalos about the potential debt problems that entrepreneurs and self-employed persons might face and provide tips that can help you avoid these common small business mistakes when it comes to managing your finances. I also talk with our experts about how to deal with one of the most common business debts: tax debts owing to Canada Revenue Agency.

Payday loans are expensive. Lenders charge a ridiculously high interest rate and demand repayment in one balloon payment. Inevitably, this traps some payday loan borrowers into a debt cycle. As a result, the Ontario government is reviewing current payday loan legislation and it's considering changes. In today's show, Ted Michalos, my partner and co-founder, joins me to discuss some of the suggested changes, our own recommendations for the government, and which payday loan alternatives to consider before taking out one of these high interest loans. Conventional wisdom says the following about payday loans: the interest rate is too high, well above the maximum rate of 60% set out in the criminal code of Canada, and this causes a financial problem for payday loan users; people turn to payday loans because they have a low income, can't access traditional credit and need a payday loan to cover necessities like rent, utilities and groceries. I beg to differ with this wisdom. While the interest rate is certainly a

If you are struggling with debt, how do you know which debt relief option is right for you? Both consumer proposals and bankruptcies have similar benefits, but the length and cost are different. On today’s podcast Ted Michalos, compares various aspects of filing a consumer proposal vs bankruptcy.

Are you planning for retirement? Have you started to save? Do you know how much you need? If not, then today’s podcast is for you. My guest, David Trahair, stops by to discuss his new book, The Procrastinator's Guide to Retirement: How You Can Retire in 10 Years or Less, and provides tips for Canadians who’ve delayed saving for retirement.

Is Canadian real estate due for a crash? On today's show, I speak with Hilliard MacBeth, a portfolio manager and author of When the Bubble Bursts: Surviving the Canadian Real Estate Crash, who thinks the Canadian housing bubble is about to burst. Hilliard notes that there are four symptoms of a bubble: A period of rapidly rising prices People telling each other stories about why the price increase makes sense People experiencing regret that they didn’t get into the market earlier, or the fear of missing out – i.e. if they don’t get into the market now, they never will The media starts to talk about the bubble He mentions that there is a prevailing myth that only Vancouver and Toronto are in a real estate bubble, when in fact the bubble exists across Canada. While incomes have only risen by 15% in the last 15 years and inflation has been under 2% for a long time, house prices have tripled. Considering that houses are paid for with income, the ratio of house-price-to-income has become so stretched that the bu

On today’s show we discuss a common question: if I have some extra money, should I pay off my debt, or use it to invest?  In some cases the answer is easy.  If you owe money on a credit card with a 29% interest rate, and your investment will earn 1%, you should obviously pay off your credit card. But what if your debt is a low interest mortgage, and you think you can earn a greater rate of return on an investment.  Than what? That’s the question we asked Sean Cooper (famous for paying off his mortgage in just over 3 years), and Ted Michalos, all on today’s Debt Free in 30.

Today I ask a question that generates a lot of debate on our Facebook page: what happens if you stop paying your debts? More specifically, what happens if you stop paying your debts and you are not in a consumer proposal or bankruptcy? To help me delve deeper into this topic, Ted Michalos, my partner and co-founder of Hoyes, Michalos & Associates, joins me to discuss the various outcomes of not paying your debts.

Often, I share advice about how to get out of debt and live debt free. But, what if you've already eliminated your debt and you're ready to get back on track? What's next? Today, I am going to share tips on how to rebuild credit after a consumer proposal or bankruptcy. First, I don’t advise that anyone, after completing a consumer proposal or bankruptcy, jump right in and start borrowing again. If you can live without debt, that’s great! However, in today’s modern economy, you might need or want access to credit. And if you want to borrow and keep your interest costs low you need a good credit score. On today’s show we discuss tangible steps you can take to improve your credit score after a consumer proposal or bankruptcy. On today’s show we discuss five simple steps to rebuild credit.

It’s no secret that payday loans charge an outrageously high interest rate. In Ontario, they can charge $21 for $100. If you take out a new $100 loan every two weeks, you would pay $546 a year, that's an interest rate is 546% on an annual basis. And therein lies the problem with these types of loans. But what is the solution? On today’s podcast, Doug Hoyes speak with Jonathan Bishop, a Research and Parliamentary Analyst at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) about Bill 156 and pay day loan regulation. The PIAC is a non-profit organization that conducts research into public service issues that affect consumers. The payday loan industry is something they have been investigating for well over a decade.

It can be hard to know who to turn to when you are dealing with Canada Revenue Agency and you need tax debt help. Some situations are relatively simple and can be resolved on your own, while other situations may require more expertise. Choosing the wrong professional for your situation, may end up costing more than it should. On today’s show, Doug Hoyes speaks with Janette Martin, a Certified Credit Counsellor, and Ian Martin (no relation), a Licensed Insolvency Trustee with extensive experience with the CRA, about how to get the right tax debt help.

The payday loan industry in Canada loans an estimated $2.5 billion each year to over 2 million borrowers. Like it or not, payday loans often meet the need for urgent cash for individuals who can't, or won't, borrow from more traditional sources. If your hydro is about to be disconnected, the cost of a payday loan may be less than the hydro re-connection fee, so it may be a prudent financial decision in some cases. As a “one time” source of cash a payday loan may not be an issue. The real problem is payday loans are structured to keep customers dependent on their services.  Like opening a box of chocolates, you can’t get just one. Since a payday loan is due in full on payday, unless your situation has improved, you may have no choice but to get another loan from another payday lender to pay off the first loan, and a vicious debt cycle begins. So what’s the solution?  That’s the question I asked my two guests, Brian Dijkema and Rhys McKendry, authors of a new study, Banking on the Margins – Finding Ways to Buil

On today's podcast we talk with Ted Michalos about the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy and how they regulate the bankruptcy process, and trustees, in Canada and why they changed the name from bankruptcy trustee to Licensed Insolvency Trustee (LIT).

A conventional mortgage today has a 25 year amortization, because the typical borrower wants, or needs, 25 years to pay off their mortgage.  So is it possible to pay off your mortgage faster? Sean Cooper became a media sensation after paying off his $255,000 mortgage in just three years. We talked with Sean about how he paid off his mortgage so quickly, what sacrifices he made, what he might have done differently in hindsight and what tips he has for anyone wanting to pay down their mortgage sooner.

There are a number of personal finance personalities, especially on American radio and TV, who say that if you have too much debt it’s because you spent too much and you're the cause. After all, if you're actions aren't to blame, then they can't sell you their solutions and books. But is that opinion valid? Are all of our financial problems entirely our fault, or are there other factors that lead to debt problems? On today's show we talk about how circumstances can overtake anyone. Kelley Keehn and Robert Brown discuss why sometimes “stuff happens”, and we discuss five reasons why debt problems may not be your fault.