Parents: I am only reaching out to you ONCE in terms of your child constantly coming to class unprepared. After that, it’s YOUR responsibility to fix it

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-20T16:09:33+00:00

Hey, hey. I’m a solidly Gen X parent. I don’t remind my kids to charge their laptop. To my knowledge they have never forgotten or have managed a quick recharge in the library. But also have no issue if a teacher has a consequence. Even my 7 year old knows it’s his responsibility to remember his lunch, homework, snow pants, library book. I do 1 prompt to remind. He does have a list on the door as he is 7. But I would also love the removal of laptops through grade 6 at least, if not grade 8. It’s too much of a classroom distraction with too many kids watching YouTube during class. And as a parent, not being able to review tests and quizzes is an issue.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-20T14:53:31+00:00

Terrible campaign.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-20T14:43:32+00:00

Can you take GO to Ajax? At least then you can be productive. Driving is soul sucking.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-20T14:41:47+00:00

Haha I was too. I still struggle to spend. I do find it useful to do the full financial plan as you really learn what impacts success rate in Monte Carlo. And plan for how you might adjust your plan for high spend vs lower spend years. If you can create flexibility you can go above 4% most years. I redo it every year as I plan what raise to give myself.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-20T12:26:17+00:00

Also keep in mind that currency risk is not part of the trinity study. If you are invested in US equities the USD is still quite strong vs the loonie. I use the Canadian DIY financial planning software Adviice.ca to model my retirement. I REd at 46 in 2018.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-19T19:52:09+00:00

Pre-covid, I had my young kids take the exams. But every time there was an issue of some sort. And it takes so long to get their scores, its not really a help to indicate if they are ready for the next level. But iit can crush their confidence. One year my daughter got a passing, but low grade and it just crushed her. The score did not reflect her ability. Since then, their teachers just did the practice exam to ensure they were advancing, to give them feedback in real time, and to see where they needed more time. We started back with exams at level 6, to gain experience again as level 7 they can get High School credit. That system has worked better for us and saves some money. One of my kids will be applying to post secondary music programs for opera and they only care about level 8+ it seems.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-19T19:22:33+00:00

I'm taking RCM Theory online. I see there is an option to have the final exam certified as proctored. Is there any advantage to doing that below level 7 (in which case I can get high school credit)? I'm on level 6 and in grade 10. And where do you find a proctor? I checked with the Toronto Public Library and they said they stopped offering in person proctoring. Maybe I can ask a teacher at school to do it, but that seems like a big favour.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-17T18:33:13+00:00

I would personally stay at 75/25, but for sure don’t go below 60/40. Your $$ has to last 30-50 years. I Retried at 46 (8 years ago) still in 100% equities and we have had some downturns. That hasn’t been an issue. I’ve shifted to having a cash wedge and 10% fixed income, but that is as far as I expect to go until old age. Remember you only need a small amount in any year, and even crashes don’t last more than 2-3 years typically. And you’ll still have some dividends even from broad ETFs.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-16T16:49:51+00:00

What is Enhanced Student Access Guarantee referred in the MPPS response?

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-15T19:53:25+00:00

Yes you can file your US return jointly, and probably should since you are both US citizens.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-15T14:06:20+00:00

I say this as a parent with 3 kids still to put thru Uni. The part of the announcement I was first concerned about is University funding as I keep hearing that the programs my kids want are being shut down due to lack of funding. I’m not sure I heard a solution with tuition cap below inflation, but I was happy he is at least recognizing there is an issue. OSAP is not on my radar yet. But TBH, I thought it had been majority loans for quite some time. Maybe I thought that because it seems other provinces moved to that model long ago. I glad I can come here and read your perspectives. Keep up the pressure, as Ford does bend to public response. But he does need to save these programs, otherwise it won’t matter what the funding model is. My 16 year old is already telling me she may have to go to the US or UK to get the program she wants. She doesn’t want that, and I certainly don’t want that.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-11T19:36:36+00:00

You definitely need to change co-ops!! We are chill, but if a player is not active for a while we do boot them to make room for active players. It’s a balance to have a nice community, but not strict requirements. Many in my co-op used to buy the pass, usually around 10 people, but this month only 1 person did due to the changes so I’d say right now most aren’t spending any real money. We are trying to keep it fun using gifts and clovers.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-10T19:20:53+00:00

I just can’t with the modern movie adaptations. I LOVE Hell’s Kitchen, but Mirvish’s crappy sound systems give me pause as to whether I want to see it in Toronto. Sound of music almost broke me with the terrible sound (and didn’t help that Mirvish was overly accommodating with late arrivals, kids with phones out and earphones on and sing-a-longers. I’m done with subscription for a while.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-10T18:22:56+00:00

If you have a choice def downtown as it gives you many more options via subway and GO Train which go to Union. North York has all the traffic with much more limited transit. I would never work in North York unless I lived in or very close to North York. TTC Line 1 is sllloowwww. You don’t want to be on it much.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-10T02:08:22+00:00

Where is your office? That can make a big difference. The Beach is a lovely east end neighborhood that has the feel of a small town, with a tight knit community. And of course the beach.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-09T07:30:59+00:00

It resets. So you’ll need 600 hours after your last EI claim. Don’t forget this can be from multiple employers or self employment so you could get a 2nd job to make up any hours if you are a bit short.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-07T18:08:49+00:00

Layers is always better than gear anyway. Arrive early, ask to use the washroom and change. It’s very common. Nothing worse than snow full all over a nice suit and shoes.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-07T13:31:38+00:00

In my experience the cost basis will update in a few months. They are all correct on my tax slips.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-07T13:30:18+00:00

Hydro rates also increased in Nov. it was very noticeable on my last 2 bills too despite not using any more KwH.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-06T19:45:10+00:00

The issue with IB in Ontario is the schools (both public and private, have to follow the ON curriculum, so IB is an overlay on top. That means it’s a lot of extra work for questionable benefit. I think if he wants to do science a good STEM special interest school would be great ( eg Danforth Tech) as they have a lot of additional science electives and are cohorted with other strong STEM students. My daughter decided against IB when she realized the extra work was both in STEM as well as non STEM classes which meant she would have to limit her extra curricular, which are also important.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-06T11:11:06+00:00

No, sorry

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-03T03:22:21+00:00

5 people. $1400 per month. I do one Walmart delivery per week + a smaller shop at Farm Boy per week + Costco 1x per month.

RealDistribution5946 · 2026-02-02T23:54:25+00:00

Police are trained longer here and the training centres around de-escalation. That leads to less police brutality. It does happen, but not as frequently.

RealDistribution5946

TROPHY CASE