So the Canadian Senate is turning into quite the hot bed of fun and games, with allegations of bad behavior flying faster than on a Grade 3 playground at recess. Will this somehow bring the Harper Government down? Not likely, but if it does, it will be quite entertaining, but it will be that no matter what. As usual it is even more interesting for those of us who live in Ottawa.
The Financial Apocalypse was averted after the Congress Tea Party “renegades” folded up like a cheap tent, and the Democrats have been their normal smug self, but I suspect that this isn’t over by any stretch of the imagination. This will all come back in January and evidently there is a new Conservative Savior on the horizon (given what has happened to the past few ones, it strikes me as a very dangerous label to carry around).
A massive lump of intergalactic rock flew very close to the earth and will be back in 20 years (and the Russians claim it IS going to hit us that time). Will TV135 cause havoc if it hits the earth? Depends on where it hits, but we have 20 years to worry about it (so start now and avoid the rush). Cosmic calamities may be the new fun topic (if you want to help find them, remember to help out Seti At Home ).
My Weekly Recap
My Writings for Week Ending October 25thThe Christmas Season Has Already Started! Ho, Ho, Ho!
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When did you get your first Credit Card?This sprung out of a conversation I had with my Mum about when I got my first credit card (in 1982). |
Low Flying Prices: Inflation at 1.1% for SeptemberInflation is officially about 1.3% or so, so why do I feel like my wealth is eroding daily? Oh yes, I had kids, never mind. |
I took a day off?Thanks to technology, and far too many things going on I took a day off, felt good too, might do it again. | Life is PainThe Princess Bride and finances, two of my favorite topics, melded into one awkward post, good stuff! |
Choice Picks for the Week
An interesting week, what with everyone having a collective sigh of relief with the Financial Disembowelling averted in the U.S. (for now) and such, other folks found much happier topics to write about (other than disembowelling).
- Mark @theBluntBeanCountr wonders if there will be much interest if You Will Soon be Able to Buy 100 Shares in Sydney Crosby ? I think I’d buy shares in an NBA player (less catastrophic injury possibilities), but I’d stay away from NFL players (non guaranteed contracts).
- @PreetBanerjee puts out another Mostly Money, Mostly Canadian Podcast with Digital Assets and Estate Planning a Conversation with @Rayleclair @LawPro . Who can I leave my Simpsons Tapped Out money to if I die? (add GrandAlain if you play).
- Popular Science has another astonishing Scientific breakthrough: Science Confirms the Obvious: Dudes Slow Down When Walking with their Girlfriends (at least dudes who can GET girlfriends). My mind was completely blown when I read that one.
- Michael James is sick and tired of the trite and tired retirement income strategies put forward and comes up with a Retirement Income Strategy of his own. A little more complicated, but maybe a little better thought out than other strategies as well.
- Promod tries to help us clarify things with: How to Tell IF Your Advisor is Independent , evidently there are degrees of independence.
- The @CanadianCapitalist answers a Reader Question on Bond Allocation and points out that no matter what doom and gloom you might hear about the Bond Market maybe now isn’t the time to jump ship (if you hold them).
- Is Marie from @BoomerAndEcho really Dreaming of a Lottery Win, I know I am, but she puts her tongue in cheek and answers what she might do if she did win.
- Kerry @Squawkfox asks an interesting question Can you raise a child for $3,000 a year, and the answer is of course, it depends (on whether you leave your child to free range and poop all over your back yard), an interesting read.
Scary Halloween Stuff
I think this is cooler than spending a month making your house look like a slaughter house, but you couldn’t find SOMETHING to do other than this?
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.
Good to chat with you recently BCM. I think I heard what you said over the band at the restaurant???
Thanks for the mention, hope you had a great weekend!
Mark
WHAT? I can’t read you over the band in the bar!!! Maybe we need a new venue?
You’re showing your age when you talk about turmoil during Grade 3 recess. I think recess now is a lot more controlled. Some schools don’t allow the kids to throw a ball. Some schools have threatened to ban running (but I’m not sure if any have actually done so). I pity the majority of kids who desperately need to blow off some steam.
Our politicians are getting as crazy as the Americans. It is nice that a few of ours have finally been caught for gorging at trough.
The American mess will never be over until there is clear leadership in the Republican party. Be it moderates like McCain or right wing Tea Party crazies they will continue to fight until one side has control.
Thankful for an easier CAPTCHA code this morning.
Hey BCM,
Thx for the link. It is very weird, but I thought you had taken a break from writing. The latest blog that kept showing when I clicked your site as a fav was Oct 15th, while everyone else updated daily. I only realized something was weird when I saw your first credit card blog noted as a weekly pick. I needed to click the compatibility icon at the top to get your site updated. Not sure if IE 10 thing or what.
Hmmmm… that is strange, I don’t use IE 10, so I’ll check that out.