Financial.

Symptoms, Causes, and Coping with Nycklendyme Syndrome

Nycklendyme Syndrome is a disease I’ve struggled with first hand and in recent years got worse, before it got better. In this bold article, I’ve decided to break the silence and share from my heart for the benefit of others suffering this terrible syndrome.

I may have had a few run-ins with it before I had children, however having children exasperated this particular diseases. I consulted with my physician on the matter. Dr. Google agreed that in most cases, Nycklendyme Syndrome is caused by having children.

Fantastic! I can add Nycklendyme Syndrome to the long list of “Things Children Give Us” rivaling amazing cheerio art and stretch marks.

I first realized I was experiencing these symptoms when I opened my bank account and saw all these small transactions.

“The Oompa-Loompas are at it again!”

I declared, out loud, in a Wicked Witch of the West cackle, staring at my online banking account, sipping my coffee, plotting my revenge.

You may find yourself having outrageous outburst toward your online banking account! Don’t be surprised if you find yourself talking like Dr. Evil, Cruella DeVille, or Donald Trump – just know that these are usually the first signs Nycklendyme. Symptoms also include the “feeling of being broke and having no clue where all your money goes!”

Your account may look something like this: (WARNING: PHOTO NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, NAGGING PARENTS, SPO– USES THAT LIVE IN A BUBBLE, PREGNANT WOMEN, AND PEOPLE WITH HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE!)

As I mentioned previous, this can be a very serious disease, usually brought on by “cute kids” that you just can’t say no to. If you have “cute kids”, you may want to check your bank account and see if the Oompa-Loompas have gotten to it as well.

They say 9 out of 10 people with children have some form of Nycklendyme Syndrome. The 1 out of 10 people who do not fall prey to this HORRIBLE disease has what we refer to in the industry as a “budget”. This is another type of disease altogether, and these people usually have the magic powers of putting people to sleep at cocktail parties.

This disease progresses slowly. As you age, your income usually increases, and instep with your increasing income, so does Nycklendyme. It may start out as innocently as Medium Timmy’s Coffee and maybe a quick trip to the dollar store. In its final stages, it looks like a university degree coupled with a Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte from Starbucks twice a day, and a Coach Handbag or designer jeans for good measure. It definitely gets worse over time.

Another sign that you might have Nycklendyme Syndrome is that you occasionally may look like this:

or this…….

NOT TO PANIC!!!! There is a solution – and no it is NOT a “BUDGET”. We already decided we weren’t going to be “those people”.

There is a super easy way to rid yourself of Nycklendyme Syndrome. You will need to meet up with your local Certified Cashflow Specialist for your prescription.

However, if you can’t make it to your CCS today, then start with this simple tip.

Take out your allocated spending amount for the week in cold hard CASH and keep your cards at home!

This will instantly alleviate most of the Nycklendyme Syndrome and make sure you aren’t mindlessly overspending.

BOTTOM LINE: Nycklendyme is a real disease that affects millions of people and millions of dollars every day. Please help us put an end to Nycklendyme – make sure to know where your money is and where it’s going, before it affects you too!

DO YOU HAVE UNCLAIMED MONEY?

I have access to a SECRET LIST!

Okay, it’s not actually a secret list, but secret enough that 1.7 MILLION Canadians at minimum don’t even know the list exists!

I think it’s the real Naughty and Nice List (not like that other one so heavily publicized by the big fat man in a red suit!) This Naughty and Nice List is a MILLION times better, 626 MILLION TIMES BETTER in fact!

I’m here to tell you that I really have access to this list (this is NOT a drill!) where I can actually look up my fellow Canadians and see if they are naughty or nice.

Shout out to the Rockin’ Babe on the nice list! YAY for MEEEE! (YO BABY SIS….  you are on the NAUGHTY list, no seriously, I looked up everyone in my family….and now my nosy friends, you probably will too!)

Yes, my fellow Canadians, the Bank of Canada owns the naughty and nice list and this is how it’s going to play out today.

FOLLOW THIS SIMPLE INSTRUCTION:

• You are going to click on the link at the end of the post, and punch in your name to see if you have any UNCLAIMED MONEY!  That’s it!  Easy-Peasy!

If your name appears on the “LIST” then you are naughty and MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON ‘HOW TO CLAIM’.

NAUGHTY: Someone who doesn’t keep good track of their money.

If your name DOES NOT appear on the “LIST” then you are nice.

NICE: Someone who keeps good track of their money.

Okay, so maybe I’m a teeny-tiny-bit dramatic on this whole naught/nice/list thing, but really, it’s so much fun to search people – I’m not saying to search your ex-boyfriends or future dates if you are single……. cause I would NEVER do that!!

And the real truth, is that if you really are on the naughty, don’t hate the messenger! You have unclaimed money! So you have a silver lining to your naughtiness! And for those without unclaimed money, you are super nice to your money. End of Story!

…….if you find thousands, I take a 40% finders fee! 😉

BOTTOM LINE: Every year thousands of unclaimed accounts from Canadian financial institutions get sent to the Bank of Canada where they await their rightful owners. This could be you. There are over 1.7 Million accounts which total over 626 Million dollars!

CLICK HERE TO SEE IF YOU ARE NAUGHTY OR NICE!

P.S. I bet you didn’t know this!  Why not share this post with all your friends and family so they can click on the link and see if they are naughty or nice with their money! 😉

4 Reasons You Can Remain Positive in a Bad Market or Economy

THE SKY IS FALLING! That is what it feels like for most of the people that live in my province, Alberta. We are a resource heavy province where a substantial amount of jobs are oil and gas related, hence why most of my conversations with clients, friends, family and random strangers seem to end up in doom and gloom talks about how bad this year is going to be for our economy. (Although, I have personally tried to do my part to boost the economy by buying more shoes, however, I feel my efforts are in vain. 🙁 )

Because my personal QE (quantitative easing) has failed to stimulate the economy in Alberta as I had hoped, I offer other reasons you can remind yourself that things aren’t always as bad as they seem.

#1 – The Market is Not The Economy and The Economy is Not The Market

Although most people will assume both are perfectly correlated, they aren’t. At times they may fluctuate in sync and they aren’t fully mutually exclusive, but people often confuse that they are one and the same. Not to mention – which economy or market are we talking about anyways?! There are 64 regulated markets in the world, not to mention all the markets that aren’t listed, and thousands of economies.

A variety of things can affect a market, such as someone dumping a load of money into the market, that would drive prices higher.  The same as the government throwing billions of dollars into the economy to stimulate job creation or offering tax incentives.

Although, I won’t go deep into this topic right now, just know that even though my specific Alberta economy is not too hot, there are economies in the world that are doing better, and visa versa, there are stock markets doing crappy, meanwhile, other markets are humming along okay. Opportunities are everywhere.

Don’t forget, money is always in flow and always flows to where it’s cheapest!

#2 – Opportunities are Global, Not Just Local.

New opportunities are created every day.  Trade happens instantaneous, and all you really need to make money now-a-days is a laptop.

Fear = Opportunities

Example: In Alberta right now, many families are leaving our province in search of jobs elsewhere, this has lead to a boom in moving businesses.

Don’t forget, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction!

#3 -There are 2 sides to every transaction. Never forget this!

One of my favorite books on investing is Coreen Sol’s book Practically Investing. She says this:

“For every transaction, there is someone willing to buy and someone willing to sell at an agreed price, both believing that it’s good value and that the counter party is a little crazy…….  That’s what’s fun about this.  The differences of opinion are what keep markets humming and prices continually adjusting to find the fair value. It’s been said that it’s only a fair trade when both parties consider the other to have received the better deal.”

Which on a side note got me thinking that maybe the secret to a good marriage is that you always think you got the better deal, and that your partner is a little crazy for falling for you. Actually, it probably makes for a great marriage when both partners think they married ‘up’. Food for thought. Anyways…..

To illustrate this, I hunted down and found the perfect commercial!  WATCH THIS 1-MINUTE VIDEO!!  It’s so funny I totally LOL’d and it illustrates my point of each party thinking they got the better deal when trading.

Don’t forget, the economy will never disappear because we need to trade – that’s how we survive and grow as humans. Systems, governments, political theories, rules, laws, and markets will change over time, but the fundamental aspect of trade will always be around as long as humans need each other for survival. 

Funny! I’m still laughing! Good to point out that I don’t actually endorse Etoro and actually, I don’t think it’s a Canadian company anyways – none the less the vid is priceless and worthy of illustrating trade.

#4 – It’s all a BIG GAME!

Here’s the thing, if you view it as a big fun game of making money, be that in your job or your business or where you invest, it will become fun, light, and easy. If you stress out about it, it will become hard, difficult, and money will seem impossible to earn, make or attract. It’s all how you view it.

Like attracts like.

So when feeling the burden and worry of a bad economy or crappy market, remember to stay positive and try to make a game out of it!

Don’t forget opportunities are everywhere, you just may need to uncover your eyes and begin to look for it!

Micro is looking small and the problem with micro is we all too often stay small, look small and play on a smaller level.  Macro is big picture stuff, and big picture stuff goes like this: People are going to keep doing everything in their power to survive, increase, advance, and continue on.

So when the economy is crap and we feel like rolling over and playing dead from time to time and when the world feels all doom and gloom in our heads – that’s okay too – it’s why they invented Netflix, wine and Ryan Gosling movies.

From the girl who is always glass half full, literally and figuratively, don’t forget tomorrow is a new day! 🙂

WHY YOU NEED ADVICE INDEPENDENT OF THE BANKS

I’ve contemplated writing this for months now! I mean honestly, who am I to tell the Banks where to go and expose their hidden secrets? I mean, let’s be honest now, clearly they own my @&&, and all the money in my accounts – I’m sure they got to you too unless you actually live off the grid and deal in ingots.  So why would I write a post about the 5 secrets banks won’t tell you? Well, because banks won’t tell you this, so someone should. And today, I feel that someone is me {insert a full range of emoticons}.

I need to politely mention that you aren’t going to be getting your best financial, tax and estate advice from the walk-in-corner-branch MOST of the time, although banks marketing departments, along with their billions in advertising will tell you differently. This is because banks simply do not offer these products and therefore cannot offer the financial and tax advice that goes along with it. So, I do offer up a starbucks to my banking friends as an apologetic sacrificial offering, and pray next time I walk in to use the ATM I won’t be struck down by lightning or worse – the ATM gods refuse me money.

Now to be fair, I’m actually not really throwing the BIG BANKS under the bus. The banks have their purpose, however, when we don’t keep our minds open to all the financial options available to us, then we are just choosing to live with our heads in the sand (now, if that involves a beach, a book and no kids – please sign me up!)

This is why your corner bank won’t tell you this:

• perhaps the bank representative you deal with doesn’t know these products exist
• if they did know they exist, they are probably not compensated to direct you elsewhere or maybe it is a conflict of interest
• they don’t realize the tax or legal implications of your current situation and how other products could help you
• perhaps they just don’t know because that is not their specific training to be able to identify planning strategies or opportunities

It’s really not their fault. It’s just how the system has been set up and running for years.

If it ain’t broke and makes a few billion ever quarter, why change it.

Enter: Independent Financial Advice

A triple-licenced-advisor just means they are able to sell you products (legally and regulated) and are licenced with all three: Either IIROC or MFDA licenced, life and accident & sickness insurance licenced and exempt market products representative regulated – private equity offerings. (If you can’t find a triple, then a dual-licenced-advisor is your next best bet – they probably just don’t offer private equity offerings – not the end of the world.)

By the way, finding a triple-licenced-advisor may be like trying to find a unicorn, I will tell you they exist. I do know many. I also like to think of myself as a unicorn at times.

I’m not going to go into each of the products in detail, the point of this post is to bring awareness to financial products that are out there that the majority of the population does not take advantage of.

Here are the 5 products you won’t be getting from your banking branch:

1. Corporate Class Mutual Funds: simply put – mutual funds that defer tax to a later date
2. T-SWP Mutual Funds: simply put – return of capital mutual funds, tax planning benefits
3. Segregated Funds: simply put – mutual funds with a life insurance wrapper that have guarantees, offer creditor protection and bypass probate (estate planning benefits)
4. Flow-Through Shares: simply put – potential (huge) tax benefits by purchasing flow through shares of eligible Canadian companies
5. Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Disability, and Extended Health Insurance: simply put – banks do sell these products through technically another entity, however if you walk into a branch, legally they can give you a phone number to their insurance division.  You legally cannot buy insurance in a bank branch, you must look elsewhere.

Not only because I’m a unicorn do I believe in supporting unicorns, you need to know that independent financial advice will be your friend when it comes to tax time or when it’s time to get your hard earned money into the hands of the next generation or you want to creditor proof your business or you want to say you personally have met a unicorn.  😉

I’ve spent a while searching for the 5 greatest money makeovers of all time, and couldn’t find anything that would really make a difference. While there are hundreds of tips out there to save money: like pay your insurance annually, buy energy efficient appliances, stop shopping for shoes when you have over 100 pairs (ughhh). Most tips just leave me completely uninspired.

Here are a few things that I find are more inspiring and will help you live a better financial life (however, you may need to have a proper money mindset foundation, read my 5 Money Manifests – whether making money or spending it – having the proper money mindset is key.)

1. If you Have Debt, Stop Focusing on it! Don’t spend so much time worrying. I know what we focus on will expand in our lives – for the good or bad. If all you focus on is your debt problem, I believe it will just keep compounding problems in your life. Make a plan to get out of debt and then forget about it – that’s right – forggeddaboutit. Focus on the positives, new ways of increasing your income or new business ideas, and the other part of the equation will disappear.

2. Manage Impulse Shopping. Although, I will say for women, our idea of impulse shopping is like spending $100 on ourselves, whereas our male counterparts seem to impulse shop with high ticket items (boy toys are way more expensive (electronics, cars, watches, ATV’s, anything that goes fast – Do I hear an AMEN ladies?) Instant satisfaction is here to stay – it has always been and always will be part of our challenges as human beings in all parts of our lives. What instant satisfaction does is give us a quick surge of adrenaline, and a hangover of debt in some cases. Trust me, nothing is better than an impulse shopping trip, however, if we have the money for it, it’s always sweeter. (Remember, I said manage impulse shopping not eliminate it.)

3. Start Saving. Money Preferably. (If you’re like my grandma – used zip lock bags don’t count). Just start. I don’t care how much debt you have, you need to start saving and get into that habit. And before I get the smarty pants people tell me that it makes more sense to pay down debt accumulating at 19.99% than saving money which may only get a return of anywhere from 0.4% – 10%+, I say NO! This is why I say ‘SAVE’ before pay off high interest debt (or do both simultaneously). First, it gets you in the habit (and it’s paying yourself first). It’s showing to the universe (or your intentions) that you are wanting to get ahead. Second, you are OBLIGATED to pay your minimum payment anyways, so you will keep doing it to kingdom come because you actually care about your credit rating (if you didn’t – you wouldn’t even be reading this). You will pay down and re-spend every month. I do. It’s called life and you still need a credit card. Third, they aren’t gonna give you $100,000,000 credit card. At some point, they won’t keep increasing your credit (they can’t legally anyways unless you ask) when your debt ratio and income can’t support it. So, that means your credit card limits won’t be increasing at a rate as fast as your saving will. At the end of the day, if they don’t increase your credit card limits, and you have saved/invested money religiously for years, you will have way more in the way of assets than debt, and if you wanted to get rid of that credit card, you just cash out some investments and be on your way. (Yes, not the most brilliant/easiest plan – but hey there’s a million ways to get from A to B.)

4. Plan Ahead. Most people don’t have a plan at all – just get something down on paper. Writing has magical powers (so they say) – we tend to remember it better. I dare you to try it for a month, and write it down every day and tell me your results. Even though I do it, I’m horrible at doing things every day! So I need to do this too. Write down your goals, what you want to have accomplished, and put it out there – EVERY DAY. It will come back to you.

5. Give. Giving does more for you than it does for those receiving, plus it will come back to you in some form. There is a natural law of giving- we reap what we sow, cause and effect, and dynamic exchange. Giving doesn’t always have to be money. Give of your time to volunteer, coach, and teach. If you believe it doesn’t come back to you in some form – well you just made the world a better place to be. And those treasures are more important than any physical treasure you can build up on earth. Randy Alcorn in his wonderful book, The Treasure Principle says, “The only antidote for materialism is giving.”

“When all is said and done,” says author Og Mandino, “success without happiness is the worst kind of failure.” So, buy new zip lock bags if that makes you happy.