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by Bylo Selhi
26 Nov 2009 08:57
Forum: Taxing Situations
Topic: 2009 Ontario budget
Replies: 86
Views: 7190

Re: 2009 Ontario budget

Debunking myths about the HST
The most contentious part of the package is the harmonized sales tax. HST critics are recalling the imposition of the unpopular federal GST. But focusing on this part without considering the whole package isn't very useful... Apart from ignoring the complete package of reforms, critics have been passing along some myths about the HST that need to be dispelled or clarified. These include:...
by Bylo Selhi
26 Nov 2009 08:54
Forum: Now Hear This!
Topic: Version 3 is alive!
Replies: 103
Views: 5598

Re: Version 3 is alive!

Good show! :thumbsup:
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 12:27
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Short term fixed income
Replies: 24
Views: 1249

ronjoh wrote:If I can get 1.75% in a variable account at a CU with 0 duration why would I buy...
You can get 2%, 0 duration at Ally bank, plus you get CDIC protection.
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 12:02
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: Need some advice re: debt.
Replies: 21
Views: 849

iluvnascar wrote:I have no sympathy for credit card companies whose interest rates simply bleed consumers dry.....even though it was the credit card holder that dug the hole. So take advantage of any possibility to dig out from under....
You mean the card companies who sell the shovels? ;)
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 11:55
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: Internet Sticks
Replies: 35
Views: 1078

Verizon offers an internet stick 5MB for $50 I believe you mean 500MB. Does Verizon include the Internet stick? (Contrast with the €50 I paid in Austria for 2GB (4x more), good for 4 months, including the stick.) How can I determine how much data usage I use in a normal day? There should be some monitoring available with the software that comes with the Internet stick. In addition Verizon should provide some way to monitor usage on their website. (My Austrian carrier does.) How long should I expect a 5MB to last if I am logged onto a quote feed for 6 hrs per day? That depends on the amount of data that's downloaded per hour. Is there any way to track my daily usage? Try DU Meter , free on 30-day trial. There may be freeware out there too. ...
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 10:24
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: Need some advice re: debt.
Replies: 21
Views: 849

It sounds like SoulOnIce is able to service his and his wife's debts, but if not or if it's creating real hardship, then another option is to visit your local credit counselling service.
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 10:03
Forum: Taxing Situations
Topic: 2009 Ontario budget
Replies: 86
Views: 7190

I think harmonizing the sales tax likely makes sense as it should hopefully lead to more simplification. It would have been nice if it had been accompanied by an income tax cut , but that probably is not possible with the type of deficits we currently have. Yabbut, it was. In addition to the $1,000 bribes next year, income tax rates will fall when the HST is enacted. See e.g. Tax Reforms Would Create 591,000 Jobs And Cut Personal Income Taxes As part of the proposed tax package, 93 per cent of Ontario taxpayers would get a personal income tax cut. And nearly 3 million low-income Ontario families would receive a new, permanent sales tax credit of up to $260 for each adult and child per year - one of the most generous in Canada. Of course, g...
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 09:28
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: Miscellaneous Quicken Questions
Replies: 623
Views: 95291

Bylo, are you running Q09? Yes. Other than online banking support, is there anything worthy of the $99 cost to upgrade? I used to beta test Quicken so I got to see, play with and keep new versions annually. Apart from very minor functional changes and continuation of support for downloading banking and securities data, most of the changes in the past several years can be best described as "gratuitous eye candy." Indeed each year's release introduces new usability "quirks" that only make it harder to use that release once you've become enured to the previous year's version. IMHO Quicken is an example of mature software that does a release every year just to grab revenue. I couldn't agree more. Sadly, the withdrawal of MS...
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 08:48
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Short term fixed income
Replies: 24
Views: 1249

SoninlawofGus wrote:
2 yen wrote:If one never intends to sell XSB, why worry what others do?
XSB has a duration today of 2.84 years and a YTM of 2.03%. If my math is right, if inflation rose rapidly to, say, 8%, then XSB would lose in the area of 15% rather quickly. So, is the rather anemic 2.03% worth the risk of inflation? 2.84 years, can be a long time...
If you hold a similar ladder of bonds and/or GICs you have the same risk exposure even if it's not as visible, i.e. the market value of your ladder will drop accordingly. In the case of GICs you won't see it because they can't be cashed in early and have no secondary market. But you'll suffer a loss from that inflation (and presumably the higher market interest rates that ensue) nevertheless.
by Bylo Selhi
25 Nov 2009 08:35
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: Miscellaneous Quicken Questions
Replies: 623
Views: 95291

Peculiar_Investor wrote:I'm leaning towards Quicken 2009. Quicken 2010 has been recently released and likely not fully debugged based on past experience.
Or alternatively
1. Buy Q10 now.
2. Find a copy of Q09 (Canadian version!) via BT.
3. Install and use Q09 until spring, by which time Intuit will have at least one or two bug fix releases for Q10
4. Install and patch Q10, then import data from Q09.
by Bylo Selhi
23 Nov 2009 20:34
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Low Fee Balanced Options
Replies: 12
Views: 1352

Low-MER, No-Load Indexed Portfolios (scroll down a page or so.)
by Bylo Selhi
23 Nov 2009 17:33
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: Favourite beers
Replies: 339
Views: 10196

Perhaps not such a rip-off. These are the same wheat beer glasses you'll find at fine pubs throughout Bavaria. Made by rastal. Very high quality (as beer glasses go.)

Fortunately I have an in-law who knows of my taste in beer and who keeps buying me Erdinger gift packs at Christmas ;)
by Bylo Selhi
23 Nov 2009 16:09
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: The little search engine that couldn't
Replies: 50
Views: 1442

I love it. Google News minus Faux News :thumbsup:

I might even pay for it :twisted:
by Bylo Selhi
23 Nov 2009 10:01
Forum: Financial News, Policy and Economics
Topic: Stop Working: Here's How You Can!
Replies: 750
Views: 107984

NormR wrote:So, much like the situation with pirating video games, the publisher should focus on serving the needs of actual customers. They certainly shouldn't be encouraging profitable customers to become unprofitable hangers on.
The game publishers changed their model. [According to Doctorow AIH] when it became obvious that single-player games were too easy to pirate, they introduced multi-player games that required Internet access, registration, subscription fees, etc. The industry is now thriving.

Perhaps there's a lesson there for the print media (and the MAFIAA...)
by Bylo Selhi
23 Nov 2009 08:37
Forum: Financial News, Policy and Economics
Topic: Stop Working: Here's How You Can!
Replies: 750
Views: 107984

NormR wrote:[rant]While I like to read free stuff, it's about time that magazines/newspapers stop giving all of their content away for free the instant it's published...[/rant]
I quoted from a hand-me-down copy of the current edition of Maclean's, i.e. I didn't pay for it either. Should I feel equally guilty about that?

BTW Kirby's article is rather good for something that appears in a general audience publication. It's all about risk and knowing thyself. Nothing really new for the regulars in these parts, but good stuff for most everyone else -- including the redoubtable Mr Foster -- who wants to learn something from what happened to their portfolio in the past year.
by Bylo Selhi
23 Nov 2009 08:22
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: Cell phones and phone plans 2005-2012 posts
Replies: 776
Views: 22937

Bell quietly drops system access fee
Alas, this isn't "news." This is just another instance of Canada's 3-member wireless cartel "competing" under the "watchful" eyes of the CRTC :(
TFA wrote:Bell Canada quietly axing the charge, matching prior moves by rivals Rogers and Telus... like Rogers and Telus, Bell has increased the price of most monthly plans by $5
by Bylo Selhi
22 Nov 2009 20:58
Forum: Financial News, Policy and Economics
Topic: Stop Working: Here's How You Can!
Replies: 750
Views: 107984

DanH wrote:It's not online yet but surely it will be soon.
Is that a request? :lol:

BTW Kirby goes on to say, "The number one lesson Foster says he learned from the experience was not to share every investment decision he makes with the public."

I wonder if Derek will use that as a blurb for his next book? :roll:
by Bylo Selhi
22 Nov 2009 17:54
Forum: Taxing Situations
Topic: Donate Securities to Charity [Doing Well by Doing Good]
Replies: 147
Views: 31943

Bump for 2009.
by Bylo Selhi
22 Nov 2009 09:58
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: multi purpose printers
Replies: 33
Views: 655

I went through this recently with our rental property. It has hard to convince the real-estate agent's admin team to scan and email vs. fax. I'm left to wonder what is the legal status of an signed, scanned and emailed copy of a document vs. a signed, faxed document. Interesting. Technically there's no difference. The document gets scanned optically every time and there's a noticeable degradation of quality every time. Indeed a case can be made that scan/e-mail is better because you can set a scanner to a higher resolution and have more control over things like contrast, than a fax machine. You can also preview what you scan before you send it in order to ensure that it's legible. Perhaps the legislation or regulations that give legal stan...
by Bylo Selhi
22 Nov 2009 09:06
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: multi purpose printers
Replies: 33
Views: 655

westinvest wrote:Does the laptop have a modem in it? You could scan into the computer and then use the Windows Fax program.
That begs the question of why anyone still needs faxing capability. You could simply scan a document into a file, then attach it to an e-mail. Some multifunctions can even do this in a single operation, i.e. scan to a PDF, then open your default e-mail program and attach. All you have to do is fill in the To: and click Send. (As for incoming, just tell the sender to attach and e-mail.)
by Bylo Selhi
22 Nov 2009 08:59
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: More computer nostalgia
Replies: 47
Views: 1247

Mentioning punched cards reminds me of... Back in the day every Bell phone bill came with a punched card that included, among other things, (e.g. subscriber's account number), the balance owing. Customers were supposed to include that card with payment in order to facilitate Bell's processing. Remember the admonition "do not bend, fold, staple or mutilate"? When I was still in high school I decided to perform a small experiment, a "hack" as we might call it now. I ran one of their cards through the 026 keypunch at school, overpunching the last cent column to a value one less than what Bell had, e.g. if the balance was $12.34, I'd punch the 4 column with a 3 hole. Then I retrieved a chad(*) out of the bit bucket and, usi...
by Bylo Selhi
21 Nov 2009 14:41
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: More computer nostalgia
Replies: 47
Views: 1247

Even older is the 026 keypunch that came out in 1949:

Image

The undergrad debug terminal and keypunch room at UoW used to have maybe 50 of them. What a din.
by Bylo Selhi
21 Nov 2009 14:31
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: Hey, lower your damn prices.
Replies: 493
Views: 12335

kcowan wrote:UPS charges a service fee to collect and remit fees on your behalf.
UPS charges a rapacious service fee to collect and remit fees on your behalf.
USPS does not.
Not directly but through Canada Post. Their fee for this service is $5. As much as I dislike paying fees, that's reasonable. UPS' fees are usually unconscionable and they get away with it because they're holding your parcel for ransom.
by Bylo Selhi
21 Nov 2009 12:35
Forum: Community Centre
Topic: multi purpose printers
Replies: 33
Views: 655

<RANT>
bcjmmac wrote:We have had a HP 5100 series all-in-one for ~ 5 years. We like it & have not had any issues.
Be thankful it's not a HP 3100 series AiO for which HP has no Vista drivers and no intention of ever producing them. The XP drivers won't install under Vista. So now the unit won't print, won't scan and won't fax. For all intents and purposes, it's a piece of scrap. Way to go HP.
</RANT>
Fortunately I was able to find a Canon MF4350n for ~$150 that does everything the HP did and more (e.g. duplex printing, platen and ADF, scan to e-mail, etc.)