Wealth and the pursuit of happiness...

Some people think of life like the game - such as  Monopoly. Life is just about Winning and losing. Gain and loss. Wealthy or poor.

Other people think of life like a journey of pursuing happiness and personal growth. 

But we know it is really both. We have to manage both money and love, happiness and wealth.

What I would like you to do, is from your wealth discussion paper, choose one of the 4 quotes and write about it. Reflect on it and tell us your opinion and WHY.

Please write this as a new post in your blog. It must be one paragraph, and it must be a structured paragraph: Intro, 2 or 3 points and a conclusion that points to the future. 

Retirement Planning - have you planned yours??

This week we've been learning about different ways to save for and plan for retirement in Canada.
We're learning about RRSP's, TFSA's, RRIF's, GIC's and government benefits such as CPP, OAS, GIS.

Here is a link to read and there are also two videos to watch to help you make a plan for retirement.

All Canadians have to decide how much income they will need each year ( approximately) for an average of 25 years (if you retire at 65 and die at 90 - if they are lucky :)

https://globalnews.ca/news/3981582/how-much-to-save-for-retirement-canada/

Please watch the first video. Then scroll down and read the information about the comparison between Joe SuperSaver and Ordinary Joe. The INFO-GRAPHIC to compare the two is very informative - do look at that to give you a quick summary.

Reply to this post with what you learned from this comparison - are there any new ideas you have about retirement savings that you didn't have before? Any changes you must make? Write a short paragraph as a reply to this post. Use as many money idioms from our list as you can. 

Information about Canada's Taxation System

Today we had an intro to Canada's Tax system. We'll continue talking about taxes and, in particular, your Tax Return, which must be filed by April 30, 2019. 

Some people feel like they are paying through the nose for taxes in Canada but most accept that yes, there are a lot of taxes, but we get free public education, healthcare and good infrastructure as well as policing, fire and emergency services, and finally, a fair and democratic government and judicial system. 

Are we getting a good bang for our buck (good value for our money) do you think? Make a comment on THIS POST. 

Have you ever...

Have you ever blown your tax refund on something ridiculous that you regretted?
....forgotten to pay a bill or lost track of your expenses?
...felt loaded...until you got to Canada? (Haha) then felt very very broke and strapped for cash and started penny pinching because life in Canada is so expensive?
...stuck to a diet or budget or new routine and felt good about yourself?

I'd like you to write about one of these - and start with either:  "yes I have...." or  "No I haven't but...."
And then write us a short story about it. Your classmates will be reading your story and commenting on it. 
Reminders:
1. Be careful with using the expressions correctly in the sentence. 
2. Remember to write a structured paragraph that has an intro to explain the context of the story, the details of what happened, and the conclusion (what you learned to never to again or learned to always do etc.)

Blowing all your money on...? idioms about money

Happy Monday Afternoon! 
Spring is coming!!!!!! It feels warm outside and it smells like spring today :)
This is a photo of the trail at Kelso here in Milton. I took this photo a few years ago. It is so so pretty in the spring. I encourage you to go with your family.

Today, I would like you to go to this link:
https://www.esl-lab.com/expense/expenserd1.htm

Please follow these steps:
1.  Scroll down to III: Vocabulary Activities. 
There are 4 activities written in pink. click on each one, and do the activity, then the next until you have completed all four.

Write down the new vocabulary and expressions in your notebook.

2. Scroll Back up to:   II: Listening Exercise
Listen to the dialogue twice, notice the vocabulary and expressions that you just studied, then answer the Listening Quiz. 

In a blog post, I would like you to write one paragraph reflecting on the expressions you learned and what English words you use instead of those expressions (for example, Blow your money means spend all of your money).

Or write a few lines using the new expressions.

 

You owe me a coffee !

Good Afternoon Class! It's FRIYAY!

We did a quick warm-up review of  LEND and BORROW and OWE.  Great verbs to know how to use well with money and banking.  This guy (see pic) always seems to borrow money but does not pay it back! Do you know anyone like that? :)

Look at this conversation: Notice how borrow is similar to take, and lend is similar to give:

I need to borrow $5 for coffee - do you mind?
Sure, I can lend you $5, or better yet, I can pay for you this time and then you can owe me (will pay for me) for next time. 

Can you borrow me five bucks? (wrong)
Can you lend me five bucks? (correct)
Can I borrow five bucks? (correct) 

Can I lend your phone? (wrong)
Can you lend me your phone? (correct)
Can I borrow your phone? (correct)

In class today we checked off the things we want from our banking on a list then searched for the best banking plan and compared 2 plans.  I know this is not the most exciting thing, but when you feel comfortable with banking, you are more in control of your money, your life and your future savings! 

Have a good weekend everyone! 

Banking Complaints are Common!

Have you ever complained to your friends or family about your bank? It feels like banks charge you fees for every little transaction. Sometimes it feels like they are ripping you off. I guess this is how they make their millions and billions of dollars. 

Another English word for complain is Whinge, or whine. When you whine, you are complaining but not doing anything to solve your problem and you expect others to fix it for you. (children do this a lot :)

But when you complain to your bank, hopefully they will solve your problem without a bad attitude - or an extra charge!

TASK: 
1. Read the following article on the 10 most Common Banking complaints. You can read just the key information - so skim for the general idea only. Do notice the use of the expression "To be/get ripped off" in the article. This is a common expression used to talk about a situation when a store or a business or bank charged too much  money and you feel like they were stealing money from you, or that you got ripped off. 

https://www.mybanktracker.com/news/customer-banking-complaints

2. Respond to the article by writing about your opinion. Do you agree with the top 10? Or do you share only some of these complaints? Perhaps you had a situation that was similar or different with a bank. Write about this. One paragraph is enough, but do give sufficient details. If you can use the expressions and vocabulary we've been using this week that would be even better!

Does English have sounds that you don't have in your language??

Yesterday, we reviewed the Banking system in Canada and basic banking terms. Remember to get the worksheets for this if you were missing.

Today we also completed our Venn Diagrams comparing our first language with English for both the vowel sounds and the consonant sounds. When complete, you will see which sounds you share with English, and which sounds you only have in your language, and which sounds only English has.

These sounds, the sounds only English has, are the sounds you need to be aware of and work on. This is your focus.

Also, even if we do share the same sounds, reading the word does not tell you how to pronounce it. If you have some problem words that you use a lot, I would recommend memorizing what the colour is for the stressed syllable for that word.

Please write  a short, reflective post on your blog about what sounds in English are NOT in your first language. Then write about some words that you have difficulty pronouncing because of it.  What do you find very difficult to pronounce??