Canadian Personal Finance Happy Hour – Remembrance Day Edition

In Canada today is Remembrance Day and it is so important to remember the heroes that fought for our freedom and to appreciate the work of the Canadian Armed Forces.

We usually attend local events in Victoria but plan on watching on CBC the ceremonies from Ottawa.

Is anyone doing anything special today or for Veterans Day?

Onto the posts:

Vanessa @ Vanessa’s Money writes Myth! Working overtime isn’t worth it because the government takes more than I earn – For five years I worked for a group of people who argued that working more than 35h a week meant that you’d earn less money after taxes were deducted. I did the math to prove them wrong.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Important Calculation for Buying a Car – Want to know how much that new(er) car is going to cost your family? Find out what the most important calculation is.

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes How NOT to Build Passive Income – Find out what can delay and/or reduce your passive income. Don’t fall into this trap and regret it later.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Are You Wasting Your Money? – Convenience and happiness don’t always have to equal being wasteful with your money though.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Why You Should Consider Selling Your Mutual Funds – There are times that it is best to just sell your mutual funds and let them go. Things change. Investing philosophies and goals change. Those are some of the reasons to consider selling your mutual funds.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes Things I Want to Do With My Money – Last week, I had reason to sit down and think about whether or not I was putting enough money away for my future goals. Despite saving around 35% of my income (+ any extras), it turns out I’m not.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes 10 Mistakes That Entrepreneurs Can Make – There are 10 Mistakes that Entrepreneurs make that can prohibit them from creating a very successful business.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Insidious Examples of Lifestyle Creep – When we think of lifestyle creep – aka, lifestyle inflation – we tend to think of those big ticket items that prove to be budget busters.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes 7 Steps to Homelessness and What To Do If You Get There – Do you ever wonder how someone can sink to the point where they can no longer keep a roof over their head? Here is the story of someone I personally know who is nearing that point. Here, from my perspective, is how she got there and what she might want to think about doing before she actually loses her home.

JP @ My Family Finances writes Average Family Spending on Christmas Gifts 2012 – If you want to keep your family budget underneath that average family spending for Christmas gifts, you are better off planning early.

Steve @ Ready To Quit My Job! writes Dealing With An Abrasive Boss – You’ve got more experience now; why not put it to good use? Go back to school for what you really want to be doing. Switch departments. Cross-transfer. Or look elsewhere.

TRL @ The Retired Landlord writes Should You Buy a Fixer-Upper? – Deciding whether you should buy a fixer-upper as a real estate investment is all about weighing the time commitment with the savings in the asking price.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Five Ways to Take Control of your Finances – Here are five ways anyone can better organize their finances and get their wallet in order. Stop wasting time, get your finances together now.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Why I Want Rich People To Buy Things And Spend Money – I want Rich people to buy things and spend there money! Believe it or not, but their spending just might be keeping us middle class folks employed

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes Failure to Save Leads to Financial Disaster – Do you worry about being able to pay your bills? Let’s look at how saving part of every pay check will ease these worries and allow you to get some sleep at night.

Teacher Man @ My University Money writes How Much Should I Get In Student Loans? – Most young students that I remember figured that whatever “free money” the government was willing to give loan them was ok by them and defaulted to taking the maximum student loan possible. Consequently, for many people who want to give students advice, the question becomes not, ‘How much CAN I get with student loans?” but rather, “How much SHOULD I get with student loans?”

Young @ Young And Thrifty writes When You Suck At Democracy It’s No Fun – “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.”

Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy writes Win $100 Cash with the ‘The Importance of an Emergency Fund’ Giveaway!! – Why not win $100? Read about the importance of an emergency fund too

Edward @ Modest Money writes Saving Money By Making Homemade – Recently, I embarked on a quest. Instead of getting ideas from other personal finance bloggers, I wanted to get the opinions of average people on the topic of frugality. I started asking friends and coworkers one simple question: what is your favorite way of saving money?

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Making a Mid-Life Career Change – The average American will change jobs nine times before reaching their 33rd birthday. Changing your career can be difficult, but these tips can help.

IMB @ Investing Money writes ETFs – Pros and Cons – Find out the pros and cons of investing in ETF’s. There are many reasons to like them.

Jason @ Work Save Live writes Save Money With Coupons This Holiday Season – I’m a big fan of frugality, and an easy way to do this is with coupons. Many people only seem to think that coupons work for groceries or household commodities, but coupons are great ways to save on holiday gifts.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Sometimes a Little Stain Goes a Long Way! – Our new house has a breakfast nook right off the kitchen. Our old table doesn’t fit in, but it does now that we stained it!

krantcents @ KrantCents writes Why I don’t Have a Bucket List – Any bucket list is stupid! If you wait to do things or need to put it on a bucket list, you probably won’t do it anyway.

CF @ The Outlier Model writes Paying off $27,000 in student loans – My plan for paying off my debt in full in the next two years!

Kanwal @ Simply Investing writes Buy or Hold? What does Warren Buffett Think? – Warren Buffett recently appeared live on CNBC’s Squawk Box for a two-hour interview with Becky Quick.  During their conversation, they discussed a number of issues about the global economey and investing. You can read the complete transcript here.

My Own Advisor @ My Own Advisor writes FREE Giveaway and Book Review – Cash Cows, Pigs and Jackpots – Check out this article for your chance to win a FREE copy of David Trahair’s new book!

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Budgeting for Singles vs. Families – Find out how budgeting for a family is different than budgeting as a single person.

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes 5 Things That Must be on Your Moving to do List – A moving to do list is essential for a successful move and can save both time and money. Add these tips to your own moving to do list for a problem free move.

Steve @ Canadian Personal Finance writes Why does crime pay in Canada? A look at investor fraud – Former Victoria financial advisor Ian Thow who conned investors of more than $8 million has been granted parole after serving just two and a half years of his nine-year prison sentence.

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes Why am I obsessed with dividend growth stocks? – I have an obsession with dividend stocks. I log-on to my brokerage accounts every morning, in order to check the amount, timing and source of any dividends deposited. On certain days, such as the 15th of some months, the amount of dividends received is much higher than my salary. To me dividends represent financial freedom from a 9 to 5 (or typically later) job.