Breaking Down Investments w/ @TangerineBank

Breaking Down Investments w/ @TangerineBank

Last month I spoke on panel about investments with Tangerine Bank. Not ONLY was it super fun (watch the Facebook Live below) but I learned quite a bit about investing, RSPs, fees, and funds.

Over the past few years I’ve shared my millennial money woes and it’s not been easy, sometimes embarrassing (remember the show Maxed Out?), but facing the problem head on helped me find a solution. Once I set a goal to payback school debt by 30, I stuck to it and accomplished my goal. Now I’m getting into investing my money so I have some later. I dream about retirement life all the TIME.

Investing can be fun! Press play on the video to see for yourself!

WATCH THE VIDEO

 

We’re LIVE at BrainStation breaking down investments with Tangerine Investments Director David McGann, Personal Finance Expert & Blogger Barry Choi, Millennial Money Expert Jessica Moorhouse, Award-winning Content Creator Casie Stewart and Chef Matt Basile of Fidel Gastro’s.


Here’s a few key takeaways I think are really important, like how much money you need, when to start, and watching out for fees.

How much $ do you need to start investing?

NOT A LOT. The most important thing is getting into the habit of putting money away. Once you start to see it grow, you want it to grow more. I love putting money in my TFSA, good security to see that nest egg.

When is the best time to start?

NOW. In the panel I said ‘a year from now you’ll wish you started today‘, this also works for the gym and eating healthy. Not matter what age you are, start putting some $$$ away. Mum set up my first mutual fund in high school after getting my first job, but I took the money out for university. I can only imagine what it would be now if I kept it all this time! ?

What do I invest in?

The right path for someone else is probably not the ideal one for you. I started with my TFSA, putting some money away from each cheque, now I’m looking at what to invest in next. There’s lots of resources online like Barry’s blog [moneywehave.com], Jessica’s website [jessicamoorhouse.com/resources], or on Tangerine’s Forward Thinking blog.

What about fees?
I am not an expert on this but this year CRM2 comes into play from the Canadian Securities Commission meaning your bank or advisor has to be clear about what they are making in a dollar amount (from your investments) not just 2% or 4%. You can get lower fees taking a bit more of a do-it-yourself route (ex. with Tangerine index-based Investment Funds


If you want to learn more I reco chatting to a friend, someone you know who has money, or making friends with Tangerine. They are all about ‘Forward Banking’ and I loved working with their team on this. I’ve set up a new account and will be putting some money into new funds that I pick via the internet. I’m pretty stoked tbn. Here’s to a great 2017!

Disclaimer: This post and my participation in the panel was sponsored by Tangerine, all opinions expressed are strictly mine, ALL MINE! ?

I Got 3D Scanned by Telus at Sherway Gardens, it was COOL.

telus3D, scanner, sherway gardens, innovation, telus, casie stewart

Been to a Telus store lately? They’ve got heaps of new tech and accessories, you can find a Fitbit (I have the Alta!), pick up a Nest for home, treat yourself to wireless headphones, and all kinds of other great accessories. I mentioned a few of mine of the holidays here.

Well,  in their constant pursuit of innovation they’ve set up a 3D scanning booth setup outside the Telus store at Sherway Gardens. You can pop by and get yourself scanned! Telus will send you a digital avatar you can control with an emoji keyboard. I went to test it out IRL and broadcast my session on Facebook Live. Sherway Gardens is a hella nice mall btw, whoa. It’s been ages since I went there.

PRESS PLAY TO WATCH THE VIDEO ??

 

Getting 3D scanned w/ Telus hiiiiiii

Posted by Casie Stewart on Friday, February 3, 2017


I love working with Telus bc they’re always doing cool things in the community and topping up my life with great tech. ?

Wanna get scanned in 3D? Swing by Sherway Gardens before February 14th to experience the 3D scan.

The booth is set up right outside the Telus store. And, if you’re not near the GTA, have no fear, more locations will be added soon. I’ll let you know when I know. ?✌️

 

 

Smart Marketing from Netflix w/ #SantaClaritaDiet

casie stewart, netflix, santa clarita diet, zombie, undead

A couple weeks ago I saw these posts popping up on Instagram with #santaclaritydiet from influencers in the US. All the posts had hashtags like #Fitspo#NewYearNewYou #Hello2017#ImGonnaKillIt and then I was like what the hell is this diet? And what’s with the blood?

santaclaritadiet, santa clarita diet, netflix, casie stewart

Well, we all know now that Santa Clarita Diet is a new show from Netflix and it starts TOMORROW. Drew Barrymore is the mum and something happens and then she is ‘undead’. Tune into Netflix tomorrow to see what’s next. Netflix consistently makes great shows so I always give them spin. Also, since I spend so much time binge watching, we can easily can kill a season in a weekend.

Here’s the Santa Clarita Diet ‘Starter Kit’ they sent me:

This finger looks SO REAL. Its actually pretty disgusting!

I really appreciate a good marketing package and Netflix consistently blows it out of the park. One year for Valentines they sent a House of Cards themed package to go along with the season launch. Another time then sent custom House of Cards Against Humanity. At Christmas once they sent a Bill Murray Christmas sweater and Netflix show themed wrapping paper. For award season one year they sent this package to play bingo and slippers for my guests.

Award Show Bingo + Netflix Slippers!
House of Cards conversation hearts! LOVE!
House of Cards Against Humanity!

I’ll be watching Santa Clarita Diet this weekend. Make sure you are following me on Twitter bc I always live tweet what I’m watching! LMK what you think.

Do What You Want. This Is Your Year.

Do What You Want. This Is Your Year.

Earlier this month, I was in LA and it was the first time in a long time, since I went on a trip without an itinerary. It was so freeing to be on my own, open road, and do whatever want.

On my first night I went to a sound bath + breath workshop. I made a new friend in Vegas who invited me to go that night and even though I didn’t know what it really was, I went. It was really great.

It’s important to step out of your comfort zone. You have to open yourself to new experiences in order to let the light in. 

I feel like the experience changed me a bit. That night I set an intention for the week of my trip and I carried those thoughts around. I’m still carrying them tbh!

I feel calmer, more focussed.


?? This photo was me picking up my rental car from the airport. I picked a car I really wanted to drive. [Mini Convertable via Turo, they gave me a couple credits to go towards it!]  LA is so huge and it’s always rush hour so why not make the most of it?

I was driving Hollywood Blvd. when I saw a vintage store and a meat pie shop. I love both those things and was hungry. Made my next left, parked, and gave mum a ring. We chatted on the phone for 45min while I scrolled racks talking about life and random things I saw.

It made me feel so free. I had nowhere to be and nothing to do and I was hanging out in Hollywood, honeyyyyyy. I got a meat pie after that and stared out the window watching people walk by. It’s not very glamorous but it was totally stress free and just what I needed.

This trip was a good reminder to do what I want.
Stick to my gut feelings.
And try new things. 

It wasn’t all sunshine… Beaides it raining for a bit each day I had serious breakdown one night, sitting in my car, parked outside a last minute airbnb that wasn’t confirmed. [My mum will lose it when she reads this but I was ok.] I had a backup place but I wanted to be on my own and close to my activity the next day.

Everything worked out as soon as I wiped the tears and started to drive away. Of course! I got a text with the door code and turned around. I found street parking which I found out later was a no parking ‘red zone’. but the car was safe thank gawd.


On my last night I stayed at a really cute airbnb where I had the master bedroom w/ ensuite of an alley house. The host was cool and they were about to watch Black Mirror when I arrived.

I took myself out for a fancy sushi dinner that night and thought about the last few days. In the morning I went out to the car and there was a red maple leaf on the roof.

A sign it was time to come home. ??


Three Beautiful Human Minutes

Three Beautiful Human Minutes

I watched this last night before bed and then had all these feelings and started crying. Good reminder you’re not alone and you aren’t the only one going through this right now.

Three Beautiful Human Minutes

Three beautiful minutes. Do not miss it. Thank you Denmark for the video.

Share. Spread love. Spread understanding. And remember to put humanity first.

Director: Asger Leth. He thanks everyone for the love.

Posted by Nima Y. on Sunday, January 29, 2017

NEW LOOK, WHO DIS | 2017 Partnership w/ @SassoonToronto

NEW LOOK, WHO DIS | 2017 Partnership w/ @SassoonToronto

I wanted to get my hair cut before I went to LA and Vegas, but it just didn’t happen. I was been feeling pretty dumpy, the ‘I need a haircut’ feeling can really get you down. However, the day before I left for California I received an email at the bank and said ‘YESSSSS’ out loud to my phone while in line. It was from Matte PR who works with Sassoon Salon,  inviting me to be an ambassador for the brand. I love Sassoon’s precision, have a ton pinned on my Beauty Board and remember that super funky black/blonde I had about 2 years ago, total Sassoon style.

Remember this look? Sassoon Style cut from 2 years ago!

My hair has a HUGE impact on my style, it shows off my personality and it’s part of my overall ‘look’ or ‘brand’ if you wanna call it that. If you’ve known me for a while, you know short blonde hair is MY THING. Short/blonde is also SUPER HIGH MAINTENANCE, having a partner to work with elevates pretty huge expense plus I love having experts on hand. I really enjoyed my first experience at Sassoon which is great because this hair is a sizeable time investment every couple weeks. In case you’re not familiar, The blonde can go yellow/brassy and the cut looks sloppy if not cut on the regular. 

My New Cut Colour ??????

I’m super jazzed  to be seeing seeing Sassoon Toronto’s Tricia McQuillan and Kimberley Wallace for cut/colour/style/treatments every 4 weeks with blow dry/style in between for the next few months. I almost wrote blogdry haha.

My new cut gives me serious self-love. It’s short and full of personality and style. The colour is a perfect, even blonde that’s actually shiny. Hard for bleached hair! The cut is precise and car be worn a few different ways. If you’re keen for a new style and want to book an appt, call 416 920 1333 or visit sassoon-salon.com (I’ve linked to Toronto!).

WHAT DO YOU THINK?!!

Working with Sasoon from January - June 2017 - hopefully longer!

2017 Tech Trends from from @WeAreWearables & #CES2017

wwto_photo, casie stewart, wearable, tech, speaker, toronto, canada, blonde, pixie, firecracker

Last week I was on a panel at We Are Wearbles TO Meetup. Five journalists took the stage on a panel to talk tech trends from CES 2017 earlier this month. I was at the conference in Vegas and there was definitely lots to see.  If you’ve not been to CES, IT IS HUGE.  Imagine Toronto’s MTCC x 10 with other demo areas set up in massive hotels (ex. Aria).

During the panel we talked about trends and products we saw on the CES floor. Mostly sensors, wearables, VR/AR, fashion, hearables, & smartwatches.

A really cool sensor I saw at CES was the Corning ‘Glassie’  a smart mirror class that has a camera in it and can take your photo. Perfect for those OOTS amirite?!

I learned about the Nex Band that has 5 customizable buttons unlike any other smart watch wearable. The Nex band is ‘a smart band that lets you create custom hacks in seconds, with no coding required!”. Very cool, like to try one of these out.  [?? waves hiiiiii!]

Lowdown Focus is the latest from Interaxion, makers of the Muse Headband. I wrote about using the Muse here. The glasses are packed with sensors including EEG, EOG and EMG technology, they also have a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyro, 3-axis magnetometer, UV sensor (UVA and UVB), temperature gauge and a pressure sensor. Pretty incredible considering they look like a totally normal pair of glasses.

The Lowdown Focus is the brain-child of Safilo, the Italian eyewear giant that produces sunglasses, sports eyewear, and helmets under its five house brands, including Smith Optics and 22 licensed brands like Dior and Fendi- read more on BetaKit

If you’re curious about any other stuff we talked about at WWTO pop by their website so see what’s hot in wearables and tech. If you’re keen to attend the next meetup, sign up here for a free ticket.

Knix That! Only Good Vibes Here! #SpinInYourSkin

Last week I did my first spin class at Spokehaus. I loved it so much, it was really intense and I was so sweaty. I felt great the next day, I could feel it in my muscles but I wasn’t dying. It was a great workout. I’m planning to go back and do it again. Last night I slept funny an now can hardly move my head, good for blogging bad for anything else.

The goal of the class that day was to KNIX bad words or insecurities you might have been carrying around, to set yourself free. For everyone who did the class in Knix Wear, a bra and undies were donated to CAMH.


WATCH THE VIDEO

“Over 120 incredible women knixed their insecurities by spinning in their skin and, all together, we took one big step towards loving ourselves. ” – read more


Travel Goals: RV Adventure 2017

Travel Goals: RV Adventure 2017

When I was a kid my grandpa Doug converted an old school bus into the ultimate traveller complete w/ stove, bbq, and a few beds. We would drive about 2hrs to the Down Under Summer Games with heaps of Kiwis and Aussies. It was so much fun, we would sing, dance, have a a hangi, go fishing, and watch the dads do a gumboot toss. It’s a down under thing haha.

This summer I’m planning to live out one of my dreams and so an RV adventure. GoRVing Canada has invited me and I’ve not set out the details but it’s going down. ? Or East, West, who knows!

GoRVing.ca helps RVers in Canada with information about RV dealers, RV rentals, RV parks and campgrounds. Find all kinds of info at gorving.ca. ????

The airstream section was my favourite. It’s totally hipster of me but I love the hyyge, cozy, retro of it all. I think I could do a summer living in one of these as long as I had wifi and freshwater. I’ve learned to need way fewer things over the last few years.

There are so many different kitchen/sleep/bathroom options, sizes, and pries in RVs. I knew there would be a lot to consider as a friend told me about the campingfunzone.com RV/trailer article she read and what you need to take into consideration but I was overwhelmed! I was impressed by the luxe of some, full kitchens, big fridge, queen beds.

Overheard a conversation of a few people talking about how they used to live on their boat and now are looking for a nice RV to travel land on. So cool! A few years back my mum & her bf lived on their boat for a year and sailed to the Bahamas. I’ve always admired the planning they put into that trip and that life.

Not sure where the RV adventure will take us this summer but I deff want to check out some of our the great parks and explore Canada. Parks Canada has waived all fees for 2017 in honour of Canada 150 and you can still get them here. I ordered one for Sean, Em, and I. The last time I went camping was to SandHill Park as kid with my parents. I am not really into the idea of camping now, but airstream or RV sounds like so much fun.

I’ve been looking at travel bloggers who’ve gone on RV adventures and there’s so many great photos. Love stories of people who decided to ditch city living, their house, and work remotely with their RVs & travel (LiveSmallRideFree, Aluminarium, Campendium). Lynne Knowlton also has a pretty amazing airstream for rent along with her treehouse.

The top image in this post is from Airstream Family in Australia and the one below is from blogger @ariellevy and edited w/ Color Story one of my fav apps.

I posted a short Facebook Live video from the RV show you can watch below. I had a bunch replies of people who are interested in this trip so I’ll be sure to keep you updated. Summer is a few months away but it warms my heart thinking about cottage life and this adventure.

 

When you think about you want to something for a long time and then it happens…

Posted by Casie Stewart on Friday, January 20, 2017

I’ve talked about this to my friends so many times it’s so exciting to be making it a reality! Weeeee!

????

Doing My First Spin Class Today! ? #SpinInYourSkin in Support of CAMH

It’s a rainy day and I’ve been working from my bed office. It’s just so warm and cozy! I recently made some big changes to our loft bedroom upstairs where I do most of my work. I’ve got the Y&R on my iPad Pro and I’m typing away on that great little table I made (this one).

I’m leaving any minute now  to a shoot at Spokehaus for their #spininyourskin class in partnership with knixwear. They’re hosting a first-ever class focused on body positivity, while giving back.

Anyone who choses to #Spininyourskin (aka your knixwear bra & undies, ah!) multiple undergarments will be donated to CAMH Foundation (Center for Addiction and Mental Health). They’re really in need of  bras for incoming patients so if exercise with a bunch of rad babes can help them out, I’m down. Also gets me out of the house for a good sweat!

They’ll still donate a bra if you do the class in your clothes. It’s hosted by model and body-positivity spokesperson Elly Mayday.  There are more classes tonight if you want to sign up.

This is the bra we are getting. I hope it fits gahhh.

Knixwear is hooking us up with boy shorts and a sports bra and we are going to spin in our skin. The thing is I’ve never actually done a spinning class and I’m a little worried I might PUKE. I’m kinda NERVOUS ABOUT THIS OMG WHAT AM I DOING.

I feel more confident about my body since my surgery this summer. Before the new boobs, wearing a sports bra, or any bra was uncomfortable, not to mention how much I hated working out with those things. I’m going into this workout with an open heart and maybe, just maybe, I’ll like it?!

UPDATE NEXT DAY: I loved the class. It was so intense! I sweat A LOT. My bike was beside a girl who teaches spin at SpokeHause so I had a good lead to follow. Gonna go again. Feeling it today in my arms and kinda all over. Not dying but I feel it! ?

I was invited to join this class and wanted to write about it because that's what I do. I wrote about things I like. Love this partnership and supporting to a cause that's actually close to my heart, physically. ❤️

Read about my struggles w/ huge boobs most my life and how I feel now.  Spoiler - amazing!