Wanda Holmes

(NC) You have completed school, landed a good job, and are looking to move out of the family nest. Or perhaps you are recently married, have bought your first home, and are now expecting a baby. Or maybe you are starting to think about your retirement plans. Whatever life stage you are at or whatever goal you are aiming to achieve, have you mapped out a financial plan to help you get to where you want to go?

November is Financial Literacy Month in Canada, an opportune time for people of all ages to improve their financial know-how to help plan for life's major milestones, like these:

• The options when buying your first home can be overwhelming, but knowing what you need and want in a mortgage, shopping around, getting pre-approved and making the right decisions according to your needs are just some of the steps detailed in the Owning a Home life event from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC).

• If you are expecting, the cost of diapers, clothing, baby equipment, and child care can really add up. FCAC's Having Children life event and budget calculator can help you draw up a plan to financially prepare for a baby and ease the strain on your family budget.

• Whether we retire early or work well into our senior years, we all want to know that we will have enough money to retire comfortably. Early and careful planning is key. How much money will you need? What sources of income will you have? The agency's Planning Your Retirement life event offers tips and advice on these questions that you can use when planning your retirement.

All FCAC's life events, resources and information about financial literacy month are available at itpaystoknow.gc.ca/flm.

(NC)-Are you looking for a fun, surprising way to get together with friends this weekend? Invite them over for a 'beer-and-cheese' tasting party, a refreshing change from the old wine-and-cheese.
 

As the host, here are a few tips to keep in mind for this new and tantalizing event:
 

• Strive to match the flavor intensities;
 

• Cheese intensity is usually measured by firmness while beer intensity is generally measured by color (darker beers = more flavor intensity);
 

• Look for opportunities to contrast (salty and sweet); complement (lighter beers with lighter flavored cheeses); or cut (the carbonation and bitterness in beer are natural palate cleansers).
 

Discover a new world of flavors by mixing and matching on your own. To help you get started, here are some pairing suggestions:
 

• Asiago & Rickard's Dark

• Ricotta & Corona Extra

• Provolone & Coors Light