tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46149440463480780752024-02-19T05:35:50.194-05:00Second Career SearchBlog by a 60-something person looking for a second career through online training, networking, and self examination. The blog also covers investments, financial planning, and totally random unrelated topics.felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-60871492864346043392023-09-12T09:24:00.004-04:002023-09-12T09:24:54.314-04:00Work From Home Observations<p> I retired a while ago but I liked to work from home when possible in my later work years. I liked it for the obvious reasons: no commute, I could handle domestic issues like the plumber, and, sorry to say, I could goof off at times. </p><p>Was I as productive as I was at work? Probably close, given my job and the fact that I was physically at work 95% of the time and WFH was usually for a day or two every few weeks.</p><p>Were there downsides? Yes, my wife considered WFH to be a secondary activity compared to domestic chores like taking out the garbage, walking the dog, etc. </p><p>Other issues? I worry about a few things if WFH becomes the majority of work time.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Loneliness will be an issue for some folks. There is a social side to work and there is a personal support benefit to being around people. If you screwed up on a project, are your coworkers going to effectively help and support you via video?</li><li>Learning on the job is extremely important and we hear that remote learning was not good for children at school, will it be equally bad for new employees or people in new jobs trying to figure out their new role?</li><li>The WFH fans also seem to ignore a few economic downsides. If a company is 100% WFH, they don't need workers in the USA, they could just as easily outsource work to low cost countries. Also, employers will figure out that it is cheaper to hire a WFH person in Arkansas than in Silicon Valley and pay them less. It will also be easier to fire or lay off a person that you have rarely met and you can let them go on a video call.</li><li>Career progression will be an issue. Out of sight means out of mind and promotion criteria will change. In the past, visibility was critical for promotion and the new WFH world may be better, maybe worse.</li><li>Disruption risks are much higher. You are completely cut off if the Internet at your home or your computer goes down. Hacking is also a risk.</li></ul><div>But never mind all this, I am just an old retired guy. The work world will figure this out and I look forward to business media articles about the downside of WFH once the euphoria dies down and the labour market softens.</div><p></p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-37492553377158030612023-04-06T10:57:00.001-04:002023-04-06T10:57:43.829-04:00Observations on Getting Old<p> The last year or so was terrible with lots of "growing old" happening.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>My best friend died after a long illness</li><li>My older brother had a stroke and died after months in hospital</li><li>We moved my mother with dementia to a memory-care retirement home</li><li>We sold our childhood home (mother's home) and had to clean it out</li><li>I turned 65</li></ul><div>It has caused me to reflect on growing old and the differences between life at 30 and life at 65.</div><div><br /></div><div>When you are 30, all your friends and relatives are alive, healthy, and carrying on normal lives. You are working hard on your career, family, and many other challenges. It feels like you are struggling at times, but your health is good, there are lots of new challenges and opportunities, and plenty of new things to learn and do.</div><div><br /></div><div>When you are 65, your career is over, you have experienced a lot of things, your children are off on their own and busy with their lives, and hopefully you have a secure financial foundation and life situation. Your health is not as good, your partner's health is not as good, nothing much seems new and interesting, or the new challenges are for the vigorous young. Some of your fiends and family are gone, some have moved on and you don't hear from them anymore, some have changed, and the people you meet often have their own networks. Of course the pandemic, war in the Ukraine, and problems in the US have not helped.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am trying to figure out how to make the golden years "golden". So far, I have tried reviving hobbies (a little success), traveling (good), making new friends (tough), and volunteering (not fun so far). I need to make a bigger effort.</div><p></p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-36601496486720896202022-08-12T12:42:00.000-04:002022-08-12T12:42:36.231-04:00Why do Immigrants Come to Quebec?<p> A few things to clarify:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I don't want this to be racist or anti-French</li><li>I grew up in Montreal Quebec, left in 1984 at age 27, but have visited family in Montreal regularly since then</li></ul><div>English Canadians wonder why immigrants who don't speak French come to Quebec, particularly Montreal? This is my thinking.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the early 60s, French and English were widely accepted in Quebec and many businesses operated almost exclusively in English. If you spoke English, you did not need to learn French, although most English had some French proficiency. Many English Canadians English immigrants moved to Quebec and the percentage of English was about 13%.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the 1970s, the Quebec government took steps to strengthen French and weaken English. All signs must be in French, all professionals (lawyers, accountants..) must pass a French test, all immigrants must attend French schools, all large businesses must do business in French and were inspected, and a few other laws. This upset the English Quebeckers and recent immigrants and many businesses and people decided that it was better to move to English Canada. Population of Montreal declined, house prices plummeted in English areas, and employment decreased, although there were other reasons for unemployment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today, you must know French to function in Quebec. Unilingual English Quebeckers are generally the old, the disabled, and a few others who could not or would not learn French. It is almost impossible to get a job, go to school, go to the store, or live without a good knowledge of French. Only 8% of bilingual Quebeckers list their first language as English.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Immigrants to Canada can choose where to live, and the majority prefer large English cities like Toronto and Vancouver, due to their knowledge of English and the economic opportunities. Montreal and other Quebec cities also have opportunities and I notice that large numbers of non-French speaking immigrants are moving to Montreal. Why?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Quebec and Montreal in particular are great places to live, with beautiful scenery, good schools and Universities, employment opportunities, and vibrant culture.</li><li>Until recently, the cost of housing was much lower in general.</li><li>Many immigrants come from countries with some degree of oppression: China, Pakistan, Iran.. If you come from countries like this, you would view the French language laws as pretty mild compared to your home country. You would also know how to cope with more oppressive laws so finding a way to get along in Quebec would be easy.</li><li>Immigrants usually have a mother tongue (arabic..) and have some English. Given that you already speak two languages, a third, French, is not a big deal.</li><li>Quebec society outside Montreal is still a <i>little </i>less accepting of immigrants than the rest of Canada, but that is changing for the better. Quebec offers free language lessons and many other services to help immigrants.</li></ol></div><p></p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-32541761939426626772022-05-15T12:19:00.000-04:002022-05-15T12:19:03.550-04:00My Brother David<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3ueX_vYsRSAQ4fJeJnElYSi1mdyGeK6wwJtlrLSTGVT5SNNmSAWSzyZuu4i_iviwNYUkcSOEzqO_7A9F5o4m6PS4wfdu-czq1PFbmD-UtjTiH7A6dBIjFYfu_5IACw-95UTIQRFru2kBmqYO9u1YohL5TOHC7yOOOgpWLaHmsq922XC1ps64foDzgw/s2508/dinner%20on%20the%20deck_2790390199_o%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="2508" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3ueX_vYsRSAQ4fJeJnElYSi1mdyGeK6wwJtlrLSTGVT5SNNmSAWSzyZuu4i_iviwNYUkcSOEzqO_7A9F5o4m6PS4wfdu-czq1PFbmD-UtjTiH7A6dBIjFYfu_5IACw-95UTIQRFru2kBmqYO9u1YohL5TOHC7yOOOgpWLaHmsq922XC1ps64foDzgw/w400-h325/dinner%20on%20the%20deck_2790390199_o%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and David in Happy Times</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>I know that few people read this blog, but it is therapeutic for me to write it.</p><p>My older brother David died yesterday from the effects of a stroke, maybe caused by COVID. I wanted to reflect on his life.</p><p>He had a hard life medically. Born with Hirschsprung's disease, hip dysplasia, and autism. He endured casts on his legs as an infant, and multiple surgeries until he was 20 or so on his intestines. He had colostomies at least twice. The government and school system in the 60's and 70's did not provide any help for children with mental disabilities, other than institutionalization for the severely handicapped. Our parents struggled to get David the help he needed at learning disability clinics and private schools. David learned how to keep going no matter what obstacles he faced.</p><p>David never reached his full height, was always thin, had lots of skin problems, and suffered from ear problems which eventually caused him to be almost deaf. He worked at multiple jobs as a young adult but found his calling working at the local TMR library. He loved re-stacking the books and was a diligent worker, as long as he got to drink his "tea with the library ladies" with 3 to 5 heaping teaspoons of sugar. Sugar and gravy were his favorite things. Unfortunately this resulted in a lot of dental problems and removal of teeth. He was also an expert on public transit and could navigate the buses and Metro in Montreal to almost anywhere.</p><p>He became independent thanks to the work of a local charity, Avatil, and the hard work of our parents and he lived with a room mate for about 10 years in an apartment and then around 10 years in his own apartment. He always went back to the family home on weekends to visit, do his jigsaw puzzles and baseball cards. Eventually, he retired from the library and still lived independently but his medical problems were catching up with him - arthritis, skin problems, hearing, teeth, etc. He still enjoyed his hobbies and never really complained. He was always happy to see friends or family and would talk the ear off someone he just met.</p><p>By this time, our mother was developing dementia and we had caregivers coming to the home. David would still visit on weekends but we were hearing that he was falling down and his skin was in bad shape. I took him to the hospital and they kept him for two weeks, cleared up his skin, and did lots of tests. The discharge report was a tribute to his strength: mini-strokes, kidney stones, arthritis, abdominal masses from his operations, deafness, skin issues, and maybe a few more. He moved into a retirement home not far from the family home and enjoyed 4 years there, surviving most of the pandemic and not being able to visit our mother.</p><p>Then the stroke happened and this was one medical obstacle he could not handle. I felt so bad for him. All the things he overcame and now this, he did not deserve it. After 3 months of rallying whenever the doctors said he would not live, he finally reached a stage where his quality of life was terrible. Luckily, one of our mothers fabulous caregivers, Lise was with him at the end. Alan and I were on the road trying to get to Montreal asap.</p><p>David, you were a great brother and I always admired your strength and courage. You are in a better place now and we will miss you.</p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-70926892629952797212022-04-29T10:09:00.004-04:002022-04-29T10:09:49.962-04:00Recession is Coming<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2k9XtlYQlAyAJBn2NLVCQSdXB1pPGL3F72vL0Kolm5CRQyT1TcCXIuO4xtKOq-USuEW10WUWlxTMtfNnSJWInd4EhiMFNt8vKlJprDgo0tN1V_YzURYqZUxYY6NzmLaOiOs9qJvTdeKZE7K6m7CfNeFr1TGLqG4T4WQ-6kOGAJz-YpFlNh0_aRHm-Q/s2104/Screenshot%202022-04-29%20100716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="2104" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr2k9XtlYQlAyAJBn2NLVCQSdXB1pPGL3F72vL0Kolm5CRQyT1TcCXIuO4xtKOq-USuEW10WUWlxTMtfNnSJWInd4EhiMFNt8vKlJprDgo0tN1V_YzURYqZUxYY6NzmLaOiOs9qJvTdeKZE7K6m7CfNeFr1TGLqG4T4WQ-6kOGAJz-YpFlNh0_aRHm-Q/w400-h226/Screenshot%202022-04-29%20100716.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In my opinion, a recession is coming. We have all the ingredients in North America:<p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>High inflation for both assets (houses, cars) and living expenses (gas, groceries)</li><li>Supply chain issues</li><li>War in Ukraine</li><li>Central bank interest rate hikes coming</li></ul><div>What does this mean for us? It depends on your stage in life. The usual results of a recession are stock market declines, house price declines, and more unemployment, </div><div><br /></div><div>If you are a young worker, best to make sure your job is secure. Last in, first out usually applies when a recession hits. Companies that are struggling are also at risk.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are a middle aged person, the same provisos on your job apply. On top of that, you probably have a family and a house. I recommend building up some savings, and avoiding any unnecessary large purchases like a boat or second home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Retirees should also be careful with large purchases and be prepared to tighten your belt a little. If you live on a juicy pension (rare nowadays), there may be little effect on you.</div><p></p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-22201389229357295952021-12-09T17:47:00.000-05:002021-12-09T17:47:47.373-05:00Due Diligence in the Valley of Deception<p> The Theranos trial reminded me of my experience at Nortel doing "due diligence" on a silicon valley startup that Nortel wanted to purchase. Due Diligence is the process of checking out an acquisition, in my case, checking it out technically.</p><p>I got a call from my boss saying that the corporation wanted me to do diligence on a startup making small low cost GSM network equipment. This had to be done quickly, quietly, and I needed to follow the lead of one of our more eccentric (crazy) execs who was in charge of the project. Quickly meant in a few days, quietly meant no technical testing, do what you are told, etc. I had never done diligence before but no one cared.</p><p>So off we went to the valley and met with the CEO of this company, who was as eccentric (crazy) as our exec. She described their product and its maturity and it sounded too good to be true. We then had a bunch of presentations (all positive), toured the lab (everything works well), and wrote up our report - remember they wanted this done quickly. Our report basically said that we found nothing negative, but we did not do anything in depth, it sounded too good to be true and the company should be cautious. We got profuse thanks for our report.</p><p>Then I found out that one of my old colleagues had worked for this startup for a year and than had returned to Nortel so I decided to phone him. He told me that this startup had failed due diligence previously when they were trying to sell themselves to a German company, the CEO was a nutjob, staff turnover was very high, and anything they said about their product was probably a lie. Basically, they knew how to deceive us since they had failed diligence previously.</p><p>So I called my boss in a panic and told him to stop the acquisition, which was not completed yet! He then shocked me by saying that Nortel didn't really care if the startup was a shambles, they just wanted the positive publicity from acquiring a new innovative company!</p><p>This contributed to my loss of faith in Nortel and big corporations in general.</p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-86095808868961915202021-11-05T12:31:00.000-04:002021-11-05T12:31:13.487-04:00Disappointment in the USA<p> It is November and we have witnessed another set of US elections. I continue to be disappointed in the USA, just as I was when Biden defeated Trump with a slim majority in the house and senate.</p><p>The Republican party has grown more corrosive since the 2020 election - propagating lies that the election was fixed, that the riot at the Capitol was not a problem, that COVID precautions are an issue of freedom for the folks who want to infect others, women do not control their bodies, climate change is a myth, and everyone must kiss Trump's ring and declare their undying loyalty to one horrible narcissistic man.</p><p>Yet the public votes for a Republican governor in swing state Virginia and almost elects one in New Jersey. Obviously, the faults of the Republican party are not important to these folks and I think it means that the USA is heading for a breakup. Eventually, the country will break into a few chunks with free trade and a common defense policy:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Northeast: progressive, urban, secular</li><li>South: conservative, rural and industrial, christian</li><li>Midwest: conservative, christian, rural</li><li>West: progressive, urban, secular</li><li>Texas: they will probably be independent and separate completely but have close ties with the South and Midwest</li></ol><div>I am sure that Putin, Xi, and the billionaires like Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg will be delighted as they will have more power and the Ununited States of America will be a lot weaker.</div><p></p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-2356106279511025702021-09-10T11:56:00.001-04:002021-09-10T11:58:39.876-04:00Bob Leroux<p> My friend Bob Leroux recently passed away.</p>I knew Bob for over 50 years and remember him as a person who would help anyone with anything. Always on the move and always happy to assist. We formed a group in High School with Bill Evans and did all sorts of fun and crazy things together - model boats, model planes, board games, going to his cottage, bicycling. I remember the time Bill and Bob actually cycled from Montreal to the cottage (about 100 miles) in one day to prove it could be done. Over the years, as we moved around, we kept in touch and got together, I was best man at his wedding. I remember once being stranded in Toronto due to the airports being closed and spending the night at Bob's little apartment. I napped when he cooked dinner and woke up to the apartment being full of smoke as Bob was barbecuing vigorously on the balcony, I thought the place was on fire. As we got older, Bob was always the same, a happy bundle of energy helping folks. People say he had a strong temper like his father, but I never experienced it personally, although I saw it when Bob and his Dad would be knee deep in mud under the cottage arguing over what was wrong with the jet pump (which seemed to fail every year). Was it the check valve, the jet valve, the foot valve, or the pump, who knows? I also remember when Bob met Diane and was smitten by her. We once drove to the cottage with Diane in the passenger seat and Bob driving with me telling Bob every 5 minutes "look at the road, not Diane!". I am still wondering if they were the ones who planted flamingos on our front lawn for my birthday. Bob was also an inventor, I did not know until recently that he had patents from working at Nortel, Dragonwave, and Huawei. Anyway, we kept in touch and visited as we moved around. Finding out that Bob had PKD was terrible news, and its progression was tragic, but I want to remember Bob for who he was, a great friend and a great person.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnkgehFbpNHGP-VJauVBFjWEF9hyABIO_OgTQhTyXzeyqsnYj6E7-ZU5ah877cwqx3YgFPiAxdW6477zrqx_W11zmK20YSzfLjIg9Nyin-ogh2ESl9b9lh04BNlQkZ7Tgsw5f94Gsbykg/s2048/p_v16abc8ayfk0038_27410765734_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1579" data-original-width="2048" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnkgehFbpNHGP-VJauVBFjWEF9hyABIO_OgTQhTyXzeyqsnYj6E7-ZU5ah877cwqx3YgFPiAxdW6477zrqx_W11zmK20YSzfLjIg9Nyin-ogh2ESl9b9lh04BNlQkZ7Tgsw5f94Gsbykg/s320/p_v16abc8ayfk0038_27410765734_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1-dB6xw8Zv0TGQyzsutZeEjMnILg4zSVgUlwLptmcqAfUev-btHTgku_BlsY9uR60s8QlUDRPZmnVcF7b-lBGb9mFcGBbd41ou1yaEVVQHBLDwvd7tSSYhla8rTKTafLS7vbUfUEEnyu/s2048/DSCN0063_20762127840_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1532" data-original-width="2048" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1-dB6xw8Zv0TGQyzsutZeEjMnILg4zSVgUlwLptmcqAfUev-btHTgku_BlsY9uR60s8QlUDRPZmnVcF7b-lBGb9mFcGBbd41ou1yaEVVQHBLDwvd7tSSYhla8rTKTafLS7vbUfUEEnyu/s320/DSCN0063_20762127840_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUDTfgnTLdNyS6AMeI54DV_mgaUralMPq4C0i5baTJLuwO3H7-su21egwkuaS1Ty5NGt1RyNiWANfgFOx6Q56UZghuTI1bdLB7GDV_OqpBeoqRSP7T7QU2gkoD_UuX1RP_J-nSC4Pxp8K/s2048/view+from+lake_2317871776_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="2048" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlUDTfgnTLdNyS6AMeI54DV_mgaUralMPq4C0i5baTJLuwO3H7-su21egwkuaS1Ty5NGt1RyNiWANfgFOx6Q56UZghuTI1bdLB7GDV_OqpBeoqRSP7T7QU2gkoD_UuX1RP_J-nSC4Pxp8K/s320/view+from+lake_2317871776_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5qQqCSwpw99BUaCokOrB_SkKjIk8Wqddqe-2F73gaqWo0_qCPqD2d8FY4PCljS5wOZdjFAhWFFYLIJmjIvREOdn9WQjPDm418EmJrU7oh39jDCm8pJrznkBQy_ixZ87GeSD7QcU_3hfg/s2048/flamingos+for+marks+birthday_2337915089_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="2048" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5qQqCSwpw99BUaCokOrB_SkKjIk8Wqddqe-2F73gaqWo0_qCPqD2d8FY4PCljS5wOZdjFAhWFFYLIJmjIvREOdn9WQjPDm418EmJrU7oh39jDCm8pJrznkBQy_ixZ87GeSD7QcU_3hfg/s320/flamingos+for+marks+birthday_2337915089_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXj7zbKLSgwfy97RM7cjd27aHU0K_LG4ZOG48ZRORocsVw2jHncmsCcKNQ85FV3b58TO8GunNE66uaAmyBwVoRqRjlyJhM0fikyrI3Ud0HXNm9hnFEuNX_IgxpjEUnUqiYFLXpcimcXwPp/s2048/IMG_2060_5696948867_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXj7zbKLSgwfy97RM7cjd27aHU0K_LG4ZOG48ZRORocsVw2jHncmsCcKNQ85FV3b58TO8GunNE66uaAmyBwVoRqRjlyJhM0fikyrI3Ud0HXNm9hnFEuNX_IgxpjEUnUqiYFLXpcimcXwPp/s320/IMG_2060_5696948867_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 16px;" /></div>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-38211736951912163592021-03-18T18:42:00.003-04:002021-03-18T18:42:36.989-04:00Why Canadians Think the USA is Terrific<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3ovbc7XWEogOyw1bL_tc4aZVgNP2m4J4cd8DhwhpePxCMlBrAHngQr6_XL1T3Oaq1QoatE8KYm49Nlm9LwGwwgljyS6It1xZAmmedXU7uZLSNjeLJVkvLbL5Q_3MyQWlzUGO9SRbsCvS/s955/h6v54xdqfun61+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="955" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3ovbc7XWEogOyw1bL_tc4aZVgNP2m4J4cd8DhwhpePxCMlBrAHngQr6_XL1T3Oaq1QoatE8KYm49Nlm9LwGwwgljyS6It1xZAmmedXU7uZLSNjeLJVkvLbL5Q_3MyQWlzUGO9SRbsCvS/w400-h288/h6v54xdqfun61+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We know a lot of Canadians who winter in the USA and/or visit a lot. They love America - the weather, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, roads, etc etc. "It's a great place, why is Canada so far behind?" they lament. Having lived in the USA for 20 years recently and in Canada for about 40 years, I was a little puzzled by this absolute affection.</p><p>Well, I figured it out. When you visit from Canada or spend 4 months in Florida during the winter, what do you do? You shop, go to the beach, entertain yourself, eat out, drive around on the nice big roads... These are all things that America does better than Canada. What don't you do? You don't interact with the government, you don't use the medical system, you don't go to blighted areas, you don't deal with natural disasters, you don't deal with insurance companies, you don't buy medicine, you don't deal with the justice system, etc.</p><p>These are the Achilles heels (both feet) of America:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Governments at all levels are starved of cash and cannot provide adequate services. Try lining up at the Social Service bureau, try getting a license at the DMV, try to get help on your taxes from the IRS. Trust me, it is almost always a nightmare, and you feel sorry for the poor civil servants, who look like all they can afford for clothes is the bargain section at Walmart.</li><li>Some areas of town are so blighted that you never go there at night and you keep your car doors locked if you go during the day. Your American neighbors will advise you to get a gun for personal protection, in spite of the fact that these guns are almost exclusively used for suicides and family violence.</li><li>The rules for health insurance and Medicare are almost undecipherable. Did you get COBRA when you were laid off? Did you turn 65 and stay on COBRA? If yes, you will pay a penalty for Medicare for the rest of your life because you saved the government money. And good luck if you get a bill from the hospital, it will be pages long, and show that you owe a lot even if you have insurance, and you will spend hours on the phone trying to whittle it down to something like your insurance deductible.</li><li>Many areas of the USA like Texas routinely experience major natural disasters like tornados, hurricanes, and flash floods. Yet the building codes do not mandate much in the way of protection. If you get hit, your home will be featured on the 6 oclock news as they show the pieces floating down the street. Your insurance company will then tell you that you are not covered for floods so tough luck.</li><li>If you get an exotic disease or condition, your drugs may bankrupt you, in spite of whatever government or private drug insurance you bought. In the USA, there are typically over 30 drug plans for the elderly on Medicare and you get to choose one a year and it may not cover your particular condition. Better luck next year!</li><li>Don't get involved in the justice system! The conviction rate is over 99%. So if you drive drunk, get into a fight, decide to make extra money selling drugs to friends, get into a family fight, you will go to jail for years and years if you get caught. You will also get convicted even if you are innocent. The prosecutor will offer you a deal: "plead guilty to this charge and you will get 2 years or go to court and the maximum sentence is 15 years and we will demand this punishment." Unless you have the best lawyers, lots of money, and lots of luck, you will plead guilty even if you are innocent.</li></ol><div>So yes, America is better than Canada in many ways, but it has a dark side that you never experience as a visitor.</div><p></p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-68664540931581594202020-11-17T14:57:00.001-05:002020-11-17T14:57:38.348-05:00I Deserve a Medal<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRmHez7DqrC4gbsHe1Q6v07rZA-TMABVv9qY9ATqvgcPNAoOHVH9PFhsFAhtKLnk8CAnM6X7WgkHeAQkGBk7Qr07I4ROsi6OvGyY64_PHa_WjXxLcqbhCdwalyfDjcn-Lhu4Y6Vn1tIz1/s623/Couch-Potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="623" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRmHez7DqrC4gbsHe1Q6v07rZA-TMABVv9qY9ATqvgcPNAoOHVH9PFhsFAhtKLnk8CAnM6X7WgkHeAQkGBk7Qr07I4ROsi6OvGyY64_PHa_WjXxLcqbhCdwalyfDjcn-Lhu4Y6Vn1tIz1/s320/Couch-Potatoes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>We know that this pandemic requires us to limit our activity, limit our contact with people, wash our hands, and wear a mask.</p><p>I am a lazy introverted retired person who has followed these instructions to the letter and I deserve a medal for my efforts.</p><p>I try not to do anything other than watch TV, play around on the computer, eat and sleep. Today, I watched the live feeds of the Northern Ireland Snooker championship and a Darts tournament on DAZN. Other heroic deeds are my subscriptions to many paid streaming channels and watching the complete Borat 2 movie on Amazon Prime. I can also verify that the firmware is up to date on every electronic device that I own.</p><p>As an introvert, my interactions with people are usually brief. I was never one for the hugs, small talk, and hanging around chatting. In the last week, the only person in close proximity to me is my wife. However, due to my regular intake of Metamucil and its gaseous effects, she may move out soon leaving me totally alone.</p><p>My new Apple Watch times my hand washings, which are frequent and at least 20 seconds long. It does bug me a bit that my watch knows what I am doing with my hands at all times.</p><p>I wear a mask when indoors with people other than my wife. I also contribute to mask wearing by glaring viciously at anyone not wearing a mask properly. </p><p>I will be writing to the Governor General proposing a medal for all of us couch potatoes who are sacrificing during this pandemic. Something like the "Award in Recognition of Heroic Feats of Laziness and Inactivity During the Pandemic". The medal should feature a couch, a TV, a bag of chips, and a remote control along with the requisite Canadian symbols like the Maple Leaf. No beavers allowed on this medal as it sends the wrong message.</p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-67049475807367260192020-11-04T09:49:00.001-05:002020-11-04T09:49:28.795-05:00America What Happened?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_P0MEDakHaxpn3CMQjGD4Ksi2vynxDTJX_tNJmZk7-Ig5GuJnsQ_7NATJDz0WOJskWfY6xoXKVkLpF41cmbxR2wk0up3os6913d_67bn2ecplMLKRj9ZaOO-Gy7DWAIk6wudbmr8Li-C/s480/12239574_907490109335199_8663424156867368887_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="480" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD_P0MEDakHaxpn3CMQjGD4Ksi2vynxDTJX_tNJmZk7-Ig5GuJnsQ_7NATJDz0WOJskWfY6xoXKVkLpF41cmbxR2wk0up3os6913d_67bn2ecplMLKRj9ZaOO-Gy7DWAIk6wudbmr8Li-C/w400-h210/12239574_907490109335199_8663424156867368887_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In the '60s, growing up in Montreal Canada, I thought the US was a great place. They had the best TV, bicycles, toys, food, and music. We had 5 channels, and three were from the USA (ABC, NBC, CBS). I would watch Captain Kangaroo and Walt Disney with envy as they advertised a kid's American dream (a Schwinn bike). I thought "wouldn't it be great to live in America?"</p><p>In the '70s and '80s, going to Canadian universities, I continued to think the US was great. Look at those universities with their campuses, football teams, parties, and academic credentials. Same thoughts as before.</p><p>In the '80s and '90s, working in Canada, I longed to go to the US to advance my career. The US had world-leading companies in computers, telecom, aerospace. I was stuck in Canada, doing my best but not getting far up the corporate ladder and certainly not feeling fulfilled.</p><p>So in the '90s, I had a chance to move to the USA and work, and boy, was it great. Promotions, competing on a worldwide scale, high pay, low taxes, nice cars, a big house with a pool. For 20 years I worked in the USA and it was exciting and financially rewarding.</p><p>But towards the end of my time there, I realized that the poor were badly treated and had no way to escape poverty due to the lousy public schools, low wages, and lack of health care. I started seeing people openly carry handguns in restaurants. We saw illegal immigrants scraping by and afraid of the border patrol. I heard Obama called by the N-word. I saw the justice system for what it was: a guaranteed conviction if you were charged due to the laws and scant legal aid. I saw how I could get out of traffic tickets by just being a white male (stopped three times, no tickets). I guess these things were always there but I was blind to them. I hoped things would get better but we had to return to Canada for family reasons.</p><p>Now, after two presidential elections, I have lost faith in the USA. The greed, lack of compassion, racism, divisiveness, lies, and contempt for democracy are clearly on display. Biden may end up winning, but it is clear that about half of the USA believes that a man like Trump, doing what he does, is a good leader. That means America is lost and probably gone forever in my opinion.</p><p><br /></p>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-77982190275513087462020-05-21T11:46:00.001-04:002020-05-21T11:46:55.880-04:00Sell Stocks Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DVL-mmsVm6g0O8PjVpovL5CTueFvLaS3W_6bJtscWSqfWfspdy3C71D2_DqSJY-yCHj7i19n6OLTjQmo9jARuNECj4taO1_2BMIPiL0BtgG8lAfdRJBPvnGQDetvjdyr5hpKLJGPR-e0/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1973" data-original-width="3000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DVL-mmsVm6g0O8PjVpovL5CTueFvLaS3W_6bJtscWSqfWfspdy3C71D2_DqSJY-yCHj7i19n6OLTjQmo9jARuNECj4taO1_2BMIPiL0BtgG8lAfdRJBPvnGQDetvjdyr5hpKLJGPR-e0/s320/7-Eleven-stores-going-healthier.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I own and track the Vanguard Total Stock ETF, <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VTI?p=VTI" target="_blank">VTI</a>. It invests in all the stocks in the US markets: small, medium, large cap. It is a great way to invest in all US economic activity.<div><br /></div><div>Right now, <u>the price of VTI is approximately the same as it was in May 2019</u>. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In May 2019, unemployment was about 3.5%. In 2019, GDP grew 3%. There were no major global crises and all major industries worldwide were operating successfully.</li><li>In May 2020, unemployment is over 15%. A global pandemic is happening and over 60,000 people have died in the US. Oil prices went negative a few weeks ago and the world is overstocked with oil. The global travel industry (hotels, airlines, cruises, rental cars..) is not operating. JC Penney, J Crew, and Neiman Marcus just went bankrupt. The FED is printing money, buying securities and the US government is blowing money on people, corporations, and healthcare. You cannot eat in a restaurant in over half of North America.</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><font color="#d52c1f" size="4">Why is the price of VTI the same as it was in May 2019? I don't know.</font></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe Aliens are controlling our minds, Bigfoot has taken over the Fed, Elvis has left the building, and everyone is drinking Lysol and will be fine, but I don't like this situation.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Disclaimer</b>: this is not professional investment or retirement advice and should be used at your own risk. The author is not a licensed financial advisor. You should not believe everything on the Internet including this blog and should check multiple sources possibly including a professional financial advisor before making decisions.</div>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-87466317069877578392020-05-14T16:23:00.003-04:002020-05-14T16:28:18.638-04:00What is The Real Issue with Reopening?There is a lot of disagreement about "reopening", lockdown, quarantine. Armed protesters in state capitols, the President playing both sides against the middle, threats against epidemiologists, and a lot of misinformation.<div><br /></div><div>But what is the real issue? I will say it because few reporters and NO politicians will say it.</div><div><br /></div><div><font color="#d52c1f" size="4"><b style="background-color: #eeeeee;">The issue is the death rate. How many people should die from COVID?</b></font></div><div><font color="#d52c1f" size="4"><b><u><br /></u></b></font></div><div>When generals plan a battle or campaign, they look at the value of objectives versus casualties. Is it worth it to conduct the D Day invasion if we lose 10,000 men in the first day? The answer was yes. If the expected casualties were 100,000, the answer would likely be no, and the plan revised.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is the same with COVID. We know that if we stop most economic activity, casualties will be low, but the long term standard of living will suffer badly, so we cannot lockdown forever. We also know that having no restrictions on activity, "normal activity", will likely result in the loss of 1 to 4% of the world's population, as almost everyone will get COVID and 2 to 8% of people will die.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the questions are:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>What is an acceptable death rate? Is it OK if 200,000 Americans die over the next 2 years, primarily 60+ and infirm? If not, what level of death is acceptable?</li><li>Once you determine the death rate, you can ask expert professionals (health, business, law) to craft a plan that maximizes economic output while staying under this death rate.</li></ol><div>Alternately, you can do what the USA is doing now, fumble along, do different things in different places, get people to fight, and then see what happens. If this is written up as a disaster by historians (e.g Vietnam war), then you got it wrong. If this is written up as a triumph in spite of the losses (WW2), then you got it right. But I like the generals' approach to battles better than the current mess.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. I once stayed at a Holiday Inn</div>felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-34275269521177709412020-04-14T14:08:00.002-04:002020-04-14T14:08:28.141-04:00Take Advantage of Volatility - The Limit Order<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are lots of different views on the economy and the stock market right now due to COVID. I am quite pessimistic about the economy in the short to medium term due to:<br />
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<li>Shutdowns for COVID: massive unemployment, supply chain disruptions, psychological impact</li>
<li>Globalism and free trade: Trump, China, and COVID have dealt a big defeat to these concepts and the economies of many countries</li>
<li>Lack of productivity: why are companies worth so much in the first place</li>
<li>Central Bank and government actions on COVID: these have never been tried before and we don't know the effects on employment, inflation, businesses</li>
<li>Psychological effect: it will be hard to get people to work again after this fatal threat</li>
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But others are not so pessimistic and the stock market is recovering, but not smoothly. One day, the market is up by 4%, another day down by 4%. Bond ETFs are less volatile, but were down about 12% at one point and then quickly rebounded.</div>
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I personally want to keep at least 2 years spending in cash just in case, so I need to sell ETFs (bonds or stocks) or stocks. I also want to maintain my asset allocation targets.</div>
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What is the best approach? I could just put in a market order to sell when I feel really pessimistic and probably get a low sale price. I could watch the ups and downs and try to pick a day when the market is up. What I ended up doing was putting in a limit sell order at a price that I thought was high, but not so high as to be unattainable. For example, Vanguard Total Stock ETF has been as high as $160 and as low as $115 in the last month or so. I put in a limit sell order at $142 when it was around $120. Today, the order went through.</div>
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So my idea is to use limit orders to take advantage of volatility in the markets.<br />
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<b>Disclaimer</b>: this is not professional investment or retirement advice and should be used at your own risk. The author is not a licensed financial advisor. You should not believe everything on the Internet including this blog and should check multiple sources possibly including a professional financial advisor before making decisions.</div>
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felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-12851001765309984192020-04-06T12:28:00.002-04:002020-04-06T12:28:54.024-04:00Take Advantage of the Lousy Market<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Like me, you probably lost a lot in the past few months in the stock market, after making big gains last year. Those big gains, and rebalancing my portfolio, caused me to have a higher income in 2019 due to capital gains, and pay more tax.<br />
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Is there any way to deal with this? Yes there is.<br />
<br />
You can sell your losers today, and get a capital loss in 2020. Then, according to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), you can use these losses to get back some of the tax you paid in 2019. Here is an excerpt from the CRA website:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7qv-wYhZAEniK82WYuznFAbBvCH473d2O-VqSvX3PZs7u7k-3FGroJyacc8_MEKJiEWJ3B8FJnIaPMMnZgsuZgMU2iYN5IzSBBRGxQG8O5qSu6yA3WZsOx2LzltSgE8_F82UIHbrh4wt/s1600/Annotation+2020-04-06+121936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1506" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7qv-wYhZAEniK82WYuznFAbBvCH473d2O-VqSvX3PZs7u7k-3FGroJyacc8_MEKJiEWJ3B8FJnIaPMMnZgsuZgMU2iYN5IzSBBRGxQG8O5qSu6yA3WZsOx2LzltSgE8_F82UIHbrh4wt/s640/Annotation+2020-04-06+121936.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So there is some relief. By the way, don't just sell and then quickly buy back the same stock or fund, that is called a "superficial loss" in Canada (wash sale in USA). You will not get credit for your loss if you sell and buy within 30 days. Better to look at what needs rebalancing, sell the losers in the overweight category, then buy appropriate investments in the category that needs more weight. For example, selling a Canadian mutual fund and buying an international fund to get more international exposure.<br />
<br />
<b>Disclaimer</b>: this is not professional investment or retirement advice and should be used at your own risk. The author is not a licensed financial advisor. You should not believe everything on the Internet including this blog and should check multiple sources possibly including a professional financial advisor before making decisions.</div>
felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-74115206613171663652020-04-02T13:28:00.002-04:002020-04-03T08:52:52.130-04:00COVID19 User Guide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JnLhfHcEVyaly3-As3qS59dH1oCDXi0TTecde_e67Q_0xEDt1be3jVKjihvIGJkTFs_CI-CZIQ7uDG1HZRhHJ19ln7arFe-zINYFM6MRt20WJczJQ5hvSb5moOXhIkyc0srOmFEir7Na/s1600/c0481846-wuhan_novel_coronavirus_illustration-spl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JnLhfHcEVyaly3-As3qS59dH1oCDXi0TTecde_e67Q_0xEDt1be3jVKjihvIGJkTFs_CI-CZIQ7uDG1HZRhHJ19ln7arFe-zINYFM6MRt20WJczJQ5hvSb5moOXhIkyc0srOmFEir7Na/s320/c0481846-wuhan_novel_coronavirus_illustration-spl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
I thought I would compile a user guide based on my experiences in Ottawa during the pandemic, feel free to add comments, as long as they slavishly praise me Trump-style.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">New Things I Tried and they Work</span></h4>
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<li style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">PCExpress grocery delivery and pickup from Massine YIG on Bank Street. You can even talk to a real person about your order by calling the store.</li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Doordash restaurant delivery for Colonnade pizza. It comes from the restaurant in Carlingview, but its cheaper than Ubereats.</li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Foodora delivery from the LCBO on Isabella. A limited selection of wine, beer, and spirits but in a pandemic, we recreational drug users should not be too picky. Use the smartphone app as the website is temperamental. It will not accept your address unless the postal code exactly matches the Google maps postal code (which is wrong for our building).</li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">You can make your own hand sanitizer with rubbing alcohol and aloe vera gel from Amazon.ca. 3/4 alcohol, 1/4 gel.</li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The New York Times is offering free coverage of covid19. Their competitor WSJ does not.</li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Nespresso online ordering is working.</li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Workouts using Facetime with our personal trainer Jamie Kelly. An Ipad works best as the video is good, screen is large, and you can move it around as you exercise.</li>
<ul dir="ltr" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
<li>Workout videos from Youtube are also good. Lots of variety for different ages and abilities. I use a 6 minute workout from the NYT as my base exercises.</li>
</ul>
<li>The instant pot is a great way to make soup with leftover meat, vegetables, broth, pasta. </li>
<li>Farm Boy on Metcalfe is open from 7 to 8am for vulnerable shoppers (seniors etc.). It is well stocked and there are only a few shoppers.</li>
</ul>
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Things that Don't Work</h4>
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<li>Instacart Loblaws delivery is down. Website won't even give you a delivery slot and the help lines are overloaded.</li>
<li>USA social security office in Ogdensburg is closed</li>
<li>BMO sends checks to our old address in Virginia from 3 years ago but sends statements to our correct address. You have to go to a branch to fix this.</li>
<li>The QPP have blocked the bridges into Quebec from Ontario. The police are better used to stop gatherings. </li>
</ul>
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Things That Work, but have Problems</h4>
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<li>Amazon canada is running low on stock and delivery times are long now.</li>
<li>Massine YIG grocery store makes people line up on Somerset at 2 meter intervals and lets them in slowly during peak demand.</li>
</ul>
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felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-23960411573869986742020-01-13T09:53:00.000-05:002020-01-13T09:53:11.787-05:00Date Questions for Senior Citizens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWm49U1lIpmaeCYPtzXU0SIXuNlqOW_PqS4Q5NnPkkfYUHBbLk4ssQo5favfnXZTE-Blym6Ksu9eAOyEsIx4MO7_652lL5OvmC5yiSCo1562kWqGzMizHwHROlsR4CgfqvxccDc9Qak3D/s1600/32815019_ec11ffdd65_h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWm49U1lIpmaeCYPtzXU0SIXuNlqOW_PqS4Q5NnPkkfYUHBbLk4ssQo5favfnXZTE-Blym6Ksu9eAOyEsIx4MO7_652lL5OvmC5yiSCo1562kWqGzMizHwHROlsR4CgfqvxccDc9Qak3D/s320/32815019_ec11ffdd65_h.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We were having a conversation with some friends the other night, discussing all the senior women we know who are widows, but looking for a new mate. Lots of talk about how hard it is to find someone as great as me and my friend (we are modest husbands), and what they should talk about on the first date.<br />
<br />
There are lots of websites that cover what questions a woman should ask on a first date, things like:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>What was your favorite vacation?</li>
<li>What hobbies do you have?</li>
<li>Do you like cats or dogs?</li>
</ul>
<div>
These are all relevant for women 15 to 50 years old, but what are the questions to ask if you and your date are 70 or older?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
We came up with some good questions:</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Do you drive, or has your family confiscated your license?</li>
<li>Are you wearing diapers yet?</li>
<li>What time does your family want you back at the home?</li>
</ul>
<div>
We all laughed but then realized we will all get old soon and will suffer the indignities of old age. Still, there is some humor in it.</div>
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photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tofslie/32815019/in/photolist-3UbLc-2gkkvmT-7a1HrD-2hwiDM4-243Dq5c-aB2g58-TxaEFf-2ggRvFd-2i2vGtV-28eCK34-aR4Kan-25e37ne-xWyLbS-4t7zRz-2gCBErL-oMvgL-6FBWmS-58TxaR-JTchCf-5Rq78A-oKKGo-aA8qrV-2hjm7jv-3bmCeu-LiuqZK-7pddxC-KjbQWR-2g5XWSW-rwXTkJ-2hoMh1m-yRnCNF-jP2e8-PDP3x6-fuJnY-fuHVT-8wQVo3-PEVEFT-D8Aed9-7a1JCX-4u4PM1-PeALsx-2hETrxi-LYm4E-2gYpbjC-25fxd3i-zwAcmz-X6qWJr-zdSw-KgiVWf-Lz5tQi">flickr</a></div>
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felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-87381892024050328152019-09-17T16:18:00.002-04:002019-09-17T16:18:56.782-04:00US Economy Excellent Rest of World Not So Much<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I took a few economics courses in my university days: micro, macro, etc. However I am not an economist. But I've been thinking...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Why is the US economy doing so well and the rest of the world struggling?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
Looking at the present, the US is doing well - low unemployment (3.7%), stock markets at record highs, GDP growth (2.2%) and low inflation (1.7%). Meanwhile, the rest of the world is struggling. The Euro area has 7.5% unemployment, GDP growth of 1.3%. Why this divergence?<br />
<br />
My theory is that the USA is doing well because it is running up a huge national debt - borrowing from the rest of the world and spending on cars, houses, and Iphones.<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>The US has a natural advantage that it is the world's reserve currency. Every business and every country needs US dollars to buy and sell and invest. Therefore, no one will stop lending to the USA unless there is a financial catastrophe. The US can continue to run up debt.</li>
<li>The US is running up debt at the rate of 4.7% of GDP. This is stimulative - it increases growth. The Euro area is increasing debt at 1.1%, a quarter of the rate of the USA.</li>
<ol>
<li>I think of it this way. For every $1,000 an American earns, they actually get $1,047 = $1000 + (4.7% * 1000)</li>
<li>The European gets $1,011</li>
<li>The extra spending based on extra earnings by the American drives growth.</li>
</ol>
<li>The US economy is 70% driven by consumers due to its low taxes and low level of government services (no health insurance, little infrastructure spending, little welfare). This means that 70% of the national debt increase is going into people's pockets and being spent.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So the US is expanding more than other countries due to its increasing borrowing. This money is being spent on short term consumption by consumers, not long term government investments like infrastructure or R&D. This expansion drives employment, growth in company revenues and profits, and the stock market. Don't ask me why inflation is so low, that one I cannot answer.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
What are the implications for the future? Again, I don't know. There could be a catastrophe that causes the world not to lend to the USA anymore? There could be a change in borrowing by other countries to match the USA? There could be inflation? Stay tuned.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
All statistics from the The Economist Sept 17, 2019. Excerpt below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLclfVzIadAv2BPUPYQnv2yxEVH-Oyzdw6giLP8llOu_J1x5eZKLDd3Dwi7w42vZ1p-lIf-922os6EENemUCx5yxo8nGOqinn7X_McCNoF5ym7ObCtIZmnt-k7ehQ9KjF6F-wOZHrcXFZc/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1526" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLclfVzIadAv2BPUPYQnv2yxEVH-Oyzdw6giLP8llOu_J1x5eZKLDd3Dwi7w42vZ1p-lIf-922os6EENemUCx5yxo8nGOqinn7X_McCNoF5ym7ObCtIZmnt-k7ehQ9KjF6F-wOZHrcXFZc/s640/Capture.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-91178953614988061452019-09-04T13:36:00.002-04:002019-09-04T13:36:33.792-04:00These Jobs I Had No Longer Exist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI7CdPGQ2DtV-ZgbJA0brDtI92nIkB3a3Mn-T7zXVmOSVu-lqvzT2hGSKsn4oJr5m4REPJNWXhzEb7neqzaCicBfeIA_h-VJMfiKK8g8DEc-eNJKOghVLAzR_yeihK9UXit3wpXyE01vb/s1600/9f8261ab69ef3789b2fd7f4ce3c45d08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguI7CdPGQ2DtV-ZgbJA0brDtI92nIkB3a3Mn-T7zXVmOSVu-lqvzT2hGSKsn4oJr5m4REPJNWXhzEb7neqzaCicBfeIA_h-VJMfiKK8g8DEc-eNJKOghVLAzR_yeihK9UXit3wpXyE01vb/s400/9f8261ab69ef3789b2fd7f4ce3c45d08.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
<br />
I realized that quite a few jobs that I had during my career no longer exist.<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>I was a paper delivery boy. I walked or rode my bike through the neighborhood, delivering newspapers, and collected the money from the customers. Most people now read newspapers online and delivery is done by men driving cars, bills are paid online.</li>
<li>Delivering telephone books. Before you had the internet, the only ways to find a telephone number were using a telephone book about 6 inches thick or calling directory assistance. Telephone books are almost non-existent now.</li>
<li>Mainframe computer operator. I collected programs on punch cards from students, ran them through the terminal to run on a remote IBM mainframe, then gave the students the printout from their program.</li>
<li>Gas station attendant. I pumped gas into people's cars. Other than states like New Jersey, almost all gas stations are self service.</li>
<li>Supervisor of drawing library. Engineering departments used to generate lots of huge blueprint drawings that were kept in a physical library or on microfilm. Now everything is stored online.</li>
</ol>
</div>
felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-8600236661424549042019-04-30T11:12:00.001-04:002019-04-30T11:12:59.675-04:00Time to Rebalance Your Portfolio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zkgjRjglKS8J7RUD_7w0thXotk03yOI_rV4-lIbnnp7UdltqU9J9nQ3n6SlIKQ4vRkwa8gl6CkMtk1k7VaBEb4KeEWuRN1zJRIZfJnMJlaZPYnl1X8EdzsTZcjSlAHJpcI61cG94Gdw0/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1339" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zkgjRjglKS8J7RUD_7w0thXotk03yOI_rV4-lIbnnp7UdltqU9J9nQ3n6SlIKQ4vRkwa8gl6CkMtk1k7VaBEb4KeEWuRN1zJRIZfJnMJlaZPYnl1X8EdzsTZcjSlAHJpcI61cG94Gdw0/s640/Capture.JPG" width="532" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 Year Stock Price Chart for Vanguard Total Stock ETF (VTI)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The stock markets in the USA are hitting new records again. It means your stocks, ETFs, Equity Mutual Funds are probably at all time highs as well. See the above graph of VTI - The Vanguard Total Stock ETF which covers virtually all publicly traded stocks in the USA.<br />
<br />
You probably have a desired portfolio allocation for stocks, bonds, international stocks, cash, etc. Check your holdings and you will likely find you are over-weighted in stocks because of the market's performance. I found I was 3% over on US stocks, and under weight on international stocks and bonds.<br />
<br />
So now is a good time to rebalance your portfolio if your allocation is out of balance by more than a few percent. Sell some of those winning domestic equity holdings, buy bonds or international stocks or whatever you are underweight. This means "take some of your winnings off the table."<br />
<br />
This technique of keeping a balanced portfolio is recommended by Warren Buffet, Vanguard, Fidelity, and most other respected investment authorities.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer: this is not professional investment advice and should be used at your own risk. The author is not a licensed financial advisor. You should not believe everything on the Internet including this blog and should check multiple sources possibly including a professional financial advisor before making decisions.</div>
felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-44711900821070182172019-04-12T08:33:00.001-04:002019-04-12T08:33:21.414-04:00It is Impossible to Drink Coffee at Starbucks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dGDxQ35I1iPhtc18LQnxOR3WeHGKV_-C95Sj6L2KdHLX_zC9hafIF_q51e51eRyu1oppx2c1mNLf7MTzBol_owc5WvYUHH69PvUASaKKcXFjG6zQ6WpXYlTyqNDRaRmEF_ik1T3uaCLN/s1600/20190408_155408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dGDxQ35I1iPhtc18LQnxOR3WeHGKV_-C95Sj6L2KdHLX_zC9hafIF_q51e51eRyu1oppx2c1mNLf7MTzBol_owc5WvYUHH69PvUASaKKcXFjG6zQ6WpXYlTyqNDRaRmEF_ik1T3uaCLN/s400/20190408_155408.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Another day, another rant.<br />
<br />
Starbucks and their free wifi have made it impossible to drink a coffee at Starbucks. You can certainly buy coffee and take it out, but finding a seat and table to actually drink it is nearly impossible these days. Almost every seat in any Starbucks we visit is full of students, people holding business meetings, budding authors, job interviews, people tutoring students (very popular in Florida), and people just browsing the web.<br />
<br />
Obviously their business model is built on take-out, as they are not making money on people sitting for hours, using their wifi, and nursing a small blonde roast coffee.</div>
felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-1009802933641991742019-03-11T10:01:00.000-04:002019-03-11T10:01:52.316-04:00Saver to Spender Transition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I recently saw an article on <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/im-65-my-mortgage-is-paid-off-and-i-have-370000-in-savings-so-why-i-am-still-worried-about-money-2019-03-08?spot_im_reply_id=sp_ekXntyLk_1D67ACC2-4194-11E9-8DB1-A5C1CA56392A_c_174t3R_r_rO0kYo&spot_im_highlight_immediate=true">Moneywatch </a>about a dedicated retirement saver who was having trouble changing to a spender after retiring. This is understandable: if you spent 40 years saving for retirement, you need to change to a spender after retirement. Changing behaviour can be difficult. I experienced this difficulty myself.<br />
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How did my spouse and I handle it? At first, I kept worrying about the money and underspending our budget. We had always lived on a monthly budget. To fix my frugal ways, we ran our financial plan including budget by a Financial Planner, who said the plan was good. For the next year, we spent according to this budget, making sure to spend all the money in the budget. Then we checked our financial plan and budget with a Planner again, who said we were fine. Having spent all the money, seen that the budget was fine, and having two checkups, we (I) made the transition from saver to spender.<br />
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photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnszwalkiewicz/4344004088/in/photolist-3bAabh-8oC2Nt-7TiTQ1-a81DLZ-bgfuxT-2bLKB6n-dn1VGe-oXnmd3-7BSa5d-91AdcD-5XLzsA-g5ZS1u-8Xb1FN-5aaGHA-a2Y8o2-5XGkne-QDrYXP-6U3sxA-5XGkPK-91Dmho-ij8cxr-2d1Y6MV-91Ads4-4gYadK-ij8eii">flickr</a><br />
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<b>Disclaimer</b>: this is not professional investment or retirement advice and should be used at your own risk. The author is not a licensed financial advisor. You should not believe everything on the Internet including this blog and should check multiple sources possibly including a professional financial advisor before making decisions.</div>
felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-5603162375155678472019-03-05T17:13:00.001-05:002019-03-05T17:13:53.477-05:00I Don't Like South Florida<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hallandale HS (Not A Prison)</td></tr>
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I have come to the conclusion that I don't like south Florida. Granted, the weather is great in January, February, March and there are nice beaches, but it's not my cup of tea.<br />
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<li>Anyone with money lives in a gated community, because of the crime I guess. You feel confined in your compound if you rent a condo or house. You have to drive out of your guarded compound to shop, sightsee, eat..</li>
<li>Traffic is bad and the drivers are terrible. The roads are full of a toxic mixture of elderly drivers, lost tourists, and hotheads weaving in and out. Texting while driving seems to be the state sport. </li>
<li>Inequality is everywhere. You see lots of people sleeping on the streets or struggling to survive along with lots of Rolls Royces, Bentleys, huge yachts, and Ferraris.</li>
<li>Lots of Trump lovers in Florida. There is a huge billboard on the highway near our rented condo that says "God Bless You President Trump for Making America Great Again!"</li>
<li>No one cares about the environment. Our condo has no recycling facilities and no one seems to care about littering highways, streets, parking lots.</li>
<li>High schools look like prisons with lots of concrete, no windows, big fences, and cops guarding the entrances due to recent massacres. They do have big football stadiums - not sure what that has to do with education.</li>
<li>The prime requirements to be a local TV news reporter or anchor is to be female, good looking, slim, and have large artificial breasts. Feminism seems to have missed this state.</li>
<li>This is the state for weird stuff. If you don't believe me, follow Florida Man on Twitter, who reports on all the weird stuff happening in Florida. Most recent tweet "Florida Man Seen Riding Naked on Bicycle Down I-95" , link <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article217297510.html">here</a>.</li>
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felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-87271865068363829042019-02-22T17:09:00.000-05:002019-02-22T17:09:37.501-05:00Charities Punish Me for My Donations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglSXWf0WGU49riRIHfzSxLolNpn_flBA4yoHbwpRoWUeHdV53pn-81cedYyiZSXNtZ-HRf6sIwT3nyWnXbGGdAfYqwR7Rj2a2HxNyP68rgCi9HvMMhSZXwpYVZ1vdKXPydI19EqxnnQU1/s1600/3950617305_be376a4e48_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjglSXWf0WGU49riRIHfzSxLolNpn_flBA4yoHbwpRoWUeHdV53pn-81cedYyiZSXNtZ-HRf6sIwT3nyWnXbGGdAfYqwR7Rj2a2HxNyP68rgCi9HvMMhSZXwpYVZ1vdKXPydI19EqxnnQU1/s400/3950617305_be376a4e48_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I regularly give to charities: animal protection, hospitals, disease research, universities, PBS, etc. <br />
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To recognize my donations, the charities try to make my life miserable. I think they do it in the hope of getting more money.<br />
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<li>I gave to an environmental charity. Right after that, they started calling me to "..thank me and talk to me about their mission..". My wife tells them I am out. I think she should tell them I am hiking to the Arctic to save Polar Bears.</li>
<li>I give to local hospitals. They immediately bombard me with solicitations for more contributions and newsletters highlighting the accomplishments of their hospital.</li>
<li>I give to a local arts charity. They keep phoning asking for more money or asking me to buy tickets to obscure shows that I would never attend.</li>
<li>I gave to my alma mater. They then asked me to "host" the 40th reunion of my class. I asked what this entailed. My job was to raise more money to endow a scholarship at the university by soliciting my old classmates that I have not talked to since my waist size was under 32 inches and I had a full head of hair. I said no.</li>
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Next time I send money, it will be anonymous.</div>
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Picture credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/howardlake/3950617305/in/photolist-726WTt-8N5HsU-9eFBJE-7nqkCp-5Bqbqb-ecgMxZ-5KNiDF-5JZuQS-4MigcJ-4YLoVj-7VsBTz-h7abTA-58CxTf-2Nqax-6pngMU-4AZXMf-7nqkkV-adx7Z1-S1kuoR-8xFYS2-5BqgFd-bYGFv-Squfma-pTGhrL-dSZ6W7-bYKfN-6qyoAp-9uiBwF-oyCPCQ-4Pbkky-4SMB5d-7UaNux-8mtDpf-cGzwJ-eb5qSy-3rA4p2-qZr1m-dpQ9cg-5EyHiB-qZxZA-qZyqN-5SKXcC-8mrkeC-6DAq7s-bYFuM-ov4uqr-4SHoeH-PsfiL-8mqC52-73fggP">flickr</a></div>
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felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4614944046348078075.post-82868207171289903202019-02-21T14:17:00.001-05:002019-02-21T14:17:51.448-05:00I Saved Too Much for Retirement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't hear this statement much - "I saved too much for retirement". However, I am beginning to think this way due to recent experiences.<br />
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We followed all the best advice on saving for retirement:<br />
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<li>Live below your means</li>
<li>Save 10% of you income, spend 4% of your savings per year in retirement</li>
<li>Use tax deferred retirement plans</li>
<li>Invest in a diversified portfolio of low cost index funds or ETFs</li>
<li>Have a plan - ensure you can support yourself until you are 95 </li>
<li>Be lucky</li>
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So when we retired, we basically kept living the same way as when we worked. We had no worries if we lived until 95 or more.</div>
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Then I got to see what life is like for people who live into their 80's. Very very few people that I see in their late 80's are of sound mind and body. Rather, your body goes and you cannot get out much. Your mind goes and you are not yourself anymore. You become a burden to your family and friends. The only happy seniors seem to be those who are in a retirement home and like people. That does not apply to me since I am not really a people person. Your savings do help with these problems, if you are aware enough to spend money on a retirement home or home help to be less of a burden. Basically, from what I can see, there is not much quality of life beyond your early 80's, if that.</div>
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So my plan is to live an unhealthy lifestyle so I don't live too long and spend more now. There is no point in living to a ripe old age with plenty of money, losing your mind, and being unhappy.</div>
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felixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05451100604086376296noreply@blogger.com1