Today, when you have money left over after paying your bills, you invest in big and distant corporations. You don’t even think about it. The government incentivizes you to save for your future through RSPs and TSFAs. You invest in stocks, bonds or mutual funds. Basically, all of our money goes to the financial markets. The financial system has been designed to funnel our our collective savings in that direction. As different as you might try to be, we all own a slice of the financial markets at large. Alternatively, you could start your own business or purchase an investment property, but this is a lot of risk, costs more in legal fees and taxes, and most importantly, it may entail work that you don’t have time for. So you invest in passive financial instruments. And until now, passive financial instruments basically meant big corporations. 2016 marks the year where we, individual Canadians, can re-channel some of those investments from large and distant corporations to local small businesses. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘globalization’
Peer-to-Peer lending: A beginner’s guide
In Advice, Financial, Fresh on December 2, 2016 at 11:18 AMPraying for Euro
In Criticism, Financial, Politics, Strictly Monetary: A Series on June 6, 2012 at 8:58 PMPanic over the potential break-up of the Euro is at its highest point. People are withdrawing wads of Euro cash from Spanish and Greek banks, hiding it under the mattress and bracing for the fallout. In the Strictly Monetary Series (Part V), I told the story of how an American bank averted crisis during the panic of the Great Depression. It’s a textbook example of how banks can survive the shock of everyone demanding their money at once (bank-run) if they can secure additional cash to appease the frantic public. You don’t beat panic with prayer; you beat it with action.
The Mystery of “The Man”
In Culture, Financial, Fresh, Personal on April 7, 2012 at 6:04 PMThe Little Red Umbrella posted an essay of mine recently. It’s one of my favourites. Enjoy.
ETFs: Explained and Exposed
In Advice, Criticism, Financial on July 14, 2011 at 1:13 PMDuring the “flash crash” of 2010, the Dow dropped 1,000 points in a matter of hours because of a computer glitch. During this crunch, ETFs were impossible to sell unless you were willing to take a devastatingly low price. Why?
American Infrastructure
In Advice, Financial, Fresh on May 20, 2011 at 10:14 AMAmerica’s in a rut. Despite the mixed economic numbers, long term growth is absent. More importantly, many unskilled workers don’t seem to have a place in the modern economy now that production has moved abroad. This piece published on Seeking Alpha highlights how to capitalize on the inevitable solution.
Strictly Monetary VI: Dollar Downward Spiral
In Advice, Criticism, Financial, Strictly Monetary: A Series on April 22, 2011 at 3:42 PMIn January of 2010 I pointed to the decline of the American dollar as being permanent. I spat at the idea that it was simply a slump. When the stock of companies like Apple and Google were at lows, I advised people that while they were good companies, there was no way I was going to hold anything in American dollars. This past week, Standard & Poors rating agency issued American bonds a negative warning, citing that it had serious concerns as to whether or not the American government will get it’s fiscal situation in order, confirming something we’ve known for years. So, what took so long?
Strictly Monetary Part IV: Why Being America is Awesome
In Financial, Strictly Monetary: A Series on February 6, 2011 at 10:43 AMThis is a short piece to describe why being the world’s reserve currency is awesome. It is a one-of-a-kind system that has done things that had never been done before. This piece will lead us into the history of how America got here in the first place, as well as the extremely controversial workings of the Federal Reserve.
Strictly Monetary Part III: The Game of International Reserves
In Financial, Strictly Monetary: A Series on January 30, 2011 at 10:31 AMStrictly Monetary Part II: The Mechanics of Money
In Financial, Strictly Monetary: A Series on January 26, 2011 at 11:59 AMThe global system of money is going through some drastic changes. This piece explains the tools our governments have to control the money supply and the price of money. After this, we’ll be ready to talk intelligently about some of the heavier global issues.
Globalization: If he really loves her, he’ll be back
In Criticism, Financial, Fresh, Popular Posts on November 10, 2010 at 8:11 AMIf Globalization is like dating, Canada has some gorgeous features that make some countries jealous, and other countries eager. This allows her to get away with a lot. If he shows his desire openly, she makes him prove it. When he gets fed up, she’ll wait until they’ve both had time to cool off and then send a coy text message: how r u feelin?