Posts by Robb Engen
Weekend Reading: Another Rate Cut Edition
The Bank of Canada cut interest rates again this week – putting its key overnight rate at 0.50 percent – amid talk of weak economic growth and fear of a recession. While not great news for the Canadian economy and our falling loonie, the move is welcome for those like me who have variable rate…
Read MoreAmazon’s #PrimeDayFail
Amazon held a one-day sale Wednesday that was billed to be bigger than Black Friday. It was not. On Prime Day, the online behemoth offered a smattering of deals to customers who had purchased its $79 annual Prime membership, a service which gives members free two-day shipping on most items, plus cloud storage for photos…
Read MoreA Well-Endowed Retirement Fund
College Athletics is a world of haves and have-nots. At the pinnacle of intercollegiate sport is the University of Texas, which boasts annual revenues in excess of $165 million and aims to have a $200 million operating budget by 2020. Texas is one of just a handful of self-funded athletics programs in the country. Money…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Summer Holiday Edition
My wife and I enjoy spending our summer vacation in the beautiful B.C. interior. This year we’re venturing a little further than usual, travelling to Kelowna and staying 10 nights in the Okanagan. It’ll be great to see my parents for the first time since they moved to Kelowna from Calgary last summer. We were worried how our…
Read MoreWhen Free Isn’t Exactly Free: The Shocking Truth About Aeroplan Rewards
As the competition for travel rewards heats up one recurring problem for the Aeroplan rewards program is that its members are on the hook to pay for any fees, taxes, and fuel surcharges when they redeem their points for travel. Other travel rewards programs, such as RBC’s Avion, TD’s First Class, and CIBC’s Aventura, allow…
Read MoreNet Worth Update: 2015 Mid-Year Review
I like to take a snapshot of my financial situation every six months to review my progress and make sure I’m on track to reach my goals. I want to be a millionaire by the end of 2021 – the year I turn 41 – and become financial free by 2025. That’s the dream, anyway.…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Sourdough Edition
My wife loves to bake and earlier this year she decided to make her own sourdough starter to keep up with all the bread we eat. After a couple of weeks of trial and error – following a starter-along sourdough series online – she was able to harvest a usable starter for bread-making. It’s great to have a fresh…
Read MoreGetting Personal: The Evolution Of Loyalty Programs
Scanning the weekly flyers and clipping coupons is a great Canadian tradition but – like the landline telephone, VCRs, and analog TV – coupons and flyers are on their way out. Retailers are moving their loyalty programs online and developing smart phone applications to get more personal with their offers. Rapid advances in technology, coupled with…
Read MoreWeekend Reading: Losing The Signal Edition
When I started working as a hotel sales manager we used MiKE phones on the old Telus push-to-talk network. I didn’t own a smart-phone until 2007, when our hotel group decided to arm its sales staff and senior management with the new Blackberry Curve. Email on-the-go was a game changer for sales staff, who were no longer tied to their…
Read MoreHome Buyer’s Regret?
A discussion on Rob Carrick’s Facebook page today started with a question about debt – how big a priority is it for you to reduce debt? Top priority Important, but not my main financial goal I’m chugging away at debt repayment, and that’s fine No debt I answered (2): We put any extra money toward…
Read More