If you didn’t know that Christmas was coming, then you really must live in a cave, or have astounding abilities to ignore all the crap in front of you. The Christmas season rages on, and with Chanukah over, we can concentrate on the spending orgy at hand, which is the Christmas Season. Time to go online and do some more shopping. Did anybody else notice that many boxes are being left (unattended) at folks’ front door steps?
BMO and many other companies are showing great Christmas cheer by announcing layoffs for the Holiday Season (truly the gift that keeps on giving). Having been laid off, there really is no good time for this, but at Christmas that is just being cruel, and piling on.
In Ontario, the Government decided to play “fun with numbers” and announced that electricity fees will go up only 33% over the next 3 years, well they didn’t say that, they amortized it over a much longer period and came up with a much lower number. Given that after 3 years “all bets are off” when it comes to any government or utility spending, the true horizon is 3 years at best, so maybe it is finally time for me to go look into what Solar Power might cost me? Certainly time to get rid of my electric clothes dryer and put in a natural gas one (again).
My Weekly Recap
My Writings for Week Ending November 29ndChristmas Come for the Holiday but Don’t Leave Unable to Pay! | |||
If You Have Credit Card Debt Don’t InvestI stole that line from a very good post on Business Insider, but I do agree with it. How can you beat 30% ? |
Give Ca$h not Gift Cards for ChristmasI think Cash as a gift has gotten a very bad rap. Money is money, and if you can spend it anywhere, what has a gift card got over cash? |
Child Disability Benefit Application Letter (Template)I got a comment asking for help writing the letter for CDB back dating, so I figured I’d publish it and help any other folks still fighting. |
Christmas QuickiesA bit “Grinchy” on my part, but still we need to laugh during this stressful time of the year. |
Swiss Army Knife Section
I have renamed this section mostly because it isn’t just the best Financial posts of the week, I include other esoteric things like science and technology in here too:
- Rabble.ca had a different point of view with TFSA program is an attack on our tax system, an interesting point of view, I think.
- Michael James seems to be espousing the demise of the Tax System with Tax-Free Savings Accounts : How TFSAs Can Make You Rich
- If there was ever anyone who needs a Special Big Cajun Financial Advisor this guy really needs him (or at least I need to “help” him). Wouldn’t mind swimming in his pool though (the link is a bit NSFW).
- Gail Vaz-Oxlade wants you to find any Lost Money you may have left in old bank accounts (you should send her a 10% cut if you do find money (just sayin)).
- My wife was helping out at the Church on something called Christian Ed, and I wondered to Mosques have Muslim Muhammad programs? Do Synagogues have Jewish Jacob programs? OK, line crossed.
- Mark from My Own Advisor continues his series What’s in your portfolio? Dividend Ninja discussing with highly respected bloggers what is in their portfolios.
- For football fans I give you Paul Hornung Hopes It “Snows And Rains Like A Bitch” At The Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is in New Jersey (in February) this year, it’s gonna be interesting.
- For hockey fans we have KHL team hires women in lingerie to sell tickets, cheer up fans (NSFW) I’d buy tickets there is all I am saying (don’t care if it was for Cricket).
- Rush Limbaugh is taking on Pope Francis (about his overly Christian ideas about helping the poor), if I was betting I’d take Pope Francis and the points, unless it snows.
- Mark The Blunt Bean Counter shies away from the Holiday season and goes with good strong financial commentary with Should You Transfer Your Sole Proprietorship into a Corporation?
- Marie from Boomer and Echo jumps into the Christmas Season with 10 Useless Kitchen Gadgets , I have added a few to the list (Olive Pitter, Deluxe Meat Slicer, Belgian Waffle Maker, etc., etc.,).
- Preet went festive stealing my thunder with This holiday, consider skipping gift cards, in the Globe and Mail.
What if the Sopranos were on Sesame Street?
Better still what if Ernie and Bert were real people?
For You Golfers
Top this shot, wow.
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.
Gail’s article was interesting but at the same time, it still shocks me people leave money in old bank accounts.
Thanks for the blog love BCM. Have a great weekend!
Mark
I’m feeling your Ontario Hydro pain as well. When the Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli said the other day that we will ONLY be paying $2 more a year(over 20 years(as if it will take 20 years!)) to pay for their gas plant cancellation\seat bribe.
It will only cost us a cup of Tim Hortons coffee a year! Well is that all?! I’d like to tell the minister that I rarely ever buy coffee! At least I’m not as hard off as a coffee addict I suppose.
Try doing that math though, $2 a year does not come anywhere close to $1.1 Billion! These clowns are running the province!!!
BCM, thx for the link. I hope people appreciate the templates and info you have provided the past few months and send you the occasional inbox thank you.
Mark, thanks, I feel this is the best “Pay it Forward” I can do, to thank the folks that have helped us.