enfinblue's Bluey (credit to Fifi for the nickname!) Diaryland Diary
"I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart." -Vinc3nt V@n Gogh
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money schmoney.
Ah money.
I have little of it, as I do stupid things like go to the opera (centre, row H, orchestra) and buy tons of pretty plants in lovely pots for my friends for the Easter party this weekend, and tickets for my friends to come with me to the charity ball.
Anyhow. I was just reading teranika. I know what financial planning issues are all about. I've recently decided to start making my money work for me. I've just never paid much attention to these things. Odd for an economist, I know. But it's not my thing. I'm a labour economist. ;) Anyhow. Fortunately, when I put my mind to things I work them out. Perhaps that's why I never seem to worry about the same things as other people. So, money, next.
I had to laugh a bit - not at teranika, but at her frustration with the conservatism and inefficiency of Canadian banks. Given that the subprime lending crisis originated with the open and possibly even predatory behaviour of U.S. banks and has more or less led to a restriction on the availability of credit in *world* financial markets, I can take a little bit of over-regulation and conservatism. ;)
Anyhow. That's me for the day. I'm not a financial wizard. I'm not even an expert in tax. But I'm slowly becoming one, one measure that I model at a time. It's interesting. Except when it's boring. But then again billions are never boring!
Too bad they are not mine. If I had billions I would just go on foot and hand it out $1,000 or $5,000 or $10,000 at a time, to people living in poor countries and without food or proper water. I think that they would figure out what best to do with it. Of course I would need a lot of very expensive body guards to do that. Hmm...I guess I would have to send it to people in villages via cellular technology.
But then again if it were up to me I would open the gates and let people in to this country, and I'd increase taxes and make early childhood and post-secondary education of varying types free to everyone.
It's funny - my parents didn't save any money for me for university. When I was 14 my step-father sat me down and told me that I'd better get a job as they wouldn't be paying anything towards my education. And they were true to their word. They must have been banking on me getting scholarships. Lucky for them they were mostly right. :) And to be honest, I'm not even really sure that my step-father was wrong in my case, in that in some ways I *did* benefit from realizing that I had to take responsibility for my own future. Not having money does indeed teach you the difference between need and want. :)
My GOD I was broke in university, though. I worked as a waitress as much as I could to supplement my scholarship, and then when I got sick I lived on pasta and lentils. I remember having an exam one night until 10 p.m. and then having to walk 3 miles home in a blizzard and 3 miles back to the university for a 9 a.m. exam the next day, since I didn't have enough money for the bus fare. Seriously. It never really bothered me much at the time as I had never been used to having much money. But it's kind of funny now that I think of it. :) The sad thing is that had I known I could have been receiving my dad's Canada P3nsion Plan money via orphans benefits. I only found out about them *after* I was no longer eligible. Always too late.OK. Well, now that my imprudence is exposed, I will go and do something prudent and prudential. Perhaps I'll look at the lovely plants that I am about to give away. :)
|9:18 p.m. - 2008-03-20
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Come al solito - 2011-04-16 unfettered spending - 2011-04-15 How does it go? - 2011-04-14 Whirlwind. - 2011-04-13 bleak that flips over to daffodil - 2011-04-08 |