I was on my way to Carberry when I found this magnificent sight. I took a "not actually a road" road, and I could tell on account of the grass growing in the middle of the "not a road's" tracks. And 1 skunk. The skunk ran out of the ditch I was in shortly after I did. I felt so lucky right then and there. A beautiful old barn with a stormy sky, and NOT getting sprayed by a skunk. 

Residents of the North Hill in Brandon, MB will shortly have a new dining option as Boston Pizza plans to open a second location here in the Wheat City. Construction is expected to start in two weeks.  The new location will be located directly behind the McDonalds on Middleton Ave and will quickly become a popular destination for guests of the area hotels as well travelers heading east or west along the Trans-Canada highway.   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});  

Brandon MB – Brandon has a rich history in the automotive Industry.  To reflect this, the BGMA is pleased to announce the official grand opening of its newest exhibit, “Carstruck: Brandon’s Automotive History”.  The BGMA along with our sponsor, Murray Auto Centre is proud to present a complete history of the automotive sector in Brandon.  The display is made possible by the support of the Murray Auto Centre, which has been a part of Brandon and Westman automotive sector since 1926.  BGMA Board member Tyson Tame commented that “The BGMA as a board felt it was important to highlight the vast history within the automotive sector in Brandon.  There have been many Economic Spinoffs from automotive retailing in Brandon.  Jobs have been created, and it has affected so many lives in Westman”.  The grand opening will be held on Saturday, June 11th, at 1pm at the Museum, 19 – 9th Street.  The display will run from June 11th, 2016 until September. The BGMA officially opened its doors in July of 2011.  Recent popular exhibits at the museum were the History of the Flats, and Brandon: Built on Agriculture. BRANDON GENERAL MUSEUM & ARCHIVES: NEW EXHIBIT OPENING: BGMA Presents: CARSTRUCK: Brandon’s Automotive History Saturday, June 11th, 2016, 1pm Brandon General Museum & Archives 19 – 9th Street, Brandon  MB For more information contact Hillary Campbell at 204-717-1514, or email at bgmainfo@wcgwave.ca.

If you are a business owner, the challenge of finding employees with the required skillset is one thing – once you find them, keeping them is even more of a challenge. What is important to an employee is feeling that they are valued enough to have their employer invest in protecting them should an illness or disability happen to them.  As a business leader, you can ensure your valued employees have the needed protection for themselves and their families with a group benefits plan. Did you know that these plans: Are available to companies with as few as 3 employees? Cost about 3–6% of annual payroll? Are fully tax-deductible? Offer diverse coverage for your employees and their dependants? Are able to pay an employee who is unable to work due to injury or illness? A financial professional can help you grow your business by attracting and retaining the best.

Using your mortgage prepayment options can drastically reduce the total amount you spend on your mortgage and shorten the time it takes to pay it down. If you follow these three steps, you can be mortgage free sooner than ever! 1. Know your prepayment privileges Most mortgages have allowances for you to prepay down your mortgage faster. The standard prepayment amount allowed per payment can vary depending on your mortgage provider. We can work together on your goals to ensure you have the flexibility you require to pay your mortgage faster. Your mortgage provider may be able to increase and decrease your prepayment privilege at any time throughout the life of your mortgage.   This means that if any life event occurs and you need to reduce your payment to the minimum, you can with ease. Most mortgage providers allow this free of charge, but with some providers you can only change your payments a set number of times throughout the year.   2. Increase your payments Anytime you increase your payments, the excess that you pay per payment goes directly onto the principal portion of your mortgage. This is a great way to drastically reduce the interest you will have to pay over the term of your mortgage.   Typical prepayments allow you to add between 10% to 20% of your payment amount to each payment, depending on your lender. Some lenders also allow the use of “double up payments” which let you double each payment!   Here’s an example of prepayments being used on a typical mortgage: All calculations are based off of a $400,000 mortgage with a 5 year term and 25 year amortization at a rate of 2.59% with monthly payments.   No Prepayments: Monthly payments: $1,809.84 Principal paid over 5 year term: $60,836.51 Interest paid over 5 year term: $47,753.89 Mortgage amount remaining: $339,163.49 Years remaining on mortgage after 5 years: 20 Years Adding a 15% Prepayment: Monthly payments: $2,081.32 Principal paid over 5 year term: $78,201.00 Interest paid over 5 year term: $46,678.20 Mortgage amount remaining: $321,799.00 Years remaining on mortgage after 5 years: 15 years & 9 months As you can see, the mortgage was reduced by $17,364.49 and saved $1,075.69 in interest! The mortgage term was reduced by 9 years and 3 months in only 5 years!   3. Make a lump sum prepayment Making a large payment can be a great option for paying down your mortgage, but may not be ideal for everyone. Lump sum payments help you reduce the amount of interest you will be required to pay on your mortgage. They can also be used to reduce your mortgage amount before selling your home and will reduce the penalty you will be required to pay. Lump sum payments are usually between 10% – 25% of the mortgage total. Typically, you can make a lump sum payment onto your mortgage once a year. Every mortgage provider has their own specific guidelines for how you can make a lump sum payment in a calendar year. Your provider may require you put down a minimum amount for a lump sum prepayment, or you may only be eligible for one on the anniversary date of your mortgage. If you decide that prepayments are for you, you can achieve mortgage freedom sooner than ever! Contact me today and lets set your goals into motion.