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Canajun Finances Home » Farewell, EpiPens, Ombudsman Report and #MoneyTalk

Farewell, EpiPens, Ombudsman Report and #MoneyTalk

Last week, we said goodbye to the Olympics and as well, to the Tragically Hip. I was never a rabid Hip fan, but I enjoy a great deal of their music (and if you listen closely to the lyrics, you might just learn something about Canada). Some might say, life goes on , but that doesn’’’t mean we can’’’t feel sadness about the passing of time. Also, the summer is also almost over.

EpiPen or injector
Ouch!

How much are you willing to pay to save your life? The entire price of EpiPen silliness in the U.S. really does make me wonder if big drug companies assume they are like banks and can charge whatever they want, and there will be no repercussions. As a stockholder in Pfizer (still) I suppose I am a hypocrite for making that comment. However, Pfizer’s big money-maker is still Viagra, and if you want to gouge men who want to have a drug which has a possible side effect of “… an erection lasting more than 4 hours…”, then so be it.

I was disturbed to read the Ontario Ombudsman’s report “Nowhere to Turn”, where the Ombudsman called for systemic overhaul to help adults with developmental disabilities in crisis. The quote in the report that concerns me is:

There is still marked inconsistency in how limited funds are prioritized and distribute and families struggle with interminable waitlist delays, leaving some so desperate that they have abandoned their loved ones.

Ontario Ombudsman

My Writings for Week Ending August 26th

I started the week writing about inflation, and the arithmetic cogitations that make the numbers appear good, but the calculations that tell a different story, with Electricity Prices Continue to Sizzle in July. Electricity prices continue to go up (especially here in Ontario), while gas prices appear to be dropping which are nullifying the effects of the electricity price jump. Fun with Numbers.

I also had a lovely conversation with one of my favorite folks, Kerry from Squawkfox, and she was doing research for some work she is doing for the Globe and Mail. The topic of RESPs came up, and I remembered that I had started an article RESP Proof of Enrolment and its importance to the cashing out of the RESP funds, so I finished that one off. I typically get inspired when I chat with smart money folks, so thanks Kerry.

An Excellent Question

An interesting question from a follower:

When you blow at high dough


Are you thinking about estate planning? Mark from the Blunt Bean Counter is still on summer hours, but brings us from his archive, How your Family Dynamic can affect your Estate Planning . Estate planning may not be #1 on your list of things to do, but it is still an important part of financial planning.

Preet is back and he wrote an article for the Tangerine Forward Thinking newsletter, Unequal incomes between partners who pays for what? That can be a sticky question with some couples. Glad to see that friend of this site Kerry from Squawkfox is back on-line, and gives us Smart Cookie: A vegan gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe. Mark from 2nd Career Search has returned to Canada, and he is writing a series on the differences of lifestyle, read Differences Between Canada and the USA.

I am a big lover of the technology, and barry from Money We Have attempts to clarify some of the newer technologies with FinTech in Canada Explained.

Is it possible to have a 1 fund investment plan? Mark from My Own Advisor points out there are surprisingly a few OK choices in this area, Simple all-in-one investing solutions. Marie from Boomer and Echo discusses another part of your investing plan with, Becoming A Better Investor: Socially Responsible Investing.

The Fraser Institute has published its yearly statement about how much families in Canada pay in taxes, and Michael James has a few questions about their methodology, as he writes in The Average Canadian Family’s Taxes.



2016 Random Thoughts

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