Editor's Fix - March

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind lately at Fix headquarters. So much so that we printed our 50th edition in February without realizing it. That same week Vanessa and I were meeting regarding finances, and it took convincing for Vanessa to believe we were in our fifth year of business. She was determined it was our third, and not surprisingly as while the last year and a half flew by seamlessly (I use that word loosely) our first three were marked with tangible ups and downs. I’ve heard countless times in business that you should never get too comfortable, and this was all the motivation we needed to pull up our sleeves and shake things up.

The landscape is changing more rapidly than ever and thus so must we. Social marketing, SEO, self management, and finance have all been on the table this year and we’re pushing ourselves to learn and become proactive both in business and our personal lives

While it’s a good feeling, it can sometimes bring up regrets. “Why didn’t we do this earlier?” These thoughts resurfaced tenfold after reading Virginia’s piece “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” in this issue. Imagine learning to save 10% of your income at age three. Fortunately as all the experts point out it’s never too late, and one thing we’re all probably aware of is that it’s more important than ever. The recession is hanging in there, threats of interest rate increases are on the horizon, the cost of living continues to soar in our beautiful town, and the powder isn’t flying as regularly as we had hoped (although it’s been an awesome season).

Take for example the Elkview Mine strike currently underway. As of writing this, more than 700 employees have not worked since January 27. Imagine the families where the sole income is coming from a position at this mine? How many of us do you think have the recommended “three months' living expenses” set aside in a savings account for situations like these? And even then, what if this strike lasts longer than three months?

Being accountable, proactive and educated about our financial situation, including our job performance, satisfaction, and remuneration, not only is preventative, it feels amazing and helps us to work towards a more balanced lifestyle. Isn’t that why we all live here anyway?

While Virginia Robinson touches upon setting your children up for their future this month, Marie-Pierre always provides a wealth of information in her column “Financial Fixings”. Visit past articles on this site by Marie-Pierre, and all the best of luck to the Teck employees of Elkview Mine and to those of you trying to “shake things up” as well!