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[ad_1] If you’re new here, I practice the Buy Ahead Principle — which means that what we buy each week is often for future weeks. We stock up on the best deals and markdowns each week and that means that we then have a variety of items from previous shopping trips to use to plan a menu from. With the increase in grocery prices, I’ve decided to raise our grocery budget to $100 a week because I’ve not been having enough wiggle room to stock up like I’d want to. This amount will still challenge me to be creative while also giving me enough breathing room to stock up and continue to practice the Buy Ahead Principle. In addition to practicing the Buy Ahead Principle, I Reverse Meal Plan. This means that I plan based upon what we have on hand plus what good sales/markdowns I found at the stores. (Read more about Reverse Meal-Planning here.) {Follow me on Instagram stories for real-time videos on what I’m buying if you don’t want to have to wait for me to get the post written up for the blog!} I was SO excited about this deal on blueberries! $0.99 per pint at Kroger — and you could buy up to 5! I finally found a deal on potatoes! I bought three bags! And then someone tipped me off that Aldi had butter on sale! Ours had them on sale for $2.99/lb but I’ve heard that some Aldi stores have them on sale for $1.99! Stock up and freeze it for baking for the holidays! Chicken breasts were on sale for $1.99/lb at Kroger with the digital coupon. We also picked up two dozen eggs from our friends who have chickens for $5/dozen. Chocolate chips were on sale for Buy 2, Get 1 free — which makes them $1.66/bag. And cheese was $5.99 Here’s everything I bought at Kroger and Aldi + the eggs we bought. I had $60 leftover from the past two weeks’ grocery budget, so I rolled that over and I spent $132. So I’ll roll over the rest to next week. I’ve been eating a lot of snacky lunches recently instead of salad. I usually make a similar lunch for Kierstyn, too. We used the tortillas, chicken, and cheese for chicken quesadillas! Yum!! [ad_2] Source link

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[ad_1] Insightful borrower data and enhanced tech solutions are paramount to success in today’s modern mortgage industry. HousingWire recently spoke with Dan Catinella, chief lending officer at Total Expert, about how Customer Intelligence technology is improving deal flow and pushing the customer experience into the 21st century.  HousingWire: As mortgage lenders continue to look for ways to cut costs amid a high-rate environment, where are some key areas that they should still look to innovate?  Dan Catinella: Lenders should lean into the power of their tech stack as they try to cut costs in the current market situation. By implementing the right technology within their organizations, traditional financial institutions can further innovate and stay ahead of the competition.   Evaluating which tools in your current stack have the largest ROI and streamlining the use of them are key to ensuring loan officers are working most efficiently. The best tools will allow lenders to be innovative in how they target prospects and engage with current customers.      Total Expert uses data to gain knowledge of how customers and prospects are interacting with marketing and sales, which helps them to make well-informed decisions about how to better connect and engage with them moving forward.  Upgrading or streamlining your tech toolkit to efficiency-boosting technology solutions like Total Expert provides traditional lenders the advantages needed to compete in a difficult market and is a great place to start when minimizing costs.   HW: What role does Customer Intelligence play in today’s challenging housing market?    DC: Today’s challenging market makes it critical for mortgage lenders to connect with customers using hyper-personalized messaging based on where they are in their financial journeys.  Explaining market changes, educating on financial strategies, and tapping into referral networks are all important ways to connect with customers, even when they may not be looking to buy a home. Staying engaged and informed is key to uncovering and growing relationships.  Total Expert’s Customer Intelligence is the perfect tool to surface customer insights and provide lenders with the intent and behavior data they need to connect at key moments of opportunity. With a quickly shifting market, lenders who leverage data and intelligent automation can surface opportunities to serve past customers and ensure they are optimizing their opportunities through recommended actions and pre-built workflows. The tool is about injecting the human element at the right time and giving sales staff the intelligence through data and insights to have those meaningful conversations.    At the moment, this might also mean engaging customers with more educational content. Laying out strategies that look beyond the current market conditions will make sure customers know they have someone they can trust when they decide it’s time to buy.  Strategies including the cost of waiting, rent vs buy, and other loan opportunities for first-time homebuyers will help optimize the top of your funnel. When loan officers have access to the right data to inform and advise on these strategies, customers will feel empowered to decide when the time is right.    HW: How can Customer Intelligence increase borrower retention and benefit deal flow?  DC: Customer Intelligence is a game-changer for customer retention because it combines key insights with industry-leading intelligent automation. Borrowers are more likely to remain loyal and have a rewarding experience when they’re working with a financial institution that anticipates their financial needs.  The various customer insights trigger customizable workflows, allowing lenders to connect proactively based on the individual customer’s unique financial situation at that moment in time and nurture the relationship with personalized content.  Customer Intelligence also helps mortgage lenders accelerate deal flow by marrying borrower intent with automation to identify opportunities that would have otherwise been missed.  Through real-time alerts, customer data can turn into funded loans by blending it with customer intent data, allowing lenders to quickly understand their needs and provide the products and services that support their individual circumstances.  HW: How is Total Expert’s Customer Intelligence helping lenders close more deals?    DC: The more data and insights lenders have available, the better customer experience they can provide. Loan officers can use the data surfaced by Customer Intelligence to inform their recommendations and financial strategies for their customers, who will in turn feel supported and more likely to develop long-term relationships.  In today’s challenging market, helping customers understand their options to refinance, the benefits of owning to build equity, or the option for a reverse mortgage are especially important. Customer Intelligence can help loan officers surface data about their customers to better understand what would be of value to them, given where they’re at in their financial journey. For example, if a customer is at the point of needing to purchase a home but is feeling uneasy about current interest rates, loan officers can share strategies for a refinance down the line once rates lower.   Serving as a consultant and mortgage resource for customers when the market hits a down period is critical. We are seeing a mindset shift for many originators. They are taking more of an advisory role than ever before.  By harnessing the best technology and data intelligence to surface opportunities, they are staying in front of customers’ needs and maintaining relationships with customers in new and innovative ways. Staying connected with customers and making them feel educated and empowered will put mortgage lenders in a stronger position to close more deals.   To learn more about the advantages of Customer Intelligence in today’s market, visit totalexpert.com.  [ad_2] Source link

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[ad_1] Most financially conscious Canadians have become experts at getting value for money. Whether it’s looking at per-unit prices to see if a bulk offer is truly a deal, or shopping around for the lowest fees on comparable services, we’ve learned to make the most of every dollar. And yet, when it comes to charitable giving, many of us never even consider how much “good” our donations produce, and trust that all reputable organizations provide the same bang for our buck in terms of measurable change. But the reality is, not all charities have equal impact.  Tap to read more: Charity Intelligence top 10 impact charities in Canada for 2022 What impact means for charities—and for your donations Why charitable impact matters Overhead vs. Impact What donors should look for Methodology for the impact rating of charities Charity Intelligence top 10 impact charities in Canada for 2022 Ever wonder how a charity uses the money you donate? Is it mostly on marketing, or is it going directly to those in need? If you want to boost the impact of your charitable donations, check out our rankings of best charities for impact. We have four lists for you: Top 10 Impact Charities Overall Top 10 Canadian Impact Charities Top 10 International Impact Charities Top 10 Impact Canadian Food Banks Top 10 Impact Charities Overall Charity City Province Sector Subsector Against Malaria Foundation Canada Toronto Ontario International Health Canadian Foodgrains Bank Winnipeg Manitoba International Food The Citizens’ Foundation Canada Oakville Ontario International Education Effect Hope Markham Ontario International Health Fresh Start Recovery Centre Calgary Alberta Social Services Addiction Indspire Ohsweken Ontario Social Services Education Lifewater Canada Thunder Bay Ontario International Water and sanitation, hygiene (WASH) Moisson Mauricie Trois-Rivieres Quebec Social Services Food Operation Eyesight Universal Calgary Alberta International Health Partners in Mission Food Bank Kingston Ontario Social Services Food Top 10 Canadian Impact Charities Charity City Province Sector Subsector The Boundless School Toronto Ontario Social Services Youth Calgary Food Bank Calgary Alberta Social Services Food East York Learning Experience Toronto Ontario Social Services Education EPIC Society Sydney Nova Scotia Social Services Youth First Book Canada Mississauga Ontario Social Services Children Fresh Start Recovery Centre Calgary Alberta Social Services Addiction Indspire Ohsweken Ontario Social Services Education JUMP Math Toronto Ontario Social Services Education Moisson Mauricie Trois-Rivieres Quebec Social Services Food Partners in Mission Food Bank Kingston Ontario Social Services Food Top 10 International Impact Charities Charity City Province Sector Subsector Against Malaria Foundation Canada Toronto Ontario International Health Canadian Foodgrains Bank Winnipeg Manitoba International Food The Citizens’ Foundation Canada Oakville Ontario International Education Doctors Without Borders Canada Toronto Ontario International Health Effect Hope Markham Ontario International Health Farm Radio International Ottawa Ontario International Livelihood Lifewater Canada Thunder Bay Ontario International WASH Mennonite Central Committee Canada Winnipeg Manitoba International Development Operation Eyesight Universal  Calgary Alberta International Health World Vision Canada (new) Mississauga Ontario International Development Top 10 Impact Canadian Food Banks Charity City Province Sector  Subsector Calgary Food Bank Calgary Alberta Social Services Food The Compass Mississauga Ontario Social Services Food Feed Ontario (new) Toronto Ontario Social Services Food Food Depot Alimentaire (new) Monction New Brunswick Social Services Food Greater Vancouver Food Bank (new) Burnaby British Columbia Social Services Food Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Social Services Food Kamloops Food Bank and Outreach Society Kamloops British Columbia Social Services Food Moisson Mauricie Trois-Rivieres Quebec Social Services Food Moisson Montreal Montreal Quebec Social Services Food Partners in Mission Food Bank Kingston Ontario Social Services Food Return to top of page Get free MoneySense tips and more in your inbox! It pays to know. SIGN UP NOW What impact means for charities—and for your donations “Some charities create a lot of change with the donations given to them. Others have almost nothing to show for the money coming from donors,” says Greg Thomson, director of research at Charity Intelligence (Ci), a charity that helps Canadians make informed giving decisions.  Indeed, there are charities that can take a $100-donation and turn it into nearly $700 worth of value for the people it supports and society at large. For example, a charity that helps at-risk teens could provide a sizable financial benefit to the youth who use its programs (in the form of food, housing, wellness, etc.), as well as to the greater community through cost savings to the public health-care and shelter systems.  On the other end of the spectrum, there are charities that destroy value, perhaps producing just $40 worth of measurable change from the same $100-donation because of spending too much in relation to the benefit they create. For example, charities that grant wishes to critically ill children often spend upwards of $25,000 per child, but the value provided to the child and their family is much lower, says Thomson.  “Wish charities are wonderful-feeling things that people love to give to, but they are really expensive,” he says. “One child receives a bedroom makeover, a trip to Disney World, or some other thing that makes them feel really good for a while—and may even improve their physical health a little bit. But when we do the value creation for that one child, we struggle to even get $10,000, out of that $25,000.” And that includes the cost savings to the family if they had taken on the expense of a trip or renovation themselves, he adds. Return to top of page The impact rating How can you find out which charities provide the greatest impact for your donation dollar? That’s where Ci comes in. Ci has released top impact lists now for six years (starting in 2017). And for the past five years (starting in 2018), it’s done a deep dive into Canadian charities to come up with an “impact rating”—a financial measurement of the on-the-ground work each one does.  Ci was already using publicly available information—including financial statements, annual reports, and websites—to rate charities in four areas: results reporting, financial transparency, need for funding, and “cents to the cause” (how

[ad_1] Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned investor, you’ve probably heard these words from a friend or family member who invests in the S&P 500: “Just buy an index fund.” Consider the words of the billionaire investor Warren Buffet: “In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund”. Warren took it one step further, once betting hedge fund manager Ted Seides $1 million that an index fund would outperform a portfolio of hedge funds over the next ten years. And he won. But does it make sense for ALL investors to invest in the S&P 500? What if you like to pick stocks? What if you’re not 100% comfortable investing all your money in the stock market? Let’s look at how the S&P 500 works, along with some pros and cons of investing in the S&P 500, so you can make a more informed decision for YOUR portfolio. Table of Contents What Is the S&P 500? S&P 500 Industry Sectors What Is Required to Be Listed in S&P 500? Top 10 Companies in the S&P 500 How to Invest in the S&P 500 Should You Invest in the S&P 500? Pros of Investing in the S&P 500: Cons of Investing in the S&P 500: Create Your Index Fund in M1 Finance Should You Buy Individual Stocks and Create Your Own S&P 500 Index? What Is the Best Way to Invest in the S&P 500? How Much Does the S&P 500 Return Each Year? Final Thoughts on Investing in the S&P 500 What Is the S&P 500? S&P stands for Standard & Poors, one of the most well-known financial companies in the world over the past 150 years. The S&P 500 is an index of roughly 500 large-cap US stocks. It’s a widely used benchmark for US stock market performance. It differs from the Dow Jones index because it includes a wider range of tech and growth stocks. The Dow Jones only consists of 30 stocks vs. 500 in the S&P. Interestingly, even though the S&P 500 gives a better representation of the “stock market” performance, my financial planning clients always used the Dow Jones as their reference. I was often asked, “How’s the Dow doing today?” Yet, when you read anything about how the market is performing or hear an expert share on CNBC what the market is doing, they usually refer to the S&P. The S&P 500 also serves as a lead benchmark for US equity performance. When the S&P 500 is up, other US stocks tend to follow suit. It also gives investors a good gauge to compare how their portfolio or certain investment are performing. For example, if you own Tesla and the S&P is down, but your stock is up, you know your investment is doing well. Thank you, Elon! S&P 500 Industry Sectors There are 11 sectors in the S&P 500, ranked below by the percentage of the index represented by each: Information Technology (26.4%) Health Care (15.1%) Consumer Discretionary (11.7%) Financials (11.0%) Communication Services (8.1%) Industrials (7.9%) Consumer Staples (6.9%) Energy (4.5%) Utilities (3.1%) Real Estate (2.8%) Materials (2.5%) What Is Required to Be Listed in S&P 500? According to SPC Global, to be included in the S&P 500, a company must meet the following criteria: It must be headquartered in the United States. File financial statements with the SEC (10-K reports) Have a market cap above $8.2 billion. Have at least 50% of its float-adjusted shares outstanding listed on a US stock exchange. Be considered a “blue chip” company, meaning it must have stability and continuity of earnings and dividend payments. Not be in bankruptcy proceedings. It must have a market capitalization of at least $8.2 billion. It must be listed on the NYSE, Nasdaq, or Cboe BZX Exchange. It must have posted positive earnings in the most recent four quarters. The most recent additions include: Crocs, ServiceNow, and Zoom Video Communications. Top 10 Companies in the S&P 500 1. Apple Inc. (AAPL) 2. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) 3. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) 4. Alphabet Inc. A (GOOGL) 5. Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) 6. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B) 7. Unitedhealth Group Inc (UNH) 8. Alphabet Inc. C (GOOG) 9. Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) 10. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) The companies change often, but these ten have been pretty consistent over the last five years. Apple, Amazon, and Google (Alphabet) are all tech companies. These three companies make up a large portion of the S&P 500 index. In fact, as of October 2019, they make up about 22% of the entire index! How to Invest in the S&P 500 There are many ways to invest in the S&P 500. You can buy individual stocks, purchase an index fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF), or create your own M1 Finance index fund (I’ll cover that later.) Buy individual stocks: This is probably the most challenging way to invest in the S&P 500. Not only do you need to have a large sum of money to invest, but you also need to know what stocks to buy. And even if you buy the right stocks, there’s no guarantee they will perform well. Purchase an index fund: An index fund is a type of mutual fund that aims to track the performance of a specific market index, such as the S&P 500. Index funds are a great way to invest in the stock market because they offer diversification and professional management. The largest 3 mutual funds on the S&P 500 are : Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) Vanguard Institutional Index Fund Institutional Plus Shares (VINIX) Schwab S&P 500 Index Fund (SWPPX) Buy an ETF: An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a type of investment fund that tracks the performance of a particular asset or group of assets. Like index funds, ETFs offer diversification and professional management. The top 3 S&P 500 ETFs are: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

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[ad_1] This week’s HW+ member spotlight features James Polinori, chief marketing officer at Geneva Financial. Below, Polinori answers questions about the housing industry: HW Media: What is your current favorite HW+ article and why? James Polinori: “Applying lessons learned to adapt to a competitive market” by Aaron Davis. I enjoyed Aaron’s approach in communicating to panic-stricken originators. Those of us that have been around long enough have a touch of PTSD from the “Implode-O-Meter” days. What we are experiencing right now is absolutely not a 2008 scenario. Originators need to be better prepared for the ebbs and flows of our industry and this article serves as a great starting guide. I forwarded it to all our originators internally. HW Media: What’s your favorite benefit from your HW+ membership and/or why are you enjoying the HW+ community? James Polinori: The LendingLife newsletter is my favorite and most utilized benefit. The structure of Geneva Financial minimizes middle management in order to pay originators higher compensation. This requires leaders to be in the trenches more than a traditional structure might. The LendingLife newsletter helps me stay on top of the industry efficiently and rapidly. Doom scrolling news isn’t productive for anyone. HW Media: What is your most useful tech tool? James Polinori: Our Customer Data Platform. Proper data marketing is incredibly overlooked or underutilized in our industry. The base functionality of our platform has allowed me to build a robust data marketing strategy encased with automation. We’ve created a hands-off system for originators to know instantly when there is an opportunity in their database — from rate monitoring to credit pulls, MLS listing, likely to move and more — when a borrower opportunity arises, by the time the LO gets the alert, their prospect already has received communication and a deal is generated. Our goal is to generate two to three more deals from every transaction an LO closes. Our data marketing plus automation of client reviews, referral requests and listing agent marketing helps us hit that target. HW Media: If you could pick a different career, what would it be? James Polinori: A rock singer or producer. I trained vocally for 12 years and had big dreams. Life had different plans for me and marketing was definitely the path I was meant to be on. I have, however, always tried to work music into my brand strategy for every company I’ve represented. For Geneva Financial, one of the first things I went to work on was crafting the company culture – which brought about our BE A GOOD HUMAN initiative. That culture journey led to the song “Good Human” that I wrote and produced. We released it to all streaming platforms with low expectation but managed to hit #83 on iTunes pop charts in the UK and over 150k streams across all platforms in the 4 months it’s been released. You can hear it here. HW Media: When do you feel success in your job? James Polinori: I had just completed the first phase of data marketing plans, integration and automation when the pandemic hit in March of 2020. As we know, rates sunk down to the 2s, and our system was generating so much business the originators were drowning in applications. Good problems. The amount of emails I received from LO’s at how impressed they were with the amount of deals we created for them was too many to count. Happy LO’s is the best ROI tracking a mortgage CMO can hope for. HW Media: What do you think will be the big themes for the housing market in 2023? James Polinori: I think diversification will be a primary theme next year. Lenders, particularly IMB’s, should always be looking at ways to stay ahead of the curve beyond the usual “We have non-QM” approach. A company, regardless of industry, should always be evolving. I’ve been in the real estate and mortgage sector for 15 years, but in my 32-year career I’ve experienced multiple industries and the biggest difference I’ve noticed is the disconnect between marketing and product teams in our industry. Product offerings should be a creative process. A marketing team worth their salt can offer angles, white labels and strategies that can make a product fly.  HW Media: What’s one thing that people aren’t paying attention to that you think they should be paying attention to? James Polinori: A deeper relationship with their borrowers. We’ve been a traditionally transactional industry and that can have a negative effect on business during downturn periods. A deeper relationship starts with that first conversation. I coach our LO’s to use the data marketing and automation we’ve built for them as a value-add when trying to land a deal. “Mr. Jones, you have a lot of options of companies to do a mortgage transaction with. I’m more interested in our relationship beyond the transaction. We’re going to help you manage your mortgage as an asset, not just a monthly payment. If you close your loan with me, we’ll be monitoring the market hourly against the terms of your mortgage. The second we see an opportunity in rate, equity or other areas, we’ll set up a consultation to determine if there’s a move you can make.” Marketing teams can help their LO’s deepen those relationships by focusing on sticky factors in post-close marketing systems. We’ve created an HGTV style ecosystem for our borrowers — DIY, design, recipes, home management — all things homeowners want to engage with. The mortgage industry standard open rate for email is 14% — our weekly Home By Geneva newsletter has a 45% open rate. We are fostering real relationships with our borrowers. They buy our BE A GOOD HUMAN t-shirts, they cook our original recipes and they send us photos of their DIY projects. Long-game: they remember who did their original mortgage loan and are far less apt to work with anyone else. HW Media: If you could change or implement one piece of housing regulation, what would it be and why? James Polinori: Personally, I’d like to see some regulations catch-up with the times. Solid