If you are reading this after 4:35 PM May 31, 2013 I guess we survived another close fly by of a “Civilization Killer” lump of Rock. QE2 will (hopefully) fly by and we will have dodged yet another End of the World scenario from the Cosmos. As we are learning there are a lot of these big lumps of rock out there flying around, hopefully we have a good list of all of them?
Toronto got another dose of nasty weather this week, with the Don Valley Parking Lot, being renamed the Don Valley Swimming Pool. If the last time they had bad snow they called in the Army, I suppose with this round they called in the Navy? Sorry, that is just a native Montrealer laughing at Torontonians expense (yes, Montreal has it’s own issues say with overpasses dropping on unsuspecting drivers (much like the poor Coyote in Looney Tunes)).
The Ottawa Senators (the hockey team) are done for the season, so that means talk in Ottawa is now about the Senators (aka JurASSic Park). More fun and games going on in the “Friends and Family club” portion of the Canadian Government.
My Weekly Recap
The Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer are here again, let’s hope my car’s air conditioning holds out for one more year, but I didn’t write about that this week:
My Writings for Week Ending May 31st
It’s June? The Year is Half Over? WTF?
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Best of: Real World Example: Kids AllowancesDo you pay your kids allowance? If you do this might be a way to automate it. |
Term Insurance Over 50One of the joys of being over 50 is you might get some senior discounts, but that does not apply to Term Insurance policies. |
What the Hangover Taught Me About MoneyThe part about not messing with Mike Tyson’s white tiger is important as well. |
The Process is Not Necessarily the SolutionI should really add this to my TO DO list as well. | It’s up on the roofI think it is safe to say that my retirement plans are up on the roof. |
Links for the Week
Lots of interesting info flying around this week, as those who are regular readers I have been going off the beaten track on some of my links, in most cases it is stuff I think is interesting:
Top Stories of the Week of May 31stWill Alfie returns to the Senate? Hell, he’d at least be able to pay a $90K Fine!
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Canada’s disability savings fund called a ‘fiasco’The CBC hops on the “RDSP is confusing” bandwagon, with an expose of a Grandad trying to set something up for his Grandson. Wonder if the CBC has read my posts on RDSP? |
Financial Literacy Matters More NowEvelyn Jacks points out that now more than ever financial literacy matters, which is very true (the alternative is not very pretty, that is for sure). |
How is your Retirement Savings?Krantcents a frequent commenter asks the question that is on all our minds. | How I Became a DIY InvestorMy Own Advisor lets us “look under his kimono” (financially speaking) and understand what led to him becoming a DIY investor. |
Transferring Property Among Family Members – A Potential Income Tax NightmareThe BBC comes back with another warning about something that sounds simple but it does not seem to be (as tax issues are want to do) |
Gold Plated Pensions: Have We Seen The Last Of Them?Robb from Boomer and Echo asks an interesting question, are the days of Gold Plated Pensions over, in the stark reality of the Boomer generation and the legacy their pensions are leaving? | Eating Yogurt Does Weird Things To Your BrainSeriously, Popular Science found a study at UCLA which says that if you eat yoghurt, strange stuff goes on in your brain, and no it does not make you more cultural either! |
My Furrowed BrowGail Vaz-Oxlade speaks of the line that appears when she is particularly annoyed, however she is now looking at Botox?? WTF Gail? |
Hertz in the Currency Exchange BusinessMichael James noticed that Hertz’ currency exchange seems to give them a few more dollars than they are owed (at least in Europe). | Carrick on money: When it’s cheaper to shop CanadianRob Carrick mentioned my post last week (and I got a significant jump in reader count!), so I trust you are reading him as well! | Why We Chose Scotiabank’s Scotia Total Equity Plan (STEP)Tom Drake from Another Canadian Finance Web Site talks about why he went with the STEP thingy from Scotiabank |
Lend money to friends or family and you might lose bothPolonius and Preet agree, neither a borrower nor a lender be! |
Best of 2013
Some of the best of posts from 2013
- CPP Reform, Snow, Christmas, Boxing day and #FreeFormFriday Did the CPP reform of 2013 fix much? Kind of, but Christmas was coming too.
- Mandela gone, Canada “Post”, Gail on the Shelf and #FreeFormFriday Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, after a long illness.
- Christmas is Coming, Christmas Lay Offs, Electric Fees, Commie Pope and #FreeFormFriday Celebrate Christmas with more online shopping – BMO and many other companies announce layoffs during the Holiday season.
- Black November, Bitcoins, Tablets, Unloseable Lottery and #FreeFormFriday So Black Friday is upon us, however, it seems to be losing a lot of it’s “thunder” thanks to the “sales” starting earlier.
- Mad Dog, English Men, I’m OK and #Shoutouts Maurice Mad Dog Vachon was a tough son of a gun, but did he have a financial impact too? Read on to find out.
- Toronto Circus, Prince Charles Retires, More Word Puzzles and Friday #ShoutOuts This whole Toronto thing really is just a reality TV show gone off the rails, isn’t it? The three-ring circus that is unfolding in the media
- Identifiable, the Iron Sheik, Remembrance Day, More Word Puzzles and Friday #ShoutOuts So my concerns that if I put my natural face on my Social Media accounts were just paranoia.
- Incestuous Bloggers, Word Puzzles, RDSP Menu, All Saints Day and Friday #ShoutOuts Sometimes blogs become a little closed in and don’t recognize new folks and we become incestuous bloggers.
- Senate Fun, Apocalypse Averted, Asteroids and Friday #ShoutOuts News Canadians can’t ignore: investigate the scandal and discover if the Harper Government’s demise is near!
- Kicking the Can, Throne Speech, Windows 8.1 and Friday #ShoutOuts Seems our friends down south had so much fun with almost upending the world economy, they’d like to try to do it again in January.
- Government #Defaults, Fake Reviews, Turkey Time, Fall Colours and Friday #ShoutOuts Given that for some odd reason shutting the government down wasn’t enough our friends down south are now attempting to disrupt or possibly completely f*ck the world economy by defaulting in a few days.
- Government Shutdowns, Hockey Returns, New iPhone and Friday #ShoutOuts Explore the debate surrounding the US government’s shutdown with insight into potential resolutions outside of the standard back pay for civil servants.
- Financial Bloggers, 35 Million Strong, Odd CRA Cheques and Friday #ShoutOuts I had a very good time at CPFC13 where I got to moderate a panel of Investing Smart folks, and I learned a great deal from a few outstanding presenters,
- A Better Friday and #CPFC13 Not a regular Friday after this week and my preparations for the coming weekend, I didn’t really get enough time to put together my regular Friday Random Thoughts, but here is a shortened version.
- Friday the 13th, Private Royal Mail, Canadian 1% and Friday #ShoutOuts Watch out for bad things on Fridays – it’s Friday the 13th! Don’t subscribe to the concept? Tuesday is the most evil day. September 11th was a Tuesday! Don’t forget about ladders and black cats either. UK privatizing the Royal Mail? A price tag of £3B pounds!
- King Louis, Braun Follies, Lice and Friday #ShoutOuts Greetings and Happy Birthday to Prince George Louis Alexander Windsor (and future King of Canada), welcome to the media “sh*te storm” that will be your life.
- Loose Money, Faster Sites, the Heat is On and Friday #ShoutOuts The new Bank of Canada Governor announced on Wednesday no change in the interest rates for now, with the overnight rate continuing at 1%.
- Floods, Explosions, See Thru Lu Lu’s and Friday #ShoutOuts Looks like the Engineer is now being “thrown under the train” as it were (i.e. the finger of blame is being pointed at him by his CEO).
- Egypt, July 4th, Sweltering Summer, Alfie and Friday #ShoutOuts Interesting how the Egyptian military throwing out an allegedly democratically elected President is being hailed as a great democratic change.
- Canada Day, 4th of July, Flooding and Some Random Thoughts A hard week in 2013 for my family with the passing of my Mother-in-law to Cancer. One day that disease will be done.
- Fathers, Corruption, Horton’s Hedgings and Friday #ShoutOuts Hopefully everyone enjoyed Father’s Day, I know I did, very nice day, lovely meal and some peace and quiet.
- Stanley Cup, Turbans, Car Tracking and Friday #ShoutOuts The Stanley Cup finals have started, and hopefully all the games aren’t going to go that late into the night, or I will need to start working the night shift at work.
- Baseball “Cheats”, D-Day, Fun with Fiji and Friday #ShoutOuts It seems baseball is embroiled with yet another “performance enhancing drugs” scandal with a few very well-known names being implicated by yet another “wellness clinic”. Are the accusations true?
- Obliterating Rock, Floods, Senators and Friday #ShoutOuts If you are reading this after 4:35 PM May 31, 2013 I guess we survived another close fly by of a “Civilization Killer” lump of Rock.
- Senators, Twisters, Water and Friday #ShoutOuts To say the entire Senators Expenses Event is more ridiculous than a Christmas Panto (usually an excuse for men to dress up as women
- Mothers, Hab Nots, Trains, and Friday #ShoutOuts What does a Walrus, Model Trains and Mother’s Day have to do with each other? Not that much but more financial stories too.
- Taxes Done, Drones, Playoffs and Friday #ShoutOuts Hope your taxes were in on Tuesday, because if not, you might be in trouble (especially if you are part of the $29 Billion dollars still owed to the government in Taxes).
- Disk Crashes, Daffodils, Password Trappers and Friday #ShoutOuts High Tech always proves that it is much like Mother Nature, in that, you should never ignore it or take it for granted, because things can change very quickly at the most inopportune times.
- Loose Money, Trudeau-mania II, Nut Bags and Friday #ShoutOuts If you missed it on Wednesday the Bank of Canada continued to keep their key overnight rate at 1%.
- Snowmaegedon, the Masters, Windows and Friday #ShoutOuts Today, we are experiencing a late version of winter, with a nasty snow/ice/rain storm that proves that just when you think it is Spring, you might be mistaken.
- Final Four, Dark Matter, Tax Time and Friday #ShoutOuts The NCAA Men’s basketball Final Four is this weekend, and my bracket is completely shot.
- Budgets, Dark Side of the Moon, Eight Years Later, Palm Sunday and Friday #ShoutOuts Minister Flaherty gave us a very vague budget (2013) yesterday. For Hockey Moms, reasons to rejoice, given tarifs on Hockey equipment, Golf Clubs, Baby Clothes and a few other things are now gone.
- Pope Picked, Pi Day, St. Patty’s Day and Phriday #ShoutOuts Seems our Catholic brethren have chosen a new Pope (Francis) this week, thus ending one of the greatest talent hunts of the year.
- Thanks Stompin Tom, Loose Money Continues, Tax Time, Pope Picking and Friday #Shoutouts Stompin’ Tom Connors a true Canadian treasure has left us, and I for one am sad to hear it.
- St David’s Day, Snow, RRSP Season Over, Tax Time and Friday #Shoutouts Happy Saint David’s Day to all my Welsh brethren today.
- RRSP Time, Winners, Tax Time, Short Weeks and Friday #Shoutouts Yes, it’s that magical time when your Savings Institution pressures you to top up your RRSP account so you can take full advantage of the savings on your taxes.
- Lent , Pope Out, the Senate, RRSP Time and Friday #Shoutouts Lent is finally upon us, have you started making your plans? No? Me neither, I just haven’t had a heck of a lot of time to think about this kind of stuff.
- Lent , Pancake Tuesday, and Love Day Soon and Friday #Shoutouts For those of you unaware, Lent begins next Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) February 13th, so here is yet another chance to restart (or start) your financial plans for the coming year.
- Groundhog Day, Farewell Penny, No Vine and Friday #Shoutouts Tomorrow is Groundhog Day, so then we shall see how well a ground hog can prognosticate the weather (about as well as I can prognosticate financial stuff is my guess).
- Loose Money Continues, Polar Temps, More Info Lost and Friday #Shoutouts Wednesday our friends from the Bank of Canada kept their loose money policies in place.
- Hockey, Armstrong, Idle Folk, Lost Loans and Friday #ShoutOuts What happened the week of January 18th in 2013? Some NHL stuff, but a lot of interesting financial stuff too!
- Drop the Puck, Death Pills, Strikes and Friday #Shoutouts For those die hard NHL fans (like me) there will be hockey soon.
- Bye and Thanks for all the Fish, CBC Questions, Holiday Hours and Friday #Shoutouts Well it has been fun, but I guess it all had to end some time, it’s been a good run.
Thanks for the mention BCM! Hope you had a great weekend.
Hope your A/C is working in the car; I rode around last summer without mine fixed in my 13-year-old Mazda. #neveragain.
Mark
This is getting confusing. The second round of quantitative easing went into orbit, turned into rock, and may smash back into Earth. I knew government spending was bad.
Hell it even has it’s own little MOON!
I thought the asteroid was supposed to miss earth? Thanks for the links, I am in good company.
It’s supposed to… but then again, who knows? The Cosmos is a wild place, to quote Carl Sagan, “The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.”, who says our calculations are correct?
I’ll point out again that there’s a need for a Mike-holman style book on RDSP, and that you’re the appropriate person to write it :). I’ve seen for years people struggling with this.
I think I need to collate all my RDSP posts and see if that might be a skeleton for at least an E-Book on the topic, however, I think I’d have to do a lot more research on the Tax side and how other Banks do their programs.
BCM, thx for link. Well no Leafs, no Sens. There is always next year.
Great, now I sound like a Leaf fan 😀 . At least “next year” is really only 4 months away.