A sad week with the passing of a childhood villain/hero Maurice “the Mad Dog” Vachon. Mad Dog battled all comers, good guys, bad guys he didn’t care, he was a wild man and a true show man. Today’s wrestlers owe a large debt of gratitude to Maurice, who worked well into his 60’s and always “did his duty” in terms of putting over other wrestlers and such too. For me, he will always be the model for the “Tough Son of a Gun“, and I am saddened that he has left us. Hopefully he is biting Tarzan Tyler’s head, and stomping on Andre the Giants hand in a giant Battle Royale wherever they have gone.
As for the English Men, I was delighted to hear that the remaining Monty Python lads will be getting together to do a stage show some time in the future. It should be interesting to see what they brew up for our entertainment, as it has been a while since they last worked together in a Python fashion.
For those who don’t understand my title, it is a reference to a song written (and sung) by Noel Coward about how only “Mad Dogs and Englishmen“, go out in the noon day’s sun. It is also a very interesting album (and movie) by Joe Cocker.
As for Mad Dogs, no, I won’t make a reference to Mayor Ford, but you could fill in the blanks on that one any how.
I have just finished the 6th “management seminar” of my long career, and I am glad to see that the “I’m OK, You’re OK Corral” management science world continues to churn out new (and interesting) ideas of how to be a better manager. If you catch me using the expression “Mental Model” that is me using one of the new and exciting buzz words from this seminar (and you know my love for buzzwords).
My Weekly Recap
My Writings for Week Ending November 22ndSeems a Week for 4% Solutions, don’t it?
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The 4% Draw Down TheoryIt alls started with an article I read on Reddit, I swear! |
Just an Attractive Bag of Medical ConditionsNobody called me on the “attractive” portion of the title. C’mon readers, if I am going to have to lob them in, you need to hit them out of the park! |
Did Shylock Have the Right Idea?This one has been hanging around in my “unfinished article” bin, not sure I like how it went, I was expecting folks to jump on this one, just goes to snow I can’t really tell how folks will react to my writings. |
The 4% Draw Down Theory (again)I added in Inflation to the scenario, and it got really depressing to look at. If anyone wants the spreadsheet, just ask. |
Choice Picks for the Week
An interesting week in the world of personal finance writing, shall we wander around and see what’s what? OK, let’s do that:
- Michael James wants to help clear up Two Common Misconceptions about TFSAs , and they do seem to be common mistakes ( I have heard folks mention these).
- Rob Carrick wrote in the Globe about the Rise of the miserable Canadian Home Owner, I am a home owner, and not overly happy, but my house doesn’t have much to do with it.
- Mark at Blunt Bean Counter gives us Wealth & Estate Planning Missteps seems to be a bad week for folks making mistakes with their moneys.
- Marie from Boomer and Echo talks about a topic I have wanted to write about, but don’t know enough about The Scoop on Preferred Shares . I remember a little from my Bus 111 course about these shares, but not enough to make me write about it (stop chuckling, I do actually worry about the content on my site).
- Kerry at Squawkfox gives us the oddest titled post Sometimes you have to Shave the Yak, read it and figure it out.
- Larry MacDonald points out The questionable benefits of tax-loss harvesting, again, Larry points out a mistake we are making, seems like a scolding week on the web.
- Glenn from Life Insurance Canada joins in with the Toronto discussions with Why Rob Ford can’t get life insurance , somehow I don’t think that is his biggest problem right now, but it will be later on.
- Mark from My Own Advisor brings us Tax Free Investing TFSAs 101 which helps explain what a TFSA can be used for (and what it is).
- Frequest commenter Bet Crooks joins in my 4% pull down discussions with Retirement Planning: What Rate of Inflation Should I Use?
- The Physics of Finance gives us Cleaning up finance? That WOULD be a surprise , unfortunately, yes it would be.
- Preet ressurects his Zombie Blog with The biggest, weirdest hedge fund in the world is a cult? a very entertaining post, wonder if this means there might be more posts soon? He also has a new Podcast post with Som Seif @SomSeif explains his new ETF and mutual fund offerings for Canadians
Mad Dog Tribute
The CBC covered his final bout here:
Non-Financial Magic Video
Will Houdini escape the straight-jacket?
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.
- No Verizon, Microsoft Phones, NFL Kick Off and Friday #ShoutOuts Verizon won’t enter the Canadian wireless market, meaning Mobilicity may disappear and consumers will pay ridiculous monthly charges. Learn why with this blog post!
- 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.
- Giveaways, Vacations, No Sun and Friday #ShoutOuts Win a software worth almost $100 and go on the vacation of your dreams! Enter my intelligence test and get the chance to take the trip of a lifetime. #vacation
- Stock Frauds, Senate Expenses, Twitter wrong and Friday #ShoutOuts Canadians beware of stock fraud? U.S. Justice department investigates alleged penny stock swindler. Senator Pam Wallen scrutinized for spending. Find out more about the scam!
- 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.
I can’t claim I watched much, but I had a Gramma who loved watching “wrasslin'” if that counts?
And a belated thank you!
Too bad about Mad Dog. Good ‘ol wrestling.
Thanks for the mention, enjoy your weekend!
Mark
I only got to see Mad Dog a few times on TV, but I was definitely entertained. I also recall that there were quite a few adults in my neighbourhood who believed that the wrestling was real competition. I hope that’s not true of modern day “pro wrestling”. Thanks for the mention.
“It’s a Dog Eat Dog World!!!”…
Too bad about Mad Dog. I was more of a Johnny Powers, Abdullah the Butcher and Pampero Firpo kind of guy:)