Terry Mosher (aka Aislin)’s view of Prince Philip in the 70’s
Prince Philip announced his retirement from Public Life, and at 95 I think he can finally stand down. Prince Philip is a man who speaks his mind, and for that I thank him. One instance from not too long ago was when a photographer was commissioned to take a picture of the remaining pilots from the Battle of Britain. The photographer flitted around trying to get the perfect pose, to which Prince Philip replied, “Just take the f*cking picture!“. Here, here good sir, they were all over 90 and didn’t have time to waste!
Prince Philip is also a metaphor for millennials since they will not be able to retire until 95, either.
The Census showed that there are now more oldies than young folk in Canada. This is the first time the number of folks over 65 outnumbered the number of kids under 14 by 5.9M to 5.8M. I’d like to voice my support for those seniors by shouting, “Get off my grass, you kids!”. While this number seems trivial, it is an important point. Is Canada ready to deal with the explosion of senior citizens? Are there enough care spaces? Can existing pensions deal with this kind of draw? Plenty of interesting questions.
To paraphrase The Sweet, “So recognize your age it’s no longer a teenage rampage, now!”
So the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) has been bouncing around on the Web, and allow me to add my views on the subject. If it looks like a pyramid, and you are encouraged to recruit friends and family so you can make more money, it is a Pyramid Scheme. In my younger days, more than once, I was invited to a “party”. The hosts of the “party” were always vague about why the party was happening, but inevitably, it ended up being a Pyramid Soap Party. After my first Pyramid Soap Party, I learned to be much more inquisitive about parties. Sort of like, if you can’t figure out who the sucker is in the party, be careful, it is most likely you.
Some folks will make lots of money from MLM, but will it be you? This is the question you should ask first, and whether you have a group of friends you won’t mind if they never talk to you again. The snubbing will happen after you succeed or fail at convincing them to join your “… sure fire money making system…”. John Oliver did sum it up best in his video description of things.
Ontario will have a balanced budget by 2018, is the claim put forward by the Liberal Government. This will be done without new taxes on the “middle class” (a term I really no longer view as a valid measurement, everyone has their own interpretation of that term). There will be plenty of higher service charges, so you will pay more, just not in taxes (if you are part of the mythical middle class).
Please do not confuse a balanced budget with paying down the Ontario Debt. The current Ontario Debt is about $312 B (Cdn). Can that amount be repaid? That remains to be seen, but the balanced budget simply means that the Ontario Debt should no longer be growing (however it isn’t decreasing either).
Someone sent me an invite to a meeting in 11 months, and was concerned I only replied with a Maybe response. It vexed them to the point that they came over and asked why? I explained, a lot of things can happen in 11 months. I might win the lottery, or suddenly become a wealthy author, or maybe the horses will sing. She didn’t get that last reference.
My Writings For the Week of April 28th
I actually finished off 3 different pieces this week, which might signal a renewed dedication on my part, or it might be an anomaly. First I wrote about Quicken 2017 Review The Year of the Comeback? It is a better version of Quicken that doesn’t crash as much, but still has issues. The subscription aspect of it has me worried as well.
Finally I wrote over at my Tech and Security site something new, For God’s Sake Don’t Click That ! I write about the perils of click-bait and phishing sites out there, looking to make your technological life miserable.
It seems the GTA overheated housing market (i.e. bubble) is about to have a sharp knitting needle poked into it. All levels of government are talking of taxes to stop speculation in this “… just plain stupid ..” real estate market. As a Libertarian, I am not fond of governments sticking their oar into a free market, but this market is being gamed by outside forces. The entire real-estate industry has always been near the Pay Day Loan world in my view, but in the GTA right now, this is getting stupid. The Ontario Government did announce a bunch of measures, which may help?
Now THAT is a Housing Bubble! Photo: Paul VanDerWerf/Flickr
I keep hearing arguments that there are ethical real-estate folks out there, and I have no doubt that there are some, but when this much money is being thrown around, the unscrupulous come running. Making 2% (or higher) on a million dollar sale, is motivation enough for some.
I note that no solution being suggested has any regulations being put on the real-estate industry? Rules and regulations in this area might be more useful, as well as an ethics watch dog in the area might help too.
Rent controls sound like a good idea, but increasing government control of the rental market worries me as well. Government regulation isn’t going to fix things, if anything it will create a more cumbersome system. Landlords will simply hire consultants to find ways to get around regulations.
The bubble has even come to Ottawa, with nutty folks speculating in the Ottawa market. I get calls daily from real-estate folks wanting to help sell the Big Cajun Hacienda (I didn’t know I wanted to sell it). Sure I might make good money selling my house, but where would I live? The only fun stories I have seen are of folks moving from YYZ to YOW, and being able to buy their new house for cash, except that might be what is causing Ottawa’s market to heat up?
As I have said, money is not the root of all evil, but it is the cause of a lot of stupid decisions.
Maybe Marijuana legalization is coming just in time, so we can all mellow out about this whole thing?
I missed a chance to be at a Financial Smart Guy Brunch (formerly known as the N.C.F.B.A), sounds like it was a rip-snorting event. I am glad my absence was noted, although the commentary about cloud chasing (while true) was not necessary (see the tweet further on). Some great new investment ideas were discussed including:
The Blue Chip Winery Fund
Giant Cash Bonfire Fund
The Ultra Super Cool Ponzi Group
Horizons Medical Marijuana Life Sciences ETF
Thor High Growth with Ultra Stability Fund
Guess which ones are real. I would also think that Bernoulli would win in a Thunderdome Cage Match with Kahneman (but I think they may have been pulling my leg on that one).
A Money Thought
I guess there is such a thing as bad press ? I suppose it is good they remembered me.
Great catch up w/ @MJonMoney and @CCapitalist this morning. Amazing how much we can cover when @bigcajunman not there to yell at the clouds.
It’s tax season, and it’s important to get it done. Don’t procrastinate! Make sure you file your taxes on time. I’ve already received my refund, so it’s time for you to get yours too.
Are you assuming that you can claim all of your dependants? Not if your dependant is called Fluffy or Rover. Get all the tax credits you are due, but make sure you are not gilding the lily on things either.
There is a housing bubble starting in Ottawa, and the prices of homes are on the rise, leading to bidding wars and quick sales. While this is interesting to many, it’s not something I’m interested in, as I’m not sure where I would live if I sold my Big Cajun Hacienda. I suppose I could live in a van down by the river, but that’s getting crowded too. Meanwhile, there have been reports of landlords in Toronto raising rents, but this could backfire as it may prompt the government to introduce tighter rent controls, which could ultimately harm the landlords’ profits.
Remember the important financial credo to live by:
Pigs get fat, Hogs get slaughtered
Kind of a special Easter message, for those landlords trying to make it big.
Easter is coming folks, next week the week leading up to the big weekend. Another good time to start rethinking any financial plans you might have.
My Writings for the Week Ending April 7th
I didn’t write anything this week, but I continue to clean up a lot of my older writing, and republishing them on social media. You should really be following me on Twitter, I am told I am a delight to read. I also tweet under my own name if you are curious as well (much more raw and rude commentary on life, technology, sports and my own odd humor). What kind of tweets might you see?
