Archives for October 31, 2019

‘Do you see what I see?’ a song?

Today I went to review the work of the Highways contractor charged with the responsibility of ‘fixin da roads’. They/it were ripping up roads south of Penticton that did not need help but our dear old Tuc el Nuit Drive…… not done, not fixed, not complete.

And the reasons – none that are apparent. Too cold, hot mix not available, ?? Folks this is not rocket science. Pavement invented when ?

Note to Clarence,
Note to Linda,

This is our road and no one seems to care.

MOTI the only ministry I know that hides….. rarely showing it’s face to the public that pays the bills.

Only one pix here – need more? – I can send

Over the past few weeks, I have written about the general lack of financial literacy in our youth and the almost complete absence of teaching these skills in our school systems. In the final article of this three-part series, I will continue the discussion of ideas you can use to help pass on these important lessons to the teenagers in your lives and look at some strategies that will help older teens.

By the time your teens turn 16 they should know that they will have to save and budget for the things that they want. While you may find it difficult, now is the time to increase their financial independence. This can be done in many different fashions but here are a few suggestions:

Consider giving your teen enough money to cover things like clothing for the year at the beginning of the school year. Make it very clear that they won’t be getting any more money and it will be up to them to budget appropriately. Most teens crave more independence and responsibility so use it to provide some valuable financial skills.

Instead of handing them cash, deposit money directly to their bank accounts and have them manage their funds via online banking and a credit card with a low limit. At the beginning, make sure to go over month end bank and credit card statements together and use these times to discuss how credit card interest is calculated and illustrate how quickly debt can compound.

If your teen has a part time job, encourage them to “pay themselves first” by putting away 10 per cent of each pay cheque into a long term investment account meant only for their retirement. While the urge to use this money for a car or even school will be high, starting them on the retirement savings path this early can have a profoundly positive impact on their future.

Bring your teen along to a meeting with your financial advisor who can open an investment account for them and help illustrate how powerful compounding can be over the 45+ years until they retire. A simple investment growth calculator, which can be easily found online, can illustrate how immense a small and regular contribution can grow to if given enough time.

Another very worthwhile exercise is to have your teen create a hypothetical budget for leaving home. They should put together a list of how much they would need for rent, vehicles, utilities, food, entertainment and other expenses. Once it’s complete, provide them with a sample paycheque for an entry level job, net of taxes, CPP and other deductions of course.

Now have your teen start reconciling their expenses by trimming enough out of their budget to balance out. It can be a great benefit for older teens to perform this “dress rehearsal” and you have all the resources at home to put the budget together. You can use your existing monthly bills to help illustrate what their expenses might look like.

Attempting to teach financial literacy is an intimidating and often overwhelming project but if you don’t do it, who will? It is never too early to start and if you don’t feel comfortable or capable, consider enlisting some help from a family member, friend and/or your own financial planner.

Saving properly and spending wisely are not the dominant cultural values in North America these days. As a parent, you will be going against the grain when you attempt to pass on some worthwhile lessons and values. But, with some honest discussion and realistic goal setting, hopefully you can help your own teens buck the trend and move in the right direction to achieve their own dreams.

 

This column is written by Michelle Weisheit CFP, IG Wealth Management and presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments.  Please contact your own advisor for specific advice about your situation.

I didn’t like the sign here on Tuc-el-nuit Drive during the campaign. It blocked a great view.  A number of comments in the region  – that did not appreciate the sign and a few other things done
in Penticton – that affected her vote count.

So was this de-construction done by a happy ND Pee’r, a disgruntled Tory, a Green Man on a white horse, a Liberal with a grin, a PPC’s who failed to generate much interest or just another yahoo who says

” I never vote but I hate big signs ” ?

Left FHTS President Ed Schmalz receive cheque from gifter Brian Wilson, Executive Director the Okanagan Archive Trust Society of Penticton.

The grant comes with no strings other than it to be used for historical purposes.

Left Katie Hadwin receives and the gifter – Oliver Elks President Darren Baptiste for the “Any Child can join” program.

Nearly 18 million Canadians voted with turnout of about 66%
4,774,963 voted at advance polls
111,300 voted on campus at one of 119 temporary Elections Canada offices between October 5 and October 9
34,324 voted by mail from abroad
365 ordinary polling stations on reserves
26.9 million voter information cards distributed across Canada
300,000 (approx.) people helped deliver the election across Canada’s 338 electoral districts

27.4 million Electors
300,000 Election workers (approximately)
338 Electoral districts
506 Local Elections Canada offices
20,000 Polling places

2.1 million km2 Canada’s largest electoral district (Nunavut)
6 km2 Canada’s smallest electoral district (Toronto–Centre)
81,065 Average number of electors per electoral district
90 Truckloads of election materials sent across Canada
105,140 Ballot boxes
257,000 Voting pencils (that’s about 45 km of pencils laid end to end)

Photo by Richard (Dick) Cannings
Looking west to Bench and Summerland below

Interesting facts Election 2019

Top two candidates # number of ballots

Penticton: 8629
Oliver: 2153
Grand Forks: 1958
Castlegar: 1879
Osoyoos: 1648
Trail: 1613

We acknowledge that other candidates were running but interesting to look at turnout for top two candidates in the major centres of South Okanagan-West Kootenay