The holidays are a time for family to gather together and share in the warmth of the season. If family members live at a distance, the holidays also provide one of the only opportunities of the year when adult children can sit down with their parents and siblings to discuss practical matters.
When asked if they had any regrets, Baby Boomers wished they had started investing and saving at a much earlier age. Hindsight being 20/20, the Boomer generation can pass on some much needed advice and guidance to their kids and grandkids. It is normal for younger people to focus on earning money to accommodate their lifestyle but few have the foresight to pay themselves first. It is easy for younger generations to imagine their whole life ahead of them and have the attitude that of course I'll be financially set when I'm ready to retire'.
It is that time of year again when thoughts turn to how the world and the investment markets may run into trouble: markets are at record levels, interest rates are rising, Trump, Trump and more Trump, trade deals, China, the end of globalization, inflation is rising, inflation is a non-factor….well you get the drift. You can pick any number of reasons to be nervous but the reality for most people is these macro-economic factors have little bearing on your personal situation.
Business owners have to contend with many facets of financial management, business accounting, cash-flow management, and capital acquisition. The one area of financial management that often goes unheeded or is placed on the back-burner is their personal financial strategy, yet it is the one aspect of a business owner's financial picture that, if not soundly in place, could have the most serious unintended consequences for the business.
The use of debt in your financial affairs is akin to a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is very useful to assist you in buying and owning assets using "other people's money (OPM)" such as a home or other financial asset. On the other hand, it can be a problematic tool to use in the event of a job loss, cash flow interruption, recession or rising interest rates amongst various possible scenarios.
The news has been full of stories lately of surging real estate prices in the United States. Many Canadian visitors to such places as Florida, Arizona and Hawaii are seeing real estate promoters from these and other states running seminars about US real estate investing.
Many Canadians are viewing this as an opportunity to buy a US property before the prices get too high. But what are the consequences of owning U.S. property?