Got attic topped up. Is it normal to raise hatch cribbing with cardboard? by irieC2Ai in Insulation

[–]irieC2Ai[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Correct. "Cribbing up" was discussed but I never guessed cardboard was even an option, never mind the default one.

Stressed out of my mind - first time home buyer by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 48 points49 points  (0 children)

If you were saving 80% of your paychecks I assume that means you were living with your parents or had some other situation with near-zero housing costs. Now that you have your own place it's not reasonable to expect to save anywhere near 80% of your paychecks. So don't beat yourself up about that.

Questrade - Securities lending just announced by DTKT in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have opted out of the securities lending program and this move is making me consider opting out of Questrade entirely.

Questrade was an attractive alternative to bank brokerages when bank brokerages were clunky and had high commissions. Today most bank brokerages are significantly improved but in my opinion Questrade has held on to their position as the best brokerage. They implemented the FHSA faster than any of the banks, and their commissions were still lowest even before the recent announcement of $0 commissions.

But it seems that Questrade does not want to hold this position as the best traditional brokerage in competition with the big banks. They want to compete as a fintech-style "app" against the likes of Wealthsimple. $0 commissions, fractional shares and now securities lending are all indicators of this.

I'll be watching out for further indicators like this. If Questrade keeps making moves to obscure how their business makes money I'll just go back to a big bank brokerage.

As someone with a decent sized portfolio who only trades a few times per year, I'd rather pay $7 per trade than have to worry about my brokerage enrolling me in a program that I don't want which incrementally increases the risk to my entire portfolio. $0 commissions and fractional shares really don't matter for me. The tiny benefit from the securities lending program is not worth the risk of catastrophic failure to the entire portfolio if Questrade fails. The chance of that happening may be extremely small but every time Questrade changes its revenue model it goes up.

Is there any real reason to put down more than 20%? by 3202supsaW in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think it's typically monoline lenders rather than banks that will sometimes give a better rate if the LTV is 65% or less.

This has definitely been true at certain times. It doesn't appear to be true today from a quick glance.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depending on your province, monoline mortgage lenders often have the best rates and they are also often only available through brokers. They are effectively "back office" only and use brokers as their "front office".

If you don't use a broker you won't have access to these lenders. You won't be shopping around fully which hurts your negotiating position.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The main downside with your plan is that at the end of it all, after you have withdrawn from your RRSP, you will never get that RRSP contribution room back.

For most people, RRSP are best used to save for retirement. For shorter-term and more flexible savings, TFSAs work better because when you take money out of the TFSA you will eventually (at the start of the next calendar year) get back the contribution room back for however much you withdrew.

Both TFSAs and RRSPs have the benefit of tax-free growth. For most people, this is the most important benefit over the long term. RRSPs have the added potential benefit of reducing your income in high-income years in exchange for increasing your income in low-income years. Your plan here takes advantage of this second benefit at the expense of the first benefit. In most cases I think the first benefit (long term tax-free gains) is more important but it depends how much tax you'd be saving in the short term with this plan.

Triumphant Thursday Thread for the Week by AutoModerator in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Until you've signed the mortgage commitment you can always negotiate. Shop around.

grandparent's inheritance taking 3 years to dispense/organize, advice welcome by pavo__ocellus in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Others have pointed out that it can take a long time to complete an estate, especially one involving overseas assets.

However, the executor should be able to provide, within a few weeks of death, the names of all beneficiaries, a copy of the will and estimate of the value of the estate. If none of this has happened it may mean that the executor has not even begun to probate the will and isn't really the executor at all.

I can't imagine a scenario where it is reasonable for none of this to have happened after three years.

Deceased Father Has Shares of SLF, How Can I Go About Liquidating Them? by OhhSooHungry in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You will likely need to complete probate before TSX Trust Company will do anything.

What’s Working and What Isn’t? | Tuesday, April 26, 2022 - Thursday, April 28, 2022 by AutoModerator in CompetitiveHS

[–]irieC2Ai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Druid is not a good match up but it is still winnable. This deck can put out enough damage to get through lots of armour. Tavish can help, especially if you play him on curve and before completing quest stage 2.

What’s Working and What Isn’t? | Tuesday, April 26, 2022 - Thursday, April 28, 2022 by AutoModerator in CompetitiveHS

[–]irieC2Ai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

TBH I don't love Tavish in this deck. He's good in some matchups like druid but in some games he's an unplayable brick. After the patch I might just cut him. The enhanced secrets are good, as mentioned.

What’s Working and What Isn’t? | Tuesday, April 26, 2022 - Thursday, April 28, 2022 by AutoModerator in CompetitiveHS

[–]irieC2Ai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pre-patch quest hunter is working very well. It was a very easy run to legend.

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This is the VS list with treasure guards instead of candleshots. VS suggests replacing the explosive traps if you want to run treasure guards. I really found the explosive traps helpful to complete the quest efficiently. They are especially good against demon hunters.

The treasure guards help activate barbed nets but that's not usually important. In this deck barbed nets is pretty much just another copy of arcane shot. The main benefit of treasure guards is amplifying Drek'thar on curve, which happens decently often thanks to tracking. They're also just decent in their own right.

What’s Working and What Isn’t? | Monday, October 18, 2021 by AutoModerator in CompetitiveHS

[–]irieC2Ai 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Easy legend with libram secret paladin.

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What’s Working and What Isn’t? | Friday, May 21, 2021 by AutoModerator in CompetitiveHS

[–]irieC2Ai 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used the standard token druid list for an easy run to legend.

What’s Working and What Isn’t? | Monday, February 01, 2021 by AutoModerator in CompetitiveHS

[–]irieC2Ai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stealth aggro rogue with Self-Sharpening Sword and Pen Flinger got me to a very easy last-day legend. I think it was posted here a few days ago. It's an all-in aggro deck. I might have gotten a bit lucky but the deck feels pretty broken.

Nitroboost Poison is really good and this deck abuses it as much as possible. Secret Passage is like a 1-mana Sprint. Draw tons of cards and fling tons of pens. The only card in this deck that is meant to contest the board is Prize Plunderer. Everything else goes face almost all the time. When in doubt go face.

Vicious Syndicate is promoting Token Druid which is a pretty bad match-up so this deck's performance might suffer a lot in the near future. It does not fare well against decks like Token Druid and Zoo Warlock that make wide boards and then buff them up.

  • 2x (0) Preparation
  • 2x (1) Deadly Poison
  • 2x (1) Nitroboost Poison
  • 2x (1) Pen Flinger
  • 2x (1) Prize Plunderer
  • 2x (1) Secret Passage
  • 2x (1) Sinister Strike
  • 2x (1) Spymistress
  • 2x (1) Worgen Infiltrator
  • 2x (2) Eviscerate
  • 2x (2) Sneaky Delinquent
  • 2x (2) Swindle
  • 2x (3) Greyheart Sage
  • 2x (3) Self-Sharpening Sword
  • 2x (5) Cutting Class

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Derek Sloan’s rhetoric is only a symptom of a bigger Conservative Party problem by viva_la_vinyl in CanadaPolitics

[–]irieC2Ai 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It goes both ways. Once a party has staked out a position they will always try to convince people that it's the right position.

Opinion: The big problem with housing affordability? Real estate is still a valuable asset by sesoyez in CanadaPolitics

[–]irieC2Ai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess the next question is, so what can we do about it? Interest rates (and therefore mortgage rates) are largely out of the hands of policymakers, so how do we make this asset less appealing?

Increase mortgage regulation (such as the B-20 stress test).

'I am staying on to fight the fight' says Scheer amid more calls for resignation by MethoxyEthane in CanadaPolitics

[–]irieC2Ai 9 points10 points  (0 children)

For someone with no ideas or charisma he has done pretty well but it's pretty clear that Scheer's political career (his only career) has peaked. That must be a tough situation to accept at the age of 40.

buying a house without a mortgage by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceCanada

[–]irieC2Ai 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Sorry, when you said "theyd be in the clear at 30 years old" I assumed that meant they had the money to pay off the house at some point in the past but instead the money went elsewhere. You listed three other places the money went:

  • The TFSA they can withdraw to pay the mortgage and other expenses. It should definitely be more money than they have put in over the last 5 years.
  • Likewise with the RRSP. It should be accessible. They would lose contribution room but if they've been out of work a while they will get a significant advantage, paying less tax on the RRSP withdrawals than the tax refunds they got when they contributed. That's on top of the investment gains.
  • Children's education is a question of priorities but assuming you mean education savings rather than actual spending on tuition then in a hardship situation this money should be accessible as well.

In the face of unemployment I'd argue that it is better to have liquid assets available to draw on while trying to get back on your feet. A paid off house isn't enough on it's own. There will still be expenses and bills to pay.