As financial educators know, making day-to-day decisions on spending money is one of the biggest challenges consumers face in keeping their financial lives in order. Many people find it difficult to manage their household finances on a daily basis, let alone over the long term. This brief from the...
The introduction of Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) in 2009 transformed how Canadians save. One of the main reasons for creating TFSAs was to provide a taxassisted savings instrument for low-income Canadians to enable them to improve their retirement income. Now, 10 years later, many low-income...
The CFPB conducted research on consumer challenges in tracking spending and keeping to a budget. The research found that consumers aspire to manage their spending but for many reasons, many consumers spend more than intended and sometimes have\ difficulty in staying within their budgets. In...
Using pooled data from the 2012 and 2015 waves of the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS), this research finds that young adults who were required to take personal finance courses in high school were significantly less likely to borrow payday loans than their peers who were not. These...
When dealing with debt, there can be some difficult situations where you may need help. If you are dealing with creditors, or collection agencies, there are steps you can take to ensure you are communicating clearly. It is also important to know your rights and options. This worksheet describes...
Knowing your credit history is an important part of managing your debt. It is important that you get your free credit report once a year to check for any errors. The information on this page will help you: Get free copies of your credit reports Understand what’s included in your credit...
This worksheet helps you set a spending plan for the month, one week at a time, based on the money you have coming in and going out that week. 'Making a spending plan' is the fifth worksheet in the 'Dealing with debt' toolkit. Find the full resource...
Unexpected expenses can make it harder to pay off debts. Knowing your spending needs can help prevent borrowing more money in the future. Use this worksheet to plan ahead for emergency or fluctuating expenses. If you can make a plan to pay for these this year, you’ll be less likely to borrow...
Once you’re ready to start tackling your debt and have a clear sense of how much you owe, your next step is to make an action plan. Use this worksheet to think about your debt repayment goals, the steps you can take now, and the help you will need along the way. 'Making a debt action plan' is...
Many of us struggle to talk about money, especially when it comes to talking about debt. It is when debt becomes too much for us to manage, or when we do not have a plan to pay it off, that it can become stressful and even overwhelming. This is when it is time to have those tough conversations and...
Use this calculator from GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca to find out how your investment will grow over time, with compound...
Compare features for different chequing and savings accounts, including interest rates, monthly fees and transactions. Find an account that best suits your needs. Narrow your search, view search results, and compare your results using this account comparison tool from the Financial Consumer Agency...
There may be resources to help us with the expenses of taking care of our departed. Often these resources are never tapped into but could have helped with the costs taken on by the surviving family or friends. We need to “look under every stone” to ensure that we have found all of these...
In this toolkit you'll find materials to help you learn about what's involved in tax filing, and some materials to support setting up your own community tax...
Pour souligner leurs 50 ans d’histoire, les Associations de consommateurs du Québec s’unissent pour offrir à la population québécoise un portail qui rassemble toute une gamme d’informations et d’outils développés au fil des années grâce à leur expertise en finances...
This is a one-hour webinar on matched savings programs and personal savings strategies that work for people living on low incomes. Our panelists share experiences from their programs in Ontario and Calgary. The presenters in this webinar are: Dean Estrella, Momentum, Calgary, AB John...
As student loan reform continues to dominate national discourse, a NEFE-funded study shows that financial education in states with state-mandated personal finance graduation requirements causes students to make better decisions about how to pay for college. It increases applications for aid,...
This is the video recording of the AFOA 2014 Conference panel on Indigenous Financial Literacy. In this session, Liz Mulholland, Dr. Paulette Tremblay, Simon Brascoupe, and Darren Googoo discuss Indigneous financial wellness, financial literacy, and community...
This educational brief from CLEO explains what a credit report is, and what to do if you want to fix your credit report or work with a credit repair...
This is a companion guide to the 'Your Money, Your Goals' curriculum by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the United States. This guide- Your Money, Your Goals: Focus on People with Disabilities—contains information, tips, and tools based on the insights from people with...
Research conducted by agencies such as AFOA, Native Women’s Association of Canada, and various other Canadian entities, has identified the need for improved financial literacy education in Indigenous communities, particularly among youth and Elders. Such research reports are often equipped with...
This webinar is all about Managing your money, a resource developed to support money conversations and workshops with Indigenous individuals or families. We all strive to achieve a good life or Miyupimaatisiiun. The Managing your money booklet offers a series of seven simple and engaging...
This activity sheet is from Module 4 of the Prosper Canada Financial Literacy Facilitator resources. Take a few minutes to how this workshop relates to your life, and set one or two goals for your use of banks and other financial services. To view the full Financial Literacy Facilitator resources,...
Developed in response to a call from G20 Leaders in 2013, the core competencies frameworks on financial literacy highlight a range of financial literacy outcomes that may be considered to be universally relevant or important for the financial well-being in everyday life of adults and youth. These...
This article examines the mismatch between the political discourse around individual agency, education, and financial literacy, and the actual racial wealth gap. The authors argue that the racial wealth gap is rooted in socioeconomic and political structure barriers rather than a disdain for or...