Canadian Personal Finance Blog

The Canadian Ladies are carrying the load for the Canadian Olympic team, and, as the father of 3 amazing daughters, I am proud to see it. Maybe Canada has tripped into a new funding idea? Equally funding female athletics, since we seem to win in those areas? How about equal funding, because that is what is fair? Just saying. Oh, and don’t mention Women’s Beach Volleyball attire to Kerry from Squawkfox. You might get an earful (rightly so, of course).

The Canadian economy is undeniably losing jobs at present. The latest Labour Force Survey by Stats Canada reveals a staggering drop of 31,000 jobs, with a much more severe decline of 71,000 full-time positions over the past 12 months. Although there has been a 0.4% increase in the total number of hours worked during the same period, it is baffling why there are fewer jobs and yet more working hours.

Unemployment is up 0.1% to 6.9% (year over year), which is still lower than some of the darkest days of this century, it going up is never a perfect thing.

In my age group (the over 55 crowd) there are more jobs, but that is a bit mis-leading, because there are more of us (and luckily we brought jobs with us). Fewer folks are working in the Public Sector as well (the Private Sector is unchanged), but I keep saying it is better to have a strong Private Sector (in terms of employment).

My Writings for Week Ending August 12th

I didn’t write anything this week, or more precisely, I didn’t publish anything this week. I have a backlog of 245 started but unfinished works. I was thinking of publishing a poll and asking what you want me to write about, but feel free to leave a comment here saying what you’d like me to look into. This is not to say that I have not been active on Social Media (I am a Social Media Madman). As millennial age, the question of retiring early comes up, so my article How Do I Retire at 35 ? keeps getting a lot of reads.

Fun Graphic for the week

I would love to find a graphic for Canada like this, but it is fun to see who are the most rich folk in the U.S. of A., funny there is no Big Cajun Man mention there…

Let the games begin! Today the Rio Olympics start, and hopefully it will all go off relatively well. Speaking as a Montrealer that lived through the 1976 Olympics and the financial aftermath, hopefully Rio has not written a cheque that will take decades to pay off. I still remember seeing Lasse Viren running up Rockland Road during the Marathon.

I am on vacation this week, so I have been watching with a high level of confusion what is going on in the U.S.A.. There are even pundits claiming Mr. Trump might actually be trying to throw the election? Seems far-fetched, but I believe the main-stream media wants all of this, and would relish a Trump Presidency, just because folks would be watching the news every night! All we have in Canada is a shirtless PM wandering around caves, and then surfer PM appeared as well? #WTF?

Sometimes we forget the importance of taking time off, and as I get closer to retirement, I am starting to figure out, I am going to need to figure out how to enjoy myself, and not think about work. I learned when I got laid off, that nothing is that important at work (since the things I was worrying about the week before I got canned, didn’t matter 5 minutes after I got laid off). Learn to enjoy, and take time off, I am still figuring it out (maybe I will take up surfing?)

My Writings for Week Ending August 5th

I am on vacation this week, and I finally wrote my review of the one financial tool I keep using, even though the developers seem to have abandoned it, and I vent my frustration in Quicken 2016 Canadian Edition Review . Don’t buy it. Investor Junkie has a much more positive view on things in this review, but give this year a pass (unless you must get it).

A Money Thought

As usual Kerry from Squawkfox hits the nail on the head with this tweet.

From 2016 but still some useful financial articles and a big stinky plant too!

In most places in Canada, this is a long weekend ahead (except in Quebec), but in Ontario, we are so lazy we don’t even have a name for it. Here in Ottawa, it is Colonel By day, near Toronto it is Simcoe Days, elsewhere, who knows? I appreciate that the Ontario government is busy trying to Tax Taxes, or make large payouts for programs that never happened (i.e. the Ontario Pension Plan), but could we not just name this silly thing and be done with it?

The ongoing political circus in the United States is nothing short of a reality show. However, it has been a blessing in disguise for Canada’s tourism industry. With all sides claiming that if the opposing side wins, Americans will be flocking to Canada, we might have to consider building new cities to accommodate them. Let’s not forget, immigration is what made Canada great, and everyone is welcome here. But remember guests, please wipe your feet before entering and always be polite to your hosts.

Remember the “Free Windows 10 upgrade” is now at an end for folks. Funny my Mac comes with a free OS, that seems to load from anywhere, but that is me just being a “Neo Zoom Dweebie” isn’t it? Do your upgrade or be forced to fork out some money.

Speaking of smelly things, evidently, A Corpse Flower Has Started to Bloom After a 10 Year Wait at the New York Botanical Garden, why would you want to go there?

My Writings for the Week Ending July 30th

I posted two things this week, the first one, a commentary on the data from Stats Canada, Zap! Electricity Prices Pushes Inflation in June, and the price of electricity in Ontario is beyond ridiculous. I grew up in Quebec, and for all the commentaries you wish to make about La Belle Province, they got the electricity thing right (on the backs of 1st Nations and Newfoundland, admittedly).

For those of us with kids that are in Post-secondary programs, about now is when we get the Tuition Bill for the fall, and I had a look at one from Queen’s and was floored by the additional fees, so, naturally, I had to write about it in, The Business of University Fees. I should start my own University bet I could make some money (yes that was a Trump jab).

A Money Thought

Every time I browse /personalfinance, I end up reading posts by people half my age complaining about making twice as much as I do. from Showerthoughts

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