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Common Traps to Avoid in Managed RRSP Portfolios
As your bank will happily remind you, early in the New Year is still a great time to contribute to your RRSP and receive tax credits for the previous tax year. In 2014, the deadline is March 3rd to get credit for the 2013 tax year. As always, financial advisors are banging the drum to…
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How to Install Country-Restricted Chromecast Apps in Canada
In my last Chromecast for Canadians post, I wrote that I am less than electrified by the current selection of compatible apps. At last count there were 14. Anyone who lives in a Netflix service region can download and cast from Netflix. YouTube, Google Play TV & Movies, and Google Play Music (which does nothing…
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Four Ways to Save Thousands on Car Maintenance
Underground Woman and I love to out scammers. Our favourite targets are those door-to-door home comfort guys: you know, the fast-talking sociopaths who are “working with the province” to replace your perfectly good, paid-in-full furnace with a new Energy Star model that you have to rent for at least a decade. I love it when…
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Understanding the Economics of the Disney Vacation Club
After singing the praises of the Disney Vacation Club and listing the wonderful exchanges I had with it, you’re probably wondering why I am no longer an owner. It’s a simple one-word answer: divorce. When my first husband and I divorced, we split our assets. The most straightforward way of doing that was to sell…
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Why Canadians Should Think Twice Before Buying Chromecast
If you read this blog, then you know that Underground Woman and I are cut-the-cable enthusiasts. Perhaps that’s putting it mildly. We believe that any personal finance makeover begins by eliminating the obscene expense of cable television. Everything you want to watch is available online, and at a fraction of the price. All you need…
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Who Really Owns Your Phone on Subsidized Wireless Plans?
Presuming you are the average Canadian consumer of wireless services, in all likelihood your mobile phone was provided to you by a telecomm company on a subsidized contracted service plan. In that case, who actually owns your phone? I ask the question because recent announcements by the big three (Rogers, Bell and Telus) would have…
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Essential Items Needed to Switch from Cable to Internet TV
Apart from owning a decent 1080p television with one or more HDMI ports, you will need the following items. Expect about $600 in initial setup costs (TV excluded). Amex If you don’t have this bad boy – or a VISA or MasterCard with a US billing address; or a “virtual” VISA from Entropay; or a…
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How to Subscribe to US Streaming Services Using Unblock-Us
Assumptions For this chapter of my Guide, I assume that: You have enrolled in, and successfully setup, Unblock-us.com service. You have in your possession one of the following financial products: Canadian AMEX; VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, or any other credit card with a US billing address; PayPal account with a confirmed US address; “Virtual” VISA from…
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How to Choose the Right Credit Card for Your Needs
When I am asked, as I often am, what is the best credit card to get, my answer as with so many things in the financial and consumer world is “it depends.” It depends on your spending patterns, it depends on whether you prefer cash rebates or more intangible rewards such as travel points, and…
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Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Your Roku Streaming Player
Assumptions For this chapter of my Guide, I assume that: You have enrolled in, and successfully setup, Unblock-us.com service. You are using the same credit card information and zip code that you entered to subscribe to US Netflix (see my previous chapter). You purchased a Roku device with US firmware – not the Canadian edition.…
Amy Thegame
