Archive for September 2008
September 2008 Net Worth Update (+0.34%)
Welcome to the recurring monthly net worth update – The September 2008 edition. Seems that lately having the word “frugal” in my handle is hypocritical. As one of my regular readers puts it, I’ve been “spendy”. This month, it started with the new HD TV along with cables, then of course we had to get…
Read MoreReal Estate Crash in Canada?
There was an interesting report by Merrill Lynch that Canada could be facing a similar real estate/financial crash that the U.S is facing right now. The rationale being that Canadians have turned from being savers to spenders with an increasing net household deficit. While I agree that the real estate market in Canada is due…
Read MoreSunday Links – Sept 28, 2008
My Dollar Plan lists some Ideas for Frugal and Easy Cooking. Generation X Finance has an Award-Winning Steak Chili Recipe to Feed a Crowd for Under $25. Lazy Man and Money answers a common question in $700 Billion Bailouts – Is My Money Safe?. The Sun’s Financial Diary writes about his WaMu trade in I…
Read MoreWeekend Reading – Sept 26, 2008
It appears that over 50% 15% of homeowners with a mortgages in the U.S spend over half their income on housing. A bit on the high side don’t you think? We’ve all heard talks of the big bailout and the markets react according to whether it’s going to pan out or not. It seems that…
Read MoreReader Mail: Career in Financial Services?
I received an email from a regular reader, Nick, who had a question about how one knows if they are cut out for a career in the financial services sector. Basically, Nick was wondering if his hobby as a personal finance enthusiast could translate well into a career in the field. Here’s the question: There…
Read MoreProposed Carbon Tax – The Green Shift
With the coming Federal Election, there are a few buzz words going around. One of these buzz words is the Liberal party plan to introduce a carbon tax and have dubbed the plan The Green Shift. This platform has caught my attention in particular because it would provide environment reform in Canada (much needed) along…
Read MoreSell Stock to Pay Down Debt?
I received an email from a reader about whether it was a good idea to sell their non-registered portfolio to pay down debt. As always, my answer was “it depends”. It depends on the interest rate of the debt, how long the term is, the marginal tax rate of the debt holder and the capital…
Read More8 Essential Infant Baby Toys
As our little one has reached the age of constantly looking for fun things to do, we’re doing our research on the “essential” toys for the baby. Judging from our friends who have been through this once or twice already, the toys below seem to be the consensus as the “must haves.” Judging from the…
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