I’ve got good news and bad news, folks. The bad news is: all of us are living with tremendous amounts of stress and it’s really not good for our health. According to an article by Global News from 2018, 73% of all working adults aged 20 to 64 experience at least some level of stress. That’s a worrying percentage, especially given the numerous negative effects of stress and the fact that’s it’s contagious! The good...
On October 30, the Bank of Canada reported that it will continue to hold its policy interest rate (otherwise known as its “overnight interest rate”) at 1.75%—the same rate we’ve had since October 2018. The implications of this announcement are worth exploring, but here’s the quick and dirty conclusion: Canada is in “Keep Calm and Carry On” mode. How does the Bank of Canada’s rate affect everyone? There are eight fixed dates every year when...
It’s an excellent time to be alive if you’re an early adopter of technology; it’s slightly less excellent if you’re a well-meaning-but-late-anyway adopter (like myself). The breakneck pace of technological innovation can easily leave you behind the curve, with new startups, apps, and devices appearing on an almost daily basis. Trying to catch up to the pack can be daunting and expensive even if you’re willing to get with the times. On the other hand,...
There are few things that test the bond between people the way co-decorating a space will. You might imagine it to be a wonderful, collaborative exercise in expressing personal taste through home decor, but that’s a rookie mistake. Decorating with a partner is less aesthetic endeavour and more Art of War. Before you create the perfect-looking home, you’ll have to navigate incessant volleys of paint swatches, succulents, and decorative cushions hurled at you figuratively and...
Canadian cities have the dubious honour of featuring prominently in any discussion of the most expensive property markets in the world, news that shouldn’t be remotely surprising to anyone in the Great White North. The usual suspects—Vancouver and Toronto—appear all over the place of course, but there are quite a few other cities with price tags that may give you pause. Now, while property prices are pretty illuminating by themselves, they don’t quite tell you...
Before you consider how much value a renovated kitchen will add to the value of your home, it’s worth asking yourself why you’re renovating in the first place. Are you hoping to sell in the near future and want to boost the sale price? Or are you planning on making changes to the space to better suit your lifestyle, and want to ensure you’re also adding value? The answers to those questions will make a...
Integrating “smart home” technology into your life can be a daunting prospect, especially considering the staggering number of options available to you. Every new gadget, appliance, or device comes with affiliations or tech ecosystems they’re designed to work with, turning what should be a straightforward process into a labyrinth of choices. In order to help narrow things down, we’ve put together three smart home setups at three different price points to help you decide where...
The breakneck pace of technological change has fundamentally affected the way industries operate and innovate, and banking is no exception. Accessing financial services online has been the norm for years now, with nearly 76% of the population using digital channels for most banking transactions. The infrastructure that makes all of this possible, routinely processes massive amounts of sensitive data and needs to constantly evolve to ensure it all remains secure. To gain a better understanding...
It’s 2019, you’re a millennial, and you keep hearing that Canada’s housing market is beginning to calm down. What does this mean for you? Well, as it turns out—not very much. In fact, for the majority of millennials in Canada, owning a home might be downright impossible regardless of how the market is doing. What’s the situation? Here are some worrying numbers from Statistics Canada and the CREA: In 2017, the average income for someone...
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve built your business through word-of-mouth, nowadays, the first place your potential customers will look for you is online. Luckily, building a website for your business has never been easier, thanks to the existence of content-management systems (CMSs) such as WordPress or Squarespace. Creating a professional-looking site is as simple as selecting a template and editing it to your liking. In fact, the whole process is now so intuitive...
