Blogging about "not" blogging
For readers in TORONTO, try to check out these 3 performances that have caught my eye while not blogging; I’m in one, and going to the other two.
Enjoy!
1.CanStage presents NOOR OVER AFGHAN, Thursday (tomorrow!!)
May 10th 2012 @ 7:30 ~ see info
Librettist: Anusree Roy
Composer: Christiann Venter
2. Essential Opera presents Handel’s ALCINA
Friday, May 25th, 2012 @ 7:30pm @ Trinity St. Paul’s Ctr.
see info
3. Against the Grain Theatre presents Britten’s TURN OF THE SCREW
May 24, 25, 26, 27 @ 7:30pm @Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
see info
What do you mean, I'm the grown up?
Growing up is not as fancy as I once thought it would be.
Turns out, my grown up universe of music, costumes, and fun gigs on the horizon is currently being combined with real life decisions not previously indicated in my score.
Parents, AGING Parents
There are no rules on how to do things RIGHT;
how to make things FLOW without any
BUMPS or BRUISES;
no TIMELINE, no PREDICTIONS.
How does this specifically apply to you, the young artist hitting the big time?
Well, I can only speak for myself, but I’m very grateful that I followed my gut instinct and prepared ahead. I could not have predicted what would be on the other end of my preparations, but, I guess that’s the point.
YOUR PARENTS & MONEY & HEALTH
As YOU are saving, and making sure that YOUR MONEY is GROWING, please have an undeniably uncomfortable conversation about:
YOUR PARENTS’ WISHES
for managing
THEIR MONEY
and
THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE
if they are
UNABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES.
My conversation with one of my parents went a little something like this:
- ME: Do you still have debt?
- ME: Have you updated your WILL?
- ME: Power of Attorney, Health Proxy, Health Directive....do you have any of these so that I can legally make decisions if you are no longer able?*
After a lot of “discussion” these legal updates went into motion. If * the time ever came, decisions could be made based upon written requests, and not emotional guess work by me, or the province.
PARENTAL DEBT
Probably the hardest subject to broach due to the myriad of conflicting information regarding the inheritance of parental debt. An hour with their financial lenders could make life easier by simply having confirmation about what goes where, and who will be responsible for what.
Peace of mind: Done.
Clearing debt with a financial trustee may be something to investigate if needed; lessening the chance of finances becoming a burden down the road. As well, a saving plan for future move(s) and related expenses means that loved ones are the focus, not the bills.
QUALITY OF LIFE
WHERE and HOW do they want to LIVE if it ever gets to the point that they need more daily assistance than first predicted,(p.s. you can’t predict this) and how will THEY / YOU pay for it?
A potentially awkward conversation to be sure but, if push comes to shove, and the decisions need to be made within 24 hours (under the strain and emotional stress that poor health, and family situations may foster) I say feeling awkward is a pretty good option.
SIBLINGS
I am a catch 22 by virtue of not having siblings. On one hand, it’s easier because there’s no question about what will happen with finances, health, and living situation. On the other hand: I am the decision maker, signature signer, and faxer of all things official...now where did I put the rule book?
If you have siblings (and/or aunts and uncles etc.), having a group discussion with your parents about:
WHO can best manage WHAT
...may create an easier transition for everyone. At this point I would advise passing around some food and drinks. Money talk (can) get people riled up (or so I’ve heard). Having something to shove into their pie hole, ie: pie, can’t hurt.
Admittedly, a big topic for a gal who likes to sing, wear pretty gowns, and yammer on about blogging but, I write about what I know. Right now, along with scores and coachings, flights and house sitters, this is the sub-text for the role I play in real life, about 20 years sooner than predicted.*
Thanks for reading.
Now go get some pie,
talk to your people,
and get’er done.
SPRING CLEANING
Spring cleaning of my $ accounts is on this week’s TO DO list as well. Maybe I’m wrong, but prepping my taxes seems to signal the best time of year to review my:
financial habits
priorities
and goals.
I always find that when the actual results (or lack thereof) of my financial choices are staring me in the face - I’m far more motivated to initiate simple financial changes that might make a huge impact over the next year.
A conversation with my money buddy, SKINNY JEANS, reminded me that,
Dealing head on with finances is never about the finances,
it’s about the emotions attached to whatever financial situation in which you may find yourself.
(a common theme, I know)
One of my most talented, and successful friends struggles with reviewing her past financial choices....not the numbers themselves, but the why and how she got herself into the negative in the first place.
SKINNY JEANS’ advice was:
“Be brave and just do it; make a plan and move on.”
Anyone who is willing to be honest about their choices is ready to make new, and possibly better ones in the future. It’s also nothing to be ashamed of, just another fact of life that needs addressing: like raking the leaves or turning the clocks forward. Once the spring $ cleaning is done, the patio (and probably a sparkling beverage) awaits.
To all of my fellow Cardinals, be brave during this season of financial reflection (a.k.a. taxes). Learn from last years choices and (for goodness sake!!) make a plan:
to pay off the debt
to start saving just a wee bit more than before
to think before you buy
and repeat :||
Thanks for reading!
(As always, my writing is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a financial professional when making real choices about your money)
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Practice makes you perfect...or crazy...whatev..
As you know from my last entry, I had a date with STEVE to set up my:
RBC PRACTICE INVESTMENT ACCOUNT.
It all seemed so easy with my sophomoric tutor, but once I got home (alone with the web page) it all seemed to mesh into one big mess of acronyms and arrows. I thought, maybe if I shake my computer really hard, like an etch-a-sketch, everything will gracefully slide into place. Alas, no amount of shaking, or confused looks at the screen would prompt an answer about what I was actually doing.
Desperate times call for desperate measures so, I clicked on the instructional video section of the site. I would be a genius after watching a few of these, I’m certain.....
My first observation?
“I HATE THIS WOMAN’S VOICE!”
The insincere, unsupported, edgy voice over for the “practice segments” is clearly an actress who has been told to smile every time she says something negative, and to describe the tabs and charts like they were a prize to be won on The Price is Right. After a few of the videos I have a flashback of a dark room with a microphone and a bored director... *gasp!*
“I AUDITIONED FOR THIS VOICE OVER JOB!!!”
Meaning: I (potentially) could have been the annoying voice in said videos....*sigh*.... #fullcircledisappointment.
Second: the site is actually pretty easy to follow if you know what you want. Since there are only 5 million different kinds of stocks, I decide that this should be easy to narrow down....truth be told, there are ways to narrow the field, but, where to START? That’s the real question.
As we move along, I keep finding that the sub titles under the major tabs don’t always seem to be under logical headings (where is the “eggs in one basket” tab, Steve?) and the vocabulary isn’t always consistent with the actual tabs on the site.
ie: they say research in the video but, it’s found under reports...sometimes.
Little things like that mean you can go in circles looking for something you didn’t know you needed. I, however, will clearly be a pro after so much practice....
Third: The site kindly gives you options on how you would like to view the progress of stocks in your portfolio. (Now we’re getting somewhere!) There are usually 4 different options and at least one of them will make sense to the reader in the end. My favourite graphics (of course) have more colour and very clear symbols, as opposed to the long lists with comparative percentages of past performance, and projections for the future. For me, if it goes up and seems to recover nicely from a dip (admittedly, in a lovely shade of PINK) then I can see immediately if a stock is for me or not.
This brings me to my last observation for the day: Figuring out how, and why something is for you or not seems to be more important than the success of the actual choices. During my time surfing around the practice site, I read a few blogs and one of the MAIN things that seemed to pop up (before ANYTHING ELSE) was:
YOUR COMFORT LEVEL with LOSING YOUR MONEY.
William J. O’Neil writes: “The tricky part is getting rid of the EMOTION attached to making decisions....we try to defend our original decision to buy, and justify holding the stock even though we’re in the negative?” 24 Essential Lessons for Investment Success
?????!!!!!!
....get rid of the EMOTION... about LOSING my MONEY?
I don’t need a practice investment site for that, I need a LOBOTOMY!!! The emotional side of things will be my biggest challenge, for sure. Even with my PRETEND money, I’m betting that I will become very possessive and, just like he says, defensive about my original decisions (like why did I start with the Handel when, clearly they wanted to hear the Mozart...tsk! *)
Here’s hoping I pick a winner!
*singer reference
Next blog: (I’m projecting) will be the discovery that I am a STOCK FOX! Stay tuned... : )
Thanks for reading and re-posting!! Very flattered....
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My date with STEVE
Steve (the man of the hour) was a 20 something guy, fresh out of business school, who had somehow finagled a table for two where we wouldn’t be disturbed. Suddenly aware that there was a very real possibility that I had babysat Steve at some point in my youth almost made me turn around and leave but, I knew that this could very well be the start of a very passionate relationship with.....
THE STOCK MARKET.
In a blog written back in May 2010 I spoke about my frustration with the financial industry and the fact there didn’t seem to be a way for creative folk (ie: people like ME who can only seem to speak in metaphors... with hand gestures.. and possibly a song) to connect with the seemingly unintelligible world of INVESTING. Sorry, I’m generalizing, but *honestly* if I asked you to define:
IPOs * ETFs * EQUITIES * OPTIONS * & * MERs
...I’m sure you (insert me projecting my instincts onto everyone who reads this) would resort to hand gestures as well! No? Yes? Back to my date...
#1 on my list of requests was to have STEVE introduce me to my bank’s
PRACTICE INVESTMENT SITE.
Here I would have an imaginary $100,000 to play with, and could familiarize myself with how the stock market works - minus the risk. More importantly it would be an excellent way to gage my comfort level around:
losing
gaining
patience
and the root of it all...
fear.
Steve told me that the secret to the stock market - really - was to have a crystal ball at the ready (!!!!!) If you don’t have one of those, well, practicing to see how the market really works is probably your next best bet.
#2. I wanted answers, REAL ANSWERS, or COLOURFUL DEFINITIONS to the thousands of acronyms that litter each page or graph. With every answer from Steve I would counter with a statement that sounded like,
“So....this one is like putting all of your eggs in one basket and, this one is like buying one egg at a time from individual chickens on different farms? Got it.”
Please don’t ask me what he was referring to...I have since forgotten and can’t read my notes...
#3. After my 25 minute tutorial - turned into 1hr 15min - I discovered that the STOCK MARKET could be summed up as a very expensive popularity contest. If the market (the people) don’t like what they see in the press about the CEO of a company, POOF! The people sell their stocks (insert: we don’t want to play with you anymore) and the company can financially disappear. Add a positive mention from Ellen or Oprah, POOF! The stock value goes up and that CEO buys a Porsche.
Similarly, if the demand for one resource goes up (Mr. Wheat) then wheat’s friends (farming related products) will all have to act accordingly and meet the demand. If you’re savvy and can see the circle of friends that support Mr.Wheat (check his FaceBook wall) you can make smart choices and “friend” them all into your investment page before the the cost is too dear.
#4. A question from STEVE:
“How did you become interested in the stock market? I
don’t see many opera singers hanging out down at Bay and Front St.”
My answer was that since it would seem that money - quite literally - makes the world go around, isn’t it in my best interest to figure out what that ACTUALLY means? When you visit a foreign country don’t you, at the very least, want to know how to say,
“Where’s the bathroom and how much are these beautiful shoes?”
I want the language of money to be right up there with my knowledge of English and French-ish. Since I already have a good grasp of how to fill up my shoe closet in both of Canada’s official languages, (not to mention being able sing about Magic Flutes in German, or a locket with my lover’s face on it in Italian) I’m thinking that the *money speak* could prove to be equally practical.
Over the next few months I will PRACTICE with my PRETEND $100,000, let you know how I do, and see if the site can really convert an “oh so right brained artist” into a money making GENIUS!!!!!
Wish me luck!
practice investment site: Check out your internet banking page for something similar to RBC’s practice site & free investment consultations.
*as always, a reminder that my money musings are for entertainment purposes only.
Please see a licensed financial professional when making real decisions about YOUR money.
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