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Going thru hell

RDSP, DTCs, Mother’s Day and #MoneyTalk

This week our friend Kerry K. from Squawkfox appeared on CBC On The Money and did an excellent job explaining the issues with the RDSP.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Table of contents

The video of her interview is at the end of this post. The major things to take away are:

  • The system is daunting for disabled folks (or their families) to set things up. No argument from me, we are lucky we got help.
  • It is not used by 85% of folks eligible (over 500,000 Canadians who could use it, don’t)
  • These folks need help, but not from the “Helpful firms” that will scrape up to 30% of their tax refund to do
Going thru hell
Certainly the way it feels sometimes dealing with DTCs and RDSPs

I must commend Kerry for her exceptional efforts in this area and her impressive presentation on the topic. She also acknowledged me (for those of you curious about who the Big Cajun Man is, watch the video) and the significant help that Mrs. C8j and I provided her with on this matter. Fortunately, Kerry was the one responsible for presenting and writing it, which made it straightforward to comprehend and sensible.

Let me point out that I do not claim to be an expert on the topic of DTC or RDSPs, I simply have lived the system and have many useful tips for those trying to use it.

Democracy was in evidence in B.C., when an election was decided by 9 votes (effectively). The riding of Courtenay-Comox was won by a 9 vote margin, in the Wednesday Election. There will be a recount, but if the NDP holds the seat, there is a minority Government in B.C., with the Green Party holding the balance of power. If the Liberals win the seat, they will have a slim majority. Yes, this is why you should always vote.

It is Mother’s Day on Sunday in North America, so remember your Mother. We all had one, and all she wants is for you to give her a call, and maybe visit sometimes.

The Real Estate market in Toronto might be slowing down, but in Ottawa it is starting to heat up. Have not heard of many bidding wars, yet, but maybe folks are thinking Ottawa is a suburb of Toronto?

All you folks who collect Aeroplan Points (like I have for over 25 years) must be shocked as I am that Air Canada is severing their relationship with them. I don’t have many points left, but evidently there is no transferral of points to Air Canada’s new point system either.

Things I Wrote This Week

I wrote three articles this week #Wow. On Monday I wrote about an older book Preet wrote RRSPs: The Definitive Book on Registered Retirement Savings Plans, which is still topical. It was written before the TFSA, so it could use an update with the TFSA added in, but still a very good reference book.

After working with Kerry K. on her research, I came across a great quote about an issue with the RDSP program, and its horrible subscription rate. DTC RDSP Vicious Circle talks about how you need a DTC to set up an RDSP, but why some folks don’t bother with the DTC.

On the sister site to this site, I wrote about an important personal security issue, The Difference Between Phishing and Spear-Phishing,outlines what to look for in both cases. If you are under a Spear­ Phishing attack, it is most likely due to your friends having their accounts compromised.

A Money Thought

Here we have a great resource for RDSPs, reporting on their investing success with the RDSP.

Read More »RDSP, DTCs, Mother’s Day and #MoneyTalk
Disability Tax Credit

DTC RDSP Vicious Circle

The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is needed to be able to open an RDSP (Registered Disability Savings Plan). Without the DTC you cannot have an RDSP.

Retirement

RRSPs: The Definitive Book on Registered Retirement Savings Plans

RRSPs : The Definitive Book on Registered Retirement Savings Plans is very good book about a tricky but important topic for your financial planning.

Thanks Prince Phil, More Old Than Young and #MoneyTalk

Prince Phlip
Terry Mosher (aka Aislin)’s view of Prince Philip in the 70’s

Prince Philip announced his retirement from Public Life, and at 95 I think he can finally stand down. Prince Philip is a man who speaks his mind, and for that I thank him. One instance from not too long ago was when a photographer was commissioned to take a picture of the remaining pilots from the Battle of Britain. The photographer flitted around trying to get the perfect pose, to which Prince Philip replied, “Just take the f*cking picture!“. Here, here good sir, they were all over 90 and didn’t have time to waste!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Table of contents

Prince Philip is also a metaphor for millennials since they will not be able to retire until 95, either.

The Census showed that there are now more oldies than young folk in Canada. This is the first time the number of folks over 65 outnumbered the number of kids under 14 by 5.9M to 5.8M. I’d like to voice my support for those seniors by shouting, “Get off my grass, you kids!”. While this number seems trivial, it is an important point. Is Canada ready to deal with the explosion of senior citizens? Are there enough care spaces? Can existing pensions deal with this kind of draw? Plenty of interesting questions.

To paraphrase The Sweet, “So recognize your age it’s no longer a teenage rampage, now!”

A Money Thought

You might want to add another useful money podcast to your list. They attract some classy crowd and butter tarts too.

Read More »Thanks Prince Phil, More Old Than Young and #MoneyTalk
Singing Horses ?

MLM, Balanced Budgets, and #Moneytalk

So the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) has been bouncing around on the Web, and allow me to add my views on the subject. If it looks like a pyramid, and you are encouraged to recruit friends and family so you can make more money, it is a Pyramid Scheme. In my younger days, more than once, I was invited to a “party”. The hosts of the “party” were always vague about why the party was happening, but inevitably, it ended up being a Pyramid Soap Party. After my first Pyramid Soap Party, I learned to be much more inquisitive about parties. Sort of like, if you can’t figure out who the sucker is in the party, be careful, it is most likely you.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Table of contents

Some folks will make lots of money from MLM, but will it be you? This is the question you should ask first, and whether you have a group of friends you won’t mind if they never talk to you again. The snubbing will happen after you succeed or fail at convincing them to join your “… sure fire money making system…”. John Oliver did sum it up best in his video description of things.

Ontario will have a balanced budget by 2018, is the claim put forward by the Liberal Government. This will be done without new taxes on the “middle class” (a term I really no longer view as a valid measurement, everyone has their own interpretation of that term). There will be plenty of higher service charges, so you will pay more, just not in taxes (if you are part of the mythical middle class).

There is an election coming, we shall see whether this sways Ontario Voters or not.

Please do not confuse a balanced budget with paying down the Ontario Debt. The current Ontario Debt is about $312 B (Cdn). Can that amount be repaid? That remains to be seen, but the balanced budget simply means that the Ontario Debt should no longer be growing (however it isn’t decreasing either).

Someone sent me an invite to a meeting in 11 months, and was concerned I only replied with a Maybe response. It vexed them to the point that they came over and asked why? I explained, a lot of things can happen in 11 months. I might win the lottery, or suddenly become a wealthy author, or maybe the horses will sing. She didn’t get that last reference.

My Writings For the Week of April 28th

I actually finished off 3 different pieces this week, which might signal a renewed dedication on my part, or it might be an anomaly. First I wrote about Quicken 2017 Review – The Year of the Comeback? It is a better version of Quicken that doesn’t crash as much, but still has issues. The subscription aspect of it has me worried as well.

As I have written before I work for the Government and the big news in Ottawa has been the Phoenix Pay system, and the problems it is having. With Phoenix Pay System Side Swipe I point out that not only Civil Servants are feeling the pain of the problems with this new system. Phoenix is even being blamed for bad attendance at Ottawa Sens games this year.

Finally I wrote over at my Tech and Security site something new, For God’s Sake Don’t Click That ! I write about the perils of click-bait and phishing sites out there, looking to make your technological life miserable.

Read More »MLM, Balanced Budgets, and #Moneytalk
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