2016

For my regular readers you know I am a big fan of Mark the Blunt Bean Counter (even if he is a rabid Leafs fan), and a while back he dropped me a note that he was going to be publishing an article on a topic I had asked him about a while ago, Henson Trusts. Mark said he knew a bit about them, but didn’t feel comfortable commenting on them, but did find someone who did a great job explaining another way for families of disabled loved ones to take care of them (financially). Mark got Katy Basi to write Estate Planning for Disabled Beneficiaries – Henson Trusts , and it is a great read. Next week Mark will be touching on another important topic (near and dear to my heart) the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP).

Speaking of RDSPs, this week I wrote about another annoying session with TD Direct Investing attempting to put money into my son’s RDSP, and naturally I wrote about it in, TD Investments RDSP Continues to Annoy. I am just flabbergasted by how the system works, and as Michael James pointed out (in an April Fool’s article) this may actually be a Deposit-Only Bank Account (i.e. I will never be able to get the money out of the darn thing). The added annoyance from previous posts about the account I only learned about because the young lady I was speaking with said, “Oh, I remember, with that type of account I have to…”, read the article to find out what the “…” entailed.

The only comment I can make about the fiasco that is the US Election is,“… people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones …” . That’s enough on that topic, let us hope it is over very soon, or that there are more Blue Jays games to watch instead!

This weekend we celebrate the harvest in Canada, with our version of Thanksgiving. At this time, we need to remember the turkey, and the contribution it makes to our festive tables. Traditionally for Canadians this weekend is a time for families and friends to get together (nothing compared to our raucous neighbours Thanksgiving in November, however) and remember that charity at this time of plenty is important as well.

The ugly side of sports showed itself as a Blue Jay fan chucked a beer can (and almost hit) an unsuspecting Orioles player. As a lifetime Expos fan, I am unimpressed, and if I saw anyone do that at a ball game, I’d point them out to the authorities. Come on Torontonians figure out who the culprit is and do the right thing. The only Knucklehead at the Jays game should be R.A. Dickey!

It is also Oktoberfest in my old stomping grounds of Kitchener/Waterloo (and Germany) (a good use of beer, as well). This wonderful fall tradition starts (officially) on Thanksgiving weekend. Allegedly, the PM himself will be tapping the first keg.

The big financial news for the week was Minister Morneau Announces Preventative Measures for a Healthy, Competitive and Stable Housing Market, which we shall see how it impacts the bubbling house markets in some cities in Canada.

Stuff I wrote this week

I had grandiose plans of writing a bunch of stuff this week, but life does sometimes get in the way of my best laid plans. It’s not quite what I had in mind (Financially) outlines how some folks settle for bad service, with their money, and they should not. You worked hard to make that money, fight to make it do the most for you.

I keep asking the same question on Social Media, but I never get an answer, RDSP: Question for Canadian Big Banks, asks why is the RDSP such a piss poor program at most banks? I have yet to have anyone from a bank respond to it.

Deep Financial Tweets