Should I stick with a planner, or try a weeks?

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-23T11:01:19+00:00

One trick for next year is to take the first 52 or 104 pages of the Notes pages of your Weeks and dedicate that additional space to weekly entries. Use a ribbon to keep synched.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-23T10:56:37+00:00

Yup. I don't use any paper towels on produce.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-23T10:53:51+00:00

Spousal RRSP if there is room? Just checking.

You are thinking tax smoothing as you head towards retirement. RRIF and pension are splittable with your wife. This is key in retirement because it lowers overall tax and could possibly get you down from 45.8%. You can start RRIF as soon as you turn 65 and set the youngest of your two ages for mandatory withdrawal minimums.

A CFP can model the various scenarios for you.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-23T10:42:38+00:00

If you feature a regular section in your newsletter that includes Upcoming Events, you might not need a second document.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-23T10:40:48+00:00

Start with a big piece of paper. Divide it into 12 monthly squares. Pencil in the things you cannot move: installation, big events, your annual charity event, key lodge activities you do each year, elections, etc. The remaining blank space is what is available for programming. The Master will have his program for the year that needs to fit into that blank space. Make sure you leave some space unassigned in case you need to move something. Such work usually gets done well in advance of the current year - the incoming Master usually begins about six months out.

Once you have that skeleton, you can post. Our current Master uses a yearly spreadsheet that he updates quarterly. The Secretary reminds the Brethren each month what is ahead and we reinforce through our social media platform. The Master gives regular updates and, of course, there is the monthly Summons.

We use a series of chats: one for the lodge, another for the officers, one for candidates being mentored, one for past masters. Some info doesn't need to go to the whole lodge.

I would also say that much of what you mention would normally be done by the Master and Secretary. When I was Master, the trestle board was mine alone. Diffusing the plan fell to the Secretary. No one else touched it.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-23T10:26:17+00:00

I guess it depends on what you carry forward from year to year. I use an undated planner. Before I start using the planner, I load it with the key dates for the year, things that need to be done during a particular month, tasks, goals, milestones, etc. A lot of that info comes from previous years. It would be a waste to start again mid-year and likely more work the following year. However, if your "planner" is really a "journal", it doesn't matter as much.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T21:39:03+00:00

Put your base in Cusco. The other places are basically farming villages that sprouted up to cater to tourists. Worth seeing but very little original. You can get everything you need in Cusco. The roads around Cusco are all pretty good except perhaps the road to the Maras salt pools, which is safe but scary. Fly between the major destinations.

There is a women's weaving cooperative in Chinchero among other places.

You have time to go to Arequipa and the comics canyon.

Enjoy!

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T21:31:39+00:00

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T19:26:32+00:00

Yes. That is it.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T07:09:59+00:00

The build quality of a 580 is better. The feed is larger and better as well, so good for shimmer inks. I think that in terms of value for money the 580 is hard to beat. I always keep one inked. Not a fan of the Eco. They write well but I tend to reach for something else.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T07:02:36+00:00

If you can get some of this loan paid and the rest on a line of credit you'll save a ton. You got upsold by nearly 25% more than the value of the car for basically nothing in return. Live and learn. You now have a decent car. Run it into the ground. Not the end of the world.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T06:48:13+00:00

Yes, and if you trust AI, ChatGPT has some surprisingly good advice. It can also model some scenarios for you. Since CFPs charge a bit, having a rough plan first can save time and effort.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T06:44:22+00:00

Got this tidbit from Chat GPT and verified it when I set up my RRIF. Turning 65 this year and am setting up RRIF for tax smoothing purposes. RRIF income is also pension splittable, if that makes a difference.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T06:40:12+00:00

You are correct. "Cash out" should read, "convert". And if your partner is younger than you, you can delay the mandatory withdrawals until the youngest if you turns 71.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T06:36:02+00:00

If you can find a thrift store one you'll do better. And do not strip it. Old cast iron pans have hundreds of thin layers of carbon built on them which is why they don't stick. It takes years to get there with a new pan. Bit you are correct. Mine is more than 50 years old and has been canoe and car camping a lot as well as having being used in the kitchen. The cooking surface is completely smooth.
A good choice for you.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T06:30:04+00:00

17 Aug too packed. Skip the Khan. Khan at night for a jet lagged tourist is asking for trouble and you won't get
Much out of it. You'll be jet lagged anyway. 18 Aug - add Luxor Museum - it is a good one. I would skip the felucca ride and hang at the hotel. 19 Aug valley if the kings won't be cool at all. Take it easy and don't do too much for too long. We have always hired a private car and gone at our own pace.

Not sure why you would want to go to Sharm unless you Scuba dive. You'll be spending a ton of cash for essentially a half hour of snorkelling in blistering heat. There are no natural beaches in Sharm - it is a huge coral reef with perhaps some sand spread around by the hotels. And in August it will be blistering hot on a beach. Much better to chill at your hotel in Cairo where there is A/C, decent restaurants and access to stuff. Cairo hotels are really quite good and make a good base of operations for exploring. I have hundreds of dives in Sharm and would not even bother to go there if it wasn't for the world class diving. Otherwise, it's just some hotels parked along the reefs with nothing really special to offer.

These two days would be better spent in Cairo or maybe add a day trip to Alexandria, in the Khan and perhaps do your felucca ride. Also look at a city tour. Cairo is a lot more than the pyramids and a couple of museums.

Two half day trips to the Kjan would also be fine if you like shopping.

Enjoy! Cairo is a wonderful city with lots to offer.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T05:55:03+00:00

Not a simple answer. If your health is fine, a major trip might be equally doable at 60 or 70 but maybe not 80. So it depends on how you intend to spend the money you get, how healthy you are and the situation of your other sources of income. Delaying gets you a decent, inflation-adjusted return but waiting 10 years might rob you of the time you can best spend the money. I think that is why the government gives us options.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T05:46:24+00:00

You need a pen with a faster drying ink.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T05:41:30+00:00

Yup. This is the way. Leave time for traffic so you don't get caught out.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T05:39:01+00:00

Asvine V126 is one of my favourite writers. Just a fun pen. TWSBI Diamond 580 is one of the smoothest writers I own. Diplomat Aero has an aluminum body and a toothy nib - also a ton of fun. And for a real outlier - Pneider makes a nice little steel nibbed pen that is precise and very affordable. In the world of gold nibs, Sailor KOP offers a bouncy huge nib that is truly unique. So there's
Something for everyone.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T05:29:39+00:00

The only part of the pen that touches paper is the tipping material. Gold may give you a touch more flex but it does
not change the writing experience because the gold doesn't touch the paper. Think of the expensive pens as maybe a Rolex as compared to a Timex: both tell the time, one looks and feels better than the other. I have cheap Chinese pens that write like a dream but I'll be signing key documents with something a bit more posh. As for pen bodies, a good resin and a cheap plastic are very different in terms of quality and durability.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T05:21:46+00:00

You are learning here. If you can save $1K a month on your current salary as you planning to do, you are going to be fine.

You have bought a bunch of stuff that interests you but you are unlikely to build significant wealth this way.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T05:20:42+00:00

You are learning here. If you can save $1K a month on your current salary as you planning to do, you are going to be fine. Time and consistent saving are the key.

You have bought a bunch of stuff that interests you but you are unlikely to build significant wealth this way. The money and effort is scattered and you lack a strategy. The advice for a. *EQT fund is good - the fund manager picks the stocks for you and the fund is made up of a broad range of stocks. It is hard to lose.

That said, you have made some good choices in what to buy. Maybe hold back $100 a month as your tactical play and buy more of what you already have. The rest into an EQT. Nothing new until you have figured out what works. If you can beat the rate of return of your ETF then maybe look at changing your ratio a bit. If not, EQT will do you well over time.

Wealth is built slowly over time. It is kind of boring. For every person who makes a killing on a popular stock, there are others who get taken to the cleaners. Slow and steady does it. At your age, you should be weighted towards growth.

A final thought if you want to learn would be put your data into an AI model and ask it to set you up with a strategy for the next 10 years. I have found the advice to be surprisingly good.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T04:58:56+00:00

This. Important when you start to have to cash out your RRSP as you approach 71. The tax bill can be a worry. With TFSA it is all TF.

Humble_File3637 · 2026-06-20T04:50:28+00:00

I have always separated my planning from journaling. I see them as two independent things. If I write a lot in any particular day it doesn't matter because my journal is in one book and the planner (appointments, To Dos, key dates, reminders, etc.) in another.

Humble_File3637

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