Random Thoughts: End of Days Edition

The Rapture Tomorrow?

Given the amount of rain that has fallen in Ottawa lately, it is easier to believe the End of Days scenario being espoused by our friends down south. Saturday at 6:00 PM EST there will be an earthquake that will signal the beginning of the end for everyone (except the few Christians that God will take up to heaven), that is what is being foretold by these well meaning (if not a little deluded) folks. So I shouldn’t be using a buy and hold strategy on the markets? I already talked about this at length last week with Doomsday and Money but I did want to warn folks that if it does start ending on Saturday, you were warned!.

Glad to see some entrepreneurs have figured out how to make money on this, by offering pet sitting services to those who feel they may be taken in the rapture (evidently they have hired non-Christian pet sitters who will most likely stay and take care of the chosen ones pets). I can’t make this stuff up folks, go look it up.

The looming American Debt Crisis is actually the one thing that has got my interest this week. There are folks short selling U.S. bonds? Wow, now that is gambling, assuming the U.S. government will default on bond pay outs, that really would be end of days (financially at least).

• The PBS nightly report is doing some excellent work so I included a short video U.S. National Debt, with both a Senate and Presidential perspective
• Borrowing from the Penguins of Madagasgar, I asked the question How Do You Steer an Elephant? where the elephant is a metaphor for your financial plans.
• Given the flooding all over North America it was inevitable that I would write Controlled Levee Breaks where again water was a metaphor for debt.
• I noted the passing of Peter Burns in Long Term Disability Insurance, Peter was a victim of Nortel’s disability insurance debacle.
• Given the impending debt crisis in the U.S. I am Sorry Sir Your Card is Being Refused seemed apropos. Note the Canadian Debt may be smaller, but it is not insignificant either.

As a note, I actually enjoy all comments (even the ones that question my sanity), and will try to respond to most comments, so please feel free to comment away. Please don’t leave requests for guest posts in comments, I delete those.

Other Financial Bloggers were not as fixated on the possible end of the world as I was this week (luckily, or there would be nothing good to read):

• Boomer of Boomer and Echo writes about How to Kill The Joy of Giving, which unfortunately what happens sometimes, but maybe giving for the sake of giving, is the answer?
• Michael James points out that Smart Investing is Boring, but also very satisfying too.  I’ll take boring and smart every time.
• Jim Yih over at Retire Happy points out that Debt Has Become Big Business, and it certainly gives bloggers a heck of a lot to write about.
• Canadian Capitalist wishes Bell adieu with Goodbye Bell, Hello Teksavvy which will hopefully save him a great deal of money, and possibly lower his aggravation level as well.
• Free From Broke gives us advice on How to Avoid Free Trial Scams and What to Do To Escape them, very useful tips and hints in this one.
• Larry MacDonald points out the Inevitability of the U.S. Debt Crisis, which is kind of like pointing out the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. On the bright side Larry’s RSS feed is visible again (it has change to this).
• Financial Highway writes about Job Loss: What to Tell the Kids, never an easy topic, especially if the kids are younger.
• Preet points out that Shakespeare was correct, neither a borrower nor a lender be, with If you lend money to friends prepare for awkwardness. If you don’t want to talk to them again, think of it as a wise investment!
• Miranda writing over at Complex Search asks Is it Time to Find a New Bank ? If  you need to ask that question, the answer is yes.

Carnivals this Week

I also had some submissions accepted to various carnivals, so go have a read of these as well:

• Canadian Finance Blog hosted The Canadian Finance Carnival #36 which included my post about Back to Three Years Ago for Jobs
• Retire by 40 hosted the Totally Money Carnival #19: The New Oreo Edition (but not double stuff), which included my post The Wizard of Omaha speaks about Ethics and the economy

Other Bookkeeping

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Remember

“The world began without man, and it will end without him.”

Author: Claude Lévi-Strauss