Gail Vaz-Oxlade's Blog, page 24

Spring

OMG, OMG, OMG! I can hardly wait until I can get back into my garden. I planted the entire backyard last year… yup, took out all the grass and the horrible shrubs. I’ve got a shady area, a partly sunny area and a full sun area … I have it all. And I’ve shoved a crap-load of plants into that garden. The thing is, this is the first spring to watch plants come back and I am so excited I wanna pee.

Over there, in the shade, I’m expecting a riot of ferns, Bleeding Hearts and Astilbe this year. Lush and cool is the feel. I plan to put in Goatsbeard for accent colour. Goatsbeard looks like an overgrown Astilbe, but the white plumes are feathery and last for weeks. I also have my eye on a purple beauty Toad Lily for some late season colour. I wish I could find more late summer bloomers for the shade so if you have ideas, let me know.

 

 

Over in the full sun the sky is the limit when it comes to plant choice. Although this little visitor can be challenging:

I love the bunnies so I plant around them. I’ve learned they’ll demolish Lupins in a heartbeat and like to strip the leaves of Oriental Lilies. But I’ve got my eye on a banana cream Shasta Daisy that I think bunny will ignore.

And then there’s my new planter box… the size of a hot-tub. But that’s a story for another day.

Do you love to garden? Are you as excited as I am for Spring?

 

Words’ and their Meanings

Language historian Anne Curzan’s Ted Talk on how Words change meaning over time is fascinating. She says words have been changing meaning — sometimes radically — as long as there have been words.

Here a some that might surprise you:

Nice: This word used to mean “silly, foolish, simple.” Far from the compliment it is today!

Silly: Meanwhile, silly in its earliest uses referred to things worthy or blessed; from there it came to refer to the weak and vulnerable, and more recently to those who are foolish.

Awful: Awful things used to be “worthy of awe” for a variety of reasons, which is how we get expressions like “the awful majesty of God.”

Clue: Centuries ago, a clue (spelt clew) was a ball of yarn. Imagine threading your way through a maze and you’ll see how we got from yarn to key bits of evidence that help us solve things.

Myriad: If you had a myriad of things 600 years ago, it meant that you specifically had 10,000 of them – not just a lot.

Naughty: Long ago, if you were naughty, you had naught or nothing. Then it came to mean evil or immoral, and now you are just badly behaved.

Guy: comes from the name of Guy Fawkes, who was part of a failed attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605. from there it came to refer to a frightful figure and now it has come to refer to men in general.

Hussy: comes from the word housewife and referred to the mistress of a household, not the mistress it refers to today.

Meat: used to refer to food in general — solid food of a variety of kinds (not just animal flesh).

 

Some words are their own opposites. You know about synonyms (words with similar meanings) and antonyms (words with opposite means), these words that are their own opposites are called “contronyms.”

Sanction can mean ‘give official permission or approval for (an action)’ or conversely, ‘impose a penalty on.’


Left can mean either remaining or departed. If the gentlemen have withdrawn to the drawing room for after-dinner cigars, who’s left? (The gentlemen have left and the ladies are left.)


Dust, is a noun turned into a verb meaning either to add or to remove the thing in question. You can dust crops or the furniture.


Seed can also go either way. If you seed the lawn you add seeds, but if you seed a tomato you remove them.


Trim can also mean add or take away: we add ‘to decorate something with ribbons, laces, or the like to give it a finished appearance’ and we subtract when we ‘cut off the outgrowths or irregularities of.’ If you’re trimming a christmas tree are you using tinsel or a chain saw?


Fast can mean “moving rapidly,” as in “running fast,” or ‘fixed, unmoving,’ as in “holding fast.” If colors are fast they will not run.


Off means ‘deactivated,’ as in “to turn off,” but also ‘activated,’ as in “The alarm went off.”


Weather can mean ‘to withstand or come safely through,’ as in “The company weathered the recession,” or it can mean ‘to be worn away’: “The rock was weathered.”


Screen can mean ‘to show’ (a movie) or ‘to hide’ (an unsightly view.)


Flog, meaning “to punish by caning or whipping,” shows up in school slang of the 17th century, but now it can have the contrary meaning, “to promote persistently,” as in “flogging a new book.”

 

Here’s one that may be most confusing for men: FINE. It can mean excellent as in, this is a fine piece of furniture, or it an mean “in no way excellent” as when a woman says, in a tone dry enough to evaporate Lake Ontario, “I’m Fine.”

 

 

Are You Covered when You Travel?

My daughter and I were talking about how much we love to travel when she told me she might be going on a trip with a girlfriend, we’ll call her Lily. When Alex told Lily that she’d want to be back by a particular date, Lily asked why. Alex said that her travel medical plan wouldn’t cover her for longer than a 60-day trip. Lily announced that she never travels with medical insurance coverage.

I sighed. A lot of people don’t. They’re under the impression that if something bad happens to them while they’re gallivanting around the world they’ll be covered by Canada’s very generous health coverage. And since we don’t get bills for what we use when it comes to health benefits in Canada, we have no idea what those benefits are worth.

No one expects to fall ill when travelling, though it happens all the time. Most things are quickly resolved. The bigger things come with hefty price tags and that’s when we hear the story in the news. There’s the story of the woman who suffered kidney failure. The bill: $128,000. Or the man who suffered a fall in Michigan and racked up $168,000 in medical bills. Or the couple who were in a car accident resulting in $325,000 in medical costs.

So do you have an extra $100K sitting around to take care of medical bills you might incur while travelling? Since provincial plans pay only a few hundred dollars a day for hospital coverage, you’d better. Or you could simply fork over some money for travel medical coverage. Would you rather spend $60-$300 now (depending on the length of your coverage) or pony up hundreds of thousands of dollars later? Rhetorical question, right?

According to the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada, medical expenses of more than $1,000 would be problematic for a third of travellers surveyed, while expenses of $5,000 or more would be tough on another third of travellers. Can you imagine how medical expenses in the $100,000 range would affect your financial security?

Even if you’re heading to the U.S. for a day-trip, insurance is a must-have since any slip can be costly. Your best bet if you cross the border frequently is to buy a plan that covers you for multiple trips. Coverage is usually provided for 12, 30 or 60 days with no limits on the number of trips in a 12-month period so they’re perfect for cross-border shoppers, business travellers or people who leave Canada more than once a year. Take just two trips in a 12-month period and the plan will pay for itself. Planning to be on the road longer than 60 days? Single-trip plans can cover you for up to 183 days, perfect for those with a home away from home.

Some credit cards provide travel medical coverage. If you’re a frequent traveller the annual credit card fee is offset by the savings in not having to buy travel insurance privately. Keep in mind there may be specific restrictions. For example, you may need to purchase your travel with that card for the insurance to kick in.

Some people have travel medical coverage through their group benefits at work. Don’t wait until the last minute to enquire about your coverage. Know what you’re entitled to and whether you must put out the money and be reimbursed or can ask for direct billing to your insurance provider. And don’t leave home without the telephone numbers and paperwork you will need if you do end up seeking medical treatment.

Even if you’re leaving one province in Canada to travel to another you should consider medical travel insurance. While most provinces have reciprocal agreements for medical coverage, there are things that aren’t covered, like transportation costs. A victim of a polar bear attack got stuck with a $13,000 bill for air ambulance to Winnipeg because she didn’t have out-of-province coverage.

As for people who choose to visit you in Canada from another country, they aren’t covered under our medical system. Can you imagine if your mother-in-law was staying with you, fell and broke something? Would you say, “Sorry m’love, but no insurance, no medical care?” You’d pony up, right? So you’d best ensure you’ve got coverage for visitors in place if they are among the many who choose to travel without buying their own travel medical insurance.

Make sure when you buy your insurance that you answer all those questions you’re asked correctly. Screw up even a little and you could find your claim denied. Here are some other questions you might want to ask as you shop for coverage:

How long does the coverage last? If the trip is extended can you extend the coverage?
Are there restrictions or limitations on the policy? (Think limitations due to substance abuse or restrictions on activities like sports.)
Are pre-existing conditions covered?
What is your maximum coverage and what are the deductibles or copayments that would apply to a claim?
Are certain countries/locations not covered?

Forgive, but Don’t Forget

Beth – no, not her real name — came over for dinner and as we sat and talked she started to cry. She was so, so sad. Her life was, as she described it, “a hot mess.” She was in a bad relationship, had a teenage daughter she adored who didn’t adore her back, and was thinking that maybe the career she had chosen wasn’t the right one after all. As she talked, every mistake she had recently made came bubbling up.

“What the hell brought this on?” I asked, incredulously. I had not been expecting this because as far as I knew, everything was honky-dory. I was completely taken aback.

“Carlie told me I’m the worst mother,” she sobbed, “and then told me the nine hundred things I’d done to screw up her life.”

“Geeze, you took her seriously?” I asked. Carlie is 14 and at the stage where no adult knows anything and every adult is a barrier to her doing what she wants.

But this wasn’t really about Carlie. This was actually about Beth, who had a very forgive and forget attitude towards her life while piling up her shame, her horror, her terror at the missteps she had made.

She shouldn’t have called Carlie a bitch. True nuff. And she probably shouldn’t have let her husband talk her into that vacation last year that she could ill-afford. Yeah, that’s was true too. And maybe when her boss suggested she take on that extra project because things were tight and they couldn’t replace the manager who had just retired, she should have said no. Maybe.

That’s the way we people are. Every mistake we have ever made is firmly engraved on our consciousness, much more so than all the things that we have done right. And when life feels crappy, all those failures, things gone awry, silly or serious mistakes come back in gangs to taunt us.

You have to forgive yourself. Whatever you have done, you must say sorry to yourself, to the universe, to whomever you affected, and then you must forgive yourself.

Did you know that every seven years you are a whole new you? That’s how long it takes for every cell in your body to die and be replaced. Are you still carrying around negative thoughts from years before all those cells in your current body ever existed? Really?

Did you learn the lesson(s) that came from whatever it is you’re beating yourself up over? Our blunders reaffirm that we are human. Learning from our mistakes is the way to avoid falling into the same pothole again and again. So, for heaven’s sake, learn the lesson and then move on. Self-recrimination and penance won’t get you to the next place you want to be. Forgiving yourself, accepting that what is done is done, and taking steps forward will.

The old saying, “Forgive and forget” has got it wrong. Yes, you must forgive. But don’t ever forget. To forget means you have not learned the lesson; you’re so wrapped in the pain of your failure that you won’t deal with it; instead you push it to a place where you don’t have to think about it. That’s not good.

The memory of your misstep may be painful. But you must deal with it, must get to a place where you can forgive yourself, before you’ll really heal. Take that memory and wrap it in tissue paper and tuck it in a box in your mind. But don’t just leave it there. Every now and then take it out, unwrap it, and have a good look at it. One day you’ll unwrap it and the pain will be gone. You will have forgiven. You can move on.

If you find your mind filled with things like, “I’m such an idiot,” or “I ruined everything,” or “I’m so stupid,” or “I can’t,” you are running the tapes of the unforgiven. Time to figure out what you’re mad at yourself for and do some forgiving.

Are there things for which you need to forgive yourself?

 

This & That: Doin’ Fine Edition

S Wrote: I’m a twenty-seven year old female with about $20,000 of debt. Most of my debt is student loans, and a co-signed car loan with my boyfriend. I make all my full scheduled payments on time, and I have a good credit score, but I want to make it as high as possible, so that sometime in the future I can qualify for a mortgage at the best rate possible.

My question was on how best to use my credit card. Right now I put a couple hundred on it every month (a few dollars a couple days a week for parking at school, some iTunes purchases here and there, my Netflix gets automatically charged every month). When I get my statement at the end of the month, I pay the entire balance straight away. I’ve heard you say that when you charge something to your credit card, you should go home and pay it that day. Since most of my charges are only a few dollars at a time, I haven’t bothered with this, and wait for my statement to come. Does paying it off that way negatively affect my credit score in any way? Would my score be a little higher if I paid the balances off daily, or weekly? Does that even make a difference?

Gail Says: What you’re doing is fine and will in no way affect you negatively. The advice you’re referring to is for people who a) are afraid of credit or b) have seriously messed up their credit. Keep on truckin’ babe.

 

R Wrote: My husband and I are both mid 30’s have 2 kids and both work full time. We have next to nothing in consumer debt. The debts we have are the usual, mortgage and vehicle. We have money set aside every month for the kid’s education funds. We do get to the end of the month in the green, but we always hear friends and co-workers buying this and that and going on trips here and there and we can not afford these things, we are always asking ourselves what are we doing wrong, as we know they do not make as much as we do combined. When you get to the end of the month and all bills etc are paid and there is say $300 left at the end of the month do you just keep it in the account and keep rolling it over to the next month it hopes you don’t spend it or should I be moving any extra cash at the end of the month whether it be $5 or $500 to my money master?? And starting fresh again at the beginning of the month.

Gail Says: Those people who seem to have and do everything also have a lot of debt you can’t see. It’s a shame really, that we don’t walk around with a flashing sign on our foreheads showing our level of indebtedness since that would make those of us who choose to live sensible, balanced financial lives deal with the “WTF” that pops into our minds. If you can’t afford those trips and purchases, and you make the same as they do, then clearly they can’t afford them either which means they’re putting it on credit.

As for what to do with the cash left over at the end of the month, I’d do as you suggest and move it, accumulating it for a special purpose. Assuming you’ve established your emergency fund and are doing what you should for retirement, then why not open up a “vacation” savings account and move the money there so you can watch it accumulate and anticipate your family trip… or whatever it is you want to do as a family.

Keep on keeping on the straight and narrow. I’m going to work hard this year to spread the word about financial literacy and celebrate the people doing the right things. I’m glad to hear you’re one of them.

 

H Wrote: I have question – like so many do! – about retirement planning.

 

I will have all my student loan debt paid off in just three more months! I’ve been very dedicated about paying it down the last couple years, so I am very excited

After that, my goal is to build up my emergency fund to $10, 000 – 6 months of my basic living expenses. I am doing this within my TFSA, and should take me about 5 months (I can just divert what I was paying on my loan to my TFSA). I currently have $6000 in my TFSA.

Then I have to figure out what to do about retirement planning. I opened an RRSP almost a year ago, and I only put in $100/month because I am focused on debt repayment. But once my debt is paid and my EF is where I want it, I need to get more aggressive about retirement saving.

I am not sure if I should be putting most of my eggs into the RRSP basket, or focusing on my TFSA – I have a lot of contribution room that has built up there. Both accounts are basic savings account, so the return is very small. I know I need a better return, but I am a conservative saver – I’ve lived pay cheque to pay cheque and been unemployed before so I am scared to lose the money I have! I have no idea about investing – something I definitely need to put some research into while I am finishing up debt repayment and emergency fund building. I am 33 and earn $61,500 before taxes.

 

Gail Says: So far you’re doing a great job! Wow! I love getting letters like this one. You’ve got your priorities in order and I’m happy to say I don’t have any “corrections” to suggest. As for using the RRSP vests the TFSA, the benefit of the RRSP is the tax-deferred contribution resulting in the tax savings. At your income, your marginal tax rate is about 31%. If you contribute $5000 to an RRSP you’ll reduce your taxes by $1,550. You can then take that $1,550 and put it in a TFSA so instead of putting $5,000 into savings; you’ll have put $6,550 into savings, all for the same $5,000 from your cash flow. Don’t try to catch up too much of your RRSP contribution room at once because you don’t want to reduce your taxes to the point where you’re barely benefitting from the tax deduction. You’re eligible to make a contribution of up to about $11,000 based on the income you described. If you make that contribution you’ll reduce your taxes from $12,277 to $8,850 for a tax savings of $3,427. If you claimed another $3,000 of unused room, you’d reduce your taxes to $7,916, for another $934 in tax savings.

Keep in mind you do not need to be saving that much. Saving is good but you should have a life too. My general rule of thumb is that if you start saving in your 30’s you need to be socking away 10% of your income, in your case sticking about $6,000 away a year. If you can do more comfortably, go ahead. But you have to balance today’s needs and wants with tomorrow’s so don’t go overboard and then end up having a crappy life, k?

 

J Wrote: We’re almost there Gail and I blame you! Or rather I say THANK YOU! My spouse and I had dug a deep hole of debt and after 2 years of buckling down we’re 3 months away from being debt free! We’ve been putting approx $1000-$2000 dollars a month on the debt and it’s not been too much of a struggle, just had to sacrifice a few things that we didn’t need anyway. Your advice has really helped us!

 

We both have ample RRSP and TFSA room which I plan to start filling up once the debt is gone. My employer offers a DC plan, I put 11% in and they give 7%. They also offer a Share purchase plan (non registered) that I can contribute up to 10% of my income with a 10% discount (match) from the employer, each share pays $0.6 in dividends monthly and are reinvested into the plan, current share price today is $14.66, it’s been going up and down since I started but not dramatically, my vested value has always been much higher than the book value. I am maxing out my DC contributions to get the max amount from my employer and putting 5% into the SPP, once the debt is completely gone I’m considering moving that 5% to the max 10%, The 10% discount is free money, it doesn’t make sense not to, right? I’ve been able to make all the contributions (16% of my income) whilst still paying down the debt by $1000-$2000 per month

Unfortunately my spouse’s employer does not offer a pension plan.

 

We are DINKS – Double Income No Kids – and plan to stay that way. I’m a couple days shy of 37 and my spouse turned 40 a couple months ago. We live in Toronto and make a combined gross income of $78,000. We do not own property and have no plans to ever own, at least not in Toronto. I would like to retire at 55. My spouse is content to work till at least 65 if not longer depending on his career path. He may want to open his own business one day. My goal is $1,000,000 once we have that much saved I’m allowing myself to retire.

My real question to you is how should we invest the approx $1000-$2000 monthly that we will have free once the debt is gone? I’m content to have the funds in a higher risk investment till I’m 45ish, this is how I have my DC plan set up right now and it’s growing nicely. The employer 7% match I get is set up as risky as it can be and half of my 11% is going into risky the other half not as risky. Can you give me some investment tips? Maybe some good funds? Or should we go the stock route and live off the dividends in our golden years? What does your portfolio look like?

Gail Says: I am SO glad to hear you are doing so well and that you’ve come to grips with the debt. It’s great that you’re almost debt free. You say you’re taking advantage of your company pension plan and that’s great. Do you also have an emergency fund set up? That should be part of your plan. And since your husband does not have a company pension plan an RRSP is a good idea for him to save for retirement. Since you are getting a 100% match on your company stock, it is a great idea. But be careful of becoming overweighed in that single asset. If you have the option of cashing out the vested stock from time to time you should consider reducing your exposure and rebalancing your overall investment portfolio.

I do not make investment recommendations. I have a broker who advises me on the markets (I don’t have the time to stay that close to what’s going on). And you can’t use my portfolio as a guide for yours. You are much younger with a longer term investment horizon. I am in my capital preservation stage so I use things like preferred shares which do not grow dramatically but offer steady income.

My only caution as you’re investing is to make sure you understand what you’re buying so you’re prepared for any ups and downs.

 

 

J Wrote: I am fortunate enough to have a fabulous husband who is a fantastic father and likes to save money like myself, we are both 30. I am lucky to have a job that provides a defined benefit pension that will replace 70 percent of my ending salary. I max out my TFSA as well. My husband maxes out his TFSA each year and puts away between 10 and 12 percent of his gross income into an RRSP. We have no debt and our mortgage will be paid off in 4 years. My question is should we be contributing more? My thought has been not to put anything into my personal RRSP as it just creates a tax liability when I retire and my pension will be a significant amount. Is it better to contribute our extras at the end of the year to a non-registered account in my name? Or should the extra go into my husband’s RRSP?

Gail Says: Wow, look how strong your personal economy is! Well done. You don’t mention if you have an emergency fund. If you have money designated for emergencies, great, if not, I’d get busy building up a stash of cash just in case. You’re right to use the TFSA to supplement your DBP, that’s a good strategy. You could build a non-registered investment portfolio if you want to keep building assets. Alternatively, you could assume a larger share of the household costs so your husband has more money to max out his RRSP/TFSA. You’re doing well in the savings department and in eliminating your debt. Please also make sure you’ve covered your risks: emergencies, life and disability insurance.

 

 

 

 

Moroccan Chicken Pie

The first time Alex had to work with phyllo pastry she almost had a conniption. She had huge expectations about how hard it would be to work with. And it didn’t help that she’s a follow-the-recipe cook (particularly for new things) and I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants and improvise girl.

Anyhoo, she learned that it really isn’t all that hard and that phyllo is remarkably forgiving… you just add another layer of pastry if your tear, rip, or otherwise screw up the last one.

I know this sounds like a lot of different spices for one dish, but it is wonderful, so be brave.

This dish has become a staple in our recipe roster and freezer. Yes! You can freeze them and reheat them in the oven. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but the results are soooooo worth it!

 

Moroccan Chicken Pie

3 tbs olive oil
1 large sweet onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large carrot, grated or chopped
2 tbs chopped fresh ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
3 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp cayenne
Salt & pepper to taste
4 tbs chopped dried apricots
4 cups poached* chicken breast-meat, shredded (reserve the liquid you poached the chicken)
¼ cup chopped coriander
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 box frozen phyllo pastry defrosted
1/3 cup pistachios
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbs icing sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

 

Cook it up:

Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, garlic and ginger. Stir until onions start to soften.
Add cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander and cayenne. Continue to stir for about 5 minutes. Add reserved liquid from poached chicken.
Add chicken and apricots. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Let cool and then stir in coriander and parsley.
Grind pistachios in a pestle. Add cinnamon and icing sugar. This will be used when you assemble the pie.

 

To assemble:

Square off your phyllo. It comes in rectangles, so you’ll have to cut off an end to square. Keep the cut off pieces. Remember to keep your phyllo covered with a damp cloth so it doesn’t dry out. This is the most important thing about working with phyllo so before you start, dampen two or three clean dishcloths that you can use to cover the phyllo as you work with it. Don’t skip this step!
Lay a square of phyllo out, brush with butter, sprinkle with pistachio mixture.
Lay another square of phyllo on top and repeat. You want 4 layers in all.
Fill a small bowl (packed tight) with the chicken mixture and invert in the centre of the phyllo sheet. Press down.
Fold the corners of the square in, brushing the underside of the last fold with butter before closing.
When it comes to using the ‘non-square’ remaining phyllo, lay them down two together and rotate the layers to strengthen the ‘package’. So the first layer would be laid horizontally on your working surface and the second layer would be laid vertically, and so on. Use 5 layers instead of 4.
Bake finished pies at 375 degrees.

 

*To poach chicken, put breasts in a single layer in a dish with 1/3 cup white wine and 1/3 cup stock or water and a bay leaf. Cover tightly and cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes minutes.

 

The HPV Vaccine

I remember when Alex was about 15 or 16 it was strongly recommended that she get the then-new Gardasil vaccine which was purported to reduce the chance of cervical cancer. The vaccine was being given to girls as young as nine.

Then the lead developer of HPV Vaccines took to warning parents and young girls not to take the vaccines that are being flogged hard as “necessary.”

Dr. Diane Harper was the lead researcher in the development of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines, Gardasil™ and Cervarix™.  She is the latest in a long string of experts pressing the red alert button on the devastating consequences and irrelevancy of these vaccines.  Dr. Harper made her surprising confession at the 4th International Conference on Vaccination.  Her speech, which was originally intended to promote the benefits of the vaccines, took a 180-degree turn when she chose instead to clean her conscience about the deadly vaccines so she “could sleep at night”.

“Dr. Harper explained in her presentation that the cervical cancer risk in the U.S. is already extremely low, and that vaccinations are unlikely to have any effect upon the rate of cervical cancer in the United States.  In fact, 70% of all HPV infections resolve themselves without treatment in a year, and the number rises to well over 90% in two years.  Harper also mentioned the safety angle.  All trials of the vaccines were done on children aged 15 and above, despite them currently being marketed for 9-year-olds.

So far, 15,037 girls have reported adverse side effects from Gardasil™, and this number only reflects parents who underwent the hurdles required for reporting adverse reactions.   44 girls are officially known to have died from these vaccines.  The reported side effects include Guillian Barré Syndrome (paralysis lasting for years, or permanently — sometimes eventually causing suffocation), lupus, seizures, blood clots, and brain inflammation.

About eight in every ten women who have been sexually active will have HPV at some stage of their life. Normally there are no symptoms, and in 98% of cases it clears itself.  But in those cases where it doesn’t, and isn’t treated, it can lead to pre-cancerous cells which may develop into cervical cancer.’”

Although these two vaccines are marketed as protection against cervical cancer, studies have proven “there is no demonstrated relationship between the condition being vaccinated for and the rare cancers that the vaccine might prevent, but it is marketed to do that nonetheless.  In fact, there is no actual evidence that the vaccine can prevent any cancer.  From the manufacturers own admissions, the vaccine only works on 4 strains out of 40 for a specific venereal disease that dies on its own in a relatively short period, so the chance of it actually helping an individual is about about the same as the chance of her being struck by a meteorite.”

As the world’s pharmaceutical giants continue to be driven less by moral accountability and more by profit and shareholder-driven bottom lines, we are going to see more and more products such as this vaccine which are marketed as “essential to one’s survival.”  While some vaccines are indeed essential, such as vaccines for polio and measles, the HPV vaccine is a new beast entirely.

While Dr. Harper has subsequently said that the brouhaha was a fabrication and that she never said the vaccine was dangerous, and a number of news outlets subsequently retracted the story, when you look back over years of stories where she’s quoted, it’s hard to believe she didn’t think there was some danger.

Want to do some reading for yourself?

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/19/1405439...

http://www.globalresearch.ca/human-pa...

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gardasil-...

http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-women/2009…

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/...

 

Addendum: This blog seems to be causing quite a stir. It was not intended as an anti-vaccine blog… I do not subscribe to the “all vaccines are bad” theory. However, I have done a lot of reading on this particular vaccine and chose to share what I found. So, some additional gas for your blaze peeps:

1. Director General of the French Agency for Safety of Health Products (AFSSAPS) found the sponsor of several Gardasil ads to be in direct violation of the French public health code. FRANCE ended up banning the advertising.

2. Despite all claims stating Gardasil contained ‘no viral DNA’ Dr. Sin Hang Lee, of Milford Hospital and Milford Molecular Laboratory discovered there were indeed fragments of HPV-11, HPV-16 and HPV-18 L1 DNA firmly attached to Merck’s proprietary aluminum adjuvant in 100% of the samples he tested

3.  Professor Martina Doren, with the Clinical Research Center of Women’s Health at Charite-Universita tsmedizin in Berlin wrote: “For approximately two years now, cervical cancer has been “converted” from an oncological disease to an infectious disease, which is said to be preventable by and large by two vaccines licensed in many countries. However, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines differ from existing others, as the former target a condition which only in a minute fraction of infections will lead to serious consequences, but after a long(er) latency period. Furthermore, it should be kept in mind that in clinical trials, the quadrivalent vaccine was tested in fewer than 1200 girls 16 years and younger.”

 

As to this being beyond my expertise, I am a mother with a daughter who was offered this vaccine, and did my due diligence before I hopped on the bandwagon. I am sharing what I learned. So much publicity goes into the selling of this vaccine. (Just like all those brochures for Group RESPs that show up in doctors’ offices!) Sadly, very little that we should be aware of is being brought to light on the downsides. This was my kick at the cat.

Creating Positive Karma

Do you believe in Karma? You know, that idea that holds, “What goes around, comes around,” or “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” because they will.

I believe in Karma. I believe that when you take advantage of people, lie to your partner, disappoint your friends, it makes for an unhappy life because you’re looking at some lies and disappointments in your own future. I also believe in small acts of kindness adding up over time and paying off in spades, just when you need it most.

I like to leave quarters in shopping carts for the next person to come along and find. I smile every time I think about that person trying to find a quarter, and then coming upon a cart that doesn’t need one. Since I’ve personally been on the receiving end of the quarter, and enjoyed the experience, I continue to pass it on. I hold doors for people with their arms full of packages or children, wait patiently for elderly folks to shuffle out of the way, and smile at anyone who looks me in the eye. All these small things are returned to me because people are kind to me, are willing to help me out when I’m messing up, and equally willing to smile at me.

Karma is kind of like saving money; you stick a little away every day, week, month, knowing that this positive action will pay back when you need it most. You’re not “owed” a repayment of your good will or effort; you’re simply trusting that what goes around will come around. It is faith in the fact that when you do the right thing, you will generate positive things for yourself in the future.

Karma applies to lots of aspects of life from your relationships with your co-workers, to your attitude toward your neighbours; from your focus on being financially balanced, to your commitment to keeping a work/life balance.

If you believe in Karma, you know that not paying your creditors can’t be a good thing. The negative energy created by defaulting doesn’t add to your overall positive aura. But having a plan to become debt free can carry a huge positive aura, particularly since each time you execute a step in your plan you’re creating a wave of positive energy that will move you forward.

Not respecting the energy you’ve exchanged for money is another way of creating negative Karma. Money is, after all, your energy converted into currency. Go ahead and rip up a $20 bill (not really, it’s against the law; just imagine it.) How do you feel about how hard you had to work to make that $20 and the sense of loss for that wasted energy? You should feel the same way whenever you waste money on crap when you KNOW you don’t have your financial house in order. Rest assured that it is only a matter of time before that waste comes and bites you in the butt.

Money, in and of itself, doesn’t mean anything. It’s what you do with the money. And since all action creates Karma (if you believe in Karma), then what you do with your money creates Karma. Money is a tool, a means to an end. If you don’t know the end you want to achieve, you’re likely spinning your wheels and building up a lot of negative energy where, with a plan, you could be creating positive Karma.

Take the Time Test

We have so much to do. Life is busy. There’s just no time.

Life can feel so rushed, so out of control sometimes. And the things we say are important end up taking a backseat to the things that must be dealt with. We get to the end of the day, the end of the month, the end of the year and wonder where the time went.

Here is a truth I want you to mull over: How you spend your time is a reflection of what’s important to you. Sure, you say you’d like to spend more time cooking, seeing friends or working on a project. But if you don’t, if you spend your time doing things other than those you declare are important to you, you’re just talking a good game.

It’s easy to put the things we say are important on the back burner and let life be the tail the wags the dog. But the true test of what’s important to you is how you spend your time right now.

So what is important to you? Make a list of the things that are important and then order them in priority. Your kids. Your mate. Your best friend. Work. Learning a new skill (what is it?). Finishing a project. Getting your debt paid off. Saving for a home. Preparing financially to start a family.

What are your priorities?

I like having time to think. I’m big on thinking. I’m a writer, an ideas girl. So if I don’t have time to think, I can’t write. And if I’m not writing, I actually ache.

When I was shooting Money Moron, the production schedule was so unbelievably tight I worked 7 days a week for about 3 months. It was hell. And I had no time to think, no time to write. I was whining to Alex, my daughter, just how crappy I was feeling. It was more than being tired. It was as if there was something huge missing from my life.

“When was the last time you wrote something?” she asked. Such a wise monkey, my daughter.

“I haven’t had time,” I said. The lights weren’t going off even though the question was very pointed.

“Haven’t I heard you say that writing is like breathing for you?” she asked.

“Ummm.”

“So you’re not breathing. Could that be why you feel so crappy?”

“Huh,” I said. “Yup, that could definitely be it.”

Think about your past week. Go and look at your calendar. How much time did you spend on the things you consider important? How much time did you give to your major priorities?

If you treat your time with little respect, if you allow your time to be wasted or focus your time on things that are not very important to you, ask yourself why. Why do you say ‘yes’ to attending an event when all you really want to do is read a book? Why do you agree to participate in a meeting when you’d rather finish a report you’ve been working on? Why do you erode time spent on your priorities for the sake of someone else’s priorities?

This is an actual exercise, something you should do to see how you use your time. There are so many books, courses, thoughts about how to better manage time when the most important step is to aware of how you’re currently using your time. Once you know that, you can take steps to rebalance so your time is your own.

This & That: Questions I Get All the Time Edition

B Wrote: I do not think of myself as a spender and make good wages. I somehow still rarely have money. Are you able to go over my accounts and see if I am a Money Moron? I am happy to pay for your time and would love every tip you have to offer. I really enjoy your ‘straight from the hip’ approach and also watching your programs. It is so sad how credit has affected society.

Gail Says: You have no idea how many times a week I get this request.  I suggest you do the spending analysis yourself. Gather six months worth of all your bank statements, CC statements and the like. Create categories like food, shelter, clothes, entertainment, transportation, and the like and identify what you spent over six months in each category. Take the total and divide by six to come up with your average spend each month for each category.

I’m hoping you’ll take responsibility for your own analysis. It’s the first step in creating a sound financial foundation, and it proves you have the gumption to take the next steps.

 

L Wrote: In your episode “The Juggling Act”. I missed what the kids jars were for. Of course, I got Charity and Spending but did not get the 3rd jar (which technically was the first one to deal with). I’m assuming Expenses? Money/Allowance?

I’ve searched the web and could not find an answer. I also, sadly, live in the US and I cannot get a video of your show to find out.

If you could answer this for me, I’d greatly appreciate it. His name was Wojeck and hers, I believe was Sharon. Work at home mom.

This was the best show on. I love it. And I love your approach.

Gail Says: I suggest that parents encourage kids to manage their allowances using 4 jars: saving, sharing, planned spending and mad-money. Saving = 10%; sharing = 5%. Planned spending and mad money are divvied up based on what the child wants to accumulate money for versus just spending when out shopping.

 

T Wrote: My husband and I are 3 years away from having no more mortgage. But in the process we have occurred $26000 in debt on our line of credit. I am trying to work with him on a realistic budget from your site. But my job is only 10 months a year. I am an Educational Assistant on contract. We have three teenagers and one with special needs. My question to you is: should we eliminate our credit cards and live on cash or take my hubby’s advice and use both?

Gail Says: You, like many, have joined the rush to mortgage-free only to find yourself accruing debt on other — usually more expensive — forms of credit. I strongly recommend you slow down on the mortgage repayment and get that line of credit gone. The line of credit debt is callable, meaning the bank can ask for the money back at any time.

If you’ve been overspending on your credit cards and then paying them off with the line of credit, the problem is you’re not tracking what you’re spending. I suggest one of two things:

Put the cards on hold (report them lost so new ones are issued, but don’t activate them) until the LOC debt is gone, or
Start tracking your money The Gail Way using a spending journal, a cash flow budget, and the determination not to put a penny on a credit card that you don’t already have the money to pay off. This will keep your credit history healthy while you stop accruing more debt.

You’ll also need a debt repayment plan, a solid one with an end date, to get that LOC paid off. To have it gone by the time you’re mortgage free, you’ll have to come up with $722 on top of whatever interest you’re paying every month. It’ll be a slog. But so worth it to be debt free. Failing that, you can delay being mortgage free for a few more years and clear up the LOC faster.

 

F Wrote: I am recently separated, and I need your guidance now as I embark on my own financially. I work full time as a Montessori Assistant and earn approximately $30,000.00 a year. My husband is in High Tech and earns approximately $109,000.00 a year. We have been married for 36 years. We have a home that is worth approximately $600,000.00 with a $200,000.00 mortgage that we just renewed in June 2013. I have approximately $40,000.00 in savings and my husband has $119,000.00. He has a problem with credit card debt but is in denial. Our financial adviser advised us to consolidate our debt load into the mortgage last June which we did and advised us to liquidate a family boat that was financially draining. My husband refused to let go of the boat, and does not feel that he has a credit card problem. We are now in the process of legally separating; with no chance of reuniting. My husband is renting a room because he cannot afford an apartment, the boat and for me to live in the house. He wants me to rent out rooms in our home to help cover expenses or sell the house. If we sell the house I feel I have no financial security for the future as I have invested all my inheritance into the house over the years, as well as I have cashed in my RRSP’s over the years to maintain the upkeep of the house. We will also have to pay a penalty to get out of the mortgage early, real estate fees and legal fees to sell the property, which will mean that there is not a lot left over for investing for the future. My lawyer has sent me a Net Family Property Statement stating that my husband owes me approximately $54,000.00. Plus the division of the matrimonial home valued at approx. $300,000.00 (my share). I want to move on with my life in a positive and healthy way, physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially. What do you recommend that I do moving forward in my financial future, and are you available to guide me going forward.

Gail Says: I am not the person to guide you through the legalities of what you may be entitled to. (Nor do I take private clients.) That’s why I’m involved with The Common Sense Divorce. It’s an entire team of experts. I can tell you that the fact that you put your inheritance into the home has no bearing whatsoever from a legal point of view. Nor does the fact that you cashed in your retirement savings. The matrimonial home is a 50/50 asset and that’s pretty well that. After 36 years of marriage, the difference in your incomes should come into play. Has your lawyer indicated how much you can expect to receive in terms of spousal support and for how long? You also do not mention if he has a company pension plan (or is that the $119K to which you referred), and has your lawyer talked to you about income splitting on your CPP?

If it were my decision to make — it is yours — I would sell the house, using the assets to buy a much smaller and less-expensive home. Keep in mind that the carrying costs on a home will be with you forever. My home, which I own outright, still costs me about $1,100 a month to carry. Your other alternative would be to bank the money from the home as savings for your future retirement and rent. You have to balance your needs today, with your future needs, which aren’t that far down the road. I would take any cash I got by way of settlement and catch up my retirement savings.

Moving on is the best thing you can do. I’m sorry your marriage has ended in disappointment, I know how it feels. But there is a great amount of joy ahead of you if you take the time to figure out what you really want.

 

D Wrote: I am one of your raving fans out of Alpine Utah. How can I purchase the Kindle version of your book “Money Rules”? I tried but the Amazon.com site said that because of the copyright I can not purchase it in the U.S.

Gail Says: I’m sorry; no U.S. publisher has purchased the rights to the book, so it is not available in the U.S. If you wish to buy a copy from me (I’ll even autograph it,) it’ll cost $20 for the book and another $20 for shipping/handling. Email me at getgvo@gmail.com.