Take Control of your Finances in 2020

Everyone wants to make big change in the new year. We want to quit smoking, start reading more novels and stop spending so much time on our phones.

But many of us also want to use the new time as an excuse to fix our finances. If you spend most of your days avoiding your bank account balance or refusing to open your credit card bills, then make 2020 the year you change.

Here are the best ways to take control of your finances in 2020:

Start Tracking Your Expenses

The most basic way to control your finances is to track how you spend money, whether it’s a $3 croissant or a $300 TV. Tracking your money will notify you of any trends in your life and help you find your financial weak spots. There are many apps available you can use to track or simply track on a spreadsheet or journal.

After you’ve tracked expenses for a while, you can start a budget or plan to minimize your spending and maximize your savings.

Create a Debt Payoff Plan

If you have any non-mortgage debt, make 2020 the year you finally tackle it. Make a list of what you owe including credit cards, student loans, car loans and personal loans. If you have extra discretionary income, decide how you want to conquer your debt.

There are two debt payoff methods: the snowball and the avalanche. The avalanche means paying off debt in order from highest interest rate to smallest. This strategy will decrease how much you pay in total interest.

The debt snowball method encourages people to make extra payments on the smallest balance first. When you do this, you’ll pay off individual debts faster and gain more momentum.

Shore Up Your Retirement Accounts

Most of us have no idea how much we have in our retirement accounts or how much we need to save. The best action you can take in 2020 is to determine how much is in your retirement accounts and if you need to do more.

List all your retirement accounts including your RRSP and TFSA and their current balances. Note any pensions that you might receive in the future and what you need to qualify for those.

Start Estate Planning

One personal finance topic that people usually ignore is estate planning. No one wants to think about their death or their spouse’s, so they ignore it. Unfortunately, avoiding the problem doesn’t make the process easier.

If you’re married or have a family, now’s the time to create a will. A will can speed up the probate process and prevent any snags when distributing assets.

If you don’t want to hire an estate lawyer, you can use a service like LegalZoom to create a will for a fraction of the price. Make sure to be thorough as possible when creating a will and list all of the assets you have. If possible, go through all your accounts and designate a beneficiary. That will also accelerate probate.

About the Author

Zina Kumok

Zina Kumok is a trained journalist and has covered everything from professional sports to murder trials. Now, she specializes in personal finance and has written for brands and publications such as Mint, Investopedia and Discover. She paid off $28,000 worth of student loans in three years.

3 Bankruptcy Myths Busted

Have you ever heard of the TV show MythBusters? Well we’re going to do some “myth busting” of our own with respect to bankruptcy.

With household debt near a record level and interest rates on the rise, it should come as no surprise that Canadians are becoming increasingly worried about debt. In an Ipsos survey, one in three Canadians admitted to fearing bankruptcy. Millennials are finding themselves the most concerned. 62% are concerned about paying their bills, while 46% are worried about being pushed into bankruptcy.

With financial literacy lacking in this country, bankruptcy isn’t something most Canadians know very much about. It’s only when you’re on the brink of it that it becomes top of mind. With that in mind, here are three bankruptcy myths busted.

1. Filing for Bankruptcy Erases Your Student Loan Debt

Most employers these days are demanding more education. In our parent’s generation, you could often get by with just a high school diploma, while these days in many fields you need an undergraduate degree at a bare minimum.

Imagine you do everything right: you go to university, get straight A’s and graduate top of your class. The problem is that it’s in a field that’s not in demand. Instead of graduating with a well-paying job waiting for you, you’re left with a crippling level of student debt and no way to pay it off. Don’t think this could happen? It happens more often than you think.

If you were thinking about filing for bankruptcy to forgo paying back your student debt, I hate to break it to you, but you’re out of luck in most cases. While are sometimes when you can get out of paying back your student debt, you’ll need to jump through a lot of hoops to do so.

Similar to death and taxes, repaying your student debt is almost a certainty in life. If your student debt is under seven years old, then you’ll still be on the hook for repaying it even after you file for bankruptcy. The only option may be to apply for the repayment assistance program to lower your payment, but your student debt will still be there, so choose wisely a university program with good job prospects rather than a big mound of student debt waiting at the end.

2. Only Reckless Spenders File for Bankruptcy

Like it or not, there’s a negative stigma with bankruptcy. There’s a general belief out there that only reckless spenders file for bankruptcy, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I recently interviewed Ben Le Fort for my Burn Your Mortgage podcast whose parents, who were successful real estate agents, were forced to file for bankruptcy when the 2008 financial crisis happened and they didn’t have any emergency savings.

Sometimes life circumstances can throw you a curveball. You could lose your job, get sick or your partner could suddenly pass away. That’s why it’s so important to have an emergency fund. Three to six months’ living expenses should suffice, depending on the stability of your job. But that’s a lot to save if you don’t have any savings, so start small. Save whatever you can afford – $25 or $50 a week – to start. You’ll have a sizable emergency fund before you know it.

3. The Insolvency Trustee You Go With Doesn’t Matter

When you’re hiring a real estate agent, you wouldn’t hire the first one that you meet (at least I hope not). You’d take the time to interview at least two or three agents before making your final decision. The same holds true with trustees.

Choosing an insolvency trustee is kind of like picking a lawyer. The trustee you end up working with can have a huge impact on how your bankruptcy is handled and how your financial future plays out.

There are over 900 licensed insolvency trustees in Canada. Each one may interpret the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act differently. Taking the time to interview at least a couple is time well spent. These are just three bankruptcy myths. Thinking about filing for bankruptcy? Speak with one of our experts to see what makes the most sense for you.

How much money is ideal to pay towards Visa #2? Personal finance is very personal, so it depends on your own personal situation. Creating a budget is a good first step to see how much you can comfortably afford to put towards paying off your debts.

Are you motivated to pay off your debts that much sooner? Go on the offense with your finances by bringing in extra income or go on the defense by cutting expenses. For example, if you’re a good photographer, you could be a wedding photographer in your spare time. Likewise, if you’re looking to save money, instead of buying lunch every day at work, you could pack your lunch once or twice a week.

About the Author

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians. He bought his first house when he was only 27 in Toronto and paid off his mortgage in just 3 years by age 30. An in-demand Personal Finance Journalist, Money Coach and Speaker, his articles and blogs have been featured in publications such as the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Financial Post and MoneySense. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Paying Off Consumer Debt: Debt Avalanche vs. Debt Snowball

Who doesn’t love the holidays? It’s a great time to kick back, relax and enjoy some quality time with those nearest and dearest to you.

While there’s a lot to love about the holidays, something that a lot of us dread is opening our credit card statements in January. Many of us take an “out of sight, out of mind” approach. The problem is that this can lead to something I like to call “bill shock” in January, when we open our credit card statements and find out we ended up spending way more than we intended to spend on the holidays.

Starting the new year in debt isn’t fun, but if you find yourself in this situation, there’s no need to panic. Here are two tried-and-true strategies for paying off your consumer debt.

The Debt Avalanche Way

With the debt avalanche way, you start by paying off the debt that’s costing you the most – the debt that has the highest interest rate. For example, if you have two credit cards, Visa #1 with an 18% interest rate and Visa #2 with a 28% interest rate, using the debt avalanche way, you’d focus on paying off Visa #2. (Don’t forget to keep paying the minimum payment on all your other credit cards, otherwise you could hurt your credit score.)

How much money is ideal to pay towards Visa #2? Personal finance is very personal, so it depends on your own personal situation. Creating a budget is a good first step to see how much you can comfortably afford to put towards paying off your debts.

Are you motivated to pay off your debts that much sooner? Go on the offense with your finances by bringing in extra income or go on the defense by cutting expenses. For example, if you’re a good photographer, you could be a wedding photographer in your spare time. Likewise, if you’re looking to save money, instead of buying lunch every day at work, you could pack your lunch once or twice a week.

The Debt Snowball Way

The second effective way to rid yourself of your debt is the debt snowball way. The debt snowball way is slightly different than the debt avalanche way. Instead of focusing on the debt with the highest interest rate, you’d focus on paying off the debt with the smallest balance. This may be the same credit card as the one with the highest interest rate or it may not be. It really depends.

Using the same example, if Visa #1 has an outstanding balance of $1,000 and Visa #2 has an outstanding balance of $4,000, with the debt snowball way you’d pay off Visa #1 first. (You’d of course still keep making the minimum payments on Visa #2 to keep your credit in good standing.)

I know this may seem counter intuitive and from an interest savings perspective, the debt snowball way doesn’t make sense, but debt repayment isn’t just about dollars and cents. It’s about doing something that motivates you to take action. If the debt snowball way motivates you the most, more power to you.

In the end, there’s no single right way to pay off  consumer debt. I’d encourage you to choose the way that works best for you, setting yourself a goal of when you’d like to pay off your debt and putting a plan in action. By creating a plan and sticking to it, you’ll drastically improve your chances of reaching your goal of debt freedom that much sooner.

About the Author

Sean Cooper

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians. He bought his first house when he was only 27 in Toronto and paid off his mortgage in just 3 years by age 30. An in-demand Personal Finance Journalist, Money Coach and Speaker, his articles and blogs have been featured in publications such as the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Financial Post and MoneySense. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Christmas Budgeting Tips: How to Avoid Overspending

The holiday shopping season is in full swing and so should your Christmas budget. According to the RBC 2018 Holiday Spending & Savings Insights Poll, four in ten Canadians (42%) admit they overspent on their budgets – spending on average $530 beyond what they planned.

To avoid the adverse effects of your holiday shopping in January, get ahead of it and set a Christmas budget to prevent overspending.

Christmas is a fantastic time of year; decorations, entertaining, buying gifts for friends and family – who doesn’t love Christmas? However, the real question to ask is ‘Who loves debt’?

Here are some Christmas budgeting tips to avoid overspending this holiday season.

1. Set A Budget

Sit down with the key decision makers (Partner, spouse, etc.) and decide how much you will be spending. Think about how much you have spent in previous years and where you will like to increase or decrease.

Take into consideration all of the areas of the Holiday season, not just gifts. These include:

  • Entertaining
  • Food
  • Holiday cards
  • Family photos
  • New decorations
  • Santa experiences
  • Travel
  • Charitable giving

Ensure you add these items to your Christmas budget.

2. Limit Self-Gifting

One of the most significant holiday trends which always result in overspending is ‘self-gifting’ – people treating themselves to presents when they are out shopping for others. Avoid buying gifts for yourself when you are out shopping. It is not about you it is about spreading the Christmas cheer with others.

3. Create a List of Who to Buy Gifts For

Make a list of who you are buying for and write down how much you are spending on each, including taxes. While most of the gift giving will go to your immediate family, think of other gifts that pop up along the way, including teachers, neighbours, secretary, dog walker and grandparents, etc.

Once your list is complete, start thinking about if you can afford to buy gifts for everyone on your list. While it is fun to buy gifts, there are so many ways to spread holiday cheer without an actual tangible gift.

4. Create a Shopping Plan

Now that you know who to buy for and how much to spend on each, it is the time to strategize about the shopping plan. Start by writing down a few gift ideas for each person and how much you plan on spending.

As you think through what gifts to buy, think about how you will be purchasing (online/in stores) and where. As you identify where you can source these gifts from, you can start looking for deals, including:

  • Friends and Family weekends
  • Black Friday
  • Free shipping

There are hundreds of deals to be had leading up to the holidays, and the sooner you know what gifts to buy and where, the earlier you can take advantage of the deals and save money.

5. Track Spending

One key component to ensuring you stay within your holiday budget is to track your spending daily. Practicing due diligence during the holiday season is essential. Every penny counts because of the extra shopping, so buying the daily latte can add up and affect the money you have available to spend.

While there are several free apps available, you don’t need anything fancy to accomplish this. Use a simple piece of paper and pen and at the end of each day, record the items you spent that day and compare it regularly with the budget you created.

6. Alternative ways to spread Christmas Cheer

While it is nice to buy gifts, we all know that there are several other easy and frugal ways to spread the Christmas cheer without breaking the bank. Below are some examples of how you can experience the holidays while keeping your wallet in check:

  • Be a savvy shopper. Not only look for deals but find stores that have a selection of gifts at a very reasonable price. For example, head to the Dollar Store and find a holiday-themed mug and fill it with treats for teachers, assistants or others.
  • Bake extra Christmas cookies to make a special treat platter.
  • Gather the kids together and create simple Christmas crafts, cards or ornaments.
  • Replace a tangible gift with time. Think about experiences you could do with loved ones where spending time together is the gift – the real reward.

It is essential to be realistic about what you can afford this Christmas and not be influenced by media on how you should experience Christmas. It is tough when magazines, social and TV have beautiful photos of how your house should look or what the ‘perfect’ gifts are for your friends and family. To overcome the pressures, think about what is realistic with your budget, what is important at Christmas and how overspending on your budget will affect you in the New Year.

How to Set up your Christmas Budget

One of the most significant stresses during the holiday season and probably the one that most people avoid talking about or thinking about until January is overspending on their Christmas budget.

If you are worried about overspending this Christmas, the solution is easy – set up a Christmas budget!

Here’s How:

Step 1

Decide how much you can realistically spend on Christmas gifts. Now is the time to think about all the people you realistically buy for, not just immediate family. What about teachers, assistants, secretary, neighbours, your dog walker, the crossing guard, work Secret Santa, etc. Your family situation will determine the total budget, which might be a lot or not enough.

Step 2

Think about how much you can realistically spend on each person, given the budget you have earmarked.

Step 3

Create the actual budget. While there are several free apps available, you don’t need any fancy software to accomplish this.

  • Use a simple piece of paper and pen and write Christmas Budget at the top.
  • Have three different columns with the following headings: Gifts Required, Planned, Spent and Remaining.
  • Under Gifts Required: Write down all the names of people you would like to buy for.
  • Under Planned: Write down the amount you want to spend on each.

Your Christmas budget might look like this:

Christmas Budget

[table id=10 /]

Step 4

Track your Spending

The last two columns are the most important ones, as this is where you will track your spending as you shop.

  • Under Spent: Write down every dollar you have spent for each person
  • Under Remaining: This will be the difference between what you Planned and what you have Spent

Your working budget might look like this:

Christmas Budget

[table id=11 /]

Things to remember:
  • Don’t forget to adjust based on how much you spend. If you find something on sale, change the Planned Budget to what you paid and move the extra money to another gift or don’t even spend it.
  • Have Fun. Have fun with the budgeting and shopping. Make it a goal of yours to have remaining dollars left in every category!

Happy Spending!

Ten Tips for Holiday Entertaining on a Budget

The holidays are an exciting time to host friends and family; however, with all that is going on in November and December, our budgets can be spread very thin.

With the joy of the season and the need to save money, below are Ten Tips for Holiday Entertaining on a Budget:

1. Plan

Sit down and plan out all of your holiday entertainings. Think about all the categories required to host and entertain:

  • Food
  • Decorations
  • Invitations
  • Parking
  • Entertainment
  • Gifts
  • Childcare
  • Cleaning

2. Set a Budget

Once you have outlined all the categories, set a budget. Set a reasonable amount of money for each of the items, then stick to it!!!

3. Shop Smart

Avoid getting the necessary entertaining essentials at the most expensive stores. Hit up your local Dollar Store for some household essentials, including paper napkins, paper plates, and plastic utensils. No one is going to know the difference.

4. Buy in Bulk

Great deals are available when you buy in bulk, especially at places like Costco Wholesale. It is always good to have extra on hand especially if you host throughout the year. That said if space is an issue consider splitting with a friend. Not only will that save you on space, but you can also split the cost.

5. Borrow

Instead of buying items needed for hosting, consider borrowing the things you need from friends and family, including extra tables, chairs, tablecloths and serving trays. In the end, this will save you a great deal of money. Make a list of the items you need and reach out to your contact list to see who has them available.

6. DIY Greenery/Centre Pieces

Consider making your greenery for holiday decorating with what you have in your backyard.

7. Basic drinks

No guest is expecting a fancy cocktail, so cut down the extra costs by choosing to serve only a few drinks.

8. Simple Decorations

Avoid spending a ton of money on new decorations. Use what you have on hand to create a festive ambiance. Candles, greenery, a Christmas Tree are all available to set the mood.

9. Plan meals ahead

Set the menu weeks in advance. Consider any dietary restrictions or allergies. Once your meal plan is confirmed, make a list and plan your shopping to hunt down the best deals.

If the budget is tight and you still want to entertain there are a few options, you can consider:

  • Potluck Party – ask guests to bring a side or dessert to share. You provide the place, drinks, main dish, and utensils.
  • Plan a simpler menu – Think easy, limited-ingredient main dishes. A creamy pasta dish is a great way to use what you have in your kitchen. For the appetizer, think about whole roasted nuts or seed crackers with a smear of cream cheese and a dollop of red pepper jelly.
  • Skip dinner – Skip dinner altogether and serve an appetizer and dessert buffet vs. a costly and timely sit-down meal.

10. Music

Christmas music is a great way to set the mood. If you don’t have access to a free streaming service, many radio stations play round-the-clock Christmas music leading up to the holidays.

Canadian Household Debt on the Rise: What Does it All Mean?

It’s hard to pick up a newspaper these days and not see at least one headline about the elevated debt levels in Canada. If you find yourself in consumer debt, at least you’re not alone. But is all the worry really justified? Is Canadian household debt bordering on excessive or is the fear overblown?

Let’s take a closer look at Canada’s household debt situation and what it all means.

The Debt to Income Ratio Hits a New Record

If we focus on just the facts, the facts don’t lie – Canadian household debt is on the rise. Together we owe $2.16 trillion in debt. As a share of GDP, Canada has the dubious honour of having the highest debt load of the G-7 countries.

How did we as Canadians find ourselves in this situation? Low interest rates for the better part of a decade have encouraged Canadians to go on a borrowing binge.

A popular way to measure household debt is the debt to income ratio. The media loves to use this in attention grabbing news headlines. The debt to income ratio looks at your total debt compared to your income. To calculate your own personal figure, add up all your debts – your mortgage, car loan, line of credit, credit card debt and any other debt you might have – and divide it by your net (after tax) annual income. Multiply that figure by 100 and voila, you have your own debt to income ratio!

As of the fourth quarter of 2018, the average Canadian’s debt to income ratio rose to a record 174%, up from 148% a decade ago.

But there’s no guarantee interest rates will stay low forever. The Bank of Canada has already increased interest rates five times since mid-2017. Although it looks like our central bank has taken a pause with respect to further rate increases, if rates were to continue to rise again in the future, many Canadian families who are already feeling the squeeze from higher interest rates, might feel even more of a squeeze if and when higher interest rates arrive.

Is It All Really So Bad?

At first glance Canada’s debt situation looks pretty dire. While the total debt figure and the debt to income ratio may look scary, those are only two measures of household debt. Another important measure is your ability to service your monthly debt.

To calculate this figure, add up how much debt you have each month. This is debt you’d have to pay even if you were on holidays laying on a beach, sipping an umbrella drink. This includes your mortgage, car payments, minimum credit card payments and minimum student loan payments. Then calculate how much your household brings in on a monthly basis. This includes your salary, your spouse’s salary and any extra income you earn on the side.

Take the debt figure and divide it by your income figure and multiply by 100. Ideally, you want to keep this figure below 40 percent, although if you’re living in a city like Toronto or Vancouver where the cost of living is higher, that number could creep as high as 50 percent (although lower is better). Anything over 50 percent and it should raise the alarm bells. In that case, you should look to cut back on your fixed expenses.

The Bottom Line

When I was paying off my house, my debt to income ratio was almost 450 percent and I was fine. That being said, if your debt to income ratio is high and so is your monthly debt figure, then that should be an area of concern.

Confused about these numbers? Contact us today. We’re happy to walk you through them and help you get on the right financial path.

Climb’s Personalized Credit Prescription provides you with customized recommendations to help rebuild your credit score.

About the Author

Sean Cooper

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians. He bought his first house when he was only 27 in Toronto and paid off his mortgage in just 3 years by age 30. An in-demand Personal Finance Journalist, Money Coach and Speaker, his articles and blogs have been featured in publications such as the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Financial Post and MoneySense. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Poll Finds Almost Half of Canadians are $200 Away from Insolvency

January 21st was Blue Monday. In case you’re not familiar with the term, Blue Monday is a name given to the supposed most depressing day of the year. If the sun setting before 5pm and the cold weather outside doesn’t dampen your spirits, getting your holiday credit card statement in the mail might just do it.

To coincide with Blue Monday, insolvency firm MNP released its latest poll with some eye-opening findings.

A Third of Canadians Don’t Make Enough to Cover Bills and Debt Repayment

MNP’s poll found that 46 percent of Canadians are $200 or less away from financial insolvency. That’s up from 40 percent the last quarter. Furthermore, 31 percent of respondents feel that they don’t earn enough to pay the bills and meet debt obligations. That’s up seven percent from last quarter.

With the Bank of Canada raising interest rates five times since mid-2017, Canadians are feeling the pinch. No more so than those living on the financial edge. The poll found that 51 percent of Canadians are feeling financially pinched by higher interest rates. That’s up from 45 percent the previous quarter.

These are some quite startling findings. It shows that Canadians aren’t saving enough for a rainy day. Any unanticipated increase in the cost of living or interest rates could push them over the financial edge.

Canadians Going into Debt to Pay the Bills

Canadians are a resilient bunch. Instead of filing for bankruptcy or a consumer proposal, they’ll use every tool at their proposal to pay for day to day living expenses. One of those tools is going into debt. The poll found that 45 percent of Canadians said they would need to go into debt to pay living and family expenses.

Higher living expenses aren’t the only concerns of Canadians. Further interest rate increases are a worry, too. Half of Canadians say that they would find themselves in financial trouble if interest rates keep rising. That’s up five percent from last quarter.

Higher living costs coupled with higher interest rates could put some Canadians in a real financial bind. The cost of living will most certainly keep rising. The only question is when will interest rates rise. If it ends up being sooner rather than later, it could impose a lot of financial pain on some Canadians.

Protecting Yourself from Higher Interest Rates

If you  have consumer debt, it’s important to come up with a plan of attack. As I mentioned in an earlier article, the debt avalanche and debt snowball methods can both be effective for paying down your debt. Likewise, you might want to look into getting a consolidated loan at a lower overall interest rate. Once you have your debts under control, your next focus should be building an emergency fund. Financial experts recommend saving three to six months’ living expenses in a savings account. Coming up with that much money at once can be tough, so start saving $200 per month or whatever you can afford and you’ll have a full funded emergency fund before you know it.

About the Author

Sean Cooper

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians. He bought his first house when he was only 27 in Toronto and paid off his mortgage in just 3 years by age 30. An in-demand Personal Finance Journalist, Money Coach and Speaker, his articles and blogs have been featured in publications such as the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Financial Post and MoneySense. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

How to Travel This Winter and Not Break the Bank

Winter is the coolest time of year and perhaps the most polarizing of all the seasons. Some people love winter time, while others (aka snowbirds) can’t wait to plan a getaway to a warmer place. It should then come as no surprise that airline tickets tend to be the priciest during wintertime, since many of us can’t wait to escape the colder weather.

So, how can  you travel this winter without breaking the bank and derailing your financial goals? Let’s take a look at some simple ways to save on travel during the cooler months.

Visit Less Touristy Places

When you think of winter travel, warm places like Miami, L.A. and Jamaica are probably first to come to mind. But you’re not the only one who wants to go there. These are among the most popular tourist destinations. That means spending megabucks on airline travel. There’s nothing stopping you from visiting a warm place without breaking the bank.

So, you want to go to Miami? How about going to Gulf Coast of Florida? The airline tickets will most likely be a lot cheaper and you won’t have to deal with the large crowds of Miami. Want to go to L.A.? Try San Diego instead. Want to go somewhere in the Caribbean? Instead of Jamaica, try Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. Both are affordable alternatives.

Travelling Within Canada

Not too fond of laying on a sandy beach? Would you rather be hitting the slopes? Whistler is a popular destination for skiers, but did you know there’s a more affordable alternative? Banff is worth a visit during winter. Winter is considered busy season at Whistler, while it’s slow season at Banff. You’ll be able to get access to the best ski hills in Banff and pay a fraction of the cost you’d pay in Whistler.

Be on the Lookout for Deals

Don’t wait until the last minute to book your trip. Start planning well in advance. You’ll be more likely to get the best deals on airline tickets. You can use a tool like Google Flights to monitor the prices and find the cheapest flights. Sign up for travel newsletters and keep an eye out for deals.

Consider planning an all-inclusive vacation. Not only will you be able to save time planning your trip, you may save money, too.

March and spring breaks are peak times for travel. Try to avoid booking a trip during this time. Ditto for flying out on weekends (especially Family Day long weekend). Flying out on a weekday or taking a redeye flight can help you save on your airline ticket.

By planning in advance you can save yourself big bucks on winter your trip. Don’t wait until there’s a foot of snow outside to plan you trip. Start planning in the summer or fall for the best deals on winter travel and keep more of your hard earned money in your pockets where it belongs.

About the Author

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians. He bought his first house when he was only 27 in Toronto and paid off his mortgage in just 3 years by age 30. An in-demand Personal Finance Journalist, Money Coach and Speaker, his articles and blogs have been featured in publications such as the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Financial Post and MoneySense. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.