Monthly Archives: January 2009

BC Pensioner gets house title restored

Posted on by
No Gravatar

The Vancouver Sun proclaims that a pensioner gets stolen house back but that is perhaps misleading.  To be precise it is only the house title that has been restored.  To get to this point has cost Norman Gettel $10,000-and-counting in legal fees.

The Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia wrote: “Further to your story this summer about Norman Gettel, we are pleased to advise you that Mr. Gettel’s land title has been restored in his name.”  So it has taken over six months to correct this since the Vancouver Sun headlined the story and almost a year since the LTSA was advised there was a problem.

According to the property records, Gettel sold his property, assessed at $600,000-plus in the summer of 2007, and the buyer had also immediately put a $400,000 mortgage from CIBC on it.  The buyer never showed up to claim the property.   The identity cards used to get the property transferred included a B.C. driver’s licence and a B.C. CareCard.

Gettel had no idea that his property had been transferred to someone else until his annual property assessment didn’t arrive in the mail.  When he went to the land titles office, he was told he didn’t own the property any more.

The nightmare isn’t over for Gettel with a $400,000 mortgage against the house and his legal fees so far of $10,000.  He expects the provincial Land Title Office will be dealing with the CIBC which holds the mortgage. I hope he will not have to get involved in the mortgage case as Stan Rule describes in another case of Land Title Fraud.

Dave Watt, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver wrote to the Vancouver Sun back in the summer of 2008 pointing out re Title Fraud in B.C. that title insurance protects the lending institution, not the homeowner.  He said that  REALTORS® have a high level of confidence in the land title system.

That may be so, but it has still cost Mr. Gettel a great deal of time, money and heartache to get this title fraud corrected. It should be easier than this.  It is perhaps the most grievous example of what can happen in an identity theft situation.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Real Estate, then why not visit the Real Estate section of the Money Bookstore.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , ,

UK Ministry Of Silly Walks

Posted on by
No Gravatar

As a Friday afternoon diversion, you may be as intrigued as I am to see that Monty Python has a commercial success on its hands with its YouTube channel.  There you can see videos such as the following showing John Cleese and many other civil servants with their silly walks. (Tip of the hat to Michael Geist on this one)

 

The hope is that you will be encouraged to use a link such as the following to buy the The Ministry of Silly Walks DVD.  Via Amazon, you can also buy any other Ministry of Silly Walks paraphernalia that may take your fancy.

By the way, more recently it was noted that Mathematicians rule out Ministry of Silly Walks.  Apparently the regular walk as you might suspect is a much more efficient way of getting around. 

That is perhaps why The Sun’s recent article on John Cleese is entitled Ministry of Chilly Walks.

Actor John Cleese was spotted bundled up in his warmest winter clothes at the Sundance Film Festival in the US.  The 69-year-old Monty Python star wore a big winter hat, long coat and trendy sunglasses while walking around Park City in Utah, which is hosting the event.

If you are a fan of John Cleese, then you may wish to check out Other John Cleese items.

.. and now back to regular programming.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Phony Money

Posted on by
No Gravatar

Apparently more and more people are using phony money.

That is not the kind of phony money that appears in that Denny commercial.  No, we are talking about ‘real’ counterfeit money.  It is not surprising that in economic hard times, more people are resorting to using fake money.

Counterfeiting arrests in the USA jumped 28% in 2008 over 2007 — the highest number since 2004, according to the US Secret Service, a division of the Homeland Security Department that safeguards the nation’s currency. Counterfeiters passed $64.4 million in fake cash into the economy, a 5% increase over 2007 and also a five-year high, according to Special Agent Darrin Blackford, spokesman for the agency.

It’s not just the criminal element, but we’re also seeing more students that maybe use a counterfeit $20 bill to buy pizza or someone trying to do it to purchase gas to get to work,” says Brian Marr, Secret Service special agent. Reports of fake bills spiked this year when gas prices hit record highs.

CosmoLoan has some interesting information about counterfeit money.

  1. More people are faking it
  2. Coin Clipping used to be prevalent
  3. Death to all counterfeiters was the rule less than 400 years ago
  4. The US Secret Service was originally founded to suppress the major counterfeit currency racket going on in 1865
  5. Attacking countries with their own fake money has been used as a means of warfare
  6. Catch Me if You Can is the story of the world’s greatest check counterfeiter, Frank Abagnale.
  7. Superdollar or Note Family – C14342 has been able to fool many experts who were unable to tell it apart from legitimate currency.  It is believed that 1 out of every 10 000 bills in circulation in the US is a Superdollar.
  8. You must accept counterfeit money and then turn it in without reimbursement
  9. In Canada today many businesses still refuse 50 dollar and 100 dollar bills following a huge counterfeiting operation in 2001.
  10. Poor quality Ink-jet printed money represented 60% of the counterfeit currency collected.

The Bank of Canada takes counterfeiting very seriously and responds by a number of measures to help in Counterfeiting prevention.

  • researching and developing new security features that are difficult to copy and easy to use;
  • working with law enforcement to monitor and respond to counterfeiting activity; and
  • showing Canadians, especially those who handle cash regularly, how to verify bank notes to make sure they’re genuine

They even now have an exhibit in their Currency Museum that showcases the history of phony cash.  The exhibit opened Jan. 6 and is called The Good, The Bad, and The Fake.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Seniors And Identity Theft

Posted on by
No Gravatar

In these tough economic times, there are even more wrongdoers who will try to take your money.  If someone can steal your identity, then they have open access to all your resources.

The Vancouver Sun describes an online scheme that offers refunds to taxpayers.  The website looks extremely authentic but it does not belong to the Canada Revenue Agency.

The Canada Revenue Agency and security experts are warning consumers not to fall for an online scheme that is tricking taxpayers into divulging critical financial information.  The phishing scheme, using the promise of a tax refund as a lure, is gaining momentum as Canada’s tax season approaches.

It’s even scamming in Canada’s two official languages.  Prompted by the refund promise in an e-mail, people are directed to a website where they are supposed to fill in their social insurance number, date of birth, their full name and a line from their tax refund.

Armed with that information, someone could contact the CRA and authorize such measures as the redirecting of refunds to another bank account or the redirecting of all tax-related documents.

Avoiding such phishing schemes is essential but not always easy.  In the US they are now moving to the issuance of a secure Social Security card.  This would be part of H.R. 50, The Social Security Identity Theft Prevention Act.  H.R. 50 is intended to protect seniors from identity theft and strengthen national security by providing for the issuance of a secure Social Security card.

Social Security Identity Theft Prevention Act – Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to require Social Security cards to be made of tamperproof and wear-resistant material (currently, of banknote paper), and include a digital image of the cardholder as well as an encrypted, machine-readable electronic record containing biometric identifiers

It is now being studied by the House Committee on Ways and Means.

In Canada there are a variety of online resources to guide you on how best to avoid your identity being stolen.  SafeCanada in its information for seniors has a section on Seniors Safety and Security. 

Other useful resources are:

The last of these covers the following elements:

  • Protect your computer by using a firewall, anti-virus software and other security measures.
  • Always be suspicious of e-mails from financial institutions, Internet service providers and other organizations asking you to provide personal information online.
  • Protect your mail – place outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove incoming mail from your mail box. Get into the habit of shredding or destroying pre-approved credit card, insurance or loan applications, bills, credit card receipts and anything that contains your personal information
  • Get into the habit of checking your credit report on an annual basis — the major credit reporting bureaus will provide one free report each year.
  • Do not give out personal information over the phone, unless you know the person to whom you are speaking, or you initiated the call yourself.
  • If you believe or suspect that your personal information may have been compromised, contact the proper authorities (i.e., your bank, credit card issuer, credit reporting bureaus, utility provider, and so on) as soon as possible.

Be extremely cautious and make sure you are not the victim of some phishing scheme.  Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes and it can affect everyone, including you. Protect your personal information from being at risk. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Openness In Government – Barack Obama

Posted on by
No Gravatar

This is a somewhat ironic follow-up to the earlier rant about Gordon Brown’s wish to keep embarrassing UK government activities secret.

Actions speak louder than words.  On his very first packed full day in office, Barak Obama has pledged an era of openness.   He has promised a transparent government and said he would change the way the federal government interprets the freedom of information act.

He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public — not to look for reasons to legally withhold it — an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation.

Just because a government agency has the legal power to keep information private does not mean that it should, Obama said. Reporters and public-interest groups often make use of the law to explore how and why government decisions were made; they are often stymied as agencies claim legal exemptions to the law.

To achieve this transparency, he promised to apply the very best technology.

Obama’s administration will utilize cutting-edge technologies to give Americans access to his administration’s records and he will likely appoint a chief technology officer who will ensure that government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure policies and services for the 21st century.

Among Obama’s proposals are the creation of internet databases for lobbying reports, ethics records and campaign finance filings as well as a “contracts and influence” database to track federal contractors’ spending and lobby efforts.

One hopes that other national leaders will follow Obama’s lead.  Gordon Brown has backed off his threat to keep the MPs expenses data secret, which would have been voted on tomorrow.  Given the timing it would look as though the Facebook hornet’s nest (now at 8,400 members at the time of writing) that developed had more to do with the change of heart than a wish to emulate the US president.

One hopes the same spirit of openness begins to be more apparent in Canada than is the current norm.  However it is somewhat disheartening to see that the current version of the freedom of information legislation website has only an outdated copy of the legislation available.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , ,

Gordon Brown, UK Prime Minister, Old World. Barack Obama, New World.

Posted on by
No Gravatar

What a glorious day occurred yesterday for the whole world with the inauguration of Barak Obama as the new US president.  Now we must all pick up the message, Yes We Can.  That means facing up to reality.

After a whirlwind of galas surrounding his inauguration, Barack Obama begins his first full day as U.S. president Wednesday with a full plate of reality staring him in the face.

Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister says that he sees this as a new chapter
in both American history and the world’s history.  However others have commented before that Prime Minister Gordon Brown is out of touch.

If you will permit a short rant, I note that today’s word in my Forgotten English calendar is mumbudget.  That is an expression denoting secrecy as well as silence.  It seems to be a word beloved by Gordon Brown.

The Times headline today is Gordon Brown backs moved to block full publication of MPs expenses.

Gordon Brown has imposed a three-line whip to force a move to block full publication of MPs’ expenses through the Commons.  Labour MPs could face sanctions if they rebel in tomorrow’s vote on an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act that would exempt MPs from disclosing exactly how they have been spending their annual £22,000 second-home allowance.

The Guardian had already pointed out that the move to make MPs exempt from publishing expenses will antagonize a large number of people.

The move next week will allow parliament to nullify all the long-fought victories by campaigners and journalists to force MPs to publish details of all their individual receipts for their second homes, including details of what they spent on furnishings, maintenance, rent, mortgage payments, staffing, travel, office staffing and equipment.

Public opposition is growing against the move.  At the time of writing this, almost 7,500 people have signed a Facebook campaign led by mySociety.  mySociety runs the “theyworkfor-you” website, that urges MPs not to push through the change.

What a stark comparison.  Gordon Brown in the Old World.  Barak Obama in the New World.  Thankfully the Internet forces openness and makes ever truer those words of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg: a government of the people, by the people, for the people.  Please smell the coffee, Mr. Brown.

STOP PRESS: Gordon Brown withdraws plan to keep details of MPs’ expenses secret:
Surprise announcement follows the collapse overnight of a bipartisan agreement between the prime minister and David Cameron

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Recession Or Depression

Posted on by
No Gravatar

There is an old joke among economists that states:

  • A recession is when your neighbor loses his job.
  • A depression is when you lose your job.
Of course for those who are wishing to retire, both words may come into play.

The problem is as the Times reports that  particularly with the falling value of the pound many pensioners do not have the choice of leaving the country to avoid the economic slowdown.

Millions of British expatriates whose income is fixed in sterling – particularly pensioners or those relying on rental income from the UK – have seen their spending power steadily decline over the past 20 months.  At its peak in 2000 the pound was worth about 1.70 euros, but this week it fell to 1.06 euros. This means that the state pension of 90.70 pounds a week was worth 154.19 euros in 2000, but only about 92 euros today. The current volatility of the pound makes it increasingly difficult for expatriates to predict exactly how much their sterling will be worth.

The other meaning of the word depression is one that may particularly affect seniors as Age Concern England reminds us.

Depression is the most common mental health problem in later life which can often stop people from enjoying spending time with their families. It is often wrongly seen as part of getting old‚ but can be avoided and treated if the signs are spotted early on.  Age Concern England is urging family‚ friends and neighbours to watch out for signs of depression in older people and support them to seek help to get better.

Less us all hope that depression is avoided and that the recession does not last too long.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Health Care, then why not visit the Health Care section of the Money Bookstore.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: ,

Postponing Retirement

Posted on by
No Gravatar

Yet another headline proclaims what we all know so well.  Reuters reports that Older Americans postpone retirement as economy sags.

With the bleak economic news that is so widely reported, it is not surprising that people try to minimize their risks. 

A December survey by the senior’s advocacy group AARP showed 57 percent of Americans aged 45 or over who lost money in their investments over the past year and who are working or looking for work expect to delay retirement. One in four have already postponed plans to retire, the survey showed.

As the experts report people are losing their assets that they assumed would be there to fund their retirement. 

“This combination of forces creates a triple whammy for older people. The stock market is plunging, jobs are hard to find, and home values are sagging. This creates a really difficult environment in which to contemplate retiring,” said Richard Johnson, an expert in seniors and retirement at the Urban Institute, a Washington think-tank.

Assets in retirement accounts have lost $2.8 trillion, or 32 percent of their value, as of December 2, 2008, compared with September 30, 2007, according to the institute.

Since there is no sign of any early turnaround, one can assume that the proportion of people delaying their retirement will go even higher.  Thankfully more and more are fitter than seniors used to be so they are better able to make this choice.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Retirement, then why not visit the Retirement section of the Money Bookstore.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

More Bank Bailouts – Keep The Pumps Working

Posted on by
No Gravatar

The river of money is what keeps economies flowing.  That is why governments are putting all efforts into getting the banking system functioning well.  Others in need like  pensioners may well question why those rich banks seem to be first in the lineup but without the banks there is nothing.

In the UK the government has now unveiled a second bank rescue plan. 

The U.K. government unveiled a second bank rescue plan Monday designed to jumpstart lending and bolster the stability of the nation’s financial system.

The announcement made early Monday marks a dramatic new step for U.K. officials trying to contain a growing banking crisis. Under the plan, the British Treasury will set up a wide scale insurance program aimed at protecting banks against further losses and guarantee bank assets backed by mortgages and other loans.

Meanwhile in the US the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) needs some modification to get things back on track.

Economy is getting worse and banks’ books are still weighed down with junk. Obama will deliver a ‘message’ for Wall Street to get credit flowing, aide says.  It’s back to square one.  The deepening financial crisis, which is undermining the government’s rescue efforts, is prompting federal officials to revisit the original bailout measures. These include taking toxic assets off institutions’ balance sheets by moving them into a so-called “bad bank,” according to published reports.

One can only hope that the banks do effectively use the support they are getting.  Then at least there is one less problem for all the rest of us to worry about.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Banks, then why not visit the Banks section of the Money Bookstore.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Technorati Tags: , ,

Retirement Planning – Hobbies

Posted on by
No Gravatar

An important part of retirement planning is to figure out exactly what you will do with your time.  Having a hobby that you enjoy may even mean that you never have any spare time. .. and that is not a bad problem to have.

If you do not have a hobby already, there are a large number of websites to give you ideas.  Here are just a sample:

Of course the best retirement hobbies are developed before retirement.  If you have an interest in lifelong learning, then taking a refresher course in some other language like Conversational Irish (Ghaeilge Labhartha) may be just the thing for you.

If your hobby is also your passion, then that is the best of all worlds.  There was an interesting article in the Vancouver Sun about 74 year-old Geoffrey Scudder who is a retired entomologist.

This English-born Vancouver resident has about 80,000 bugs in his basement lab. He taught for more than 40 years at the University of British Columbia until his retirement a decade ago.  His lab is stacked from floor to ceiling with about 400 wooden boxes full of dried bugs.  This has been his main research centre since he retired in 1999 and lost his six-room lab facility at UBC. Though retired from teaching, Scudder continues to act as a driving force of science and public education in the field of biodiversity in this province.

The bulk of his worldwide specimen collection is already split between the Spencer Entomological Museum at UBC and The Canadian National Collection of Insects in Ottawa (his Canadian collection), the British Museum in London (European, British Isles and African specimens), the American Museum of Natural History in New York (North American) and the Bishop Museum in Hawaii (Pacific region).

Party Poker

It would almost seem that the word hobby is too small or lightweight to describe the continuation of Geoffrey Scudder’s life work.  However for many other retirees, their hobby can become equally involving and fulfilling.  If you know of others whose hobbies are so enriching or you have your own hobby that is somewhat unusual, then why not add a note in the comments.

Footnote: If you are interested in books on Hobbies, then why not visit the Hobbies section of the Money Bookstore.

Technorati Tags: ,