Complex Financing

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and in our current recession, consumers are not planning on putting Cupid on a budget this year. A recent National Retail Foundation poll found that shoppers plan to spend $103 on Valentine’s Day this year, up 50 cents from last year.

Is it possible to celebrate love and frugality this Valentine’s Day by showing without breaking your budget? We say YES! Whether you are the creative type, an old-school romantic, or an anti-Valentine’s Day activist, here’s a top list for how to spoil your loved ones—friends, family, or sweetheart—in wallet-friendly ways:

Creative On A Budget

Remember the old adage: it’s the thought that counts! Grab some suppl

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There are two main threats currently facing the Chinese economy, and to the chagrin of the country’s policymakers, the yuan is caught squarely in the middle.

China’s central bankers have long been accused of pursuing a policy deliberately aimed at weakening the yuan to help ensure the competitiveness of China’s exports in the global marketplace. Indeed, it was China’s ability to manufacture and market goods at cheaper rates than most other exporting nations that helped make China the world’s leading exporter.

One unintended side effect of this growth however, has been a rapid increase in domestic consumerism. This is the result of a new wave of wealthy entrepreneurs, together with the rise of a working class armed with an increasing disposable income and a growing desire for consumer goods. It is this conflict – the clash between the needs of the exporters balanced with the need to address the threat of domestic inflation – that is forcing Bank of China officials to reconsider its yuan valuation policy.

China

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Saving money on groceries, clothing, books and more is possible through the use of coupons.  If you’ve tried coupons in the past and were disappointed with the results – chances are you were relying on the coupons you find in your local newspaper.  There are a number of online sources for printing coupons to help you save money – and most of them can be combined with the coupons from your newspaper or store circulars for bonus savings.

The trick to saving money with coupons is to combine a coupon with a sale price item and to stockpile on items you use frequently when it is on sale and you have coupons for the items.  Here are a number of coupon websites you can visit to find and print coupons to begin your money saving journey:

• CouponBug.com – When you visit Coupon Bug you enter your zip code to find coupons specific to your area.  The coupons available for your location are displayed in categories so you can find the products you’re looking for.
• Coupons.com – You can search for coupons via location with coupons.com.  In addition to finding coupons, this site is a good resource for finding recipes. Try searching fo

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The RRSP deadline is getting closer and investors are rushing out to make their 2009contributions in time. With so many discount brokers out there, how do you know which discount broker is best for you? You can see our comparison of Discount Broker for RRSP and TFSA if you want a quick overview of your options. Below we’ll discuss what questions to ask which can help you with your decision.

Minimum Amount
Does the discount broker require a minimum amount before you can open an account? If so, how much is the requirement? Often discount brokers do not require any minimum amounts to open an account, however you may receive discount on trading costs or have your annual fees waived if you pass a certain threshold.

Fees
Fees can be a heavy burden on small investors; besides the usual trading fees brokers may also charge other fees. Some fees include annual RRSP fees, withdrawal fees, transfer fees and data fees. N

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The next wave of rewards card programs is flooding the market, offering what’s termed “retirement rewards”. These rewards offer consumers the opportunity to turn points into cash to be invested in their retirement fund. The more familiar, traditional rewards programs of airline miles and cashback offers will have to move over for the innovative programs issuers have been rolling out to interest new customers and keep loyal ones: programs to , , , and now, build up a nest egg.

As you are credit card shopping for retirement rewards, it’s crucial that you go beyond the following chart and make sure to read the fine print for each card and understand the fees and services before applying. Most of the following cards require no annual fee and some have no limit to how many points you can earn and redeem. Also, all cards, except for the NestEggz Visa, require that consumers have a retirement account at the participating financial company in order to redeem rewards for retirement dollars.

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