Random Thoughts: When Worlds End (again)

I understand that you would like me to help you rewrite your text to sound more assertive. Below is the revised version:It has come to my attention that Family Radio is claiming that the world will come to an end today, October 21st, 2011, and the rapture will soon follow. I find it concerning that they are spreading such alarmist and unfounded claims. Although I appreciate their concern, their calculations are most likely inaccurate, and their opinions misguided. Regardless of the outcome, we need not worry about the current global economic crisis. It is imperative that we do not spread rumors and further fearmongering. Stay calm and carry on with your day.

With Christmas on the event horizon, and American Thanksgiving even sooner, will the world economy have a Santa up turn? Let’s all hope things look a little less bleak, as 2012 looks like another pretty rocky year ahead of us right now.

RESPs were very much on my mind this week, with me again making my pilgrimage to the TD bank to get some money out of the accounts, which is never a dull moment (and it gives me at least 2-3 new articles to write about as well):

• I poked a little fun at the latest trend with Occupations and Sunday’s Best hopefully I won’t be occupied too much with it
• I was a little disappointed I didn’t get more response from my whimsical Debt: Nailed it! post, hoping to get more ironic one liners to build from.
• The folks I work with are a veritable treasure trove of stories and again they came through with I only pay 5% it’s a great card, where I show how old fashioned I actually am
• On the topic of RESPs, I continued on my odyssey with RESP: and more trees died recounting the fun I had trying to get at money.
• A new part of the RESP puzzle is the CLB or Canada Learning Bond and the TD RESP where I got directed to a GIC RESP account? Really?
• Random Thoughts: UNIX Live Free or Die recaps the previous week’s best.

And thanks to those who added me on Twitter I am now over 900 folks who follow me, wow!

With all the doom and gloom from Europe and the markets, I think it’s kind of hard to stay positive, but some of my favourite writers have given it a try:

• Preet actually wrote a post on his blog this week about a Different Way of Looking at Gold Prices, what with Gold Fever hitting hard these days, well worth checking this out.
• Larry MacDonald warns us that maybe we should have Maximum pessimism II, as our new point of view, given that things are not that rosy in the world economically speaking.
• Michael James hopes that he will be getting his portion of the Dividing of the Tyco Fair Share Fund by the SEC, yes he has a stake in that argument too.
• Echo of Boomer and Echo crossed the line into an area I never like in posts but there it is 11 Steps to Financial Freedom – Step 5: Set your 3 Top Goals, my next post may be the 11 effective habits of 12 angry men married to 10 angry brides.
• Canadian Couch Potato discusses some scurrilous journalism with Couch Potatoes: The Next Financial Time Bomb?
• Sandy at Yes I am Cheap asks a hard question to answer Am I a Workaholic or Just Driven, which is sort of like, am I cheap or just frugal (let’s not even talk about if someone asks, “do these pants make me look fat?”)
• Sustainable Personal Finance gives us advice on how to find Dividend Aristocrats, they extend their pinky when they are drinking tea?
• Mike at Money.Smarts.Blog is having an RESP Book Giveaway of the RESP Book  at Boomer & Echo written by Mike, excellent ploy by Mike (but Mike’s book is great to read as well, less personal ranting about RESPs too).
• Clark at Million Dollar Journey wrote about Surviving a Divorce Financially never a fun event in anyone’s life.

Carnivals this Week

I did make it into a few carnivals this week too:

• Squirrelers hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance #331: Global Stock Edition which included my article Seniors and Debt

Remember

It’s not the end of the world, but you can see it from there.

Author: Pierre Elliot Trudeau not sure where he was talking about (yes I do)