Financial
Health

Hot Tip for Finances!

A checklist to reduce wildfire risk when doing home construction or renovation: 
Wildfire Resilience Construction checklist
​There are also links below to info on flood resilience and other climate hazards. 

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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
  • MSS Scholarships 2023
• StudentScholarships.org (based in West Kelowna)
• Federal programs:
  • SkillsCanadaBC
• Provincial programs for BC:
  • BC government grants, scholarships, bursaries
  • EducationPlannerBC
  • StudentAidBC​
• Financial institutions:
  • 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) 

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Housing 

• Ask Wellness subsidized housing

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Keeping the Money

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Taxes

• ​Income tax
  • ​deductions for senior living renovations
  • Disability Tax Credit 
    • sample application form
  • online tax software 
• Property tax- Merritt  TNRD​​
• Canadian Taxpayers Federation
  • Gas Tax Honesty Report​​
• ​The Blunt Bean Counter - Tax prep tips

Financial How-To Info

• Equifax - Personal Finance Education articles and videos
• 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​

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Security Issues

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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​

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)

Online Privacy and Digital Security:

• ​Privacy Settings Guide article in Washington Post
• Little Black Book of Scams booklet
• GLUU online security for seniors
  
  • "Unscammable" video series
• Guide to Digital Safety - NYT article
• Protect from online harassment​​ - Washington Post article
• Foolproof Me - financial care guides (recognizing scams, privacy issues) for kids, parents, teachers

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