Faves

Welcome to my Faves page where I will create an index of my favorite posts for this site, so folks new to my writings can wander through the posts that I feel the best about.

Personal Financial and Planning

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Change Banks
   Some useful advice I gave a friend that is still very true!
2. Free Banking
   One of my favorite topics on how to get your bank to give you FREE banking for a while at least.
3. Quarterly Personal Finance Status Report
   A way for couples to keep each other up to date on their financial status.
4. Debt is Like Fat
   Another way to look at trying to get out of debt.
5. Debt Makes Me Sick
   A frank article on my feelings about debt.
6. I Should Divorce My Wife?
   An interesting point of view from the tax side of things.

Debt

My most prolific topic is on the topic of Debt

1. Let’s Define Debt Free
   Some folks seem to think that Debt Free means only carrying a little debt, which is wrong.
2. How do you Eat an Elephant?
   A helpful explanation of how getting out of debt should be done carefully.
3. Good Debt? Not Bloody Likely
   I am tired of hearing that there is Good Debt, it is all bad.

Children

As most of you know I have kids and I write about their effects (affects?) on my financial life.

1. Real World Example: Kids Allowances
   Where I outline a system to ensure kids get their allowances on time. My kids were pretty mad at me until I implemented this system, and as a bonus, I am still watching them (financially).
2. Kippers
   Not just a salted fish eaten for breakfast in the U.K.
3. Hidden School Costs
   Not just for universities are there hidden costs in education, public schools rake a lot of money off parents too.
4. Advice to Future University Students
   No, not money related, but still very useful.

Investment

1. Einstein: The Rule of 72
   Understanding what a doubling period is, and how the rule of 72 can help you with this concept is important to the start of your investment plan.
2. RRSP or Mortgage?
   Should you invest or pay down debt, always a good question to ask.
3. Top 5 Investing Mistakes of my Life
   This one hurts to read EVERY time, seeing how much money I lost.

Employment

1. I am a Civil Servant
   Happens to the best of us I suppose. Can’t believe the vitriol in the comments.
2. On Being Laid Off (and a follow up 10 years later)
   Felt like I was run over by a bus the day it happened, but in the end it was a good thing.
3. Twenty Years in One Letter
   How you are thanked for your service to a company. Everyone is dispensable, a job is a job, shouldn’t be your life. In other words, your job is a job.
4. Pensions and Severance
   If you are lucky when you are laid off you have these choices, and if not, life is not good. Above all, I was very lucky.

Parables

In personal finances sometimes a lot can be learned in parable format.

1. Parable: Money and the McDonald’s Play Structure
   How can my son getting stuck in a McDonald’s play structure have anything to do with money? Read and you will be amused to see where I went with this story.
2. Best Financial Advice Ever Given
   Outlines a parable my Dad told me when I borrowed a large amount of money from him. I have used this parable many times myself.
3. Don’t Pass it to the Other Team
   How does the Carleton basketball coach have anything to do with finances? Read and you’ll see a long stretch.
4. The Dangers of Advice
   How I inadvertently gave very bad financial advice to a dear friend.
5. The Good Wine
   Sometimes you shouldn’t keep things for too long, just like a special bottle of wine I once had.
6. Fathers and Money
   Not really a parable, but more of a tip of the hat from the man that I learned the most about life from, even though I am pretty sure he is unaware of just how much I did learn from him.

Humor

I enjoy a good laugh, mostly at my own expense and here are some of my favorite personal finance posts with a humorous angle.

1. Some Thoughts on Financial Bloggers
   is me poking fun at my writing compatriots out there.
2. Always Have A Target
   OK, yes, my humor normally drops to toilet humor, but this one is funny too!
3. 10 Steps to a Debt Free Life
   There really aren’t that many steps really.
4. God and a Stock Broker?
   This is funny, except last week.
5. Why Banks are always funny
   Going into banks, talking to banks, interacting with banks, etc., you had better have a sense of humor, because if you don’t you’ll go crazy.
6. Get Off the Throne
   A perspective on the Throne Speech, that Stephen Harper might not have appreciated.
7. Snake Mittens
   Is any idea dumber than Snake Mittens in Personal Finance?
8. Half Price Products
   Where do you eventually draw the line?