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October 14, 2021

Mark Zuckerberg buys his neighbours' homes for $30 million

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg came up with a unique but pricey way to ensure his privacy: buy out your surrounding neighbours for $30 million.

Thanks to his $19-billion net worth, the Facebook CEO bought four of his neighbours' homes in San Francisco, but it turns out that a mega mansion isn't in the cards. Instead, the 29-year-old will become a landlord and lease the properties to their previous owners, says the San Jose Mercury News.

It turns out that Zuckerberg only started buying the surrounding properties in December 2012, when he heard a developer was hoping to use the Facebook founders status to help sell the property. The last house was sold on October 1, where he paid $14.5 million for a 2,560-square-foot lot or $5,470 per square foot, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Whether you like it or not, the value of your home is affected by your neighbours. If you have a hoarder as a neighbour with an overgrown yard and tons of clutter, it can hurt your home's sale price by five to 10 per cent, President of the Appraisal Institute told Business Insider. This Toronto-couple built themselves a six-foot fence, but let's face it, their home's value will remain lower if their neighbour's junk stays out in the yard.

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October 11, 2021

Swiss residents to vote on $2,800 monthly basic income

Switzerland is considering a basic income for adults to help tackle the growing worldwide issue of rising income inequality.

The country will hold a referendum vote after a grassroots group submitted a petition with more than 100,000 signatures. They're hoping to grant adults an unconditional income of 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,800), which could mean a nice, regular yearly cheque of $33,600 a year without having to work.

To kick off the call for a referendum, the group added a unique touch by delivering a truckload of eight million five-rappen coins, one meant for every resident in Switzerland, in front of a parliament building. A date still needs to be set for the vote.

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September 23, 2021

Most expensive Canadian condo sold for $40 million in Vancouver

It is not surprising that the most expensive condo sale in Canada would happen in Vancouver. A Middle Eastern royal paid a whopping $40 million for a penthouse suite and the unit underneath in the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel.

It's a record amount with the deluxe penthouse suite selling for $25 million and the other unit putting the total sale over the top, according to the Vancouver Sun. The condo sits in Coal Harbour, an area known for its pricey properties.

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September 20, 2021

How much is that goat in the window? Try $3.6 million

A businessman in Saudi Arabia fetched a nice payday thanks to his goat. A herder bought the goat for a hefty 13 million Riyals ($3.6 million US), according to a local newspaper.

While experts have said that the goat had unique features and was a rare breed, the amount of dough put out for it is a still mind boggling. Why buy a goat when you can buy a nice mansion? Unless whoever made the purchase already has that.

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September 18, 2021

Drop in numbers of super rich Canadians

It's a first-world problem, but still an interesting one. It turns out that the number of ultra-rich Canadians, people who have a net worth of $30 million, is shrinking, according to a recent study done by UBS and Wealth-X.

The number of super wealthy dropped to 4,980 in 2013 from 5,015 in 2012, according to the study. While there's been a 0.7 per cent drop between the numbers, it turns out that the ultra rich still account for a large amount of wealth, $595 billion US. Now that's a lot of dough between a small group of people.

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August 08, 2021

Nine secrets to earning $100,000

There's no easy way to $100,000 in annual salary. But people who have reached that milestone are offering some advice on how others can get there.

One user on the Reddit website put out a request for anyone making at least $100,000 a year. "What was the smartest decision you ever made?" asked someone going by the name of RicsFlair.

The question generated a wide-ranging discussion about what it takes to climb the career ladder. Some of the predictable responses were in there — work hard, do a good job and the like — but users did have some decent advice for anyone trying to make it in the world.

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May 23, 2021

Building a nest egg not a top priority for many Canadians

983477_77408376It seems that stashing cash in a cache isn't a top priority for many Canadians.

Growing up, our grandparents and parents always stressed the importance of building that all-important nest egg to have a little something for a rainy day.

However, that doesn't seem to be the case today.

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May 16, 2021

Canadians losing sleep over finances

1034045_56715244Life happens.

And with it, so do unforeseen hardships.

That's why it is always good to be proactive and have a plan.

A new report by BMO Wealth Institute reveals that while many Canadians have a financial plan in place, very few have considered what would happen if unexpected life events arose that could cause financial hardships.

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May 02, 2021

Teach your kids some financial know-how

While you're teaching your kids about the ABCs and 123s, make sure you throw in some saving and investing tips.

It's never too early to start teaching your children basic money know-how that will give them the foundation to build some financial savvy for the future.

Serge Pepin, vice president, Investment Strategy, BMO Asset Management, says, "The sooner parents start talking to their kids about money, the better prepared they will be when they start saving and investing for the future.

"Even very young children can benefit from learning basic investing skills and the importance of setting financial goals."

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May 01, 2021

The cost of moving away from mom and dad

Does your life seem like the movie Failure to Launch when your adult child is still living with you at home?

In the 2006 comedy, the reason for the 35-year-old main character's failure to leave home is that he's just too comfortable living with mom and dad where everything is looked after for him.

But today, in reality, it just may be the cost of moving out that's holding junior back.

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...