Random Thoughts

The government is investigating whether they should abandon the Canada Savings Bonds program, and when I heard that, I thought, What will all the Grandmas invest in now? There are about $500M worth of unclaimed CSBs out there, 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?

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Stuff I wrote this week

It was 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 electricity price increases.

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).

Read More »Bye Bye CSBs, 36 Million Strong and #Moneytalk

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Last week, we said goodbye to the Olympics and to the Tragically Hip as well. I was never a rabid Hip fan, but I enjoy much 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 almost over.

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 Pfizer stockholder (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 a 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

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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 is nullifying the effects of the electricity price jump. Fun with Numbers.

I also had a lovely conversation with one of my favourite 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:

@bigcajunman RDSP for special needs kids - why haven't you opened an account? $11,000 is up for grabs in the 1st yr. pic.twitter.com/PUU7Ivdnyg

— Punch McKully 🇨🇦 (@kayaking_canada) August 24, 2016

Read More »Farewell, EpiPens, Ombudsman Report and #MoneyTalk