Yes, for all those rabid hockey fans out there and those like me who got tired of watching darts, the NHL returns this weekend for our enjoyment. We can all go out and buy the new “3rd jersey” for our favourite team, eat chips, drink beer and generally abuse our bodies in the name of watching other folks exercise!
Former media darling, now media pariah Lance Armstrong continues to make news. My guess is he is trying to make sure he keeps some of his money, so if he does a “mea culpa” now, he may stop later law suits. My opinion is he was doing what everyone else was, but he was doing it much better than everyone else, hence why he won. Can he get a gold medal for chemistry?
Wish I’d trademarked Idle No More, as that was my catchphrase a couple of years ago, but I guess our Aboriginal friends are using it now. If you plan on travelling over the next little while, ensure you have cancellation insurance, or you might get caught out by some of these protests.
If you had a student loan between 2000 and 2006 you might have heard the Government lost your info, and now they are warning folks to watch out for identity fraud (which suggests that maybe it was stolen?). The good news is there is a class action suit you can jump on to try to get some money out of this too!
Weekly Recap
An interesting birthday week for me, with some odd topics (as usual):
Financial Things to Do On Your BirthdayHappy Birthday to you, now go straighten out your financial life! | The Beer Bed Saving SchemeFun things to do with empty beer cases when you are living away from home |
Financial Advice from a Comedian (redux)Sometimes you get good financial ideas from the strangest places. |
Cost Per Use and your FinancesHow do you value things? Cost per use is one way of figuring that out. |
Links for the Week
There have been a few funny pictures about the weather on Friday around the World being 12000 Degrees Fahrenheit and such. However, none of my favourite writers lowered themselves to that kind of crass writing (like me):
High Debt-to-Income Ratio Dangerous Even for the YoungAs usual Michael James says the obvious, Debt is bad, however, is it obvious? |
If you want to price match, pleaseMark gives you a nice step by step on how to ensure you get the best deal from “price matching” | Make Things Easier for Your Family and Executor(s) Designate Personal Effects in Your WillThe Big Triple B sounds like he has dealt with some sticky Will Executions. Luckily I am taking it all with me. |
How much to Your RRSP?Gail Vaz-Oxlade kicks off the RRSP season with a quick primer on how much you should think about putting in your RRSP |
Important Pension Plan Changes for Ontario MembersLots of new rules that if you have a pension, you should read. |
Kids say Apple is losing its cool factorRob Carrick is becoming a technology heretic by even suggesting that it is no longer COOL to have Apple gear. |
You Built What?!: The World’s Fastest Baby CarriagePopular Science points out that you can still have fun building stuff even after you have kids (and make practical things too) |
Exercise Graph Over the YearPhD Comics nail a perfect activity graph for the year for those of you looking to exercise more. If I could figure out how to link it to this site, I would! |
Year-end must-do: Transfer to a better paying TFSALarry Mac posted this one before Xmas, but it is still something you can do now (find a better paying TFSA) |
How to Start a BlogMMM decided he’d help his readers get into the rewarding and exciting world of blogging (sarcasm alert), it goes into detail if you are really thinking about this. | Your advert here send an e-mail for info to bigcajunman at canajun finances dot com ! |
Cost of Carrying Exploding US Debt Has Not ExplodedAn explosive piece by Preet on how the U.S. Debt has grown, but not as volcanically as some might think. |
Tweet of the Week
For those who think the CRA as a bunch of heartless Tax Collectors (remember Jesus loved Tax Collectors too, so why can’t you?), they include a great tweet pointing where to find info on disability tax credits:
Best of 2013
Some of the best of posts from 2013
- CPP Reform, Snow, Christmas, Boxing day and #FreeFormFriday Did the CPP reform of 2013 fix much? Kind of, but Christmas was coming too.
- No Verizon, Microsoft Phones, NFL Kick Off and Friday #ShoutOuts Verizon won’t enter the Canadian wireless market, meaning Mobilicity may disappear and consumers will pay ridiculous monthly charges. Learn why with this blog post!
- Mandela gone, Canada “Post”, Gail on the Shelf and #FreeFormFriday Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, after a long illness.
- Christmas is Coming, Christmas Lay Offs, Electric Fees, Commie Pope and #FreeFormFriday Celebrate Christmas with more online shopping – BMO and many other companies announce layoffs during the Holiday season.
- Giveaways, Vacations, No Sun and Friday #ShoutOuts Win a software worth almost $100 and go on the vacation of your dreams! Enter my intelligence test and get the chance to take the trip of a lifetime. #vacation
- Stock Frauds, Senate Expenses, Twitter wrong and Friday #ShoutOuts Canadians beware of stock fraud? U.S. Justice department investigates alleged penny stock swindler. Senator Pam Wallen scrutinized for spending. Find out more about the scam!
- Black November, Bitcoins, Tablets, Unloseable Lottery and #FreeFormFriday So Black Friday is upon us, however, it seems to be losing a lot of it’s “thunder” thanks to the “sales” starting earlier.
- Mad Dog, English Men, I’m OK and #Shoutouts Maurice Mad Dog Vachon was a tough son of a gun, but did he have a financial impact too? Read on to find out.
- Toronto Circus, Prince Charles Retires, More Word Puzzles and Friday #ShoutOuts This whole Toronto thing really is just a reality TV show gone off the rails, isn’t it? The three-ring circus that is unfolding in the media
- Identifiable, the Iron Sheik, Remembrance Day, More Word Puzzles and Friday #ShoutOuts So my concerns that if I put my natural face on my Social Media accounts were just paranoia.
- Incestuous Bloggers, Word Puzzles, RDSP Menu, All Saints Day and Friday #ShoutOuts Sometimes blogs become a little closed in and don’t recognize new folks and we become incestuous bloggers.
- Senate Fun, Apocalypse Averted, Asteroids and Friday #ShoutOuts News Canadians can’t ignore: investigate the scandal and discover if the Harper Government’s demise is near!
- Kicking the Can, Throne Speech, Windows 8.1 and Friday #ShoutOuts Seems our friends down south had so much fun with almost upending the world economy, they’d like to try to do it again in January.
- Government #Defaults, Fake Reviews, Turkey Time, Fall Colours and Friday #ShoutOuts Given that for some odd reason shutting the government down wasn’t enough our friends down south are now attempting to disrupt or possibly completely f*ck the world economy by defaulting in a few days.
- Government Shutdowns, Hockey Returns, New iPhone and Friday #ShoutOuts Explore the debate surrounding the US government’s shutdown with insight into potential resolutions outside of the standard back pay for civil servants.
- Financial Bloggers, 35 Million Strong, Odd CRA Cheques and Friday #ShoutOuts I had a very good time at CPFC13 where I got to moderate a panel of Investing Smart folks, and I learned a great deal from a few outstanding presenters,
- A Better Friday and #CPFC13 Not a regular Friday after this week and my preparations for the coming weekend, I didn’t really get enough time to put together my regular Friday Random Thoughts, but here is a shortened version.
- Friday the 13th, Private Royal Mail, Canadian 1% and Friday #ShoutOuts Watch out for bad things on Fridays – it’s Friday the 13th! Don’t subscribe to the concept? Tuesday is the most evil day. September 11th was a Tuesday! Don’t forget about ladders and black cats either. UK privatizing the Royal Mail? A price tag of £3B pounds!
- King Louis, Braun Follies, Lice and Friday #ShoutOuts Greetings and Happy Birthday to Prince George Louis Alexander Windsor (and future King of Canada), welcome to the media “sh*te storm” that will be your life.
- Loose Money, Faster Sites, the Heat is On and Friday #ShoutOuts The new Bank of Canada Governor announced on Wednesday no change in the interest rates for now, with the overnight rate continuing at 1%.
- Floods, Explosions, See Thru Lu Lu’s and Friday #ShoutOuts Looks like the Engineer is now being “thrown under the train” as it were (i.e. the finger of blame is being pointed at him by his CEO).
- Egypt, July 4th, Sweltering Summer, Alfie and Friday #ShoutOuts Interesting how the Egyptian military throwing out an allegedly democratically elected President is being hailed as a great democratic change.
- Canada Day, 4th of July, Flooding and Some Random Thoughts A hard week in 2013 for my family with the passing of my Mother-in-law to Cancer. One day that disease will be done.
- Fathers, Corruption, Horton’s Hedgings and Friday #ShoutOuts Hopefully everyone enjoyed Father’s Day, I know I did, very nice day, lovely meal and some peace and quiet.
- Stanley Cup, Turbans, Car Tracking and Friday #ShoutOuts The Stanley Cup finals have started, and hopefully all the games aren’t going to go that late into the night, or I will need to start working the night shift at work.
- Baseball “Cheats”, D-Day, Fun with Fiji and Friday #ShoutOuts It seems baseball is embroiled with yet another “performance enhancing drugs” scandal with a few very well-known names being implicated by yet another “wellness clinic”. Are the accusations true?
- Obliterating Rock, Floods, Senators and Friday #ShoutOuts If you are reading this after 4:35 PM May 31, 2013 I guess we survived another close fly by of a “Civilization Killer” lump of Rock.
- Senators, Twisters, Water and Friday #ShoutOuts To say the entire Senators Expenses Event is more ridiculous than a Christmas Panto (usually an excuse for men to dress up as women
- Mothers, Hab Nots, Trains, and Friday #ShoutOuts What does a Walrus, Model Trains and Mother’s Day have to do with each other? Not that much but more financial stories too.
- Taxes Done, Drones, Playoffs and Friday #ShoutOuts Hope your taxes were in on Tuesday, because if not, you might be in trouble (especially if you are part of the $29 Billion dollars still owed to the government in Taxes).
- Disk Crashes, Daffodils, Password Trappers and Friday #ShoutOuts High Tech always proves that it is much like Mother Nature, in that, you should never ignore it or take it for granted, because things can change very quickly at the most inopportune times.
- Loose Money, Trudeau-mania II, Nut Bags and Friday #ShoutOuts If you missed it on Wednesday the Bank of Canada continued to keep their key overnight rate at 1%.
- Snowmaegedon, the Masters, Windows and Friday #ShoutOuts Today, we are experiencing a late version of winter, with a nasty snow/ice/rain storm that proves that just when you think it is Spring, you might be mistaken.
- Final Four, Dark Matter, Tax Time and Friday #ShoutOuts The NCAA Men’s basketball Final Four is this weekend, and my bracket is completely shot.
- Budgets, Dark Side of the Moon, Eight Years Later, Palm Sunday and Friday #ShoutOuts Minister Flaherty gave us a very vague budget (2013) yesterday. For Hockey Moms, reasons to rejoice, given tarifs on Hockey equipment, Golf Clubs, Baby Clothes and a few other things are now gone.
- Pope Picked, Pi Day, St. Patty’s Day and Phriday #ShoutOuts Seems our Catholic brethren have chosen a new Pope (Francis) this week, thus ending one of the greatest talent hunts of the year.
- Thanks Stompin Tom, Loose Money Continues, Tax Time, Pope Picking and Friday #Shoutouts Stompin’ Tom Connors a true Canadian treasure has left us, and I for one am sad to hear it.
- St David’s Day, Snow, RRSP Season Over, Tax Time and Friday #Shoutouts Happy Saint David’s Day to all my Welsh brethren today.
- RRSP Time, Winners, Tax Time, Short Weeks and Friday #Shoutouts Yes, it’s that magical time when your Savings Institution pressures you to top up your RRSP account so you can take full advantage of the savings on your taxes.
- Lent , Pope Out, the Senate, RRSP Time and Friday #Shoutouts Lent is finally upon us, have you started making your plans? No? Me neither, I just haven’t had a heck of a lot of time to think about this kind of stuff.
- Lent , Pancake Tuesday, and Love Day Soon and Friday #Shoutouts For those of you unaware, Lent begins next Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) February 13th, so here is yet another chance to restart (or start) your financial plans for the coming year.
- Groundhog Day, Farewell Penny, No Vine and Friday #Shoutouts Tomorrow is Groundhog Day, so then we shall see how well a ground hog can prognosticate the weather (about as well as I can prognosticate financial stuff is my guess).
- Loose Money Continues, Polar Temps, More Info Lost and Friday #Shoutouts Wednesday our friends from the Bank of Canada kept their loose money policies in place.
- Hockey, Armstrong, Idle Folk, Lost Loans and Friday #ShoutOuts What happened the week of January 18th in 2013? Some NHL stuff, but a lot of interesting financial stuff too!
- Drop the Puck, Death Pills, Strikes and Friday #Shoutouts For those die hard NHL fans (like me) there will be hockey soon.
- Bye and Thanks for all the Fish, CBC Questions, Holiday Hours and Friday #Shoutouts Well it has been fun, but I guess it all had to end some time, it’s been a good run.
Deplorable that someone lost a drive with so much private information. Someone should be jailed for that loss, if not at the very least fired. What that older information was doing on a portable drive is beyond me.
Local Ottawa hospital had an employee put 25,000 folks information on a memory stick (a personal one), and they lost it on the way home, “work at home”. There are rules in place for information security, are they actually respected? No, seems to be the answer
Have a great weekend! I’ll watch hockey this weekend, I guess, if nothing else is on 🙂
Mark
Hockey-shmockey. I’ll probably get interested sometime in the playoffs. Thanks for the mention.
Yes Mr. Steampunk, I suppose you stopped watching when they stopped using wooden sticks?
BCM, happy Bday. Thx for the link. Where is the third B is BBC?
Let me know how the hockey season goes, I will be watching darts 🙂
You are so important I added the honorary title Big, so now I view you as the Big Blunt Bean Counter!