Yes, there is no Verizon on the Wireless Horizon in Canada for now, with the global wireless giant announcing it’s “non-intention” to enter the Canadian wireless market. This is unfortunate, since adding another 800 lb gorilla into the Canadian Telecom scene might make for better opportunities for consumers. This most likely means Mobilicity will disappear and possibly throw their clients to Wind (at least that is the rumor), and the rest of us will continue to pay ridiculous monthly charges for wireless data access.
Nokia’s cell phone division was bought by Microsoft in an odd turn of events (on the same topic). Nokia once was a Titan in the wireless phone set world, not so much these days, and what will Microsoft do with this new acquisition? I am not completely clear on the plans, but Windows on smaller devices may not be dead (although Windows RT is dead). Windows wants to compete with Android and iOS maybe? We shall see if this helps or is just another odd high tech acquisition.
The NFL Kicked Off yet another season last night and starts full tilt on Sunday, which is a welcome addition to my TV Viewing. I am trying out “Fantasy Football” this season, just to see what all the excitement is about. My guess is I will get pounded to bits but it may cause me to watch more football games (much to the chagrin of Mrs. C8j no doubt). I used to play Strat-O-Matic Football remotely, and that was a great deal of fun, but a very different concept and game to Fantasy Football.
Back to school for everyone this week was hopefully not too traumatic. For us everyone who should be in school is there, and for the rest of us, we just keep working in the Salt Mines.
My Weekly Recap
The house is now much less crowded:
My Writings for Week Ending September 6th
Back to School? Isn’t it almost Christmas?
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The Workers Control the Means of Production, Happy Labour DayLabor Day is celebrated all over the world, but in Canada it is also usually the last day before back to school, so another reason to celebrate! |
Passwords EverywhereSome interesting ideas in the comments section of this post about how to “store” your passwords safely, but I have my own method. | Another CRA Review PassedDid you realize you can submit your documentation to the CRA simply using your on line banking account? You do now. |
Personal Auditor GeneralAnother oldie from the vaults about how to control your spending. |
Olympic Hockey, Back to School, Big Wireless and Friday #ShoutOutsOnly in Canada would there be that much excitement out of a bunch of 20 and 30 year olds playing ball hockey in Calgary. |
Links for the Week
G20 meetings begin, with frosty US and Russia interactions, looks like the Return of the Cold War might also be a consequence of Global Warming :
Top Stories of the Week of September 6thBill Nye the Science Guy on Dancing with the Stars? #Whodathunkit? | ||
The Physics of Wall StreetMichael James yet another good reason why trying to beat the market is getting much harder these days, and if he thinks he can't beat them, I am glad I stayed with Passive Investing. |
Tips on doing your own stock investing: RosemanEllen Roseman (a personal favorite) in theStar.com finance pages gives some useful tips on investing. |
Consider what you spend for your enough numberMark from My Own Advisor wasn't happy with his initial thoughts on how much you need to retire (I liked it, the answer, "It Depends" is a valid answer), so he clarifies his idea a bit more. |
The Revised T1135: This Could Get Ugly for Taxpayers, Investment Advisors & AccountantsThe Blunt Bean Counter returns from his self-imposed summer exile with some more advice for those who will need to fill in the revised T1135 (here is a hint, it's not good news). |
Deep Thoughts on DiversificationThe Canadian Couch Potato goes back to look at whether the Complete Couch Potato portfolio has managed to make a turn around from 2 years ago? |
At Age 7, Boomer Esiason Learned No One Is Guaranteed a TomorrowRiscario writes an interesting article about the hard life lessons that Boomer Esiason (former Super Bowl QB (NFL)), and it does put things in perspective. |
Savings NibblersGail Vaz-Oxlade gives us another reason our savings are shrinking and not growing, and it isn't anything big either. |  |
'Financial advisers': What exactly do they do?Preet pens an article in the Globe asking a very good question, and points out the answer is not as clear cut as you hope. |
Cookie! Loki!
What could Tom Hiddleston the actor who plays Loki in the Avengers teach Cookie Monster and us about the importance of waiting for things that you really want (say like that expensive Sports Car or Big Overpriced House)? Just watch and see:
Yes, delayed gratification is a good thing in many aspects of life (and get your mind out of the gutter, I was not making some thinly veiled sexual innuendo (well maybe I was)).
Cookie!!!
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.
If I say “it depends” to my wife too much, I get in trouble. Same with finances. 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Mark
BCM, thx for the mention. Nice blog on passing the CRA review, way to trick em again 🙂
Woe there of course you meant that as humor (and if anyone from the CRA is reading this please I hope you treat it that way) (Way to get me back on the CRA’s “naughty” list again BBC!!!! 🙁 )
Thank you so much for the smile this morning 🙂 Cookie Monster and Tom Hiddleston did a great job!
Even though my daughter is almost 12 I’m going to get her to watch this when she gets home from school – she’s always been a huge Cookie Monster fan 🙂
LOKI!!!!!
Thanks for the mention. Have a great weekend.