Overcoming Bad Money Habits

Getting on the road to financial success is within your reach. If you are like many women today, you are probably feeling stuck or perhaps overwhelmed with your life – like you can’t get ahead fast enough, save more money or even know where your money is going. There might be some unconscious thoughts that are holding you back and keeping you from moving forward, building wealth and saving more.
Don’t feel bad. You are not alone. All of us have some bad money habits. Recognizing them and doing something about it will change your life. Thinking about your life and your money, what do you think is holding you back? If you had to define the #1 mistake you are making with your money, what would that be?
The #1 money mistake
In our opinion, the #1 mistake women make is not taking control of their money. It doesn’t matter why – there could be a thousand reasons or excuses. Every woman and every situation is different. But mark my words – it is a lack of control that is holding you back from financial success.
So how do you “get control” of your money? You make it a priority. You empower yourself by really looking at how you earn, save, spend and give away your money. Many of us are doing something with our money we don’t like. And we have all done things with our money we regret. Old habits and feeling overwhelmed by life’s pressures may be holding you back. By gaining personal insight, I guarantee you will get better control of your money.
Living more comfortably
Here’s something else to consider: Women are living longer. The average life expectancy for women in North America is 83.4. The average age of a widow is 56. Taking control over your money has never been more important. Especially if you want to ensure your family’s financial future, and that you’ll have enough money to lead a long and comfortable life. So how do you get control over your money?

5 easy steps to get control

#1 – Get informed.

The more you know about your money, the better decisions you will make. There’s no need to become a financial expert, but you do need to understand the basics about how you earn, spend, share and save your money. Becoming more aware of your habits will help you reach your goals.

#2 – Stop living day-to-day and set goals.

If you want to achieve more, setting goals is the way to do it. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or make, whether you are just starting out or have a successful career, setting goals will give you clarity. It’ll help you to stop squandering money and save more. It’ll inspire you to open yourself up to new possibilities. It’ll make you feel better too!
#3 – Organize every aspect of your life, from your mind and money, to your home, office, and kids.

It’s important to engage your family in your quest for organization, and to learn how to stay organized even when the unexpected throws you off your routine.
#4 – Seek expert advice.

If you don’t understand something, have doubts or are unclear about your money matters or investments, talk to a financial professional. Make an appointment and prepare a list of questions. Being informed will help you make better decisions.
#5 – Get a plan in place to manage your spending.

Making a budget and sticking to it is a challenge for many women. That’s why it is so important to create a budget that matches your spending patterns. And this will help you to set and achieve your financial goals. It’ll keep you motivated – and motivation is key to success.
Taking control of your money means investing in you. It means you have to start doing things a little differently. I know you want to do it. I know you can do it. And there’s no better time to start than right now!
Just follow the 5 steps – outline your spending habits, set goals, get organized, seek expert advice, and create a budget that works for you.
Start fresh. Get on the road to financial success.

Anita Saulite, MBA is founder of Savvy Money Gal, and Ways To Save, offering a fresh perspective on personal finance and holistic strategies to manage money. As a certified life coach, who champions emotional well-being through a 3 step learning program Anita Saulite is committed to strengthening women’s financial knowledge through learning. An engaging speaker, who has presented money management strategies and Employee Money Wellness programs, understands the issues surrounding the psychology of money. Anita teaches how to navigate change and get on the road to financial success. For 20 years Anita worked in senior positions at major financial institutions in Toronto Canada, and has developed award winning programs dedicated to personal debt financing and financial literacy for women. Guest speaker for the City of Calgary in 2012, and featured on CTV Pattie Lovett-Reid Show in 2013 to discuss women and finance. In the news in 2012 at Yahoo! Finance Canada, Reuters, Bloomberg, and Businessweek.

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Alternative Lending Provides You With Options

By Marci Deane • February 19, 2025

Alternative lending refers to any lending practices that fall outside the normal banking channels. Alternative lenders think outside the box and offer solutions to Canadians who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for traditional mortgage financing. In an ideal world, we’d all qualify for the best mortgage terms available. However, this isn’t the case. Securing the most favourable terms depends on your financial situation. Here are a few circumstances where alternative lending might make sense for you. Damaged Credit Bad credit doesn’t disqualify you from mortgage financing. Many alternative lenders look at the strength of your employment, income, and your downpayment or equity to offer you mortgage financing. Credit is important, but it’s not everything, especially if there is a reasonable explanation for the damaged credit. When dealing with alternative lending, the interest rates will be a little higher than traditional mortgage financing. But if the choice is between buying a property or not, or getting a mortgage or not, having options is a good thing. Alternative lenders provide you with mortgage options. That’s what they do best. So, if you have damaged credit, consider using an alternative lender to provide you with a short-term mortgage option. This will give you time to establish better credit and secure a mortgage with more favourable terms. Use an alternative lender to bridge that gap! Self-Employment If you run your own business, you most likely have considerable write-offs that make sense for tax planning reasons but don’t do so much for your verifiable income. Traditional lenders want to see verifiable income; alternative lenders can be considerably more understanding and offer competitive products. As interest rates on alternative lending aren’t that far from traditional lending, alternative lending has become the home for most serious self-employed Canadians. While you might pay a little more in interest, oftentimes, that money is saved through corporate structuring and efficient tax planning. Non-traditional income Welcome to the new frontier of earning an income. If you make money through non-traditional employment like Airbnb, tips, commissions, Uber, or Uber eats, alternative lending is more likely to be flexible to your needs. Most traditional lenders want to see a minimum of two years of established income before considering income on a mortgage application. Not always so with alternative lenders, depending on the strength of your overall application. Expanded Debt-Service Ratios With the government stress test significantly lessening Canadians' ability to borrow, the alternative lender channel allows expanded debt-service ratios. This can help finance the more expensive and suitable property for responsible individuals. Traditional lending restricts your GDS and TDS ratios to 35/42 or 39/44, depending on your credit score. However, alternative lenders, depending on the loan-to-value ratio, can be considerably more flexible. The more money you have as a downpayment, the more you’re able to borrow and expand those debt-service guidelines. It’s not the wild west, but it’s certainly more flexible. Connect anytime Alternative lending can be a great solution if your financial situation isn’t all that straightforward. The goal of alternative lending is to provide you with options. You can only access alternative lending through the mortgage broker channel. Please connect anytime if you’d like to discuss mortgage financing and what alternative lending products might suit your needs; it would be a pleasure to work with you.

Benefits of Working with an Independent Mortgage Professional

By Marci Deane • February 12, 2025

If you need a mortgage, working with an independent mortgage professional will save you money and provide you with better options than dealing with a single financial institution. And if that is the only sentence you read in this entire article, you already know all you need to know. However, if you’d like to dig a little deeper, here are some reasons that outline why working with an independent mortgage professional is in your best interest. The best mortgage is the one that costs you the least over the long term. An independent mortgage professional can help you achieve this. Mortgages aren’t created equally. Oftentimes slick marketing leads us to believe the lowest “sticker price” is the best value. So when it comes to mortgage financing, you might assume the mortgage with the lowest rate is the best option. This isn’t always the case. When considering a mortgage, your goal should be to find the mortgage that will cost you the least amount of money over the total length of the mortgage. There are many factors to consider, such as your specific financial situation, the rate, initial term length, fixed or variable rate structure, amortization, and the penalties incurred should you need to break your mortgage early; the fine print matters. An independent mortgage professional can walk through all these factors with you and will help you find the mortgage that best suits your needs. Sometimes taking a mortgage with a slightly higher rate can make sense if it gives you flexibility down the line or helps you avoid huge payout penalties. Working the numbers with an independent mortgage professional will save you money in the long run instead of just going with what a single lender is offering. Save time by letting an independent mortgage professional find the best mortgage product for you. Let's face it, getting a mortgage can be challenging enough on its own. Everyone’s financial situation is a little different and making sense of lender guidelines is a full-time job in itself. So instead of dealing with multiple lending institutions on your own, when you work with an independent mortgage professional, you submit a single mortgage application that is compared to the lending guidelines of various mortgage lenders. This will save you time as you don’t have to go from bank to bank to ensure you’re getting the best mortgage. Simply put, an independent mortgage professional works for you and has your best interest in mind, while a bank specialist works for the bank and has the bank's best interest in mind. It’s no secret that Canadian banks make a lot of money. It seems every quarter they turn billions of dollars in profit (despite the economic environment). They do this at the expense of their customers by charging as much interest as they can and structuring mortgages to their benefit. It’s all about the alignment of interest. Bank employees work for the bank; the bank pays them to make money for the bank. In contrast, independent mortgage professionals are provincially licensed to work for their clients and are paid a standardized placement or finder’s fee for matching borrowers with lenders. When you work with a single bank, you only have access to the products of that bank. When you work with an independent mortgage professional, you have access to all of the lenders that mortgage professionals have relationships with and all their products. Working with an independent mortgage professional will save you money, time, and provide you with better mortgage options. Plus, you have the added benefit of working with a licensed professional looking out for your best interest, providing you with the best possible advice. If you’d like to know more or to discuss mortgage financing, please connect anytime; it would be a pleasure to work with you.

How to Ensure a Smooth Home Purchase

By Marci Deane • February 5, 2025

Chances are, buying a home is one of the most important financial decisions you’ll make in your life. And as mortgage financing can be somewhat confusing at the best of times, to alleviate some of the stress and to ensure your home purchase goes as smoothly as possible, here are six very high-level steps you should follow. While it might seem like the best place to start the home buying process is to browse MLS on your phone and then contact a Realtor to go out and look at properties, it’s not. First, you’re going to want to work with a licensed independent mortgage professional. When you work with an independent mortgage professional, instead of working with a single bank, you’ll be working with someone who has your best interest in mind and can present you with mortgage options from several financial institutions. The second step in the home buying process is to put together a mortgage plan. Unless you have enough money in the bank to buy a home with cash, you’re going to need a mortgage. And as mortgage financing can be challenging and not so straightforward, the best time to start planning for a mortgage is right now. Don’t make another move until you discuss your financial situation with an independent mortgage professional. It’s never too early to start planning. As part of your mortgage plan, you’ll want to figure out what you can afford on paper, assess your credit score, run some financial scenarios, calculate mortgage payments, and have a clear picture of exactly how much money is required for a downpayment and closing costs. You’ll also be able to discuss which mortgage product is best for you, considering different mortgage terms, types, amortizations, and features. Now, what you qualify to borrow on paper doesn’t necessarily mean you can actually afford the payments in real life. You need to consider your lifestyle and what you spend your money on. Understanding your cash flow is the key. Make a budget to verify you can actually afford your proposed mortgage payments and that you have enough funds to close on the mortgage. No one wants to be house-poor or left scrambling to come up with funds to close at the last minute. If everything looks good at this point, the next step will be to get a preapproval in place. Now, a pre-approval is more than just typing some numbers into a form or online calculator; you need to complete a mortgage application and submit all the documents requested by your mortgage professional. Only proceed with looking at properties when you’ve been given the green light from your mortgage professional. When you’ve found a property to purchase, you’ll work very closely with your mortgage professional to arrange mortgage financing in a short period of time. This is where being prepared pays off. As you’ve already collected and submitted many documents upfront during the preapproval process, you should be set up for success. However, remain flexible and provide any additional documentation required by the lender to secure mortgage financing. Once you have firm lender approval and you’ve removed conditions on the purchase agreement, don’t change anything about your financial situation until you have the keys. Don’t quit your job, don’t take out a new loan, or don’t make a large withdrawal from your bank account. Put your life into a holding pattern until you take possession of your new home. So there you have it, six steps to ensuring a smooth home purchase: Work with an independent mortgage professional. Put together a mortgage plan. Figure out what you can actually afford. Get a pre-approval. Provide the necessary documentation. Don’t change anything about your financial situation until you take possession. If you’d like to discuss your personal financial situation and find the best mortgage product for you, let’s work together. We can figure out a plan to buy a home as stress-free as possible. Please connect anytime; it would be a pleasure to work with you.