Us bloggers have each other’s backs. Nathan, our business guru, sent me an email suggesting a topic to write about. He knows how helpful it can be to get some advice and was watching my back. Through researching his suggestion, I can see that not every business has that same support. (I apologize for the cheesy segue)

Pyramid Schemes

Pyramid Schemes are businesses that provide individuals with monetary compensation based on recruiting others to participate in the business, according to the RCMP’s website. “The money is made through recruitment only, while the product or service has no real value,” reads the site.

Most importantly, they are prohibited under Canada’s Competition Act and monitored by Canada’s Competition Bureau.

They are enticing because they offer income, not only based on what product you sell, but also based on the product sold by those you recruited, any product sold by those they recruit and so on. Every member is required to pay a start-up fee that can be quite substantial.

They are attractive to students because they promise easy money.

And don’t think that students can’t be tricked. One of my friends at the University of Ottawa told me about one of her friends joining a travel-related pyramid-style business. Nathan, who goes to school in Toronto, told me that more than one of his friends have jumped at the opportunity to participate in a pyramid-style business. Nathan says he was even approached in High School.
Over at secret2makingmoney.com, there is a great article that outlines the downfalls in pyramid schemes:

Say you were to start by recruiting 3 people in the first week. They, in turn succeed in recruiting 3 people each the next week, and your plan continues perfectly week after week. In 16 weeks your recruits would have exceeded Malaysia’s population. After 21 weeks, you would have to go to another planet to look for recruits as your down liners would now exceed the world’s population.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)

MLM is a pyramid-style business that is not illegal in Canada. It operates much like a pyramid-style business, but emphasis is placed on the distribution of product.

You earn money based on what you sell and the only financial gain in recruiting people is that you have the potential to earn more should they sell more. The focus is on product distribution. There should be no fee to join.

Telling the Two Apart

There are several things you can look out for should someone offering an opportunity that looks like a pyramid scheme approach you:

1. The business requires a large investment from you at the start-up
2. Offer return on you recruiting others
3. Products are often more expensive than similar products in the main market
4. Products are not really products at all, but rather brochures or tapes that explain further services

About.com has a series of questions to ask yourself before joining something you may suspect is a pyramid scheme.
Finally, I want to thank my fellow blogger for his suggestion. Now, Nathan, please tell three friends to check out my post this week and get them to tell three others and get those three…

A while back, I met up with my Aunt. Knowing I now blog with RBC, she spoke of her concern regarding banking and people with vision problems.

Retinitis Pigmentosa runs in my family. It’s a disease that causes slow vision loss and, unfortunately, there is no cure.

My conversation with my aunt got me thinking about what services are offered to those with vision problems. I was surprised to learn that the first “talking” bank machine was introduced to the world on October 22, 1997. Users insert a headset to the machine and are prompted with audio options.

What’s even more interesting is that the first one was right here in Canada — at the corner of Bank Street and Queen Street in Ottawa. And the kicker: RBC put it there. It was the result of a human rights complaint by two blind men, and RBC responded.

Last year, RBC had 600 "talking" bank machines across Canada, according to its website. Today, when RBC purchases a new ATM for installation or replacement of an existing ATM, it is always audio enabled.

I had the opportunity to speak with Ted Murphy, head of ATM channels at RBC. Interestingly enough, one of Ted’s very first projects with the bank was the implementation of the first “talking” ATM.

“We asked our clients what would work best,” Ted tells me, speaking of the project. “It helped a lot because it debunked many of our preconceived notions of what blind individuals need.”
Ted told me that RBC reached out to the community when they are trying to solve accessibility issues. One of those community resources is the CNIB.

“Several years back when we were expanding the number of locations, we were trying to figure out where to put our new ATMs,” says Ted. “We went to the CNIB and they put a notice on their website asking for feedback—and we got a lot.”

Deborah Gillespie is Manager of Braille Publishing for the CNIB. She is responsible for all the Braille products produced, including telecommunications bills, tactile graphics, graphs, etc. Deborah says that RBC was a leader in making online banking accessible to the visually impaired.

“They were at the forefront,” Deborah says. “We did the original formatting of the website and they sold the program and the product.”

Deborah says that online banking has eased a task that had one time taken much effort. She, like many other blind individuals, uses an audible browser that can read aloud what appears online. As the user rolls the mouse over the page, a voice reads any text or tags placed within the site.

“The internet is great because it’s leveled the playing field for everybody,” she says, “If the website is properly coded and tagged, then almost anyone can handle it.”

In fact, to find out where a “talking” ATM is, clients simply have to use the online ATM locater. And to make things easier for the visually impaired, RBC has developed an introductory package to talking ATMs that is available in Braille, large print or audio.

“The package has a visual description of the ATM and general description on how to use it,” Ted Murphy says. “This way, when someone shows up to use the machine, they’re not trying to figure out how to use it.”

Users can just plug their headset into the machine for a brief introduction, however, if they do not obtain a copy of the introductory package. Packages are available by calling 1-800-ROYAL99.

RBC also makes client’s financial statements as well as other documents available in Braille to anyone who needs it.

Both Deborah and Ted suggest contacting your local branch if you require any assistance when it comes to your banking. Managers in the branch will be able to contact the appropriate division to get a response to your suggestion.

So, what about you? Can RBC do anything to make banking a little easier for you?

Two weeks ago, I was among hundreds of my peers dressed in blue robes. As we proceeded around the courtyard at my school, I’ll admit that it felt like a scene from Harry Potter, but it was—obviously—a little less magical and—sadly—a little less dangerous.

As I sat through my commencement ceremony, I thought about the position that my fellow graduates and I were in: a period of great change. For many of us, this time of change may last a long while.

I was reminded of this after the ceremony while at the reception for my faculty. Having been out of school for two months now, there was a lot of catching up to do with my classmates and instructors. I was asked many times what I was now “doing”. The questions felt a lot like an interview, which is good practice for most of us because we’ll be trying to survive interviews in the years to come. Here’s a blog that can help me and any others graduating this year ace any interview.

Some people talked of their dislike for their current job. I have always been torn between whether one should take a job because it pays well, but perhaps doesn’t fulfill a dream or a mediocre-paying job that you love. The more I read, I find writers reinforcing the idea that you’ve got to follow your heart. Without happiness in one’s job, one will not be happy in life. I will keep this in mind for all future endeavors.

I’m currently pretty happy with my job. I’ve written about how I’m working for an environmental organization and have suggested some ways that students can go green in a thrifty way. Well, here’s a blog that has some tips for recent grads — Don’t worry, I think students can use these ideas, too.

I’ve sort of been on a search for life-tips, recently. Over at poorerthanyou.com, it’s suggested that a grad continue to read and write. A grad should never stop learning and communicating. Not only because it can make for a more well-rounded person, but you never know when something may come up in an interview or needed in the workplace.

And here’s blog that has an entire post with tips for the “newly independent”. The site has suggestions on ways to save money on groceries to how to find an inexpensive apartment.

But my most favourite tip has been to not be afraid at something I’m pretty good at: failing. Jeff Nickles at My Super Charged Life says that fear of failure is what often holds people back in life. “My regret usually comes from the things I did not try, not from trying and failing,” Mr. Nickles writes.

This advice is echoed in the words of J.K. Rowling’s recent speech, delivered at a Harvard Graduation. Ms. Rowling says that, while it’s important to strive for success, it’s important to embrace the failure you will inevitably encounter along the way:

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.

Ms. Rowling may have enjoyed my convocation because, the entire time, I couldn’t help but think that the President of my school had a very Dumbledore-esque vibe going on. I thought about mentioning that to him as I shook his hand when I crossed the stage—but my notes from this post reminded me that first impressions are everything. Maybe I’ll say something the next time I see him…

In my previous post, I looked at what the benefits were to going green. I discovered that living an environmentally friendly lifestyle may mean emptying out my pockets.

I’ve been thinking that ‘going green’ can’t always mean it’s going to cost me.

So, I’ve perused the Internet for some tips on how to be environmental and save some money at the same time.

Bring your Bag

The Number One suggestion I read was that you should bring a cloth bag grocery shopping. While many stores offer the option of purchasing reusable bags, why not plan ahead and bring one of your own. If you don’t have a cloth bag, bring an old plastic bag that you have stashed under the sink.

Switch your Bulb

In my house, we’re trying to switch all of our bulbs to the fluorescent alternative. While it may cost you to buy the new CFL bulbs, it can apparently save you in the long run. Greenupgrader.com has an easy to understand chart that shows you how much you can save—over $50.

I’ll admit that this is a switch that I am both happy and reluctant to make. While I want to save energy, it pains me to add a perfectly good light bulb to the growing pile at the dump. Is it smart to replace existing bulbs? Or, should I wait until all existing bulbs burn out?

Turn the Car Off

I have a friend who used to work for an anti-idling campaign. I learned that, contrary to popular belief, turning off your car for even just ten seconds is more beneficial than harmful for your engine and battery. Greenventure.ca has a great list of myths and factsh on idling. According to the site, “Component wear caused by restarting the engine is estimated to add a minuscule $10 per year to the cost of driving.”

And if you’re worried that you need to warm your car before you drive it in Canada’s winter weather, the site says that on average it only takes 30 seconds to warm a cold car.

Unplug the Cell Charger

Over at families.com, they suggest you unplug your electronics when you’re not using them. They refer to these items as “vampire electronics” and estimate that up to 5% of your energy bill goes to appliances and charging devices left unplugged. They remind you to unplug your Cell phone chargers, Computers, Microwave ovens, Coffee Makers and DVD players.

Buy from your Farmer’s Market

A number of sites said that one of the easiest ways to go green is buy shopping at local farmers markets. You can talk to the farmers and learn how the produce was maintained and prices are often cheaper than the grocery stores. Most sites simply suggested to shop at a market, but I’ve found an online directory of farmer’s markets from coast to coast.

Before I sign off on this post, while I was researching alternatives, I found out another type of fruit is trying to make its “produce” green. Sounds like a great idea to me…

My mind is green. Sadly, it’s not with money.

But it’s not a bad thing.

I’m working for a non-profit environmental organization and I’m being introduced to all sorts of environmental initiatives. By day, my thoughts are focused on getting the community to go green, but by night my thoughts are on greening students. Specifically, how much is it going to cost them?

More importantly, is it worth it?

I thought the best way to think about this was to look at the cost of traditional items and compare them to the cost of their “greener” alternatives.

I found a wheels.ca article that compares traditional vehicle models to similar hybrid SUV models. The comparison is made in a very easy to read chart. In one corner, the article has the $33,899 base model Ford Escape Hybrid AWD and in the other corner the $25,005 Ford Escape XLT AWD.

The article explains that over seven years, the Hybrid would cost $83,826 and emit only 28, 224 kg of C02 during that time. On the other hand, the traditional model would cost $69,681, but emit over 54, 754 kg of C02 during those seven years.

I have also looked at organic food options. The cost of a traditional brocolli at Dominion is $1.50, but it’s organic counterpart is usually just over $2.00.

I looked up what organic food is defined as because I’ve heard many different things. A 2006 report by the Canadian General Standards Board says that “organic production is based on principles that support healthy practices.” The report also outlines several principles that organic food production must follow:

• Protect the environment, minimize soil degradation and erosion, decrease pollution, optimize biological productivity and promote a sound state of health.
• Maintain long-term soil fertility by optimizing conditions for biological activity within the soil.
• Rely on renewable resources in locally organized agricultural systems.

These regulations mean that pesticide us is out of the question. But, I’ve heard that quantity and type of pesticides used in food production are often harmless to our bodies. Therefore, making an organic choice may simply be putting a little extra money in the farmer’s and grocer’s hand.
A future blog is going to be a continuation on all that is green. I’m looking for some feedback before I go too much further because I’m aware that there are so many perspectives to reflect on when realizing the costs and benefits of going green. So, please, tell me about any considerations that I’m ignoring.

Also, is there anyone out there who is digging himself or herself into a hole of debt because of green intentions?

I've now graduated, and made a short video about how my life after graduation has been. Here it is!

After I handed in that final exam, the real work began.

The two and a half months leading up to my last-ever exam had been consumed with schoolwork. It meant I didn’t have too much time to spend looking for a job. I had checked the usual sites, but I didn’t turn up any good leads.

Admittedly, I didn’t try too hard, either.

Finding a job, really, is no easy task. You have to prepare the resume, prepare the cover letter and, most importantly, you have to find the job out there for you.

Every once and a while I would see a post that I was slightly qualified for, but I’ve been afraid to jump into something that I just don’t truly care for. A friend of mine told me about his friend who turned down her dream job because of the location and extensive time away from home. His friend doesn’t want to come out of the job feeling unhappy and, ultimately, unrewarded. I don’t want that, either.

But this is where my story takes a slight turn. A few weeks ago, a fellow Blogger wrote about the importance of networking in modern day business. While I don’t entirely love the phrase ‘networking’—I think it’s impersonal and has unflattering connotations—I don’t undervalue the importance of forming and maintaining relationships with those you meet. And in this case, I was lucky that someone thought of me when an opportunity arose.

That someone called me up to see whether I’d be interested in applying for a communications job. In the journalism world, communications is considered crossing into the dark side. For me, though, the dark side has been looking pretty bright for a while now.

So I applied.

Now, I don’t think I’m great at job interviews. I get nervous and my thoughts begin to layer on top of each other. As those thoughts become words leaving my mouth, I can sound like I never really learned the English language. I found this great website with videos that takes you through the “perfect interview”. Yes, they can be a little cheesy, but there are some helpful hints along the way.

One of my friends is having some difficulty getting a job. While he manages to make some cash throughout the school year doing short-time gigs, he wants something more permanent for the summer. He doesn’t have anything solid lined up yet.

I asked him what he thought the most difficult thing was in finding a job:

“I don’t have the time to apply for 50, 000 jobs,” he answered, “and I don’t have the patience to look through all the listings. I skim. Who knows if I’m missing something perfect?”

I suggested that motivation was a barrier to his hunt and I set out on a hunt of my own. How could he get motivated?

Heather Mundell at careerhubblog.com suggests taking things that motivate you in life and applying them to your search:

Today write a list of everything you can think of that motivates you as you work on your job search. Star the items that pull you toward something positive and consider letting go of the least inspiring obligatory motivations.

While you're at it, write down the names of the people in your life who motivate you to stick with something, try harder, risk more, be great. Remember to call them!

When I look back, motivation—or lack thereof—was a major flaw in my “job search”. I’ll have to apply this post’s suggestion on motivation to my new job, too. That’s right, I was offered the job and I took it. I’m looking forward to the challenges that come my way and all the experiences that I’ll have.

And the best part is there won’t be any exams.

I am. But maybe I’m the only one.

The past couple of days have been made up of a lot of looking back. Looking back on all I’ve accomplished. Looking back wondering whether I’ve learned enough. Looking back to make sure the roomies don’t mistakenly pack something of mine as their own. (The move is going well, if you’re wondering…)

I suppose my retrospection isn’t going unnoticed because my boss and friend passed along an interesting post. It comes from another blog run by an English prof south of the border. In her post, she suggests the idea of mandatory introductory finance classes for university students. In fact, she says that the class could be more beneficial than those introductory classes already in place:

But a personal finance course would benefit almost every student who took it. And it would benefit the society at large: widespread formal training in personal finance skills would reduce indebtedness and improve savings rates.

Keeping in mind that this is an American site, I tried to see whether any Canadian Universities offer a mandatory class such as that described. My search turned up empty. I know my University didn’t require that kind of class.

So, I tend to agree with her suggestion. I look back—or rather, try to look back—at many of my first year classes and remember just what it was I took away from them. The answer is: not much.

I turned to a friend to see what she thought of the idea. Her response surprised me: “I don’t think it’s my school’s job to provide that,” she said. “I go to get academic training and I don’t think that my personal finances have anything to do with that.”

Instead, she suggests voluntary workshops offered by student unions or within residence communities. I know my school offers a tax clinic during tax season and I imagine other schools offer similar programs, but what about something more?

I then asked her whether she thought that this type of course could work in a high school setting. In Ontario we have a mandatory class that sees every student gain an introduction to career options within Canadian society. She suggests that within the class, “Career Studies”, finance classes could be taught and would possibly be more beneficial than those lessons currently taught within that class. She remains hesitant, however, because personal finance is “not as relevant at this point in your life.”

An article appearing late last year in the Toronto Star, emphasizes the benefits of implementing mandatory classes earlier in life:

We should immediately establish a mandatory series of high school courses centered on money. After all what's the point of going out into the work force or on to college or university if you don't understand and can't manage your money.

Early on in the money curriculum students would keep a register of all their incomes and expenditures. What's important here is not the amount of money involved but how it is spent.

To test this idea, I went to someone who may know best: my 15-year-old niece. Initially she seemed opposed to the idea of a mandatory class. “I’d be angry she told me because I’m not very good at math,” she told me. But as we discussed whether or not she was sufficiently financially informed as is, her opposition seemed to ease up a little.

I think the important item to note is that there is a clear misrepresentation of adequate financial training for my generation. I didn’t know much about money until this year—and it’s a little late, if you ask me.

So, should money management classes be mandatory in post-secondary school?

Last week I finished something I’ve been looking forward to finishing for four years. The schedule said it would take me until 11 to finish the exam, but my eagerness and lack of knowledge pushed that estimation up a half hour. I put down my pen, picked up my paper and handed in that final test.

So, it was at 10:30 on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 that I completed my Undergraduate degree.

I’ve been asked a couple times lately if there was anything that I know now that I wish I had known before I started out at RyeHigh. I guess university acceptances are coming in and a whole new set of first years is anticipating next fall. Conveniently enough, all my suggestions have had to do with money:

Scholarships are out there waiting for you.

Bursaries are out there waiting for you.

Take advantage of them because I didn’t.

The biggest mistake that I made during my time in University was not applying for bursaries through my school. Firstly, I didn’t know how much they really existed until third year. In fourth, I was silly not to apply. So, I’ve picked three schools from across Canada to show you they’re out there. If your school wasn’t one of my picks, I apologize—but you should still go look for yourself!

University of Saskatchewan

Red River College in Manitoba

Dalhousie University

There are also many awards outside the walls of your school. Two websites that friends have told me they have used are studentawards.com and scholarshipscanada.com. The sites organize the scholarships and bursaries into categories making it easier to find what you’re looking for. You can even set up a personal profile and let the site provide you with bursary suggestions.

One of the sites offers a great page of tips on how to prepare your applications. I think the guy that wrote it may be a Ryerson Journalism grad, but that in no way influenced my decision to share this with you. It’s a helpful page, I swear.

Many corporations offer scholarships to students, as well. RBC has several bursaries for hard working students. They’ve got money for entrepreneurs and newcomers to the country, amongst others.

I don’t want to leave this post without informing you that I did apply for one bursary this year. Notice that the application deadline was after I got this job/when I started to get serious my money. I’ll update you when I hear back.

In the meantime, does anyone know of any other scholarship resources? I know, letting people in on your info increases the number of people trying to get at your money, BUT someone could end up helping you out, too…

Boxes littered the ground of my 17^th-floor apartment as I arrived home late one night last week. For several days, I’d been staying at school until the early morning hours trying to get a documentary finished.  As you might imagine, I wasn’t in the happiest of moods before I walked through the front door that night—and as I crossed the threshold, my sulky five a.m. mood sank even lower.

Truth is, I’ve never really moved before. I moved in and out of residence for two years, but I don’t count that because I always went back to my real home. When I “moved” into this apartment, it didn’t feel like moving at all because I’ve managed to keep root in both my rooms.

But this time is different. I really feel like I’m leaving somewhere. Seeing those big brown boxes in the middle of the room forced me to think about it.

I suppose I should consider myself lucky because I have two roommates who have been doing the work. I’m dreading all the upcoming cleaning, let alone all the packing.

The Cost of Cleaning

It’s easy to forget that moving can cost you. Tenants have to leave the place pretty much the way they found it. Our building requires us to fill in any holes that we’ve put in the wall and paint over it. They also want us to clean the carpet—and provide proof that we’ve done so.  We even have to put a deposit down on the elevator. They also offer cleaning services if we’re willing to pay for it.

Getting Rid of the Goods

My roommates are moving across the country, so they’re trying to sell a lot of their stuff. Posters have been put up in the lobby of our building and — to my surprise — they’ve worked. They’ve also posted things on craigslist and Facebook’s Marketplace. I’ve also heard some great things about kijiji, which is eBay’s answer to online classifieds sites.  It breaks up Canada into its different regions, making it easier to unload all your stuff.

I tried to find some classified sites that were strictly for college and university students, but I could only find American sites. Does anyone know if these exist for Canadians?

Canceling “Necessities”

My cable/internet company needed a month’s notice that we’d be moving. Check your provider’s policy because, even if you love TV as much as I do, you don’t want to have to pay for it if you’re not using it. If you’ve got a landline telephone number, you’re going to have to get that changed, too.

The boxes have been cleared to the side and you can once again maneuver your way around the place. Although, I can only imagine what kind of mess will be in my way in the coming weeks.

For now, I’ll just remember the place during better times…

My dollars are being washed away in the dishwasher.

About a month and a half ago, my roommates and I heard an annoying clanging coming from our dishwasher. I know, “A dishwasher? And you’re a student?”

The short answer is yes. The long answer is we pay for it— in our not-so-cheap-Toronto rent.

Before anything caused the dishwasher to break, we filled out a maintenance report, as we had done before with any previous concerns. Because the property is not ours, we should not attempt to fix any of their property (this was confirmed by someone who works for the company that owns my building). Usually, a maintenance repair person appears at our door a day or so later and soon thereafter the problem is solved.

This time, someone from the front desk come knocking, along with someone who appeared to be another maintenance worker.

When the dishwasher was opened, it was discovered that a piece of our vegetable steamer had fallen down under the spray arms.
Nothing in the dishwasher was broken nor needed repair. Our minds—and ears—were put to ease.

A week ago we got an invoice in our mailbox. My apartment building wants $70—the cost to pay for the “dishwasher specialist” to come in and look at our machine.
I couldn’t believe it.

When I questioned them on this fee, I was told that because the object was “foreign” to the dishwasher, it was our responsibility to pay for the repair.

Foreign? A vegetable steamer goes in the dishwasher.

Repair? Nothing was repaired. I would have gone into the dishwasher if I knew it was going to save me $70. But, I was under the impression that it was my landlord’s responsibility to look into the problem and, ultimately, not my right to repair their property.

A couple of posts ago I calculated that my roommates and I have paid a total of $36,000 in rent to date. We haven’t been a problem for the building on a single occasion. To be honest, I’m a little offended that this fee couldn’t have been absorbed by my apartment building. I have tried to get the fee revoked, emphasizing that we were merely being “proactive in our efforts to prevent damage” (Nice, eh? I managed to come up with that one during one of my discussions), but my defense fell flat.

I also asked if tenants could be warned of the possibility of such a fee in the future. I was told that this would also be difficult because, until they start the process, they don’t know if a fee will be in place.

Sadly, the fee remains and I’m a couple bucks poorer.

This, though, has sparked an interest in renter rights. They vary from province to province. While I hate to be Ontario-centric, this provincial site outlined some rules for me. I’m sure there are similar sites across the country.

Apartment hunters can also read reviews online about apartments they’re looking into. This site isn’t Ontario-centric and seems to have lots of apartment reviews. Mine was listed and, so too, is a new post from me.

I’m not saying my apartment is entirely a terrible place to live (my review wasn’t all that bad). I’m just a little frustrated…

How about any of you? Any frustrating fees?

On my last blog entry, I got a comment about the appropriateness of mortgage for students. Some good points were raised by questioning the option of giving students mortgages and, moreover, the debt risk someone may be putting him or herself in. That’s actually why I wanted to speak to someone about this in the first place.

I got back to Bernice with the concerns and she stressed the importance of sitting down with a mortgage specialist. She says that if students want to get themselves a mortgage, it’s something the bank is there to talk with about. The specialist’s advice may, in fact, be that this isn’t the right time to buy a home, but a plan can be put in place to get you into the right position. “Every circumstance and situation is different- we simply want to highlight options,” she told me. She stressed that “purchasing with 100% financing” isn’t necessarily the best option, but nevertheless one that is available today.

When I wrote about co-investment opportunities, I was drawing on my own personal experience. I suggested that at one time I might have wanted to look into getting a mortgage with my roommates. When I asked Bernice that, I was surprised that it was an option the bank was willing to look at and that it was called “co-investment”. There are many different co-investment possibilities and one, of course, is the parent-child (student) possibility. This is a possibility that a student may want to pursue.

When I followed up with Bernice, she reminded me that there are many different levels of “students” in the market. Some may have part-time or even full-time jobs that could support a mortgage. “Depending on their personal circumstances,” she said, “their level of qualification and “readiness” for homeownership could be very different.”