Monday 2 January 2012

Our Top New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 and how to keep them!

Every year millions of people make resolutions to change or improve things in their lives that they have been putting off or that have become more important.  We wanted to share some of the top resolutions for 2012 in Canada (and within our Mortgage Team) along with some tips on how to increase your chances of making them a reality this year.

Change the World / Make A Difference – we all have the ability to change the world and to help others by sharing our gifts, our time, and committing random acts of kindness every day.  By taking just a few minutes to help out a stranger or do something nice for someone you start to create ripples of kindness and compassion that really can change the world.  There are also thousands of charities and organizations that need volunteers; to find a place where you can help that matches your interests, skills, talents and availability just go to
www.google.com and type in the name of you your city and the word volunteer.

Lose Weight / Be Healthier – the most obvious tip is to make the effort to get to the gym and to eat less but what it really comes down to is simply burning more calories off than you take in.  Eating healthy is more important than eating less and being aware of how many calories you are eating versus how many you are working off is the first step.  If the intake is greater than the output then you need to add more physical activity to your routine.  Also be sure take time every day to relax and find ways to reduce your stress – physical health and mental health are equally important!

Quit Smoking – it doesn’t matter how many times you have tried in the past, you can still reach your goal of stopping smoking.  Science has come a long way in understanding the complexity of nicotine addiction and there are some very successful tools and aides to help you now.  My Time To Quit has some great tips and online tools that can help you get there, to access the tools visit:
http://www.mytimetoquit.com/sites/mttq/pages/how-to-plan-your-quit.aspx  Don’t give up, this is not a process you can fail as long as you as trying to move forward and try again.

Get out of Debt / Improve Finances – if you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of debt you have you are not alone, the level of consumer debt in North America is growing.  The biggest challenge to getting out of debt and taking control of your financial health is usually high interest rates that put consumers into a viscous cycle of robbing Peter to pay Paul every month.  There are many options available to help you with this problem – if you rent or lease your home there are agencies in every city that will help you negotiate better rates with your creditors and get your payments under control.  If you own your home you can trade in your high interest rates debt (including credit cards and consumer debts at rates of over 30% interest) for rates as low as 3.25% by leveraging your existing equity.   If you are thinking about consolidating your debts and own your home please contact us for a complimentary no-obligation consultation on your options and how we can help you create less stress and a better financial future for you and your family.  You can reach us online at
http://www.larryarnason.com or you can call us 403-265-5363 / 1-888-722-5086

Wishing you a very happy and successful 2012!
~ Larry Arnason, Mortgage and Finance Broker

Thursday 10 November 2011

Canada Remembers our Veterans and Heroes on Remembrance Day 11/11

Each year on November 11 Canadians commemorate our veterans, active military, and fallen heroes in thanks for their bravery and sacrifice so that we and millions of people around the world can live in freedom.  We honor this date in memory of the end of the first World War which came at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.  More than 65,000 Canadian soldiers died in WWI in battles that included Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele – battles that changed the course of the war.  Since that time the Canadian military has continued to fight alongside our allies in times of war and acts as a global peacekeeping force defending people still living under oppression and where their basic human rights are being abused around the world. 

The men and women who serve give their bravery, hearts, and all too often their lives in pursuit of the highest belief that every person – man, woman, and child – deserves to live in freedom without fear or suffering.  To the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have fought in the name of freedom and continue to fight today we are grateful beyond words.

Please join me at 11am on Friday November 11th in observing a moment of silence to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers and say a prayer that the thousands of military personal – our sons and daughters – from Canada and the many other countries who fight along side us return home safe.

The Ode of Remembrance:

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

~ with gratitude