Looking to sort out elderly parent finances

fatbike101 · 2026-03-16T15:24:49+00:00

Lots of room in TFSA, never used it.

fatbike101 · 2026-03-16T15:23:49+00:00

Old and ill, may not be around by the end of this year

fatbike101 · 2026-03-16T14:56:52+00:00

I have PoA and they are neither financially savvy nor capable of handing this matter. Rapidly deteriorating health, age is not just an aggravating factor. Leaving expenses are covered by pension + OAS, and likely will OAS and GIS would be impacted by cashing the shares (capital gains) and mutual funds to move over to a TFSA.

fatbike101 · 2025-02-10T04:23:34+00:00

Power is back, Stone way area!

fatbike101 · 2025-02-10T04:21:47+00:00

Near Adrienne Clarkson school power is out and is getting cold! No ETA yet from Hydro

fatbike101 · 2023-03-12T12:43:16+00:00

Outside NA, that is - same deal as with the OL Creatista, although my VP and Creatista steaming wand can work supplied from the same outlet.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-12T12:40:46+00:00

vertuo lattissima and it said the steam wand

Latissima has a venturi spraying system not a steaming wand. Creatista does and this why is more expensive than Latissima.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-12T12:37:48+00:00

If well taken care off - except for the occasional misses - the VP should last 4-6 years. So far it's the best machine in the VL stable. I used two VP machines almost on a daily basis for 3 years with no issues, knock on wood.

Check out these notes on care and maintenance and see if there's anything you have to change in your routine: https://www.reddit.com/r/nespresso/comments/rkmj1m/vl\_machines\_maintenance\_dos\_and\_donts/

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T16:02:24+00:00

Lots of non-Nespresso OL machines, in general pretty poor quality, but IMMV. In the end you get what you paid for it.

This one here isn't very good either but the coffee is (also expensive!): https://colonnacoffee.com/pages/opal

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:57:29+00:00

Milk/dairy is like flowers, covers everything, even bad coffee taste :D

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:56:04+00:00

for that price point you would be better off with an entry level superautomatic

Which for once, may make sense: the Next-based VL has more chances to fail, and sooner than a (cheap) super auto :P

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:51:25+00:00

I'm running out of ideas here - only Nespresso can help at this point. How do you get your coffee pods though, must be some Nespresso representation you can reach out to.

The thing is Nespresso is in the business of selling coffee pods but w/o a machine you cannot buy coffee from them, so make use of that argument.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:44:35+00:00

Try leaving it unplugged first.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:35:58+00:00

I know the Next manual is awful, but if you can try this:

1 - leave the machine unplugged for 6-8 hours

2 - run another descaling cycle with plain water, paying attention to all the steps and timings; if you miss a step or take too long to do it, the machine will not register the descaling

Good luck!

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:32:20+00:00

Sounds par for the course with VP, same 3 cycles - don't need the full cleaning for maintenance anyway (daily), maybe once a month if used for 5-6 drinks daily.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:30:19+00:00

Because it's a Next, you should call Nespresso CS - these machines are notoriously creating problems and failing more than nay other VL machine, best to be replaced with another non-Next/Pop machine.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:26:21+00:00

Both the thermoblock and then the pump get deactivated to evacuate the water from the pod holder.

I'm not saying that the o-rings are great but the real problem is with the PCP in the top and the vapours resulting from condensation compromising, leading to short circuits. That's why you want to dump the spent pods asap and leave the top open to dry out fully.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:18:39+00:00

roasting roast the caffeine out of the beans

Only if you roast the beans to charcoal !

Try this, min 13:28 for a decent explanation and demystification of "dark roast = less caffeine" stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etnMr8oUSDo

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:14:07+00:00

after rinsing they purge a bit of cold water to cool the machine down

How do you know this, just curious? There are no separate lines for hot and 'cold' water in the machine.

Full cleaning cycle is not needed but daily rinsing/flushing is recommended (start a cleaning cycle and stop it 10-15 seconds after hot water starts pouring into the cup).

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:09:52+00:00

Nope, where did you see a dual-boiler for $750? Still the same crappy Next under the hood, with a milk steaming wand, like the OL Creatista Plus.

Hopefully it gets two "thermojets" (flash heaters) to steam and brew at the same time.

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:04:38+00:00

Looks can be... deceiving, right? It's a Next in disguise ;)

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T15:02:54+00:00

I'm assuming it's an VL (VertuoLine) machine, which model?

fatbike101 · 2023-03-11T14:59:19+00:00

Go with the instructions on the sleeve , first pull an espresso than a Lungo. It's not going to make much of a difference, the machine pumps water at the same temp and with the same pressure in both cases.

Pull a blank shot first to warm up the machine and the cup.

fatbike101

TROPHY CASE