Best of

It’s becoming evident that Canada Post’s Epost service is losing its appeal among customers. I received a note from Bell, stating that they will no longer be using Epost to send my bill, and that I should retrieve it from their website instead. As a major client of Canada Post, it’s possible that Bell’s move might inspire other companies to abandon the service. I don’t hold the service in high regard, personally, as it doesn’t integrate with Outlook or any other email reader.

The March Madness Tournament is known for producing unpredictable and exciting results due to its win or go home format. The recent upsets have left many brackets in shambles. It’s unfortunate that the Buffett Bracket, which was a lucrative offer by the Wizard of Omaha for anyone who could predict a perfect bracket, isn’t happening this year due to legal issues. The chances of that is:

To calculate the total number of ways to fill out a bracket take the total number of possible outcomes for each game (2) and multiply it out 63 times: 2 x 2 x 2….x 2, or 2^63. The odds come in at one in over nine quintillion – odds that don’t seem very promising.

And my favorite team at March Madness? The UC Irvine Ant Eaters with their 7’6″ Center  Mamadou Ndiaye, great team name and a mountain in the middle, wow.

Do you have your taxes done? It is time to get it done, no time to lose on this important task.  It’s also Palm Sunday this weekend, so if you were thinking of going back to Church, might want to start this week, and beat the Easter rush.

My Writings for Week Ending March 7th

Only in Ottawa would you have folks so excited about a hockey game that they throw hamburgers to celebrate (and the players eat them):

• So my First Real Post from 10 Years ago, was more of a warning for the folks who might read my ideas, not to follow the advice, and please don’t sue me for that advice or opinions.
• So the Best Financial Decision Ever that I made, I was worried might be the biggest blunder I might have ever made, but luckily it ended up working out quite well for me and my family.
• Over on LinkedIn I updated an older story back from when I was hunting for a new job Your Facebook Page IS Your New Reference, and it is still very true today, many employers do extensive Internet searches on candidates.
• Spring has Sprung, Ten Years, The Madness and #BestOfThisWeek

The upcoming weeks are going to be a thrilling time for all the basketball enthusiasts out there, as we gear up for the entry tournaments of the NCAA March Madness Tournament and the CIS Men’s Basketball finals (in Toronto) this weekend. I, for one, am ecstatic about this and feel absolutely elated. As a passionate basketball fan, I eagerly await the games, especially the opening rounds, to witness any surprising upsets and the rise of the underdogs, also known as the “Cinderella Team,” who will undoubtedly capture our hearts.

It’s tax time, too, folks; you should have all of your tax receipts by now, so get your tax returns done, get your refund, or wait until the last day to make your payment to the CRA. If you wonder, “Should I do my taxes?”, yes!

A second Friday the 13th? Thanks to a Friday the 13th in February, there is one in March. It is followed by a Saturday when the Formula 1 racing season begins, so it can’t be that bad a Friday, can it? The snow is melting in Ottawa (as well), which will make it a better Friday.

Watch next week as I will celebrate 10 years of writing online. I’m not sure what that will entail, but remember I have about 2800 articles.

My Writings for the Week Ending March 13th

I am still fighting off the remnants of that horrible flu I picked up two weeks ago, but I managed to write a couple of articles this week. :

• Financial Daylight Savings is me having a poke at the idea of how Daylight Savings makes days longer, and how debt is pretty darn similar to that (in terms of a BIG lie).
• Thanks for the $2000 CRA is pointing out to those who can get the new Family Credit, should make sure they are getting it. I checked over my return on Turbotax and sure enough, there it was (very nice). It would even be better without the $2000 cap, but it’s a good start.
• Illness, K-Cups, Interest Rates and #BestOfThisWeek

Back in 2015 interest rates fluctuated little and usually only went down, ah for those heady days? Many other good finance stories, as well.