Home Depot lost my personal information, so now I got free Equifax? I still don’t think it’s a fair trade. Reminds me of a bad joke by Henny Youngman:

Someone stole all my wife’s credit cards, but I won’t be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did.

Henny Youngman (a classic)

That’s not very funny anymore, but at least it’s topical? Oh, and remember it is not just Home Depot card users that are hit with the data breach, it is anyone who used any credit card in a Home Depot in the past few months.

The new iPhone 6.0 is out and everyone is flocking to the Apple Store to be the first one in line to have one of these technological marvels. It has more computing power than all the computers on the Apollo space mission, but can I figure out how to turn off Bluetooth, WiFi, Notifications and keep it from running up a huge data bill? This is the question I would like answered! (Yes, I know how to do this, but it is not as easy as you might think). Hipsters are flipping their straw hats in Starbucks, whilst sipping their Hot Frappucinno Skinny Lattes over this new piece of Marketing-ware. I am sure I’ll end up with a newer phone some day, but I have just spent 2 weeks making Apple repair my “Sleep Button” and “Battery” recall issues on my iPhone 5.0, so I will be happy with the old technology I have.

Yesterday was the 13th  anniversary of a day that changed the world, to it seems still very brilliant in my fading memory, the day, where I was, how the day transpired, but let us hope for a better day today.

My Writings for Week Ending September 12th

Autumn leaves are appearing here, and there soon will be a chill that only means one thing, the Fall is coming.

• In your financial life there are plenty of Questions, but what if I gave you the Answer could you figure out the Financial Question Associated with it?
• Nothing in life is Free, and my Free Equifax subscription came at a steep cost, as you can read about in Free is a Good Price (but sometimes is still too expensive).
• The new iPhone 6.0 is causing the normal amount of Hoopla with the Apple Hipster crowd, so I figured I’d join in with Apple Pay and Near Field Communication, so now you can use your phone to empty your bank account (and surprisingly not on Cell Phone Fees (only)). What security problems could there be? This is Apple, think how safe all those dodgy celebrity photos were in the Cloud?

Read More »Home Despot, iPhones, and #theBestFin4TheWeek

Back to school for most folks this week (although many folks already were back last week). The stores are abuzz with folks looking for loose-leaf paper, HB Pencils, and the coolest new Beatles Pencil Case (OK, maybe I am a little out of touch on this new generation).

I welcome Tim Burger King, Burger Horton’s, or whatever the new Canadian Super Fast Food monster calls itself. I am astounded to hear that it is cheaper to run a business in Canada than it is to run in the U.S., but if we become a Tax Haven for our rich cousins down south, then so be it! Maybe they will bring back the Dutchie!

Since I grew past 6 feet tall, I have never really fit into any mass transit situation (sitting at least), so when I saw the stories about the Knee Defender, I was tickled pink to hear someone was thinking about we tall folks and how we don’t fit in the tight spaces created in Airplanes. Is it rude to stop the person in front of you from reclining into your lap on an airplane? Maybe, but speaking as someone who has been at the mercy of airlines for many years (space-wise), I would buy one in a heartbeat if I travelled for more than an hour on an airplane.

I have been fiddling around with Emojis and where they might fit best. From what I can tell, they can be helpful for things like the Twitter machine, but in day to day posting, I can’t see a great need to have this or in most things I write. However, in social media I do see a use for things like: or where you are looking for quick and shorter messages. If you find them annoying, it is me simply trying to get the news to you faster and more graphically.

I gave blood last week as well and now have been selected to be a Blood Platelets donor as well.

My Writings for Week Ending September 5th

A whole week of writing this week for the first time in a few months seems I had a lot to say this week.

• It is important to always celebrate the workers control of the means of production and thus we had Happy Labour Day 2014
• Will I ever stop writing about RESPs? Not for a few more years that is for sure, and this year we have RESP Another Year of Fun, where you must remember that FUn starts with F and U
• I am relatively docile and paranoid about investing thus I keep with relatively safe(r) investment portfolios, but I never thought my Portfolio was Too Conservative
• In God We Trust is on the American dollar, but remember everyone else you should ask for proof, and that is at the core of Always Follow Up (Financially).

Read More »Back to School, Tim Burger King, Knee Defenders and #theBestFin4TheWeek

An eventful week at the C8j household, with young Master C8j breaking his humerus while playing on the Monkey Bars at camp. It was a long process to get him fixed up, Mrs. C8j carried the brunt of the load, but now Master C8j has 4 Kirschner Wires in his elbow and a while until he gets to climb on the Monkey Bars again. This is what 9-year-olds do, is what I am told by the surgeon (he says there are many of these same procedures done on kids at CHEO every year). Yesterday all I could think of was Bill Cosby’s old standup routine about the Playground (I have included it at the end of this in the Video Section), but, indeed, you never see any grownups on the monkey bars!

Here is a useful like to Donate to CHEO as well.

During stressful situations, you meet the most interesting folks, and during Master C8j’s repairs, one of the Doctors we met at CHEO, actually is a leading EBOLA doctor (why he was working in the Emergency Room of CHEO, just shows Doctors do lots of interesting things). He made one very interesting comment about the current problems in Africa, it is not as much a medical issue, as it is a Policing of Patients issue. People want to visit their family in the hospital, and don’t know why they can’t, worse still the patients don’t want to be in Hospital so they keep trying to leave! Fascinating very short chat we had.

Congrats to the Canadian Women’s Rugby 15’s team for winning the Silver Medal at the World Cup of Rugby for Women. Canadian Women are tough broads (I should know, I have 3 daughters (one that plays Rugby)).

Under the “That’s Incredible” section of things, Mrs. C8j has been married to me for 27 years today, I believe that is the “You Realize, You Are Still Wrong!” anniversary, or something like that. Mrs. C8j is a patient loving woman, who has very poor taste in choosing mates, of which I took full advantage.

I also gave blood this week and have been selected to be a Blood Platelets donor.

My Writings for the Week Ending August 22nd

Given all the excitement down at the Big C8j Hacienda, didn’t get a lot written this week (and I am on vacation next week too), but I did get a couple of good ones in, for your reading pleasure, Good Reader.

• Some of my best ideas I steal from others, so when Preet B. commented I’m an indexer. I don’t care what the indexes did today I couldn’t resist writing something around that commentary.
• I am the Big Cajun Man and I must confess that I find Financial Advice in the Oddest Places, like Cosmopolitan Magazine.
• A while ago I asked Are Canadians Financially Stupid, but it’s always a good question to keep asking.

Read More »Broken Humerus, Ebola, Anniversaries, Blood and #theBestFin4TheWeek

It is 100 years since the “War to end all Wars” started, and I continue to learn more about this period in history. I had not realized the number of men (and women) that died in the war, and didn’t really comprehend the horrendous conditions that the soldiers (on all sides) fought under. I seem to know a great deal more about the 2nd World War, however, I am embarrassed about how little I know about a war that devastated an entire generation (over 16 million soldiers and civilians died). The fact that 21 years after it, another “War to End All Wars” erupted only strengthens my view that humans are a dumb species (myself included).

Evidently, the Russian Mob (or Russian hackers) most likely now have one of your e-mail passwords, it might be time to think up a new one, and maybe a heuristic to change your password more than once every time someone hacks the entire web.

Ebola continues to be in the news. I am not sure if I am in full panic about it yet, but I do wonder if this is worse than we are being told, and things are starting to get a little out of control. The fact that a major US City (Toledo) had a toxic water supply, is another interesting environmental episode this week as well. Wonder if this is Mother Nature finally saying, “You know Homo Sapiens, you have been around long enough”?

My Writings for Week Ending August 8th

It was a shorter week this week, in Ontario we celebrated the Anonymous Long Weekend, next long weekend has a name at least (i.e. Labour Day).

• The Long Weekend with no Name, Defaults, and #BestFinancialForTheWeek some of the best stories from last week.
• How do you celebrate a holiday with no name? Who knows, but I did poke fun at it with Happy Civic Holiday.
• Mike Tyson seems like an odd foil for Financial Advice, but his statement is prophetic especially for finances, “Everybody got a plan … until they get hit“
• Living beyond your means seems to be the raison d’etre of an entire generation, so Lifestyle Creep really is aimed at the new lost (money) generation.

Read More »WW1 Centenery, More Hacked Passwords and #theBestFin4TheWeek

Welcome to August 2014, and for those in Ontario who are soon to celebrate a long weekend, I have one query, what is this weekend called? It has many names, “Colonel By Day,” “August Bank Holiday,” or “August Long Weekend” how can a glorious long weekend not have an official title?

Argentina is now officially in default, to compound the bad news for that country (given they lost the World Cup final), but what does this mean? My feeble understanding of global economics suggests some creditors will not get paid, but who loaned them the funds in the first place? China? The U.S.? Russia? Maybe it is like Canada, where the country’s citizens hold a great deal of the Government’s debt like this issue. I suspect this will not make things better in the perplexed and scary world we live in.

For those who enjoyed Tom Clancy’s writings, the Ebola epidemic (not the correct phrase I know (the book I am referencing is Executive Orders)) in Africa lends itself to some interesting discussion points. The U.S. doesn’t comprehend how close they were to having someone infected with this disease from landing on their soil (an American Doctor has succumbed to the disease, but he was only diagnosed (i.e. he collapsed) while leaving one plane to then get on a plane destined for the U.S.. Let us hope the SARS protocols are put in place. The Canadian immigration folks will help if this outbreak turns into a more global problem.

For those not following me on Twitter, you have missed one of my favourite quotes from Gail Vaz-Oxlade, and it was aimed at me. We were discussing retirement and such and her final response to me was:

@bigcajunman luckily, you die; I live a long unhealthy life as a woman

This is in response to me whining about not having enough money to retire with, so I guess I should stop saving? No, she didn’t mean that, but it was fun to rib her about it.

My Writings for Week Ending August 1st

I had a drier writing week, with only two pieces. I have written or started about six ideas, but none of them were worth publishing yet (that means I have about 160 titles and ideas still to finish off).

• Financial Anarchy Day is another one of my many rants about the media and retailers attempts to make us go nuts and yell “FESTIVAL!!!” and spend like crazy people (Star Trek reference, for those who are unsure). I am not saying you should go watch the movie mentioned though, it is more of a Metaphor than a Recommendation.
• Sometimes I get fed up with the “Make Money on the Market Using This Fool Proof Technique” e-mails that clog my inbox, so I figured I’d write the most outrageous Stock Picking Idea I could, and then someone points out in the comments there is one even more outlandish one out there, wow.
• I did find in my archives one of my favorite phrases “Don’t Mistake Activity for Achievement” (a quote from John Wooden), just because you think you are working hard, doesn’t mean you are achieving your goals.

Read More »The Long Weekend with no Name, Defaults, and #BestFinancialForTheWeek