Random Thoughts: Summer is in the Air

With Summer coming very soon (on Sunday in fact), and Father’s Day on the same day this weekend looks to be an eventful one for us all.

Financially the week has seen the Nortel CEO Mike Z. standing in front of a group of Canadian politicians and saying, “It simply wasn’t feasible to pay severance,” , you must respect his chutzpah, but when he started saying he might not get his sweetheart pension, he lost all credibility. Despite the CPI being at 0.1%, the reality is that our food prices have increased by a staggering 7.1% over the past year, which is a major concern for low and fixed-income individuals. This issue cannot be overlooked, and must be addressed. Given the current situation, it’s likely that interest rates will remain low for a considerable amount of time, which is quite astounding in my opinion.

My Summer Views

• Random Thoughts with Oil Spiking, wait a minute wasn’t gas at $1 per litre back then?
• How Do They Make Money the mint is always hard at work.
• Time for Mid-Year Financial Check Up always monitor things closely.
• Mid-Year Personal Finance Check Up (How did we do?), not that well is my guess.
• Mid-Year Personal Finance Check Up (Now What) this is a long checkup.
• Consumer Price Index for May 2009: Nudges Up inflation never sleeps.

Financial Blogging Views

Here are some interesting posts from my regular reads on the Financial blogging front:

• Ellen Roseman has a little Fun and Games with her students at U of T’s continuing ed program, with Ellen Degenerates Share Club, she wins the funniest one liner of the week.
• Michael James points out that the CRA No Longer Taxing Loyalty Programs, with a few caveats added on. I wonder if my PC Points fit this new rule?
• Preet from WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo points out that the Ultimate W Expert Challenge (which he is a part of) starts this weekend on Sunday! Worthwhile just to see and hear what Preet sounds like (since you aren’t likely to see me on the big screen any time soon).
• Larry MacDonald points out that Ontario Savings Bonds are on Sale (for a few days more), but wonders if it might be better just to go with high-yield bank accounts.
• Riscario muses about The Three Major Obstacles to Growth according to Brian Tracy, which is a very interesting read.

Stay tuned this weekend, there may not be a video interlude, but there might be something even more enjoyable. Enjoy the start of summer and remember to call your Dad on Father’s Day!