Welcome to MoneyTalks Cafe

Let me introduce myself: I'm a 40something professional financial planner and educator who has "been around the block" a few times. My proudest accomplishment is being mother to my three children and my career dream is to help others help themselves. I have always had a passion for social justice, education and experiencing life as much as possible. I've made more than a few mistakes along the way, but I believe that every day is ripe with fresh potential, and that it's all about the journey, not the destination.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoy helping people try to figure out where they are going, and what's the best way to get there. Financial planning (the counselling kind, not the "I'm going to sell you a great mutual fund" kind of planning) is to me an ideal blend of nuts and bolts number-crunching and more philosophical "what do I want out of life" kind of thinking.

My purpose in hosting the "MoneyTalks Cafe" is to bring forward my observations about how our consumer driven economy operates and how ordinary Canadians are managing the day to day challenges of meeting competing demands on limited incomes. Are we well served by the financial services industry? Do our governments federal and provincial protect us from misleading sales and credit practices? Do our consumer advocacy agencies have enough teeth to defend our interests? Do we know enough about the basics of financial planning in order to make wise decisions of our own and in turn help our children get a solid start?

In the coming weeks and months, I will share with you my thoughts on these and other financial marketplace issues which ultimately affect our well-being. I am also very interested in the emotional triggers that influence good and bad financial behaviours. I want to hear what you think and I would particularly like to know about your experiences in dealing with difficult financial matters. Whether it concerns sticking to a family budget, struggling with debt, dealing with the taxman or fending off an overeager financial salesperson, do let me know what you are concerned about and how you are coping.

So welcome to the MoneyTalks Cafe and let's get talking!