NALH Bookkeeping » Consumer Tips

Canada Revenue – Children’s Arts Tax Credit

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:58:46 +0000

In addition to fitness programs covered by the children’s fitness tax credit, parents can now claim money spent on programs that focus on fine arts, music, performing arts, outdoor wilderness training, learning a language, studying a culture, tutoring, and more.

When parents claim the children’s arts tax credit – up to a maximum of $500 of the cost of programs – they save as much as $75 at tax time per child claimed.

Find out if your child’s program is eligible for the children’s arts tax credit.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM THE CANADA REVENUE AGENCY >>

Shaw Offers Students Significant Discounts on Cable, Internet & Phone Service

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:10:55 +0000

Although it doesn’t seem to be widely publicized, Shaw offers significantly lower prices on their cable, internet and home phone services for full-time post-secondary students who live on their own.

We came across an article on the Young and Thrifty blog in which the author details how she went about getting signed up for the student package and saving a whopping $750 a year on her services with Shaw! One of our staff followed the steps in the article and is also now saving big on her services with Shaw!

Independent full-time students enrolled in a post-secondary program quality for the discount. Valid student idea and proof of enrolment must be provided in order to activate the reduced rates. With savings that significant, it’s definitely worth a phone call and a trip to the nearest Shaw office!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THE YOUNG AND THRIFTY WEB SITE >>

Featured iPhone App: Dropbox

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:15:08 +0000

When you’re always on the go and shuffling files among your laptop, your desktop and your mobile phone, it can get frustrating. Did you save that all-important proposal on your desktop when you need it on your laptop for an important meeting?

Dropbox can help alleviate the stress of sharing files on multiple computers and mobile phones by syncing items in your Dropbox to all devices you choose to connect with your account.

In addition to having your files synced on your devices, you can also access any of your files directly from a web browser.

Dropbox has free mobile apps available for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android devices, making access to your files easy, no matter where you are.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR A FREE 2GB DROPBOX ACCOUNT >>

Protect Your Credit Report Against Fraud

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:47:31 +0000

It seems that not a day goes by when we don’t hear about some new scam that’s being perpetrated against unsuspecting victims. During the holidays it’s especially it’s important to keep a close eye on your credit report to ensure there’s nothing suspect going on.

Kim Strynadka of Dominion Lending Centres shared some great tips for keeping a watchful eye on your credit:

Every year you should check your own credit. It helps you ensure that you are on track and there is no fraudulent activity. In order to accomplish this, I recommend 3 things:

Contact both credit bureaus directly and request a copy of your reports. You can reach Equifax Canada at: 1-800-465-7166 and TransUnion Canada at: 1-866-525-0262. Just as a warning, there is a cost to order your report. There are methods to obtain your report for free, but they are very time-consuming.
Read “Understanding Your Credit Report and Credit Score”
You can also see what a credit report looks like, know how to get errors corrected or understand what factors influence your credit scores by reading a publication called Understanding Your Credit Report and Credit Score from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.
Flag Your File for New Credit Requests
I recommend calling both agencies and asking them to put a ‘flag’ on your file to call you on your cell phone before issuing any new credit. This is a very good, pro-active strategy to help protect yourself.

Featured iPhone App: Sign It!

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:11:05 +0000

Have you ever been away from your office when an important document requiring your signature arrives in your email but you don’t have access to a printer?

Do you ever need to review a document and mark it as approved or as urgent? No problem.

With the Sign It! app from Crowded Road, you can open any PDF document and fill in fields, sign, stamp and/or date directly from your phone.

At a cost of a mere $4.99, the app will pay for itself in no time with all the time and energy – not to mention ink and fax costs – you’ll save by being able to manage your documents on the go.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SIGN IT! APP >>

UnPlugged BC – Small Appliance Recycling Program

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:55:54 +0000

Beginning October 1, BC residents will have access to a new small-appliance recycling program called UnPluggedBC.

This new program will allow drop-off of most small appliances for recycling, redirecting lots of items that would otherwise end up in BC landfills.

Visit the UnPluggedBC web site for more information on drop-off locations and accepted items.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION >>

Featured iPhone App: Mobile Bandit

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:24:59 +0000

If you’re always on the go, you know that it can be expensive to eat and get your caffeine fix on the run. With our mobile phones in-hand nearly all the time, all that’s needed to find nearby spots for food, drink and entertainment is right at our fingertips.

Better yet, how would you like to easily locate a place to eat or a coffee shop that has great discounts for the taking RIGHT NOW? Mobile Bandit is a free mobile app available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices that uses your location to show you great deals that you can take advantage of right away.

Free app? Discounted food, drinks and fun? Sounds like a win-win to us!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MOBILE BANDIT APP >>

Featured iPhone App: Dale Carnegie Training

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:16:26 +0000

Take the opportunity to learn on the go with three apps from Dale Carnegie Training. At $0.99 each, these apps will provide you with valuable lessons that will help you be more effective in business and in life. The current offerings include Personal Leadership, Team Leadership and Secrets of Success. A third installment of the leadership series entitled Company Leadership is also under development.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE DALE CARNEGIE TRAINING APPS >>

Double Your Money Faster with the Rule of 72

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:58:58 +0000

Never heard of the Rule of 72? Neither had we. But, we sure are glad we came across this article, written by Canadian financial education blog, KnowMoney.ca. Their site helps educate the general public on some basic – but largely unknown – rules about how money works.

Do you know how long it will take for your money to double? Figuring this out is easier than you think! No super-computer, NASA rocket scientist, or even a calculator is required! All you need is the Rule of 72.

The Rule of 72 is an equation discovered by Albert Einstein, but so easy a 3rd grader can do it. It’s an easy way to approximate how long it will take your money to double.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

Help Japan’s Earthquake & Tsunami Victims By Donating To The Red Cross

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:14:17 +0000

In the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan this March, there is still a lot of work to be done to help the Japanese people survive the disaster and recover from the loss of family, friends, homes and jobs.

You can help ease the burden of recovery by making a donation to the Red Cross, which is helping coordinate disaster response efforts. Money donated will go to Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami response, specifically the Japanese Red Cross, which is providing direct emergency relief, medical services and emotional counseling to affected communities.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE RED CROSS >>

Cardstar App For Smartphones Offers Freedom From Bulky Points Cards

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:08:33 +0000

Are you sick of carrying around the pile of points cards for your local grocery store, pharmacy, video rental store, or electronics store? It’s no exaggeration to say many of us have at least half a dozen of these cards hanging around in our wallets and purses. And, it’s somewhat surprising to note that merchant haven’t gotten together to come up with a way to combine many accounts into a single card.

Enter the clever folks at Cardstar, who are here to rescue us from the wallet bulk of pesky points cards!

CardStar lets you easily store, manage and quickly retrieve your reward, club, and loyalty cards on your smartphone, where they can be scanned directly from your screen at most merchants. Even if you don’t have a smartphone, you can sign up for the CardStar card which combines many accounts into a single card. You can even receive coupons and deals to all your local and national merchants, at no cost to you!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION >>

Go, Go, Gadget

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:46:29 +0000

Are you a gadget geek? Do you always want to get your hands on the newest gadgets as soon as they come out?

Check out the Gizmodo site for the latest and greatest in tech toys, awesome apps and stellar software.

This article is an excerpt from the NALH e-Newsletter. Click here to read the current issue.

Missed an issue? You can also read all previous issues in our newsletter archive. Want to join our subscribers list? Visit our site to subscribe to our newsletter.

Ways to Celebrate Canada Day in Greater Vancouver

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:33:29 +0000

Wow! Where has the first half of the year gone? The first six months of 2010 have zoomed by in a flash and July is upon us. Want to find something fun to do in celebration of Canada Day?

The Vancouver Sun has compiled a list of Canada Day activities around Greater Vancouver including a Canada Day Parade, a celebration at Canada Place and a list of municipal celebrations in the GVRD.

Check out the list of Canada Day activities on the Vancouver Sun web site.

Happy Earth Day! Top 10 Actions to Help the Planet

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:44:15 +0000

Earth Day Canada has organized a list of ten actions that you can take to help minimize your impact on the environment. These quick, easy tips will make it a breeze to make lasting changes that make a real difference.

Here’s an overview of the tip categories:

- Smart Shopping
- Simple Savers
- Transportation Alternatives
- Food Choices
- Washing and Drying
- Heating and Cooling
- Close to Home
- Bathroom Basics
- Careful Cleaning
- Don’t Discard

Read the full article on Earth-friendly tips on the Earth Day Canada web site.

Home Loans – Tips on Getting a Home Loan Quickly

NALH Bookkeeping Services — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:53:37 +0000

You have decided to buy a new home. However, there are several issues that bother you at the moment and the most important one is finance. With markets full of choices for home loans, there are several things to be considered while selecting a particular home loan plan. Consider these basic guidelines to get home loan, before you apply for it.

Excellent credit track record will help you a long way in getting your home loan approved easily and fast. So pay all your utility bills, credit card dues and taxes on time, in particular in the year before applying and all through the period when your application is being processed. Pay off your credit card dues because it will decrease your liability and raise your credit score. Getting pre-qualified for a home loan is an excellent idea given that it offers you an idea on the amount you can borrow. You can get pre-qualified free from any major lending company.

Click here to read the full article on www.goodezines.com