Personal Finance

Towards a Healthier Financial Future

Topic: "First Home"

← Curating the web to find the most interesting and helpful information about your money.

Did you know?

Housing is the largest average cost at $2,025 per month, making up 33% of typical spending, according to the most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Neontra auto-categorizes your all transactions by essential, non-essential, debt payments and saving contributions so you can see what percentage of your expenses are going to housing →

Did you know?

The word "mortgage" comes from the old French phrase "mort gaige." Literally translated, mort gaige means death pledge. Once the mortgage is paid off, the loan dies.

10 Weird Facts About Home Mortgages →

Infographic of the week

What You Need to Earn to Own a Home in 50 American Cities

Between skyrocketing prices, stagnating wages, and now rising interest rates, the deck seems to be increasingly stacked against home ownership. Using May 2023 data tabulated by Home Sweet Home, the Visual Capitalist maps out the annual salary needed to afford a 30-year mortgage (at 6.37%) to buy a home in America’s 50 most populous metropolitan areas.

What You Need to Earn to Own a Home in 50 American Cities The Least and Most Affordable American Cities to Own a Home →

Infographic of the week

Which Cities Have Bubble Risk in Their Property Markets?

Despite higher mortgages and sharply correcting prices, some cities’ property markets are still in bubble-risk territory.

Which Cities Have Bubble Risk in Their Property Markets? The UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index →

Word of the week

Amortization

The amortization period is the length of time it takes to pay off a mortgage in full. The amortization is an estimate based on the interest rate for your current term.

Learn more on how your amortization period affects your costs →

Saving

Rising interest rates brought pain for new homeowners - and opportunity for house hunters

Saving Podcast: Stress Test by columnist Rob Carrick and editor Roma Luciw →

Saving

In 2022, the number of people moving to Alberta hit its highest level in almost a decade. At the same time, a record number of people left Toronto for other provinces.

Saving Podcast: Why millennials and Gen Z are Alberta-bound for a more affordable life →

Serious stuff

After years of soaring home prices, there was hope that rising interest rates would lead to lower prices in 2023 and give young Canadians an entry point into the market.

Podcast - Why more Canadians are giving up on home ownership →

Infographic of the week

Mapped: How Global Housing Prices Have Changed Since 2010

Houses fulfill a rare mix of necessity, utility, sentimentality, and for many, also act as a primary investment to build wealth. And it’s that last angle, combined with increasing demand in many countries, that is driving housing prices skyward.

Mapped: How Global Housing Prices Have Changed Since 2010 See how Canada measures up →

Saving

A first home savings account (FHSA) is a registered plan allowing you, as a prospective first-time home buyer, to save for your first home tax-free (up to certain limits). You will be able to open an FHSA starting April 1, 2023.

Saving First Home Savings Account (FHSA) →

← Curating the web to find the most interesting and helpful information about your money.