~ By Kathy Grant, KG Creative Consulting (www.kgcreativeconsulting.ca)

With children come a lot of financial obligations for families: diapers, food, clothing, daycare, sports, treats, parties, gifts… the costs add up and feel like they are never ending! It’s a struggle for many of us to keep up with the demands of children, so at an early age it is important we begin to think about investing for their future so it won’t be such a hefty bill when they are ready for the next step. Like I was, you might be wondering where to start? My recommendation would to seek out many options to find the right fit for you but I would definitely suggest you speak with Karen Lanoue, a CST (Canadian Scholarship Trust) Representative.

If you’ve ever met Karen Lanoue, the only LOCAL CST Representative in Kamloops, you would know that she is an honest, loyal, hardworking, caring and compassionate individual. Her demeanour and general mannerism makes you feel very comfortable discussing your children’s future goals in a very simplistic yet detailed fashion.  CST Group Savings Plan is a long-term, low-risk RESP designed to help grow your money safely and steadily over time.

According to the www.cst.org website, “Studies show that university graduates will earn $1 million more over their lifetime than high school graduates, and 70% of all new jobs in Canada require post-secondary education.”

To me, these numbers solidify why my husband and I are working so hard every month to make the extra payments into our children’s future.  With this knowledge we, as parents, need to realize the importance of a post-secondary education (and saving for it now while there is still time).

Simply put, RESP’s are a better way to save for your family’s education. Starting at an early age it is the easiest way for parents to ensure that a post-secondary education is affordable for their children. RESP’s allow for tax-free growth and access to government grants, FREE MONEY.

Let’s quickly jump back to the FREE MONEY that was previously mentioned – the government of Canada will match your RESP contributions up to $500 per year for your child’s education – not too shabby!

Karen is the type of person that loves to give back. She volunteers her time to help out with events, she is currently running a promotion with Lizzie Bit’s Baby Co. by giving away at $30 store credit as a form of thank you to many of her current and future clients and if that wasn’t enough, Karen has partnered up with Kustom Kribs to give one lucky recipient a much needed “Rack-and-Ride” product (look for details in the Kamloops Momma Magazine June/July issue).

If you’d like to win a fabulous rack-and-ride like the one in the picture be sure to email Karen at lanouecst@telus.net and let her know a bit about yourself.

You can also call her to set up a meeting to discuss your goals in a very non-committal way at 250-573-2299.

Happy saving everyone!

Kathy

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