Bookkeeper Information Technology

Gold Bubble Top Ten

  Top Ten Reasons Why We Are In A Gold Bubble
Reason #10: Gold has a limited use in jewellery and micro-circuitry with little intrinsic value in the manufacture of other finished goods.
Reason #9: Because of the recent exponential run-up in the value of gold, jewellers have cut back on its use thereby creating a significant decline in demand.
Reason #8: Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have simplified the process of gold ownership to a point where the general public can purchase it on a whim and, given the opportunity to make easy money, have created a pyramid scheme of epic proportions.
Reason #7: ETFs own thousands of tons of gold and are currently warehousing the inventory in banks and other high security facilities, an extremely expensive process for an asset whose primary value is based on fear and emotion.
Reason #6: Bond yields are on the rise as inflation and interest rates increase, and it has been suggested that a safe and secure 4% bond yield could lure the goldbugs back to fiscal reality.
Reason #5: The very same ETF-vehicle that made gold so easily accessible to the masses could work against it; in the case of a “run-on-the-goldbank”, ETFs will be forced to support the redemption rate and sell inventory quickly into a declining market.
Reason #4: Some say that gold is the only hedge against inflation. The 1971 Nixon-shock collapse of the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreements, which replaced gold with the U.S. dollar as the international value standard, created an environment where inflation is a fact of life, just one more measurement of many used in establishing rates of growth and prosperity.
Reason #3: Some say that all fiat currencies, especially the U.S. dollar, will collapse, but just as a rising tide lifts all boats, all countries will inevitably print more and more money and the monetary value of everything, including gold but not limited to just gold, will rise accordingly.
Reason #2: Some say that gold will become the international reserve currency, a new (old) standard for value, but how would this be accomplished? Countries such as England, France and Switzerland have steadily sold off reserves over the years; should they be penalized? The U.S. is currently the largest hoarder of gold reserves in the world; should they be rewarded? Private investors hold vast amounts of gold; will the U.S. government again make it illegal for individuals to own gold, as they did in 1933?
And the #1 Reason why Gold is in a Bubble: 
Because everyone thinks it isn’t.

Kayak Toronto

  Toronto Harbourfront extends from the Music Garden (near Bathurst) to the new Sugar Beach (near Jarvis). Street cars, bikepaths and walkways connect over 2 kilometres of restaurants, theatres, ferries, marinas, and boat rentals to the downtown core. The crown jewel of the Toronto waterfront is Toronto Island, a 500 acre, 13 island archipelago in the heart of the city, home to several yacht clubs, public parks, a bird sanctuary, and a select group of very fortunate residents.

I was one of a dozen kayakers on a Night Cruise through Ontario Place last summer, organized by the Harbourfront Canoe and Kayak Centre. Entering Ontario Place from the west at 8pm, we passed the Chinese Lantern Festival (an amazing view from the water) and then navigated the streams and tunnels of the OP property. We exited under the main walkway and through the Yacht Club.  At 10pm, we found ourselves resting mid-harbour taking in a spectacular view of the city night skyline from water level.

Owned and operated for the past five years by Dave Corrigan and his wife, Clare, the success of the Harbourfront Canoe and Kayak Centre is a tribute to Dave’s hard work and effort. Dave has extensive experience in paddling, ecology, nature and tripping, and his calm and professional character make the excursions fun and educational.

It is easy to forget about Toronto during the summer, but kayaking through the islands offers a great escape from summer in the city. I recommend the stress-free evening Social Paddles (W/R/F 6pm-8pm). Come via subway and street car - no gear required. Dave calls it a mini-holiday; I call it peace and quiet.

Clicks & Mortar

  The elusive Virtual Office has finally arrived.  Combine a prestigious head office address with basic front office administration duties (mail handling, paperwork processing, VPN bookkeeping) and you have the ultimate in small business efficiency. 

• Head Office: Yonge Street address, daily mail pick-up/sort/notify
• VPN Bookkeeping:  Review, create, analyze, print, whatever, anytime on-line
• Clicks & Mortar:  The illusion of BIG without the overhead, IT expense or staff
• Files & Data:  Filing flexibility, 2 Gb on-line data, VPN, automatic back-ups
• Centralized Administration: Bundled in one package, fully scalable, with an infrastructure that adapts and grows with your business 

BIT Management…
Virtual office efficiency.
www.bitfinancial.com

Energy $$

  My 2kW rooftop photo-voltaic power system was hooked up to the grid and commissioned in late March. Since then I have received three cheques from Toronto Hydro.

The cheque for April netted approximately $200, May $185 and June $175. Although this seems like an unlikely trend as summer progresses, there are many factors that could affect the sun’s exposure to the panels. June could have been more cloudy and rainy. Humidity and air pollution are also factors and this summer has been a muggy one.

I was hoping to achieve an average of $200/month through the year and this puts me a bit behind my target. Winter days are shorter and although the air is typically drier and cleaner, I anticipate winter revenue will be less. More to come.

Bookkeeping & VPN

  Small business owners and entrepreneurs have a natural propensity for Do-It-Yourself; I came, I saw, I conquered. When it comes to bookkeeping, it might be invoicing, or maybe managing payroll, or cutting cheques, or just tracking receivables and cash flow.

• What if… you were able to access your bookkeeping to do the things you want to do, when, where and how you want to do them – review, create, analyze, print, whatever – all in real time from any internet connection.
• What if… you could choose your own level of bookkeeper assistance while learning, through hands-on experience, programs and procedures with the on-line support of qualified professionals.
• What if… your financial reports were available on demand with reconciliation periods  – quarterly, monthly, weekly, or even daily – at your discretion.
• What if… you could have all this on your own Virtual Private Network for a small monthly fee.

VPN Accounting…
Bookkeeping on your terms.
www.bitfinancial.com

One Metre per Second

  The goal of one meter per second (fifty meters on fifty seconds - 50’s on 50) is realistic and accessible by almost everyone. Start slowly and take time between each set of fifty meters. There is no correct distance or time period and whatever gets your system operating aerobically is good.

For the metrically challenged, one meter is approximately ten percent longer than one yard. A 25 yard pool is excellent for aerobic training and a target of 50 yards on 45 seconds is realistic.

A workout of fifty lengths of fifty meters on fifty seconds (50 50’s on 50) is an excellent long-range target. When done continuously, the 2500 meter set requires 41 minutes and 40 seconds to complete. In the sporting world, a four-to-one ratio is often used to compare jogging to swimming. For example, a 10 kilometer fun-run (~6 miles) is approximately the same as a 2.5 kilometer swim (~1.5 miles).  Obviously, 50 50’s on 50 is a significant achievement.

Raising the bar slightly, on my fiftieth birthday I swam consecutively fifty lengths of fifty meters on fifty seconds (50 50’s on 50 at 50). I wish that I could say that my heart rate was 50 beats per minute too, but it was not.

Vortices

  Michael Phelps is the master of splash-n-dash and although he has much to offer inspirationally, his style and technique is vastly different from that of the fitness swimmer. Gifted with a long torso (helping keep his hips high in the water), a huge wingspan (allowing him to dig deep and long) and size 14 feet (providing him with powerful rear propulsion), Michael Phelps uses his body design to maximize forward motion and minimize fluid friction.

While air has significantly different density characteristics than water, many of the same aerodynamic principles apply. A swimmer should try to sense water resistance (back pressure or “differential pressure”) to maximize propulsion efficiency and return-on-effort.  Turbulent water is resistant water and this fact can work for or against the swimmer. In addition to being aware of vortex creation and activity, swimmers can attempt to “borrow energy” from the vortices created by pushing against turbulent water.

Increased vortex activity (beside, behind and ahead) will affect speed and performance.  Water does not react well to inefficient movement and energy is easily shed through uncontrolled motion, which leads to wild and unpredictable eddy activity. Stoke optimization is extremely personal; body shape, pull style, undulating motion and kick activity will create a collection of vortices that will be unique to each swimmer. Optimization requires intense focus and fine-tuned sensitivity. 

Michael Phelps’ rigorous training routine no doubt included water resistance sensitivity and reduced-drag optimization. Watching his races is highly recommended and greatly encouraged, but keep in mind that his body shape is one-in-a-billion and that what works for him will not work for everyone. Fitness swimming is more about science and efficiency rather than body shape and power. We all know what having big feet means.  That’s right… big shoes. And Michael Phelps’ shoes won’t be filled again for quite some time.

We Have Ignition!

  The 2kW solar panel array on my rooftop is now fully operational and sending power into the province’s power grid. How cool is that?

Ten 5′ x 3′ panels are wired into an inverter, which converts DC solar energy into 220VAC, and feed an export meter located on the outside wall of our house, adjacent to the import meter. The “series” system connects both meters directly to the 200 amp electrical panel in our basement. Thus far, the inverter indicates a variable range from zero (no direct sunshine) to 1780 watts (mid-afternoon), which I assume is OK for an early-spring day.

A bright, mid-afternoon, summertime sun should generate approximately $1.50/hour for two or three hours per day. My first job in 1972 was pushing carts at Loblaws and it, too, paid $1.50/hour for a few hours per day. Solar power production is certainly not a fountain of cash flow, and the ten-year-plus return on investment is hardly exciting. But it still beats pushing carts.

More details to follow!

Traders Unlimited

  Buy-and-hold investing and day-trading are two of the most commonly used terms for describing stock market strategies. Using these as opposite extremes, the middle ground is populated by a huge spread of investment styles. At the conservative end of the spectrum (buy-and-hold), strategies include dividend, growth, ETF, international, value, and sector investing. Toward the more volatile end (day-trading), techniques include trend, position, momentum, swing, and candlestick.
Continue reading Traders Unlimited…

TFSA vs. RSP

  A Tax Free Savings Account can provide flexibility and benefits for lower-income individuals that a RSP account cannot. A TFSA offers the same tax-free status on income generated, but TFSA contributions are not deductible from income and, more importantly, withdrawals are not taxable as income.
Continue reading TFSA vs. RSP…