Phantasmix Stock Blog

Looks like I’m not the only one doing some blog spring cleaning. All my reading became very overwhelming. It consumed way too much time, produced excessive noise in the head, to a point that I had trouble falling asleep, and I’m still not sure what good it all gave me.

When I first discovered blogs, about a year ago, I got some useful information out of them. It’s becoming a rarity nowadays. Seems to me, at the time blogs were peaking with lots of new stuff coming online and lots of ideas, but now majority of posts are recycled or just plain boring (and if I come across another one “My journey out of debt” blogs I’ll have to shoot… something. I’m not putting down those people, but it’s just a bit too tedious. Local support groups might be of more help, god knows most of us need more of face to face time with people, not computers.)

Out of fear that I may not be bringing much value myself, I almost stopped posting too.

It’s the writer’s block or fatigue. There’s a reason why professional writers take time to work on stuff. Expecting daily updates from Joe-bloggers that are either useful or fun to read is too much. And it hasn’t been fun putting so much pressure on myself to post regularly, either.

I never blogged for the money banners might bring (laughable). The only reason I have google ads here – FYI – is so my site would be found in search. I tried “killing” them a couple of times and both times I dropped off the face of internet. On the plus side my pages did load quicker… Google is very clever. I’ve only made it once to the $100 payout level, but can’t pull off the ads for the above reason.

So, as I clean my RSS subscriptions list, I vow to try only posting blogs of some unique value. You can find daily news anywhere, there is a whole bunch of aggregators for that.

Please participate in my self-serving poll. It’s instant, free, requires no registration and I won’t stalk you if you answer “No”:

Starting in 2009, Canadians aged 18 and older can contribute up to $5,000 annually (from their taxable income) to a TFSA.

The investment income, including capital gains, earned in a TFSA will not be taxed — even when withdrawn.

The plan also allows an investor to withdraw funds from the TFSA at any time and for any purpose.

Source: CTV News

First off, clearly a good idea. My only regret is that it wasn’t done much sooner (like 10 years ago, when I first came to Canada) and it’s not retroactive.

For the more conservative savers who will deposit the money into some savings account or a GIC, this is not a life-changing event, at least not instantly. $5,000 will earn about $250 in interest at 5%. Normally taxes would take about $40-63 of that amount. If you have 2 people over 18 in the household, that’s roughly $80-126 savings a year. Again, this is conservatively speaking.

For those who invest and do it well, it’s a better deal because historically market returns have been in the 7-10% range. On the other hand, capital gains taxes are fairly lenient as it is.

So, in the end, you will save some money if you just put the money in the bank, or invest in foreign companies.

However, over time I see this as a significant benefit even for conservative people like myself. In 10 years you can potentially have $50,000 saved and the interest on that amount would be much more meaningful. Assuming 5% constant interest rate and a one-time annual contribution at the start of the year (not monthly additions), here is how it would work out:

Variables: 5% rate not guaranteed; $5,000 may be hard to save every year; but on the plus side with monthly contributions instead of one-time annual you’ll get more interest and it’s easier to save that way.

Edited to add:
20-year projection

I have no original thoughts at the moment and don’t want to recycle everyone else’s ideas, or do a “Linkfest” type of post. I’m going to step back and free up some time – and brain space – for things other than work. In the next few days, honest.

I highly recommend this video: http://www.storyofstuff.com/

It’s only 20 minutes long, and is very amusing, quite amazing, and in the end – just shocking.

This is it, I’ve had it with the CFL bulbs. We’re switching back to the regular incandescents. Here are my reasons for it:

1. CFL’s NEVER last as long as advertised
   5 to 7 years you say? It’s such a scam! More like 5 to 7 months, if that. We tried Noma, Philips and Globe brands. Noma was the worst (about 2 months), Globe – the best (about 18 months). Frankly, if the bulbs lasted as long as they advertise, those companies would probably go bankrupt pretty quickly.

   True story: there was a Canadian company that made the best photo strobes that lasted 30-40 years. They guaranteed it and it was in fact true. That company is now out of business, not unlike the Maytag repair guy

   Since these bulbs are at least 6 times more expensive than regular ones and they don’t last much longer, the financial benefit is a myth. We switched half our bulbs 2 months ago to regular ones and our electricity bill was about 2% lower for some reason. The point is the bill did not go up.

   And if you don’t buy these bulbs in bulk, which of course is silly for all of us frugal people, you could be paying up to 15 times the cost of a regular bulb for one CFL.

2. The split second of darkness
   With the ones that don’t start up right away you’re always wondering “Did I turn it on?” Though it only lasts for a brief moment, it’s very annoying
3. The dim ages
   With the ones that do come on instantly, I have to rub my eyes for a few minutes and adjust my focus. While they’re warming up the light is very dim – and also, very annoying.
4. Color temperature
   Yes, color temp has definitely improved in the past couple of years but it’s still nowhere near the variety and comfort I can get with incandescent bulbs. After awhile things start shifting and / or glowing in my eyes. More re-focusing.
5. Health reason #1: EMF
   This should really be at the top of the list. Electro-magnetic frequencies travelling through and accumulating in our bodies. The first CFL bulb to go was the one on my night table. Another true story: I noticed I got headaches when sitting near it, 15 minutes of reading was enough.

   EMF’s are quite a bit more harmful than that. In addition to the headaches they cause other side-effects such as sleep problems, neurological disorders, and more. Sick people should limit their EMF exposure as they’re even more prone to their effects.

6. Health reason #2: Mercury
   CFL bulbs contain mercury. I say if it’s there, it’ll evaporate, even if only a little bit. Mercury is harmful at very low doses and I don’t want to risk getting a depression in the name of supposedly helping the environment (oooh, so evil and selfish). Here’s some info from Energy Star Canada on the matter:

   If CFLs contain mercury, how can they be better for the environment than incandescent lights?

   Despite the presence of small amounts of mercury, CFLs provide significant environmental benefits compared to incandescent products. Here’s why:

   - CFLs use far less energy than incandescent bulbs, so they reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electrical generating stations powered by fossil fuels
   - CFLs last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, so fewer bulbs and less packaging ends up in landfills
   - the amount of mercury in a CFL is so small – less than one-fifth of the mercury found in a wristwatch battery – that it does not pose a significant threat to human health or the environment (nevertheless, CFLs should be handled with care and disposed of properly)
   - by decreasing the demand for electricity from coal-fired generation plants – one of the largest sources of mercury emissions in Canada – CFLs can actually reduce mercury levels in the environment

   To me this sounds that the relatively small health damage is worth it in the big picture. How about coming up with a better way? A way that doesn’t damage health and helps the environment? Is this too much to ask? I don’t know but that’s what I’d prefer.

I’m happy to get this off my chest, though I am breaking my New Year’s resolution to complain less. I’ll consider it a contructive criticism, not a complaint. Thanks for reading and let me know if you agree or disagree.