Random Thoughts: For a Black Friday

Black Friday Relentless!

Let the financial carnage begin, with our American Cousins celebrating Black Friday (and the follow on Red Saturday), the orgy of spending for the Holidays has begun. Will the Retailers get to the Black on this most hallowed of selling days? Only time will tell, but the sales onslaught is quite relentless right now. As Canadians we can try to enjoy these sales with our Dollar at parity with the mighty Yankee Buck, but the shipping and handling still kills us somewhat. We have also been warned about long waits at major border crossings as well. Will all this spending cause a stimulated economy in the States, or the converse an OVER-stimulated economy? We will wait to see what the numbers say.

Given the high tensions on the Korean peninsula, should make for an interesting December in terms of what may transpire on the markets in reaction to whatever might come up in that area. We have already seen volatility this week, and expect much more in the future (is my guess).

My weekly prattlings for this week included:

• Happy Thanksgiving America pointed out the shere family fun that Thanksgiving is to our American neighbours, and traces the lineage of the term Black Friday
• Gasoline kicks CPI Up points out that Gasoline prices (and energy prices in general) may cause a tipping point for our inflation levels.
• Tis the season to be cheap and Holiday Regifting in Families points out another way to save a little money.
• Smoking is Financially Chic? Not really, but it is a bloody expensive habit to have.

The more informed Financial Bloggers out there found other interesting topics to write about this Thanksgiving Week in the U.s.:

• Jon Chevreau points out that aging Boomers might seem an obtuse idea, but he has made it concrete with the statement that 344,000 Canadian Boomers Start Turning 65 in January. I am only turning 50 so I guess I’ll have to wait? What will be left for me? The simple answer may be, not much.
• Michael James suggested a very useful cell phone feature that no Canadian cell phone carrier will ever introduce, far too practical.
• Canadian Capitalist pointed out that insiders enjoy stock market edge so all we outsiders can do is watch them and react to what they are doing.
• BalanceJunkie has some Thoughts on the GM IPO, one of the other interesting financial points this month. Can you really invest in a company that has already declared bankruptcy once? Honest, this time we won’t screw up?
• Larry MacDonald joins in my concerns about North Korea and Pax Americana and what might come of this latest altercation.
• Million Dollar Journey gives us a blow by blow on How they Paid Off Their Mortgage in Three Years, I guess one of the things you need is two good incomes too.
• Conversely The Canadian Couch Potato says Please No More Success Stories specifically about seemingly regular investors who made good.
• MoneySmartsBlog goes very CRA on us discussing the use of the T2033 to Transfer an RRSP to another Instituation. Michael James and I discussed this once, always get the RECEIVING institution to do the work, it is more likely to happen in a timely fashion.
• Do not forget to support the Silent Night project in support of Peace and Anglican military chaplains.

Other Bookkeeping

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Remember

“If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again; it was probably worth it.”

Author: Anonymous