A very odd Twitter exchange erupted this week between Robert Browne, Gail Vaz-Oxlade, Kerry K. and a few other folks about what is your price? What amount of money will cause you to walk away from your blogging morals and do it just for the money? It is interesting because that exact question was asked over dinner between myself, Mr. Browne, Mrs. Browne and Michael James, and the number seems to be $1 Million (to begin with).
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What would we do for it? Someone stated:
“For a mil, I’d walk up and down Yonge Street wearing a sandwich sign for a payday loan place. Naked. In February.”
I stated I’d have to be paid $1.25M to watch this exhibition.
To quote one of my favorite heel wrestlers from the 90’s, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase:
Whoever says they would never, just hasn’t thought about how much money it would take.
It is Black Friday today, where mayhem and deals run rampant. I am not really sold on the concept of all these great deals, but I am sure there will be mayhem. I have nothing on my list to purchase, but I may do some on-line window shopping. Look at Anti-Virus software and maybe Quicken, both worth having.
The Phoenix Pay system was in the news again. The Auditor General’s report confirmed what anyone in the Civil Service knew, the system is a mess, and will take a lot of money and time to repair it (at least 2 years and another $540M). That is a pretty high price for taxpayers and there is no guarantees it will be fixed by then. It has not lived up to the promised money savings, but the blame can be shared across the board.
My Recent Writings
A couple of articles by me over the past few weeks, still not back to more than 1 a week, but things may change in the new year.
I went to the financial confessional with Why Waiting 6 Months to Update Your Financial World is a Bad Thing (and it is). I felt sorry for myself and let things go, and paid a price for my self-pity.
My instincts are to work hard to save small amounts of money, for some reason, and Banking and Saving Fees outlines another important way I am saving $3 an ATM withdrawal. Maybe I should spend more time worrying about Macro Finance issues?
Micro Blogging on Finance
It seems the folks at Telus and Rogers are having problems complying with the December 1st deadline for selling and unlocking cell phones for free, and are now asking for an extension on this and the other parts of the CRTC’s policies? Let us hope the CRTC says, No!.
Happy CPFC17
Many of my Personal Finance family and friends will be meeting in Toronto for the CPFC17. I won’t be there for a few reasons, but hope everyone has a great time!
- It is that time of the year, when we look at our portfolios and think about Tax Loss Selling – 2017 Version, and the Blunt Bean Counter has some advice for you. Me, it is time to rebalance the Index Funds, and forget about things again.
- Do you want to diversify your ETF investments, Robb from Boomer and Echo wants to help you with, 3 Ways For Investors To Get International Diversification. An interesting list, and you don’t have to buy Alibaba stock directly either!
- Why an ex-NFL player and actor worth millions still drives the 20-year-old car he took to prom, and other stories of folks who can afford ludicrously expensive things, but don’t. I enjoy reading them, even though the website it is on, BLASTS video as soon as you get there.
- Bitcoin and Blockchain Aren’t Investible Yet, Canada Pension Says, another article from Captain Obvious (Bloomberg). If CPP invests in Bitcoin, I am asking for all my money up front.
- A Bell Insider has confessed some of their nasty tricks with Bell insider reveals high-pressure sales tactics required on every single call, I am not surprised by any of this, having heard horror stories from friends. I have called to complain about my internet being down and have had someone attempt to sell me a better Internet package?
- Michael James has been quite busy with his writing, and The High Cost of Paying Property Insurance Monthly really caught my eye. I went and checked to see if I had a similar fee on my insurance, and I didn’t see one, but maybe you should go check.
Net Neutrality
Given the President has taken away most of the old Financial rules to allow us to get back to the good old days of 2005-07, the FCC (the CRTC of the states) is now about to deal a death-blow to Net Neutrality. This means things in the states are gonna be a lot weirder on-line. Chris Pirillo has an interesting perspective for you on the subject, and yes this will affect Canadians too.
End of 2017 Random Thoughts
- We Shall Remember, Paradise Papers, Tax Cheats and #MoneyTalk #FLM2017 (November 10th)
- 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)
3rd 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)
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