Page 3 of 4

Pension Wars: Teachers vs Healthcare

February 13, 2022 / A Pocket Full Of Change

Ask anyone in Ontario. What is the best pension plan out there? The answer I’ve most often come across is the Teachers’ pension! Not only is it widely touted (perhaps not by Teachers themselves) that they are paid well, but that they also seem to have the best pension plan in existence.

If you ask the same question of healthcare workers, they may also name the Teachers. But healthcare in much of the province has their own solid pension which many also rave about.

Do Ontario Teachers really have the best pension? Or do healthcare workers have the best? And what exactly does it mean to have “the best” pension? Are there better ones out there? And can we figure out all of this without the topic ending up dryer than sand-paper in the desert? And will we run into any cactuses along the way? And will I ever stop making really terrible desert jokes? Let’s find out!

Welcome to Pension Wars!

PC Optimum Points – Part 4: The Rule of Averages

October 6, 2021 / A Pocket Full Of Change

**The PC Points conundrum**: How can you ever win when you fully enjoy losing?
*Image by Eric Perlin from Pixabay*

There is a lot of “free money” to be earned through the PC Optimum program.

We’ve previously discussed quite a bit about how to maximize your points through various strategies, and on the surface all looks pretty good. Unfortunately it’s not all sunshine and roses. There’s another hidden problem that we have not yet addressed, but which I alluded to very briefly at the end of Part 2.

What happens to the value of your points if the item that you purchased to earn those points was significantly marked up to begin with? And what if other competitor stores were selling that item for cheaper? Would you still be getting those super higher return rates? Or is it all just a mirage, designed to fool you into monetary submission. And how do we figure out if we’re actually getting free money, or if we’re just receiving another hollow promise?

We’re going on another deep dive of this topic, and to help us out, I’m going to use something I like to call, the Rule of Averages.

0% Car Financing vs High Interest Loans

May 19, 2021 / A Pocket Full Of Change

Is it a secret prince or a big slimy trick?!
-Source: pixel2013 | Pixabay

Car dealerships seem to be almost everywhere, trying to sell you the latest, shiniest, freshest smelling new vehicle! Once in a while, they’ll try to entice you with the “Buy now with 0% APR” deals. Since I’ve never bought a new car myself, a part of me was thinking, Hmmm, 0% sounds pretty good… How bad could a decision of this caliber really be? After all, 0% is mathematically a much better rate than one of those super high-interest quick loans of 30% or 40%. So it should win by default, doesn’t it? And no one in their right mind would finance a new car with a high-interest loan…Because that would be crazy, right???

Thankfully, car dealerships are here to save the day by offering 0% APR because they’re on “our” (their) side and looking out for “our” (their) best interests…

State of Play: Cable, Internet, Phone

April 10, 2021 / A Pocket Full Of Change

One of the most unthought-of and yet complained about expenses of the modern day is how expensive cable, internet, and phone services have become. The former two being especially guilty of this. It’s not unheard of to pay as much as $200-$300 (or more) for everything combined. Do you want to find out how to decrease your bill by up to 85%? Well, you better get ready and buckle up! Because this is as exciting as it’s going to get!!

Pandemics and Catastrophes: Lessons Unheeded

February 16, 2021 / A Pocket Full Of Change

“Those who do not remember the past, are condemned to repeat it”
George Santayana

The PC Optimum Program – Part 3: Maxing Out!

November 9, 2020 / A Pocket Full Of Change

You’re paying a price. And it’s higher than you might think. Much of the cost has been hidden, swept under the metaphorical rug. But it’s still there. It’s always been there….. lurking… watching…waiting… ready to take your hard-earned dollars under the guise of free stuff and good feelings… of bright warm colours and rewards.

How do you fight something that’s deceptively trying to eat your money? By maxing out of course! Speaking of eating… I hope you like cake!

The PC Optimum Program – Part 2: The Cost of Free

August 8, 2020 / A Pocket Full Of Change

The PC Optimum Program’s deck is stacked, and not in your favour. If you’re destined to lose, is there any point in still playing? Part of the problem is trying to pin an accurate value on what the PC Points are worth. It’s more complicated than just stating “X point are worth Y dollars”. That may be true, but in the larger scheme their real value is ultimately affected by how much it costed you to get those points. How much did it cost you by the way? What’s that? You don’t know? Hmmm…

A Pocket Full of Change