Skip to content
Canajun Finances Home » Random Thoughts » Page 20

Random Thoughts

Understatement

Curses Broken, Doomsday, and #MoneyTalk

Holy Cow! (to quote Harry Caray) the curse of the billy goat that was on the Chicago Cubs, has finally been broken (yea curses broken), and I am glad to see it. I remember the 69 Cubs with Billy Williams, Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and crew making a run for the playoffs and then getting it all derailed by the Miracle Mets (yes, I am very old), so I was happy to see the Cubbies finally winning it all. It seems to be giving new hope to Blue Team fans as well.

Some think that Doomsday may be much closer after the Tuesday elections in the United States. For the record the Doomsday clock stands at 3 minutes to Midnight, so there isn’t much more wiggle room here, in terms of the big boom”. Let us hope cooler heads prevail, and whatever happens on Tuesday, it doesn’t create the Biblical Apocalypse that some have promised.  In other good news, the new Russian Satan II Missile can’t wipe out Texas or the UK as previously advertised (well, not just 1 of them).  Reading that helped me sleep better (sarcasm).

Understatement
Just Saying

Evidently there is no such concept as a No Fault Divorce From Europe as the UK PM is finding out. Should be interesting to see where this winding road of interesting quandaries leads.

My Writings for the Week Ending November 4th

What Do Investors Complain About the Most ?Inappropriate investing strategies seems to be a big one (like having a 75-year-old retiree investing in a tech start up?), according to the IIROC. Worth reading, but I suspect that is only the tip of the iceberg, in terms of complaints.

A Money Tweet

What happens when Preet meets up with the Blunt Bean Counter? Why don’t you listen in to find out?

Read More »Curses Broken, Doomsday, and #MoneyTalk
More cowbell

Overvalued Housing, EU Trade Deal, Overcharging Banks & Scary #MoneyTalk

So the CMHC came out with a report this week that confirmed what most folks looking for a house already know, and that is Most Canadian Housing Markets Overvalued, Price Growth to Slow Through 2018. Houses being overvalued in major areas of Canada (e.g. Toronto, Vancouver, etc.,) is nothing new, we have been talking about the housing bubble there for years, but now there is talk of this causing a domino effect where other areas housing prices are also increasing (for no clear good reason). Will the new regulations about Mortgages  slow this down? We shall see!

Count Floyd
This Whole Mortgage Thing is SCARY!!! Isn’t it Kids?

Interesting that Belgium is the one country stopping the new trade deal with Canada, and it is not even all of Belgium, it ends up being a small minority holding all of Europe hostage? Interesting how these things happen that way. Evidently there is a compromise that has been reached? We shall see.

Seems the CIBC (specifically CIBC Investor Services Inc) were caught overcharging their customers for Mutual Funds and ETFs dating back to 2002, but because they said it was accidental, they are hoping to not have to pay a penalty? I wonder what would happen if I accidentally forgot to pay my taxes? Food for thought.

Monday is Halloween, you know what that means? Christmas season has already started, to quote Count Floyd, “That sure is scary kids!“.

My Writings for Week Ending October 28th

I did resolve this year to move away from the TD Mutual Fund accounts that I still have open, and the first step I took was moving my Emerg Fund from TD Mutual Funds to Questrade, but I had to wonder about 10 Day Investment Account Transferals, and why does it take that long? It is only one computer talking to another.

Read More »Overvalued Housing, EU Trade Deal, Overcharging Banks & Scary #MoneyTalk
Mortgage Retirement

RDSP , New Mortgage Rules Hurts Economy and #MoneyTalk

This week I start with another big Thank you to Mark Goodfield for posting another helpful overview article (written by Howard Kazdan ) entitled, The Registered Disability Savings Plan A Government-Assisted Savings Plan for Family Members that Qualify for the Disability Tax Credit . I have written a great deal about my misadventures with this program, as well as my issues with TD Direct Investing (still the best RDSP out there, unfortunately), but this overview is a good read for anyone wishing to get a few hints to help out a disabled loved one (financially). Remember to read the Henson Trust Article as well.

RDSP
RDSP A Path to Savings (from another great article by Moneysense)

The 3rd US Presidential debate happened nuff said.

There are dire warnings that the new Mortgage rules  are going to hinder young folks ability to purchase houses, however, as usual Michael James had an excellent tweet in response (see the financial tweet area for that chestnut). The government seems to be attempting to gently let the air out of the bubble, we shall see whether it pops in spite of the gentle treatment.

The Bank of Canada announced that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 1/2 per cent, which is nothing new. The reasons why are always interesting, so let us peal that onion a bit more. Interesting that the new house buying rules are mentioned in this report as well,

This is due in large part to slower near-term housing resale activity and a lower trajectory for exports. The federal government’s new measures to promote stability in Canada‘s housing market are likely to restrain residential investment while dampening household vulnerabilities

Interesting that the Bank is almost scolding the Government for bringing the new housing rules in place? Maybe not, scolding, but pointing an accusatory finger.

My Writings for the Week Ending October 21st

Having watched the happenings down south, I had a small epiphany about how voting and financial planning are pretty darn similar (at least how we implement them), so I wrote, We Invest the Way We Vote . I have read a few articles that simply telling to populous to vote, without telling them to make an informed vote, is at best reckless at worst dangerous, and after watching what has gone on in the Republican Party, I think the theory is valid. Become informed on the topic, before executing!

New Mortgage Rules All Bad?

I think Michael James makes an interesting point with this simple tweet.

Read More »RDSP , New Mortgage Rules Hurts Economy and #MoneyTalk

Henson Trusts, RDSP Gripes and #MoneyTalk

Henson Trusts
A good start explanation of Henson Trusts

For my regular readers you know I am a big fan of Mark the Blunt Bean Counter (even if he is a rabid Leafs fan), and a while back he dropped me a note that he was going to be publishing an article on a topic I had asked him about a while ago, Henson Trusts. Mark said he knew a bit about them, but didn’t feel comfortable commenting on them, but did find someone who did a great job explaining another way for families of disabled loved ones to take care of them (financially). Mark got Katy Basi to write Estate Planning for Disabled Beneficiaries Henson Trusts , and it is a great read. Next week Mark will be touching on another important topic (near and dear to my heart) the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).

Speaking of RDSPs, this week I wrote about another annoying session with TD Direct Investing attempting to put money into my son’s RDSP, and naturally I wrote about it in, TD Investments RDSP Continues to Annoy. I am just flabbergasted by how the system works, and as Michael James pointed out (in an April Fool’s article) this may actually be a Deposit-Only Bank Account (i.e. I will never be able to get the money out of the darn thing). The added annoyance from previous posts about the account I only learned about because the young lady I was speaking with said, “Oh, I remember, with that type of account I have to…”, read the article to find out what the “…” entailed.

The only comment I can make about the fiasco that is the US Election is,“… people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones …” . That’s enough on that topic, let us hope it is over very soon, or that there are more Blue Jays games to watch instead!

Read More »Henson Trusts, RDSP Gripes and #MoneyTalk
Turkey Bacon Happy Thanksgiving Canada

Thanksgiving, Knuckleheads, Debt & the Buddha & #Moneytalk

This weekend we celebrate the harvest in Canada, with our version of Thanksgiving. At this time, we need to remember the turkey, and the contribution it makes to our festive tables. Traditionally for Canadians this weekend is a time for families and friends to get together (nothing compared to our raucous neighbours Thanksgiving in November, however) and remember that charity at this time of plenty is important as well.

Beer Throwing Incident
There is no call for this, no matter how drunk (or stupid) you might be.

The ugly side of sports showed itself as a Blue Jay fan chucked a beer can (and almost hit) an unsuspecting Orioles player. As a lifetime Expos fan, I am unimpressed, and if I saw anyone do that at a ball game, I’d point them out to the authorities. Come on Torontonians figure out who the culprit is and do the right thing. The only Knucklehead at the Jays game should be R.A. Dickey!

It is also Oktoberfest in my old stomping grounds of Kitchener/Waterloo (and Germany) (a good use of beer, as well). This wonderful fall tradition starts (officially) on Thanksgiving weekend. Allegedly, the PM himself will be tapping the first keg.

The big financial news for the week was Minister Morneau Announces Preventative Measures for a Healthy, Competitive and Stable Housing Market, which we shall see how it impacts the bubbling house markets in some cities in Canada.

Stuff I wrote this week

I had grandiose plans of writing a bunch of stuff this week, but life does sometimes get in the way of my best laid plans. It’s not quite what I had in mind (Financially) outlines how some folks settle for bad service, with their money, and they should not. You worked hard to make that money, fight to make it do the most for you.

I keep asking the same question on Social Media, but I never get an answer, RDSP: Question for Canadian Big Banks, asks why is the RDSP such a piss poor program at most banks? I have yet to have anyone from a bank respond to it.

Deep Financial Tweets

Read More »Thanksgiving, Knuckleheads, Debt & the Buddha & #Moneytalk
Verified by MonsterInsights