darrenhicks6

donderdag 7 juni 2012

Women Taking the Wheel

Women in Retirement Many women have not realized that now is the time to take control of your finances. For too long, a great number of you have relied on men, be it a husband or whatnot, to control your finances and help you plan for retirement. And the truth is, this line of thinking continues to this day.

Now is the time to put a stop to all that. Now is the time you take the wheel. Now is the time to realize that a successful retirement may very well hinge on your own ability to prepare. Let's take a look at a few facts that every woman should be aware of.

Fact #1: A longer life expectancy can have a huge effect on your retirement.

If you are a married woman, there is a good chance that your husband is older than you. In many cases, your husband may be several years older. More than a decade of difference isn't all that uncommon. Because of this, there is a good chance that when your husband passes away, he will do so several years ahead of you. This can mean a great deal to your retirement, as you will need to prepare for the long haul without your husband's guidance. In many cases, a widow will see her standard of living go down without proper planning.

The same goes for a single woman. The average lifespan is now close to 85, and you may find yourself living many years beyond that. While this is clearly a good thing, you must prepare for at least 30 years of retirement, just to be on the safe side.

Fact #2: A little knowledge can go a long way.

You can't beat a little education to help you get through life. When it comes to retirement planning, this is especially true. Whether or not you've been following your husband's lead and allowing him to control all of your finances or allowing a professional to handle things for you, it's time you educated yourself. Take the time to learn as much as you can about the financial products contained in your retirement portfolio. Ask questions. Maybe even take a few basic classes to help you understand anything you might be having trouble with. Finances can often be a bit difficult to understand for anyone, so never hesitate to educate yourself and stay informed.

Fact #3: Surveys back up the consensus.

If you follow the numerous financial surveys that are conducted each year, you'll find that retirement planning is a huge issue for women right now. One of these was conducted by the Society of Actuaries. Here are some facts that this survey unveiled, and they're not exactly encouraging:

-- Only 8% of female retirees are planning for the long haul, which can translate to a twenty year gap in finances. In turn, this gap translates to a large number of women who simply aren't prepared for their extended life expectancy without the benefit of a spouse.

-- For men over the age of 85, a total of 45% of them are widowed. For women, the number is nearly doubled at 85%. That number may be staggering, but it simply reinforces the need for a woman to know how to handle her finances into her later years.

-- 20% of men at age 65 are expected to need professional care for a number of years after their retirement. For women, the number is 30%. While this isn't a huge difference, it's large enough to be concerned.

Source: http://firstsecurityfinancialshow.com/blog/bid/142483/Women-Taking-the-Wheel

info click here for more info click here

Did Warren Buffett Just Save the Newspaper Industry?

Filed under: Investing, Media, Berkshire Hathaway, News Corp

Most Americans know Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett as "the greatest investor in history." But history itself may remember Buffett as the man who saved the newspaper industry -- the man who, in the darkest hour when newspapers were dying off to be replaced by the Internet, opened up his incredibly large wallet and made sure newspapers would survive.

Last week, Buffett moved to save a failing Media General (MEG), paying $142 million to buy 63 struggling newspapers from the media conglomerate. The deal, expected to close one month from now, will expand Buffett's media empire (which currently consists primarily of minority stakes in The Washington Post (WPO) and Lee Enterprises (LEE)) and give him outright control over such storied names as the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Winston-Salem Journal.

Buffett also bought his hometown paper, The Omaha World-Herald, last year, and he owns a few Iowa and Nebraska papers, as well as The Buffalo News in New York.

He's also positioned to profit from Media General -- or, if necessary, take over what's left of it -- having agreed to extend a $400 million term loan and a $45 million revolving credit line to keep the rump-company afloat. In addition to collecting on the loans, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) received warrants to acquire 19.9% of Media General's shares at an unspecified strike price.

Meet the Next Rupert Murdoch

So what is Buffett up to? Is Media General a prelude to Buffett's building a media empire that will counterbalance News Corp (NWS)? Are we -- not to put too fine a point on it -- witnessing the birth of the next Rupert Murdoch?

Yes and no. Yes, because it's pretty clear that Buffett and Berkshire are embarking on a concerted effort to build a media business. They've even established a subsidiary to keep track of all the new holdings: "BH Media Group."

But no, it's not likely that Mr. Buffett has designs of supplanting Mr. Murdoch as the No. 1 media figure, or even of playing a liberal yin to Murdoch's conservative yang.

Addressing the suspicion head-on in a recent memo to his new papers' editors and publishers, Buffett assured them that they will retain full editorial independence under his ownership:

I have some strong political views, but Berkshire owns the paper -- I don't. And Berkshire will always be non-political. We have more than 600,000 shareholders of all stripes and I do not use Berkshire's resources, directly or indirectly, to speak for them.

Buying Time for the Newspaper Industry

But if Buffett's not buying a megaphone for his political views, what is he up to? The answer is scattered throughout his memo to the publishers in several key statements:

Times are certainly far tougher today than they used to be for newspapers. Circulation nationally will continue to slip and in some cases plunge.

That's hardly a news flash.

We must rethink the industry's initial response to the Internet. The original instinct of newspapers ... was to offer free in digital form what they were charging for in print. This is an unsustainable model ... We want your best thinking as we work out the blend of digital and print that will attract both the audience and the revenue we need.

And this is key. Beset upon from one side by cheap, virtual "news" operations like Yahoo!, Google, and Huffington Post, which stole away their readers, and on the other side by Cragislist, Cars.com, and LinkedIn, which siphoned off their ad revenues, newspapers have been scrambling to find a sustainable business model -- and failing. Buffett's entrance into the industry however, will change all that. Under Berkshire's ownership:

Your paper will operate from a position of financial strength. Berkshire will always maintain capital and liquidity second to none. We shun levels of debt that could ever impose problems.

Sponsored Links

In other words, Buffett is taking his $200 billion company, its $37.8 billion bank account, and the nearly $13 billion in annual free cash flow it generates, and using them to backstop the newspaper industry -- to buy them enough breathing room so that they have time to think and figure out a way to conduct business in the Internet age. In so doing, he has given them a fighting chance at survival.

Let's wish him well in that. Let's hope that years from now -- many years, hopefully -- when history finally gets around to writing an obituary for Warren Buffett, it won't begin with praise for "the world's best investor." Let's hope it reads: "Warren Buffett, the newspaper boy who grew up to save the newspaper industry ..."

Motley Fool contributor Rich Smith holds no position in any company mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of LinkedIn, Google, and Berkshire Hathaway. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Berkshire Hathaway, Google, and LinkedIn.

Get info on stocks mentioned in this article:

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/05/25/did-warren-buffett-just-save-the-newspaper-industry/

ipod ipad apple ipad

Bart Chilton: Rock Fan, Finance Regulator

Why does a senior finance regulator pepper his speeches with references to popular music? Also: Would you call that haircut a mullet?

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/05/21/152357030/bart-chilton-rock-fan-derivatives-regulator?ft=1&f=127413671

info click here for more info click here

Target to Spend $1 Billion on Remodeling Stores, Testing Small Urban Shops

Filed under: Company News, Economy, Wal-Mart Stores, Target Corp, Costco, Retail

Target Corp. (TGT) plans to announce a $1 billion renovation program that will include revamping its existing stores, experimenting with smaller store openings in urban areas and expanding its presence abroad over the next decade.

Continue reading Target to Spend $1 Billion on Remodeling Stores, Testing Small Urban Shops

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/01/21/target-to-spend-1-billion-on-remodeling-stores-testing-small-u/

country financial statefarm allstate

woensdag 6 juni 2012

Why Futures and Options Expirations Won't Boost Wall Street

Filed under: Economy, Investing

With the pervasive investor uncertaintly, the so-called witching hour, a time when futures and options expire and investors usually make more trades, is unlikely to boost trading volumes Friday.

The "quadruple witching" hour -- when index futures, index options, equity options and security futures expire simultaneously -- is traditionally a time of higher trading volumes and investors decide what to do next. But if the low trading volumes so far this week are any indication, the next quadruple witching hour, scheduled Friday, will likely pass with barely a bump.

The investor uncertainty that has characterized the market's choppy performance seems to be going strong. For the entire month of September, investors have behaved as if someone cast a spell rendering them unable to rally or retreat from stocks.

Sponsored Links

The market has been stuck in a small trading range of between 1040 and 1130 on the S&P 500 ($SPX) index for the last four months. And there's been a lower-than-normal volume of stock and options trades as investors try to figure out which way the market might head next. Even the approaching quadruple witching hasn't been able to energize traders.

"We are at a point where the economic numbers are a little bit better, but they are not good enough to convince the buyers or sellers to take a stance with any kind of conviction," says Nate Peterson, senior derivatives analyst for Charles Schwab. "It's a market where you continue to wait and see. As the [reports] come out, you look for indicators that will give you a reason to buy, or to short the market."

Waiting for News

Options investors seem to be waiting for news and economic reports to help them reassess their positions before making trades, Peterson says. As a result, the average options volume in September has slipped to 15 million contracts per week from the 20 million contracts per week the market averaged through May.

That options volume may stay low until closer to October, when companies may begin making announcements in advance of the earnings season, Peterson says. Those announcements may then give investors better clues to where the market is headed. Unfortunately, while providing some clarity for investors, those announcements can also create higher market volatility.

"Right now VIX futures are around 25 - so traders are not pricing in a lot of volatility for October," Peterson says, referring to the Chicago Board Options Exchange Market Volatility Index ($VIX), which measures the market's anticipated volatility based on the sale of S&P 500 index futures and options. Historically, volatility has usually grown during earnings seasons, and an increase in the market volatility index generally makes options and futures more expensive, so Friday may be traders' last chance to lock in positions before higher volatility -- and higher prices -- kicks in.

Leading up to the quadruple witching, some traders bought new options on Wednesday and Thursday, but it seems that most are waiting until next week to decide if they need options to protect their long positions. Those who choose to buy put options for that protection as earnings season approaches can likely get them cheap, relatively speaking, on Friday, Peterson says.

And getting cheaper protection would definitely take the hex out of quadruple witching.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/09/16/futures-options-expirations-wont-help-stocks/

statefarm allstate triple a

The Long, Long, Long Road To New Rules For Banks

Nearly four years after the financial crisis — and two years after a major new law was passed — key details remain unresolved.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/05/18/152942540/the-long-long-long-road-to-new-rules-for-banks?ft=1&f=127413671

verizon 4G country financial statefarm

Last lump sum payment

So today is payday :-) Oh happy joy joy. Really wishing I were Scrooge McDuck today and able to roll and dive through my money for the one day I get it. Less than a day, really. I spend about 10 minutes online this morning moving bits around here and there. I went to the ATM and got my jar money for the week.

I headed out at noon to the 'other bank' and made my final lump sum payment on my vehicle loan. There remains a $1070 balance. At the beginning of May, my second last regular payment will come out and at the beginning of June, my final regular payment will come out. And then it's game over.

I put $300 today as the final lump sum payment.

I probably could have really stretched money and played with the budget lines to kill off the June payment and make May my final one. Call me crazy though, but I really wanted to savour that last month of seeing a balance of only $500something on the account.

After my start May payment, I will have 98% of my loan paid off. I tried playing with the numbers to see how much more I needed to add to see that at 99% paid off for the last month, just to enjoy it. I would have needed to put down half of my remaining payment.

I guess in the spirit of fully visualizing my money, I need to get a sidebar up indicating my LOC. I shall put that on my weekend to do list.

Source: http://shakingthemoneytree.blogspot.com/2012/04/last-lump-sum-payment.html

verizon 4G country financial statefarm

Why the European Debt Crisis Is Far From Over

Filed under: Economy, Investing, Credit, Currency

The European debt crisis is back in the headlines, and the news is not good. Portugal's prime minister resigned after his austerity plan for the beleaguered nation were rejected by opposition parties in parliament, and Germany's leadership is waffling on funding the huge bailouts needed by debt-burdened countries such as Ireland and Greece, reflecting the deep ambiguity of German voters weary of bailing out their weaker neighbors. Despite the brave talk of a few months ago, it now seems all but inevitable that Portugal will also need a gigantic bailout of at least 70 billion euros, or $99 billion.

Ratings agencies have downgraded Portugal's debt, and investors have responded by pushing the yield on its bonds to more than 8%, roughly 4.5% higher than the yield on German bonds. Yields on Ireland's debt exceed 10%, reflecting the perceived risk of default or renegotiation.

With Europe at risk of stumbling as a result of its austerity measures and the costs of bailouts, investors need to rethink investments in eurozone economies and the euro itself.

Eurozone growth is already anemic: France managed a meager 0.3% gain in the fourth quarter of 2010, and 1.5% for all of 2010, while the U.S. economy expanded 3.1% in late 2010.

The bailouts are not small potatoes. The temporary rescue fund, known as the European Financial Stability Facility, is currently set at 250 billion euros ($353.6 billion) , and European Union officials want to expand it to 440 billion euros ($622.3 billion). The wealthier nations of Europe have already loaned 177 billion euros ($250.3 billion) to bail out Greece and Ireland, and the high yields on those nations bonds and credit default swaps -- insurance against default -- show that investors continue to see a high risk of default.

Spain Also at Risk

While Spain's economy expanded at a modest 0.9% pace last year, its debt situation remains precarious enough that ratings agency Moody's recently downgraded its bonds. The basic problems of Spain will be familiar to Americans: A property bubble drove residential real estate prices to unrealistic heights, and lenders made loans based on those sky-high valuations. Once home prices retreated, banks were left with large quantities of defaults on land and houses.

Analysts are now suggesting Spanish banks will need at least 50 billion euros in additional capital ($70.7 billion) to cover these mounting losses.

As if these losses weren't troubling enough, rising interest rates threaten to further undermine Spain's homeowners. The European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet recently said that the ECB's key interest rate could rise from 1% as early as April. Fully 97% of Spain's home loans are variable-rate: Their payments will rise when interest rates click higher.

Despite an unemployment rate around 20% and its recent debt downgrades, mainstream analysts see Spain as an unlikely candidate for a costly bailout. But Spain is burdened with the costs of bailing out its own banks, and other analysts are not so sanguine, citing a lack of information on the quality of assets held by the banks. In other words, some fear Spanish banks are overstating the value of their real estate holdings to hide the full extent of their losses.

Structural Flaws in the European Union Papered Over

While there is plenty of chatter about bailouts, austerity measures and heavy debt loads, few analysts are speaking to the potentially fatal weakness built into the European Union and its single currency, the euro, a flaw that is now painfully obvious.

Sponsored Links

While the European Union consolidated power over the shared currency and trade, it left control over trade deficits and budget deficits entirely in the hands of the member states. Lip service was paid to fiscal responsibility via caps on deficit spending, but in the real world, there were no meaningful controls limiting private or state credit expansion, or on sovereign borrowing and spending.

In effect, the importing nations within the union (Ireland, Greece, Portugal and to a degree, Spain and Italy) were given the solid credit ratings and expansive credit limits of their exporting cousins such as Germany, The Netherlands and France. To make a real-world analogy, it's as if a spendthrift younger brother was handed a no-limit credit card with a low interest rate, backed by a guarantee from a sober, cash-rich and credit-averse older sibling.

For awhile, it was highly profitable for the big European and international banks to expand lending to these eager new borrowers. This led to over-consumption by the importing nations and handsome profits for big Eurozone banks. And while the real estate and credit bubble lasted, the citizens of the bubble economies enjoyed the consumerist dream of borrow and spend today, and pay the debts tomorrow.

Tomorrow has arrived, but the foundation of the banks' assets -- the market value of housing -- has eroded to the point that both banks and homeowners face insolvency. The heightened risk of default, both by banks and the governments trying to bail them out, has caused interest rates in the debt-burdened countries to rise. Faced with rising costs of servicing their debts, and spending cuts to bring deficits under control, the citizens of the states such as Portugal are rebelling against austerity measures. On the other side, taxpayers and voters in fiscally sound member states such as Finland and Germany are rebelling about being saddled with the costs of bailing out their weaker neighbors.

This structural imbalance will not be easily addressed, but until it's fixed, the E.U. and the euro, are at risk of a great political and fiscal fracturing.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/03/27/why-the-european-debt-crisis-is-far-from-over/

verizon 4G country financial statefarm

PAID IN FULL!!!

That's right!! You read it correctly :-)

Today is Car Loan Freedom, baby!!!

2 years ahead of schedule, the loan is now paid in full. I have an at home day today so I slipped down (3 blocks) to the bank and put the final payment in on my vehicle. The teller smiled, leaned in, and whispered those sweet, seductive words "Your balance is zero".

The paper she handed me reaffirmed that fact. A sweet little sexy $0 at the bottom.

As I drove home, I patted her dash and praised her "You're all paid for now!!", with a finger crossed warning "Please don't start breaking down, now".

When I got home I logged onto my online account to check the balance. The account was gone. I didn't even get the sweet bliss of seeing that online.

I had forgotten it did the same thing when my consolidated loan was paid off too LOL

It feels good to have it paid off. I have learned a lot over the course of this loan and I am so grateful for the cheers and support of my blogging family. thank you so much.

Stay tuned for "Loan by the numbers" with more specific number details for those who like that sort of thing.

Source: http://shakingthemoneytree.blogspot.com/2012/06/paid-in-full.html

verizon verizon 4G country financial

My Ultimate Travel Tip to Save Money – House Swap!

My blogging friend, Budgets are Sexy, has a great contest on his blog to win, $500 in Spending Cash! Here is a photo of my wife and I on honeymoon! If you have a travel tip of your own, head on over to Budgets Are Sexy to enter his $1,000 giveaway, in partnership with HotelClub! Do you have any [...]

Source: http://www.canadianpersonalfinance.com/my-ultimate-travel-tip-to-save-money-house-swap.html

allstate triple a info

Weekend Rambling – TED Edition

We have a winner! Thanks for everyone who entered our contest last week! the contest closed and the winner is Nick Shamanski. Nick will be receiving a copy of the book next week. Hopefully everyone will pick up a copy seeing how its a great book for young people everywhere. I’m a huge fan of TED talks. [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Youngandthrifty/~3/d3eziNl0rhU/

country financial statefarm allstate

What Not to Say to Co-Workers

what not to say to co-workers

What not to say to co-workers is a topic that I thought of several months ago when I was writing up a list of blog post ideas. I jotted down a bunch of points under the title but never turned them into a post because I thought it might be viewed as old fashion and out-of-date.

But today while having lunch I thought that it might be a fun post to write because it will be interesting to see which points people agree with and which they disagree with based on their experiences.

Obviously it is important to build strong working relationships with your co-workers no matter where you work. And building those strong relationships can take time. After putting all that effort into building good relationships with your fellow employees the last thing you want to do is to jeopardize any of those relationships by talking about the wrong things.

We all know that every work environment is different. While one person could be working in retail, another could be working as a chef, and still others could be working in corporate offices.

As well, what goes on in work environments these days is different then what was happening 20 years ago. Add to that the fact that what is frowned upon in one work environment may be fair game in another location.

Okay, here are some guidelines on what not to say to co-workers.

Intimate Relationships

Don’t talk about your intimate relationships. Don’t tell your co-workers about your sexual encounters with your significant other, or your best friend’s mother, or the new hot girl in accounting.

Gossip

Don’t gossip. One of the things that happened over and over again in many of the corporate offices that I worked in was office gossip. Many people think that the best way to get to know their co-workers is through office gossip. I think they couldn’t be more wrong. You can quickly create a bad image of yourself by participating in gossip. While it may seem fun and harmless in the beginning, it can quickly create big problems. People hear you gossip and they remember that you like to gossip. Some even go so far as to form opinions around how good of an employee you are based on the gossip they hear you spreading versus the actual work that you get done.

Might be Pregnant - Might Not Be

Never ask a woman when she is due unless you are absolutely sure you are right.

Parties

Don’t talk about all the parties you attended on the weekend and how you drank gallons of beer and did drugs for 10 hours straight.

Personal Problems

Don’t whine about your personal problems on a regular and on-going basis. Everyone has stuff going on in their lives. While you may feel that some of your co-workers have become your best friends you never know what the future holds and how things can come back to haunt you until the first time it happens to you.

Paycheck

Don’t discuss your paycheck. This is typically a work place policy, but again every place is different. I would be quiet, just to be safe.

Finances

Don’t talk about your personal finances with your co-workers unless you work with financial advisors and it seems appropriate to discuss your personal finances with them.

Religion or Cultural Beliefs

Don’t talk about religious beliefs or different cultural beliefs. Work environments consist of different people from all over the world and it is important to keep that in mind when you speak. While your co-workers may smile or even laugh as you speak about different religions or different cultures, these things may actually make them feel quite uncomfortable.

Venting

Don’t vent to someone in your workplace about someone else in your workplace that you are having difficulties with. Again, some how, some way, it will come back to bite you in the ass. Trust me!

Jokes

Don’t toss out negative jokes about management or other co-workers. Just because you think it is funny doesn’t mean anyone else does. While everyone may laugh at the time, they may just be laughing because they now feel uncomfortable around you.

Swearing

Don’t swear at someone that you work with. While you may just be speaking to the person seated next to you, others may overhear you and may take offence.

Keep in mind that while many work environments can get quite stressful at times, for whatever reasons, talking about certain things and making co-workers feel uncomfortable will only add to the stress.

So did I miss any points on what not to say to co-workers? Again, I am interested in hearing your perspective of what should and shouldn’t be said based on your experiences in your present or past work environment.

Source: http://tacklingourdebt.com/2012/05/29/what-not-say-co-workers/

verizon 4G country financial statefarm

Over-saving is inefficient

So is over-spending. But I won’t get into that here.
I had a question from a reader asking what my Myers Briggs type is – and it’s INTJ.
Despite the rarity of that personality type (aren’t we all such special snowflakes though?), there’s been some anecdotal surveys that determined that INTJ’s are overly represented amongst the early [...]

Source: http://singlemomrichmom.com/over-saving-is-inefficient/

verizon verizon 4G country financial

Canadian PF Happy Hour – Second Edition

I had an incredible weekend – I won an iPad3 on a contest I entered ages ago and despite not having ran 10k in over a year in Vancouver and I managed over 53 minutes (not bad for an old guy)! It was the Esquimalt Navy 10k and I was shocked as to how good [...]

Source: http://www.canadianpersonalfinance.com/canadian-pf-happy-hour-second-edition.html

click here for more info click here ipod

Reversing Course on Debt Indulgence

David Brooks, New York Times
Every generation has an incentive to borrow money from the future to spend on itself. But, until ours, no generation of Americans has done it to the same extent. Why?A huge reason is that earlier generations were insecure. They lived without modern medicine, without modern technology and without modern welfare states. They lived one illness, one drought and one recession away from catastrophe. They developed a moral abhorrence about things like excessive debt, which would further magnify their vulnerability. 

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2012/06/05/reversing_course_on_debt_indulgence_281595.html

triple a info click here

Top Summer Vacation Spots in Canada - Montreal in the Summer

Montreal in the Summer

It can get very hot and humid in Montreal each summer but that doesn’t stop millions of people from visiting Montreal and attending all of the great festivals that happen every summer. Along with all of the festivals you’ll find delicious restaurants, active nightlife, museums, art galleries, fun shopping, amazing firework displays, thrilling amusement parks and more. Although I can’t cover everything Montreal has to offer in today’s post, let’s take a look at a few of the special attractions that you will find when you visit Montreal this summer.

montreal fireworks competition

Montreal Fireworks Competition

I love fireworks anytime, anywhere. Since 1985 Montreal has hosted one of the world’s largest fireworks competitions. One of the special parts of these firework displays is that they are synchronized to music. The firework competitions begin at the end of June. In the past they took place every Saturday and Wednesday night until the end of July.

The Montreal Fireworks schedule has been changed for 2012 to include Friday nights and Tuesday nights, as well as some Saturday nights. The first night will be Saturday, June 30th and the featured country will be Japan. The following dates are July 7, 14, 17, 21, 24, 27, 31 and August 3rd.

Viewing the Montreal Fireworks

If you want to watch the fireworks competition for free you can go to the Old Port or the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, which closes off the car traffic as of 8 p.m.

If you would like to get a closer and better view, and listen to the synchronized music while you watch the fireworks, then you want to head to La Ronde, just in front of the Lac des Dauphins. La Ronde is a Six Flags Theme Park.

Montreal Theme Park

Take the family for a fun filled day at La Ronde, Montreal’s Six Flags Theme Park. With over 40 rides stretched across 146 acres you will find rides for the whole family to enjoy including the kiddie rides, panoramic rides that offer a beautiful view and thriller rides that make you scream. La Ronde is open from May until October.

la ronde montreal

Montreal Shopping

Head underground for some of the best shopping in the world. Under downtown Montreal you will find what is known as the indoor city. You will feel quite comfortable and safe as you walk through the well lit, air conditioned tunnels that are lined with shops on both sides. The tunnels connect to shopping malls, apartment buildings, banks, offices, hotels, museums and condos. You will definitely not feel trapped as there are over 120 exits.

The Underground City of Montreal was designed to help people get around in the brutally cold winters and the very hot summers. Many visitors to Montreal have said that once they discovered the underground they never left as they were able to easily get from their hotel to all of the restaurants and shopping that they needed.

underground city of montreal

Beer Festival

If you enjoy a good cold beer you won’t want to miss the Montreal Beer Festival that takes place in early June. This festival is a taste testing beer festival and this year it will include approximately 637 different beers from 191 breweries. This festival runs for 5 days and offers four-ounce samples of each beer for you to try throughout those 5 days. As you venture through the festival and taste the beer you will also find live brewing demonstrations held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. As well the beer festival in Montreal includes food such as alligator soup and kangaroo burgers and fun events such as mini disk golf tournaments, beach volleyball and silent dancing.

Admission to the festival is free but each tasting glass is $9.

Montreal Jazz Festival

For those who love a wide variety of music, the Montreal Jazz Festival is the place to be this summer.

The Montreal Jazz Festival attracts over two million people each year to both the indoor shows and as well as the free outdoor shows.

The jazz festival features many well known entertainers such as Diana Krall, Prince, Pat Metheny, Ray Charles, Sade, Dave Brubeck, The Roots, Smokey Robinson, Esperanza Spalding and Robert Plant.

This year’s festival runs from June 28 to July 7, 2012. If you enjoy listening to Reggae, African, Cuban, Brazilian, Latin Jazz and the blues you will not want to miss this festival.

And speaking of the Montreal Jazz Festival, in 2009 Stevie Wonder performed at the jazz festival and paid tribute to his friend Michael Jackson several times during the festival. Here is one of his live performances at the festival in Montreal.

Source: http://tacklingourdebt.com/2012/05/28/top-summer-vacation-spots-canada-montreal-summer/

triple a info click here

dinsdag 5 juni 2012

What Not to Say to Co-Workers

what not to say to co-workers

We all know that every work environment is different. While one person could be working in retail, another could be working as a chef, and still others could be working in corporate offices.