Black Friday is Here, Advent, and #BestThisWeek
Black Friday is Here, Advent, and #BestThisWeek speaks of the blessed Black Friday and associated sales, but also includes a Fanfare for the Common Man.
Lake Effect Snow, Web Cameras, Travel Insurance and #BestThisWeek
We got to see what Lake Effect Snow means with some vivid photos of Buffalo getting buried by 7 feet of snow. They are getting more snow today. This is why I am happy that Ottawa only has a river running through it. The worst part of this is that it might rain in Buffalo putting all roofs in the area in peril (7 feet of heavy wet snow is not what anyhow is designed to support).
Enjoy your web cams and such? The laptop I am typing on has one pointed right at me, but evidently our Russian hacking friends have sites from hacked cameras that folks can go and check. You know how to fix this (aside from having good anti-virus and security), cover the camera up with a piece of paper and tape, or point your web cams elsewhere when you aren’t using it.
A couple in Alberta learned just how expensive medical costs are in the US, when their bundle of joy showed up 9 weeks prematurely, and they are now stuck with an almost $900K bill, that their insurance provider (Blue Cross) refuses to pay. Travel insurance is always a tricky world, always be sure you are covered
My Writings for Week Ending November 21st
Winter has come with snow and all of that, but luckily this is Ottawa, so it is supposed to rain on Monday. Note that I am experimenting with a new grading system for comments (so far I only have Gold Stars, but I will be looking to expand that capability very soon).
- Monday I asked the same question I asked a few years ago What is Financial Literacy (2014 Edition)? Any time I can quote John Lydon (especially in his guise as Johnny Rotten) is a good day for me
- Whimsy took over my keyboard and thus we have Great Possible Financial Book Titles, a few good commenters left their ideas, as well.
- As I’ve said many times I am one of the luckiest bastards on God’s Green Earth, and in my archives I wrote about yet another example of my luck with Sometimes It’s Better to Be Lucky.
Asteroids, Tax Cuts, Lemurs and #BestThisWeek
We land on an asteroid, tax cuts may be coming and other important things from November 2014
Lame Ducks, Financial Literacy, Working for Free and #BestThisWeek
This week, our friends in the South have politically weakened their President by electing a Republican majority in both the Senate and Congress. This creates a situation where the President is essentially a lame duck. While there are discussions of “working together for a better America” right now, it is expected that by January, there will be talk of impeachment and attempts to undo Obamacare. These developments are likely to make the next couple of years in US politics very interesting. Although Canada has had some not-so-pleasant stories this week about harassment and overspending in elections, US politics always seems to be a more fascinating topic.
For Montreal Expos diehards like me, MLB threw us a few more crumbs of hope, with the Blue Jays playing some exhibition games at the Olympic Stadium in the Spring. Might go down to watch, but I also remember just how old the concrete is at the Big Owe, so maybe I’ll just watch it on TV.
Remember that November is Financial Literacy month here in Canada, so look for Tweets with the #FLM2014 on them, for interesting stories about financial literacy. I am also growing back the Big C8j Mostache for Movember (I shaved it off, and four people thought I was Jim Watson, and no I can’t help you with the parking problem on your street in the Glebe).
Stephen Poloz the new Bank of Canada Czar had a novel way for todays youth to get jobs, that is to work for free. I have always wondered about this whole Intern Works for Free scam that has been going on at many companies, but Mr. Poloz thinks his exact quote is:
When I bump into youths, they ask me, you know, What am I supposed to do in a situation? I say, look, having something unpaid on your CV is very worth it because that’s the one thing you can do to counteract this scarring effect. Get some real-life experience even though you’re discouraged, even if it’s for free
I see where he might be coming from, and it does somewhat make sense (i.e. better to have experience working for free than, “I sat at home and played X-Box” as a statement about that time in your CV ) maybe he could have put it in a way that the media talking heads didn’t have such an easy talking point?
Mrs. C8j and I were immortalized on the Twitter, talking about my retirement plans (currently, not being dead by age 65 is the first thing on the list). Nice picture of us on our last vacation together in 1992 (yeh, that’s 22 years ago). The tweet is at the bottom of this article.
My Writings for Week Ending November 7th
Christmas ads are in the air, it’s dark at 4:30 PM, must mean it is Autumn in Ottawa.
- Given this is financial literacy month, I felt it important to start with some Key Financial Rules, and then lampoon them as best I could. Remember a penny saved, is still worthless.
- Most folks don’t think about how much it costs when you buy something with a credit card, but you are paying for that privilege, but luckily that transfer fee is now frozen The Cost of a Credit Card Transaction, outlines that.
- Keeping in mind it is financial literacy month, maybe you want to ask, What is Financial Literacy ?
Happy Halloween, Income Splitting and #BestThisWeek
Halloween is finally here, and let’s be honest, it’s all about the money these days. Gone are the times when a simple Jack-O-Lantern would suffice. Nowadays, if you don’t have a spine-chilling decoration that could rival Vincent Price’s movies, you’re a failure in the eyes of your neighbors. I’ll be taking L’il C8j trick-or-treating, but don’t expect him to eat much candy. He has a selective palate. But as for me and my wife, we’ll definitely be indulging in all the sugary treats. After all, what’s Halloween without a little overindulgence? Make sure you don’t end up with any Financial Skeletons in Your Closet after setting up your Halloween Horror House.
Word has it that the upcoming Budget may allow income splitting for families with children under the age of 18 (hopefully with a dispensation for those with disabled children, maybe allowing for this ability after the child reaches the age of 18). The splitting will really mean an ability to transfer up to $50K from one spouse to another (maximum benefit of $2000), but still will help single income families (or families where one spouse makes much less than the other). I started a discussion on reddit about this as well, drop by and be heard.
This is all due to the Government “balancing” the budget (note I put that in quotes), what “balanced” means is simply the Government is simply spending all the money that they earn (while paying maintenance on the existing National Debt). I do not suggest this as a good plan for anyone trying to lower their debt level (i.e. cutting your income).
If Halloween is here, that must mean only one thing (aside from my Daughter’s birthday of course) and that is not to forget to put your clocks back this weekend as well. Yes, it is Fall Back time, where we get an extra hour of sleep and those of us who go into work early in the morning will still get no glimpse of sunlight.
My Writings for Week Ending October 31st
The days are getting shorter and of course this weekend, the clocks go back, so we all have an extra hour of sleep, so more time to read my writings, and luckily it was a sparse week for me, with only two new articles written.
- I was very happy to hear from a Twitter follower that TD Waterhouse has updated their RDSP, and I wrote about that with TD Waterhouse RDSP, a step in the right direction.
- You realize that it is 85 years since the great stock market crash of 1929, don’t you? This begs the vital question When is the Next Big Stock Market Crash? The answer might surprise you, but some interesting data about the crash, worth looking at as well.
- Maybe we need to make sure we Define What Debt Free Means ? I think we do, because banks think Debt-Free means you don’t owe on your credit cards.
