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6 OUR HOUSE WINTER 2018 DOMINION LENDING CENTRES CONNECT Check out or blog at dominionlending.ca/news for all the latest mortgage and home news GARY MAURIS PRESIDENT DOMINION LENDING CENTRES FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT GARY MAURIS COURTESY OF DLC, ISTOCK EDITOR Michael McCullough ART DIRECTOR Edwin Pabellon CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kevin Bay, Lisa Canning, Jeremy Deutsch, Jennifer Fuentes, Mandy Gill, Kelly Hudson, Max Omar, Marc Shendale, Yvonne Ziomecki EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Rick Thibert PRODUCTION MANAGER Kristina Borys IMAGING TECHNICIAN Mandy Lau dominionlending.ca PRESIDENT AND CO-FOUNDER Gary Mauris DLC DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER Chris Kayat VICE-PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, PR AND COMMUNICATIONS Dave Teixeira CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lisa Amor CHIEF ECONOMIST Dr. Sherry Cooper STAFF WRITER Jeremy Deutsch For advertising please contact Dave Teixeira at 1-888-806-8080 or Dave@dlc.ca Your comments are welcome. Please write to Dominion Lending Centres 2215 Coquitlam Ave, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 1J6 Phone: 1-888-806-8080 Our House magazine is published quarterly by Dominion Lending Centres. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission of the Dominion Lending Centres. Address changes: Jeremy@dlc.ca Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40065475. MORTGAGE + HOMEOWNERS MAGAZINE W I N T E R 2 01 8 I t's become a bit of a cliché to talk about resolutions at the start of the New Year. You're going to be inundated with pitches to exercise more, "eat right" or pick up a new hobby. These resolutions start out with the best of intentions but ultimately most of us, including myself, can't manage to keep them. Within a few days or weeks, we're back to our old habits. I'm not a psychiatrist or a motivational speaker, so I won't try to figure out or explain why this happens. While I can't give advice on how to improve your physical condition, I know a little something about finances. There is no better time to look at what you might be doing right and perhaps wrong when it comes to your finances and make a change to see a more prosperous 2018. I by no means invented these suggestions, but rather I'm sharing them because I think they're worth considering: » Set and write down your financial goals for the year. I try to do this as often as I can. Having these goals written down will help you stay on task. Review them as often as you need to. » Review your household budget. Sometimes we get caught o¥ guard by just how much money we're spending every month. Take a good look at those expenses, and if there are a few items you can cut, go for it. Everyone has something they spend their money on they think they can't live without. But being fiscally responsible takes some discipline. » Pay down your credit cards. Credit can be a great thing. It helps get you out of a bind when you need it, or help with an important purchase you can pay for later. But having too much credit- card debt can hurt in the long run. Try to pay o¥ as much of your credit-card debt as you can. Every little bit helps. » Plan for an annual review day. That means sitting down with your accountant, financial planner, even your mortgage broker to see where you are with your finances. Can you pay a little more for your mortgage? Is there a new government policy or an investment that you haven't heard about from which you could benefit? Financial professionals are up to speed on all the latest options and can advise you accordingly. » Be realistic. We're constantly squeezed between the things we want to buy and the bills we have to pay. You're not likely going to go from zero to hero financially in a month, but taking a few easy steps, making good choices and chipping away at your debt will start to pay o¥. These are just some basic tips to follow. With so many experts and places to look for financial advice, there's really no excuse not to use the turn of the calendar to get started. Have a happy and healthy 2018! MAKE 2018 YOUR TURNAROUND YEAR