All Questions
38,343
questions
35
votes
5
answers
11k
views
What are the advantages of a Swiss bank account?
I've heard about bank accounts in Zurich / Switzerland, but I don't fully understand the unique advantages of swiss bank accounts. What I do believe about these (but don't know for sure):
They accept ...
- 515
20
votes
6
answers
8k
views
In what state should I register my web-based LLC?
DISCLAIMER: I understand that as a US corporation, you're required to pay taxes in whatever state you A) do business in, b) pay employees in, and c) have property in. I understand that registering in ...
- 1,190
9
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Are funeral plots a good investment?
At the risk of sounding morbid, is it worth looking into cemetery plots/mausoleum storage? Is it correct to assume that these costs will increase over time?
- 6,220
4
votes
3
answers
627
views
Should I trust barcode iPhone apps? Are they secure for rewards and airmiles points collection?
My husband downloaded all kinds of iPhone apps that mimic the barcodes on my rewards cards such as AirMiles, Aeroplan, Longo's, Hallmark etc. Are these types of applications secure?
- 8,683
6
votes
5
answers
381
views
When going abroad, how do you take your money?
When going abroad, how do you take your money?
All hard cash? Some travellers cheques?
I guess you could use your normal current bank account, but the UK banks (at least my one did) charges fees all ...
- 2,034
4
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Ontario gas prices & HST: What will happen to prices at the pump on July 1, 2010?
When the HST comes into effect on July 1, 2010 will gas prices at the pump be affected immediately?
- 6,220
12
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What percent of salary should go towards retirement vs. emergency savings?
What percent of salary should go towards retirement vs. emergency savings? Should some be set aside each and every pay for emergencies?
- 427
7
votes
1
answer
622
views
What does pink-sheet mean related to stocks?
I see the term pink-sheet mentioned a lot in context of stocks. What does it mean?
- 2,438
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can you calculate the ROI on your credit score?
I've heard it said from people who work in the industry that your credit rating isn't a measure of your ability to pay, but rather a measure of how profitable a customer you are. I've also heard ...
- 203
11
votes
4
answers
19k
views
Co-signing & dying: What if a loan co-signer dies? Is estate of co-signer liable?
A grim and tragic question perhaps, but I'm curious:
What happens when a person that co-signed on a loan dies? Is the co-signer's estate potentially liable until the loan is paid off, the same as if ...
- 31.7k
13
votes
5
answers
2k
views
What should I do with the stock from my Employee Stock Purchase Plan?
I've got an employee stock purchase plan program. The details are a little tricksy, but I basically get to buy about 2500 shares of company stock at something like $2.33/share... and the stock has ...
user296
18
votes
3
answers
974
views
Is there any way to know how much new money the US is printing?
There is a lot of talk about the Fed printing money.
Is there any way to know how much new money is being printed and when?
- 472
6
votes
1
answer
153
views
What investment strategy would you deduce from the latest article from Charles Munger?
One of the most interesting article I read in the last months was from Charles Munger (vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway).
Here is a link:
http://www.slate.com/id/2245328/pagenum/all/
I would be ...
16
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Pensions, why bother?
Ok this question is going to show my age, but its something I've been thinking about for a while and can't quite figure it out
Why bother with a pension?
I don't understand, why should I put away £...
- 2,034
8
votes
6
answers
548
views
Are you just shooting yourself in the foot if you give to charities that solicit door to door or over the phone?
It seems like if charities come to the door and you give them money, you just end up with more charities at your door. The same happens with charities that solicit by phone. They obviously share ...
- 3,768
5
votes
3
answers
881
views
Is there any site to compare the security of (online) banking services?
I work in the computer industry, and I know a few things about security, like the fact that those "security questions" that you're asked for are pretty much completely bogus and not useful as security....
user296
6
votes
1
answer
234
views
Is there any site you can find out about the 'bonus features' of credit cards? [closed]
I'm doing fairly well financially, and pay my credit cards off monthly, so to me they are less useful for financing and more useful as a matter of convenience. As such, I'd like to know more about the ...
user296
16
votes
6
answers
750
views
To rebalance or not to rebalance
I have not been able to understand the concept of rebalancing in investing. To me it's a form of the gambler's fallacy.
Let:
s_n = stock price at time n
s_{n+1} = stock price at time n+1
E[x] is ...
- 951
8
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Are the new "Smart" or "Chip" Credit Cards better from a security standpoint?
The new Chip credit cards are being introduced to provide better security to consumers, merchants and credit card vendors.
Sample Card:
(source: mastercard.com)
Card Reader & PIN Entry:
...
- 6,220
8
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Received email from credit card company: "URGENT: Your Master Card SecureCode Password has expired!" Is it legitimate?
(Public service announcement)
I received an email titled "URGENT: Your Master Card SecureCode Password has expired!" The email body is an image. Is it legitimate?
12
votes
5
answers
586
views
What should I be doing to protect myself from identity theft?
You see ads all over the place for services that purport to protect you from identity theft, but my gut tells me that most of these are at best marginally effective and at worst outright scams.
Are ...
- 53k
173
votes
3
answers
697k
views
Can someone explain a stock's "bid" vs. "ask" price relative to "current" price?
In my online brokerage account, I want to buy a particular stock and I see the following:
Bid: 13.20 x200 Ask: 13.27 x1,000
the current stock price is 13.22.
Can someone explain what ...
- 2,205
3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Take new loan to pay off old one, what would you do in this scenario?
This is my current loan.
Loan Amount : £11,750
Total Interest : £6,422.40
Interest Rate : 21.2% per year
Total : £18,172.40
Pay per month : £306.19
Term : 60 months (5 years)
I'm 2 years into the ...
- 2,034
2
votes
1
answer
170
views
What are good strategies to maximize cross border shopping benefits? [Canada]
Depending the length of one's visit to the US from Canada there are different limits and different exemptions. This also assumes that the price discount is worth it. What strategies have people ...
- 6,220
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is there something similar to Mint.com for Canada?
Mint.com sounds like an interesting service, but it doesn't look like it works in Canada. Is there an alternative for us?
- 3,768
3
votes
1
answer
87
views
Do distance selling protection regulations work across borders?
When buying online in the UK, purchases are covered by the distance selling regulations, which basically give you 14 days to return or annul an agreement or purchase made online.
If I buy products ...
- 3,883
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Mortgage: Difference between joint tenancy / tenants vs. tenancy in common?
When taking a mortgage, what is the difference between joint tenancy and tenancy in common? Under what circumstances is it preferable to choose one over the other? If your circumstances change how ...
- 3,883
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is garnishing / garnishment of wages or accounts and when does it happen?
What does garnishing / garnishment of wages or accounts mean? Under what circumstances does it happen and what are the implications?
- 3,883
8
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Does life insurance cover one's funeral costs, or should I save for it separately? How much?
What is common practice? What does it usually cost? Should I be thinking about this?
- 8,683
8
votes
5
answers
592
views
Are personal finance / money management classes taught in high school, anywhere?
It sure seems like something that would be a valuable life skill, akin to Home Ec (or even more important!)... Where I'm from (Peel Region in Ontario Canada), it isn't part of the curriculum.
- 8,683
23
votes
10
answers
26k
views
Someone asks you to co-sign a loan. How to reject & say "no" nicely or politely?
Hypothetical situation:
A dear friend or family member comes to you and asks you to co-sign for their loan. Let's say the reason they need the money is not a life-or-death type of situation. ...
- 31.7k
5
votes
1
answer
20k
views
Contractors: Guideline on what percentage to keep when hiring a SUB-contractor?
My business may be growing past the point beyond which I can no longer handle the jobs alone (yay me!)... If mine is an hourly job, with little to no overhead, and I bring someone on to work the jobs ...
- 8,683
1
vote
1
answer
6k
views
Child care expenses: How much deduction can be claimed on tax return? [Canada]
How much deduction can be claimed for child care expenses on a Canadian income tax return, for 2009?
Does it vary by province?
Are receipts required to claim a child care expenses deduction?
10
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Which US market indexes (Dow/DJIA, S&P500, NASDAQ) include reinvested dividends?
Which major US market indexes (Dow/DJIA, S&P 500, NASDAQ) include returns from reinvested dividends, and which don't?
Where can "total return" information be found for each index that doesn't ...
- 31.7k
11
votes
2
answers
24k
views
What does CAGR mean when it is used in relation to a company stock?
I saw this abbreviation CAGR related to stocks and financial statements and I am not sure what it is. Can you please explain it to me?
- 2,438
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What are the benefits and downsides to an LLC vs. Sole Proprietorship vs. Individiual?
As a followup to my previous question, what benefits are there for an LLC vs. a Sole Proprietorship? What are advantages and disadvantages to both and also vs. just being paid as a person?
- 809
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is Mint.com an adequate substitute for Microsoft Money? How does it compare?
I've been looking for alternatives to MSMoney since Microsoft announced they were discontinuing the product line, and came across Mint.com, which looks promising.
Are any of you using it? Is it a ...
- 53k
8
votes
2
answers
17k
views
How do you calculate pretax deduction savings?
I am trying to determine how much money I will save by participating in the TransitChek program. The way the program works is I can set aside a certain amount of money from my pay check before taxes ...
- 277
3
votes
1
answer
868
views
How do LIRA/LRSP's differ from RRSP's?
I have heard of
Locked In Retirement Accounts (LIRAs) also known as Locked-in Retirement Savings Plans (LRSPs)
Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs)
How are they different and what are the ...
- 6,220
40
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Are bank customers allowed to provide username & password to sites like Mint.com?
This question is not about whether Mint.com is secure, or not. That is beside the point. (Refer to this question on the subject of trusting Mint.com and similar services.) Rather:
Are bank ...
- 31.7k
20
votes
4
answers
44k
views
What's the average nest egg (savings) for someone age 26? Website for comparison?
How much money should a 26 year old have saved up? Is there somewhere that I can compare against online?
- 427
7
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is there a free online credit report service in Canada?
This question refers to the AnnualCreditReport.com service in the United States.
Similarly, is there a free online credit report service in Canada?
- 31.7k
2
votes
1
answer
534
views
Canada: New mortgage qualification rules, 2010: Why, what, & when in effect?
Earlier today, the Canadian federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced new mortgage qualification rules for Canada.
Why were new rules introduced?
What are the new rules being introduced, vs. ...
21
votes
6
answers
49k
views
Why do companies have a fiscal year different from the calendar year?
There are many companies that have their year end occur on dates other than December 31. What are the advantages to this?
- 6,220
3
votes
3
answers
196
views
For what dates are the NYSE and U.S. stock exchanges typically closed?
I just noticed the NYSE is closed today for the President's Day (Washington's Birthday) holiday.
Is there a comprehensive list of all dates the NYSE would be typically closed for? Would the dates be ...
- 31.7k
4
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is there a legal deadline for when your bank/brokerage has to send your tax forms to you?
It is mid February and I still haven't received my 1099-div forms from my stock broker. Should I be concerned yet? Is there any regulatory requirement for them to send tax forms out to account holders ...
- 53k
10
votes
1
answer
814
views
If I co-sign on a loan for someone, am I putting up money (is there a cost)?
Does it cost me anything if I co-sign a loan for someone?
- 427
2
votes
2
answers
574
views
Group (pooled) RESP plans in Canada: Education savings advantages & disadvantages?
I'm familiar with the Individual and Family types of Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs).
There's also a third type: Group (pooled) RESPs, which I mentioned in this answer. I didn't provide ...
- 31.7k
4
votes
1
answer
319
views
Should I change money from Euros (EUR) to Sterling (GBP) before I go away near the end of the year?
I 'have a friend' who is going away traveling towards the end of the year. She has a few thousand Euros which she is going to spend whilst she is away and was asking if she should keep it in Euros or ...
- 161
21
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Good at investing - how to turn this into a job?
I'm 34 years old. Twelve years ago, I got a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, and have been working as a computer programmer more-or-less continuously since then.
I also have been investing in ...
- 6,244