Tomorrow is Remembrance Day in Canada (and it is Veteran’s Day in the USA), and we should all remember the sacrifice others have made for our freedoms. The day may fall on Saturday this year, but take some time to think about those who have paid the ultimate price.
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The government has been making getting a Disability Tax Ceritificate much harder. Currently they are arguing that folks with diabetes are not actually disabled, because they have a workaround with insulin. I don’t’ agree with this statement, but I doubt that will change the CRAs minds.
Many folks with children that are on the autism spectrum are having issues getting their DTCs, as well. I have said all along this is not an easy process, and the CRA has been scrutinizing applications even more. They have been taking a very close look at applications “helped out” by certain firms, that offer their services to apply for the DTC. There are many stories of specific Doctors having all their DTC applications rejected due to their voluminous work in that area.
Why is the government doing this? More income seems to be the reason.
With the leak of the Paradise Papers, we now see a litany of Canadians who have used offshore tax havens to hide their riches. Will the CRA scrutinize these nefarious tax evaders? I hope they show as much vigor in following up with these folks as they have with the disabled “tax cheats” out there.
My Recent Writings
A busier week for me, where I had two different articles.ODSP and RDSP Services that Clash, came out of a presentation I attended about RDSPs. I ended up asking my PMP about how it works, and the response is fairly clear. Given how the ODSP works, I suspect I may be writing more about this topic.
Investment Risk Profiles are a real pain in my rear. I continue to wrestle with these questionnaires, and they really do just seem to be something the lawyers concocted.
Micro Blogging on Finance
Do you complain on-line using social media? I rant a lot, and end up with folks from companies confronting me, but I haven’t used social media much, yet.
November Snow?
The winter has arrived in Ottawa, with bitter cold temperatures and icy roads, guess it is that time of the year again.
- Mark at My Own Advisor reviews a popular book, Straight Talk on Your Money – Book Review, I really should write my own review, given I did listen to the audio book.
- Blessed by the potato brings us , FLM and the Wonder Bread Abomination, or paraphrasing Crosby, Still, Nash & Young, “… teach your children well…”, because if you don’t they will live in your basement forever!
- Are you thinking about cryptocurrency as part of your investments? Read The Bitcoin Bubble from the Economist, and then give your head a shake, because you shouldn’t.
- The NFL is the only league where the players contracts are not guaranteed, which makes the story Roger Goodell Reportedly “Furious” At Being Offered Non-Guaranteed Contract that much funnier.
- Remember in a few weeks you will be able to get your phone unlocked for free, and buy unlocked phones too! December 1st, mark it on your calendar.
- The never ending argument about active or passive investing continues with Michael James’ The Smartest Investment Book and Portfolio, two different books, two different investing ideas. Which one is best? You’ll have to read to find out.
End of 2017 Random Thoughts
- Fall Back, Farewell PC Financial, and #MoneyTalk #FLM2017 (November 3rd)
- Mortgage Tests, Thanks Gord and Bombardier and #Moneytalk (October 20th)
- Halifax Ikea, New Tax Plans, Pumpkin Spice ETFs and #MoneyTalk (September 29th)
This Quarter Random Thoughts
- Summers end, Taxes, Doomsday Insurance, Uber and #MoneyTalk (September 15th)
- Rates Up Trend, Summer Holidays, High Gas and #Moneytalk (September 8th)
- Farewell PC Financial, Summer Holidays, Bat Guano and #MoneyTalk (August 18th)
- Paying Children to Move out, Sears, and #MoneyTalk (July 28th)
- Rate Reactions, Mortgage Double Ups, Bad Cycling and #MoneyTalk (July 21st)
- Keep Calm and Pay Off Your Debt and #MoneyTalk (July 14th)
2nd Quarter Random Thoughts
- #Canada150, B of C Rates, and #MoneyTalk (June 30th)
- Donuts, Graduations, Summertime and #MoneyTalk #Canada150 (June 23rd)
- Bank Profits, Loose Money, Used House Salesfolk and #MoneyTalk (May 26th)
- Avocado Toast, Victoria Day, Ransomware and #Moneytalk (May 19th)
- RDSP, DTCs, Mother’s Day and #MoneyTalk (May 12th)
- Thanks Prince Phil, More Old Than Young and #MoneyTalk (May 5th)
- MLM, Balanced Budgets, and #Moneytalk (April 28th)
- Overheated Housing Market, Rent Controls and #MoneyTalk (April 21st)
- Ladies on Panels, Good Friday, Friendly Skies, Loose Money and #MoneyTalk (April 14th)
- Tax Time, Housing Bubbles, Financial Easter and #MoneyTalk (April 7th)
1st Quarter 2017 Random Thoughts
- April Fools, High on Life and #MoneyTalk (March 31st)
- Ho Hum Budget, Brackets Busted and #MoneyTalk (March 24th)
- Naughty Banks, March Madness, Big Snow and #MoneyTalk (March 17th)
- Teller Upselling, Auto-filling Taxes, Spring Forward and #MoneyTalk, (March 10th )
- Lent Begins, Loose Money and #MoneyTalk (March 3rd )
- RRSP Season, Tax Time, and #MoneyTalk (February 24th )
- Farewell Vinyl Café, Snow, Monopoly and #MoneyTalk (February 17th )
- RRSP , Tax , TFSA , RESP, and RDSP Time and #MoneyTalk (February 10th )
- Year of the Fire Rooster, Financial Groundhog Day and #MoneyTalk (February 3rd )
- Alternate Financial Facts, 1984 and #Moneytalk (January 27th)
- Bungled Mortgages, Friday the 13th and #Moneytalk (January 13th)
- Merry New Year, CPP, EI and #MoneyTalk (January 6th)
Remembrance Days Gone by
- We Shall Remember, Paradise Papers, Tax Cheats and #MoneyTalk #FLM2017 is from 2017, with a photo of the War Memorial in Ottawa.
- We Shall Remember 2013 remembers more of my family’s experiences.
- Remembrance Day 2012 includes the poem by John McRae, In Flanders Fields.
- Remembrance Day 2011 included a video of veterans talking about their service.
- We Shall Remember 2010 with talk of the App for Remembrance Day (yes there was one).
- We Must Remember 2009
- Lest We Forget 2008 was when I first started writing about Remembrance Day
