Canadian Personal Finance Blog

For those of you thinking, how can I help, here are a few sites to think about where you can make donations to help out in Haiti:

This list I have shamelessly borrowed from the Canadian Capitalist:

1. Donations through the Canadian Red Cross, which sent $200,000 immediately to support relief efforts, can be made here.
2. Donations to the Salvation Army’s Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund can be made through this website. Salvation Army is also accepting micro-donations of $5 from donors who text HAITI to 45678 from any Rogers or Bell phone.
3. Donations to UNICEF Canada’s Haiti Earthquake relief efforts can be made here.
4. Donations to the Humanitarian Coalition Online comprising Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, Care and Save the Children can be made here.
5. Médecins Sans Frontières Canada is also directing donations to Haiti relief.
6. Michael J. points out that World Vision, which has been on the ground in Haiti for more than 30 years, is accepting donations here.
7. Matt N. says Plan Canada is helping children and families in Haiti. Donations are accepted here.

Help, if you can.

For my regular readers, I am so lazy swamped over the holidays that I am taking some time off and putting up a “Best of” anthology until the New Year (January 4th to be exact). Enjoy two Best of posts a day over the Holidays and have yourself a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Given the nature of this day, in that most of us are either madly panic’ing about whether we have put ourselves sufficiently in debt to impress our loved ones, or we are driving 12 hours in the middle of a blizzard to make it to see our loved ones, here are some Festively themed Best of posts.

Charity as a Present (2009/11/26)

As eyes turn towards the juggernaut coming at us called the Christmas spending orgy (I am thinking of trademarking that phrase), let me reflect on the idea of using Charity as a present….

Click here for the complete Post

Christmas Already? (2009/10/26)

So after wandering through Loblaws and Independant stores near my home, this time of year really is schizophrenic since it is Halowe’en season however, Christmas is here now as well (in fact Christmas almost intervened into Thanksgiving, in fact the Canadian Tire was putting their Christmas section in the Friday before Thanksgiving)…..

Click here for the Complete Post

Holiday Hangover? (2009/01/07)

How goes your holiday hang over? Did you make too merry over the holidays and need to lose some weight? Worse, did you overspend and now have some large credit card bills to pay?…….

Click here for the complete post

The National Film Board has a poignant reminder that at this happy Christmas season, there are folks that would enjoy the things you don’t even want. Have you given to charity this season yet? Why not?

Where these stories come from is always amazing, and I thank the NFB for making them available on line.

While the townspeople in the village square raucously celebrate Christmas, a homeless man rescues a discarded box from the garbage. The box turns out to be magical, and it takes him on a spiritual journey far more fantastic than any of the villagers are likely to experience.

No this is not a Daniel Cook episode, but another Friday round up from the world of Financial Blogging. In a week where we saw that Interest Rates did not budge, and some encouraging news about jobs last week, maybe it is time to stop being so pessimistic? Nah, that’s not my style.

Christmas is Coming

The goose is getting fat (but hopefully no one is making Foie Gras, or we’ll all be in trouble). With less than two weeks until that happy day, what have the Financial Bloggers got cooking?

• In an odd twist of cross referencing, the Canadian Capitalist is offering 4 free copies of Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s Til Debt Do Us Part 2010 Planner as a gift to his readers. Go over and leave a comment and you might get a Good Financial Planning Gift for Christmas!
• Gail Vaz-Oxlade talks about the Halo Effect which causes folks to buy things (something that does happen at Christmas) on the basis of the product’s “reputation” (which may not be well deserved).
• Michael James writes about another despicable Door-to-Door Scam perpetrated by alleged Hot Water Tank salesfolks. These vultures came to my door, and I simply sent them away (now I am glad they did).
• Preet at WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo announced his contest winner and pointed out a Good Deal for Christmas Trees at Ikea. Wonder if you need an Allen key to put them up?
• Larry MacDonald points out that even at Christmas financial scams are seen, with Yet Another financial fraud exposed. This kind of heinous fleecing of our elderly is sickening to read about.
• Canadian Financial DIY points out that even in this festive season Ordinary People are Still Getting Squashed by Crippled Mortgage Market in Canada and the UK. He has an excellent point of view for both markets.
• Four Pillars points out there is a very large difference between Using RRSP Contribution Room to Avoid Taxes and using it to EVADE taxes (first is encouraged, second gets you in deep trouble).

Keep up that Christmas shopping, you are helping stimulate the economy, in your own way. Also remember to keep the receipts too (in case your mother really didn’t want a Deluxe Left-Handed Cheese Straightener or a Wii Fit).

As eyes turn towards the juggernaut coming at us called the Christmas spending orgy (I am thinking of trademarking that phrase), let me reflect on the idea of using Charity as a present.

Let me first point out that I feel that I do a fair amount of charitable work, and I do give to charities as well, so as a rule and as a concept I completely support charities and feel their good works are a wonderful thing. I strongly suggest to you, good reader, that you give at this time of the year (and all year round). Remember that giving is not just a monetary thing, many charities would love your skills and time as well, so please remember that as part of your charitable works.

What a Crock of Beans!

Now, for those of you who plan on sending me a card that says something like:

“We thought of you this holiday season and have made a donation to the Human Fund in your name”

let me be very succinct: BULLSHIT (note the Seinfeldian reference).

If you wish to give to Charity, wonderful, I applaud your giving, however, do not believe that your “giving” in any way, shape or form makes me feel more festive because of it. You giving to Charity is not a gift to me. If you don’t want to give me anything this year, that is cool, and you don’t even need a card, just drop me an e-mail something like:

“Dear Scrooge, we didn’t feel like sending you jack this year, enjoy the Holidays you unlikeable so and so”

No, I have not completely gone off my nut, but I am really kind of tired of Pious folks showing me how Good they are by “giving for me”, I give as much as I can, and that is as good as it can be.

If you want to give, please do, but don’t masquerade that it has anything to do with me, thanks. Oh and if you send out a card like that and DO NOT give, Karma and or the wrath of whichever God you worship will get you eventually (isn’t that a Happy Holiday thought as well).

Happy Thanksgiving my American Brother and Cousins

Enjoy your deep friend TurDuckEns and gorge yourself on this Happy Festival day.