When the weather gets warmer, most people start thinking about summer and the dream vacation that would be spent perfectly in the warmer months. A few people will forego this luxury, thinking that money can be better spent elsewhere, but it’s important to treat one’s self every now and then in order to refresh one’s whole self.

Summer vacation doesn’t start during the summer months, it actually starts during the colder season with a lot planning. A few days each month planning out the essentials of the trip will help lessen the stress as opposed to planning it with only a few days notice. Indeed, vacation time is supposed to be stress free, both in terms of planning and doing.

Off- season planning is also much cheaper as companies tend to advertise their products and services at a discount. Summer clothes will be sold at clearance prices in order for these items to move out of the store. Airline and hotel bookings are also cheaper months in advance. Thus, a vacation doesn’t have to entail too many expenses.

Of course, there’s also the option of staying at home and just relaxing in familiar surroundings. Again, the objective of a vacation is to get the mind and body to relax and recharge for a few days, so if one’s home is comfortable enough, there’s no need to travel at all.

The season for tax cuts is approaching fast, so as early as now, business owners and individual taxpayers should start looking into ways on how to legally reduce their tax obligation. A few days of research can help decrease taxes substantially for the ordinary taxpayer, and help business boost their profitability substantially.

For businesses, there are dozens of allowances and credits that are being offered by the government. For example, there’s the Computer Capital Costs Allowance or CCA which gives business 100 percent of expenses made on computer hardware and software purchases. There’s also the Apprenticeship Job Creations Tax Credit or AJCTC which gives tax credits for each new employee hired by the company engaged in a prescribed artisan trade.

For individuals, there’s the Child Fitness Tax Allowance which gives up to 500 dollars in credits for expenses related to children’s sports or fitness activities. Homeowners can avail of the Home Buyer Tax Credit giving a tax break for first time house purchases.

There are plenty of other tax breaks and useful tips that can effectively reduce a business or individual’s tax by several hundred or even thousand dollars. A few more days of research into the matter should help different individuals find the credit or deductions that are applicable to them.

Among the many techniques involved with investments, buy and hold investing has become a popular choice for those looking outside the box. This strategy has some sound principles for long term investments, but it should be used as the ultimate solution for all investment needs.

For a person to buy and then hold an asset, he has to have other income avenues as he’s put all his cash on asset he can’t sell. If a person keeps on buying and holding, he’ll eventually end up with a lot of assets, but not a lot of cash. This can also lead to a hoarder’s mentality of saving anything and everything without any definitive purpose in mind. Over time, he’ll eventually have assets that are useless and aren’t even worth their purchase price.

Letting go of these assets at the right time is also tricky as this strategy doesn’t exactly tell you when to sell after holding items for long periods of time. An investor might unload his assets too soon, thereby foregoing potential profit later, or he might hold on to his investments for too long, skipping over the best window of opportunity.

A better strategy would be to research on different investment instruments, and understand how interest rates in the market work. This way, an investor won’t risk putting all his cash in an asset that won’t sell in the long run.