It was an odd week for me, in terms of writing (hit a dry patch), but it was even more interesting, because I got an excellent comment, pointing out that on most “finance blogs” the commenters are just other bloggers attempting to get their blog linked to (from the first blog). I have noticed that a great deal of the commenters on my site are other bloggers, with a few exceptions (mostly on my RDSP specific posts). I must agree that from what I have seen a great deal of the commentary on other sites seems to be from other Finance Bloggers, I wish I did get more comments and questions from “actual” readers, but there isn’t much I can do about it (I suppose I could follow Popular Science’s model and turn off comments, but that seems a bit drastic). I guess incestuous bloggers is an ok audience.
This week I include a Word Puzzle for you to solve, the answer is at the bottom of this post:
A note for those who are looking for more information and/or pointers to the posts I have done about the Registered Disability Savings Plan, I have created a static page with all the relevant posts, on the top of the page (look for RDSP in the menus on top), click on it and you will see the page. I will be updating that page as I write more, and will also try to add more useful information about other sites to read about this important topic.
Oh and if you look at the Google+ page and my Twitter feed there is an actual picture of me on them (not just my cat).
My Weekly Recap
My Writings for Week Ending November 1stHappy All Saints Day!!
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Advice to the Love Lorn (Pension Potential)Yes, I kind of went off on a tangent here, but think about if you could find a potential spouse with an easier retirement guarantee? |
Blurred Lines or More Thoughts on Financial BloggersFurther to my discussions about Financial Bloggers (incestuous lot that we are). |
Jumping to ConclusionsI do really get miffed at folks who don’t even listen to my rants, before they tell me how I should fix my problems. |
Predictions without Skin in the GameThe Princess Bride and finances, two of my favorite topics, melded into one awkward post, good stuff! |
Choice Picks for the Week
All Saints Day is upon us, which of course kicks off the Christmas season as well, and soon we will all madly panic’ing about what to buy, and for who(m), it’s the reason for the seaon.
- As I mentioned earlier in the week our friends at Freakonomics had a poke at More Predictions, from Bad to Worse which caused me to write my take on prognostications.
- The Canadian Capitalist pens a tutorial on Tax Treatment of ESPP Benefits, which is important if you are in the private sector (not so important for those of us who can’t buy stock in their employer).
- Mark from Blunt Bean Counter tries to explain a confusing topic for me Bitcoins – From Scandal to Currency Investment and Tax Treatment and even with Mark’s explanation, I still am not sure how this system builds wealth from nothing. In the same theme the FBI seizes over $27 million in bitcoins, likely from Silk Road suspect , but what was it they got for it?!? Free tokens to play Pac-Man?
- Gail Vaz-Oxlade ponders a point many financial planners which is if you have Pension + RRSP do you need to put a lot in your RRSP?
- A technology vanguard passed away this week with William C. Lowe passing away, one of the men behind the original IBM PC.
- Mark from My Own Advisor shows him PM (Project Management that is, not other PMs out there) with Lost in Financial Translation , and yes many projects fail due to poor communications.
- I was really glad to read that Dell is confident their laptops no longer smell like cat urine, good to hear.
- Larry MacDonald Thanked the Bank of Canada in his article: Bank of Canada’s reversal on guidance welcome but late , but yes it would have been better to have heard that a little sooner.
- Michael James comes back and refines his model and methodology in A Retirement Income Strategy Revisited, I like that he is willing to go back over his work and revise if he thinks it needs it.
- Preet has a new Audio Podcast this week, but he also has a new Video on The Importance of Disability Insurance, that is well worth watching, in fact, I have attached it after the Word Puzzle answer.
Word Puzzle
Did you get it? It’s pretty straightforward for you financial folks:
Working Around Debt
Preet’s Video
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.
Word Puzzle (to me): No room for ‘Hiring’ words = employment opportunity is a very tightly closed circle.
Nice puzzle….
Thanks for the mention BCM!
Mark
Word puzzle = work around debt. At least that is what I see. Will be interesting to see what everyone else writes!
Haha… You elaborated my point perfectly! I can honestly say that at one point I considered doing one of my own. However, after a year of reading these I decided that the 1000+ PF writers are doing an excellent job as a whole and anything I could offer would be redundant.
I only have a half dozen of the best in my RSS feed which I read on a regular basis. 😉
Hopefully I am on your RSS feed 😉
If you like the fact that I revise my work, you’re going to love future posts on the subject because I’m sure I’m not done yet 🙂 Thanks for the mention.
You are about a mile ahead of most financial writers who seem to forget they made mistakes…
Thanks for the embed. I leave this comment, not as another financial blogger, but as a financial vlogger.
and there is a HUGE difference between the two. I have been told that I have a face for radio (and podcasts). Keep up the good work.