Category Archives: Individuals & Families

A friend recently shocked me when she said: “Tope, can you tell me how an individual can declare bankruptcy?” That sentence began a long discussion about a marriage gone wrong leaving not just emotional scars but also a significant and an unfair amount of debt on the shoulders of one of parties. I am definitelyContinue reading “Till Death or Debt Do Us Part?”

My mother used to tell my siblings and I lots of folktales when we were young kids, but for some reason I never realized this particular tale was not a real life story until I was much older. Almost every time she scolded us for doing something bad, she would tell us about this youngContinue reading “Your Kids and Money – What My Mother Taught Me”

So you opened a savings account immediately you got that dream job five years ago and you have been putting money into the account religiously, so why do you keep getting a statement that shows that you barely have anything but crumbs in your savings account when the bank isn’t stealing from you? The answerContinue reading “5 Reasons your savings account has a zero balance”

Our love of warm weather, the need to take a break from hectic work schedules to recharge our batteries or our children’s holiday from school are some of the valid reasons many of us give for taking vacations during summer months. However many individuals and families return from vacation completely broke and/or in debt, and therefore spend the subsequentContinue reading “Great tips for a ‘financially fun’ summer vacation”

My last post (https://ourfinancialcoach.com/2012/02/16/women-employment-and-money-101/) has ‘landed’ me in a few long conversations with a number of my friends; after one of these conversations last night, I thought I’d write a few words that can perhaps help people, particularly women, immigrants and people of the Muslim faith (who are concerned about the issue of interest) navigateContinue reading “Stop leaving your wages on your employer’s desk”

Did you know that? Women are less likely to get retirement benefits from their employers? This is because women are more likely to work for employers who do not offer a retirement plan. Women often earn less than men, therefore women in the USA receive less Social Security income than men due to the factContinue reading “Women, Employment and Money 101”

If I ask you how much of your last paycheck you spent on car repairs, clothes or home maintenance, there is a high probability that you will be able to give me an accurate figure or a close estimate within an hour. But you will probably not be able to give me an answer within  24 hoursContinue reading “Get front row seats in 2012….”

Can you imagine what happened at the office today? We were all expecting a decent Christmas bonus to be announced when the CFO called a meeting. Do you know this man starred at us for a few moments and began saying “Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, we have had a very challenging year, theContinue reading “You, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the business of YOU”

So you shop there all the time, in fact its your favorite store in the whole wide world and to top it all up, you get a 15% discount on your purchases when you sign up for the store credit card. So in your mind and according to the friendly and persuasive clerk at theContinue reading “Three simple reasons why you should not sign up for store credit cards”

Financial matters can be quite overwhelming. There are so many resources out there and many experts giving great advice, but when it really comes down to it, most individuals are at a loss on how take all the information out there and apply it to their own unique situation. Knowing where to begin especially forContinue reading “Living my best financial life: where should I start from?”