Archive for October, 2011

Message received just before my birthday in 2010.

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

I wonder if it was a hint that I’m getting dotty.

By Sue Ricketts

I thought about the 10 year business I ran with 18 employees, all without a Blackberry that played music, took videos, pictures and communicated with Facebook and Twitter.

I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook , so my three kids, their spouses, my grandkids, etc. could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as

Twitter with only 140 characters of space. That was before one of my friends hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific, Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in my purse – often when I’m nowhere near it.

I won a GPS at a seminar on time management. I guess they thought I got lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under the dash with the Blue tooth (it’s red) phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and my ears started to itch while wearing it and I ended up with that lying around somewhere. I’m just not exactly certain where somewhere is. Besides I feel really silly walking around talking to people when I’m all alone. That attracts stares from passers-by.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dashboard, but the lady inside was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, “Re-cal-cu-la-ting”. You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then when I would make a right turn instead, it was not good.

When I get really lost now, I pull out my tattered old map book and tell her the name of the cross streets and Gypsy, the GPS lady, tries again.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for years, but I still haven’t figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings. That doesn’t even mention the joy of re-programming those @#($* phones. I can never remember which buttons to push.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves, but this sudden “Paper or Plastic?” every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, “Paper or Plastic?” I just say, “Doesn’t matter to me. I am bi-sacksual.” Then it’s their turn to stare at me with a blank look.

I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, “No, but I do toot a lot.”

PS I know some of you are not over 50 but I sent it to you to allow you to forward it to those who are.

The Harry Irons Trilogy: To the stars

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

By Thomas Stone

This is a science fiction series which begins by introducing us to the main characters of the story during their early years. It explains how they all came to be together and what their original relationships were when they started their adventures across the stars.

After learning about their early days and the struggles to qualify with the Braithwaite Corporation for acceptance to their Exploration of the Stars program, Harrison Irons and his new friends all have a strong desire to explore beyond the Earth. They are willing and ready to leave behind their families and friends for the pure joy of exploring the unknown. Just as all those who traveled to unknown and unsettled parts of the Earth, these hardy pioneers must learn very quickly to live by their own wits, learn quickly and adapt to many strange and dangerous conditions.

Braithwaite’s plan is to exploit every planet by finding raw materials or other trading products which they can profit from. It seems to be a good partnership until they find a new intelligent, sentient race on one of the newly discovered planets. How should they deal with them? What can be discovered? And how can the company profit from this turn of events?

Do the newly discovered aliens present a threat to the human race? When Harry and his crew find that the aliens have an amazing spaceship with faster-than-light technology which does not need a wormhole to travel across the Galaxy they are intrigued and want to gain access to it.

Then they are jolted out of their complacency to find that the aliens are mindlessly hunting all forms of life on the planet and then callously vivisecting them while alive for mysterious scientific curiosity. Further exploration shows Harry that one branch of the natural inhabitants are also intelligent and have been transported here from elsewhere.

Now the fun begins while they try to save one set of aliens from the others while fielding demands from Braithwaite to just get on with finding tangible products which will make money and stay out of local affairs. This is a good start to a promising tale which continues next with Stolen Worlds and Minerva’s Soul.

5 Ways to Pick Up Extra Savings With Little Effort

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Saving money is hard work at times, but here are some easy habit-changers that can help.

Bank your raise or bonus. Why let your expenses and standard of living creep up just because you received a raise when you can bank the extra salary or bonus instead? You won’t have to make any changes at all since you are already to used to budgeting on your current salary, and your money can earn you money just by sitting in a high-interest account.

Bank your income tax refund. If you get an income tax refund this year, send it to the savings account instead of spending it. Also consider paying down your debt on credit cards or mortgage.

Auto-deduct. If you do online banking, most banks enable you to set up an automatic transfer that can pull money from your checking and add it to your savings on set days of the month (like payday). This way, you’ll never even see that $200 or however much you decide to put into savings. And you won’t forget!

Keep paying your bill after it’s paid off. If you’re working toward paying off a credit card, car loan or some other debt. Keep making the payment after you’ve paid it off, but this time it will be to yourself into your own savings account.

Buy used and bank the difference. When you’re looking to buy something like a piece of furniture, a camera or some other moderately priced item (we’re not talking cars and houses here), try to buy it used instead of new. Check out local yard sales, classified ads, kiijii or eBay and see what kind of deal you can get. If you end up buying the item used instead of new, price the cost of the new item and bank the difference in your savings account.

10 Budgeting Tips for the Ultra Lazy

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

Via LifeTuner

It can be a difficult task, finding enough fat to cut from our bloated budgets. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be. In the interest of making your budget-balancing as easy as humanly possible, here are 10 ways you can save money, every single month, without lifting more than a finger.

1. Automate your payments. Whether you’re directing money to your RRSP or paying the water bill, make it all automatic so you don’t even have to think about it. You’ll save more money for retirement, and avoid those late-payment charges whenever you forget about a bill. This is fairly easy to do with online bill paying these days. Check with your bank, if you’re not already set up.

2. Dine at home. Keeping your meals in-house will save hugely on those pricey restaurant bills. (For tips on meal-planning, see our post, “Save Time and Money with a Meal Plan.”)And if you cook in large quantities and eat your own leftovers, you’ll cut your expenses even more than if you’re whipping up a new creation from scratch every night.

3. Comparison shop online. There’s no need to run all over town to find an item at a decent price. Sites like PriceGrabber, NexTag and BizRate can scour the entire web in seconds, making sure you get the best possible deal on your merchandise.

4. Use rewards cards. If you have to spend money, you might as well get some perks for it, by using a credit card with a handsome rewards program. Sites like CardRatings, BillShrink and CreditCards.com can help you find the best out there.(Caution: watch out for higher interest rates on rewards bearing credit cards)

5. Bundle your cable, Internet and phone. Odds are you’re already buying those three services, so pick up the phone and get them all from the same company. Whether it’s Bell, Rogers, Telus, or any other provider, they’ll undoubtedly be thrilled to give you a monthly discount.

6. Refinance your mortgage. Even if you’re happily in your home and not planning to move anywhere, you can still save money. Interest rates are still at historic lows, and if you can get a new loan for 1 percent less than you’re paying now, it may be worth the switch to save hundreds every month. Just be sure to understand how refinancing could change all the terms of your loan, and also factor in all the costs of refinancing. Sometimes you could end up paying much more in refinancing fees than you’d be saving in the end. Or, you could end up adding more time to your loan and increasing your total payout, which wouldn’t save you money at all.

7. Buy less for the holidays. Here’s the laziest solution of all. People tend to buy more holiday gifts than they can really afford, so make a pact with friends and family to keep everyone’s purchasing sane and inexpensive. Less hassle for you, less money drained from your accounts.

8. Cancel the health club membership. Do you truly use it, or is it just for show? If the last time you showed up was during the last Harper administration, cancel those dues, go for a run around the park instead, and pocket the difference.

9. Increase insurance deductibles. It’ll take no more than a single call to your insurer. But raising the deductible on policies like auto or home can save you big on all those monthly fees you’re paying. The only catch is that you need to be sure you’ve got that deductible amount on hand in case you need to make a claim because that’s the amount you’d need to kick in before your insurer pays out anything.

10. Slash household bills. Especially in these tough times, there are plenty of companies willing to jockey for your business. At sites like LowerMyBills you can compare and contrast everything from your wireless plan to your home equity loan, to see if you can get better terms. BillShrink is another site that will compare credit cards, wireless plans. Enable Gas Buddy on your phone to help find the cheapest gas for your car in your area.

This article is originally written for American audiences but you can apply these ideas anywhere to great effect.

Thomas Stone’s Blog

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

Interesting comments from the blog of Thomas Stone authour of The Harry Irons stories.

Quotes To Live By

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.
3. It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.
4. Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.
5. Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.
6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
7. If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.
9. If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
12. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
13. Some days you’re the piegon; some days you’re the statue.
14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.
16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
17. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
19. Generally speaking, you aren’t learning much when your lips are moving.
20. Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

The Prometheus Project: Stranded

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

By Douglas E. Richards

In this book we learn how the Resnick family, parents, Ryan and Regan, cope in their regular lives outside of their research being done in the mysterious, beautiful and dangerous underground city left by an alien race for the time when humankind were clever enough to appreciate and use it’s sophisticated technology. The lure and promise is that then we will be able to join the rest of the Galactic family.

Ryan is now old enough to have become interested in girls. He is distracted by a lovely, lively and very clever young lady from his school. Regan is growing in her knowledge and capabilities. They grow together because of their telepathy which was a gift from the Teacher in the previous novels.

During a weekend visit with their parents and a few other scientists to one of the other planets in the “Zoo” they become trapped by a volcanic eruption. They find a letter among their supplies from a missing member of their crew which threatens the facility being exposed and the takeover of the whole of Earth.

Saving their planet and their project becomes the focus of their lives. Before they can warn anyone, they must first find a way to get back to the amazing City. How will they triumph? Will they triumph? All is revealed in this interesting easy read.

Although this series is published as being for young readers it is still an interesting and exciting read for any age.

LifeTuner Rules of Investing

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

These simple guidelines will get you through any investment decision.

Focus on Simple Choices

The worst mistake you can make when first approaching investing is to do nothing at all because the choices were too complex. Focusing on simple choices will help you avoid inertia.

Look For Low Fees and Expenses

Fees and expenses reduce your investment returns over time. Look for funds that feature low fees and expense ratios in order to help you potentially earn more from your investments.

The average stock mutual fund charges 1.07% of your assets every year.* A low-cost fund might charge as little as 0.50% or less. Over 20 years, the higher fee could reduce your returns on a $100,000 investment by as much as $26,053.

This assumes annual returns of 5% a year and includes “foregone earnings,” the money you’d make if fees were invested. These calculations came from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s online tool for comparing the cost of owning mutual funds, the SEC Mutual Fund Cost Calculator. You can find the tool by going to the SEC’s Web site at www.sec.gov.

*Investment Company Institute, 2007 Investment Company Fact Book, 47th Edition, 2007 (asset-weighted average of annual expense ratios and annualized loads for individual funds).

Use Index Funds

An “index” is a group of stocks or bonds that experts believe collectively represent a larger group of stocks or bonds, such as “all small company stocks,” or all “stocks on the Nasdaq.”

Index funds are often low-cost mutual funds that seek to mirror the performance of a broader market index, before the deduction of fees. Examples of popular indexes include: the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nasdaq Composite Index, and the S&P 500 Index.

Index funds are clearly one of the most cost-effective ways to invest. Here’s why:

Simplicity: Indexes are easy to understand as their objective is to track the performance of a specific stock or bond market index. You always know how your money is being invested.

Low fees: Index funds tend to have lower costs than other mutual funds since they are less complicated to operate and require fewer employees to support. As a result, they can pass on a higher percentage of their investment returns to shareholders.

Diversification: Index funds typically hold more securities than actively managed funds, offering the potential for increased diversification, which can reduce the risk posed by a dramatic decline in any one stock or sector.

Competitive Performance: Investment research shows that most active managers (those who buy and sell securities in hopes of picking winners and beating the market’s return) rarely beat most market indexes over time.

Tax Advantages: Because there is relatively little portfolio turnover in an index fund, there is less potential for the taxable capital gains that you might find in an actively managed fund that frequently buys and sells securities. You should note, however, that rebalancing can result in a taxable event.

Diversify Your Investments: The best way to spread your risk in investing is to “not put all of your eggs in one basket.” In other words: diversify. Diversification means choosing a variety of investments so that your portfolio is not lopsided in one particular investment. One form of diversification is to invest in different industries and/or different sized companies. For example, a portfolio might have a mix of high-tech companies, mid-cap, Fortune 100 companies and international. Another example of diversification would be to diversify a portfolio over different asset classes such as stocks, bonds and cash equivalents – commonly called asset allocation.

It’s important to note that diversification doesn’t entirely eliminate the risk of investment losses, and it also doesn’t guarantee an increase in returns. But if your investments are diverse enough, your chances of owning investments that rise in value will increase.

Index funds, which we mentioned as another principle of investing, can help you diversify because they track a variety of broad market indexes.

Rebalance to Stay on Track

If there’s one thing that remains certain in investing, it’s that markets change. And if markets change, but your investments remain forever the same then you may run into problems. For example, if the value of stocks in your portfolio increases, the ratio of stocks to bonds could change and over time you could end up with more risk than you intended.

Rebalancing your investments helps you maintain your target asset mix among stocks and bonds. Be sure to check in on your investments regularly to see whether you are due for a rebalancing.

Some funds will handle rebalancing for you, but it’s important to know whether this is true of your funds so you can act accordingly.

Also, note that if an investment is sold for rebalancing purposes, it may be subject to taxes.

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Comments: by Sue Ricketts

Always seek the advice of a trusted financial advisor to help you with your investments. He/she will ask questions regarding all of your investments including pension assets, savings and Locked In funds which you may have from various other sources. They will go through a Know Your Client questionnaire in order to be sure of your comfort level, your future goals, when you will be needing these funds and other questions to think about when making your portfolio plans. That person should also be on hand when you review your investments on at least an annual basis. You are not alone with your choices and you shouldn’t just look at things one time and cross your fingers. The only constant rule in investing is that it takes time for your money to grow. You can’t wait until 5 years before retirement to begin saving.

What’s on Your Bucket List?

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

By Sue Ricketts

Lots of us want to travel somewhere different and exotic. If you want to see some amazing places and meet some interesting folks doing different and special things, why not consider visiting nearby places. You don’t need to have a huge budget to do your travelling and you might be surprised by what you find.

One of those trips would be to tour around the province of Quebec. A leisurely driving tour from Montreal down the south shore of the St. Lawrence river to somewhere like Riviere de Loup and back up the north shore is a great way to meet locals and see the sites of a most beautiful, scenic area.

If you stay in bed and breakfast places, the friendly folk will often take the time to show you the things which they feel are most important to know about where they live.

Here’s a URL which will give you a small sample of the things you will find in La Belle Province http://bit.ly/riBE4e

Stop Talking, Start Listening.

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

By: Whitney Bishop

I recently spoke to a group of women about best practices when preparing for and giving effective presentations. In preparation, I did some “field research” and accepted meetings from a couple of new networking contacts.

My first appointment was with Mary. (Names have been changed to protect the critiqued.) Mary showed up with samples of her product and a binder of flyers in sheet protectors. It was obvious that as she flipped through the binder, there were questions on the other side. She read them with little authority or conviction. About five minutes into Mary’s presentation, she asked her first question, “Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?” My response was, “No.” At the conclusion of her presentation, she asked if I had friends who might need her products or be interested in her business opportunity.” My response was, “No.”

My second appointment was with Sally – who showed up with a folder and lots of slick materials about her company and their products. She began with some small talk and then launched into the materials and read them to me. She left no opening for questions or comments from me. She went almost 10 minutes before presenting me with her agenda for our meeting, and then kept talking. I spent the next 10 minutes writing on the agenda all of the noise that was in my head…”Why are you here?” and “Why do I care about your company and their reputation?” and “Do you even know if I need your services or how I might use them?” The list went on. It was about 20 minutes before Sally came out of her presentation trance and asked me the first question – “Do you have any questions for me?” My response was, “No.” At the conclusion of her presentation, she too asked if I had friends who might need her services. My response? “No.”

I continue to hear from Mary regularly. Almost too much, since I have expressed that I don’t have an interest in the business opportunity or products she offers. I have yet to hear a peep from Sally.

What went wrong? Mary and Sally both meant well and they were probably doing what they had been trained to do. However, in both cases, a more personal approach would have been key in engaging my interest. Failing to give a clear idea before the meeting about what to prepare for can make things awkward from the get-go. Overuse of notes became a barrier between us. It felt cold and detached, as if they didn’t care who they were talking to as long as they read all the bullet points. Persistent follow-up, as well as no follow up, are indicators that you are not hearing an audience at either end of the spectrum. You either don’t get the message that there is no interest, or you don’t care that your audience was not interested.

There’s another way. Ask me, don’t tell me. Perhaps I don’t need a luxury car, or travel isn’t a motivator for me, but extra income would be. Finding out what my motivation might be for investing in a new business venture would be key in securing my participation. Instead of assuming the standard desires are “one size fits all”, find out what YOUR venture can do to help me achieve MY goals – and that has to start by getting to know me first.

Instead of working from your agenda and reading it like a script, be familiar enough with your material to apply it to whatever you detect is important to your audience. If you read it like a set of cue cards, it comes off as impersonal and distant.

Find out my wants and needs and build your information around that. If you see I am not interested or engaging in your presentation, be ok with that and don’t ask me to disclose personal information about friends and colleagues. If you have done your job, I will WANT to tell my contacts about your services – whether I am interested for myself or not.

Food for thought. Think “relationship” not “transaction”. Stop talking, stop presenting, start asking and start listening! Be genuine. Be real and approachable. Be kind and friendly. Be polite. If you’ve gotten a lead and it pays off, let the person who referred you know it worked out and say “Thank you”. Nice really does matter.

Whitney Bishop is a Gitomer Certified Speaker who delivers customized and personalized seminars on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. To book Whitney for your next event, visit http://www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email or by calling 704-333

Which Investments Are Right For RRSPs?

Monday, October 10th, 2011

Career, Investing, Family & life events, Budgeting & saving | 0 Comments | 10390 Views

Contributing to a retirement plan is only half the battle. Deciding where to put your money is another key part of your future.

Unlike the pension plans of the past, an RRSP plan leaves investment choices in the hands of the participant (you!). This is both good and bad. It provides flexibility, but also means everyone with a Registered Retirement Savings Plan needs to become a part-time pension fund manager. Here’s a checklist from our experts to run through when picking investments for your 401(k) or 403(b) plan:

1. Discover your options: Most plans offer a list of a half-dozen to a few dozen mutual funds to choose from. Ask your human resources department or benefits manager for an updated list of investment alternatives. A few plans allow you to buy just about anything, but those are unusual.

2. Read the advice from your plan provider: Many plans provide very helpful educational materials so that you understand the investments that you can choose from. Get to know the names of the investment types, and learn to love those pie charts showing how different investment mixes have done in the past.

3. Still stuck? Do some more reading: You’ll probably be picking mutual funds or segregated funds, so read up on the different types. John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, has written some very well-respected books such as “Common Sense on Mutual Funds.” For a good understanding of segregated funds try this link http://bit.ly/o6KZ9k Post investing questions for discussion at LifeTuner, and don’t stop reading until you have a good understanding of the different types of funds (which really means, the different types of investments that funds can own). After all you just need to learn this once, and it’s your financial future that’s on the line!

4. Come up with your ideal investment mix: Just for a minute, set aside the list of funds offered in your RRSP and come up with your ideal mix. Maybe it has some bonds, some stocks, some foreign stocks. Whatever it is, write it down. Draw out that pie chart showing how big a slice to devote to each of these investment types.

5. See if you can “bake that pie” using the funds offered by your RRSP: Now, time for the nitty gritty. Your funds will be categorized by type; can you map them to your pie chart? Maybe you want a Large-company Value Stock fund, does your plan offer one? If not, what’s the next-closest option? In many plans you’ll be able to find choices in all the categories you want.

6. Stumped? See if the plan offers balanced or target-date funds: these funds offer diversified mixes of investments, so the managers do some of the investment-choice work for you. The “target date” ones try to maintain a mix that is appropriate for someone retiring at or near that target date – gradually getting more conservative as that date approaches.

7. Do a reality check on the funds: This has gotten better over the years, but some RRSP plans are pretty lousy…some or all of the funds have consistently poor performance, high fees, or both. Look up each of the funds you’re considering, using a research source like Yahoo! Finance (www.finance.yahoo.com) or Morningstar (www.morningstar.com). Check out the expense ratios, meaning how much of your money gets paid out to management fees and other costs each year. See how long the fund has been around, and how long the manager has been running it. This process is by necessity different from picking funds for a TFSA or brokerage account, where choices are nearly unlimited…you’re stuck with the list you’re given. So sometimes you’ll buy a fund that wouldn’t be your first choice – and that’s fine. But sometimes the choice in a category is so lousy that you’ll decide to skip it altogether. A bottom-of-the-barrel emerging-markets stock mutual fund, with 2.5% annual expenses and a new wet-behind-the-ears-manager? Well, maybe you’ll just decide to skip emerging markets in the RRSP for now.

8. Fill out the paperwork: This sounds obvious but a surprising number of people never get around to sending in their investment choices.

9. Check in: The right investment mix doesn’t require constant attention, but keep an eye on your funds and run through the checklist again at least once a year to make sure the funds you own haven’t changed managers, raised fees to something unreasonable, etc. It’s common for your plan options to change from time to time, so that’s a good time to check in as well to make sure things are still on track

Comments by Sue Ricketts

The above article has been changed slightly to reflect Canadian choices. There is one glaring omission when trying to set up your ideal investment. They do not even mention a Know Your Client form which is a questionnaire designed to help both you and your financial advisor understand what level of risk you want to undertake in setting aside money for your future. If you would like one, please write to this email sueri@bell.net and put “Request KYC form” in the subject. There is no obligation as this is a free service to those interested in their financial future.