Canadian Personal Finance Blog

One of the things I am learning is that I actually have done a great deal of training at work (it is one of the things you need to know and can talk about at job interviews), but it struck me (again) that I did not take advantage of all the training I could have taken from my current employer (who offers an extensive set of training facilities (not just for laid off folks)).

Financial Training

Where can we learn about financial stuff, you may ask? I have spoken about Financial Research before, but everywhere is the simple answer.

Hereare a few ideas that pop into my head:

• University of Waterloo offered an introduction to Actuarial Sciences course by correspondence, which was amazing. Taught me a great deal of info about present and future value of money and taught me how to figure out how Mortgages are calculated, and gives you a great deal of background on how insurance calculations are done as well.
• Look at your local community colleges, they offer a plethora of interesting finance based courses, that can teach you the basics of things, or help you polish your skills. Algonquin College here in Ottawa offers a great deal of training in this area.
• Even the high schools offer night courses in these areas to help out.
• The Ottawa Public Library (and your library too I would guess) has a cornucopia of books to help you out in this area (I mention lots of them in this very blog).

You have no excuse not to learn more and more, because the more you know, the better off financially you are going to be.

If I have missed any other areas, comments welcome on where else you can get financial training.

Work Training

Your employer may not even know it, but they may be helping you out too. I took a “Finance for Non-financial Managers” course that taught me how to read a company’s balance sheet and figure things out from it. Look for courses on how to use EXCEL or whatever spreadsheet you like using, they may teach you some stuff that will help you out too.

Remember, to get training at work if it is offered. Your company is giving you a chance to expand your skill sets and make you a better candidate for other jobs. If they pay for it, why aren’t you taking advantage of it? Expand your skills and thus make yourself more valuable to your company but also in the job market too.

Our attempts at curbing our spending on groceries, with day 3 of not going to the store to buy dinner, continues on with good progress. Tuesday we cheated a little with me picking up some veggies on the way home, so far so good. Breaking any habit takes at least 21 days of not doing it, before you can think you have broken the bad habit.

Bank Stocks Rebound

BMO was up $1.42, TD was up 80 cents, Scotiabank was up $1.10 and Sun Life was up 88 cents (all stock that I hold), so not a bad day for me.  It has been a bad time holding financial stocks, but always nice to see a rebound, we shall see whether this rebound continues (or whether it is a stop on the drop). Any readers wishing to comment on their opinions in this area, are welcome to chime in.

Laid Off?

A topic that worries me pretty much every day, and Smart Money has a very good list of things to do if you are laid off.  A good list of Do’s and Don’ts, but I have lived through the moment, and I can assure you it’s not easy to remember a list of things, at the moment of being laid off. I wish for all of you, not to have to live through the moment.

15 Cents a Message

Two of the 3 cellular phone leaders in Canada are introducing a 15 cent charge to RECEIVE a text message on your cell phone (if you are not part of a text messaging package already). If you receive a SPAM message, you must pay, so this one is going to cause some folks to be unhappy. Rogers has commented that they do not plan to follow suit (yet).

Rumor has it now that Apple is not selling the iPhone to Canada (through their Apple stores, you can still buy them from Rogers Wireless directly) in a reaction to Rogers Wireless data plans for the iPhone. Evidently the Canadian phones are going to Europe instead? I wasn’t getting one, but it should be interesting, for the Canadian Apple lovers. If you want to know more about the iPhone, my favorite cell phone Video Blog is The Smartphones Show, and that link will give you a run down on the iPhone (3G).

Happy 141st birthday Canada, you don’t look a day over 85! Yes, I am taking today off, to enjoy Family and Fireworks, back to the daily posts tomorrow folks!

Canada at 150?

Given for Canada’s 100th birthday we had Expo67 (the greatest World Exposition ever, I’d like to say), what is Canada going to do for it’s 150th anniversary? Anybody know?

And Now a Large Flag

Happy Birthday Canada