The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

19| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,June 7,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca WATER CONSERVATION BY-LAW STARTS MAY 31 Once-per-week lawn watering is in effect May 31-September 30. For more information: 519-575-4400 • www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Remember that lawnwatering days are based on the last digit in your house number. If your address ends in: 0 or 1 your watering day is: Monday 2 or 3 Tuesday 4 or 5 Wednesday 6 or 7 Thursday 8 or 9 Friday The following activities are permitted during the above watering hours for even-numbered addresses on even days of the month and for odd-numbered addresses on odd days of the month: • Watering of shrubs, trees and gardens • Washing of vehicles • Pool top-ups Thanks for doing your part! For newly planted sod/seed lawns and nematode applications contact the Region for a permit. Congratulations - you've earned your degree or diploma! Now is the per- fect time to take a few min- utes to review this five-step postgrad tutorial that will help you get a solid finan- cial start on your new life. Manage your student loan For the first six months after graduation, you don't actually have to make a payment but interest will accrue. Find out what your payment will be and in- clude it in your budget. More is better but make at least the minimum pay- ment each month. If you are unable to make pay- ments, contact the loan provider right away. If you have a Canada Student Loan, you may qualify for the Repayment Assistance Plan. If yours is a bank loan, you may be able to negotiate temporar- ily lowered payments. Save for tomorrow with an RRSP Consider putting the power of compounding to work for you by contribut- ing to investments held in a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), be- cause investing even a small amount each month can build considerable wealth over the years. Plus contributions to RRSPs are deductible from your total income in the year in which you chose to claim the deduction. Another RRSP plus: If you're thinking about buy- ing a home in the future, the federal Home Buyers' Plan allows eligible indi- viduals to withdraw up to $25,000 for a home pur- chase from their RRSP without any immediate tax consequences. Save smart with a TFSA Start a Tax-Free Sav- ings Account (TFSA). It complements your RRSP because investments held in a TFSA grow tax-free. Each year $5,500 of new TFSA contribution room is created and unused room carries forward. If you need access to your TFSA balance, you can get your money back out at any time, for any purpose, tax-free. Howev- er, there is no reduction to your taxable income for TFSA contributions. Avoid high credit card debt Credit card interest rates can be 20 per cent or more so limit their use. Try to pay the balance in full each month, and pay on time to avoid late fees and additional interest charges. Develop a budget - and stick to it Include all unavoid- able expenses such as rent and utilities and be mindful of discretionary expenses, such as travel, that you can control. By the way, now is also the perfect time to incor- porate these five first fi- nancial steps into an over- all financial plan that will help you meet your per- sonal objectives. Your professional ad- viser can facilitate your financial success by de- veloping a financial plan for your unique situa- tion. - This column is provided by McEachnie Group Pri- vate Wealth Management. Contact Russ McEachnie, CFP, CPCA, CDFA, RRC, principal, at 886-2360, ext. 6241 or go to russ mceachnie.com. OPINION A postgrad financial checklist for new graduates You've got your degree or diploma, now is the time to be planning your financial future says Russ McEachnie RUSS MCEACHNIE Column ON SALE UNTIL JUNE 12, 2018 WHILE QUANTITIES LASTANTITIES LASTWHILE QU OrganicMini Cucumbers $1.99/ PACK 81, 202ON SALE UNTIL JUNE 1 36 WELLINGTON STREET WEST, GUELPH 668 ERB STREET, UNIT #B2, WATERLOO