Short Takes: Snipping Snowbird Wings, Funny Legal Threats, and more

Apparently pictures are popular given the response to my post about RRSP myths. Here are my posts for this week:

XIU is Hard to Replicate Cheaply

Debunking RRSP Myths with Pictures

You’re Paying More Mortgage Principal than You Think

Here are some short takes and some weekend reading:

Snowbirds should be aware that Canadian and U.S. authorities are gearing up to keep better track of how long you spend in each country. This will open the door to enforcing existing health care and tax rules more strictly.

Mr. Money Mustache has a run in with a company and its lawyers over reader comments on his blog. The ending is happy and funny. In a note to this company he suggests that “when you are done punching yourself in the face, you can send me a personal apology.”

Preet Banerjee interviews certified financial planner Will Britton in his Mostly Money Mostly Canadian podcast.

Potato has a very interesting calculator for deciding whether renting or buying a home is better financially.

Dan Hallett described three investment sales pitches you should definitely avoid.

Retire Happy Blog explains the pitfalls of an insured retirement strategy that involves borrowing against tax-sheltered life insurance investments. This strategy looks good on paper, but there are hidden risks.

Big Cajun Man has a unique list of income tax myths. I have to say, though, that I’ve known people who believe the myths in his list.

Andrew Hallam says that even though CIBC’s index funds are very expensive, they are still better for investors than CIBC’s actively-managed mutual funds.

Larry MacDonald looks into the options for how to cool off the Canadian housing market.

My Own Advisor had an interesting post about critical illness insurance. Among other things it explains the technical definition of a heart attack used by some insurance companies and how it differs from the one used by the medical profession.

The Blunt Bean Counter has 15 tax preparation tips. Unfortunately, he’s not available to do your individual tax return for you.

Million Dollar Journey says that if you wish to hold cash, a good way to do it is to invest in a high-interest savings account within your self-directed investment account. Frugal Trader explains how.