Besides moaning and carping, sometimes we do great work here. One day last week, in reply to the ‘Little Fools’ post, such a moment occurred. When Randy the private school teacher asked for suggestions on how to construct a course in financial literacy, you gave him about 300 ideas. Some sucked. Some were brilliant.
Then I asked Randy to comb the blog, design his top-10-topic course, and report back to us. He did. Here it is. — Garth
Great feedback. I went through the comments twice and tried to broadly categorize what I thought were the key issues/concepts to fiscal literacy. The most gratifying aspect of this exercise was the links to other resources or ideas that students might relate to. To present a concept that is engaging is half the battle. When you are able to show relevance at a personal level and some humor, you have a winning formula.
So this is what I have come up with.
1. Live Within Your Means: Wants and needs, Budget
To live within your means is the key concept in fiscal literacy. The student’s ability to learn to differentiate a want from a need is fulfilled by creating a budget to balance those two.
Activity – Save to buy a dog: Rationale: Can they afford it? Purchase a fictitious pet for say $500 or from the SPCA, and have the students do the research into the costs (see Murray the Vet) regarding shots, food, and Fido not having any more kids. I would think that the students would be all over this.
2. Money: What is it? Function? Fiat money. Interest Rates/ Monetary Policy.
Rationale: Primary importance is to understand the four functions of a currency. Some good video clips on You tube. Plenty of interest in the Bit coin craze and how it is being used illegally, but many see it as a window on the future as to what and how a future currency could look like.
Activity: Counterfeiting fascinates students and a few good examples are always in the news, such as Frank Bourassa, who has been allowed to go free after turning over a huge quantity of fake U.S. $20 bills. Students try to pick out the fake.
The two links let students view and then act as the U.S. Fed Chairman. (No Canadian version exists to my knowledge). Link 1. Link 2
3. Investment Basics: Stocks, bonds, ETF, mutual funds, seg funds, Retirement, RRSP, TFSA, RESP, CPP, OAS
Rationale: Understanding investment basics allow a person to begin earlier long term financial planning. Teach them about investment basics – stock/bond. How is mom and dad’s retirement accomplished? DB/DC What is the difference? What vehicles help me to retire early?
Activity: What would your future look like in a perfect world 30 years from now? What would it cost? How much money do you need? Do the math.
Two activities here. First I give them 1 million dollars and they must select a minimum of six stocks and play the stock market. There are a number of interactive sites that allow transactions in real time. They also must select a stock and present/sell it to the class. Best as selected by the class gets a treat. The second is to bring in a portfolio advisor who talks about going to university, what to study, what the DC/DB is again, what is a bond/yield, and generally compound interest. Kids are motivated because they want to get into business/finance/marketing.
4. Debt
Rationale: Understanding credit, benefits if it is paid on time. For example, a $200 pair of blue jeans is $276 if purchased with a Hudson Bay MasterCard @ 29.9 % with $10.00 min. payment (28 payments or 2.3 years) vs. $206 at the end of the month, plus reward points.
The power of compound interest, time value of money, money made over a lifetime. This was one of the clear themes/topics for the blog. I think that today with low interest rates and the threat of deflation that reducing debt is a concept that is very important. The visual of the debt clock for Canada/U.S. is excellent. There is an interactive game where students get the opportunity to manage the U.S. debt crisis by being put in charge. This lets them see the magnitude of the issue. As well a discussion around the pitfalls around student debt would another great topic. If you have debt issues in the future where can you turn?
Activity: I like two activities that focus on a pack of cigarettes/latte. Do without one each week X 52 X 30 compounded; a real world example students understand. However, discipline is the key. The second activity is called Budget Hero. It is interactive and the link is provided.
5. House – Own or Rent
House: amortization, condo fees, strata, depreciation, taxes, upkeep, neighbors, profit/foreclosure on sale of house, lawyer/notary, deed itself. Rent: responsibilities, fine print, parties, neighbors, damage deposit. Value of money used for mortgage vs. rent
Rationale: As I have rented, owned, and been a landlord I have a variety of viewpoints on this issue. In the not too distant future they will go off to university or work up north and most likely rent. As they move into their late twenties/thirties the ownership question will be a hot topic and as this blog has pointed out many times, there is a lack of understanding at so many levels.
Activity: Is it better to rent or buy? NY Times Interactive
Also mentioned in the blog was the idea of getting the students to furnish an apartment within a budget using KIJIJI. Given a list of basic items to measure their frugality, as well as a list of items they could buy if they saved X amount of dollars would definitely appeal to students. Once again it fits the criteria of engaging and relevant.
6. Taxes
Rationale: Students need an understanding of the functions of government at various levels, and the services that each supplies. They then see why taxes are collected. At this point students should be made aware of a variety of taxes and where the $$ go. Students can then debate the value of a tax (or where do the $$ go?). Do corporations pay their fair share?
Activity: Provide the students with a couple of profiles (gross/net, CPP, OAS, union dues etc.) and a blank T-4. Complete it. Short activity but to the point.
7. The Bank: Savings/chequing/line of credit/services, Credit cards, Difference between a debit card and a credit card, Function of banks, how are banks, credit unions, and insurance companies different? What is the Bank of Canada and how is it different from the domestic banks?
Rationale: Everyone uses a bank, yet many consumers do not shop around and compare fees and service charges to their benefit. I am a valued customer; what can you do to reduce my interest rate to show your appreciation for my continued patronage?
Activity: I think the best solution here is to bring in an expert to talk to the students about what services are provided by a bank since they are ubiquitous. However this would provide a great opportunity for the students to research various rates/services and compare.
8. Risk
Rationale: There were a number of references to either risk, gambling, psychology, herd mentality, peer pressure, or emotions in financial decision-making. So I grouped them together under this heading. Much of this is dependent upon knowing who you are, cultural background, age, etc. This would be a great entry point for an introduction to whole/term insurance.
Activity: Start by taking this quiz to get an idea of your risk tolerance–one of the fundamental issues to consider when planning your investment strategy, either alone or in consultation with a professional. Two personal finance professors developed this quiz. Link.
9. The Purchase (car, smartphone, laptop): Hidden fees, term, added features, Negotiation, Budget
Rationale: I like the art of the negotiation. There is nothing like sitting on a carpet in Afghanistan and bartering with a 12 year old. The youth in many countries acquire this skill early in life. I polled a number of students in my class. About 50/50 as to those that had bargained vs. those that had not. Those that had (Asia and Mexico) were comfortable with the process. I suggested going to Safeway and trying it out again on the produce manager, but found no takers.
Activity: A number of choices here. First, bring in an expert. A car salesman or a student that works at a phone kiosk could provide background. Second, have the students do a comparison of smartphones looking at a selection of features that they find appealing. Third, a contest to find the cheapest rate for a smartphone with this set of features (2G vs. 3G) etc., but with a set monthly budget.
10. Advertising/Marketing/Scams
Rationale: I remember my brother being a great salesman (in his twenties) and buying a regional franchise from his boss. He was excited about his new office and the opportunity to sell his wares in this community. Sales were really slow. He found out that before the transfer of the region, the boss had phoned virtually every resident flogging the product my brother was to sell. He had assured him that would not happen. Lesson learned.
Students love social media and advertising. Sports, clothing, music, the list is endless as to how they are a fixture for marketing. Caveat Emptor.
Activity: Role-play a salesperson on commission. What are their motivations? I have done this to illustrate union and management negotiations. It is very effective when the girls are the bosses and the boys are labour.
Thanks to all for your contributions. I will augment many of these suggestions into what I already teach. Randy
162 comments ↓
teacher saviour complex.
The 10 points are important, distilled by Garth into something that I can pass it on to sheeple too stupid to understand their financial situations. And First!
I wish this particular course would have been offered when I was in high school. Good luck, Randy – I hope that you find a way to teach this course to your students and that the course you’ve outlined above finds a permanent home in the Canadian curriculum.
#1 Separate wants from needs. Learnt it in Europe.
It is missing the “Don’t list to anybody’s advice, do your homework and decide for yourself” There is people around here who said “2,99% to never be seen again” ..right now it is 2.97%
My highschool offered Latin, so helpful. Then jump ahead to countless hours of micro and macroenomics, financial and managerial accounting and finance by tenured profs who made everything as appealing as burnt toast.
These topics sound useful, relevant and interesting. Wish I had something like that throughout as a core subject, rather than being self-taught or going through the school of hard knocks to appreciate financial fundamentals.
Not sure when financial literacy is part of the public school curriculum? I can’t remember anything like that. Our kids haven’t hit anything like it yet. School council talks only about music, art, science, sports…
Can only think of Junior Achievement having a good program…
Randy should post his course online, we can preview it, see if we can all pass the final exam.
✔️
Somebody give that guy an apple.
That described curriculum should be mandatory in the nation’s school system.
Randy had a lot of very good comments to sort through.
The 10 point distillation would serve the broad young quite well to learn, and understand.
Who among us have NOT made certifiable “stupid” choices in their lives? Certainly this grizzled warrior has…. more times than he wishes to admit. (Was that 70 Mustang convertible REALLY necessary back then??) that was one..
Best of luck Randy, let us know from time to time how the knowledge gleaned might have impacted a life or two in the real world.
NoteToRandy: CrossPlatform character set incompatibilities truncated the GoldStars and “100%” that were meant to accompany the checkmark…
That’s one hell of a course! Hopefully it really opens the kids’ eyes and they learn to avoid some expensive pitfalls. Good for you, Randy!
Good list. State would never promote this. They do the opposite. They want people to get into more debt than they can handle. Rational is if we all do this it will push up asset prices allowing banks to keep their leverage ratios. A perpetual motion machine only instead of stopping due to friction it melts and burns a hole in your head.
Wow, that’s a pretty thorough list. You could practically turn that into a whole semester course on its own.
Kids who understand all those things will have a huge advantage later in life.
Don’t think Randy would need a stranger to digitized these curriculums …. but I’m a (poor & broke) programmer and could turn these into apps / classroom activities :)
Perhaps these people need to talk to Randy.
“Middle Class Finds Few Affordable Manhattan Apartments”
Ms. Costa put it another way: “I moved here to change my life.”
“And movies are so expensive,” Ms. Bakich said, “I’ve been only a few times since I arrived in the city a year and a half ago, even though I used to go all the time.”
“I haven’t bought a single article of clothing since January,” Ms. Costa said. “I haven’t even gone into a store. You can’t.”
“And nails and eyebrows-they’ve gone out the window, Ms.Dormand said.”I used box hair dye. I eat dollar pizza, and I’ve learned to like it. Broke in Florida isn’t like broke here. Here, $40 gets you nowhere, not even out of the house.”
But apparently living the welfare lifestyle in a city brimming with delights you can never afford is all good because:
“I feel very proud of myself, and everyone is proud of me,” Ms. Dormand said. “I didn’t just move away, I moved to Manhattan.” She is even proud to write her address: New York, New York.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/realestate/middle-class-finds-few-affordable-manhattan-apartments.html
I got really lucky in Gr 6. A teacher who taught us thinking. He had us seeking subliminal messages in ads, and counting the number of flashes (frame refreshes) in TV shows! And this was in the mid to late 80s. Clearly he was on to something. The mind control methods perfected using miltary (tax) dollars has been unleashed upon the populace ever since our cultural revolution of the 60s. Broken, bad.
These are two must see videos that are just as important as money and economic theory concerning property rights, privacy rights for individuals, companies and nations and all the lies and corruption in the US government and its war machine, both economic pressure, coups and military force.
Ed Snowden Full interview with NBC Brian Williams,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-xxzOwr7I4
Glenn Greenwald and Naom Chomskey Q&A,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktRzyiIK1p8
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/john_gatto.html
Randy if you care about the kids, quit your job right now.
First of if you try and make them to smart it think, you will get fired..
School has nothing to do with education.. It’s job is to make slaves..
Read above link in its entirety, if that’s not enough Google Denis Rancourt.
Thanks to quite man for sharing the Intel on the above link.
In regards to #10, as there was at one time a brief training course that was sold for an instructor to play act with another or a small group for doing sales. It was fantastic as it really is a science using certain words or phrases to sell a service or item. One can manipulate the buyer in many ways to close a sale using language tricks. I remember one, as if a buyer has an objection reply with the word ‘oh’, and this alone keeps them talking. It was called the Xerox sales course sold to anyone and lasts for about an hour with an instructor. A must to teach kids about the sales con.
Life is full of lessons, up until the day we each pass on. Some lessons are easy, many are hard. Some thoughts I have include…
Most of us will learn more from our mistakes than from our wins. It’s human nature to do such. Sadly though many of us often refuse to learn from our mistakes and as such often are doomed to repeat them. Taking time to soul search, to think about what went wrong on any mistake you made/encountered and THINK! THINK! THINK! See where you can at least grow from such.
Fools never learn from their mistakes, smart people will learn from their mistakes, smarter people will learn from other people’s mistakes. I want to most often try to be in the smarter people camp.
Money… We all need it to live. Credit is not money to the borrower. It becomes money in the system once spent but it’s NOT FREE regardless of the interest rate charged. It’s pulling money away from your future to use today. IT HAS A COST ABOVE JUST INTEREST CHARGED! It’s lost its own ability to grow for you as a vehicle of investment. Running up your debt requires repayment +interest. This time to repay it is lost to you. If you are say making $200 month credit card payments that is $200 per month you no longer have to use in day to day life or to save and invest. That “Whatjamacallit” you just bought on credit (most often we did not need it, but wanted it) for say $5000 was easier, quicker to create $5000 of debt for you than it will be to pay off. So credit is not just money pulled from your future, it costs you interest and lost time to use said money for future growth if you were not so ancy to want to borrow it to buy again most often something you did not need but merely conned yourself into buying.
Once you see what credit/debt is and how hard it can be on your future, you may likely be wiser in how and why you may use it. There is a place for credit. But extended credit allows you the perception/illusion of living well, but is actually only living beyond you means IT WILL BITE YOU IN YOUR BUTT!
Wealth and financial success… Once you are able to cover your typical subsistence levels, basic shelter, food, clothing, appropriate utilities, how much money you then have is subjective to quality of life. This is why wealthy people go broke too. I’d bet that per capita high income earners go broke near as much as lower income earners. It’s all about attitude and understanding the power of money earned and money spent as well as borrowed.
This confuses us when we hear about say some six figure types (lets say for point made $200,000 year income earners) cry about not making ends meet. But it’s troubling not because $200,000 per year is not enough to live well on but they live BEYOND THEIR MEANS! They are just as guilty and stupid as the $25,000 per year income earner who may be struggling and living beyond their means. In fact the $200,000 per year earners are worse as they have more money as a buffer to costs of living.
Attaining a level of financial security (put an amount you wish in the blank space here $___________) is wise but its not without a price and lessons to be learned. Whether you earn $20,000-$200,000-$2,000,000+ per year incomes and have money invested and growing above inflation it’s still all about living within your means.
One does not need to be “rich” to live a good life. One only needs a balance of understanding what is living and living for them. Wealth is a great vehicle for a better life, but it can be a bomb if you use it wrongly and especially if you borrow beyond your means to create a even more phoney lifestyle, trying to impress for some silly reasons others who most often are NOBODY TO YOU!
BALANCE!!! A better life is one where we more better balance not only earned income, income/investment wealth growing, spending, borrowing and beyond these monetary things, with how we live with ourselves, within our families, with our friendships and our connections in many ways with others in our lives. Knock any of these things out of balance will create much troubles and lots of stress in your life.
Here’s another link for you that has a ton of information but easily understood explanations of pretty much all of the relevant subject matter. Have a look and I think you’ll find everything you are after in one place. Of course you can expand on it but it’s a great introduction.
http://www.getsmarteraboutmoney.ca/en/Pages/default.aspx
A great list. If they are numbered in chronological order of how they will be presented, I would move Taxes ahead of Investment Basics. You cannot understand the basics of investing without at least a fundamental knowledge of taxes. (Nevermind capital gains or dividends, what does an RRSP or TFSA mean outside of a discussion of taxes?)
Maybe I should have mentioned that website is done in conjunction with the Ontario Securities Commission. Here is one of the indexes.
Investing – Bank accounts * Bonds *
Complex investments * ETFs * GICs * Investor protection * Mutual funds & segregated funds * Personal insurance * RDSPs * Real estate * RESPs * RRIFs and annuities * RRSPs * Savings bonds * Stocks TFSAs * Workplace pension & savings plans *Planning *Budgeting * Financial planning * Getting advice *Investing basics *Managing debt * Retirement planning * Saving money * Understanding tax * Wills & estate planning * Case studies * Brochures
Schools were designed by Horace Mann and Barnard Sears and Harper of the University of Chicago and Thorndyke of Columbia Teachers College and some other men to be instruments of the scientific management of a mass population. Schools are intended to produce through the application of formulae, formulaic human beings whose behavior can be predicted and controlled.
To a very great extent, schools succeed in doing this. But our society is disintegrating, and in such a society, the only successful people are self-reliant, confident, and individualistic – because the community life which protects the dependent and the weak is dead. The products of schooling are, as I’ve said, irrelevant. Well-schooled people are irrelevant. They can sell film and razor blades, push paper and talk on the telephones, or sit mindlessly before a flickering computer terminal but as human beings they are useless. Useless to others and useless to themselves.
I cannot get over how much that dog looks like my 15 year old lab. Uncanny.
Four grand in unmarked bills, no cops, and the dog lives. — Garth
The entire concept of, grades, the bell, home work, are but conditioning tools to ensure you grow up and be happy while ingaged in being someone’s bitch.
You will be happy because your master toses you a few crumbs.
Humans have so much potential if we where left to educate ourselves.
As long as Schools are around dumbing people down, the 1% can sleep at night..
#ThreeMoreThings. #BossesVs.Slaves. #Success? #FacultyLounges.
“It is very effective when the girls are the bosses and the boys are labour.”
VerySoundPedagogy, Randy – with the added bonus of crucial subtext for boys determined to discover how the world really works.
“School has nothing to do with education.. It’s job is to make slaves.” – SmokingMan
Randy practices in the IndependentSector, SmokingMan – he’s learnin’ TheOwners. Not the slaves.
“…the only successful people…” – SmokingMan
That would depend enormously on how you define “success”, SM.
And, finally… Just between us SaltyDogz, I am reliably informed that today’s OutStanding! LeaderIllustration is a stellar depiction of the FacultyLounge at any of England’s finer independent schools.
Scotland is an altogether matter, of course – where regional educational ‘Dogma’ tends towards SingleMalts.
#18 Smoking Man on 06.01.14 at 3:58 pm
Interesting link albeit a reference to the American school system, ours is a different in some respects where we at least have more uniformity in the quality of our public education.
Placing children together in the same age group to learn is a bit counter intuitive. Really kids should be with a group of adults or at least older kids to see what “normal” behavior is. Our factory school system results in bullying and other anti social behaviors.
I’ve been reading lately about this “modern” style of teaching:
“It is very effective when the girls are the bosses and the boys are labour…”
Of course if I just mix it up a little, I create a quote that no modern teacher would ever use:
” It is very effective when the boys are the bosses and the girls are labour…”
When I went to highschool we all had to wear uniforms as the boys wore blue blazers, grey pants, and a tartan tie; the girls wore a blue blazer, grey skirts, and a white blouse. This was not a bad idea as it eliminated costly dress competition especially for those that could not afford such. Perhaps a good idea for all of Canada, and if I was in charge of Ontario this concept would be on my agenda.
Nonsense. Debt is the ONLY way to get ahead these days. People who leverage themselves and pile on debt become millionaires whereas savers and market investors get wiped out. If you get in debt smart good things happen to you while frugal fools live in poverty their entire lives slaving for debt takers and get punished for those debtors who blew it.
Place your vote for Tim “Tea Party” Hudak and his Million Job March if you want to shake up the skuule system.
He looks back at the Harris years and scoffs ” pfft … amateur socialist”
Nemesis
That would depend enormously on how you define “success”, SM.
……..
Success is simple, self reliance
knowing how to hunt, eating and
drinking like a king everyday.
Giving other people power over your life is dependence=Loser.
Self employment with multiple sources of income = success.
Wow – if students grasp all 10 of those, they’ll be in good shape.
One “advanced” topic I’d throw in to #3 would be portfolio basics: correlation between types of investments, and how to balance your assets in a few different scenarios (e.g. rates rise, stock market goes on a run, stocks tank, etc.)
What was so amazing about garths exersize, let’s give randy, you know the teacher (Authorty) you best advice..
And you trained dogs responded as I expected with well thought out essays, as if secretly wishing Randy was going to grade you, and give you an A.
I have no respect for Randy, he could have Googled what ever he wanted..
Be got what lives for and was trained for… You bastards kissing his..
Not I.
Jump in the lake Randy.. Or contact Denis Rancourt and learn how to actually teach…
This reminds me of my High School econ class.
One day there was some grumbling that Cig taxes had gone up, and now packs were over TWO BUCKS!
The teacher used this in a lesson showing how much you would be spending on cigs over a lifetime (assuming you started puffing
as a teenager, and lived to just past retirement – cancer ya know?).
The pack a week results was surprising (over $5,000 in a lifetime), but he had each of us do a calculation with different starting assumptions, which included a smoking couple (10 packs a week) who would burn through (pun intended) over $52,000 in their lifetimes. Certainly a shock at a time when a new house could be bought for that price – and furnished too.
I’m not sure how many of my fellow classmates swore off smoking back then, but when you’re working part-time as a bag-boy at Try’n’Save making a whopping $20 per week, seeing a month’s wages disappear into smokes was revealing.
Certainly an eye-opener back then, but moreso today with higher cig costs and taxes.
With a spreadsheet you could estimate annual price increases (assuming they correlate to inflation) and the cost of missed investments and interest by buying smokes instead of smarter (and less risky) assets.
50 years of lost money turns into some large ‘could-a should-a might-a’ numbers at retirement.
#29 Mocha – that is all theory as in real life within the context of marriage the woman makes all the critical decisions because she is the boss. The wife allows her husband to believe he is the boss as a courtesy for his ego. In reality the final decisions become hers alone when all is said and done after his training sessions are over.
I see the “Blackie, get me a beer” training has hit a snag …
For the activity in section 5. House – Own or Rent, there is a Canada-focused website developed partly by the Ontario Securities Commission that evaluates buying vs. renting a home.
http://www.getsmarteraboutmoney.ca/tools-and-calculators/buy-or-rent-calculator/buy-or-rent-calculator.aspx#.U4upfPldWGE
Attn. new blog dogs. The following usernames are still available; reserve yours today.
Proletariat Chariot
Harleys, Hotties, and Hedge Funds
McGarthyism
Tried to Short but only Started
The Chartist Guy in the room
Blog Dogma
Hair of the Blog Dog
Sticky Figures
Stephen who?
Ad Hominem Ad Infinitum
Schlock Broker
…..
Reserved:
Blog Dog Poloz
@17 Ayn Rand:
Re: The Snwoden stuff: whatever he said, see the video below and make your own conclusions.
Office furniture melting thick steel beams – all at once!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZEvA8BCoBw
So much to learn and I am still learning at my age.
One last point: hobbies & sports, try several. Save yourself from too much serious thinking.
Good points; good backup for life, financially. Now about mother earth and how upset she is.
A great read for the youth. Your money or your life.
Every time I see one of those stories about a female teacher having sex with a student, they have experts opine on how harmful it is. I have to admit when it’s a male teacher and young girl I’m in the the lock him up crowd. When it’s the other way around I wonder where all of these teachers were when I was in school. I can still remember a few that would have worked for me.
Anyway the point is I don’t know if it was a man or a woman but they sure did some damage to Smonking Imbicle. So I guess the experts are right after all.
11. Statistics and Metrics
With the constant reporting of statistics concerning RE prices, household wages, unemployment, etc., and the fact that the Canadians often compare themselves to the US . What are the differences between average and median statistics? Why are the US numbers reported as median while the Canadian numbers are reported as average ?
Are the same metrics being used by both countries to determine household incomes, unemployment rates, SFH prices, etc.?
Well, smoking man, I am tired of uneducated stupid well connected people who get ahead by social connection, nepotism, tribalism, chauvinism and all other crimes against humanity…
I am tired of dirty imperialism which wages war against other countries around the world and force people to run for their lives and so, gets slaves for free (they even pay for their own transportation).. Well, I really hope that Russians and Chinese will get you soon. Wery soon.
#35 SM – I have no respect for Randy, he could have googled whatever he wanted…
—
Huge flaw in your argument, as usual. You’ve often said all we need is Google and there’s no point in a school system. Why are you criticizing Randy for doing exactly what you suggested? What a hypocrite – I guarantee #24 was a complete cut and paste job on your part; you couldn’t write like that if your useless excuse for a life depended on it. Still so unimpressed, you sad poser – try again.
Careful on number 3 – Investments. Even if the million you give them to invest is imaginary, the ‘Nanny State” types might accuse you of developing gambling characteristics in fragile young minds.
Price of Meat soars – according to this news item – http://www.torontosun.com/videos?videoId=3595708538001
we are to eat hot dogs this summer
– or become a vegatarian
#AWriter’sHomeworkIsNeverEnding. #Autonomy. #ForWhomTheBellTolls.
@SmokingMan/#33
I get it. And who could deny the popularity of your definition?…
And yet, someone you [&I, in certain contexts] admire who lived that life was nevertheless moved to write a novel inspired by this:
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee. – John Donne
Who was he… And how did his story end?
Hint: He used to write for TheTorontoStar.
Maybe the blog dogs would like to try splainin to this dude
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/blogs-and-comment/housing-crash-forecast-folly/
Retail Report: I went out at 3:15 PM to hit 2 small shopping centers and to get me high end sirloin steaks for $2.50 each (6 oz.) on sale, and a stop at the Polish store for a few items. Lots of parking everywhere and no customers to be seen. Its June 1st and everyone must be tapped out with paying bills even after the pension checks got deposited. No sign of spending on sales; restaurants were empty; and even a busy bar was quiet. Its not even vacation time yet.
#39 Ontario’s Left Coast on 06.01.14 at 7:14 pm
Been reading your posts, you’re the poster child of those that are owned…
You also have fondness for communists.
We can never be friends…
Garth,
a friend is in the Barrhaven market of ottawa to buy a house
I told him that you say not sign a BRA. But he could not get any agent to represent him. Many he saw told him that they are a full service blah-blah and they look for new listings for him and drive him to here and there agency and without an agreement to stay with them they cannot proceed?
So, pray tell how can one find a decent agent that says “No Problem” to not signing a BRA? He has contacted quite a few and spent hours listening to how great they are but hasn’t been able to get one who’d go without a BRA
Great week in rehab just ended! I figure I’ve lost about 5 lbs already and more’s to come, guaranteed!! I am totally focussed now on what really needs to change!
It’s sad to see Smokee back here dealing with his demons and insecurities again. Smokee, I told ya, get yer butt up here and get some counselling, look within bro. :)
No teacher can be responsible for messing someone up as bad as you are, they’re all unionized gravy train riders, don’t have the skills to do that. You’ve done something to yourself, bud. Look in the mirror, and grab a bus up here. You’re crying out for attention and approval here, what 5 posts already tonight!?
Learn to give yourself the attention you need, is all I’m saying, dude.
I’ll be here to greet you til at least July 2. No way am I coming back for those buck naked men with beer bellies running down Yonge Street.
#44 teacher’s assistant on 06.01.14 at 6:51 pm
Damn, must be hard going though life as an assistant.
Guess you never owned a yellow highlighter…
DAN please define educated..
The rest of you post was ridiculous, which ever method someone uses to get a head is good in my books..
“What was so amazing about garths exersize, let’s give randy, you know the teacher (Authorty) you best advice.. ”
Or maybe many people took it as Here is a teacher trying to give his students some real world information and an ability to think for themselves. Therefore let’s applaud that and try to help.
Leave out the google bullshit (where you better be able to sort out what is nonsense and isn’t, not confident in smoking fool’s ability to do so. pretty sure smoking repribate’s tastes run more to the conspiracy therory section of the web) and it almost sounds like what the smoking peon keeps trying to promote.
Here Smoking Idiot, show me on the doll where the bad teacher touched you.
P.S. Smokee,
Is it because you didn’t believe me when I told you the black flies were gone that you haven’t come up here yet?
The truth is…they’re not gone. They’re frickin terrible, I know, maybe worst year in history up here, they’re telling me at the bar….er, family restaurant. I’m getting my ass bit even when I go to the can. Indoors. It is epic!
I’m sorry, I lied to you, Smokee.
It is what it is. I’ve made mistakes, I’m human.
But it’s in the past. There’s nothing more I can do about it now. It’s time to move on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63zuzSuPwH4
Now get yer butt up here. You need this place!
Randy’s thoughtful curriculum blows away SM’s drivel. Whatever happened to him in school that would make him so bitter and unable to see any value in education?
Let’s hope middle and high school teachers across Canada use this template.
Great list! But might I suggest that a $200 pair of jeans for most people violates rule number 1.
Hats off to Randy! Hope there are more teachers like him!
Don’t recall seeing DRIPS mentioned on the list, which is a great way to build wealth. A great list but better suited to private schools and teachers. The public (govt. run) schools will never pick up on this as govts. want to keep kids dumbed down.
*
#68 Spectacle on 05.31.14 at 12:02 am — “I don’t always understand your cryptic notes…”
Neither do I, but it helps enormously being a simpleton of the lowest order, just knowing the basics of life is sufficient. Not a philosopher, professor or anything like that. Too complicated!
#193 Nemesis on 06.01.14 at 2:06 pm — “#TheThinkPieceOfTheYear #”BullShitJobs” — [Salon] – David Graeber explains why the more your job helps others, the less you get paid – by Thomas Frank
Bingo! Does the TFW program come to mind? The good jobs (such as I used to have) are going the way of the dinosaur now, and a new paradigm is replacing it. Possibly this is one of the reasons? Sure glad we’re retired now.
#33 Smoking Man on 06.01.14 at 5:55 pm — “Success is simple, self reliance, eating . . .”
Basics of life and not running out of money. Simple!
*
At last, Spain is following Iceland’s example; First, Russia – China pipeline. Now, Russia – Japan pipeline? NSA Spying / Gathering Info. Guess it’s okay for the US to play by its own rules; Build-A-Burger and Build-A-Burger One are back, with nukes, big oil, etc.; Israel – Iran and the three nuke subs., and Warspeak. Similar to doublespeak.
#ForWhomTheBellTolls
http://youtu.be/ZKB-Suz_2DQ
[NoteToGT: Just between the two of us, I’m quite certain that things would have worked out rather better for ElSordo if he’d completed that correspondence course on the ArtOfGuerrillaWarfare. BonusNoteToSaltyCinephiles: Here’s why Quentin is so pissed: http://variety.com/2013/film/news/technicolor-shutters-glendale-lab-as-films-fadeout-continues-1200981010/ ]
Randy look how effective your system is… Look at how all your graduates are here to valiantly defend you..
Where is the defiance, the critical thinker amongst them.
I hope I’ve taught you a lesson.
Not one of them realizing
Very interesting times, indeed.
Are your pants getting wet?
……………………
http://www.brettonwoods.org/publication/remarks-by-paul-a-volcker-at-the-bretton-woods-committee-annual-meeting-2014
…………………………………
By now I think we can agree that the absence of an
official, rules-based cooperatively managed, monetary system has not been a great success. In fact, international financial crises seem at least as frequent and more destructive in impeding economic stability and growth.
Where was an effective adjustment mechanism? Was the “exorbitant privilege” of the dollar as a reserve currency also a “dangerous temptation” to procrastinate – an impediment to timely policy adjustments, risking eventual breakdown?
That is all a long introduction to a plea – a plea for
attention to the need for developing an international monetary and financial system worthy of our time.
The creation of the G-20 at the exalted level of Presidents and Prime Ministers has been a political accomplishment. The agreed changes in IMF governing structure are important in achieving a sense of political legitimacy for its governing structure and decision-making. But that is not enough – it means little without substantive agreement on the need for monetary reform and practical approaches toward that end.
We are a long way from that. But what can be done now is to lay the intellectual ground work for approaches that can, for instance, identify and limit prolonged and ultimately unsustainable imbalances in national payments. We should be able, within a broad range, to manage exchange rates among major 6
currencies in a manner that discourages the extreme changes that are inconsistent with orderly adjustment. We can and should consider ways and means of encouraging – even insisting upon – needed balance of payments equilibrium.
All that has happened reinforces what we typically affirm: a strong, innovative and stable financial system is fundamental to open trade and to the prosperity of all nations. Participation in such a beneficial system that has become truly international implies certain responsibilities.
This is pretty much totally off topic, yet very relevant.
History is being made, and Canada for the first time is a pivotal player; the outcome will affect way more than just the value of your homes and investments.
All Canadians, now, have a rare opportunity to change the world for the better, which cannot go ignored.
Check out this post; it’s well worth your time. In particular, please watch the video link which contains snippets of your parliament in action.
Afterwards, decide whether you are legitimately proud of your country this Canada Day, or if you think something is very ominously wrong. It’s not too late.
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2014/06/01/its-time/
So what did Paul Volcker/formed chairman of the Federal Reserve say?
6 major currencies… that excludes BRICS with 53 % of the world economy and over half the world population.
There would be some negotiation going on, if BRICS are interested at all.
Balance of payments? Ops.
New international monetary and financial system worthy of our time… Ouch.
When talking about taxes be sure to include the ignorance tax. That is the one tax we all pay but are to ashamed to admit to paying. Best of luck with the course and to your students.
Not very relevant but why did the day I had to put down my 14 year old black lab have to be the day for so many dog references.
Still love your blog Garth.
Nothing gold can stay. — Garth
Oh, Randy, what the heck; why even bother with teaching inquiry and facilitating creativity.
All that you need to teach kids is right there in the #1 selling book ever, “The Secret.” You know, the one that says it’s all about your thoughts… Teach kids to just ‘think great things and they will manifest.’
Who wants to be a ‘gloomy – doomy’ bore and save and such when the secret to attract wealth and ‘things’ is so easy to ‘intention’ and ‘make manifest’ – the secret, according to the book, is to “Make it your intention to look at everything you like and say to yourself, ‘I can afford that. I can buy that.’”
Kids will easily catch on to that ‘positivity’ and pretending. Actually, when the average consumer debt is so high; it does appear that most of us have no problem pretending to have more money than we do!
PS. I had not read that book prior to this weekend – don’t know whether to laugh or cry… I’m pretty sure it’s been required realtor reading, though.
#16 TurnerNation
Wow,cool. That guy was way ahead of his time!
Contratulations Randy,
You sound like a swell teacher, going above and beyond the basic curriculum to give your students an extra edge that will help them excel at this game called life.
Those are the hallmarks of a fine teacher, and even if they never have the chance to thank you in person in the future, thank you, they definitely will ;-)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbp6umQT58A
Teach this
What crap. — Garth
#53 Smoking Man – We will never be friends…
—
Wow, I’m absolutely heartbroken, dude. You see, it’s always been my life-long ambition to befriend a seriously deluded, alcoholic blowhard with a superiority complex. How ever will I make it through my sadly enslaved existence as a self-made professional with a great family, actual friends and a variety of interests beyond getting wasted at every possible opportunity. You really take the cake! Keep on dreaming in Technicolor or just whatever it is you need to do to make it through the night…
TakingResponsibility on 06.01.14 at 8:56 pm
Funny you should mention the book the secret… I’ve made critical references to it in my non fiction book.
Did you that it was a best seller just before the USA economy crashed and burned..
So much for thinking it, and it will come.
Send your wishes to the universe sit on your ass any good things will land in your lap.
Well it worked for the author, tones of loot coming in just in time to buy real estate at a greatly reduced cost..
Apart from just wishing for something, you need to atleased got of your ass hire some slaves to do the work..
Dean – I’m very sorry to read that. Canine, feline or any creature dependent on us – they quietly reach into us & grab our hearts. When they pass, they keep a piece of us. Funny, it’s one of the rare times we lose something of ourselves yet gain more than the loss overall.
Randy, I like how you solicited a breadth & depth of various life experiences, cutting across age groups & socio-economic status. Clearly, certain fundamentals were repeated by a great many & are the foundation of a great basic education in finance. Many of your students may still end up making the wrong choices, (don’t we all at times as part of our growing process?), but they won’t be able to plead ignorance of the basics.
And I thought real estate prices in world class cities only went up.
“Manhattan Condo Prices Fall as Buyers Push Back”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-30/manhattan-condo-prices-fall-as-buyers-push-back.html
I would also love to teach them about different prevailing financial systems including capitalism, socialism, role of interest, islamic / jewish financial laws.
Hope that will prepare them for a global financial life.
Earth
We humans live on a relatively small planet named Earth that is part of a solar system consisting of a medium-sized star that we call the Sun. Besides Earth, there are seven planets in our solar system. Our solar system is part of a galaxy that we call the Milky Way. Our galaxy consists of more than two hundred billion stars and their planets. There are more than a hundred billion galaxies in our expanding, 156 billion-light years wide universe, which would suggest that there are trillions of stars, planets, and moons.
Obviously, these numbers are only extremely rough estimates. We will never know exactly how many galaxies, stars, planets, and other celestial bodies there are in the universe. But the fact that we are talking about hundreds of billions should be sufficient to amaze us and overwhelm the capacity of our minds to even begin to comprehend the vastness of creation. Consider the possibility that there may be more than one universe. Entertain the notion that there might be many parallel universes.
Now, try to imagine the Earth from the perspective of outer space. Visualize it quietly orbiting the Sun. Visualize the Sun and our solar system tucked away among billions of other stars and their solar systems within our galaxy. Stretch your imagination further and try to visualize our galaxy among a seemingly endless mass of billions of other galaxies.
If you think of the Earth within the context of the universe(s), it is difficult to cling to any certainty you may have about the significance or uniqueness of our planet, and thus the degree of specialness we like to attribute to its inhabitants. It is not only that the Earth gets lost in the numbers, it is that our beautiful planet in reality is no more than a spec of dust in the universe.
Any Rand Army
Thank you for those important videos….but I fear they will glaze eyes here on this site….where the main pre-occupation of the herd here is the creation of greater wealth and keeping up with the Jones
I fear these messages will fall on deaf ears much like they did in the period of Hitler’s rise …until it’s too late ….. I’m gonna be saying…I told you so! …alot in the future!
DELETED
Great stuff, and rather important for your students, since business and govt projects also operate on similar principles.
#74 Ontario’s Left Coast on 06.01.14 at 9:22 pm#53 Smoking Man – We will never be friends…
–
Wow, I’m absolutely heartbroken, dude. You see, it’s always been my life-long ambition to befriend a seriously deluded, alcoholic blowhard with a superiority complex. How ever will I make it through my sadly enslaved existence as a self-made professional with a great family, actual friends and a variety of interests beyond getting wasted at every possible opportunity. You really take the cake! Keep on dreaming in Technicolor or just whatever it is you need to do to make it through the night…
…………
Where you hitting they keyboard keys with extra intensity when hammering out this emotional response to my rejection of you..
Ha…. I got a visual, you rolled up the sleeves of your pink shirt.. Pushed your man purse out of the way…. And angrily started typing….
There is hope for you, as you grow and mature you will release the the right coast, is way better than the left coast..
Randy,
Here’s a very funny Saturday Night Live skit called “Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford” to show your students for your section on debt.
The video is only 2 minutes long:
http://vimeo.com/3993848
@Dean,
Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.
Hey Turner Nation I’d like to reserve Hair of the blog dog….now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch. If you don’t mind my addition and thanks to Nazereth (the band that is).
My highlighter is about three feet long with a hooked end and made of wood, handy for wrangling mouthy students or compensating for a limp. It highlights that perhaps they should pay attention lest they wind up like you, regardless of which end is employed.
I’m still waiting for you to show me on the doll where the bad teacher touched you Smoking Miscreant. Was it another guy? Is that why you’re so bitter and desperate to prove you ultra hetrosexual?
Non-fiction book indeed. You are fiction, a pathetic one. As is every nonsensical, trite, rediculous, humourless comment you post.
I can give you a ride to join Rob Ford in Rehab if you like. It will give us a couple of hours to really get to know each other. I’ll bring the teacher doll so you can show me where he touched you. We can take my Kia, cheap on gas and my right elbow will always be close to you in case you need a tap to get your attention/get you back on track. Your alleged mind seems to wander.
#52 Old Man
“…hit 2 smallshopping centers and to get me high end sirloin steaks…”
There’s the old man we know and love. From your last few posts thought we’d lost you wandering in the Mexican desert eating the vegetation.
Since Randy the Teacher gave a nod to Murray the Vet in today’s posting, it’s time for Murray the Vet to step out of the shadows of this blog-having followed it from the beginning. Exceptional work Randy, I could benefit from the course.
#66 WhiteKat – I looked into this briefly and you need to study this a bit more. You should have no problem.
Hey Smokee – if you are gonna come up from Tronna with Teachers Assistant, wouldya mind stopping at the Esso station, 280 Scarlett Road for a minute? Just leave the window open and go in to use the washroom, buy yourself some mints. I’ll take care of the rest when you get here.
Should be right on your way, then just take Eglinton over to Black Creek and you’ll be on the 400 in a flash.
I am totally looking forward to seeing you here, ya little bumbaclot :)
B.I.N.G.O. !!!!!
Randy, you are priceless!
William Bell might have a point, develop these ideas into bite size apps. If you want to reach the current young masses they will eat up anything that is an app. We live in an instant gratification society, so short and sweet and plenty of it will win every time.
Ka-ching AND meet your goal of braining up society.
Keep up the great work and keep us all posted from time to time.
Thanks for putting this on your blog, Garth.
xoxo
@#89 Oldman, How is it that you have “looked into this briefly” and have determined that I should “study this a bit more”, yet I have been obsessed with “this” for 2 and 1/2 years and am pretty confident I know what I am talking about? Just because you are old, does not mean you are wise. BTW, I am getting close to “old” myself.
Maybe, just maybe, the 2 years 5 months, 30 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes more than YOU that I have spent, contemplating what this FATCA IGA means to Canada, might mean I am on to something that you have missed in the time that you have “looked into this briefly”.
Sheesh…!!!! Older obviously does NOT MEAN WISER. You make those of us who actually ARE OLDER look DUMBER with your BRIEFLY thought out comments.
RE: #44 teacher’s assistant on 06.01.14 at 6:51 pm
When it’s the other way around I wonder where all of these teachers were when I was in school. I can still remember a few that would have worked for me.
Except that it is never the one that you want who rapes you.
#89 Oldman,
You are missing the point when you say, “I should have no problem”. It’s not about just me! If it was, I would not be so incensed. It is about you, and your children, and all Canadians…and all people everywhere. And Canada is KEY in a way it never has been before and never will be again…last chance.
I feel like Garth, knowing something that will hurt many yet no one wants to listen. It is very frustrating. Yeah, I can protect ME, for now, but that offers no consolation.
http://www.edugains.com
Look in the financial literacy section-some good resources in there, a lot of teachers already doing this!
Doom and gloom is a fear tactic used by the patriarchy to prevent a woman from becoming independent.
I have news for you!
Toronto women rule!
A University of Oxford study published that women with bigger butts, wider hips and a narrow waist can live longer, and even be more intelligent than 130 I.Q, since the Omega 3 fats stored in their butts act as a nutrient for the brain.
A study conducted by a group of scientists discovered that college educated Toronto women, on average, afford better foods and subsidized healthcare, which proves that college educated Toronto women are more likely to be smarter, wealthier and healthy.
A survey poll displayed that approximately 3 out of 5 college educated Toronto women are curvy and bigger butts.
Because fat around the thighs and backside is far healthier that that of the stomach found in almost all misogynist men, women live longer because God chose women to rule the world.
Therefore, women with big butts are less likely to have diabetes or any male related illness because God favours women over men.
Similar studies conducted in Pittsburgh and California show Toronto college educated women with bigger butts, wider hips and smaller waists age less and have cleaner flatulence due to the Omega 3 fats absorbing any gases .
It is now technically feasible to reproduce without the aid of males and to produce only females. Less misogynist Toronto men will result in a better economy for Canada.
The misogynist male needs scapegoats onto whom he can project his failings and inadequacies and upon whom he can vent his frustrations. Lower I.Q. men like Elliot Rodger hated women because his intelligence was below the norm to pass a Year 1 college course, and he hated white blonde-hair women for his inadequacy. Elliot Rodger hated that white women in his college lived longer and were smarter than his pathetic virginal life. Elliot Rodger was nothing more than a disease, a disease of males just as the mental disease of Toronto males who hate women for no reason and end up posting hate material on male-only, sexist blogs!
Toronto men stare at the big butts of Toronto women, mainly white Toronto women. The staring of a woman’s butt is RAPE. The Toronto police have a responsibility to protect these women from being violated by losers who are too worthless to even look at the butt of a white Toronto woman.
Misogynist mass murderers like Elliot Rodger find a thrill with death — it excites him sexually and, already dead inside, he wants to die, but he should have locked himself in a room and left innocent women alone. Two women died because of misogyny and sexism. The authorities should monitor the internet and store internet records of every single male to prevent another tragedy by sexist virgin men.
WhiteKat don’t get to complacent as had lunch with some people today, cheeseburgers. Barrack said knows all about your exploits as reads Greaterfool and don’t tell Michelle about the burgers.
Clapper said never had any burgers…..as… at least not knowingly (wiped forhead nervously) but have collected metadata from Greaterfool. Koskinen said could not comment as did not know WhiteKat political affilliation at this time but reguardless was as predecessors fault. Not the last one but one who worked for Bush or maybe Saint Regan.
Biden asked if we were at a restaurant as not sure. Just for fun we said no and he responded God love ya. Smoking Man babbled some nonsense about Google as a teacher touched him or something, puked on Joe’s suit and passed out. Tim Hudack said bill added up to a million. Wynne said it wasn’t her bill. Harper said as long as money did not go to any Canadians he would pay it as would get name in history books.
Humans have advanced through the ages because of our ability to question prevailing wisdom.
Randy has thought out and created some excellent ways for students to understand the basic function and utility of money.
As long as his students can challenge him then he is doing them and our society well. His outline I hope creates more questions than answers for his class.
Enter google and inquiring minds.
Way to go Randy!
To Randy the teacher:
This would be another additional good life lesson to give your students on financial management:
Give them a Finals test on the subject matter. If they fail the test, they have to pay a $$$ penalty. This would be a very cheap and effective lesson, as in the real world, financial illiteracy/ignorance is punished much more severely if you don’t know at least this much about finances. These 10 topics are a great start, as most Canadians would fail a test on them, however, much more in depth research is needed throughout life on finances an ongoing basis. Many many many multi-millions of so called “educated people” world wide have been financially neutered in recent years due to their own failure to learn the basic sound financial principles so easily available today. Imagine Randy, you got this information from only 1 post from Garth’s FREE blog. Try putting some effort in, Mr. teacher, and read Garth’s whole blog. Now that might earn even Smoking Mans respect, as he thinks the teachers are as dumb as the students.
Smoking man,
Serious question, if you knew what you know today, would you have homeschooled your kids?
Yes Randy… put this course online please!!!
Just like a balanced portfolio I wonder if the teacher covered the 100 billion in fines the NY Banks received for money laundering over a trillion dollars in drug money. Bit Coin money laundering is a drop in the ocean by comparison to what the large banks do and are caught doing but are never prosecuted. Its good to be da king huh?
This kids is why Bit Coin is going to succeed. Disclaimer I own bit-coin and use it in occasional transactions.
DELETED.
Duh. Do you want to teach kids about money or do you want to teach them how to get rich? Two different things. If you want to work hard, save and invest your money, by all means, do it. Follow the above rules. I wish all the luck in the world. If you want to be rich, well, following the rules isn’t going to cut it. Let me give a real world, real-time example.
I was at a neighbour’s BBQ yesterday. While chatting it up with one of the wives, she tells me that my next door neighbour (He wasn’t at the BBQ, he was visiting family out in WhoCaresitsnotToronto) is moving. They bought a place not too far from our street and is renting out his current place. I’m sure his rent will more than cover his new mortgage. Isn’t that awesome?
Where do you think he learned this financial wisdom? School? A book? No. Milton Bradley! Monopoly, bitches! Buy property, build it up and collect rent. Not rocket science.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE1j5Om7g0U
What kind of host let’s the dog roll around the beverages? Gawd. That’s disgusting. Oh wait, they’re serving Blue. Nevermind.
http://www.theautomaticearth.com/debt-rattle-jun-1-2014-the-illusionary-economy-revives-the-home-atm/
It’s baaaaack.
#83 – Smoking Man – right coast is better than the left coast…
—
Now we’re getting somewhere… and, by the way, I don’t hear anyone on this blog talking more about man purses and pink shirts than you, Tokey. Do you have a little something you would like to share with us? You can show us using the dolls if that suits you better. Oh, and ‘Ontario’s Left Coast’ is purely a geographic reference (that means where you live), not a political or ideological one. Cheers, girlfriend!
DELETED
Insanity lesson #1
A friend is getting married next year. He and his wife to be bought a run down home last year that they are renovating. They’ve spent 200k on renos so far and will need another 100k to finish plus they’re having a big wedding that is going to cost in the neighbourhood of 60-80k. So you can imagine the stress they are feeling. My friend went to the doctor and has discovered his blood pressure is threw the roof. The doc told him that if he doesn’t get it under control he’s going to be in big trouble.
Why risk your health just to impress others? How long will this marriage last if they’re going to struggle financially? How long before they begin to blame each other for their situation?
I’m going to cut and paste 2 scenarios onto a word doc for further review – the ten points from Randy, and all of smoking man’s comments – now I will create lesson plans for the ESL classes i’ll teach south of the usa – English lessons on money for adults – interesting topic.
#57 Teacher’s Assistant
please keep posting. i’ve never laughed so hard.
ppl at work looking at me funny now
#96 Toronto women are hotter on 06.02.14 at 12:17 am
Garth, you seriously need to have a good talk with your moderator. These off topic rants chew up bandwidth and lend an audience to trolls.
Meanwhile, I’ll check my schedule for the next meeting of the, “He Man, Women Hater’s Club”.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-01/the-unstoppable-100-trillion-bond-market-renders-models-useless.html
OK, it’s Monday, enough teacher and lefty bashing.
Let’s get down to business… See link.
While an army of economics, PhD know it all’s, all called for the destruction of the Bond Market a hard drinking loon, residing in creepy long branch out called them all.
Every, bank, hedge fund, got it wrong..
Not I.
It’s the damn dyslexia, I see patters, feel the flow. Snap shots of news items are burned in my brain. My subconscious calculator interacting with the universal consciousness consolidator. Boom….
The gambler in me…. Can’t resist resulting in so much loot, I don’t know what to do with it.
Hate me bastards, your negative lighting bolts are fuel for my engine
FINRA Makes Dark Pool Data Available Free to the Investing Public
Ahh, but when it comes to shinning a light on Canadian real estate data and the shadow presale market, where the most leverage and risk is handed out like candy and where developers can force prebuyers into default to keep their deposit, nobody is there to pressure organized real estate to disclose its data to the public, which is why I still hold the opinion that absolutely nothing will change until the demand comes from a higher authority, which unfortunately is nobody because Canada doesn't enforce consumer protection and anti-competitive laws anymore.
Albeit a fantastic little exercise in it’s own right, this at the very least shows how hard-working and committed teachers can be.
Smoking Man : from your link : With the world’s biggest economies struggling to grow and inflation nowhere in sight, catchphrases such as “new neutral” and “no normal” are gaining currency to describe a reality where bonds are rallying the most in a decade.
I have to look into this
and buy a new barbecue
Great post Garth! I am a daily reader and appreciate your blog. Good education material in this post.
#CrossCountryDetours #AllDogsGoToHeaven
@Dean/#69…
Condolences.
But just between the two of us, Dean – Poochie isn’t really gone…
He’s just somewhere else.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4xu41_merrie-melodies-cross-country-detou_shortfilms&start=529
[ProductionNote: That should auto start @ 08:59 – if not, scrub forward and begin there.]
We own a house worth 450,000 with about 100,000 owing on it. In the GP area of AB. Should we sell and rent or keep the house?
The above curriculum will provide a description of the money systems created by organizations. What it won’t teach anyone is how to use these systems to be successful. Unless you think that success is achieved by following the approach defined.
Hey Smoking Man, this is from today’s Star.
Another reason why you don’t like Wynn.
Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne
The hand says it all. Let me point the way.
She uses her fingers to make emphatic points, and often uses her hands to punctuate every word, say our experts. One of the specialists says Wynne should use the technique with caution — it might come across as “teacher-ish.”
Blog management 101:
Garth,
On weekends like this just past, and today, I find it sadly easy just to ignore your blog.
Today, as I post, a rough count shows that about 10% of all the posts are by Smoking Man.
Altogether, about 32% of all posts since last night are by Smoking Man, Old Man, or a response (usually annoyed) to either of those two (or is it one as most suspect?)
One third of all comments dealing with this stuff? It’s not worth my time, today.
Like it or not, reader messages and how you deal with them, or not, really set the tone and determine repeat visits to many blogs.
Will you have the openness and integrity to post this criticism?
I hope so.
Please manage this blog better. I, like most people here, just don’t want to wade through all that meaningless self-promoting drivel or the people responding to try to get it off of here.
I still enjoy your posts, but am realizing that maybe my strategy will now be just to read some of your postings once a week or so, and none of the messages. There are other blogs I like too, and maybe I’ll spend a bit more time giving them a chance.
Well, George, this blog is what it is. I lightly moderate comments, altering the gratuitously offensive and deleting the worse. The inane, misguided or merely fatuous get published, as they should. I’m sorry it hurts your eyes, but this is a space for open discourse where the vast majority of posters behave. So,suck it up. — Garth
#IfIt’sMondayThisMustBeHogTown #QuelleSurprise!They’reMakin’BaconAgain #ThePoliticalEconomyOfPork
[G&M] 0 End of a chapter in Hogtown history after Toronto’s last pig plant shuts its doors
“Pigs are a big deal in Toronto.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/the-end-of-hogtown-torontos-last-pig-plant-shuts-its-doors/article18932864/
[G&M] – Major CEO pay increases in the cards again
…”Canadian chief executives saw their total compensation climb by 11 per cent in 2013, which marks the fourth straight year of pay gains after a decrease and plateau in 2008 and 2009.”…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/executive-compensation/pay-is-on-the-rise-for-canadas-top-executives/article18940701/
#MeanWhileBackInWineCountry
“I grew up here with a sense of pride… but it’s like all the lessons I learned don’t stand for anything.” – Colin Drought, Naramata Centre Food Services Supervisor
[PentictonHerald] – Rally for striking Naramata workers
…”Last year, the Naramata Centre Society hired a consultant to look into its operations. Although the consultant said the unionized operation isn’t a fundamental block to financial sustainability, four contract workers were hired at the end of 2013.
A final contract offer rejected by the union in mid-May, called for more contracting out…
…“The business plan the Centre has followed for decades has been shown to no longer work in these new times. We have confidence that all at The Centre are trying to work out an agreement that cares both for employees and the long-term future of the Centre.” The church stated.”…
http://www.pentictonherald.ca/news/article_a9f9d582-e9fd-11e3-92ac-001a4bcf6878.html
#ComicRelief #BiggerButts #IfTheSeatFits
[BloombergBizWEek] – Can Harley-Davidson Finally Woo Women?
…”At some point in the next few weeks, Harley-Davidson (HOG) will start selling two new motorcycles that look nothing like the chrome-heavy cruisers it’s known for. Dubbed the Street 500 and Street 750, the bikes don’t have bulbous fuel tanks swelling in front of their seats, or panniers and voluptuous fenders bulging behind them. They are also almost entirely devoid of silver—as black as a cocktail dress.
Neither model is likely to make much of an impression on the two demographics most people envision on a Harley: burly Hells Angels and doughy guys with receding hairlines and advancing midlife crises.
Harley, however, isn’t worried about winning those customers; it already has them. Plus, in corporate strategy terms, the “lifetime value” of that gang is dropping by the day. What Harley wants is women—a lot of whom are already riding Harleys anyway, just not at the controls.”…
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-06-02/can-harley-davidson-finally-woo-women#r=hp-ls
#92 WhiteKat – I know more than you will ever comprehend, as see no problem with FATCA. The banks might report to CRA, and CRA might report to the IRS. You may have shot yourself in the foot over the past few months with actions instead of being silent because there should be nothing on your financial records indicating a place of birth as under the bank act this is not a requirement.
Now why all are worried about FATCA nobody is addressing the real problem. In your case have just two critical questions. Did your parents ever apply for a USA social security number for you, and do you have a Canadian Passport? Any further rude remarks will never get my detailed summary.
1. Live Within Your Means: Wants and needs, Budget
To live within your means is the key concept in fiscal literacy. The student’s ability to learn to differentiate a want from a need is fulfilled by creating a budget to balance those two.
My favourite…..So simple really…makes everything else fall into place.
#108 I’m stupid – your friend will soon learn who is the boss in that marriage; tell him to take 500 mg of Niacin after his dinner.
#47 Ontario’s Left Coast on 06.01.14 at 7:14 pm
#35 SM – I have no respect for Randy, he could have googled whatever he wanted…
–
Huge flaw in your argument, as usual. You’ve often said all we need is Google and there’s no point in a school system. Why are you criticizing Randy for doing exactly what you suggested? What a hypocrite – I guarantee #24 was a complete cut and paste job on your part; you couldn’t write like that if your useless excuse for a life depended on it. Still so unimpressed, you sad poser – try again.
_____________________________________________
Question for Smoking Man?
If all we need is Google to educate our selves, then who will educate us to read the common English we use?
Who will teach us how to count?
Who will teach us how to tell the difference between good information and bad information.
Who will teach us how to Google?
It is a chicken vs egg scenario my friend.
You and all of us require some formal education before we can even Google.
Let us know how to work around that one!
Those are standard basics, but they are lost in the decades ago to which they apply.
The reality of fiat money creation tied with inflation and deflation is a critical part of the foundation for any understanding of those basics as they would apply to a life long investment strategy.
Also, the reality of today’s high frequency trading, hedge funds, and the unprecedented money printing should be a critical part of financial understanding. How else would one be capable of understanding libor rigging of $300 trillion and it’s impacts on the individual?
How about “Unstoppable $100 Trillion Bond Market Renders Models Useless” as posted by Bloomberg? This should alarm anyone who is putting their hard earned money into the bankers system.
I can’t believe the teacher has owned a home before. that’s the stupidest thing ever. Home ownership is soooooooooo overrated
@As Old Man’s Smokin’ Old Man as re: #97
I presume, you are sane, and just like to have fun writing cryptic posts. I am anything but complacent. Next time you are out to lunch with Barack, ask him if he wants to donate towards litigation costs for the Canadian Charter Challenge.
The total cost of this litigation is expected to exceed 1 million dollars, with an initial goal of $250,000 raised in 25 days to get started. Here is the link to a new website launched yesterday for “The Alliance for the Defence of Canadian Sovereignty”, a non profit organization which is in charge of the fund raising efforts: http://www.adcs-adsc.ca/
Oh, and I hope you will consider donating as well.
#107
Under Desmond’s Tutu.
Brilliant handle.
FIAT money.
It’s the money needed to buy a new FIAT.
Now that’s useful financial advice.
I hope all you blog dogs have subscribed to HGTV .
Now to be broadcast in the Italian language for the benefit of the overwhelming Italian viewer base.
Look for it on TLN TV as well.
I am busy with more important matters like the trial in Guelph concerning a one Michael Sona. One guy left the country; another has immunity; lots of witnesses; and threats to rat out Caesar. Who was Pierre Poutine?
The live trial is being run on the main twitter site with a reporter. I love the dirt, so bring it on.
@OldMan re: #126,
“Any further rude remarks will never get my detailed summary.”
Promise?
Hey Randy, leave finances and money to the Literature dept. because it’s 100% fiction. Frank Bourassa is not the problem. Counterfeiting is practiced and perfected by privately owned central banks, you know the ones that employ ‘governments’ to collect on their behalf.
Welcome to my nightmare. It’s decades after graduation and I still have a recurring nightmare , it always the same-
I walk into a university exam room. It’s the final exam of a course, I look around and realize that I’ve missed every lecture and read none of the books. I get very stressed, then I wake up.
#121 GeorgeSoonToBeRetired on 06.02.14 at 10:55 am
Retire George, you’re a communist.
In a true democracy various opinions get debated, so far the teachers side had not given me enough reasonable evidence to die prove my thesis that schools primary objective is slave making.
But because I’m really into this issue, and perhaps over posted, you are now threatening to take your lunch bix and leave the building.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
“They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it’s not half so bad as a lot of ignorance.”
– Terry Pratchett
Under my tutu you will find…well, let’s just describe it as a popular metaphor for resolve and courage (That better Garth? Don’t want to be deleted again)
Today Obama has shown courage and leadership, to take us down the right path on climate change.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/02/us/politics/epa-to-seek-30-percent-cut-in-carbon-emissions.html?_r=0
This will be his legacy issue. He realizes he cannot deny the truth of climate change, and neither should we.
Desmond Tutu? In Alberta, telling the truth about the tar sands. The cowardly Canadian and Alberta governments are no shows at this meeting, by the way.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/05/31/desmond_tutu_calls_alberta_oilsands_filth.html
About to fade away:
1. Coal
2. Keystone
3. Northern Gateway
4. Rest of the oil sands
The dominoes are lined up, ready to fall. It would be crazy not to see what must happen.
This is about actual LEADERSHIP, something we see so little of, that’s why Obama’s act seems so unusual.
We need it, our grandchildren need it much more.
As for Alberta real estate, this will be crushing, just give it time. I foresee drops in valuations of up to 85% in Alberta real estate connected to this filthy oil sand economy.
Calgary=the next Detroit
It is sad it takes outsiders to speak the truth about the oil sands, just as they do about our real estate bubble.
Wow! I can’t believe it. Been checking MLS off and on for the last 4 years in Montreal. Prices are definitely down. I can now get a RENOVATED house in my budget. However, seeing that prices are down even without an interest rate hike, I am waiting for further discounts. Ready to vultch.
#138 Uh Oh Canada – you are correct as used a little trick the other day with mls. Just plugged in an amount for 50 to 100K with my target as Toronto. This will not overload the system, and you can drag it all across a wide area to see all city centers that are being hit, so went into Quebec. It looked like a xmas tree and a few of the Atlantic provinces too.
One important item missing: The risk free rate.
The risk-free rate represents the interest an investor would expect from an absolutely risk-free investment over a specified period of time.
All investments / assets values are derived from the risk free rate. This should be included in the money or investment basics section.
@OldMan #136 re: “They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it’s not half so bad as a lot of ignorance.”- Terry Pratchett
Very true, why don’t you reflect on this a little more, instead of assuming you know everything about something that even you admit, you have only looked into “briefly”.
Just an observation.
Any of those little piss pseudo-beers cost over $2 a piece, and only in a government store.
What a trully screwed up coutry this is !!!!!!
Kudos Randy!
We didn’t learn personal finances at my high school but I had good role models at home who focused on budgets and avoided credit and instant gratification.
I did have a good auto mechanics teacher in high school and my dad taught me basic electricity and plumbing. Those skills have certainly saved me a lot of money. Those basic skills should also be taught in high school …IMO.
#141 WhiteKat – there is only one website that matters, and briefly yes, but went back late at night to ascertain the merits of my initial assessment. I stand firm that your situation about FATCA will not become a problem as its not material unless you messed up by not being silent. I transcended this into other areas of concern which is not being addressed and that is why I asked two questions.
He did not mention CHMC problem once. Beating it around the bush is denying one of the biggest problems: CHMC Ban it, or put a strong leash on that dog before it is too late.
We missed you at Seneca in the Bar last weekend.Come home to us you need obedience reprogramming. We have your room ready for this Saturday Night. See you at the bar we will have your white wine ready sir.
#46 Dan on 06.01.14 at 6:59 pm
Well, smoking man, I am tired of uneducated stupid well connected people who get ahead by social connection, nepotism, tribalism, chauvinism and all other crimes against humanity…
I am tired of dirty imperialism which wages war against other countries around the world and force people to run for their lives and so, gets slaves for free (they even pay for their own transportation).. Well, I really hope that Russians and Chinese will get you soon. Wery soon.
——-
I hate government and public sector too.
@96
Mmmmm, keep talking about the curvy big butts and wide hips of Toronto women.
—–
Hmm, what to do about this upcoming provincial election? Every major party is an evil too great for me to consider voting for. On the other hand, if I don’t vote, am I giving up the last pretend shred of control I have over my government? I suppose I’ll vote Libertarian for the fun of it.
I have to agree with Smoking Man’s post from a few days ago. I’d love a direct democracy system; in my version, MPs would draft laws (with a lot of suggestions from the electorate), but every law and program would be voted on by referendum by the general electorate.
Big BOC intervention today. Poloz came to the rescue and reserse repo-ed $615 million in cash to banks in exchange for self-securitized subprime MBSs and other goodies. Link
#138 Uh Oh Canada on 06.02.14 at 2:01 pm
Cool! As a previous poster mentioned, ask to see invoices/receipts for the renovation work done so you can determine the value and if professionals did it (and with the required permits.)
“Nothing gold can stay.” I know it’s Robert Frost, but Ponyboy, that you?
WhiteKat — why don’t you take your FATCA campaign and start your own blog rather than trying to continue to hijack this one? Tedious.
@Oldman #144, I am not looking for advice with regard to my particular situation. My overriding concern, and the reason I continue to post here (and elsewhere) is with regard to the sovereignty of Canada, and the rights and freedoms of ALL Canadians.
@ DM in C #151, I am sorry you find my posts tedious. My advice to you, is to skip over them.
#54 Piazzi,
tell your friend to do his own search for a house on the realtor.ca site for Ottawa (easily done!) Then find an agent and limit the Buyer Representation Agreement (BRA) to that house or area, shorten the period of validity to something reasonable, say a month, and simply strike out and initial the offending paragraphs of the BRA. The agent will plead that the broker (who will function as “the Sales Manager” in a car showroom) requires a completed BRA, blah blah blah, but point out that there are other brokerages.
Agents and brokers may not be hungry enough yet to be reasonable, but they will be soon. I would not be surprised if they tried to force clients to bend to their congenial system for a while, but they have to eat as well as desk fees and costs to pay.
In case all of this fails and he thinks he has to sign a BRA anyway, there is an OREA Form 301 “Cancellation of Buyer Representation Agreement” that he can demand, fill out (stating reasons) and submit.
In the 60’s we would just burn the BRAs.
Yeah right. Wouldn’t brokers like to brainwash zit faced prepubescents and get em when they’re young. Let them memorize the jargon of the bullshitting broker. Those who advocate that with a straight face are boneheaded philistines.
#JeMeSouviens. #BRABurnin’
http://youtu.be/-HWZw0rzJWM
[NoteToGT: Just between the the TwoOfUs, I always thought that was TheMovement’s BestIdea. Naturally, I may have harboured UlteriorMotives. Speaking of SafeHarbours… Nope… BetterNot. You’ll lose your MPAA PG13.]
#BonusAuthenticPeriodZen. #MPAA: G
http://youtu.be/MUBnxqEVKlk
When will the adults learn that corporations don’t pay taxes. They collect them. Young people need to learn this so they can teach the older folks maybe?
Say a lamp maker gets hit with a ten dollar tax on each lamp. What will happen to the price of lamps? Jeeze…
These were good points but life isn’t entirely about money.
Being self reliant so one doesn’t have to buy things or pay for services, can save a lot. Food costs are rising in large part because the grocery bill is prepared and eat out foods.
Never stop learning.
DELETED
I really liked the Top Ten list. I would fit the concept of Delayed Gratification in there somewhere. One my 20 something nephews is always aghast that I can buy what I want, when I want it. I don’t buy much, but I did explain to him that I saved and invested for alot of years and put off alot of purchases to get to the point where I could buy what I want without incurring debt. An important concept to understand, and fundamental to all the other topics, methinks.