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I’ve been getting numerous emails from readers looking for Smith Manoeuvre or leveraged investment advisors in their area.  The problem is, I don’t know any, but I’m wondering if you could help me out?
Are you a Smith Manoeuvre advisor?  Or, do you know any Smith Manoeuvre advisors in your area?
If so, please contact me via [...]

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QuickTax Winners
The long awaited QuickTax winners have been chosen and are now ready to be announced!  Out of the 184 entries, there were 3 winners randomly chosen for free online tax filing this year.  The winners are …

Lyne (2)
Karash (32)
PH (106)

Congrats guys!  I will be contacting you shortly with the QuickTax codes.
Another Book Giveaway Ending [...]

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Some readers have noticed that I am no longer tracking the progress towards my long-term financial goal. That’s because I don’t have one! It used to be a million dollars by age 45, but I have dropped it since it doesn’t motivate me on a daily or even monthly basis.

I have come to realize that it is just stupid for me to plan out something 15 years ahead. Even looking back only five years, my life now is vastly different than I thought it would be. It’s an interesting exercise.

On February 27, 2004:

• I was 6 months out of graduate school, and in working at my first “real” job. Although I had held several jobs earlier including being a student researcher and teaching assistant, the corporate world was completely new to me. Even then, I knew I didn’t want to do this for four decades.
• My net worth was hovering around zero… I was just about done finally paying off my student loans from undergrad, but that was about as far as I was looking. Here’s an updated net worth history chart:
  
• I was single. Although I was engaged at the time, I had never lived with my fiancee and had no idea what it would be like to completely share a life together. It’s been quite an adventure.
• I didn’t have this blog. I don’t even know if I knew what a blog was. Who knew that it would provide a non-trivial chunk of our total income, and that I would continue to spend at least 20 hours a week of my time maintaining it, and often much more (although I’ve been working on better balance).
• I didn’t own a home. I was still living in the same cheap, run-down, graffiti-covered apartment that I lived in during college. I would end up renting five different apartments in the next 5 years, before finally buying a house.

I’m actually really happy with how things turned out, but looking ahead there is still so much more uncertainty. Kids? Jobs? Economy? So I’ll have to keep that in mind when crafting a measurable, specific, and inspiring long-term goal. Are you surprised at where you’re at now, compared to five years ago?

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Derek DeCloet notes the plight of erstwhile acquirers of Canadian public companies — Xstrata, Rio Tinto etc. — and says Canadians will be glad to buy them back for a fraction of the acquired price.
With stock markets relentlessly falling (again), some investors seem to be making rash bets. Jason Zweig cautions against making the investment [...]

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This is another guest post by Kathryn.  She is evaluating the potential cost of dog ownership.  Great timing as we’re also considering getting a dog in the future.

This is a spin off on Newborn Baby Expenses as pet ownership can also be pricey!
Brian and I both grew up with dogs but because of our transient [...]

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