Todd & Danielle Millar

"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears." Les Brown

As I write this article the headlines in the paper are screaming bad news. Oil is up to $147, then down to $115, war in Afghanistan, Russia, your backyard wherever threatens us. Hurricanes, earthquakes and tidal waves all add to the turmoil. South American and Middle Eastern leaders turn on and off the oil tap at their whim, playing with the economy as they would a spoiled child. Healthcare is bankrupt, layoffs are eminent. Riots erupt in protest for cheaper medicines. Food prices are soaring as we turn to making bio-fuels because our planet is dying; global warming is cooking the penguins alive - but no-one will eat them because they're all vegetarians.
America slips into a recession, or a depression if you’re feeling especially gloomy. The U.S. housing market is so bad that bankers in Detroit can barely give a house a way for a dollar- then when they finally do, half of the derelict property has been stolen; metals melted down for money, wood burned for fuel...

It is enough to make you scared isn't it? There is a lot more to be pessimistic about too, especially if you watch TV or read the papers regularly. But, that's not the only story. As overwhelming as it all seems sometimes, it's not so bad.

One of the scariest things I see people doing these days is sitting on their money, frozen in fear. Afraid to lose their fragile nest egg by making a bad investment all the while it erodes away, slipping into the hungry mouth of inflation. Read More

REIN (Real Estate Investment Network) has released it's Alberta Top Ten Towns and once again Edmonton is the best place to invest in Alberta. A market full of fear and banks tightening up on lending due to the sub prime mess in the states doesn't negate the fact that some markets in Alberta will perform better than others.

Edmonton's economic fundamentals, excellent future and continuous infrastructure improvement will keep the city at the top this year. If the current plateau scares you, it's only been a year, look further at the many billion dollar projects planned for the next 15 years. They will keep the economy vibrant and growing.

"If there were no strong economic fundamentals supporting the market, it would be a good thing to be afraid," However, when you study the long-term strength you will be able to relax and not let those from outside the country take up all of the good deals and look like geniuses five years from now." REIN Alberta Top Ten Towns Report

TOP ALBERTA RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TOWNS

1. Edmonton
2. Calgary
3. Red Deer
4. St. Albert
5. Grande Prairie
6a. Lethbridge
6b. Fort McMurray
7. Airdrie
8a. Cochrane
8b. Sylvan Lake
9a. Lacombe
9b. Devon
10. Sturgeon & Strathcona Counties

For the detailed report with specifics on each town click here

As a whole the recent cooling has balanced out the market of course as an investor your investment area should not focus on the national market but on one specific area.

"The property market in Canada is well balanced and prices should rise in line with general inflation, according to economists.

The market has moved from a strong sellers market but it is unlikely to suffer a serious downturn, economists from Scotia Economics say in a new report.

But there are significant regional differences. Former hot locations like Calgary, Saskatoon and Vancouver are now favouring buyers." Read Article

Thank goodness I realized my money skills weren't up to par when I was young enough to make the significant changes necessary to ensure I wouldn't be worried about money at retirement. For the 35% percent of Canadians that are losing sleep at night it's time to take a course, read a book and make the changes necessary.

One thing seriously lacking is a foundation in money management for kids. Although I can still spell antidisestablishmentarianism thanks to Ms. Carroll in grade 4 - one thing I never learned in school was how to make a budget or even balance my cheque book. Now kids have more options as parents are themselves seeing what is missing in their own financial education.

"We teach the kids that money makes you more of what you already are," "You as a person determine how the money will show up in your life and how you use it." Kim Deep president of Kidz Make Cents a company providing youth with financial education

The government of Alberta has a series of courses you can take to improve your financial savvy, like Money 101 for teens and there are many private organizations that can help you or your children learn how to make money not waste it.

Find a course near you!

The most important thing that I have had to improve is my time management. Since I've gotten pregnant and my belly is expanding I am becoming less and less comfortable sitting at a desk for large blocks of time.



My new strategy, which I got from Brian Tracy, is to block my time into 4 hour segments where I make an A, B and C list of my tasks and get them done - NO MATTER WHAT. It's really working well. Before I didn't allot time to one specific task just knew that I had to do it and sometimes it would take 4 hours, now if I only have 4 hours to do three tasks I do them all. It's actually amazing what I can accomplish when I am restricted in the time to do it.

Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!
Anthony Robbins