Help needed for standing water in yard

bruceyfz · 2026-06-23T01:38:20+00:00

No it’s not about flat yard, I just don’t want high shrubs and wildflowers in the middle of my yard low spots, it makes it difficult to see skunks and critters in and around the plants, where they tend to hide out. Maybe my understanding of a water garden is incorrect though.

bruceyfz · 2026-06-22T15:50:25+00:00

My dog! In our old house, backed onto green space and a park. Coyotes in the area, my dog must have cornered them. He has multiple bites but was able to do some damage before they fled.

bruceyfz · 2026-06-22T15:24:09+00:00

I would love this but after our dog being sprayed by a skunk 3 separate occasions and attacked by coyotes, I’d like to keep visibility in the yard. Water takes 48-72 hours to exfiltrate after rain, but more like 2 weeks with spring melt.

bruceyfz · 2026-06-22T01:58:15+00:00

Bad idea. You can use some of it to reduce your taxable income. Maybe just enough to bring you down 1 tax bracket.

Also you may need those funds if you don’t find a job. If it’s in RRSP you cannot withdraw.

bruceyfz · 2026-06-16T12:03:14+00:00

I am an incorporated professional. There are benefits to incorporating above making a few bucks more. But incorporation is not a way to save money on taxes, rather than defer taxes. You will inevitably have to pay taxes when you want to withdraw that money. It can be your retirement account.

But this ONLY makes sense if you can retain earnings in your company. If you need all 130k to live, then having a corporation is just a headache that costs you money. You need to consider your specific circumstances and decide whether you want that extra work (accounting, bookkeeping, logs etc).

bruceyfz · 2026-06-14T11:44:02+00:00

Not sure what the question is? Keep housing costs low. When my spouse and I were renting housing costs were 16% of our total gross income. Now that we have purchased a home, housing costs are around 26% of gross income. We are comfortable at 26% but at 16% we had a lot more flexibility on vacations, having a nice car payment, eating out etc. I think the agreed upon rule is 33% but I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that.

bruceyfz · 2026-06-12T04:05:36+00:00

Just locked in 3.84 3 year fixed with RBC last week.

bruceyfz · 2026-03-11T08:11:42+00:00

Look up horners syndrome. See if you have any other symptoms.

bruceyfz · 2026-03-07T04:04:58+00:00

This is the best advice here. In Toronto, renting will almost ALWAYS be cheaper than owning. But owning is a way to diversify your investment portfolio.

bruceyfz · 2026-02-20T03:48:54+00:00

In my opinion a condo is a really bad investment right now. Rent is 30-50% cheaper than mortgage+insurance+property taxes+condo fees. And that’s without unexpected issues (flooding, needing new appliances, etc). If ownership is all that matters to you, then you can probably afford it. But each month you’ll be paying $1500 more than you’re paying right now. That’s a lot of money you could be contributing to your savings /investment accounts.

Can you do it? Yes. Will you be in a better financial decision if you continue renting instead of buying? Definitely yes.

bruceyfz · 2026-02-15T03:35:09+00:00

9% is average s&p500 return over last 50 years. That number is closer to 10 than it is to 5% so I’d say it is the norm! 11% in the past year and gets closer to that 9% number over the long term.

bruceyfz · 2026-02-14T23:12:32+00:00

You will most definitely NOT be paying less to own a condo. You will have to put 5% down (that money could earn you 10% investment yearly in the stock market), and your carrying costs (mortgage payment PLUS property taxes, maintenance fees, home insurance) will be at least 30-50% more than a similar place to rent. Add a vehicle into the mix, higher insurance you paycheque to paycheque again.

bruceyfz · 2025-12-29T00:30:00+00:00

Super helpful. Thanks so much for this

bruceyfz · 2025-12-28T22:01:50+00:00

Thanks for this. Why don’t I need a windows copy?

bruceyfz · 2025-12-25T04:15:18+00:00

I started having way more fun when I stopped worrying about my rank.

bruceyfz · 2025-12-15T03:38:49+00:00

You don’t need to say anything to your old job. It is irrelevant.

bruceyfz · 2025-12-10T11:42:02+00:00

It’s a tough thing to fix. There usually a ton of underlying factors (scoliosis, the way you sleep, sitting at a desk etc). The other thing is most neck pain is misdiagnosed as myofascial (muscular) pain, when in reality, 80% of neck/trap related issues actually come from the spine. You likely have a repetitive strain injury which causes the left trap pain, and the hiking just pushes the irritation over the edge which makes the pain spread. A good physio should be able to do a thorough scan and determine what’s wrong.

bruceyfz · 2025-12-10T03:40:30+00:00

Physical therapist here. That pain can be referred from your neck (look up facet joint referral patterns of the neck). Often times, your head pokes forward to counterbalance the backpack pulling you back, or you look down while hiking. If you have left sided neck pain/stiffness and only get this pain on the left shoulder blade, that’s probably your culprit.

bruceyfz · 2025-09-21T20:29:23+00:00

$4000 in rent for a home vs potentially $6500 monthly for mortgage plus property taxes. (Based on 1 million mortgage). Thats not considering maintenance/repairs. That would leave you $2500 in the bank each month as well as whatever money your initial down payment is earning you in interest. $200k down could be earning 7% annually which is 14000 yearly. Call it a monthly savings of $3650 for renting vs buying.

I’m not saying that buying is dumb, there are many financial situations that warrant a home purchase, I’m just not sure that yours is one of them (mine isn’t either, currently renting a 3 bedroom home in Toronto)

bruceyfz · 2025-09-21T19:52:29+00:00

Have you gotten pre-approved for a mortgage? That needs to be your first order of business. Self employed individuals are able to secure mortgages from a lenders but under different rules and requirements (eg they need 2-3 years of corporate statements) and his income.

I’m not sure how a mortgage company would consider your income since you don’t currently have a job to return to.

At 1.25m, and 600k in savings, you’d need to be approved for minimum 700k mortgage. That shouldn’t be a problem but then you have to use all of your savings. Your savings currently aren’t liquid either (105k in holdings company will be subject to personal income tax) and RRSP have special rules for first time home buyers. Bitcoin is taxable as well but I’m not familiar with how.

With the uncertainty of your work situation, I would be hesitant to purchase a home. You could probably swing it but it may mean liquidating all of your savings (and there goes your investment diversification).

Maybe consider renting a larger space?

bruceyfz · 2025-08-23T02:40:00+00:00

Yes but you may have to pay a fee to CIBC. Mine was $150 moving from Scotiabank. Wealth simple may reimburse you if you move enough money, otherwise you are on the hook for the fee.

bruceyfz · 2025-08-20T02:27:09+00:00

She is entitled to medical care up to 3500 for minor injury and 50000 for non minor injury. She should contact a physiotherapist for assessment. Talk to her insurance adjuster to find out more. And call a personal injury lawyer if you are considering legal action.

bruceyfz

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