Spectrumly Speaking
November 2014 


We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, followed by a fabulous Halloween (especially for our young friends).
We seem to be flying through the celebrations ~ Dare I say how many days we have until Christmas!

As always, a word of caution and a few quick tips to help us maintain control of our shopping this holiday season:
  • Make a budget and a list - Write down everyone you need to buy for, put a dollar amount beside each and a few gift ideas ... and then stick to it!
  • Make gifts - People are always touched by the fact that you put time and effort to do something nice for them.
  • Pay cash ~ Do not use credit.   Start now and buy something on your list with each paycheck.
  • Organize a Pot Luck with friends instead of going out for dinner or drinks.  Ask everyone to bring a $10 gift to share and have fun with it!
  • Many families are drawing names and only buying for one person ~ remember to set a firm limit.
  • Gift cards are easy but we can quite often find deals and spend much less ~ allocate some time to research & explore ideas.
  • Have a family meeting and set expectations ahead of time.

Just remember how we feel after the holidays when the bills are coming in and that promise we made to not repeat our overspending the following year.  

 

Wishing you all a fabulous November !! 

    Karen, Richard, Janet, Ingrid and Sheila
Recent Stock Market Volatility

If you have been keeping up with the news and headlines, then you know that the past several weeks have seen stock markets fluctuate with large swings due to various world events and investor fear.  

Here is a great article from Fidelity Investments that talks to volatility and the prudent course of action. 
How many paycheques are you from retirement ??

10 years away =
roughly 260 paycheques.   
Are you making each one count?

With increasing life expectancies, you may need as many paycheques in retirement as you earned during your entire working life!   Let's make sure we are exploring your retirement situation.  

We had a fantastic
Family Day at the Pumpkin Patch
and were overwhelmed with the level of pumpkin creativity our client
 families displayed
 
~ Well Done!!
 
old-man-woman.jpg
Do you know how your parents financial affairs are structured? 

This is truly a very difficult conversation to have in many family situations ~ but one that is very beneficial for both generations to explore.  
By doing so, you could save dollars, minimize taxation, avoid undue stress and ensure everyone wins    ...    Are you prepared?
Are you or someone you know pregnant or thinking about starting a family?

Spectrum Team


Following your  

Spectrum Team ...  

  •  As a reminder, if you would like to have access to your mutual fund investment accounts online or receive your Quarterly Worldsource statements electronically, please call and speak with Janet or Ingrid.   They can help you to get set up for this.
  • If you were born in the United States or are considered a resident alien for tax purposes, we need to speak with you.  Please call our office.
"My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income." - Errol Flynn