Comments on: Survey of Household Spending http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/ Helping you invest and prosper Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:54:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Canadian Capitalist http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14291 Canadian Capitalist Thu, 14 Dec 2006 02:11:03 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14291 Joe: It is not very easy to find total return information (including reinvested dividends) at least from publicly available databases. For asset classes I use the calculator on the Stingy Investor website: http://www.ndir.com/SI/articles/downside.shtml Joe: It is not very easy to find total return information (including reinvested dividends) at least from publicly available databases. For asset classes I use the calculator on the Stingy Investor website:

http://www.ndir.com/SI/articles/downside.shtml

]]> By: Joe http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14282 Joe Wed, 13 Dec 2006 23:53:24 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14282 Can't anybody answer my question? Help! :) Can’t anybody answer my question? Help! :)

]]> By: Steve Heath http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14274 Steve Heath Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:25:33 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14274 Maybe because they get the figures from Revenue Canada, and Revenue Canada calculates your income as cash received + money withdrawn from RRSP/RRIF - money put into an RRSP? After all, if they're counting taxes as "spending"... Then again, it might just be a fudge factor to get the totals to add up so that SPENDING+SAVINGS=INCOME :) Maybe because they get the figures from Revenue Canada, and Revenue Canada calculates your income as cash received + money withdrawn from RRSP/RRIF – money put into an RRSP? After all, if they’re counting taxes as “spending”…

Then again, it might just be a fudge factor to get the totals to add up so that SPENDING+SAVINGS=INCOME :)

]]> By: Public Servant on Mat leave http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14270 Public Servant on Mat leave Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:09:41 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14270 Sorry - my second para should read: Since people are so interested in the Jones’ and what they are up to, the net worth data by income and age is fascinating. My two-earner family with 2 kids are well above the median by age (150,000). What strikes me most is how interested we humans are about all of this (myself included). I feel kind of sad becase that top quintile median is getting higher and higher and it will take at least another ten years to acheive. (You and your readers are probably thinking that this cow doesn’t deserve to be in the top quintile at all if you dines at the public trough.) In short, we humans clearly suffer from status anxiety. For the vast majority the trappings of wealth are far out of reach. When wealth is visible it is more than likely illusory - a mask for indebtedness, unrealistic choices. Conrad Black provides an excellent life lesson in the outcomes of hubris and excessive living like a lord. Sorry – my second para should read:
Since people are so interested in the Jones’ and what they are up to, the net worth data by income and age is fascinating. My two-earner family with 2 kids are well above the median by age (150,000). What strikes me most is how interested we humans are about all of this (myself included). I feel kind of sad becase that top quintile median is getting higher and higher and it will take at least another ten years to acheive. (You and your readers are probably thinking that this cow doesn’t deserve to be in the top quintile at all if you dines at the public trough.) In short, we humans clearly suffer from status anxiety. For the vast majority the trappings of wealth are far out of reach. When wealth is visible it is more than likely illusory – a mask for indebtedness, unrealistic choices. Conrad Black provides an excellent life lesson in the outcomes of hubris and excessive living like a lord.

]]> By: Public Servant on Mat leave http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14269 Public Servant on Mat leave Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:00:31 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14269 Thanks Canadian Capitalist. I have been enjoying the last few articles on the latest StatsCan data and even more the comments that the data has triggered. From a personal perspective, my spending likely doubled in 2005 in that I sold my first house and purchased a new one immediately embarking on renovations. That Canadians in aggregate have increased spending and reduced saving seems indicative of what I am seeing. We are late in an expansion and the recession that is inevitably coming will bring things back to a more normal level, i.e., less discretionary spending, more savings. Since people are so interested in the Jones' and what they are up to, the net worth data by income and age is fascinating. My two-earner family (150,000. What strikes me most is how interested we humans are about all of this (myself included). I feel kind of sad becase that top quintile median is getting higher and higher and it will take at least another ten years to acheive. (You and your readers are probably thinking that this cow doesn't deserve to be in the top quintile at all if you dines at the public trough.) In short, we humans clearly suffer from status anxiety. For the vast majority the trappings of wealth are far out of reach. When wealth is visible it is more than likely illusory - a mask for indebtedness, unrealistic choices. Conrad Black provides an excellent life lesson in the outcomes of hubris and excessive living like a lord. I am quite concerned about other recent data that shows Ottawa house price increases up higher than other cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Is this proof of a bubble? To go with this data is the spending breakdown by city that Ottawa is also big spending too. Thoughts anyone? Thanks Canadian Capitalist. I have been enjoying the last few articles on the latest StatsCan data and even more the comments that the data has triggered. From a personal perspective, my spending likely doubled in 2005 in that I sold my first house and purchased a new one immediately embarking on renovations. That Canadians in aggregate have increased spending and reduced saving seems indicative of what I am seeing. We are late in an expansion and the recession that is inevitably coming will bring things back to a more normal level, i.e., less discretionary spending, more savings.

Since people are so interested in the Jones’ and what they are up to, the net worth data by income and age is fascinating. My two-earner family (150,000. What strikes me most is how interested we humans are about all of this (myself included). I feel kind of sad becase that top quintile median is getting higher and higher and it will take at least another ten years to acheive. (You and your readers are probably thinking that this cow doesn’t deserve to be in the top quintile at all if you dines at the public trough.) In short, we humans clearly suffer from status anxiety. For the vast majority the trappings of wealth are far out of reach. When wealth is visible it is more than likely illusory – a mask for indebtedness, unrealistic choices. Conrad Black provides an excellent life lesson in the outcomes of hubris and excessive living like a lord.

I am quite concerned about other recent data that shows Ottawa house price increases up higher than other cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Is this proof of a bubble? To go with this data is the spending breakdown by city that Ottawa is also big spending too. Thoughts anyone?

]]> By: Canadian Capitalist http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14253 Canadian Capitalist Wed, 13 Dec 2006 15:22:02 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14253 Chris: No idea. I would have put it in the saving column too. 0xcc: Household spending could be more or less than actual inflation because households could buy more or less goods and not the exact same basket as the previous year. For instance, in 2005 Canadians bought more cars than in 2004. Still, I agree with you that CPI is less than actual inflation experienced by our household. Chris: No idea. I would have put it in the saving column too.

0xcc: Household spending could be more or less than actual inflation because households could buy more or less goods and not the exact same basket as the previous year. For instance, in 2005 Canadians bought more cars than in 2004. Still, I agree with you that CPI is less than actual inflation experienced by our household.

]]> By: 0xcc http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14249 0xcc Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:45:07 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14249 I find the growth in spending interesting. This points out something that I have talked about a little bit on my site and plan to expand on (once I figure out my own numbers) in the future; Tracking your household's expenses and tracking the growth rate of those expenses will give you the foundation of information you need to figure out if your investments and pensions will support your lifestyle. The fact that the growth in household spending was 5.1% but the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was only 2.2% should serve as a red flag that CPI may not be measuring your personal inflation... I find the growth in spending interesting. This points out something that I have talked about a little bit on my site and plan to expand on (once I figure out my own numbers) in the future; Tracking your household’s expenses and tracking the growth rate of those expenses will give you the foundation of information you need to figure out if your investments and pensions will support your lifestyle. The fact that the growth in household spending was 5.1% but the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was only 2.2% should serve as a red flag that CPI may not be measuring your personal inflation…

]]> By: Chris http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14225 Chris Wed, 13 Dec 2006 04:49:05 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14225 This may be a silly question but how is an RRSP an expense? Wouldn't this go into the category of savings? This may be a silly question but how is an RRSP an expense?

Wouldn’t this go into the category of savings?

]]> By: Joe http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/survey-of-household-spending/#comment-14223 Joe Wed, 13 Dec 2006 03:44:13 +0000 http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/2006/12/12/survey-of-household-spending#comment-14223 How can you find out a stocks real rate of return (assuming reinvested dividends)? How can you find out a stocks real rate of return (assuming reinvested dividends)?

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