How mature students can fund continuing education + MORE Aug 20th

If you haven’t heard, the Bank of Canada raised its key overnight lending rate by 25 basis points last month. And while mortgage affordability is usually the first thing that comes to mind when people discuss an interest rate hike (or drop), students heading to university or college may also be affected by this move.
As the prime rate rises, so does the cost of borrowing money, or taking out any type of loan. Here’s where students can expect rising interest rates to affect their finances come September:
Student lines of credit
To supplement the cost of tuition, books and residence, many post-secondary students use a student line of credit. It’s a flexible solution, typically with lower interest rates than credit cards or government loans. However, when interest rates rise, so do the floating rates tied to lines of credit. The interest rate on a line of credit is calculated using the banks’ prime interest rate, which fluctuates, and often follows the Central bank when it changes its rate…

VANCOUVER — When Kear Porttris decided to pursue a university degree in 2010, he had to contend with responsibilities that don’t cross the minds of many freshman straight out of high school, including paying his mortgage and feeding his daughter.
Mature students who return to education have much more complex financial lives, experts say, and determining how to pay thousands of dollars in tuition, books and other expenses can be tricky. But with proper planning, a university degree can offer a good return on investment.

New OSAP rules mean free tuition for mature students »

Money coach Melanie Buffel, who returned to complete her MBA as a single mom more than 20 years after finishing her last degree, says adults must plan carefully before returning to school as a mature student.
“There’s a lot of homework,” says Buffel, who works with Money Coaches Canada.
She suggests prospective students should first add up all the costs of school, including easily overlooked items such as additional childcare and transportation…

Q: My daughter and my husband bought a $400,000 property three years ago near Midland, Ont. My husband earns $59,000 annually and my daughter $16,000 (self-employed). They want to renovate the kitchen and eventually sell the home to make a profit on it. The mortgage is $319,000. My daughter wants to get a $30,000 loan from the bank but I don’t think they’ll give it to her. Right now, she has an RRSP with $39,000 in it. Should they use the RRSP money to renovate? When they sell the house they’ll likely realize a $70,000 profit, so is it worth it?
—Janet P.
A: Based on the home value and the mortgage balance, a loan or line of credit might not be approved at this point because the equity in the property is not yet high enough. (You are at 80% equity now). The lenders will also take both your daughter and husbands’ incomes into consideration—and not just the amount of income, but the source of the income as well.
Since your daughter is self-employed she will need to show the lender her past two years of tax returns to establish if she can afford the repayment of a loan…