Is the Cost of Post-Secondary Education Worth it?

Postsecondary education is expensive, and families must make the decision whether it’s worth it, writes Peter Watson. The financial decision to spend money on a child’s postsecondary education can have major implications for a family’s finances. For many families, the dream their children will go to university is strong. And there are many advantages. Your […]

Canadians Worry About Personal Finances

People worry about retirement and investments, writes Peter Watson. Canadians are concerned about their ability to fund retirement and they have negative feelings towards their investments. There are many reasons creating this pessimism, including Covid, higher interest rates, and everything seems to be more expensive. Plus, personal debt levels continue to rise. According to a […]

Government Grants Offered to Parents

The government is offering free money to help educate your children, writes Peter Watson. Today a question. If you could make an investment that provided a 20 per cent return guarantee in the first year, would that be of interest? There are no hidden glitches. You can invest with the financial institution of your choice […]

University Costs Can Disrupt Your Retirement Plans

Beware – the cost of your children’s university education can compete with funds you need for retirement, writes Peter Watson. The closer you get to retirement the more focused you can become on paying down or eliminating personal debt including a mortgage. Plus increasing your savings that will be necessary to provide a revenue source […]

Saving for Your Children’s University Education

Your children’s university education will be very expensive. There are several things you can do now that will help cover post-secondary expenses. A four-year university degree costs can be as high or higher than $100,000. That is expensive and more so depending on the number of children you have. Plus because of inflation, every year […]

Do not judge an investment decision by the outcome

Having a successful investment outcome does not automatically mean you made a good decision. The natural flow to an investment conversation often starts with someone saying they made a decision to buy a specific investment. Happily, the investment appreciated in value. Their conclusion is, “I made a good decision”. Not necessarily. The dangerous part of […]

CESG helps with the expense of education

The government of Canada will give parents money that can be used for their children’s or grandchildren’s post-secondary education. The plan is called the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) and it works in conjunction with a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP). The good news is the gift totals $7,200 per child. The bad news is […]

High cost of education

Some parents lie and cheat to help their children get admitted to top-ranked universities. In what is now known as the 2019 College Admissions Scandal, the rich and famous paid bribes and had exams altered, among other tactics, to ensure their children were admitted to some of the most prestigious schools in the United States. […]

Parents need to save for their children’s education

Parents… it’s time to get serious about your children’s education. September is back to school month and probably the time of year parents focus the most on education. Summer vacation abruptly comes to a close and children are launched into their next academic year. Most Canadians take great pride in education and see the advantages […]

It’s time to rethink strategy for post-secondary education

A strong education is a core value to us individually and it is most definitely a core strategy to maintaining a prosperous economy. Education and success are closely related. For the last several decades we have experienced educational fee inflation. The cost of a post-secondary education has increased, as has the amount of education it […]