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Superb Decisions, Gas Going Up, Rugby and #BestThisWeek

Being a fervent football enthusiast, the game on Sunday emphasized the criticality of making prompt and confident choices, as anyone who witnessed the match can attest. Despite some justifications, it’s hard to deny that it could be one of the worst play decisions ever made, even surpassing Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. However, the game was entertaining, but what gave me immense pleasure is the fact that the Giants remain the only team to have defeated the Brady/Belicheck Patriots in a Super Bowl. Regarding finances, it’s imperative to remember not to count our chickens before they hatch, as one erroneous decision can wipe out all our hard-earned money in no time.

CIS Rugby
Some fine CIS Rugby

Did you realize that the man who brought us Ketchup Potato Chips died this past week? Did you know he was Canadian? Herman Neff (a German immigrant) is that man, and I for one, thank him for that forbidden snack flavor.

Gas prices in Ottawa have jumped about 15% over the past week, and look like they will not be slowing down any time soon, which will make for very interesting stats on Inflation next month. Even with Oil going up in price, the Canadian Dollar has not started to rebound, which could make for some interesting “re-thinks” on the part of the Government in terms of tax breaks and such.

The RBS 6 Nations Cup starts today, with England playing Wales, and I’ll be watching (somehow). In 1972 the (then) 5 Nations Cup ended up tied each team went 2-2, so they all shared in the championship.

My Writings for Week Ending February 6th

Back to my regular 2 a week schedule, which is interesting because right now I have about 175 unfinished articles sitting in my “drafts” folder, I should have a contest to have a lucky writer finish one of those fine topics :

  • I think a financial fit bit might be a cool thing to have, or at least some kind of interface to monitor spending, that maybe shares with your spouse, you spending habits?
  • Car Insurance Savings Devices is me being a paranoid consumer, but there is an excellent (and civilized I might add) discussion with “Chris” who works in the industry about how this might all work. Well worth a read.
  • One of my favorite old stories is the Financial Shock Collar as a spending control device. My view is that any time I can add Star Trek (the original series) into an idea, it makes it much better.
  • CLBs, Weak Loons, Tax Time, Superb Owls and #BestThisWeek
Read More »Superb Decisions, Gas Going Up, Rugby and #BestThisWeek
Lamborghini Gallardo Sports

Car Insurance Saving Devices

Insurance companies are offering driver tracking devices to lower your insurance rates, is this a good idea or just a big privacy invasion?

FitBit

The Financial Fitbit

The Big Cajun Man received a Fitbit as a Christmas gift, a device that tracks physical exercise and heart rate. This prompted the idea of a “Financial Fitbit” that could monitor spending and financial activities in a similar way. The Financial Fitbit would have features such as:

Real-time spending tracking for all types of expenditures, including cash, credit cards, and debit transactions.
The ability to set spending limits for the day to prevent overspending.
Direct data downloads into popular financial tracking systems like Quicken or Mint.
The possibility of integrating these features into smartphones or touch payment capabilities, making them more accessible.
The author also considers the idea of competitive groups using the Financial Fitbit, similar to Fitbit’s activity tracking groups, but humorously suggests that it might lead to a competition of “Who is the cheapest?” among friends.

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CLBs, Weak Loons, Tax Time, Superb Owls and #BestThisWeek

The predicted snowmagedon for New York didn’t really appear, however, Boston took it on the nose as did the Maritime provinces, Ottawa continues to be storm free (for now). Ottawa’s weather has been cold but lacking in precipitation, but we still have February and March to get through yet.

A signature success/Un succès sur toute la ligne
Can I have this one?

This week we heard about SmartSaver which looks like a good program to make sure that the folks who the CLB (Canada Learning Bond) was designed for, receive the money they deserve. I also got mentioned by Rob Carrick so lots of new eyes have been wandering across the site, let us hope a few of you have stayed around to continue visiting.

The Canadian Dollar is now below 80 cents US, and how this changes the economy remains to be seen. Imports will start getting more expensive (again), but will this help Canadian Manufacturing? It also means that there won’t be an NHL team in Quebec City for a good long time (this will hurt the Canadian NHL teams in terms of having to pay their payroll in US Funds, but earning their income in Canadian Funds).

It is also time to start thinking about your taxes, joy! You better start making a list of all the forms you will need to be able to file your return, and try to get it in as soon as possible (unless you owe money, but even then, you can file early and then only pay on the last day (on-line at your bank)).

Evidently there is a celebration of Owls this weekend, and a quest to find the one that is the most Superb? It’s called the Super Bowl? Oh, well that makes more sense then, good luck to both teams, and I hope they both lose (being a Giants fan).

My Writings for Week Ending January 30th

Something must be in the air, I wrote 5 articles this week? Haven’t done that for a good long while :

Read More »CLBs, Weak Loons, Tax Time, Superb Owls and #BestThisWeek
Child Disability Benefit

Tax Tips for Parents with Kids with Disabilities

It is important to give tax tips for parents with kids that have disabilities, as they deserve all the help we can give them!

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