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continued from p.34 Household debt is at historic highs and is getting worse every month. Gone are the days where "less is more." Now, most of us think "more is not enough." Those who want to engage in excess spending can easily do so by using their personal line of credit that is often registered against their house. Coming up with extra funds is not a problem. This prolonged period of historic low interest rates has turned a conservative nation of savers into spenders. The day of reckoning will come. Nobody knows when interest rates will rise; however, it is safe to assume they will at some point. That for many will be the beginning of the end. Those who find it a stretch to manage everyday cash flow will find it impossible after interest rates increase. Promoting financial literacy now will hopefully encourage Canadians to be proactive at managing their debt. The second strategy of financial literacy is to encourage us to save for retirement. The arithmetic of personal finance means saving is a necessary part of having funds in the future that will support your lifestyle. The federal government is attempting to convert us from being spenders to savers. So far, any attempts to achieve this over the past many years have had little or no success. Individual Canadians are at financial risk and because of the potential domino effect on the Canadian economy when interest rates rise, our country could be pushed into another recession. There is a lot to be done This is serious, however, it is likely serious change in spending and saving patterns will require an interest rate increase before the loud and clear message of the federal government will be heard by the Canadian public. The final main theme of financial literacy is fraud protection. Helping Canadians understand the different ways money can be stolen from them will be helpful. Understanding the risk of fraud should help us understand the best strategies to prevent fraud from happening. In my opinion, the problem does not lie just with Canadians who do not understand the risks of poor financial management. A large part of the blame lies with the financial firms that should be assisting their clients in any way possible. The culprit here is the gross lack of transparency of fees. For example, the way mutual funds are sold to Canadians is archaic. If you want clients to make smart decisions, those same clients have to be given the information that will allow them to do so. Mutual fund fees and commissions paid to sales people are often hidden. How can we expect people to make intelligent financial decisions if information is withheld? We as individuals have to make better financial decisions and the financial companies that serve Canadians have to be more transparent and disclose fees. -- Submitted by Peter Watson, MBA, CFP , R.F .P ., CIM, FCSI., Certified Financial Planner 35 | Thursday, June 18, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com O T EV S E G G I UR B IS GET A $ 750 % APR ON O S G N I END ON A LL LE A SE C MOD D 2015 CI VI E EAR Y E H T NT OF ! AP L Y R O T VIC E BONUS LEAS EL S (E XCEP T CI VIC H YB RID) * $ 39 0.99 @ 2015 CIVIC DX FROM MODEL FB2E2FEX $ WEEKLY LEASE FOR 60 MONTHS . EXCLUDES LICENSE AND HST. 0 DOWN PAYMENT /OAC $ 0 SECURITY DEPOSIT e brat cele s Day er fath ith us! W Great Family DininG For over 40 years! $ 70 1.99 @ NEW 2015 CR-V LX FROM % APR $ Visit our new location today! 2420 Lakeshore rd., W. unit 1112, Oakville Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner 0 WEEKLY LEASE FOR 60 MONTHS . EXCLUDES LICENSE AND HST. DOWN PAYMENT /OAC $ 0 SECURITY DEPOSIT MODEL RM3H3FES 905-827-4851 Mon. - Sat. 8am - 9pm Sun. 8am - 3pm Dr. Vanessa Milich & Associates Family Dental Care Encouraging Healthy and Happy Smiles Caring for Oakville Families for 10 years Welcoming New Patients Evening and Saturday Appointments MODEL CR2E3FE $ 62 0.99 @ 2015 ACCORD LX FROM % APR $ 0 WEEKLY LEASE FOR 60 MONTHS . EXCLUDES LICENSE AND HST. DOWN PAYMENT /OAC $ 0 SECURITY DEPOSIT Queensbury Dental HondaOntario.com Ontario Honda Dealers LEASE PAYMENTS INCLUDE FREIGHT AND PDI. DEALER ORDER/TRADE MAY BE NECESSARY. 905.849.8449 Dundas St. Oakmead n Trafalgar Rd. River Oaks Blvd. Upper Middle Rd. Sixth Line 1534 Queensbury Cres., Oakville (on Upper Middle Rd., just west of Trafalgar Rd.) www.queensburydentalclinic.com QEW Limited time weekly lease offers available through Honda Financial Services Inc. (HFS), to qualified retail customers on approved credit. Weekly payments include freight and PDI (ranges from $1,495 to $1,695 depending on model), EHF tires ($28.45), EHF filters (ranges from $1.00 to $1.55 depending on model), A/C charge ($100 except Civic DX models), and OMVIC fee ($5). Taxes, license, insurance and registration are extra. Representative weekly lease example: 2015 Civic DX Sedan (Model FB2E2FEX) // 2015 CR-V LX 2WD (Model RM3H3FES) // 2015 Accord LX Sedan 6MT (Model CR2E3FE) on a 60 month term with 260 weekly payments at 0.99% // 1.99% // 0.99% lease APR. Weekly payment is $38.96 // $69.90 // $61.95 with $0 down or equivalent trade-in and $1,100 // $400 // $550 total lease incentive included. Down payments, $0 security deposit and first weekly payment due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $10,130.11 // $18,173.41 // $16,107.41. 120,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.12/km for excess kilometres. PPSA lien registration fee of $45.93 and lien registering agent's fee of $5.65, due at time of delivery are not included. *$750 Victory Lap Lease Bonus offer will be deducted from the negotiated price after taxes and can be combined with advertised lease rates and applies to retail customer lease agreements for new 2015 Honda Civic models (except Civic DX and Civic Hybrid) concluded between June 2nd, 2015 and June 30th, 2015 at participating Ontario Honda Dealers. For all offers: license, insurance, other taxes (including HST) and excess wear and tear are extra. Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price. Offers only valid for Ontario residents at Ontario Honda Dealers. Dealer may lease for less. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. Colour availability may vary by dealer. Vehicles and accessories are for illustration purposes only. Offers, prices and features subject to change without notice. See your Ontario Honda Dealer or visit HondaOntario. com for full details. Based on Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada (AIAMC) data reflecting sales between 1997 and December 2014. Martindale