Recent comments

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    One of the ways I am showing appreciation this Father's Day is by sending my father personalized Coke bottles with his name on it. I searched and searched for those bottles and it paid off. I also sent him a heartfelt card. We are big on gifts but I know he will love the card.

    I show appreciation to him regularly by telling him how his teachings and advice to me over the years influence my current decisions. I know he gets a kick out of that.

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    Hoping to take my Dad out to dinner with the entire family. I'll probably get my Dad a gift as well, but it's more about spending time with family.

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I will be giving the gift of time for Father's Day

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I am going to take my husband out to dinner

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    Buy my dad a nice pair of pants and a bow tie! Also send him a Paperless Post. (long distance son)

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    We are spending it in Chicago!

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    We're giving dad a small gift and taking him out to dinner.

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I am cooking for my Dad this Father's Day and giving him a nice gift!

  • Ask the Readers: How Will You Show Your Appreciation This Father's Day?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    Spend some time in the wood shop together.

  • Is Your Emergency Fund Big Enough to Keep You Afloat?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    We broke our emergency fund into two accounts - short term and long term. The short term account accrues for expenses that are paid quarterly or less frequent. We also use to save up for larger purchases like vacations. The short term account holds a couple of months of excess as well (just in case). The long term account is less specific. It holds money that can be used to invest, for IRAs, or, if an emergency or other situation comes up, can be directed to cover that expense. Breaking them up this way gives us a better picture of our finances. Even without the long term account, the short term account can cover the expenses that most people do not plan for (taxes, car insurance, annual dues) and for an emergency as it arises (like unexpected unemployment).

  • 8 Reasons Why Your Retirement Cost Calculations May Be Wrong   11 years 2 weeks ago

    You were right, no one can actually tell how much you will need during your retirement. That is why it is better to save as much as you can and plan the foreseeable crisis that you might encounter which includes long term care. If you have a family history of illnesses such as dementia or a very active hobby such as skiing and the likes, chances are high that you might require long term care some time in the future. That is one of your foreseeable crisis that you need to prepare. Policies such as ltc insurance is among the best options you can get that will give you comprehensive coverage for long term care. Without protection such as what a policy can give, it is even more hard to calculate how much you need to save for your future. Just think that no matter how much you save, if you are not prepared for challenges such as what I have mentioned above, it will feel like you never saved at all.

  • 5 Facts Millennials Should Know About Retirement Planning   11 years 2 weeks ago

    Millennials should know about long term care too. While the overused statement "The key is to start saving and planning early in life" is true, people need to invest on something that can protect them against costly and unexpected expenses during their retirement and that includes long term care. Insurance can play a major role in helping you pay for your long term care needs. Ltc insurance, for one, provides a comprehensive coverage protecting your finances and also your assets. There are also other options available to fund your long term care, that is why it is imperative for millennials to know all of them to help them come up with a sound decision.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Volunteer?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I don't volunteer. But I have always encouraged my kids to volunteer.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Volunteer?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I volunteer at my local food bank

  • Outsourcing Your Life, and Creating New Businesses   11 years 2 weeks ago

    Finding a reliable virtual assistant can really free up your time to allow you to focus on matters that really require your attention. Or you can relax and spend it with your family or special someone or even do take on special courses to acquire new skills. The possibilities can be limitless.

  • 10 Things You Should Always Order on Amazon   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I agree with you. The prices for 36.5# bag of Pedigree at my local Kroger is $19-22 before coupons. Amazon Prime price is $35.00 + $5 - 10 shipping. Finish 32-pack Gel Packs are $7 at Kroger vs $8 on Amazon. Agan, before coupons. Toilet paper is also MUCh more expensive.

    This must be an article ghost written by Amazon.

  • Breaking the Bread Code: How to Get the Freshest Loaf   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I'm a breadman and this article is completely wrong. The color tie for Oroweat, Arnold's, Sara Lee, Bimbo is:

    Monday-Yellow
    Tuesday-Green
    Thursday-Red
    Friday- White
    Saturday-Blue

    Almost no major grocer stocks there own bread. Walmart and all Kroeger private label are made by one of the two major bread company's Flowers or Bimbo (which owns Sara Lee, Oroweat, Arnold's, and Bimbo among other brands). Trust me no one from the store touches the bread until they scan it across the register.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Volunteer?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I volunteer by taking care of a group of stray cats in our neighborhood. I feed them twice a day and make sure they have fresh water. My husband and I have also had seven cats spayed/neutered and gotten them their shots since last November. I enjoy it!

  • 10 Things You Should Always Order on Amazon   11 years 2 weeks ago

    Where are people shopping that a $4 + $6 (shipping) 20-pound bag of cat litter seems like a good deal?

    Granted, I buy generic at Wal-Mart (25-pound bag for $3), but even spending $5 for a name-brand 20-pound bag is better than $10. Am I missing something?

  • The Pros and Cons of Paying Cash for a House   11 years 2 weeks ago

    Research generates best deal, in any kind of market, In real estate investment - the only time to act is now. Always.

    There is a fine Chinese saying: The best time to invest in real estate was five years ago.

    The second best time? Now! That has been true, particularly in Vancouver, for 50 years.

    In real estate investment – the only time to act is now. Always.

    Most of the questions I get these days are on the following subjects:

    “Is this still a good market?”

    “Should I wait till it crashes?”

    “Is the boom over?”

    “Can I write a low offer in today’s market?”

    In 38 years of experience, I have never seen the “great deal of a lifetime” advertised (or if I did, it turned out it wasn’t).

    I have never seen a realtor who really liked lowball offers, including myself.

    I have never read in the paper that “this is without doubt the best market ever,” when it really was. I also have never subscribed to the theory that one should defer actions to a better day.

    There are no perfect markets, no perfect situations, and no 167 secrets to make that great buy. You are not buying a market, you are buying a well-researched home for your family or an investment you intend to keep for years.

    In fact, often the best deals come in slower markets.

    What matters are the actions that you take:

    – Identify your goals. Do you want to resell at a profit? Do you want to create a passive stream of income?

    – Look at the market cycle – at a high? At a low?

    – Understand that timing is more important than location.

    – Identify the kind of property you’d like to own.

    – Identify a neighbourhood that has those properties in it.

    – Look at everything that is for sale there.

    – Look at everything that sold there.

    – Look at all the price reductions.

    – Look at all the ‘by owner’ sales.

    – Get on the ace condo marketers’ lists.

    – Keep reading and learning.

    – Keep doing it till you find a deal.

    All the deals are not gone; they are still there waiting to be found, looked over and – most of all – created. As investors, we must look for cash-flowing properties in B.C., low down payments, good ’employment’ areas, a good base of tenants.

    That means that if we want certainty of return and low risk we need to find cash flow properties that are priced under $150,000. And yes, these deals are still every-where in B.C. – from Port Hardy (3 bedroom, 3 baths fixed upper – $55,900), to Kimberley (ski condo $72,900), to Nanaimo (four-plex for $489,000).

    Of course, what investing in real estate really needs is – work! It takes work to find the deals, and work to get your investment-oriented realtors, qualified mortgage brokers, bankers and home inspectors lined up.

    All good deals are created and negotiated. So, storm the net, hit hard, and keep shooting on the net. Don’t ice that puck.

  • 8 Vile Craigslist Scams to Watch Out For   11 years 2 weeks ago

    The scammer sends you a "Cashiers Check" for the full amount plus freight. You go to your bank and cash the check. The shipper shows up to pick up the merchandise, takes the cash money for the shipping and either picks up the item or goes to lunch, saying he'll be right back. Either way he's got the real cash. Then the "Cashiers Check" bounces, the money comes back out of your account, and the scammer walks away with the cash for the freight. He never wanted the item - just the shipping money. And if he's slick enough, he got it!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Volunteer?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I don't... but I totally should. I have in the past.

  • Pour-Over Coffee: Better Than Brewed?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I stand by my pour over coffee. I too have a vendetta against paper filters so I did some research and found the perfect solution that allows me to enjoy my pour over, hassle free. It's Grosche's Portland pour over maker that features a stainless steel filter. You get all of the natural oils from the bean into the pour- no blockage from paper filters and even better at no extra expense. Thoughts?

  • Making Money From Clinical Trials: Worth the Risk?   11 years 2 weeks ago

    When you took part in a research study how as the payment process ?

  • 20 New Things You Can Make With Old Denim Jeans   11 years 2 weeks ago

    I recycle my boyfriends old jeans and make them painting aprons. I use the pockets to hold brushes, wiping cloth and my cell phone. The denim is awesome as a painting apron… the fabric is thick enough that my paint wont seep onto my clothes!!