Spring is here….(or so the calendar says)

According to the calendar, Spring has arrived.  while snow is still falling occasionally and we are still wearing our winter coats, it is Spring!!  We are used to short springs…it seems so often, to go from winter cold to summer heat with very few reminders of this season we generally love.  so beyond the date marker, how do we know we are reaching that pinnacle of seasons, the one that symbolizes rebirth, renewal and redemption from shoveling?

We start with thinking about spring cleaning…opening the windows, airing out the house or apartment and turning down the furnace.   We think about painting, renovating, redecorating or moving.  We often choose to move during the summer so that children can be settled in a new neighborhood before school starts again, it is the time when moving is easier, apartment leases are up and the cycle of homes on the market, for the same reason as you are thinking of moving, opens up.

What steps do you take to buy a house, whether it is your first or not?  You need to know what your needs are and what neighborhood you want to be in.  Then, in order to ensure you are planning within the realms of reality, you should be pre-approved for your mortgage.  If you already have a mortgage and have been happy with the terms, you may be tempted to stay with whatever bank your mortgage is with.  Rates are low and housing options are plenty.  But does your bank have the same vested interest in your long term commitment?  They will sell you on mortgage insurance without disclosing all of the facts about it.  They will sell you what they want you to have, in both mortgages and insurance, without taking into consideration what you want and NEED for the long term.

Meet with a mortgage specialist who can explain all of it to you, giving you the options that fit your life.  Pre approval is smart, getting it from the right lender is smarter.  Get in touch with me today for your mortgage pre approval and say hello to Spring  🙂  Make an appointment today…..

Andrea

andrea.blaustein@f55f.com

Tomorrow Will Arrive……Eventually. Be Ready.

Don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow….That is the procrastinator’s creed.   Don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today …….the creed of Strong Type A personalities. What about you and I…the average man or woman who is a Sometimes Type A, sometimes child, sometimes teenager?

No matter what, you KNOW that tomorrow is going to arrive, eventually.   Some things can be put off, but not avoided altogether.  Some things cannot be avoided or put off, no matter how much we try to not acknowlege them.  The harder we try, the harder they will hit us.  Taxes, health problems and our children becoming teenagers are the top three things we like to avoid but just cannot.  Those of us who are self employed, need to put aside money for our taxes.  it is hard…so very hard.  It is there, it would pay bills and maybe cover a much needed holiday away too.  So how do you not spend it?  It is calling your name.  But save it we must.  Or pay a much higher  price later on.

Health problems can often be eliminated when you go to the doctor early, when symptoms appear and for your annual check up.  As for teenagers, well the harder we fight our children’s independence, the harder the struggle will be.  We raise our children so that they will become adults, but so many parents want to skip that middle step….the years between 12 and 25.  Why 25 and not 18? I raised three children and at no time did a magical leprechaun come to my house on their birthdays and transform them literally overnight.  Age 18 has been deemed by bureaucracies as adulthood, but if I am the only one who never was visited by that leprechaun, I feel pretty hurt.   So I will assume I am not alone.  The teenage brain does not really develop good reason until it reaches age 25, and it truly only begins there.  That is not to say that some teens and young adults are not mature.  Some are far more responsible and mature than some twice their age.  These are the exception.  Some people NEVER grow up, never take responsibilities and accountability as a part of life. Some women will laugh now and start listing men who have not grown up, in their opinion.   To be fair, why do we expect anyone….man or woman…..to grow up if they are not taught how or if it is expected too young.  Yet that is what we want them to do….skip  that step of the process and wake up magically touched  on their eighteenth birthday……….and eliminating the 12 to 18, skipping right to the maturity of 25 years of age.

Back to the topic….if you will excuse my having gone off on a tangent.  Being ready for the tomorrow that will inevitably arrive.

I have already mentioned that you need to stay on top of your health issues.  A minor cyst today, when dealt with immediately, will always have been just a minor cyst.    Ignored, it may be a pre cancer or malignant growth.

Taxes are also something you need to stay on top of.  More than any single topic, it is likely that this will give you more heart palpitations than anything else.  Get to know a good accountant.  And find yourself a trustworthy and reliable financial planner.  Someone who can show you legitimate and accessible  tax shelters. Someone who understands tax implications for you and your family should something happen to you and who is equipped with the knowledge to ensure your secure future.  At this time of year, many programs are advertised which tout themselves as being your tax solution, as if one glove will fit all.  Leveraging, RRSPs, TFSAs, etc etc are on signs everywhere.  Are they all right for you?  Is life insurance an alternative to RRSPs (Canada) /  401K (USA) or the other way around?  Only when you talk to a qualified financial planner will you really know. Take  advantage of this time of year to start building a relationship with your financial planner. If you already have one, but are not sure he or she is doing all they can for you, talk to another one.  A meeting should not cost you anything except some time and it is time well spent, a solid investment in your tomorrow.  Be ready for tomorrow….and  be grateful that it arrives.  The alternative is deadly….

Contact me at myfuture@unleashtheknow.com for your financial future

FINDING PEACE IN YOUR LIFE

FINDING PEACE IN YOUR LIFE
As summer 2014 is now in the past and holiday seasons are upon us, for Jews, Christians and Muslims, we often find ourselves evaluating our lives and our success…and failures. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? Who do I owe apologies to and how can I create a better life for myself? We assess all of the things that have gone wrong and some of the most outstanding things that went well.
They say confession is good for the soul. Making apologies is an integral part of most or all 7 step programs. So here are my confessions and my apologies. Mostly though, these are the lessons I want to pass on for those who still have the opportunity to fix the wrongs before it is too late.
Within the past three years, I have lost three people who meant a great deal to me. They were my parents and an aunt. None of them were young. In fact they were age 92,95 and 101 years of age. I loved them all and they all taught me important lessons about life. They each gave me experiences that I now cherish and wish I had taken greater joy in those experiences. I never actually thought my parents would die. Logically, of course, I knew they would. I didn’t consciously recognize it though…their mortality and inevitable passing. I do not live in the same city as they did, but I was not so far that I could not have visited more often. I was always busy with my grown children, grandchildren, work, school, friends, relaxing…something. Always something. I promised myself they didn’t realize how far it was between visits and that they would be there for the next visit. I had not always had the best relationship with my parents and I also used that to justify my actions…or lack of actions. The days came though that they were not there anymore. My father died in December of 2011 and my mother died in March of 2013. My tears have not ended yet. I think it is unlikely that they ever will.
Mummy and Daddy…I owed you so much. I owed you more respect than I gave you. I owed you compassion and appreciation every day of your lives. I owed you the love I know you felt for me. I owed you time. If I could talk to you one more time, face to face, I would say thank you and I love you. I would say I am sorry for not hugging you enough and for not making you a bigger priority in my life. I miss you far more than I could ever imagine I would. It took losing you to understand fully this lesson in life and loss.
The last time I saw my mom, I did hold her hand as she slept. I even cried as I did so. Her skin was so soft and so was her hair. But when she woke up, I said my good bye and I left, promising to be back in a few weeks. A few weeks was too late. I wonder if she knew….
I hope that someone reading this will think about their own parents. He or she will call their mom and dad and say “I love you. I just want you to know that”. If I can save one person the heartache I feel, it will help me find inner peace. At least I hope it does. We each only have one mom and one dad. They may not always be the people we want them to be. But then again, we are not always the children (of any age) that they want us to be. Yet, somehow, in those mixed up relationships and tumultuous moments, they are closer to us than anyone will ever be except out own children. If they did the best they could to raise you, given what they knew at the time, given all of the circumstances they had to deal with, given the era they raised you, then please call them. We do not always know or understand what they went through in their lives. Maybe they hid some things from you to protect you. Perhaps some things were too painful for them to talk about. But they did the best they could…. Now, go see them. Hold their hand as you say thank you. Do not be afraid of looking silly. Do not live with the illusion that they will always be there. Life is fragile and we are not immortal. Make that call or visit and please let me know…