Monthly Link Love - Woozy Edition | Sustainable Personal Finance

By Sustainable PF

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It is that time once again for our monthly link love. ?I?ve been sick this week. ?I started writing this post as some cold meds wore off and finished it as new cold meds kicked in. ?So I am a bit woozy ? hopefully this round up makes sense!

• ?Count me as one who is no fan of a monopoly or oligopoly. ?When the Canadian ETF giant iShares (67% market share) buys Claymore (15.5% market share) to gain a whopping 82.5% share of the ETF market I have to agree with Canadian Capitalist that this partnership is not good for clients. ?Choice is good. ?Choice is healthy. ?Competition makes the market work.
• I am a sucker for super hero/power posts. ?Andrea @ So Over Debt tells us about a number of ways to get out of debt fast by using super powers.
• Invest It Wisely is no longer working for the man deciding instead to freelance. ?He explains why he quit his job and what he plans to do next. ?IIW is a pal of mine and I am confident he will make it work. ?For that matter I might even lend him a hand.
• Interesting post at Beating Broke, one that would seemingly be contrary to what we write about here at Sustainable Personal Finance, about how electric cars might be worse for the planet than their gas guzzling counter parts. ?For now perhaps, long term? ?No chance (peak oil + improving electric generation capacity and technology).
• Becoming Minimalist has 35 things he hopes his kids will say about their Dad. ?I share his sentiments and hope lil? SPF thinks these things about me too.
• Did you go to summer camp? ?I did and I loved it. ?My summer camp experiences helped define me as I am today. ?Common Cents Mom told us about remembering summer camp and provided a great resource for folks wanting to learn more.
• It is 6pm and you have taken 2 bites of your supper. ?The phone rings and you are 96% sure it is a telemarketer. ?How do you react if you happen to pick up the phone? ?How about if the voice on the other end of the line is pushy? Or won?t take ?no? for an answer? ?Money Beagle pleads a case that we shouldn?t yell at telemarketers. ?The one thing I noticed did not get discussed is that while the voice on the line is often powerless regarding what they are told they have to do they do have one option: get a new job.
• Some blogs stick to informational topics. ?Interesting topics but these can?t be nearly as gripping as someone laying it all out there for her readers such as Andrea @ Nickel by Nickel did when she told a story about herself: Wanderlust, loss and purpose. ?Great insight into how Andrea might just be a square peg refusing to try to fit into a round hole.
• Banks sure don?t make it easy to switch from using their services to that of a competitor. ?Flexo wrote a really handy bank switch kit check list post that will help you next time you drop a lousy bank.
• Ever wondered how to start your own business in Canada? ?I have and the article by Frugal Zeitgeist is a very hand resource.

Next up the editor selections!

Editor Picks!

Food waste drives me nuts (excuse the pun). Items go into the fridge ? new or leftover ? and inevitably something doesn?t get eaten. ?I liken this to grabbing bills from my wallet, tossing them in the toilet and flushing. ?There should be no excuse for wasting food! ?JD over @ Get Rich Slowly didn?t really talk about food waste but he did question food storage norms which I find interesting as I have never questioned my habits about how I store food (in the fridge or otherwise).

There is a fantastic list over at Daily Money Shot: Now That I?m a Mom I Can ? Great list and Jana?s site is on my must read list now. ?Being a new parent this post rang so very true to us.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the Smith Manoeuvre here in Canada. ?Why? ?It is the only way to making your mortgage interest tax deductible (plus you end up with a portfolio of stocks). ?On the other hand you also end up with a large debt on your HELOC. ?Passive Income Earner takes a close look at one of my favourite PF topics by?examining?How to Assess if the Smith Manoeuvre is Good For You.

Obviously no one wants to think about the worst case scenario. ?However, when it comes to choosing a legal guardian for your child your hand is forced. ?Elle @ Couple Money has recently been weighing this difficult question as have Mrs. SPF and I. ?Far from an easy decision.

EDITOR CHOICE!

Over at Prairie Eco Thrifter A.Blinkin wrote about selecting vacation days and how he optimizes his time off. ?We do the exact same thing but according the author we?re in the advanced class for planning the use of our compressed work week, statutory holidays, vacation time and this year paternity leave. ?Doesn?t everyone try to get a whole week off (9 days if you count the bookend weekends) and using up only 3-4 vacation days to do so?

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Source: http://sustainablepersonalfinance.com/monthly-link-love-woozy-edition/

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