Gail Vaz-Oxlade

Vaz-Oxlade began her career after moving to Canada, working as an administrative assistant and later taking a job in marketing.[4] In that role she was asked by a banking client to write a manual for its employees on its Registered Retirement Savings Plan products, which grew into Vaz-Oxlade writing all of the bank's technical materials.[4] Within a number of years, Vaz-Oxlade began freelance writing, ultimately writing 27 columns every month.[1][4]

Citing burn-out, Vaz-Oxlade quit and moved to Brighton, Ontario with her family and over a two-year period did volunteer work and raised her family.[4] After that time, she was asked by a production company to host Til Debt Do Us Part.[4] In her role on that show, Vaz-Oxlade describes herself as a "super nanny for money".[1] 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, which focuses on young women rather than couples.[4]

In 2011, Vaz-Oxlade began a campaign advocating for changes in the way lenders assess lending criteria, particularly for credit cards.[5] 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.[5]

Born Gail Elizabeth Theresa Vaz[4] to a wealthy family in Jamaica, Vaz-Oxlade emigrated to Canada with her family in 1977. Her surname is the result of hyphenating her maiden name and her first husband's surname.[4] She has been married three times: the first marriage lasted one year; the second lasted nine years; and the third lasted eighteen years.[4] However, Vaz-Oxlade, in a money-saving endeavour, has not divorced her last husband. Rather, they are legally separated.[4] Vaz-Oxlade has two children, Alexandra (Alex) Kaitlin Prue and Malcolm Kenneth Prue.[3]

Vaz-Oxlade has written numerous books, including:

• The RRSP Answer Book (Stoddart annually 1991–1998)[6]
• The Borrower's Answer Book (Stoddart 1993)[7]
• The Retirement Answer Book (Stoddart 1994,1996,1997)[8]
• Shopping for Money: Strategies for Successful Borrowing (Stoddart 1992,1999)[9]
• The Money Tree Myth: A Parents Guide to Helping Kids Unravel the Mysteries of Money (Stoddart 1993,1996)[10]
• A Woman of Independent Means: A Woman's Guide to Full Financial Security (Stoddart 1999)[11]
• Dead Cat Bounce: The Skinny of E-Vesting (Prentice Hall 2001)[12]
• Divorce: A Canadian Woman's Guide (Prentice Hall 2002)[13]
• Education Planning (CCH Canadian 1999)[14]
• Debt-Free Forever:Take Control of Your Money and Your Life (HarperCollins 2009)[15]
• Never Too Late: Take Control of Your Retirement and Your Future (HarperCollins 2010)[15]
• Debt-Free Forever:Take Control of Your Money and Your Life US Edition (Experiment 2010) [16]
• Easy Money (Grass Roots Press 2011)[17]
• Money-Smart Kids (HarperCollins 2011)[17]
• It's Your Money: Becoming a Woman of Independent Means (HarperCollins 2011)[15]
• Money Rules: Rule Your Money, Or Your Money Will Rule You (HarperCollins 2012)[15]
• Saving for School: Understand RESPs, Take Control of Your Savings, Minimize Student Debt (HarperCollins 2013)[15]
• Never Too Late: Take Control of Your Retirement and Your Future Revised Edition (HarperCollins 2013) [18]
• Money Talks: When to Say Yes and How to Say No (2015)

• Official website
• commonsensedivorce website