The government is investigating whether they should abandon the Canada Savings Bonds program, and when I heard that, I could think was, What will all the Grandmas invest in now? There is about $500M worth of unclaimed CSBs out there still, too? Remember the good old days when CSBs paid out
| 1980 Nov S35 11.50% | 1981 Nov S36 19.50% |
| 1982 Nov S37 12.00% | 1983 Nov S38 9.25% |
| 1984 Nov S39 11.25% | 1985 Nov S40 8.50% |
| 1986 Nov S41 7.75% | 1987 Nov S42 9.00% |
| 1988 Nov S43 9.50% | 1989 Nov S44 10.50% |
| 1990 Nov S45 10.75% |
Yes, remember those heady days when CSBs paid 19.50%. I do! I also remember 15% mortgage rates. However, for all those lovers of CSBs, don’t lament. You can still buy them this year and set up a payroll savings program too! The population of Canada is now over 36 million, according to Stats Canada. We added 139,645 from April to July of this year! Now that is an immigration boom (or one hell of a baby boom!). Funny, it doesn’t feel that crowded, but I don’t live in Toronto either.
In Ottawa, the Glebe has decided that the stores in that area can open on Thanksgiving (and on five other holidays). Do we need that many days to shop? I remember not shopping on Sundays.
The only comment I can make about the American election is, what I have said previously, Overt Zealotry of any kind (religious, political, or any other) worries me a great deal. How is everyone so darn sure they are right?
Stuff I wrote this week
Another somewhat lazy week for me. However, I have many more ideas percolating in my brain (including one where I am asking MPs questions). Still, this week, I wrote about the Shocking Electricity Price in August (CPI Canada). Ontario is leading the way with ludicrous price increases for electricity.
I continue to get comments and questions from my article CRA Child Disability Benefit (How To). Hopefully, folks are being helped by it (it is one of my favourite articles).
Now is the Autumn of our Financial World
Some good articles were written this week, well worth a read to help broaden your financial horizons.
- So Barry from Money We Have wants to help us get our finances in line with How to Break bad Spending Habits, which is an important part of your financial experience.
- Given it is still kind of back to school season, Frugal Trader’s article about Investing on Behalf of my Kids is still very topical.
- I remember in my day folks claiming they didn’t want to work overtime, because they figured they’d lose it all in tax, I was never sure how that arithmetic worked, and Robb from Boomer and Echo has the same concerns with, The Next Tax Bracket Myth
- I realize it is expensive living in Vancouver, but this chap seems to have a way around it, Man, 68, living in tiny house on 1946 classic truck
- Ever since I first met Mark from My Own Advisor has been an unapologetic Dividend investor, which makes me wonder if someone challenged him lately on the topic, because he wrote, Why my thinking about dividend investing has not changed.
- Still have not figured out exactly what I could write about with the title, Money and the Constipated Cockatiel
- I am not sure how to take the fact that on the list, Top 100 Personal Finance Blogs Everyone Must Read, I am list as #101 ? Is that an ‘atta boy? A slap in the face ?
- An interesting article in Forbes about The Age of Artificial Intelligence in Fintech, be wary of the concept of AI and what may pass for it, it isn’t better intelligence necessarily, just maybe covering a larger scope of information (and still might end up being a guess).
- Usually the Corolla is mentioned in cost to maintain lists, but the following only mentions the Camry, The Most Expensive (and affordable) Cars to Fix this fall .
- The Canadian Couch Potato continues on with their series on helping folks buy the right smart beta ETF with their piece, Understanding the Quality Factor
- Michael James asks are Shrinking Bonds investors being rational with their choices? Given MJ’s track record you might guess what his opinion might be.
2016 Random Thoughts
- January 7th, Market Meltdown, TFSA, WildCard Weekend and #MoneyStories
- January 14th, Cheap Oil, Cheap Dollar, Dead Folk, and #MoneyStories
- January 21st, Loose Money, High Household Debt, Weak Loons and #MoneyStories
- January 29th, Doomsday Clocks, Rogue RRSP Receipts, Cash Crops and #MoneyStories
- February 4th Bouncing Loonies, RRSP Season, Superb Owls and #MoneyStories
- February 12th Lent is Here, Bricked iPhones, Love Day and #MoneyStories
- February 19th Digging Out, Ransomware, RRSP Time and #MoneyStories
- February 26th RRSP Time and #MoneyStories
- March 4th Welcome Americans and #MoneyStories
- March 11th Bank Rate Stays Put, Spring Forward and #MoneyStories
- March 18th Financial March Madness, Budgets and #MoneyStories
- March 25th, Easter is Here and some #MoneyStories
- April 1, Money Fools, Ronnie, and #MoneyStories
- April 8, Tax Time, Spring Delayed, Panama Papers and #MoneyStories
- April 15,Loose Money, Free Stuff, Hockey and #MoneyStories
- April 22,Disabilities, Tax Time, The Queen and #MoneyStories
- April 29,Pitter Patter Tax Time, RESPs are For Rich Folk and #MoneyStories
- May 6, Fort Mac, Mothers and #MoneyTalk
- May 13, Panama Papers, Google & PayDay Loans, Full Moons and #MoneyTalk
- May 20, Victoria Day, The People’s Elbow, Haircuts and #MoneyTalk
- May 27, Loose Money and #MoneyTalk
- June 3, CRA Itunes Pmts, RESP Scams and #MoneyTalk
- June 10, Portal to Hell Opens in Ottawa, BoC FSR and #MoneyTalk
- June 17, Fathers Day, Trump Housing Bubble, and #MoneyTalk
- June 24, Brexit, Fete National, Enhanced CPP and #MoneyTalk
- July 1, Happy Canada Day and Best Mid-Year Financial Stories
- July 8, Brexit Market Mayhem, Millenial Bashing and #MoneyTalk
- July 15,Brexit Hurts, Loose Money, Postal Strikes, Recounts and #Moneytalks
- July 22,More Pensions, New CTC, and #MoneyTalk
- July 31, Unknown Long Weekend, Windows 10 and #MoneyTalk
- August 5, The Olympics, Topless Spelunkers, and #MoneyTalk
- August 12, Women Rule, Less Jobs and #MoneyTalk
- August 19, Obnoxious 30 Year Old Retirees, Olympics and #MoneyTalk
- August 26,Farewell, EpiPens, Ombudsman Report and #MoneyTalk
- September 9,iPhone 7, High Tuition, Loose Money & #MoneyTalk
- September 16, Unemployment Up, On the Money, Debt and #MoneyTalk
- September 23, Rate Rises, Winter is Coming, Access Neutrality and #MoneyTalk
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