The Mogo Blog

How to start a personal finance group

If you’re anything like me, the notion of attempting to get your personal finances in order is scary as scary can be. Like many young Canadians, I never learned about the nuances of finance in school (side note: shouldn’t we be teaching our kids this? I would like to see a personal finance class overtake those stupid CAPP career classes we were all subjected to in high school. I took about ten personality tests that all said, “writer/teacher/creative-type” when I could have used some lessons abo

The Canadian Mint makes a glow in the dark dinosaur coin

That headline is serious. As pictured above, the Royal Canadian Mint is going retro… VERY retro. The new, special edition, quarter features a (super tough to spell) pachyrhinosaurus lakustai dino – which was found near Grand Prairie, Alberta in the early 1970s. When the light goes out, the dino’s bones will glow. They’re only making 25,000 of these, so keep your eyes peeled and on the look out for this first run. Rumour has it, there will be another two runs of the coin. Want to get your hand

The benefits of using a pre-paid credit card

Pre paid credit is a great way to get into (or back into) credit cards. Like the name suggests, pre paid credit cards are, well, pre paid. You lay down the cash to get started and then have the freedom of use of any conventional credit card. When I first started using credit, my card was pre-paid. You don’t need to worry about big bills, interest or late payments, because you’ve already taken care of that. Here are some of the best benefits of pre-paid credit: Security of information Some pe

What’s that thing on the back of my twenty? – A look at art and culture on Canadian currency

I recently returned from a 14 month trip around Australia and S.E. Asia. Both regions have an abundance of rich cultural heritage, evident in their art. Trudging through the Vancouver Airport I noticed a piece of our own cultural heritage, a large greenish sculpture I recognized as a Haida piece. I knew I’d seen it before but I couldn’t quite place where. Later, when buying my first Double-Double since 2010 I saw it staring up at me from the back of a $20 bill. The Spirit of Haida Gwaii [http:/

Most expensive province for housing? BC leads, Alberta close behind

According to Stats Canada, BC leads the pack in terms of average annual housing costs. Whether you’re buying, renting, squatting or man-serving there’s a yearly cost associated with your living. Here’s the breakdown on a province-to-province basis, as of the 2009 study [http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-621-m/2010086/part-partie1-eng.htm]. 1. British Columbia – $16,336 2. Alberta – $16,153 3. Ontario – $15,560 4. Saskatchewan – $12,440 5. Manitoba – $12,203 6. Nova Scotia – $11,524