Exhilarating Tax Time

I take advantage of a brief intermission in my day to tell you that last week; I took some time to file our taxes. It was kind of exhilarating as we are getting a huge tax return this year because of our Special Extra RRSP Contribution for 2015.

My old college teacher wouldn’t be proud of me as for him, getting a juicy tax return meant you lent your money to the governments for nothing. It certainly would have been better to arrange for smaller payroll deductions and get a smaller tax return afterwards. But I’m sure he would be lenient with me for once as special circumstances justify my oversight. The bottom line is that, in the end, we will have more money in our pockets.

We will use that substantial return to save some more in 2016 as all our main family projects already have been planned for. This will generate some kind of snowball effect: special savings in 2015 result in special tax return in 2016 which leads to even more savings in 2016 and so on and so forth.

For many years now, I’ve made it a point to file our tax returns myself. That way, I can understand all the implications and save as much as possible on unnecessary taxes; for example, applying all our family’s medical expenses only on my own tax return made us recover a couple hundred bucks again this year. 

12-Minute Diet and Meal Planner (Revisited)

The 12-Minute Series was originally posted in 2012.

We’ve decided to republish it integrally because we believe it can still help as everyone aspires to make things better.

Let’s hope it stirs up the discussion and stimulates you to change the world 12-Minute at a time!

This article was originally posted on August 12, 2012

When it comes down to food, the 12-Minute Way can be quite useful to help you manage your diet and plan your meals. 

There’s more to it than the common dozen eggs.

Because approximately 40% of food goes to waste in America, an incredible opportunity for improvement exists in the vast food domain, an opportunity to save precious resources and money.

But also an opportunity to reduce stress and free up some of your schedule because, day after day, food preparation can sometimes be pretty hectic and time consuming.

Portfolio Update February 2016

Note that you can expect my next update in about 12 weeks or so, in May 2016.

Meanwhile, you can also have a look at our actual portfolio and/or previous portfolio updates here:

DIY Portfolio

Portfolio Update August 2015

Portfolio Update November 2015

Since our last update, important changes put in place by the new liberal government for fiscal year 2016 prompted us to make a Special Extra RRSP Contribution for 2015. This meant fresh new money coming in our portfolio.

Yet again, markets gave us a pretty wild ride, especially in the first weeks of 2016.

Now, should we be worried about the markets?

Again, I’ll remind you that I am not an investment or tax professional of any kind. The intent of this blog is not to give specific investing advice. Before investing yourself, we suggest you to do all necessary research and consult a licensed financial professional if need be.

 

Terrific Buying Opportunities

We just don’t think so.

12-Minute Ways to Have a Better Day (Revisited)

The 12-Minute Series was originally posted in 2012.

We’ve decided to republish it integrally because we believe it can still help as everyone aspires to make things better.

Let’s hope it stirs up the discussion and stimulates you to change the world 12-Minute at a time!

This article was originally posted on July 12, 2012

Here are some simple 12-Minute Ideas to help things go smoothly; to have a brighter and merrier day.

Sometimes, 12-Minute it’s all it takes!

1-Wake Up 12-Minute Earlier

This will allow you to take time to smell the roses and relax before you start your morning routine or

to take a little more time before you embark in a busy work day.  

2-Take 12-Minute to Breathe

Take a break during an hectic day and just breathe!

3-Invest 12-Minute to Plan Your Day

Plan you day early in the morning or the next one late at night.

New Year and Dividend Income Update

Just a quick word to let you know that, for the new year, comments and figures have been added to several pages of our blog.

These pages have been updated:

Escaping 9-to-5

Investing Goals

Portfolio

Watch List

Monitor List

As a bonus, here’s a chart of our Dividend Income since 2013:

Our 24-Day Trip to Italy

Even though it dates way back to the hot summer of 2012, I’ve decided to write again about this fantastic trip to Italy because this adventure was so significant to us.

It really strengthened the bond in our small family. It was the first time in good old Europe for Lady C (my daughter) and me…our first time outside the Americas in fact. Lady N (The wife) already had been to Europe but never in any Italian cities.

We will forever cherish plenty of incredible memories from of our 24-Day trip to that old yet still modern country (Wow! 24 multiple of 12! I have to admit I didn’t really plan that one).

This trip also had great influence on me as a writer. Traveling and being exposed to foreign cultures is often inspiring. But this peculiar trek really gave me a boost to continue writing. Some pretty good new ideas also came out of it.

Later that year, I was able to finish my first book (Doux Espoirs written in French). Some of the characters and a lot of settings in my story we greatly inspired by what we lived in Italy. These experiences really gave a new flavour to my book and new life to my desire to continue writing.

So, let’s get into the thick of it!