Ideally 10%-20% of the value of the house you wish to purchase.

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I am buying a house and the furnace is old. i have heard new furnaces cost a fortune since they need all new exhaust tubing. can one get an old refurbished furnace? if you can, how much do they usually go for (preferably in canadian currency) ? thanks a bunch!

I have been in the HVAC business for 23 years. I know of no company that refurbishes furnaces. And why would anyone do it? The liability of a used furnace is not worth the risk that someone could be seriously injured or die. I have seen and witnessed people buying used furnaces from individuals that have had newer furnaces replaced in their own homes, aka.. garage sales and such, but these are usually only a couple of years old. It is not worth the risk to use an older furnace just to save a few dollars, Canadian or American

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We are saving up to buy a house, we figure we'll need another year and a half to put 20% down, so with the money we do have saved, we would like it to at least earn interest. i'm not going to do anything risky and risk losing money. any ideas or suggestions?

Depends on how much work your ready to put in with that 10,000. No work means you can go head and look into Swiss, Newzealand and Polish bank returns, also Canadian banks are very sought after because they show themselves as extremely low risk all throughout the past 9 years, but offer competitive rates to American banks. With actual time investment such as 30 min per day 5 days a week, short trades on non volatile stocks can be done by a 6 year old as long as the 6 year old learns some basic things, like Trading company choice, learning how to identify low volatility stocks and being able to identify the times of the day that are best suited for buying and the best times of the day for actually being able to sell and selling. There are other ways to invest the money with even more time investment, when your initial investment becomes to large for short trades (10K is already very high, 6-9K per day will yield 20-60$ per day when short trades are properly executed and logged for later tax payments to the IRS) Investing in small and cheep imports from overseas and avoiding eBay but finding other multiple points of sale where customer complaints are at a minimum will yield another 10-30$ "Clean" profits, the time investment is yet another 30 min per day. There's allot to be learned before making any investment with your VERY hard earned and much harder saved money, be sure to educate yourself before giving any one your money and always, always keep it safe and well accounted for whenever you start ANY venture. Keep it safe till you get a handle on properly investing your money, when you get the basics down on small things, keeping your savings safe, only when you feel safe then you might want to consider larger things but again, Caution at first, always. Keep it safe, your probably wise enough to understand, at this point in life there will be many people who want to tell you their plan is the best, but the reality of the matter is, they usually dont want to invest their money and you are the one with the money, listen but invest your money into yourself not some one else, the tools are all in front of you, the internet, educate yourself then invest in yourselves. Good luck.

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I am planning on moving to canada in september and i will still have $320 per month to pay for my car in australia while i am living over there. i will be working over there, but i have no idea how much i would be getting paid per month. i also need to know how much money i will need to set aside for food, rent and living expenses. will i be able to afford this? will i be able to save? i have no idea???? thanks. i will be living and working in jasper, alberta.

Hi i am not too sure what the cost of living is like in alberta but i can give you a rough idea of the cost in a medium size town (kitchener) in ontario an apartment can range from 500-2000 dollars a month depending on how nice you would like your apartment to be. another option is to rent a room which usually ranges from 350-800.00 in a shared house. (theses are all Canadian prices) food well a box of cereal is about 5.50 here and a pizza around 18-20. you can get four chicken breasts at the grocery store for about 12.00 and butter is 4.50. (those are just a few products but if you compare those prices to what you are paying now in Australia it might give you an idea what the difference might be) in general i would say i spend about 60.00 a week on groceries (thats splitting the cost with my fiance, about 120.00 a week for the two of us but we usually buy meat and cheese and milk so you could make an effort to spend less than that for sure) not sure about the cost of a car but a bus pass in my area is about 100 dollars for six months. a ticket to the movies is about ten bucks. dinner out varies depending on the place i would say eight to nine bucks for a burger and fries and most middle of the road restaraunts. And if you hunt for good value restaurants you can get a gourmet meal for about 30.00 a plate. booze is more expensive here than in the states and bars charge pretty different rates depending on where you go but a beer might cost about four bucks on average. for clothing prices well it really depends where you shop for a pretty nice sweater like 60.00 but you can get good clothes for 20.00 an item as well . hope that helps! it was all the random stuff i could think of! if you check kijiji site for jasper alberta and look under apartments for rent it should give you an idea of whats on the market and what your rent might be like! here is the link http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/f-jasper-housing-apartments-for-rent-W0QQCatIdZ37QQKeywordZjasper they look a bit pricier than in my town about 800.00

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My partner and i are looking to migrate to this beautiful country. i'm just wondering if anybody has relocated to canada from britain? i would like to know what the process is to get into the country and how easy is it to get a visa. i have looked online and the process seems a little easy, but i am a tad sceptical about this. i am also not sure how easy it is to get a job and house. we would also like to take our pet cat with us too but, again, this looks a little easy and too good to be true. as my understanding is that a pet travelling from england does not need to be put into quarantine. lastly, if anyone has any advice on what areas british people typically relocate to, that would be very helpful. the areas i have been looking at are toronto and ottawa. thanks in advance for your help!

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from, but moving to Canada is insanely difficult. Most people have little hope of qualifying. I recommend you start by getting your information from the source -- the Citizenship and Immigration web site. Don't skim it... read it carefully. In order to apply for permanent residency in Canada you must meet specific requirements under one of the categories. These include things such as: a highly skilled job offer from a Canadian company with permission to hire foreign workers in specific professions (doctors, engineers, nurses, specialized trades, managers, etc.) and then complete for one of 10,000 positions based on age, education, experience, language testing, etc.; marry a Canadian willing to sponsor you; complete certain university degrees in Canada and find work in your profession shortly after graduating; have a net worth of $1.6M and invest $800k in Canada; or obtain a nomination from one of the provinces (doctor willing to work in a remote community, buy/run a farm in certain provinces, world class performing artist or athlete, etc.). You must also pass medical exams, background checks, and financial checks. Most categories take more than three years to process an application. There are temporary ways to stay in Canada, work permits (which also require approved job offers) or study permits (which require applying/being accepted/paying for university or college). These are non-immigration visas and expire in a few years or when your job or studies end. > I'm just wondering if anybody has relocated to Canada from Britain? 9,499 UK citizens obtained permanent residency in 2010. Many people have immigrated from the UK to Canada over its existence. >I am also not sure how easy it is to get a job and house. If you don't already have a job offer... you probably aren't going to qualify to come to Canada. Most categories require that you have prearranged employment offers. A starter home in Toronto will cost you upwards of $600k. Ottawa more likely $400k. You won't be able to get a mortgage in Canada until you have several years of stable work, a good salary, and 20% to put down. >Cat Least of your worries. Most cats only live 15 years or so. Baring a medical or nursing degree... you could easily spend the next decade looking for a qualifying job offer, trying to save up $1.6M, etc. >Toronto and Ottawa. Few immigrants have a choice of where to live. Most Canadians don't. How you qualify for permanent residency will typically dictate where you are living. If you are an engineer and you get a job in northern Alberta... you are moving to northern Alberta. If you have a half-million dollars to buy a farm in Saskatchewan under their provincial nominee program, you are moving to Saskatchewan. etc. Limiting your job search to specific cities will typically make finding a skilled job offer hopeless.

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I'm 30 years old and single. how much money would i need to save up to be able to just move down there, become a permanent resident, and live there? the dollar amount would have to last me for the next 55 years. i'm sure i would do things to earn money down there, i just don't know how much money i can make down there. seems like everything pays peanuts. also, how much would medical/dental cost me down there? any and all info would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

You will need $60,000 just to move there... if you're a US citizen. Though, you can always visit for 6 months without having this money. With $200,000 more in bonds or mutual funds (or other investments/pension fund)... you can live off the interest in Costa Rica or Panama. Many Americans, Canadians and Europeans do it and many more are moving there each week. Keep in mind you still need to buy a house, again, this depends on your lifestyle. Medical and Dental is approx 50-80% less than in the US and many doctors/dentists went to school in the US. Real Estate is not PEANUTS... but everything else is relatively cheap. You can e-mail me at info@movetolatinamerica.com for more information.

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My definition of decent is at least 10 dollars an hour, preferably 11 or 12. i've got 2 years of experience in shipping and receiving and general clerical work. also, i have about a year working in a computer lab where i supervised a lab at night. should i go back to school to get a degree in something or learn a trade, or should i generally be able to get at least 10/hour with this experience?

in this day and age a higher level of education will give you a better paying job.. 10 an hour is pratically minimum wage, where at least im from.. (im canadian btw) I would definatly take whatever i can get and go to school part time.. save up some cash so you can buy a nicer apartment or house and make sure its enough money to last you a year.. after that start sendin out resumes and you most likley will have a chance if you have a good education verses "luck".. at any job you have to work your weigh up from the bottom to get to the top.

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I used to think buying a house would be the best investment, but not anymore...and the stock market is just scary, what am i supposed to send the check to bernie madoff? help!!

Forget trying to make money. Your first priority is to preserve your capitol both in terms of numbers of dollars and in purchasing power. I started saving and investing in October of 1999 just 4 months before the Dot Com Stock Market Bubble burst. At the time I bought into the markets all the way to their bottom. I lost alot during that time. However it did come back for me and I was lucky enough to have bought some stocks that hit big. I took the profits from those stocks and diversified into many other stocks, ETFs, Mutual Funds etc. The Market peaked again during this cycle in October 2007 and my investments were doing OK. All along the way I had some things down but most were even or up. In March of 2008 when Bear Srerns went under that was the wake up call for me. That was the largest investment bank in the world and right up to the moment they collapsed they kept telling people they were fine. This story has been repeated by Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, Indy Mac, Wacovia, Bank of America, Ford, GM, Lemien Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Countrywide and many other banks, investment firms etc. The mistake I made since 1999 was not having cash and liquid cash equivelints. Therefore since the collapse of Bear Sterns here is what I have learned and the action Ive taken. You cannot trust the banks, brokrage firms, insurance companies or any publically traded company to not lie. You also cant trust the government officials that say the economey is strong, sound etc as was done all through the summer of 2008. They later admitted we had been in a recession since December 2007. In reality we are in a depression. We have wealth destruction across the board. Thats the major difference between a recession and a depression. In a recession there is a contraction in GDP. In a depression you have a deleveraging cycle and wealth destruction. That wealth destruction is across the board and in all sectors except for 1. There is only 1 asset class that is up for the last 10 years and it is the only asset that remains even and rising. As a result here is the action Ive taken and you should consider as well. Cash. Put a percentage in PHYSICAL CASH in a safe at home. Banks arent paying interest anyway and with the banking system in the shape they are in they could declare a banking holiday similar to what occured in March 1933. So keep a couple of thousand dollars in PHYSICAL cash in small bills in case of a banking holiday. Gold. Put some money in PHYSICAL gold as a hedge against the falling dollar. I recomend at least 2 Pre 1933 US $20 gold pieces such as the double eagle liberty's or St. Gaudans. These are cash and carry only, cannot be reproduced, cannot be shorted on the Comex or manipulated in any way. Also they are exempt from IRS tax reporting by dealers. Silver. Get a couple hunderd ounces of Silver Bullion coins such as the Canadian Maple Leafs. The Silver Maple Leafs are the purest silver in the world, have a $5 Canadian face value and cost less then the Silver American Eagles. They too are not subject to IRS reporting by the dealers. Forign currency. Obtain a thousand or 2 of Canadian currency. All the banks in the western world is having problems except in one country....Canada. They were the only country not to give out toxic interest only loans etc. Therefore to hedge against the dollar with all the printing in the US you should obtan Canadian Curreny as a hedge. This could act as an interest payment when, not if the US dollar declines in the near future. I personally have taken these steps and have obtained the following myself. US Cash on hand at home. $850 Gold= 6 Pre US $20 gold pieces and 20 1/10 ounce gold eagles (cost about $9500) Silver= 1300 ounces of Canadian Silver Maple Leafs, 2 American Silver Eagles, and 8 ounces of Silver collector coins from the Alaska Mint. (cost about $22,000) Canadian Currency= $4200 CAD which is about $3300 USD worth. The rest of my liquid net worth is in cash in CDs at an FDIC insured bank. Im not adding to my stock or mutual funds untill I have about another $65,000 into gold, silver, Canadian currency and US currency at home in my safe. I strongly suggest you consider doing as I suggest. You want a foundation of gold, silver, Canadain currency and PHYSICAL US cash and a bank account before investing in anything else. Once you have that in place then you can take more risk. Dont make the same mistake I did by not having a liquid cash base as a foundation.

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Whats the best way to start? is it better to buy bullion bars or coins? does it matter what kind of coins? for example, gold american eagles over american buffalos? why does the face value of an american eagle 1oz. is $50 when gold is worth almost $900, and the same thing with the rest of the american eagle coins?

As with any other investment, you'll need to look at this around your current and expected life circumstances: do you already have money in the bank, 3-6 months worth? Do you have high interest debt that you should pay back before making investments? Are you saving for any near term large purchases, like a car or house? Are you well insured against most common hazards, with car insurance, homeowners or renters insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, and life insurance (if you have dependents)? All of these core considerations may take precedence over gold - or any other - investments. Most investment advisors suggest that one's investments in precious metals - in all forms, including the stocks of the companies that mine them, be kept to 5-10% of one's investable assets, and that's not a bad guide for most individuals. Given that, in part as noted in the wisdom of some of the other answer-ers to this question: * Coins have some advantages over bars, primarily because coin buyers usually don't require that their gold content be re-evaluated (assayed) when they are bought and sold. * You might consider any of the following in your mix of gold investments: 1. A small amount of physical gold, usually in the form of coins purchased from bullion dealers (monex.com, kitco.com, blanchardonline.com, etc.), coin dealers, or from trusted sellers on eBay. Some foreign buyers only want .999 fine gold coins, and only some American coins, like the Buffalo coins, offer that fineness. Other US gold coins - with the same amount of total gold content - may be only .916 or .900 fine (91.6% or 90% gold, with the rest of its metal content consisting of an alloy metal like copper or silver) for instance, and for that reason might be in somewhat less demand from outside of the US, although a large fraction of US buyers may not care one whit about this. But for the most part, any well-recognized gold coin, from a US Eagle or Buffalo to a Canadian Maple Leaf, Austrian Philharmonic, or South African Krugerrand, to name just a few of the main options, is a reasonable choice. 2. Certificates for overseas storage of gold, from companies like GoldMoney.com or the Perth Mint. 3. Shares in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), like Street Tracks Gold Shares (ticker symbol "GLD"), that represent a part ownership of a big pile of securely-stored gold and track the gold price. These trade just like stocks. 4. Shares in mutual funds that own stock in companies that mine gold. Here's one reputable mutual fund complex with two gold-oriented mutual funds that allows you to do so with just $100 up front and $50 a month: http://www.usfunds.com/docs/html/abc_pla... That way, you won't try to "time" the market: if gold mining companies' shares drop, you'll buy more shares, and if they rise, you'll buy less, until you've allocated whatever amount you wish. As well, they can do the work of picking stocks which, if you haven't studied the sector, might take you some time to learn to the point of comfortably making your own investment decisions. Here's a comprehensive list of other gold-oriented mutual funds available to US investors: http://www.eaglewing.com/fundlist.html 5. A diversified portfolio of individual companies that explore for, build reserves of, or mine gold. To do this, you'll need to do a considerable amount of homework, or find a trusted investment adviser who knows this sector well. Before buying *any* gold, figure out why you want to own it. What makes the gold price go up? What factors (like increases in the amount of central bank sales of gold, or increases in the value of the dollar against other currencies) are often - at least recently - associated with it going down? If you're buying physical gold as disaster insurance, for instance, against the possibility of widespread bank failures or hyperinflation, you'll need to figure out a) whether you can stand holding it if its price should decline, even sharply, in the next couple of years and b) where you can safely store it. If you're buying gold as an investment, you'll want to have some idea about why you're buying it now, what prices you'll sell at, why and when you expect those prices to be realized, under what specific circumstances you'll consider selling, and how much you'll sell. Note that when you buy and sell anything - gold or stocks - you'll take a haircut when both buying and selling, in the way of commissions and buy/sell spreads, so you might need to make 5-15% on various forms of gold-related investments just to break even. Some background: we do know that gold went from $35 per Troy ounce in 1973 - when its price stopped being fixed by the US Government - to (briefly) $850 in 1980, down to around $250 at a couple of points around 2001-03, up to $1050 recently, and is around $880 today, as of this writing. These aren't inflation-adjusted prices; roughly speaking, the $850 peak in 1980 corresponded to about $2,200 per Troy ounce in today's dollars, which means that the gold price today is less than half the 1980 peak. We also know that, over extremely long periods of time, gold has roughly retained its purchasing power in goods, but that there are periods, sometimes long ones, where it is a very good investment and periods where it has been a very poor one. Those experiences even vary by country, as in cases where a nation's currency rapidly loses value due to capital flight, high inflation, or even hyperinflation. Finally, we know that the gold price is volatile: even during its run-up from $35 to $850 over a 7-year period in the late 1970s, there was one case where it fell from $200 to $100 within about a one-year period from 1973-74, if memory serves. As for the best time to invest, you might read what investment "experts" think about what will happen to the gold price and the prices of individual, or indexes of, gold-oriented stocks by continuing to read articles at these websites: http://www.kitco.com (see the links in the "Contributed Commentaries" section, about mid-way down the home page) http://www.321gold.com (see the links at top, under "Gold Silver $$$") But be advised: there are as many opinions as experts, and they are often contradictory :-). For that reason, you might consider making your purchases of physical gold or gold stocks gradually, spaced apart by a month or two over a longer-term period. Once again, setting up automatic monthly dollar-cost investing into a gold-oriented mutual fund is a terrific automatic way to do this. That way, you aren't tempted to buy more when prices are rising and stop buying, or sell out of panic, when prices are falling. Finally, as someone else astutely observed, the face value of a coin is pretty much irrelevant to its gold content or the metal value of that content. There is one exception: some coins are legal tender at their face value, and this gives buyers some rather far-fetched downside protection. For instance there are some Canadian $100 legal tender gold coins, with about 50-60% gold content, that are worth about $200 in gold melt value today. If the price of gold were to plummet more than 50% from present levels (i.e. below about $400-$450 per Troy ounce), those coins would still be legal tender at $100 Canadian dollars, so you would have protection against these coins falling further in value, if gold were to then fall even further below that level. But that's a somewhat improbable scenario, and is mentioned here mostly for completeness.

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Hi everyone, we have applied for a permanent resident visa and if we get accepted, we are planning to live in toronto or montreal, but we cannot decide which city we should live in. we are a family of four. my mother is a french teacher and my father is an electronics technician. we would like to live in a safe environment and also to buy an affordable two-story house (we have saved 180.000 canadian dollars so far.). which city is cheaper and safer? i am also open to any other city suggestions. :) thank you in advance.

That is totally personal taste, if you like the Francophone thing and want to grow up with heavy emphasis on French language, and colder winters, Montreal is the place, it is a fantastic downtown and vibrant city, clost to Mt Tremblant and ski resorts. The city has a slightly older feel to it, although more cultural than Toronto. Toronto is also a happening place on the shores of Lake Ontario and is more English, and slightly warmer climate although the snow is fairly heavy in Jan/Feb in both cities (except this year so far..) If you are going to move to Toronto, check out some of the suburbs, as they sprawl in all directions away from Toronto along the Go Train commuter line. Both cities have a great infrastructure and plenty to do. Cost of living? Maybe slightly lower in Montreal, not sure though, I prefer Toronto, but it is a matter of job too and what you will want to do when you get there. Toronto's Western suburbs are beautiful to live in, especially further out like Oakville, Burlington area. There are also many cool parts near downtown Toronto, so good luck with your move, in any case, both cities will make a great home. Just get some winter boots and a touque!

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He has been blamed for the economic fallout from an irresponsible 90's era, pushed forward against our enemies and been blamed for everything from global warming© to genocide in darfur but he kept a positive outlook and led the country well. i respect george walker bush as a man and a leader.

I do respect him. What the Bush slayers try to constantly portray, is that he CAUSED 9/11/01, hurricanes, any and all atrocities that have occured since he took office. Truth be known, Clinton left behind a mess, almost as if it was to sabotage a Republican President. George Bush has been in office for 7 years and 8 months. The first 6 years the economy was fine, moving at a stable predictable rate. Just over one year ago:· Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;· The unemployment rate was 4.5%;· Most businesses were thriving in our country;· The DOW JONES hit a record high of 14,000+, and American’s were buying new cars, taking cruises, buying second homes and vacations houses, we were living large!…;· The USA was still respected and recognized for our global commitment!;· The Dollar was strong, and the world wanted to invest in the good old USA;· Many did not agree with our tactics, but the world saw a unified America, never seen since world war II. But American’s wanted ‘CHANGE’! So; in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress & yep; we got ‘CHANGE’ all right. In the PAST YEAR and some months: · Consumer confidence has plummeted; · Gasoline got to over $5 a gallon, and we have not seen the end yet!; · Unemployment is up to 6% (a 15% increase)and rising; · Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION & prices are still dropping; · 1.9% of American homes are in foreclosure, more to come; · THE DOW is probing another low at 11,508; · $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS have evaporated from our investment portfolios; · The Dollar is at our history’s weakest margins; · The current US Congress (Led by Harry Reed , Nancy Pelosi & Joe Biden) made it a partisan agenda to stall, block, and fight any project of law that could help the incumbent party in any way! · Congress has since received the LOWEST public approval record in history at 9%. Lower than that of their one and only nemesis which they have set out to destroy with rhetoric and lack of support; Our President at 34% . YEP, IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE!…AND WE SURE GOT IT!!!….Only in America can our own government institution (Laden by the self serving scum of our society) bring us down to our knees as our Congress has in 18 months! NOW OBAMA, SAYS HE’S REALLY GOING TO GIVE US CHANGE!!· Increase Income Taxes; · Increase Capital Gains Taxes; · Reinstate the Inheritance Taxes to higher levels; · Withdraw our forces from Iraq (Possibly reversing our hard won victory); · Nationalize Healthcare (Now I know I’ve heard this before? Yes Michael Moore!) neither have a clue, it just sounds good!; Ask the Canadians how well that's working out for them if they need immediate care. · Reduce Military spending (Clinton set us back 10 years; this clown will have us asking the UN to protect our interests by the time he gets through!); Obama is lickin’ his chops over the military budget. He intends to dessimate our military. He doesn’t give a crap about U.S. security or takin’ the fight to the enemy. He wants to spend that money not save it. He has a bill right now on the floor of the Senate called the “Global Poverty Act”. $300 billion (the same we have spent defending this nation since 9/11) to give to the United Nations to “FEED THE WORLD”. (How about feeding US first Senator Obama) · Wants to “Dialogue” and “Understand” our worst enemies, and does not want to seem insensitive by wearing OUR flag pin; · Obama fails to see the need to protect infant life; even after live birth! · He is going to achieve all this by crossing “Party Lines”!!! HUH?? An inexperienced Democrat President, with a failed Democratic Congress in power at the same time? Why would he need to cross any lines? Obama must think that we are all really stupid! · Obama denies his Muslim origins by calling himself a Christian, yet writes in his OWN book; The Audacity of Hope: ‘I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.’ Will we see that evidenced if he doesn't get elected? On ABC, during an interview with George Stephanopolous, 2 weeks ago, Obama referred to "my Muslim faith". George S. corrected him with a ”YOU MEAN CHRISTIAN DON’T YOU?" Only someone who USED to be a muslim would make a gaffe like that. His claim of being a Christian is for political expediency ONLY, pure and simple! JUST HOW MUCH MORE ‘CHANGE’ DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND???….. Are we blind or just as he thinks we are? Mostly Stupid!!