Tag: pandemic

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Brandon Blog Post

PERSONAL FINANCE TIPS FOR BEGINNERS: 4 TIPS TO PREVENT A MONEY PANDEMIC

personal finance tips for beginners

If you would prefer to listen to the audio version of these personal finance tips for beginners Brandon’s Blog, please scroll to the bottom of the page and listen to the podcast.

The Ira Smith Team is totally operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are here for a telephone consultation, conference calls and virtual meetings.

Keep healthy and safe everybody.

Introduction

We are all treading in uncharted waters. Prudent personal finance tips for beginners require all of us to reexamine our income and expenses. Especially in a coronavirus time of self-quarantine and social distancing.

The purpose of this Brandon’s Blog is to provide 4 super useful tips to prevent you from having a money pandemic.

Tip 1 – Understand your cash flow

So many people are laid off because the company they worked for was forced to shut down. Others are not working because they must be in self-quarantine. The world economies are sputtering and they themselves are on life support. So, naturally, personal income and spending have been drastically transformed.

Establishing a family budget, tracking your actual vs. budget and adjusting as we must in real-time, was always a prudent personal finance tips for beginners. Even when there was no Covid-19 pandemic, it was a basic way to understand your family’s finances. Now, in order to weather this situation foisted upon all of us, we need to find possibilities for adjustment in order to survive this temporary, yet devastating coronavirus crisis.

Creating a family budget is not rocket science. It is as simple as looking over your bank account(s) for the last few months before our world changed and list all items of income and then total that list. Similarly, look at all expenses, whether paid for by cheque, credit card, debit card, automatic debit or cash withdrawals. List all those expenses and total them.

Then subtract the total expenses from total income and hopefully, the result is either zero or a positive number. If the number is negative, it means that you were spending more than you took in. You were relying on credit to achieve that result and were not able to fully repay the monthly amount you borrowed the following month. Maybe what you owe on your credit card only went up each month as you were only able to make the minimum monthly payment.

“Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant.”
—P.T. Barnum, founder, Barnum & Bailey Circus, showman and businessman

Tip 2 – Follow your budget plan and adjust your spending behaviour during the crisis

Now with no or little income because of the new situation, you find yourself in, you must take a hard look at all of your expenses. Ironically, by staying home, it may be easier now for you to cut down on your expenses and for managing family finances.

Now is the time to cut out anything that is not essential. For sure right now you are not spending money on your nightlife, sports, transportation and vacations. The only spending you should be doing now is on basics. Groceries, rent or mortgage, utilities and perhaps education. If you are lucky enough to have enough income to pay for these fundamental costs and have money left over, that is a good thing.

You are not walking into clothing, shoe or electronics stores and shopping. You have to guard against using your spare time for shopping online. Rather, invest in yourself. There are many free online resources where you can learn something new, work on your indoor hobby you love but never have enough time for or improve your existing skills. YouTube is an obvious place to go for education.

If you find that your income is not sufficient to pay for your necessary expenses, you must get out ahead of it. Stories are now coming out about people contacting their landlord to ask for understanding and compassion if the people are late in paying their rent in April. It may be an ongoing situation during this crisis until you can get back to work. The Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board have advised that it is suspending the issuance of eviction orders and all hearings associated with expulsion applications unless the matter relates to an immediate problem such as an illegal act or major safety issue.

The Ira Smith Team is totally operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are here for a telephone consultation, conference calls and virtual meetings. Keep healthy and safe everybody.

“A formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
– Jim Rohn

Tip 3 – Take full advantage of the current situation

If you are enjoying your normal or close to normal family monthly income, this can be a terrific possibility for you to enhance your emergency fund savings. With so much of our spending linked to get-togethers and events, relocate what you usually would have spent in those groups into a savings account.

You never know the length of time a hard period can last, or what surprises are around the corner. So, prepare for the most awful situation while we all wish for the very best. When the all-clear is sounded, you may be able to use all or some of the new emergency fund to pay down some debt.

If you are one of the many forced to survive to handle the unexpected loss of earnings when the government informs you to stay at home can be ravaging. If you’re facing lost or decreased earnings, first go through the cost-saving measures I described above.

As I previously stated in the case of renters, It is necessary to contact your creditors immediately. They recognize how the virus is affecting people and will likely cooperate with you. The sooner you connect with them, the more willing they could be to work with you.

The federal government is already asking lenders to be tolerant. The Canadian government has also announced its COVID-19 Economic Response Plan to help small and medium businesses and Canadian workers. You may very well be eligible for either the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit and improved access to Employment Insurance sickness benefits.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston S. Churchill

Tip 4 – When the all-clear is sounded: post-coronavirus recovery

After this crisis has passed, you might have the temptation to splurge and then go back to your pre-crisis spending. However, doing that will certainly stop you from rebuilding your savings. Keep in mind that we can never forecast when an emergency situation can strike us in life. When the situation passes, make the effort to re-assess which non-essential costs you can continue to do without. Nobody’s economic life is ensured and it’s a great rule of thumb that having 3-6 months of your spending in financial savings will help make sure that next time you are better prepared. Please remember and follow these recommendations when the current crisis is over.

This situation is not going to be forever. These are unmatched times. Remain tranquil and recognize that humanity has made it through previous horrors, pandemics and world wars included. As Canadians and human beings, we will hopefully all get through this. To take your mind off of the current world, this is the time to stay positive. Investing in yourself will lift your spirits. Pick up that new language, hobby or skill through free online resources.

Take the time as a business owner to look at how you can bring more of your business online to lower costs in the long run. Learn the new skills necessary to run as much of your business virtually that you can. There will be nothing wrong with running your business that way when this is over. You may just find that you end up with more freedom and time, and possibly money, in a post-Covid-19 world by being more virtual than in person.

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” – Confucius

Summary

The Ira Smith Team family hopes you and your family are staying safe, healthy and well-balanced. Our hearts go out to every person who has been affected either through inconvenience or personal family tragedy.

We are all part of our community and we have to all cooperate to help stop the spread of this infection. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that are not optional. Families are physically separated from one another. I hope these personal finance tips for beginners are insightful for you.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has always employed clean and safe habits in our professional practice and continues to do so.

If anyone needs our assistance and is unable to go out, either through self-quarantine measures or just general precautions, rest assured that Ira or Brandon can still help you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual meetings are available for anyone wanting to discuss their personal or corporate situation.

Are you now worried about how you are going to survive? Are you worried about how long your company will be able to pay employees who are not working and meet all of its other obligations? Those worries are normal.

The Ira Smith Team understands these fears. More notably, we know the requirements of the business owner or the person who has too much individual debt. Because you are dealing with these stressful financial issues, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. The pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball. We have not been trained to deal with this. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will listen to the unique issues facing you and provide you with practical and actionable ideas you can implement right away to end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

The Ira Smith Team is totally operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are here for a telephone consultation, conference calls and virtual meetings. Keep healthy and safe everybody.

Categories
Brandon Blog Post

COVID 19 RESOURCES CHECKLIST FOR CANADIANS UNABLE TO WORK

The Ira Smith Team is fully operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are available for telephone consultations, conference calls, and virtual meetings. Stay healthy everyone.

Introduction

On March 18, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced a new set of financial steps to support the Canadian economy during these challenging and unprecedented times. These steps, delivered as part of the Federal government of Canada’s Covid 19 resources package, will supply up to $27 billion in support to Canadian workers and businesses. This Brandon’s Blog focusses on the government’s programs for workers.

I caution that at the time of writing this blog, many details of the available support have not been fully stated and documented. So accordingly, certain information known today about the proposed plans may change.

NOTE: After writing this Brandon’s Blog, legislation passed by the Canadian Parliament has amended plans for the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit. So, the information in this blog should be read as the policy issues the Canadian government wishes to address. In the next Brandon’s Blog, I will provide an update.

Covid 19 resources for Canadian workers

The new programs announced for specifically due to the coronavirus pandemic are for people who need assistance because they are:

  1. dealing with unemployment;
  2. Ill with the coronavirus is quarantined and therefore cannot work; or
  3. well however cannot go to work since they are taking care of someone ill with the coronavirus.

The new government programs announced are the:

These programs belong to a new set of economic actions to help support the Canadian economy following a Canada-wide reaction to the coronavirus.

Emergency Care Benefit

Prime Minister Trudeau stated that the Emergency Care Benefit (ECB) is for those workers, who do not receive Employment Insurance (EI) and do not have access to paid sick leave. The brand-new ECB will include support for the self-employed, contractors, freelancers, part-time workers and gig economy workers, with income security if they cannot work due to the fact that they are in self-isolation or in quarantine or looking after a family member in that situation.

The Canadian Government introduced the ECB as part of Canada’s economic recovery plan to offer financial support every 2 weeks to those who meet the standards who have to stay at home. The ECB will cover Canadians who are sick, quarantined, have been instructed to self-isolate or are taking care of someone with coronavirus.

The ECB will offer up to $900 bi-weekly for Canadian workers who meet the criteria and are impacted by the implementation of processes to stop the spread of this pandemic. The normal 1 week EI waiting period will be waived.

Standards to get approved for the ECB is extremely specific. Applications for the ECB are to become readily available in April 2020, the government said. Applications can be made via your Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) account, your My Service Canada Account or by calling a toll-free number, which they have actually not yet established.

The ECB does not apply to people that are laid off, however, they are not sick, quarantined or looking after someone else as a result of the coronavirus. The ECB will also cover parents of children that need treatment or supervision because of school closures and are therefore not able to earn income from employment, irrespective of whether they qualify for EI or otherwise.

Thomas Davidoff, an economics professor at the University of British Columbia, claimed the ECB is a good beginning however governments ought to also be looking at other measures like implementing a rent freeze.

Emergency Support Benefit

A new Emergency Support Benefit (ESB) will be created for workers that lose their jobs and do not qualify for EI, including the self-employed. Currently, the qualification criteria for the ESB has not been disclosed. The ESB plan is to provide 14 weeks of support as an income replacement tool.

The ESB, part of the overall Covid 19 resources package is also being introduced for those that cannot apply for EI and are ill. The ESB will also be available to people that lose their job or see a reduction in hours as a result of the slump in the economy. The ESB will be delivered through the CRA to give up to $5 billion in support of Canadians who are not eligible for EI and are dealing with unemployment.

From the information on the Government of Canada’s website, the ESB is also set to come out in April. Tammy Schirle, an economics professor at Wilfrid Laurier University stated that while the ESB is a step in the right direction, the Prime Minister’s statement had very little real information on how the program will work.

Unfortunately, as I write this Brandon’s Blog, I cannot give you any more specifics. The Liberal government’s $82 billion help bundle to assist Canadians facing the coronavirus pandemic is delayed in the House of Commons. The opposition parties are balking at some measures in the suggested legislation that would offer Finance Minister Bill Morneau extraordinary powers never seen before in Canada.

It appears the only distinction between the ECB and the ESB is that the ECB is for individuals who are sick or caring for an ill person, while the ESB is for people that are well yet cannot work because they have been laid off and are also disqualified for EI.

EI Sickness Benefit

The Federal government of Canada has revealed that as part of the overall economic resources package:

  • the one-week waiting period for EI sickness benefits will be waived for brand-new claimants that are quarantined so they can be paid for the first week of their insurance claim;
  • there will be priority EI application handling for EI sickness claims for Canadians under quarantine; and
  • individuals applying for EI sick benefits because of quarantine will not have to provide medical certification to qualify.

The EI Sickness Benefit will be for those who have acquired coronavirus or that have gone into self-isolation, or for those that are taking care of those in self-isolation. The new provisions include assistance for those who do not generally qualify for EI.

If a person believes they are eligible, they can call the new committed toll-free phone number 1-833-381-2725 (toll-free) or online. For those who cannot apply because of self-isolation, EI sickness benefits can be filed later on and also backdated. Unfortunately, that still will not reduce any financial trouble they may experience in the meantime.

The checklist

If you would like to download for no-cost our checklist to help you understand what program you may qualify for, please CLICK HERE to download the checklist.

The checklist will help you find out what benefits you may be entitled to in the following situations because you are:

  1. Laid off due to work closures but you are not sick or caring for someone who is.
  2. Unable to work due to self-quarantine.
  3. Laid off and ineligible for Employment Insurance (EI).
  4. Self-quarantined and ineligible for EI.
  5. Unable to work due to school closures.
  6. Sick due to having contracted the virus through your work.

So please feel free to download the document HERE. It is a useful guide that you can refer to quickly to figure out what category you fit into. Again, I caution that this information is as described to date by the Government of Canada. It has yet to be enacted into legislation. Accordingly, it is tentative and subject to change.

Summary

We are all part of our community and we must all work together to help stop the spread of this virus. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that need to be done for sure. Families will not be able to get together face to face. The use of technology to hold virtual family gatherings will have to suffice. I hope this Covid 19 resources blog is informative for you.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has always employed clean and safe habits in our professional practice and continues to do so.

If anyone needs our assistance and is unable to go out, either through self-quarantine measures or just general precautions, rest assured that Ira or Brandon can still help you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual meetings are available for anyone wanting to discuss their personal or corporate situation.

Are you now worried about how you are going to survive? Are you worried about how long your company will be able to pay employees who are not working and meet all of its other obligations? Those worries are normal.

The Ira Smith Team understands these fears. More notably, we know the requirements of the business owner or the person who has too much individual debt. Because you are dealing with these stressful financial issues, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. The pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball. We have not been trained to deal with this. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will listen to the unique issues facing you and provide you with practical and actionable ideas you can implement right away to end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

covid 19 resources
covid 19 resources

The Ira Smith Team is fully operational and both Ira and Brandon Smith are available for telephone consultations, conference calls, and virtual meetings. Stay healthy everyone.

If you would like to download for no-cost our checklist to help you understand what program you may qualify for, please CLICK HERE to download the checklist.

Categories
Brandon Blog Post

WORKING REMOTELY IN CANADA – RELAX, YOU ARE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN

working remotely in canada

If you would prefer to listen to the audio version of this Brandon’s Blog, please scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the podcast

On March 23, 2020, Premier Doug Ford announced the shutdown of all non-essential services across the province in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Ira Smith Team will be working online remotely and both Ira and Brandon Smith are available for telephone consultations, conference calls, and virtual meetings.

Introduction

Working remotely in Canada is a hot subject today as the COVID-19 breakout has people preventing most human to human meetups. Every person’s health and wellness must be the number one priority. Functioning from another location for a time appears to be the smartest way to secure everyone’s well-being.

The purpose of this Brandon’s Blog is to explore some of the issues involved with Canadians’ need to work remotely if your job can be done working remotely. I will also look at ideas for keeping the entrepreneurial business alive.

Even those normally working remote jobs from home may have problems now

As a precaution from the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of businesses have informed their staff that they will be functioning remotely for the next two to three weeks, or possibly longer. For some employees, working remotely is a new thing. During these coronavirus social distancing times, remote work will simply be one more day in an electronic nomad’s life. Nonetheless, even those who are accustomed to working remotely may find it harder to operate nowadays.

There are extra stress and anxiety as well as uncertainty. That’s before you throw in many other aspects like all the youngsters at home and the need for homeschooling because of all the school closings. People that have actually been working from another location for several years have discovered that they actually enjoy entering into the office when the demand for a face to face meeting arises. To the degree that has actually kept remote employees really feeling included with a group and a business community, that opportunity has now been removed.

Working remotely in Canada now has lots of newbies

For some teams and staff members — working from another location is undiscovered waters. Functioning remotely is currently a brand-new experience for many. Remotely working from home will with any luck be an efficient way of regulating the potential spread of COVID-19. Whether working remotely is a routine thing for your group or not, the coronavirus situation recently has actually pushed many companies to adopt it as default.

People might see that functioning from their residence will cause durations of decreased performance, anxiety and a lack of communication. While taking these necessary safety measures to keep you and our community risk-free is a wonderful thing, working remotely is most definitely an adjustment. Your residence may not feel as office-ready as you may like. Anyone working from another location must have accessibility to suitable platforms for completing their job. Workers that working remotely in Canada frequently discover that working from home is different than they expected and that it needs somewhat different abilities and habits.

From an innovation point of view, working from another location can be rather comparable to operating in the office. However, working remotely is not without its flaws. How much each person will take pleasure in working from home will, of course, vary a great deal from one person to another.

The largest advantage of working from home is versatility, however, this can be a drawback too. Working from home can be really tough for those not used to it and not have been their choice. It typically calls for a much greater degree of personal accountability and organization than working in the office. Theoretically, remote jobs can appear truly lonely, however, it doesn’t need to be. Managers need to make certain that they will continue to support their staff with online team meetings.

Among the best aspects of working remotely is that you do not need to wake up at a certain time every morning (unless it’s agreed with the team). On the other hand, staying with your regular timetable, as much as possible, helps to keep both your spirits and your efficiency up. It also helps to get dressed and not stay in your PJ’s all day long, even if you do not have a video conference that day!

Among the challenges of working remotely from home is that we often start to really feel isolated. Another factor that some people dread with the concept of a remote job is that they do not completely trust their ability to properly handle all that time. An effective time management approach is key. While the method that everyone uses might differ, one point particularly helpful for concentration and productivity is to make daily and weekly checklists of tasks that you are aiming to complete.

However working from another location is often seen to have one great drawback – you’re not as visible to your associates and supervisors. If managers set normal on-line group conferences where results are always a requirement to be discussed, it might, in fact, improve the efficiency of staff members, conquer the feeling of isolation and allow projects to push forward. So if you are working remotely, to deal with the stress and anxiety brought on by isolation on top of the pandemic fears, don’t be afraid to use messenger programs to help keep your connections with colleagues.

Maybe working from home will become a thing

The anxiety that people would not work as hard when working remotely will most likely show to be misguided. Instead, I think it will appear that everyone works more! This forced boom in remote jobs may be relatively short-lived, even if the fad behind it is not. Whenever things return to normal, it will certainly be interesting to see if companies want to continue having more employees working from home.

There are numerous advantages to having the alternative of working from home in Canada for a day. It is a bit of a novelty. But how about each day? Will employees ask if they can turn their work into a work from the home job after this crisis is over? For now, the hope is that working from home will avoid any type of spread of the virus as well as assist in social distancing. But what if both employers and employees favour this new arrangement for the long term, albeit for different reasons?

According to BuzzFeed News, some people already are hoping for that moment when working remotely will broadly replace working face to face. Will those employers who never believed in employees or teams working remotely start finding that it can work? Will employees and employers alike start liking the new benefits it brings? Things like work/life balance, employee satisfaction, staff retention, and cost savings?

Working remotely online isn’t for everyone

We are all stressed concerning our family and friends, particularly those most vulnerable. Working remotely in Canada has its own added collection of difficulties and anxieties. Working from another location can be the dream. For some workers though, working remotely is not an option. Every person working in the hospitality business, factory jobs, dental and medical offices, for example, cannot work remotely in Canada.

This help for the unemployed, provided as part of the Federal government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, will supply up to $27 billion in direct assistance to Canadian workers and companies. Both major programs for those left unemployed and low-income individuals are called the Emergency Care Benefit and the Emergency Support Benefit programs.

What can businesses do to stay alive in these uncertain times?

There has never been a more vital time to connect with your customers, clients or patients than now. As most of us are working from home or otherwise remaining inside because of COVID-19, you are most likely to have not been seeing as many customers, and perhaps even none at all. And that’s what we’re talking about today. The what and how of interacting during this massive business interruption.

Communicating with your clients is most essential, Starting Now! So, what kind of communication makes the most sense? There are 3 crucial messages you need to get out to your customers as soon as possible.

First, provide an update on where you are at with your business. I know I’ve gotten a lot of emails in the last few days doing that. A short statement concerning exactly how COVID-19 has impacted your company and your solution for that. If you can maintain your business, let everyone know the steps you are taking. If you now have modified business hours, tell everyone. That is going to let everyone know the best way you can continue to serve them.

In my case, we are all using a mixture of working remotely and being in the office. When in the office, we are limiting the number of people at one time and are keeping our distance. That allows us to maintain our normal business hours.

Second, let your clients know the steps you are taking to ensure their safety and security throughout this time. Let them know that you are cleansing regularly. Let them understand how you are handling social distancing by doing delivery of an item or giving them online webinars to stay connected.

We are considering starting a new online community to allow people who are feeling anxious over their debt situation or just have questions on how to handle certain situations during this crisis to communicate with us and each other. Webinars may also be part of that. If you have any thoughts on topics you would like to see covered please let us know by email. Your feedback will help us immensely.

And this is the moment to impart self-confidence that you’re taking action. Third, urge them to continue using you and thank them for their support.

In my case, although we have always used proper cleaning methods in our office, they are now enhanced. If you wish to meet with us in person, we can do that. However, don’t expect me to shake your hand. Also, if I give you a pen to sign documents, you can now keep it. Small things, but necessary ones. If you are not going out, then I am happy to meet with you on the phone or even have a virtual meeting.

There are ways you can stay in contact with your customers without meeting face to face.

First of all, use your company website. Add messaging as to how you are continuing your business so your clients can see it.

Second, if you have a normal e-mail marketing channel, or a blog or a newsletter that you use on a regular basis, now is the time to make use of that for your messaging. And let your clients know, you will be making use of that for future updates. In our case, we are using Brandon’s Blog to get the word out that we are open to help everyone either in person or through the use of technology. As a matter of fact, we have had many meetings this week to get ready to begin two new cases. On both of them, we haven’t met anyone in person yet and our meetings were held both from the office and from Ira’s and Brandon’s respective homes.

Third, if you use social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram, use those to get your message out to your customers and followers. If you are not using any of those networks, it may be a good time to start using some of them for your business now.

Regular messaging is key. Once you start using these methods for normal updates, your clients will get used to hearing from you in this way and will respond.

COVID-19 has added additional difficulties to doing business, yet it doesn’t need to be impossible. Now is the time to communicate promptly and also clear with your clients.

Summary

We are all part of our community and we must all work together to help stop the spread of this virus. Social distancing and self-quarantining are sacrifices that need to be done for sure. Families will not be able to get together face to face. The use of technology to hold virtual family gatherings will have to suffice.

Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. has always employed clean and safe habits in our professional practice and continues to do so.

If anyone needs our assistance and is unable to go out, either through self-quarantine measures or just general precautions, rest assured that Ira or Brandon can still help you. Telephone consultations and/or virtual meetings are available for anyone wanting to discuss their personal or corporate situation.

Are you now worried about how you are going to survive? Are you worried about how long your company will be able to pay employees who are not working and meet all of its other obligations? Those worries are normal.

The Ira Smith Team understands these fears. More notably, we know the requirements of the business owner or the person who has too much individual debt. Because you are dealing with these stressful financial issues, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. The pandemic has thrown everyone a curveball. We have not been trained to deal with this. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will listen to the unique issues facing you and provide you with practical and actionable ideas you can implement right away to end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

Categories
Brandon Blog Post

TOILET PAPER FRENZY: THE DIRTY TRUTH

toilet paper frenzy

If you would prefer to listen to the audio version of this Brandon’s Blog, please scroll to the bottom of this blog and click on the podcast.

Introduction

Bathroom tissue is not effective protection against getting the coronavirus. Nevertheless, a toilet paper frenzy has taken over the entire world. This Brandon’s Blog discusses this phenomenon to try to bring some understanding to this global panic playing out before our very own eyes.

SPECIAL: CLICK ON THE RED BUTTON TO WATCH OUR NO-COST BONUS VIDEO ON CORONAVIRUS SAFETY TIPS

toilet paper frenzy

 

The global toilet paper frenzy crisis

Throughout the globe information of the potentially extensive COVID-19 coronavirus infection has sent people into supermarkets, pharmacies and big box stores. Panic buying has been rife amidst the worldwide spread of the brand-new coronavirus, with consumers all over the world stockpiling goods like hand sanitizer, canned foods as well as toilet paper.

Coronavirus panic shopping has produced awful behaviour from customers around the world, including physical altercations in numerous stores. Japan was among the first countries to see the coronavirus scare stimulate a number of false reports on social media advising that toilet tissue is anticipated to run out, stimulating a customer rush to stockpile. The New York Post reported that the toilet paper crisis has set off fistfights in supermarket aisles in Australia, where one household unintentionally contributed to the dilemma by purchasing 48 boxes of bathroom paper instead of 48 rolls. Those more than 2,000 rolls are roughly 12 years’ worth!

The BBC reported on a risky toilet paper heist at dawn in Hong Kong. In Japan, Sora News claimed that a store owner decided the only way to shield his toilet paper from desperate toilet paper thieves was to chant conventional curses to shield his inventory.

Consumers in different nations were driven by various factors for buying out toilet paper:

  • In China, people who had no access to surgical masks went for toilet paper due to the assumption that toilet paper can be used to make makeshift masks.
  • In Taiwan, bathroom tissue flew off the racks due to the fact that there were reports that the island’s paper stocks were being dedicated to the making of medical masks. The fear was that it would ultimately impact bathroom tissue products. Authorities later had to refute this as false.
  • In the case of countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, panic-buying and the need to hold on to as much toilet tissue one can lug is probably driven by the worry of the unknown. It is not created by either any type of facts or any real need for even more toilet paper.
  • Scientists at INSEAD Singapore, where the bathroom tissue products were jeopardized early in the crisis, stated the panic buying there was also driven by an element of retail therapy; except as opposed to spending money on the most recent electronics and also clothing, people bought helpful things as buying those items strengthened their sense of control over the situation.
  • In Ireland, people admitted to The Irish Times that all the panic-buying was admittedly over the top, yet they were doing it anyway.

Amethyst Amelia Kelly, better known as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian born singer-songwriter who moved to the United States in her teens. She said that she will not quit trying to get her Mom to admit panic buying is stupid unless she sees her mother consume all her canned fish and uses all her toilet paper!

Toilet paper is flying off the shelves in Canadian communities

Canadians should not be worried about the supplies of important things as they prepare for the reality of even more extensive cases of COVID-19 coming to Canada. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has created mass hysteria. People are flooding large merchants like Costco over fears that vital items like bathroom tissue might soon diminish. So far, right here in Canada, our strait-laced impulse for law and order even throughout a pandemic panic has led us to line up in an orderly fashion for hours in stores just for the right to strip shelves of bathroom tissue down to their steel rivets.

Buying out Costco for toilet paper is panic buying for some kind of armageddon. A staff member at Saskatoon’s southeast Costco area store states more toilet paper will be coming in each early morning, but she expects the supply to be gone in the first hour the store is open. Signage at Sudbury’s Costco says 3 brand names of toilet tissue has been sold out.

Panic buying has created opportunities for some unruly behaviour in Canada. There have been reports of ordinary people trying to sell toilet paper online with huge markups. Some unscrupulous people are trying to sell information products to fight against coronavirus that serves no useful purpose. They are just trying to take advantage of people’s fears.

To its credit, the Canadian government has early on announced a stimulus package. Perhaps the uptick in HST on toilet paper sales being beyond any budgeted amount, in some small way, can help to fund the significant additional cost that will be incurred by the government.

Why is everyone stocking up on toilet paper?

Bathroom tissue runs has struck many as peculiar, given that the need for the item is not anticipated to expand as people get used to spending more time in their homes. Panic purchasing has become a dependable attribute of the coronavirus epidemic, just like a fever or dry cough.

Panic purchasing is caused and sustained by anxiety, and a determination to head to lengths to quell those anxieties. A big component of panic purchasing remains as a result of FOMO’s, the fear of missing out taken to a ridiculous degree.

Similar panic purchasing often comes before snowstorms, tropical storms and hurricanes. But the global nature of the coronavirus spread together with access to information, both true and false, today spread globally by social media causes the hysteria today. This is different than ever seen before in previous epidemics, like the SARS outbreak.

The coronavirus pandemic is engendering a type of survivalist psychology, where we may have to live as long as possible in our homes. Therefore, we must all stock up on basics. That definitely includes toilet paper. Besides, if we lack bathroom tissue, what can we change it up with?

For people, who assume a lockdown is imminent, the reality is that they believe that building up their toilet paper stash was entirely worth it. If it provides the feeling that they had actually done everything that they could to protect against the virus, it frees them to think about various other things than coronavirus.

Greater than anything else, there is a need to have a feeling of control over a circumstance whose end result nobody can currently predict. Purchasing toilet tissue could be one way of coming to grips with dealing with an unknown.

Dr. Dimitrios Tsivrikos, who specializes in consumer and behavioural psychology at the University College London, told CNBC that bathroom tissue has become an icon of mass panic. He also said that since bathroom tissue has a much longer shelf-life than many food products, and is prominently displayed in aisles, we are psychologically drawn to buying it in times of uncertainty.

Dr. Steven Taylor, a Professor and Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, described to CNN when people are informed something unsafe is coming, but all you require to do is clean your hands, the activity doesn’t appear proportionate to the danger. Special risk needs special safety measures. He assumes that is what is taking place. Toilet paper frenzy is this kind of response. Bathroom tissue has actually become a symbol, a symbol of security for some people.

Psychologist Baruch Fischhoff informed CNN on the toilet paper frenzy: Unless people have seen … assurances that everybody will be taken care of, they are left to rate the probability of needing the extra bathroom tissue, faster rather than later. The fact that there are no official guarantees might enhance those chances.

SPECIAL: CLICK ON THE RED BUTTON TO WATCH OUR NO-COST BONUS VIDEO ON CORONAVIRUS SAFETY TIPStoilet paper frenzy

 

Summary

As people stress over the coronavirus crisis, toilet paper is the one thing they don’t intend to be caught without. What is stressing you out? Is your debt load, or your company’s debt load, one of the things you worry about?

The Ira Smith Team is available to help you at any time. We offer sound advice and a solid plan for Starting Over Starting Now so that you’ll be well on your way to a debt-free life in no time.

The Ira Smith Team understands just how to do a debt restructuring. Much more notably, we know the demands of the business owner or the person who has too much debt. Due to the fact that you are managing these stressful financial problems, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you cannot fix this issue on your own. You have just been shown the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt troubles while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

At Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc., we take a look at your whole condition and layout a strategy that is as unique as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as a part of the debt negotiation approach we will create just for you.

We understand that individuals facing financial troubles require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you as well as end the pain you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will certainly get you or your business back on the road to a well balanced and healthy life and end the pain factors in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

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Brandon Blog Post

CORONAVIRUS RISKS INCLUDE THE CANADIAN ECONOMY

coronavirus risks

If you prefer to listen to an audio version of this Brandon’s Blog, please scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the podcast.

Coronavirus risks introduction

The COVID-19 is spreading out across the world. The unique coronavirus is becoming an international pandemic. COVID-19 is the breathing illness triggered by the novel coronavirus that came from Wuhan, China. The fast-spreading infection has actually killed more than 3,000 people as well as hitting at least 90,000, so far mostly in China. The disease is coming to North America right now in airports and on cruise liners. This Brandon’s Blog is to talk about the coronavirus risks and discuss why Canadians and the Canadian economy is not immune.

Coronavirus explained

Coronavirus is spread out primarily via tiny droplets coughed or sneezed straight from a contaminated individual right into the face of a person close by. The spreading is different than the more infectious air-borne transmission of the virus-like measles, which can stay suspended in enclosed areas and be taken in hours after being exhaled by ill people.

Surgical face masks do not offer a proper seal around the face so while it does secure from respiratory system droplets from a sneeze or a cough, the microbe is still present in airborne droplets that can navigate out of a medical mask. The spread of the illness is proceeding and Canadians are appropriately asking themselves how they can get security against the infection. Children who obtain the infection frequently show light symptoms and some have none. The reported cases of major illness, as well as death up until now, are in adults.

Coronavirus prevention needs a global response

Coronavirus has demanded a global public health reaction. Countries are putting out daily updates on coronavirus dangers. Strains of a brand-new infection are spreading out. We do not yet know how to deal with the brand-new germ, and we won’t know till more information can be found by the experts. An additional vital unknown is exactly how infectious the coronavirus is.

The Globe and Mail report states that the coronavirus is circling around the planet and showing the dangers of the globalization design. The ailment is creating a great deal of anguish around the world. This pathogen is a little bit of a strange illness since it’s not assaulting youngsters. Up until now, at least 95,000 persons have actually acquired the disease, with about 3,300 having passed away from it. The deaths have been up until now mainly in China. But right here is a less-recognized reality. The incubation period of this coronavirus is generally under two weeks, yet certain reports suggest it often can take 3 weeks.

Coronavirus has actually infected greater than 80 countries. After starting in China, this illness is currently spreading out quickly around the world. The introduction of a novel coronavirus has actually clearly demonstrated the coronavirus risks and the need for clear, timely, and verifiable details from reliable sources.

A look at just how prevalent this pandemic is can be shown by various stories like:

  1. The variety of people who have tested positive in New York state for the unique coronavirus has increased to 22 after a substantial boost in screening, Governor Andrew Cuomo has actually said.
  2. Florida authorities reported that two people that tested positive for the brand-new coronavirus have passed away.
  3. South Africa’s news that an instance of coronavirus has been validated in the nation makes it the 3rd sub-Saharan country to report the infection.
  4. The United States has asked Iran to release all Americans from its prisons on clinical furloughs over anxieties the coronavirus might be infesting the country’s prisons.
  5. Paramedics in protective clothing and Israelis putting on masks and medical gloves stand near a dedicated polling station where people under quarantine from the coronavirus can vote in Israel’s nationwide political election, in Tel Aviv.
  6. The results of the coronavirus can be seen in Tokyo.
  7. A second person in England that tested positive for coronavirus has died, the UK’s Chief Medical Officer verified.
  8. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the cruise liner Grand Princess would continue to be kept offshore until travellers and crew experiencing signs and symptoms that may follow the coronavirus can be tested to figure out whether they have it.
  9. Individuals wait outside the new medical exam department on the grounds of the Charite University Hospital campus Virchow in Berlin, where people seeking help from the coronavirus can be checked.
  10. Iran claimed the coronavirus has caused the death of 124 individuals amid 4,747 validated cases in the Islamic Republic as authorities cautioned they might use force to limit travelling between cities.

Coronavirus information – Canada

Coronavirus in Canada does run the risk of becoming a pandemic if the rate of community spread contracting the virus without entering contact with somebody from an infected region significantly rises. The coronavirus has thus far had health consequences for a fairly small number of Canadians. There are thus far 57 validated cases in Canada, many involving people that have actually recovered. This number changes daily.

Mostly all of the destinations Canadians usually take a trip to are extremely secure. The government of Canada’s advisories currently impacts just a few of the destinations.

Obviously China, along with:

  • Hong Kong
  • Iran
  • Japan
  • North Italy
  • Singapore
  • South Korea

Canadian experts believe age, as well as health background, might play the biggest roles in identifying how the unique coronavirus can affect an individual. Local transmission of the coronavirus in Canada is so far person-to-person spread within areas in Canada.

Covid-19 and the Canadian economy

The Canadian economy will certainly be negatively influenced by this infection, similar to all other world economic climates. International Monetary Fund stated the international financial expectation has actually changed to even a more dire situation. The coronavirus has actually enhanced the risk of a worldwide recession this year, credit rating firm Moodys stated. It looks likely that the coronavirus will do significant economic damage.

The coronavirus will lead global economies into its first contraction in a decade, some economic experts are warning. Coronavirus is currently requiring companies to put on hold manufacturing in and shipments from China as officials attempt to restrict its spread. At the same time, the IMF claimed the spread of the coronavirus has actually erased assumptions of stronger financial growth this year. It will cause the 2020 worldwide economic gains to its slowest pace since the economic crisis in 2008.

With monetary markets uneasy, the United States Fed’s change of mind on decreasing interest rates is totally reasonable. The coronavirus risks have brought about a dramatic downturn in the stock market. It has fanned worries of financial tanking as the Republican president asks Americans for a second term. As it worries the US economy, the Canadian economy follows the same path.

The coronavirus will injure Canada’s economy. The rapid spread of the coronavirus is most likely to send the global economy right into a downturn, according to prominent Canadian economist David Rosenberg. Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz said in his newest speech that coronavirus will certainly interrupt the global economy for at the very least the first half of this year. The half a point decrease of the Bank’s key rate target to 1.25 percent marked the initial cut since the summer of 2015 and brought the rate to its lowest level since early 2018.

On March 5, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a pavlovian response to the unique coronavirus will not keep Canadians safe. The federal government is attempting to stop an economic downturn from something they cannot manage; the coronavirus that’s going to affect the whole world’s economy. Financial experts think the Bank of Canada’s decision to reduce the target interest rate shows the coronavirus has revealed a pocket of weakness in the Canadian economy. Markets have actually withstood roller-coaster ups as well as downs for weeks amid unpredictability over how much damage the outbreak of the new coronavirus will do to the global economy.

New data on China suggests the damage coronavirus has actually wrought on the globe’s second-largest economic engine could be even worse and a lot more extended than previously anticipated. My fear is the Canadian reaction will be insufficient to mitigate the negative financial influence the coronavirus is having on worldwide financial markets. The best-case scenario is that the Bank of Canada’s emergency rate cut will prove to be an over-reaction from the policymakers.

The coronavirus is now beginning to have a devastating influence on world markets, manufacturing and supply chains. It will eventually impact the labour force. Investors are really hoping that policymakers will take crucial action to limit the pain. If reduced business causes layoffs in Canada and elsewhere, the economy will slow down even faster.

Coronavirus is damaging the international airline and hotel sectors as business and leisure trips are being cancelled. Economists are asking whether lowering interest rates is the correct way to counter the negative economic influence from the coronavirus. The SEC is concerned about what the effect will be on new issuers and investors.

Coronavirus may force the Alberta government to ditch a balanced-budget plan, said Premier Jason Kenney. In the United States, economists are urging the President to right away rescind all of his tariffs and also dedicate to markets and as trading partners that no brand-new tariffs will be applied at least until the economic damage from the coronavirus has passed. Markets will continue to be volatile until the coronavirus is brought under control. Canadians are really concerned that the coronavirus has the potential to erase the value of their retirement funds.

The coronavirus is negatively impacting supply chain systems causing failures to deliver. Companies might get some protection if the force majeure section of supply contracts mentions that an epidemic or disease is an event beyond the parties’ control. The coronavirus may fall within that interpretation. In all instances, company problems will take months to return to business as usual. So even if the coronavirus is contained quickly, it is likely to negatively affect the economy for some time.

Coronavirus has forced travelling constraints, allegations between governments and a collection of misguided xenophobic attacks in many countries. Relying on the degree of human and financial damage this virus brings upon around the world, coronavirus may someday be considered a vital turning point for the whole global economy.

Just a few examples of economic damage that the coronavirus has already brought about are:

  • postponement of the three-day Ultra electronic dance music festival in Miami
  • the release of the next James Bond film delayed from April to November 2020
  • IBM cancelling a major event
  • the NBA announcing it is seriously studying the situation and playing games in empty arenas is a possibility under consideration. The television contract is so lucrative and attracts such a wide audience, allows for empty stadium games to be a serious possibility
  • Cancellation of business and vacation travel

The concern of whether it is appropriate to cancel or alter travel plans due to the spread of the coronavirus is mainly an individual decision that travellers have to make after evaluating all the realities available. No matter, Canadian life and the economic climate will certainly be various for the foreseeable future.

Summary

I hope you have found this coronavirus risks discussion useful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at any time.

Do you or your company have excessive debt and looking for debt restructuring? Is your business in trouble because of the effects of coronavirus on the Canadian economy? Would not it be great if you could do a turn-around?

The Ira Smith Team understands how to do a debt restructuring. More notably, we comprehend the requirements of the business owner or the person who has too much individual debt. Because you are dealing with these stressful financial issues, you are anxious.

It is not your fault you can’t fix this problem on your own. You have only been taught the old ways. The old ways do not work anymore. The Ira Smith Team makes use of new contemporary ways to get you out of your debt problems while avoiding bankruptcy. We can get you debt relief now.

We look at your whole circumstance and design a strategy that is as distinct as you are. We take the load off of your shoulders as part of the debt settlement strategy we will draft just for you.

We understand that people facing money problems require a lifeline. That is why we can establish a restructuring procedure for you and end the discomfort you feel.

Call us now for a no-cost consultation. We will get you or your business back on the roadway to healthy and balanced worry-free operations and end the pain points in your life, Starting Over, Starting Now.

Call a Trustee Now!