By 2 Cents on October 3rd, 2011 | Category: 20 Cents |  This month it was truly difficult to pick only 10 articles to include. I almost had to up the ante to 30 cents! But my goal with these monthly collections is to keep them succinct so readers aren’t overwhelmed with information. Suffice it to say that some really great pieces were left on the proverbial cutting room floor. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and I hope you enjoy these articles as much as I did!
1. If You Have Only a Little Money, Should You Invest It? Shelley White from the Globe and Mailed posed the question to Danielle Park and Bruce Sellery. Ms. Park recommended paying down debt first and staying on the sidelines in terms of equities. “[I]n her opinion, you would be better off parking your money in GICs rather than diving into stocks or bonds [...]
Read on and enjoy … 20 Cents from September 2011
By 2 Cents on September 30th, 2011 | Category: BJ News |  Everything in moderation, including moderation.
~Author Unknown
A couple of months ago the editors at Thrift Culture Now contacted me for an interview. I normally don’t mind doing this type of thing, especially if it’s in writing. I agreed to do it and they agreed to send over a set of questions for me to answer.
I expected to receive an email containing some generic personal finance or investing questions. Instead, I was treated to some really thoughtful inquiries that showed a real recognition of what Balance Junkie is all about. I was impressed.
Unfortunately, the interview questions arrived just as I was about to move. I started on some replies, but it soon became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to give the interview the attention it deserved until after we settled in. The editors said “no problem” and very patiently waited for my replies.
[...]
Read on and enjoy … Thrift Culture Now: Balance Junkie Interview
By 2 Cents on September 29th, 2011 | Category: Economics |  Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.
~Edward Abbey
Although I visit the grocery store at least once a week, lately I’ve had the feeling that I’m in a different place – and that’s not just because we recently moved. I sometimes can’t believe the prices I’m seeing on staples like milk, cheese, or sugar and I can’t help but notice that my cart doesn’t have to be very full in order to rack up a pretty big bill.
My shopping trips highlight several economic trends I’ve been noticing over the past few years. These trends are having a direct effect on our finances, and I’m curious to know whether others are finding the same thing. Here are 5 of the most salient trends that seem to be affecting our personal finances:
1. Less for More
Not only [...]
Read on and enjoy … 5 Economic Trends Affecting Your Money
By 2 Cents on September 22nd, 2011 | Category: Life Balance |  The following is a guest post from Barbara Friedberg. She endured a much more arduous moving ordeal than I did this summer. Check out the 5 lessons she learned and then head over to Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance to read more. While you’re there, download her free 20 Minute Guide to Investing. Thanks Barb!
5 Things I Learned From My Cross Country Move
As Kim from Balance Junkie and I each moved this summer, we decided to share our “lessons learned”. Although she moved 3 hours away, and I moved about 10 times that, the process is the same! Please check out her 5 Lessons Learned from Moving at my site after you’re done reading.
Graduate school and job changes have led to 6 moves during our married life. Initially, I’m nervous and scared about moving. After getting used to the [...]
Read on and enjoy … Moving Stinks! And I Never Want to Do It Again!
By 2 Cents on September 19th, 2011 | Category: Saving |  Starting today, there’s a new financial resource for Canadians out there. It’s called Finizi. Basically, Finizi is a free online service that allows financial institutions to compete for your business. At this time they are only offering GICs, but there are plans in the works to offer competitive bidding on rates for car loans and mortgages as well.
How It Works
Basically, you just need to go to finizi.com and:
1. Request a GIC rate
Select the type of GIC you want and specify the amount you’d like to invest.
2. Financial Institutions Bid for Your Money
Review your bids in a live auction environment. Financial institutions bidding for your business may include credit unions, trust companies or chartered banks. So far, they have about 5 institutions on board, but many have said that they would [...]
Read on and enjoy … Introducing Finizi: A New Financial Tool for Canadians
By 2 Cents on September 12th, 2011 | Category: Life Balance |  Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!
~Andre Gide
Have you ever felt like you were in a rut? No matter how hard you try to shake things up, start fresh or come up with innovative solutions to what’s bugging you, you just seem to end up right back where you started. I’m sure most of us have felt this way at one time or another about one or more parts of our lives.
In my experience, it’s hard to engineer an epiphany. It’s like trying to catch a pesky fly. Just when you’re certain you’ve got it in your sights it flits away, eluding your grasp anew. Sometimes new perspectives incubate best at a simmering pace rather than a pressure cooker intensity.
To instigate behavioural, intellectual or emotional change we sometimes need to make some [...]
Read on and enjoy … Climate Change Can Be Positive for Your Life
By 2 Cents on September 8th, 2011 | Category: 20 Cents |  I’m quite late with my August collection of articles thanks to a busy couple of weeks moving. I’ll write more about our experiences next week. Thanks to those who wished us well and to those who continued to read/check in/comment at Balance Junkie during my extended absence. We’re still settling in, but I’ll try to get to all of the emails, comments and requests I’ve been neglecting as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience.
In the meantime, I didn’t think it would be fair to deprive you of some of the great reading I discovered in between long hours of packing and unpacking boxes. Consider this belated collection my little contribution to an extended summer that is notably lacking in the weather around here.
1. Jeffrey Sachs, Professor of Economics and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University wrote about The Economics [...]
Read on and enjoy … 20 Cents from August 2011
By 2 Cents on August 15th, 2011 | Category: Investing |  Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.
~Pauline R. Kezer
My computer will be packed and we will probably be en route for stage one of the move by the time you read this. It’s unfortunate that this geographical move is coinciding with more historical economic and market moves. I wish I could follow it all a little more closely. Alas, life happens.
The good news is that if you’ve been reading BJ for the past year or so, you weren’t lulled into complacency by the 2009-2011 rally. To borrow a metaphor from David Rosenberg, you knew that the rally was a house of straw rather than bricks. Hopefully, you managed risk accordingly.
Besides the market, I’ve been short on time, sleep, and as a result, brain power. So I’ll use today’s [...]
Read on and enjoy … On the Move
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