Financial
Health

Additional help lists:

Legal health

Business Health

political health

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Managing Money

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Finances for Health

• ​Basic Health Insurance - MSP
• Advance Care Directive BC
• Pharmacare - if your income drops by 10% or more, you are eligible for a review of your threshold amounts (need CARE card and most recent CRA Notice of Assessment)
• Extended health insurance - employer or pension or private pay, such as:
  • Johnson
  • Pacific Blue Cross 
  • Green Shield
• ​​Dental insurance -employer or pension or private pay, see above
• Travel insurance
  • travel immunizations

Funding an Education

•  Internet for Good - Telus internet access for low-income families with children
• Your high school graduation info
  • Merritt Secondary School Scholarships
• StudentScholarships.org (based in West Kelowna)
• Federal programs:
  • SkillsCanadaBC
• Provincial programs for BC:
  • BC government grants, scholarships, bursaries
  • ​StudentAidBC​
• Financial institutions:
  • Beem (Interior Savings) grants for graduating students
  • TD bank
• BC Arts Council grants for individuals and non-profit groups
• Johnson Insurance Co scholarships (company connection required) 

Housing 

•  Wildfire Resilience Construction checklist
  ​There are also links below to info on flood resilience and other climate hazards.​
• Ask Wellness subsidized housing

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Keeping the Money

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Taxes

• ​Income tax
  • CRA ​deductions for aging-in-place home renovations
  • CRA Disability Tax Credit 
    • CRA application form - long detailed form for doctor to fill out and sign (office fee to pay)
  • Various online tax software is available and the electronic submission simplifies the process. 
• BC Fuel Tax Refund a one page application form for doctor's signature, then submit an annual form with gas receipts (about $100-200 refund for average year of driving)
• Property tax- Merritt  or TNRD​​
• Canadian Taxpayers Federation
  • Gas Tax Honesty Report​​
• ​The Blunt Bean Counter - Tax prep tips

Financial How-To Info

• Financial Calculators - very useful!
• When to Change your Will - it maybe more often than you thought
• Money Milestones for every decade of life - financial planning 
• Equifax - Personal Finance Education articles and videos
• www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/Consumer Protection BC
• The Blunt Bean Counter: Stress Testing your Spouse's Financial Readiness if you were to Die Suddenly and many other topics
• Reverse mortgages (Canada info) (general info USA)
• 21 Day Financial Fast Washington Post article by Mischelle Singletary
• ​The Blunt Bean Counter info blog
  • ​Advice for Entrepreneurs​
• Signing or breaking a contract?
  • Consumer Protection BC​​​
• Debt collection issues
• Find money in your old accounts:
  • Canada - Bank of Canada
  • USA - MissingMoney.com

Retirement Planning
​​Canada.ca : 

• Programs and Resources for Seniors

• delaying CPP start date​

BC Gov : SeniorsBC.ca and
           BC Seniors Guide (download)
Other resources:

• ​7 Best Retirement Planning Spreadsheets
• Option Open: The Guide for Mapping your Best Aging Journey by Sue Lantz - Purchase this guide book
• Planning for Ageing, not just Retirement
• Nidus - Personal Planning Resource Centre
• Retirement costs
  • ​Living to 100
  • ​When I'm 64 booklet
  • Ageing in place​
  • Guide to Aging in Place

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Security Issues

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Documents to keep in a safe place:

• income tax documents and notices of assessment (current and previous 6  years)​​
• vehicle purchase records
• land titles and mortgage records
• insurance policies​​
• marriage, divorce, and death certificates
• ​passports

Online Privacy and Digital Security:

• Internet Safety Guide for Students
• How to Respond to Cyber Hacks and Security Breaches ​
• Online Safety Guide for Seniors 
• Little Black Book of Scams - Canadian
• Seniors and Scammers
• Identity Theft - what to do
• Check if your email has been compromised by hackers:  haveibeenpwned.com/
• ​Privacy Settings Guide article in Washington Post
• GLUU    "Unscammable" video series
• Guide to Digital Safety - NYT article
• Online harassment​​ - Washington Post article
• Foolproof Me - financial care guides (recognizing scams, privacy issues) for kids, parents, teachers

Insurance:

• Insurance Bureau of Canada
  • Tips for buying insurance
  • Insurance 101
  • About Buying home insurance
  • About Natural Disaster insurance
  • About Water damage insurance
  • Insurance dispute resolution​
• ICBC insurance discount for disabled drivers and car owners (including joint owners over 16)

Resilience to Climate Challenges:

• Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
  • Info for homeowners
  • ​ resources and publications
• Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation (U. Waterloo)
  • Wildfire Resilience Construction checklist
• FireSmartBC
  • Fire-resistant plant list for Merritt (Zone 6)