Gail Vaz-Oxlade
Encyclopedia
Gail Vaz-Oxlade is a Canadian
financial writer
and television personality who lives in Brighton
, Ontario
, Canada. Vaz-Oxlade hosts the Canadian
television series Til Debt Do Us Part
and Princess
. Vaz-Oxlade is also a regular columnist for Yahoo! Canada Finance. Previously, she was a regular feature writer for The Globe and Mail
, Chatelaine magazine, IE: Money, and MoneySense.ca, among others.
products, which grew into Vaz-Oxlade writing all of the bank's technical materials. Within a number of years, Vaz-Oxlade began freelance writing, ultimately writing 27 columns every month.
Citing burn-out, Vaz-Oxlade quit and moved to Brighton, Ontario with her family and over a two year period did little more than volunteer work and raise her family. After that time, she was asked by a production company to host Til Debt Do Us Part. In her role on that show, Vaz-Oxlade describes herself as a "super nanny for money". After seven seasons of hosting the program, Vaz-Oxlade agreed to continue with the show if the network, Slice allowed her to do a new show. The network agreed, resulting in the creation of Princess.
In 2011, Vaz-Oxlade began a campaign advocating for changes in the way lenders assess lending criteria, particularly for credit card
s. As part of that effort, Vaz-Oxlade urged Canadian consumers to stop using their credit cards for one week and pay cash only; as well, she urged Canadians to write to their Members of Parliament to urge changes in legislation restricting the use of credit scores in the granting of credit.
and her first husband's surname. She has been married three times: the first marriage lasted one year; the second lasted nine years; and the third lasted eighteen years. However, Vaz-Oxlade, in a money-saving endeavour, has not divorced her last husband. Rather, they are legally separated. Vaz-Oxlade has two children.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
financial writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and television personality who lives in Brighton
Brighton, Ontario
Brighton is a town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and west of Kingston. It is intersected by both Highway 401 and the former Highway 2. It is on the West end of the Bay of Quinte on the entrance of the Murray Canal....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada. Vaz-Oxlade hosts the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television series Til Debt Do Us Part
Til Debt Do Us Part
Til Debt Do Us Part is a Canadian television series produced by Frantic Films for Slice in Canada, Zone Reality in the United Kingdom and AmericanLife TV Network and CNBC in the USA. It is hosted by Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who each week visits a couple who are in debt and having relationship troubles...
and Princess
Princess (television show)
Princess is a Canadian television series hosted by Gail Vaz-Oxlade that premiered in 2010. The program is similar in format to her earlier endeavor, Til Debt Do Us Part; however, rather than helping couples in financial trouble, Vaz-Oxlade assists women who are considered self-indulgent and spoiled...
. Vaz-Oxlade is also a regular columnist for Yahoo! Canada Finance. Previously, she was a regular feature writer for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Chatelaine magazine, IE: Money, and MoneySense.ca, among others.
Career
Vaz-Oxlade began her career after moving to Canada, working as an administrative assistant and later taking a job in marketing. In that role she was asked by a banking client to write a manual for its employees on its Registered Retirement Savings PlanRegistered Retirement Savings Plan
A Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP is a type of Canadian account for holding savings and investment assets. Introduced in 1957, the RRSP's purpose is to promote savings for retirement by employees. It must comply with a variety of restrictions stipulated in the Canadian Income Tax Act...
products, which grew into Vaz-Oxlade writing all of the bank's technical materials. Within a number of years, Vaz-Oxlade began freelance writing, ultimately writing 27 columns every month.
Citing burn-out, Vaz-Oxlade quit and moved to Brighton, Ontario with her family and over a two year period did little more than volunteer work and raise her family. After that time, she was asked by a production company to host Til Debt Do Us Part. In her role on that show, Vaz-Oxlade describes herself as a "super nanny for money". After seven seasons of hosting the program, Vaz-Oxlade agreed to continue with the show if the network, Slice allowed her to do a new show. The network agreed, resulting in the creation of Princess.
In 2011, Vaz-Oxlade began a campaign advocating for changes in the way lenders assess lending criteria, particularly for credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
s. As part of that effort, Vaz-Oxlade urged Canadian consumers to stop using their credit cards for one week and pay cash only; as well, she urged Canadians to write to their Members of Parliament to urge changes in legislation restricting the use of credit scores in the granting of credit.
Personal life
Born to a wealthy family in Jamaica, Vaz-Oxlade immigrated to Canada with her family in 1977. Her surname is the result of hyphenating her maiden nameMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
and her first husband's surname. She has been married three times: the first marriage lasted one year; the second lasted nine years; and the third lasted eighteen years. However, Vaz-Oxlade, in a money-saving endeavour, has not divorced her last husband. Rather, they are legally separated. Vaz-Oxlade has two children.
Books
Vaz-Oxlade has written several books, including:- A Woman of Independent Means: A Woman's Guide to Full Financial Security
- Dead Cat Bounce: The Skinny of E-vesting
- The RRSP Answer Book
- Shopping For Money: Strategies for Successful Borrowing
- The Money Tree Myth: A Parent's Guide to Helping Kids Unravel the Mysteries of Money
- The Retirement Answer Book
- The Borrower's Answer Book
- Education Planning (CCH Financial Advisers Series)
- A Woman of Independent Means: A Guide for Women Who Want to Take Control of Their Personal Finances
- Debt Free Forever
- Never Too Late
- Money-Smart Kids (digital only)