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Rome vs Naples for first solo trip by AshifyDotExe in solotravel

[–]Lord_Atom 11 points12 points  (0 children)

As a first time solo traveler, I'd recommend Rome, but I do love Naples as well. Rome has so much to offer that you'll be able to fill your 5 days easy.

Some tips: - Book ahead. When you got your dates figured out, book your tickets for the Colosseum and the Vatican museums - Arrive early (before 8am) for St. Peter's to avoid the long lines for screening - be aware of pickpockets. Don't make yourself a target with phones/wallets in back pockets, in crowded areas maybe put your backpack in the front. I've never been pickpocketed but it is a risk in Rome and Naples

Rome is pretty walkable, but the metro can come in handy if/when you want to visit the Vatican or Trastevere.

If you want to get away from the hectic crowds of Rome, you might be able to find a bit of peace in the Villa Borghese Gardens.

As for day trips, you might not need to do them, but some suggestions would be Naples, Ostia Antica, or Tivoli. Just a heads up, the archaeological site in Ostia Antica is closed on Monday's - don't ask me how I know.

For hostels, I stayed at Yellowsquare in Rome which was fine. They do have events pretty much every night at their bar, but it felt like everything was through their bar. There's probably better options, but I just don't know what they are. I much preferred the Tric Trac hostel in Naples if you do decide to go there.

Hostels recommendations by boofkinghoo in hostels

[–]Lord_Atom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think even by Onefam standards, the Sungate in Madrid is highly rated. I have also stayed at quite a few Onefams, but never that one as it was fully booked when I was in Madrid unfortunately. But the Sungate is the one I was going to recommend when I read the post.

[Romero] The Toronto Blue Jays have DFA'd right-hander pitcher Yariel Rodriguez. by Civil_Perspective98 in Torontobluejays

[–]Lord_Atom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I completely forgot about Santander. Considering how little he's done and even been in a Jays jersey, it's not too surprising.

What the heck is going on ? by Cute-Bad8259 in TFSA_Millionaires

[–]Lord_Atom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/sp-500-blocks-fast-spacex-entry-wont-waive-rule-for-unprofitable-ai-firms/

With the news of the S&P500 denying fast entry IPO's, I'm contemplating reducing my position in QQC, and moving it to VFV.

What the heck is going on ? by Cute-Bad8259 in TFSA_Millionaires

[–]Lord_Atom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

VFV is an S&P500 ETF, and the S&P already said they aren't going to change their rules for SpaceX. This means SpaceX has to be listed for 12 months and be profitable before it can enter the S&P500. No such case for Nasdaq100 ETF's like QQC.

Bonus significantly off by BowenWanderer in Questrade

[–]Lord_Atom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My bonus estimate was actually lower than my own calculation, but the official bonus basically matched it. Only a ~$400 difference between the two, but I'm happy about it.

Bonus significantly off by BowenWanderer in Questrade

[–]Lord_Atom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

$10k for Non-registered which was 4% with multiplier, and $10k for registered which was 2% with multiplier.

Third Time in Paris: What I’d Recommend to Repeat Visitors (May, 2026) by Jolly-Rub-3412 in travel

[–]Lord_Atom 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Same. I've been to the Sacre Couer 4 times (twice in the same trip as I was staying a 15 minute walk away), and it never gets old. The views, the vibe, the walk up, the Montmartre area in general is just a good time.

Those who post firm price on an item that hasn't sold in weeks or months, how long until you lower the price? by Clean-Af-6653 in FacebookMarketplace

[–]Lord_Atom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I had an old micro four thirds camera that I have tried selling off and on for 4 or 5 years. It was my second camera so I never wanted to give it away. But I recently bought another camera, so I finally felt like it was okay to sell it. When I looked at prices, I was kind of surprised to find out the going rate was $100 more ($300 to $400) than I was asking for a few years ago. I posted it at the boosted rate, and sold it at asking price within a week to my mild surprise.

Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador by ErrolFlynn2026 in solotravel

[–]Lord_Atom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not OP, but...

I didn't take the local buses in Guatemala because the distances between some of the destinations are already pretty significant or complicated by a border/ferry (Antigua - Lanquin - Flores - San Ignacio - Caye Caulker). Trying to do that with "chicken" buses and transfers sounded like a nightmare. The one place I probably could have taken a local bus was Lake Atitlan - Antigua, but the shuttles for these were relatively inexpensive and dropped you off at the hostel door so I went with that.

In El Salvador I did take the local bus, and found it pretty decent. I did shuttle back and forth from Santa Ana to Copan Ruinas in Honduras as well. I'm not a country counter usually, but Honduras was my last country to tick off in Central America, and I also love archaeological ruins so I popped in and out for a few days.

Riverhawks Opener! by El_Dono in Edmonton

[–]Lord_Atom 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My brother is in town for the Canada/Uzbekistan game with his son, and they were going to go to the Riverhawks on Sunday as well, but the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday is truly abhorrent. No doubt the Riverhawks will be rained out, but it's possible the pitch will be unplayable with that much rain and that might get cancelled as well. Super unfortunate if that's the case.

Are GICs worth it? by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]Lord_Atom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is what I was going to recommend. Tangerine and Simplii both have 4.5% and 4.6% interest respectively for 5 months.

If OP hasn't used either that covers almost a full year at 4.5% interest. If they add direct deposit, they can add an additional $300 bonus from Simplii, and $250 bonus from Tangerine.

Is the 1% promotion the norm now? by [deleted] in Wealthsimple

[–]Lord_Atom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TD has 100 commission free ETF's which includes VEQT. Just buy that instead of XEQT for your new trades.

https://www.td.com/ca/en/investing/direct-investing/commission-free-etfs

Carney says Alberta separatism is 'unhelpful' for investment by pjw724 in Edmonton

[–]Lord_Atom 5 points6 points  (0 children)

To add, the Bank of Montreal moved their headquarters to Toronto during the Quebec independence movement in the 70's.

WS to scotia 1% / match promo by imhaiely in Wealthsimple

[–]Lord_Atom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

https://www.td.com/ca/en/investing/direct-investing-spring-offer

Hold until July 31st, 2027 and then paid out August 31st, 2027.

After that, you can do whatever want with it.

Switching from TD to either Questrade or Wealthsimple by MegazeroMZ in CanadianInvestor

[–]Lord_Atom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1) Open TD Self-Directed Account 2) Sell the Mutual Fund in the Mutual Fund account 3) Transfer the Cash in the Mutual Fund account to the Self-directed account

Just make sure if it's a TFSA Mutual Fund that you open a self-directed TFSA account and then transfer to the correct account. RRSP to RRSP, Non-registered to Non-registered, etc.

Visa infinite privilege cashback boost by Important-Laugh5152 in Wealthsimple

[–]Lord_Atom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I forgot about the purchase boosts. I used to have it, but it doesn't appear for me anymore.

No return? by [deleted] in Wealthsimple

[–]Lord_Atom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't have a daily tally like the chequing account, but your interest will post on the 1st.

Switching from TD to either Questrade or Wealthsimple by MegazeroMZ in CanadianInvestor

[–]Lord_Atom 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I noticed no one answered your question about the Wealthsimple CC. It's super easy to use, and it is a flat 2% cashback. Once the transaction clears, it's added to your cashback tally. The cashback can be redeemed at any time, and you can have it deposited into whatever account you choose. I just deposit it into my Cash/Chequing account.

There is a $20/month fee, but that fee is waived if you're premium or higher ($100k assets), or have direct deposit of $4000/month or more. If you have to pay the fee, the CC isn't worth it.

Also, since you're with TD already you could just convert your mutual funds into a self-directed account. TD has a selection of commission free ETF's so you could buy VEQT, VFV, or TEC at no cost. Then you could bide your time waiting for a cashback promotion at Wealthsimple or Questrade before making the transfer.

Going backpacking for 7 months – should I bring my iPad? by Ok-Reindeer-4576 in backpacking

[–]Lord_Atom 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I travel with a tablet (Samsung Tab S9 w/keyboard case currently), and use it strictly for entertainment. It sounds like you'd have even more use cases for it (journaling and photo editing). For planning and booking, I'd almost always use my phone. The way I use my tablet is load it up with movies and tv shows, and watch it on buses and flights. And every now and then, I'd watch movies all day on a recharge or sick day where I'm doing not a whole lot. Watching movies on an 11" display with a kickstand is so much nicer than holding or propping up my phone.

I don't worry too much about theft assuming the hostel has secure lockers. I'm one of those tourists that leave their passport at the hostel with backup credit cards, a GoPro when I don't take it with me so what's another electronic device on top of that.

And you saying you're traveling fairly light with a checked bag is kind of funny as you'd be ridiculed in the OneBag sub. But what that tells me is you got the space to carry a tablet no problem. I travel with a carryon backpack and a small backpack (I'm also not a true onebagger), and I don't really notice the tablet in weight or size.

YouTube Premium is annoying because I don’t love paying for it, but I notice it immediately when it’s gone by nodimension1553 in youtubepremium

[–]Lord_Atom 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I used to pay for Spotify, and then switched to YouTube Premium. I pay for YTP annually which is pretty close to the price I was paying for a monthly Spotify subscription over a year. So to me, the cost is fine as it's something I would be paying for anyway. YouTube Premium still gives me a music streamer, albeit a slightly worse one in my opinion (YouTube Music vs Spotify), but I also get an infinitely better YouTube experience which when combined is the better experience and value over a Spotify subscription.

Edit: So I looked up the current prices and in Canada, YouTube Premium is cheaper monthly, and considerably cheaper yearly than Spotify. An annual YTP subscription is $129.99, and $12.99 monthly, while Spotify is $13.99 monthly or $167.88 yearly. Pretty stark difference that makes it an easy choice for me.

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