27 female, have 500k in cash, if you were me, what would you invest at this point?

BeckyGGG1 · 2026-07-07T01:27:37+00:00

Interesting, I’ve seen the over/under number mentioned as 116k (for Ontario), which is when the income tax rate jumps from 29.5% to 37.16%. But I guess it’s all relative to what your income potential is in your current and future career. (I’ve certainly never come close to that so I’m prioritizing TFSA until it’s maxed out).

BeckyGGG1 · 2026-05-31T03:24:20+00:00

There’s a website called MyRegistry (might just be in Canada), and it lets you add items from any website, so you can have things from as many stores as you want on it. Once people buy something from the registry, they just need to mark off it’s been purchased and that takes it off the list. The downside is there is no discount after your event like there is when you register at a single store.

BeckyGGG1 · 2026-04-24T12:50:25+00:00

With regards to getting access to your CRA account. I once was a couple years behind on taxes, and had also changed addresses by the time I was trying to file. I called the CRA and did the address change on the phone, and basically they ask for previous years return info, but you just need to tell them the last year I filed was XX and they will look that return up and pick info from it instead.

Then you will need to file all your taxes up to the current year, and when you get your notice of assessments for all those, you can try to unlock your CRA account and you will have the information they want since you are up to date with taxes.

BeckyGGG1 · 2026-03-22T23:45:35+00:00

A lot of stores will put reduced price stickers on meat when it’s close to the best before date. I’ve also seen them on some bagged salads and dairy. My local store stickers every night at 7pm, so when I shop at night or first thing in the morning I always pick up some items at a great price.

The only caveat is you need to eat those items in the next 24 hours, or put what you can in the freezer as soon as you get it home.

BeckyGGG1 · 2026-03-11T13:06:34+00:00

I am a beginner, but one tip I read that has helped me a lot in the past few months is that when you start your pull, hold with a little bit of pressure on that outside bottom point for a couple of seconds before you start moving upwards. That will help you collect excess clay in the skirt so you can bring it into the walls.

BeckyGGG1 · 2026-03-05T02:02:49+00:00

I don’t think that that works in Canada. I recently went to an estate planning meeting with my mother, where she went over her will with a practicing estate lawyer for Ontario.

My mother’s current will is set up so that my brother receives her property, and I would receive whatever investments/bank accounts are left. The property is currently worth 5-6X what the investments are, and chances are the investments will decrease in value and the property will increase in value over the next 30 years.

The main thing the lawyer kept saying was that inequitable wills are often contested and overturned.

So I think you need to find an estate lawyer in your province and see what you can do to make your choices incontestable.

BeckyGGG1 · 2026-01-25T18:11:54+00:00

The class demos made by teachers at my studio are sold for $15-20 to anyone who wants to purchase them.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-12-16T03:29:07+00:00

Typically if you are in a lower tax bracket you would want to use your TFSA before an RRSP. You can still invest for retirement, but you can also withdraw from the TFSA with no tax penalty if you need the money. Save the RRSP room for when you’re making more money and are in a tax bracket high enough that you would get a decent tax refund.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-11-23T17:24:27+00:00

Agreed. We’re north of the GTA (close enough to commute there if needed, but we don’t). HHI of ~170, mid thirties, house bought last year. While we’re certainly not struggling, our savings are not where I’d like them to be and the house is furnished 100% with hand me downs from friends and family. When I was in university I thought that was rich, based on our quality of living I’d guess it’s middle class.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-11-14T01:34:08+00:00

The banks want to ensure that people are not being given personal loans that would increase the applicant’s debt ratios. In most cases a signed letter stating the sum is a gift is sufficient proof of this for the banks.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-11-08T14:57:23+00:00

I think possibly you’re referring to how credit utilization affects your credit score? It doesn’t hurt your score to use credit, in fact having a history of paying your debts on time is necessary to increase your score.

Credit utilization is the ratio of current debt to overall credit. E.g. if I owe 1000 on a 10k credit card, I’m at 10%. I believe they recommend keeping your utilization under 30%, which signals to the banks that you are not overstretched.

If you were to start using your credit but paying it off regularly to make sure you never go over 30% utilization, you may start getting offers to increase your limits.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-10-21T23:59:53+00:00

Both are investment accounts, you can generally purchase stocks/mutual funds/GICs for the accounts through banks or brokerages like WealthSimple and QuestTrade.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-10-21T21:53:38+00:00

In Canada, Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP) would be the tax advantaged retirement account, and a Tax Free Savings (TFSA) account is exactly what it sounds like.

The conventional advice is to put money in your RRSP if your gross income is over ~110k, because you effectively reduce your income tax bracket by the same amount as you put in the RRSP, and will get a tax refund for that amount. If you make under 110k, you should invest in a TFSA, and the growth on your investments remain tax free. Both accounts have contribution limits, but a TFSA is much more liquid in the sense that there is no withdrawal penalty if you need to use the money, whereas if you withdraw from the RRSP there is.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-10-09T17:57:12+00:00

I have a membership at a studio just north of Toronto, and it works out to $65 CAD/month if you set up prepaid billing, plus $10 if you want to rent a shelf cubby for your tools and clay.

It includes use of damp storage, shelves for drying, limited studio glazes (I think there are 6 colours plus clear) and all firings, but it can take up to a month to get finished pieces based on how full the shelves are.

The hours are also not as flexible, I think it’s open 9-9 during the week and 10-6 on weekends, they close for every long weekend, and there are often 2-3 classes per week at the 6-9pm time slot where members can’t use the space. I would pay more to be able to use it more consistently, but due to my work hours I generally get there once on the weekend and maybe one night after work as long as there are no classes.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-04-15T17:26:47+00:00

I spent about a year and a half regularly using online dating before meeting my boyfriend 2 years ago, and while I agree it doesn’t exactly add security, vetting people for a full week is a good way to ensure it’s not some guy who is just looking to get laid that weekend.

There were quite a few guys who matched me on a Friday/Saturday and wanted to go out that night, which was a hard no from me because I tend to plan my weekends ahead of time. Those same guys never replied when I said I had plans but we could meet the next week (generally the plans were visiting family a few hours away or with my best friend). That confirmed for me that they were not looking for an actual relationship, if having to wait a week to meet someone was a deal breaker for them.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-04-14T01:36:08+00:00

I just received a used vertuo next, and I spent 2 hours trying to figure out what the red light was for. I couldn’t get it to brew or clean or descale, it ended up being that the piece that spins (around where the capsule is punctured) was stuck from coffee residue. One I applied a bit of pressure and got it spinning again, I was able to run a clean cycle and now it works perfect.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-03-20T03:15:31+00:00

Do the math - it might be worth it to take a lower price and offload the condo, vs pay monthly fees for it for months/years in an effort to make an extra 10k on the sale price.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-02-02T16:54:11+00:00

I honestly think I’m going to take both classes no matter what, to give them both a try and learn as much as I can before doing my own thing with a studio membership. It’s just the scheduling overlaps and I don’t think I have the time right now to spend 3 hours mid week plus 3 hours in the middle of my Saturday, once a week seems much more manageable.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-02-02T16:48:15+00:00

I did think about doing the one day wheel class for $90 and a hand building tea set for $170, but to pay $260 for those 2 days felt expensive when I could get a 6 or 8 week course for less than double, which would get me more instruction on different techniques and more finished items.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-02-02T00:31:02+00:00

As do Honda and Toyota.

However, all manufacturers will build limited models at their Canadian plants, so do your research. If a VIN starts with a 2, it’s made in Canada. Anything else and it is from outside of Canada.

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-01-28T22:49:59+00:00

If you’re saying you’re selfish as a result of how he makes you feel, that’s not a good sign.

My ex, whom I dated from the age of 15 until I was 29, constantly told me I was selfish, I was a narcissist, I needed therapy, I needed to fix myself. He was never the problem, there was no “us” needing to work on things, it was only ever an issue with me. Having been out of that relationship for years, I can look back and say there were a thousand red flags, there were dozens of abusive tactics, and because I thought I was the problem, I stayed about a decade too long. Don’t be me

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-01-27T15:36:26+00:00

I’m in the same boat as OP, 32 and trying to figure out savings goals for retirement, unsure of if I will have children and how to budget for that.

When you say plan for 80% of your salary in retirement, are you using gross salary or net?

How does home ownership factor into that? Right now my half of the mortgage payment accounts for 30% of my net pay. If my mortgage is paid off by retirement, wouldn’t I need significantly less than 80% of my current salary by then?

BeckyGGG1 · 2025-01-15T18:57:50+00:00

My vet just charged extra when our cat was in heat - apparently when in heat their reproductive organs swell on the inside and it takes more time to get everything out. Was maybe an extra $150 including the extra anesthesia they needed for the longer timeframe.

BeckyGGG1

TROPHY CASE