Are you a workaholic? Seven ways to prioritize your life and improve your well-being

This past year has been one of the busiest of my career. While the work has been rewarding, I’ve developed some bad habits. I routinely sit at my desk for up to 12 hours a day and sometimes I work on weekends too, leaving my husband with the kids while I toil away in our home office. Not a healthy lifestyle and what's worse, according to a study by the American Cancer Society, sitting hours on end can take years off life!! 
After realizing I had to do a lifestyle overhaul, I started to take small steps toward improving my work-life balance. Here are some of the things I've been doing that have really helped make a difference and improved my well-being: 

1. Get moving
Sitting all day is sometimes necessary for a job, but there are ways to sneak in some physical activity to break up a long day. For instance, I’ve started riding my bike to meetings. Putting in a solid 45 minutes on a bike at least 3 to 4 days a week has given me a lot more energy. Or try going for a walk during your lunch break — even if it's only for 15 minutes, you'll feel better just being out in the sunshine. Make walking part of your regular commute — if you're taking public transit, get off a few stops before or if you're driving, park your car further away from the office and walk the rest of the way.

2. Email stops at 5:30pm
I've always kept my iPhone close by, often checking emails while preparing dinner or when I'm playing with the kids. With one eye on the phone, I wasn't really present in the moment and work was still on my mind. Keeping the phone off and out of reach has really helped set a boundary between my work and personal life.

3. Better communication
It's important to let clients and colleagues know when you’re available and when you’re not. If you need to go for a walk or you want to spend the afternoon with the kids, use your out-of-office notification or change your voicemail and specify when you'll be checking messages. Doing this means that (hopefully!) your inbox won’t fill up with panicked messages from clients wondering where you are.

4. Cut out the guilt
My mother always said that guilt is a useless feeling. It's true — and it’s also incredibly draining. Which is why I am learning not to beat myself up on those weekends when I do end up needing to work.

5. Make time for your friends
A few months ago I wrote a post on the top regrets of the dying. One of those top regrets was that they didn't stay in touch with friends. Everyone gets busy but it’s important to make the time to see each other. That is what I do with all my girlfriends now — even if I have to make plans a month in advance, it’s better than not seeing them at all.

6. Taking personal time
This is by far the hardest thing for me to do. My kids are ages two and four and they're highly demanding, so most days personal time just isn't on the agenda. But last week, I made a small step: I booked a half day off during the week to go shopping and have lunch with my mom. We had a blast and I felt like a million bucks afterwards. Whether it’s taking time to read a book or to sit in the garden and admire your flowers, it's important to take time for you.

7. Vacation time
Whether or not you have a vacation planned, book time off in your calendar for some holiday time — it could be a week long vacay or even just a long weekend. I booked the first week of July off even though we have no plans. I know that if I don’t book it, I won’t take the time. 

U.S. housing market poised for new boom: economist

Amid waves of troubling global economic news, there’s a sleeper story that’s gone largely overlooked, particularly in financial markets.

The U.S. housing market is doing much better. And it’s now on the cusp of what could be a dramatic turnaround.

That’s the conclusion of a new report by Vancouver-based independent housing economist Doug Smyth, who argues, among other good things, that millions of newly created jobs will eventually power another boom in demand for softwood lumber.

Mr. Smyth’s prediction is based on a much more impressive recovery in the U.S. jobs market than is generally recognized. That’s driving mortgage foreclosures down, and household formations and consumer spending up.

The result is enormous pent-up demand for homes, which he likened to a boiler rapidly filling with steam. Part of the untold story is new demand coming from a generation of foreign-born Latinos, who are waiting to jump into the market.

“The U.S. economy is now close to the tipping point, where increased employment will generate significant increases in all types of homes,” argued Mr. Smyth, former research director at the Industrial Wood and Allied Workers of Canada.

Conditions are now ripe for builders to dig ground on new single family homes at a rate of up to 1.3 million a year as early as next year or 2014, and even more in 2015.

“Given the combination of the improving economics and the enormous build-up of pent-up demographic demand for single-family housing after the last four years of poor starts, it is not a question of whether the recovery will come, or by how much, but when,” the reports points out.

Annual single-family starts of 1.3 million would mark a dramatic turnaround from the disaster of the past three years. Single-family housing starts totalled 445,000, 471,000 and 431,000, respectively, from 2009 to 2011.

In May, U.S. builders started work on new single-family homes at an annual pace of 516,000.

Unlike Canada, the U.S. economy has been slow to replace the jobs it lost in the Great Recession.

But Mr. Smyth’s research makes the case that the recovery is going much better than most Wall Street economists recognize. He argues that the “real” recovery has now reached 6.6 million in seasonally unadjusted non-farm jobs. That represents 83 per cent of the jobs lost since January, 2010 – the low point of the decade for employment.

He bases the finding on a more rapid bounce-back in new jobs and a smaller estimate of jobs lost.

The generally accepted estimate of jobs lost in the recession is 8.5 million. Mr. Smyth argues that number should be reduced by 630,000, representing the number of Mexican workers who returned home and are unlikely to re-enter the U.S. labour market.

More jobs means more wealth, higher credit ratings and generally improving confidence.

The report highlights two other factors contributing to the optimistic housing forecast – the improving mortgage market, Hispanic demographics and manufacturing renaissance.

Mr. Smyth says there’s been a dramatic improvement this year in key mortgage market indicators, including tumbling foreclosures and accelerating house price increases.

The report also points out that the 6.3 million Latinos who came to the U.S. from 2000 to 2007 are now entering their prime home-buying years. And with the economy improving, they have the wealth to start buying.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/us-housing-market-poised-for-new-boom-economist/article4374679/

Late coolant checkup leads to cooked engine

A driver who skipped the recommended 68,000 km checkup now faces a $6,400 repair bill after her engine overheated.

Q: I was on the highway when the “low coolant” light came on. My first instinct was to get to the dealership in case it was serious.

I don’t know much about cars, but reasoned that “low,” like in low fuel, means you still have some left. I was less than a kilometre from the dealership when my car stalled. I was terrified and alone with two small children.

My husband came with his vehicle so we could transport the kids in their car seats to safety. My car started and I drove it to the dealership.

The dealership said that my driving the vehicle was an “outside influence.” They want $6,400 for a used replacement engine. I can’t pay this, and I don’t feel I should have to. I lease vehicles so they are under warranty, safe and reliable.

No one has taken responsibility for why the light came on. Rather, I’ve been told that I should’ve stopped and read my manual when the warning light illuminated. Since I didn’t, my warranty is void. Additionally, they say that if I’d done the recommended — not mandatory — service at 60,000 kms, I would have known my coolant was low. My coolant was checked at an oil change at around 68,000 km, and it was not low.

How do I know it’s not the manufacturer’s problem? Why would the car stall the first time the light came on?

As a driver, any one of us could be doing something to void our warranties without even knowing it. My contract says my responsibility is to maintain the vehicle. I did so the best that I knew how, and (I feel) made the most responsible and practical decision I could at the time.

They keep telling me I should have called a tow truck.

I now have an unusable, fully paid leased vehicle.

A: Don’t shoot the messenger but, frankly, I believe that drivers share the same duty of care as an air pilot, ship captain, or bus driver to have read the owner’s manual and be familiar with emergency procedures prior to operating the vessel and assuming responsibility for the safety of those in your charge.

Any driver, regardless of mechanical aptitude, can perform a basic “walk-around” check. Here, you simply look at the tires (low, bald, uneven tread wear), check all lights and signals, and look underneath the vehicle (for a dangling muffler, for example). Also, check for leaks where you normally park overnight. There are no normal leaks, other than water from the air-con. Report any concerns to your mechanic.

A weekly walk-around check might have spotted a coolant leak before it became a serious issue. Leaks can occur anytime in any part of the cooling system. A leaking water pump will soon fail, and impact damage (e.g. airborne pebbles) can cause an immediate radiator leak.

Driving with insufficient coolant will quickly cause the engine to overheat and seize. Likewise, an underinflated tire due to neglect or a slow leak (eg. nail in it) will eventually overheat and blowout.

Both examples above can either be easily repaired or result in catastrophic damage — all depending on whether or not the driver notices the problem and takes appropriate action.

As for whether an automaker issue caused the initial coolant leak, this may be near impossible to determine from the now, fully-cooked engine with resulting damage throughout.

http://www.wheels.ca/feature/late-coolant-checkup-leads-to-cooked-engine-1281/

Balcony gardening is easy as (rhubarb) pie

It was “I see your potential” at first sight.

When I moved into my home, I stepped out on the balcony. The person who was living here left some stuff for me to take to the garbage room, and without the trash it was essentially a concrete and brick box. Still, I knew that this little space could be fabulous with some nice seating and a few plants.

If you’ve got a similar space, check out The Balcony Gardener: Creative Ideas for Small Spaces by Isabelle Palmer, a guide to growing all kinds of blooms and edibles as well as creating a unique urban oasis.

“Looking out on the florae and visiting fauna is not only uplifting — my garden is also a source of great pride,” writes Palmer, who also founded an online garden supply store of the same name. “For this resason, I would like to encourage others to create an area where they can relax at the end of a long day and feel those benefits too.”

Her book is a handy guide full of practical, easy to follow, creative advice that will appeal to the novice gardener and provide more experienced green thumbs with some inspiration.

Palmer begins with a chapter on the basics of gardening including tools you’ll need, keeping a garden all year long, and some design tips: “Don’t overdo the number of colors in a planting scheme; it will look too busy and make your garden look smaller.”

She then suggests some themes for different gardens. I love the idea of The Lazy Garden: “This garden, with its hot, lazy ambience, contains an array of waxy, succulent plants surrounded by whitewashed walls and accented by colorful furniture and accessories.”

Palmer also has ideas for reusing materials, such as using olive oil drums as containers and propping a pallet on its side to make a planter.

She goes on to give advice on herbs, vegetables and fruits that you can grow in pot (where to put them, when to sow and harvest). “Be sure to keep an eye of your herb garden and ensure it receives enough water,” she writes, “you may need to move the pots around during particularly hot spells to stop them drying out.”

Palmer finishes with ideas for furnishing, decorating and making gifts and decorations from the bounty on your balcony. For example, when accessorizing your space: “Choose cushions that reflect some of the colours you’ve used in your containers and planting. You can either alternate the shades or blend in the hues. Try different fabrics and textures.”

My balcony garden was well underway by the time I found this book. I had selected a mess of herbs as well as plants that I remember seeing while playing at my grandma’s house (black raspberries, rhubarb, violets). I put a few bits of driftwood on the cement floor.

Inspired by Palmer, I decided that a small shelf I’d planned to get rid of will make a perfect addition to the garden. I can place herbs on top so they’ll get more light. It needs to be stripped and refinished, and I’ll sew a curtain to cover up the garben tools and compost stored on the shelves.

I’m also looking for a wine crate to grow some herbs on my partner’s terrace and a few olive oil drums to plant some more flowers (I’m thinking coneflowers, marigolds and lavender, which Palmer notes attract butterflies). I just finished making a couple of table clothes out of vintage beige fabrics.

Creating a simple balcony garden doesn’t have to be that expensive. Herbs are easy to find for under $3 each. Terra cotta pots are simple and relatively cheap (apply plain yogurt to the surface with a sponge, advises Palmer, to encourage lichens and mosses to grow and give the pot an aged look). Check out native perennial plants. The flowers I planted last year have come back.

I still consider myself a novice gardener, but a few pots on a balcony are easy to manage and it’s great to sit outside and enjoy the relaxing space I’ve created.

As I write this, my milkweed is growing (soon to welcome monarch butterflies, I hope), the wild columbines need a good watering, and I’ve noticed a flower on my black raspberries.

It’s quite a sight.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/doityourself/article/1209516--balcony-gardening-is-easy-as-rhubarb-pie

Ottawa tightens mortgage rules: What the analysts say

The federal government is taking another stab at getting Canadians to rein in their borrowing and spending, introducing new mortgage restrictions Thursday to cool the housing market.

The tighter rules, which include lowering the maximum amortization period on mortgages to 25 years from 30 years, lowering the maximum amount of refinancing to 80% from 85%, capping the maximum debt ratios for households and limiting government insurance to mortgages on homes with a purchase price of less than $1-million, will come into effect on July 9.

“The adjustments we are making today will help [households] realize their goals, build on the previous measures we have introduced to keep the housing market strong, and help to ensure households do not become overextended,” Jim Flaherty, federal minister of finance, said in a release Thursday.

Here’s a look at how economists are evaluating the moves and their implications for the slowly recovering Canadian economy:

Derek Holt and Dov Zigler, economists, Scotia Capital

Home sales will accelerate very briefly over the next couple of weeks before the July 9th implementation period. We are more convinced of our view that the BoC is on hold until mid-2013 and with fatter tail risk in favour of a longer hold.  Our bias is that strong cumulative regulatory tightening pushes out rate hikes, supports a buy-Canada-bond bias, poses downside risks to CAD, and will materially soften growth in housing, consumer spending, jobs, and add to already evident slowing in credit growth.

Robert Kavcic, economist, BMO Capital Markets

The reduction to a 25-year from 30-year period is equivalent to about a 0.9 ppt mortgage rate increase (assuming a 3.3% 5-year fixed rate and a $290k mortgage after 20% down on an average-priced $363k home). Notably, the impact is bigger than the switch from 35- to 30-year mortgages, which at current mortgage rates, would be equivalent to about 0.6 ppts of tightening. It’s also important to keep in mind that the amortization change won’t impact affordability across the entire market, but rather those that would be taking a 30-year amortization—according to the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals, that made up 40% of mortgages for purchase during 2011/12 (up to May).

Jennifer Lee, senior economist, BMO Capital Markets

April doesn’t look like a good month for the Canadian economy. The news that Canada would be tightening rules for government-insured mortgages (cutting the max amortization period from 30 years to 25 years), is an attempt to cool the housing market (FM Flaherty says they need to calm particularly the condo market in a few Canadian cities) and to slow the run-up in household debt that the Bank of Canada has been warning about to just about everyone. And so far, consumers are heeding the warnings. Canadian retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.5% in April, worse than the consensus view for a 0.3% gain, and our call of a 0.1% rise. It looks like GDP for April is coming in at a modest +0.1%, or flattish. In other words, the economy struggled to post any growth in April.

Tim Hockey, chief executive, TD Canada Trust

Canadian household debt levels have reached levels that raise concern. Today’s decisions by Minister Flaherty to move to a 25 year maximum amortization, as well as actions taken by OSFI, take direct aim at the issue and they should have a substantial moderating effect on the growth of Canadians’ debt levels.

Craig Alexander, chief economist, TD Economics

We view the changes announced today as a prudent decision to address the increasing risks from consumer debt growth. The regulatory action helps to take pressure off the Bank of Canada. The rapid personal debt growth in recent years has been fuelled by strong real estate markets in a sustained, incredibly low interest rate environment. Since the imbalance is concentrated in real estate, monetary policy would be a blunt tool to address the concern. Tighter regulations could target the risk more directly.

It should be noted that the tightening of the mortgage insurance rules is coming amid stricter guidance from OSFI, the chartered bank regulator, which includes limiting Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs) to a maximum loan-to-value of 65% and imposing more restrictive equity lending criteria. Together, the new mortgage insurance rules and the more constrained supply of credit should go a long way in addressing the risks from personal debt and overvaluation in real estate.

http://business.financialpost.com/2012/06/21/ottawa-tightens-mortgage-rules-what-the-analysts-say/

To beat obesity, the answer flows free from the tap


The human body is a pretty complex machine but it has simple fuel needs: Enough calories to replace those we burn, enough water to replenish what we expel (principally through sweat and urine) and some basic micronutrients that we will invariably consume if we eat a variety of foods.

So, for time immemorial, we have harvested fruits, vegetables and grains and hunted or raised livestock for meat. For drink there was water, precious water, and, in some parts of the world, milk.

But, damn, we like to complicate things.

Consider what we drink. Instead of water, pure and simple, we have an endless variety of drink, many bolstered with more sweeteners, natural or artificial, and often highly caloric.

What we raise in our cup is symbolic of how we have become far removed from our food sources. Food no longer comes directly from a family farm, it comes from a supermarket (or, increasingly, a restaurant) via an agro-industrial operation. Even water doesn’t come from a well or the tap; it comes in a truck to the supermarket.

The yields from modern fields (or greenhouses) are amazing thanks to efficiencies of scale, fertilizer and antibiotics. But the end product – what we used to call “food” – often leaves a lot to be desired.

Food is rarely fresh any more: It’s frozen, freeze-dried, canned, processed and packaged. It’s larded up with salt, sugar, preservatives and additives, then wrapped in plastic, bagged and boxed. All this to make it more attractive and, presumably, more palatable.

Even the “fresh” foods, mass-harvested and shipped around the world, tend to be devoid of taste, and often nutrients as well.

The result of these “improvements” is that we now have more malnourished people on Earth than ever in history, in absolute and relative terms.

Malnourished used to mean those who were starving, usually as the result of drought or war-related famine. Today, there are more people on the planet who are overfed than underfed. In much of the world, Coke is easier to find that fresh water.

In Canada, according to a 2010 Statistics Canada report, approximately 61 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women are overweight, a figure that includes roughly 20 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women who are classified as obese.

People get fat because they consistently consume more calories than they burn – it’s a fairly simple mathematical equation.

There are those who challenge this bare-bones science, arguing that the type of foods we eat – principally carbohydrates versus proteins – matter a whole heck of a lot too. The how-many-angels-can-dance-on-a-pinhead arguments are endless.

Suffice to say that how and why we consume the calories we do in the quantities we do is as complex as it is puzzling. Just saying “no” doesn’t cut it.

What we do know is that, genetically, homo sapiens are built for a world of famine and feast – meaning our bodies store fat easily.

But these days it’s all feast, at least in wealthy countries like Canada.

Food is plentiful and easily accessible and bad food is more plentiful and more easily accessible.

Of course, there are countless diet books – ranging from sensible advice to outright quackery – and all manner of commercial weight-loss programs to help individuals fight the battle of the bulge.

There are also trends that come and go. For a long time, we fought a war on fat, failing to distinguish between good and bad fats. The result was a wave of low-fat foods, where fat was replaced with salt and sugar. Then there was the carbs-are-the-enemy era, when protein was king.

These days, the villain of choice appears to be beverages.

While it will no doubt prove to not be a panacea, focusing a spotlight on what we drink is certainly a worthwhile endeavour, both individually and collectively.

After all, it is estimated that 20 to 40 per cent of all the calories we consume are liquid calories.

That is an enormous change from a generation ago; our drink consumption patterns have changed much more dramatically than our food consumption ones.

Last year, Statistics Canada reported that Canadians consume, on average, 26 teaspoons of sugar daily. What was not highlighted nearly enough was that the principal sources of that sugar were milk, pop and fruit juice.

Two of those three beverages are generally considered to be healthy, natural foods. But natural is not necessarily a synonym for healthy.

Chocolate milk has, ounce per ounce, almost twice as many calories as Coke. And a cup of juice contains as much as 10 teaspoons of sugar – the equivalent of drinking a 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup.

For example, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, a bariatric surgeon who writes the popular food blog Weighty Matters, calls grape juice the “world’s least healthy beverage.”

This does not mean these beverages should not be consumed, but moderation is the key. The Canadian Paediatric Society, for example, says young children should not drink more than 1/2 cup of juice daily, and big kids no more than one cup.

Limiting sugary soft drinks (which contain fructose corn syrup, not even real sugar), or avoiding them altogether, is a no-brainer. Diet soft drinks are not nearly as bad because they are calorie-free, but there is growing evidence that artificial sweeteners pique interest for other sweets, which defeats the purpose.

All that to say, that the best beverage to have as the basis for a healthy diet is water – not vitamin water, not expensive sparkling water shipped from France, not bottled water, though a pretty good case can be made for some of its variants, like tea and coffee (as long as they are not loaded up with sugar and cream).

But, in our quest to find solutions to the bedevilling obesity epidemic, one of the most elemental building blocks for a healthier life is at our fingertips – and it comes out of the tap for free.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/to-beat-obesity-the-answer-flows-free-from-the-tap/article4250327/

How car insurance rates are determined

There's a wide variety of factors going into how insurance companies determine their rates.

Most people have at some point compared auto insurance rates with a friend and been shocked to find out one person is paying a lot less. Although it may seen unfair, the truth is that there are a wide variety of factors that go into how an insurance company determines their rates. There are a number of reasons why you might be paying more than your friend, but there is also a good possibility that you could pay less than you currently do! Understanding how policies are rated will help you to find the best rate on your car insurance.

The Car You Drive

Yes, the type of vehicle you drive is, not surprisingly, one of the top factors in your rates. Most people know this, but may not understand which cars are more or less expensive and why. Every car is rated for the likelihood of a crash as well as for the likelihood of people being injured in a crash. They are also rated for how likely it is that the car will be stolen. Thus a car that falls on the list of most-stolen will have higher rates. Cars with very powerful engines, which can be dangerous in the hands of less experienced drivers, will also see higher rates. And of course the more valuable you car is, the more it will cost the insurance company to replace or repair it; thus the insurance rates will be higher.

Safety plays a role in this as well. Cars with higher safety ratings are less likely to result in serious injuries in an accident. This means the insurance company has a lower risk of paying out on large injury claims. Choosing a safe, moderately priced car with a low likelihood of theft is a good way to get a better rate.

Your Driving Record

You probably know that your driving record has a big impact on your rates. Good drivers get the best rates because they represent a lower risk of a claim. If you have a ticket or an accident for which you were at fault on your record, you will pay a higher rate than someone with a clean record. There is a limit to how long the insurance company can rate you at a higher premium for tickets and accidents, so you will not have to pay the increased premium forever.

Some insurance companies offer “accident forgiveness”, which generally means they will not increase your rates for the first accident. It is important to read the fine print to understand the limitations of this feature on your car insurance.

The length of your driving record makes a difference as well. Experienced drivers will see better rates than inexperienced ones, because they have so much practice on the road. This decreases their odds of an accident and means they are a lower risk for the insurance company.

Where You Live, Where You Drive

It often comes as a surprise to people that the place where they park their car at night has an impact on their car insurance rates. Why does it matter where you live? Car insurance companies use statistics on car theft and how common accidents are in each area to determine the risk of insuring a car that is parked or garaged in that area. Thus your postal code has an impact on your rates.

And it is not just where you park, but where you drive every day that makes a difference. A car that you commute in costs more to insure than a car you drive occasionally. And a long commute often translates to a higher rate than a short commute. The more time you spend on the road, the more your odds of an accident increase. The insurance company rates your policy based on this risk level.

The Best Rate for You

Each insurance company determines their own rates (within the confines of legally defined minimums and maximums in certain provinces) and decides how much weight they will put on each of the factors. This means that while one insurance company may charge more in your postal code, another may not. One insurance company may charge more for sports cars while another offers lower rates on them.

The key to finding your best rate is to shop around for car insurance. Compare rates to find the company that is best suited to your needs and offers the best rate for your situation. Fortunately, the internet makes it easier than ever before to shop for – and find – your best auto insurance rate for your driving profile.

http://www.wheels.ca/guides/how-car-insurance-rates-are-determined/

The Best Of Markham

A Markham-Unionville boy at heart, Asif Khan lives, works and plays in the town he loves and grew up in since 1979. Asif states that his familiarity with the Town and it’s surrounding areas is a key in being able to provide his clients with the expertise they need in maximizing return on their real estate transactions.
Asif takes great pride of being recognized as one Markham-Unionville’s top Realtors. With a clear vision to provide Real Estate Solutions, as an Accredited Buyer Representative with vast experience in Commercial, Investment and Residential Real Estate, Asif’s tenure as a RE/MAX All-Star has seen him achieve many elite sales levels. His awards include the Chairman’s Club, 100% Club, Platinum, and the coveted RE/MAX Hall of Fame Awards. Asif was selected as the Canadian Realtor featured at the International RE/MAX R4 Conference in 2012, an honour he takes great pride in. By selecting service-minded teammates, Asif has put together a dream team of Realtors under the banner TEAM KHAN. The team’s Mission is to exceed your expectations and take the stress out of your Real Estate transactions while utilizing cutting edge technology that sets the standard for today’s Real Estate Professionals.

On his personal time Asif is no stranger to the community. A dedicated hockey dad, he coaches 3 local hockey teams, sponsors the Markham-Stouffville Stars’ girls’ Novice B team and the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. He is an active member of many community organizations, serves on School Council and sponsors local events in and around town.

Let Team Khan take the stress out of your next Real Estate transaction. 

Call today 905-888-6222 or 416-985-5426, Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Asif Khan, ABR
Member of Re/Max Hall of Fame 
Chairman's Award Recipient

Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max Hall of Fame
Re/Max Chairman's Club
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc., Brokerage
905-888-6222



6 ways to get free stuff from your bank

Banks may seem like an odd place to look for free services, but the advantage of being a full service customer with one of the Big Five is that the more business you give them the better the deal.

It’s helpful to know what else your bank can offer besides a basic chequing and savings account, especially if it comes without a cost. Some banking freebies are obvious, like bundling your accounts to save $130 or more on monthly fees. Others, like a new account bonus that can save you up to $250, might require a bit more investigation.

Here are some things you might have to ask about or go looking for:

New account bonus

One of the best ways to get something from your bank is to open a new account. Banking has never been more competitive, and sometimes banks offer generous incentives for new customers. Here are three new customer incentives currently being offered:

TD offers a $250 welcome bonus if you open a Select Service, Value-Plus or Infinity account

CIBC offers 15,000 Aeroplan points if you open an unlimited chequing account. Make one direct deposit and one debit transaction. Add overdraft protection.

ING is offering a $50 bonus if you open a chequing or savings account with an initial deposit of $100.

These types of promotions come around from time to time, so it’s always a good idea to ask about new customer incentives before you switch banks.

Most major banks and credit unions also have free chequing account options available for seniors, post-secondary students and children under 18.

Unlimited chequing accounts

With an unlimited account you pay a higher monthly fee to avoid getting nickel-and-dimed with additional charges. You should expect these types of accounts to include unlimited debits and withdrawals — including non-branch withdrawals — free email money transfers and some overdraft protection.

All of the big banks offer an unlimited chequing account option for one monthly fee, and most will waive the fee when you maintain a minimum daily balance.

TD spokesman Tamar Nersesian says their Select Service account offers a number of free services and products if the minimum monthly balance of $5,000 is maintained.

These include:

Free small Safety Deposit Box

Free certified cheques

Free Canadian and U.S. dollar drafts

Free preferred US Bank account which includes a free US Dollar credit card

Free debits (no branch fee) from almost any ATM in the world

When you add it all up, there’s over $500 a year in products and services available for free. Other banks have similar programs.

Bundling your banking

The advantage of using a full service bank for all of your banking needs is that you may qualify for a multi-product discount on fees, or a better interest rate on your line of credit or mortgage.

RBC offers rebates for clients who hold multiple RBC products. For example, RBC’s No Limit Banking customers can get a full rebate of their monthly bank account fees when they have a rewards Visa, an investment and mortgage with RBC. That’s a savings of $131.40 per year.

The CIBC Total Banking Rebate gives you the opportunity to receive a rebate of 30 to 50 per cent off your monthly chequing account fees for clients who hold multiple banking products with CIBC. Depending on the account, you can save anywhere from $23 to $88 a year.

When you bundle accounts you can often get the annual fee waived for a premium credit card, which can save you up to $170 a year.

Banking on the go

Mobile banking technology is making it easier for Canadians to do their banking on the go. More than 2.5 million Canadians have downloaded a mobile banking app on their smart phone.

CIBC is a leader in mobile banking technology and now allows clients to sign up for free text message alerts to let them know when their bills are due, or if a scheduled payment did not go through, along with other text message alerts to help them manage their day to day finances.

CIBC and Rogers recently announced that clients will soon be able to use their Rogers smart-phone to pay at the checkout with their CIBC credit card — this service will be available later in 2012 — and there will be no additional fees for clients to use this service.

Investing

The discount brokerage arm of a full service bank offers a number of advantages for clients looking to invest, including free market information, research reports and online tools to help manage your investments.

RBC offers free “practice accounts” where self-directed investors can learn the ropes of online investing without risking their own money. Clients can buy and sell a wide range of investments with $100,000 of “practice money”.

CIBC was the first major bank in Canada to launch a mobile stock trading app, and since then other banks have followed suit. Sean Hamilton from CIBC says there is no added cost for self-directed clients to trade on their mobile device when compared to online trading — and mobile trading provides an added convenience for those who wish to trade while on the go.

Budgeting and planning

Your bank should be providing you with the right tools and advice to help you meet your long term financial goals.

There are a number of free tools available for customers, if you know where to look.

RBC’s myFinanceTracker is an online money management tool that makes it easy to stay on top of your finances. The RBC Advice Centre is an online resource with advice on banking, home ownership, saving and investing.

TD Helps is an online resource where you can get answers on home ownership questions from buying your first home to renovating.

The SmartSteps program is a way BMO says it helps clients save on fees and interest costs. SmartSteps includes some on-the-spot money saving tips.

CIBC CreditSmart is a free service where you can set customized budgets and receive alerts if you exceed your planned budget for the month, or alerts if you approach your credit limit, helping you stay on top of your everyday budgeting and saving.

http://www.moneyville.ca/article/1211328--banking-freebies-get-free-stuff-from-your-bank-account

Landscaping how-to: Capture or confound that rainwater

This past weekend I was in an ATV ride, raising money for the Holmes Foundation. I got to be outside, do something fun, be with friends and support skilled-trades training — some of my favourite things all in one. It was awesome.

It also reminded me of how terrain can both maintain and manage the environment. On the ATV ride, we had a trail. The way the rainwater flowed made some parts dry and others a mess. Depending on how the trees and plant life grew, we got shade in some spots and sunlight in others. This got me thinking about the terrain around our homes.

I’m not a landscaper but I care about landscaping. Why? Because it affects a home.

Most people think landscaping is a way to feature the house — increase its curb appeal. But more than just eye candy, landscaping around a house serves many purposes. It’s up to you to decide what you need those functions to be.

Do you want it to keep the kids safe? Keep them in view? Direct traffic? Protect pets? Protect the exterior of your house from bad weather? Protect your home from sun and heat? Manage the rainwater around your house? Increase privacy?

Good landscaping works with your home, not against it. It’s a no-brainer. What you do on the exterior of a house will affect its interior. You have to be smart.

For example, planting a garden against your home’s walls might seem nice. But the soil around foundation walls has been disturbed. It’s not as firmly packed as undisturbed soil. It has more air in it. So when you water the plants, where do you think the water goes? Straight to the foundation. Not good. If you want to avoid a leaky basement, keep gardens and plants away from your home’s walls.

Let’s say you want to build a raised bed for a garden next to a fence. Great. What’s the first thing you need to think about? What type of wood you’ll need to enclose it? Type of soil? Type of plants? No; the most important thing you’ll need to address — before anything else — is how is this going to affect the grading around your house. How will this affect your neighbours?

I’ve heard so many stories about one neighbour doing some landscaping on his property, and the next thing you know, there’s water pooling next door. Why? Because landscaping changed the grade, and that affected the drainage.

Knowing exactly how landscaping is going to affect your house can be difficult. That’s why it’s smart to bring in someone who knows what landscaping options you have that can increase your home’s functionality.

A good landscaper will know all the right questions to ask before a shovel even hits the ground (including locating all the utility lines on your property. The last thing you want is to cut your cable — or worse).

They’ll also tell you the best way to maintain everything. Remember, watering the lawn is one of the biggest water wasters. The average suburban garden in Canada needs about 100,000 litres of water during the growing season. That’s a lot of water. But when you consider that the water being used for most gardens has been treated for human consumption, that’s a huge waste.

The grass is always greener when we’re green. If you’re smart, you’ll collect rainwater and use it for watering the garden and lawn. A professional landscaper will help you figure out how to collect it. They’ll develop a system and work the landscaping around it.

How do you find the right landscaper? The same way you find the right contractor. You ask a lot of questions, get a lot of references and speak to a lot of past clients. You do your homework and check out their work.

And notice what kinds of questions they ask you. Do they care more about your budget? Or are they asking if you have kids? If you plan on having kids soon? How long you’re going to be living in the house? Any problems you need the proper landscaping to solve? This will tell you if they’re interested in doing a good job or getting the next job.

I don’t expect homeowners to know everything about homes and landscaping. But I do expect pros to know. And if you’re going to spend the time and money, do it right the first time. Spend your money once and you’ll be doing you and your house a huge favour.

http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/06/11/mike-holmes-capture-or-confound-that-rainwater/