Money & Career

Before we got married, my husband would use his hard-earned cash to buy furniture and electronics while I would hoard my money away, spending little on fixing up my home. He also hated talking about money while I talked about money and financial planning all the time. We argued about money in the beginning – a lot.

Gerry and Fiona make a middle-class $82,000 a year, but thanks to some heavy saving and savvy investing, they’re already worth more than $1.5 million. Do they have enough to retire in middle age?

Some say you should spend no more than 4% of your after tax income on vacations a year -- and don't go into debt. But is that realistic? How much is too much to spend on a vacation?

In the dark days of January my family and I don’t go out much, which means we spend lots of time cooking and eating at home. This is great for our overall budget – it means we’re not spending big dough on restaurants or takeout. But it does mean we spend a lot of time at the grocery store and since Christmas, our food budget has soared. Not because we’re eating more but because we’re not being smart about our shopping.

Today people seem to spend hundreds of dollars to fete their offspring with bouncy castles, elaborate themed cakes and live entertainment. There are cheaper alternatives and you can hold a traditional kids’ birthday party for under $50 with a little planning and know-how.