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RRSPs, Valentines, 50 Shades of Debt and #BestOfThisWeek

RRSP season is still ongoing with 16 days remaining to contribute to an RRSP account. Valentine’s Day weekend is a reminder to love without bankrupting oneself, despite pressure from the diamond industry. In light of the release of 50 Shades of Grey, the writer muses that sex toy sales could experience a significant boost. He commemorates his 2,700th post and shares his writings for the week. These include topics on Canadian part-time jobs, retirement, the concept of money being equivalent to love, and transitioning plans for a business.

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Looser Money, Plummeting Loons and #BestThisWeek

The Bank of Canada threw us all a knuckleball this week when they announced a quarter point drop of their key overnight rate (on Wednesday). The rate is now at 3/4%, dropping a 1/4, and it seems the Bank assumes the economy needs even more stimulus.

The telling statement from their announcement is the final paragraph of their statement:

The oil price shock increases both downside risks to the inflation profile and financial stability risks. The Bank’s policy action is intended to provide insurance against these risks, support the sectoral adjustment needed to strengthen investment and growth, and bring the Canadian economy back to full capacity and inflation to target within the projection horizon.

Money RESP
Shrinking Money (never machine wash money)

This suggests that the very commodity-reliant, Canadian economy is going to take a hoof in the “lower abdomen” thanks to plummeting oil prices. Lower inflation, but higher unemployment seems to be on the event horizon.

The Canadian dollar continues to plummet, thanks to very low oil prices, which may slow down the cross-border shopping insanity that has been going on for a while. Maybe we shall see more of our American family dropping by in Canada this summer? Is this lower interest rate simply going to accelerate the drop of the Dollar’s value? Some experts feel this is going to cause a Canadian dollar back around the 70 cent level (compared to the US dollar), we shall see whether that comes to pass.

My Writings for Week Ending January 23rd

The cold of Ottawa in January constantly begs the question, why do we live here?

Read More »Looser Money, Plummeting Loons and #BestThisWeek
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Frigid Temps, Plunging Oil, Paris and #BestThisWeek

The Winter has come to Ottawa, with frigid temperatures, that remind us that the concept of Global Warming is a bit of a misnomer, but climate change might be nice (a little warmer in January please). When your wheels freeze squared you know it is a cold day in Canada.

Thanks to a glut of oil on the market, gas prices continue to plummet to 20th Century levels. Here in Ottawa, we have seen 88.6 cents per litre gasoline and there are rumours of even deeper price cuts coming very soon. This is not very good news for the Canadian economy, with many layoffs in the Oil Patches, and Oil related businesses. What is causing this? I really don’t know, but it is causing troubles for countries like Russia and Venezuela, I wonder if someone is trying to make this happen? Interesting political intrigue if that is the case.

Normally I wouldn’t write about the horrific events in Paris, but seeing as I am a member of the media (note the small m) I am appalled by the events. Je suis Charlie, has become the battle cry for those in France, and I am glad to see the outpouring from the Political Satirists around the world. When 12 people are murdered in this fashion, for the reasons put forward, it is simply an abomination.

Site note: If you feel so inclined my site now has a cert, so you can now read https://www.canajunfinances.com if you so choose. I am still knocking the kinks out of things, but it should work just fine for you.

My Writings for Week Ending January 9th

The raw cold reminds me why I love the summers so much, and how I should cherish those days:

  • Last week I wrote a quick note about Quicken and transferring Mutual Funds which really wasn’t about Quicken, it was more of a step by step on how to transfer I series Mutual Funds at TD to the much lower MER E-Series Funds
  • Happy Financial New Year is me again reminding you of the importance of starting the new year on the right foot (or left foot if you wish) and some of the things you should be thinking about.
  • Are the money media folks going into Financial Jargon Overload ? I think some of the TV outlets are way over the top, but most financial writers try to not overdo some of the more, shall we say, trite claptrap we here in other areas.
  • Random Thoughts on 2014, Welcome to MMXV and #BestOf how well did 2014 really go?
Read More »Frigid Temps, Plunging Oil, Paris and #BestThisWeek
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