Published: • This is the second in a three part series of articles discussing private mortgages. Private mortgages are becoming increasingly common because of extremely high house prices, especially in Canada’s major cities, and as a result of the mortgage stress test. In Part 1, I covered the basics, answering the most frequently asked questions....Read More

Published: • Got equity in your home? 7 ways you can make it work for you One of the nice things about being in the real estate industry for so long is I have seen lots of examples of Canadians boosting their net worth dramatically by virtue of building equity in their home. When I...Read More

How To Take Equity Out of Your Home When You Need Additional Cash One of the benefits of our bullish real estate market is many of you have accumulated substantial equity in your homes. Some are content to think of this as a core part of their retirement plan, while others are itching to put...Read More

Why you should never give up – even when things seem hopeless! If you have never had to count your pennies (literally) to live day to day, you may not be able to empathize with today’s featured clients. But believe you me, when times are desperate, it can feel like there is no way out...Read More

Many people think that borrowing more money is the way out of financial trouble Earlier this year, I advertised my credit counseling services in Toronto’s major newspapers. The phone rang off the hook. Interestingly, very few people call hoping to enter into a consumer proposal or even bankruptcy. Most want to borrow MORE MONEY, as...Read More

Published: • Bankruptcy and consumer proposals may not be an option if abuse of your credit privileges is suspected Recently I received an email from someone complaining she could not get out of debt.This perked my curiosity, but if you read on, you will also understand why. Dear Ross I am a hard working immigrant...Read More

Not Balancing Your Budget Is More Stressful In Long Term Than Taking Your Lumps Now Brian and Susan have down sized their home three times in the past two years. Brian used to be a self employed website designer, making close to $100,000 per year, but business dried up when the recession was in full force,...Read More

Be careful what you agree to when entering a consumer proposal This week I met two new clients both in the early stages of consumer proposals. The service they received from their trustee was remarkably different. The first couple were struggling to make ends meet, with a mortgage, and two kids, notwithstanding net take-home pay...Read More

If a debt consultant makes wild promises, beware! Most trustees in bankruptcy cringe when they hear debt consultants making wild promises on the radio. They are not always telling the whole truth. One trustee wrote several scathing blog posts on the subject including Debt Consultants: Some Horror Stories. In Ontario thousands of people are paying...Read More