Financial Foundations Limited
Where Good Financial Planning Starts
Question: Where does good financial planning start? Answer: Personal finances 101 starts at home. Everyone has learned at least some basic skills in money management which they need to apply and if possible pass on to the next generation. Yet in the vast number of books and articles that I need to read to…
Read MoreA Closer Look at “Net Worth”
What is your net worth? I hate this question. Expressions like this one can inadvertently diminish human dignity. Every industry has its own lingo and jargon. Many terms are of no real consequence, but sometimes a particular expression can be misleading and even harmful. In the financial planning industry, the term “net worth” is a…
Read MoreDebt – Not the Greatest Danger
Recently the Lord has been teaching me an important lesson about money. It’s about the D words. For years I have been taught, and even taught others, all the evils of debt, especially non-tax deductible consumer debt for depreciating items. Debt brings slavery. This means losing personal freedom and being forced to give up…
Read MoreThink Riches and Grow Sick
What is at the root of our current global economic crisis? Think mental diet. What is the worst kind of food to eat? Hint…it looks and tastes good but leaves us sick. I’m sure we can all think of examples. Food for the mind is just as important as food for the body. So what…
Read MoreBeing of Sound Mind…
A cartoon shows a family sitting in the lawyer’s office as the last will and testament of the dearly departed is being read: “Being of sound mind and body… I spent it all.” Written while Tom was on sabbatical by Cliff Underwood. In my practice, I work with the “not-yet departed” as they seek help in drawing up their wills and…
Read MoreWhatever Happened to Thrift?
Who needs it? Of course money doesn’t grow on trees, but in our province it oozes out of the ground. Haven’t you noticed? With the Alberta advantage all around who wants to be a tightwad freak? If we were all thrifty wouldn’t our economy shrink? Wouldn’t the banks go bankrupt? Who would make the fat…
Read MoreR and R
As I sat in the coffee shop inhaling that delicious aroma of roasted beans and sipping some fresh brew with one of my favourite clients (takes me out for coffee) I suddenly heard the message. He didn’t even notice but the Holy Spirit spoke to me through him. My client was speaking of his long,…
Read MoreWrite… Right….Right?
Nothing bothers a rich man more than to see a poor man happy. What? Can poor people even be happy? First we need to discover the reasons for poverty. Imagine visiting a doctor and telling him I feel sick. He quickly replies without any questions or investigation, “Here take some medicine”. We’d call him a…
Read MoreControlling Consumption
This month we want to talk about getting our spending under control. Is that even possible? Let’s start by forgetting money for a while and thinking another favourite topic – food! Recently I read about a diet plan whereby dieters could eat whatever foods and quantities they wanted while being guaranteed weight loss after six…
Read MoreFetch Butch, Fetch
What is the most important thing to remember in money management? Get ready. It’s not what you expect. You won’t read about it in popular financial columns. Money is not God! Of course you say; I knew that all along. But what does your behaviour show? Do all your decisions revolve around money? Not only…
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