May 192013
 

There’s a sitcom on CBS called 2 Broke Girls. It’s the story about Max and Caroline who are both poor and work at a diner in Brooklyn, New York. Despite their financial circumstance they want to start their own cupcake business (゜∀゜) Their plan is to save $250,000 and open up their own cupcake store one day.

Spoiler alert if you haven’t watched it already but in last week’s episode they discovered an old, hidden storage room in the back of the diner which nobody knew about before. Caroline said “Uhg. It’s so humid and damp in here. Now I know how balls feel:D  The restaurant manager was about to hire a cleaning company but then Max suggested that she and Caroline could clean the derelict room instead since they could use the extra cash. The manager agreed to pay them $600. In the middle of steam cleaning they discovered the room had some shutters which opened up to the street outside. And Eureka :) the girls realized this would be the perfect place for them to set up a small cupcake walk-up window, literally a window of opportunity (^_^) This would surely bring them one step closer to success.

13_05_2brokegirlswindow

There are a couple of financial lessons we can learn from this episode. Even undesirable work can lead to great opportunity, and if we start from the bottom then there’s no way to go but up :D  Sometimes I feel sympathy for these two girls. Caroline uses free napkins as coffee filters, and in an earlier episode Max experienced sushi for the first time in her life. They work so hard for low wages, and sacrifice so much for their dream of eventually opening up a business together. I think we can all learn something from these two characters :) I watch the show because it inspires me to work hard, use my financial resources wisely, and keep me focused on my own goals :0)

————————————————————————
Random Useless Fact: More than 8,000 French households’ tax bills topped 100 percent of their income in 2012.

May 062013
 

Last week I went to a free info event for bloggers about how to market and brand themselves. It was organized by Connecting Bloggers and Brands. For me there are always 3 big takeaways from these kinds of events.

1) Learning. They had bright people from successful bloggers to public relation experts at corporations like Telus and Microsoft there to educate people about marketing and developing a brand. I certainly learned a lot from their presentations and panel discussions. Thanks to Telus, Canada Beef Inc, and other sponsors for making this event free to the public blogging community :)

2) Networking. Thanks to the dividend ninja who tweeted about this conference last month. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known about it. Met some other cool local bloggers there as well like @mashedthoughts, @seapotato, and @Vancouvervogue.

3) Swag. This event had some awesome free goodies. I felt like a kid going trick or treating again. Almost couldn’t fit everything into one bag. Telus’ brand is using critters in their ads so they were giving away red panda and cheetah plushes :) Other loot I acquired include a 3 month free subscription to the Globe and Mail, a “#loveCDNbeef” t-shirt, a notebook, a porcelain mug with silicone lid, a double wall iced tumbler with a straw, a BACONISTA t-shirt, an insulated cooler basket, and many more. There was also a free lunch :) They even had macrons! And since there were plenty of left over food I decided to take some home for dinner.

13_05_blogbrandswag

The Bloggers Brands team is traveling across Canada and holding similar events in Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, and other cities this year. Maybe they’re coming to a location near you :)

————————————————————————
Random Useless Fact: If you ever need to rush somewhere, carry a fire extinguisher with you. No one will try to stop someone running with a fire extinguisher.

May 022013
 

13_05_ironman3posterTomorrow the much anticipated Iron Man 3 movie comes out in North America :D I can’t wait to see it! Other movies I’m looking forward to this summer are Star Trek Into Darkness, Man of Steel, World War Z, Pacific Rim, and The Wolverine. What movie are you excited for this year? The film industry is a very lucrative space bringing in more than 10 billion dollars a year just in US domestic box office revenue.

How can ordinary folks like us get a piece of this market? I am successfully doing it in two ways right now. The first is to own a piece of the giant movie studios that are making these films ;) They include names most people are already familiar with like Universal (Comcast), Buena Vista (Disney), Fox (NewsCorp), Paramount (Viacom), Sony, and Warner Bros. All these companies are publicly traded. Any time these studios make money, which they all do, you and I (as long as we own their stocks) will be the beneficiaries :D This is why I decided to invested $2,000 in Disney earlier this year. When The Avengers movie broke sales records and they announced more Marvel movies to come out over the next few years I knew Disney was going to take me places :) I bought Disney in March and its shares have appreciated by more than 10% already woohoo \(^_^)/

But there are so many movie companies. How do you know which one to invest in? I would look at businesses that you think has the strongest brands. I like Disney because besides Marvel Entertainment, they also own Pixar Animation, ESPN, Lucas film, and about 27% of Hulu. And I like all those brands! Not to mention Disney is also in the business of lodging and merchandising. So they’re a very diversified and well rounded company ∩( ・ω・)  They even have a Disney University where cast member go for professional development and job training lol.

13_05_theater

The second way we can profit from the film industry is to invest in movie theaters. Every year there are more visits to cinemas than amusement parks and sporting events combined. In 2011 I wrote about how I invested $2,000 in Cineplex. They are the largest theater name in Canada. And so far their stock price is up over 30% from when I bought them, woohoo again \(^_^)/

13_05_tvgiveawayIf we miss a movie that we wanted to see on the big screen we can still watch the DVD or Blu-Ray afterwards. This giveaway can certainly make that experience better. I’m lucky to be co-hosting a 50 inch Samsung LED television giveaway this month brought to you by Quote Me A Price, a company that deals with cash for settlements. Details about the TV can be found on Amazon’s website. This contest ends on May 31st so please enter before then. Anyone in the world may enter but the giveaway provider will cover up to $50 for shipping. Further instructions are in the rafflecopter widget below.
    

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Apr 232013
 

Earlier this month I purchased the Canada’s Arctic Landscape 2013 Fine Silver coin. It’s a 1 kilogram (2.2lb) 99.99% silver coin made by the Royal Canadian Mint. It can be bought either on the mint.ca directly, or through one of their third party vendors world wide. Either way, you can expect to pay $2,249.95 CAD  (^_-) The coin comes with a custom maple wood box lined with flock, and a black cardboard sleeve to protect the box.

13_04_arcticsilver1 mint arctic landscape silver coin review

PRESENTATION

The coin itself, which is enclosed in a transparent plastic case, can be set comfortably inside the linings of the wooden box so they can be displayed together. The craftsmanship on the box is top notch and compliments the coin well.

13_04_arcticsilver2 arctic landscape silver coin review

DESIGN

The image on the coin was designed by Canadian artist W. David Ward and presents a highly detailed rendition of the Baffin Island at the mouth of the Northwest Passage. On the obverse side of the coin is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Susanna Blunt. At 4 inches wide in diameter the coin looks somewhat smaller than a DVD which is 4.7 inches wide. The coin is roughly half an inch thick. Weighing in at exactly 1,000 grams or roughly 32 troy ounces, it’s aboot 32 times the size and weight of the various 1 oz silver coins that are common in circulation.

13_04_arcticsilver3 arctic landscape silver coin review

VALUE

Based on current commodity pricing 1 kg of silver should cost no more than $1,000. But the price for this coin is $2,250. Why the premium? Unlike bullion, these rare, authentic, un-circulated coins are specially commissioned, proof finished and have a limited mintage. But is all that worth the extra cost over the spot price of silver? I certainly think so :)  Proofs are minted with special dies that have been chemically treated with acid. Furthermore each coin is struck multiple times to force the silver into all the crevices of the die giving the coin more definition and fidelity. 13_04_arcticsilver4 silver coin review

The result is a gorgeous coin that has a very distinct look and feel that can’t be replicated with normal minting practices. For example, when viewed from certain angles the design appears clean, flat, and almost cell shaded like a painting (see image below.) But when viewed from other angles the contrast of the image becomes more dynamic, the water and sky becomes darker than the glacier in the foreground, and the surface feels more 3 dimensional. It’s almost like magic (゜o゜)  (mouse over image below to see the change) Furthermore, the light reflecting off this coin appears to have a higher range than what most digital displays can output. So pictures like the ones in this post cannot accurately depict its true beauty. The only way to appreciate a proof coin properly is to see it in person ;)

Today only 1 in roughly 9.3 million people in the world can own this coin. It will become 1 in every 10 million in the future as the population grows making the coin even more rare. From the ingenuity used to craft this coin to the sheer beauty of it’s design this is truly a work of art.

VERDICT

This beautifully crafted fine silver coin captures the history, heritage, and magnificence of the Arctic landscape. It’s a symbol of Canadian engineering and artistic talent working together to create something truly brilliant. It’s almost like this coin was just mint to be :D The rare mintage (only 750,) and the globally recognized RCM brand make this coin a must have for any collector or enthusiast. I give this coin a perfect 5 out of 5. Delivered as advertised. A+++ product. Great seller. Would buy from again!