Dear Money Lady,

My husband started day trading this year and it turned into a disaster. He is retired and took a course on investing – but that didn’t seem to matter, we have lost over $200,000. I am so upset! Marissa P.

Dear Marissa,

Oh dear, I feel your pain. Many retirees have done the same thing. The economic market right now is shaky — we all know that. Our neighbours to the south have forever changed the landscape of how we view the United States. But with this backdrop, I must caution those that are entering retirement or already in it, about managing their investments and ultimately impacting their long-term plans.

Dear Money Lady Readers:

Many millennials and now a new wave of seniors are trying their hand with options. I really don’t understand the allure to this platform since it can be quite complicated for those that don’t learn it proficiently and paper trade before they jump in with real money. I have had many emails from readers over the summer, asking how to trade in options, with some crying the blues about losing thousands in this arena. So today, let’s go over the basics.

When option trading, you will use a security or derivative in an existing or anticipated position and speculate on the value of the asset. Options are widely available, easily tradeable on most broker platforms, very liquid, and can be bought or sold with very little initial capital requirements. There are two elements that make up an option: a call and a put. A call option gives the rights to buy the asset and the put option gives you the right to sell.

The buyer of an option has the right, to either buy or sell a stock, sometime in the future at a strike price that is always agreed upon at the time the position is opened. The seller, on the other hand must sell or complete the transaction if the option is exercised. You may often hear the terms “long and short positions” when trading in options. The buyer is considered the long position or holder of the contract and the seller is considered the short position or writer of the contract. If you are wanting to be the buyer of the option, you will have to pay a fee or premium to do so, which varies in price, based on volatility and the time to expiration of the contract. Once this fee has been paid by the buyer, they really have no further obligation to the contract other than to decide if they want to exercise the option or not. Basically, most people choose to “gamble” with their options as a buyer since they only stand to lose the premium, paid up front. Now, if you are the seller or option writer, you will always be forced to buy or sell if you are assigned, and if you are “right,” you get to keep the premium from the buyer, but if you are “wrong,” you could potentially lose a lot. The reason for this is because the trade units are always 100 shares at a time.

Now’s your time. All those electronics you stacked in your garage and the accessories collecting dust in your desk drawer can soon have a better home. Instead of taking up space in your house or office, they can be put to use for organizations that can refurbish them to help make Winnipeg a better place. And it’s as easy as getting your morning coffee — except better, because it’s free. This event is for businesses and consumers.

On Sept. 18, you can bring all unwanted electronics to CF Polo Park (875 St. James St.), where the Electronics Recycling Association and Better Business Bureau of Central Canada will recycle the items free of charge. They’ll refurbish what they can into items for Seven Oaks General Hospital, Humanitarian Solidarity for Development and Empowerment (HSDE) and N’Dinawemak Inc.

The Humanitarian Solidarity for Development and Empowerment empowers marginalized youth and children through mental health support, education, poverty relief, and environmental action. They work to create stronger communities through this work, which is done in both French and English. N’Dinawemak Inc. meets people where they are to provide a safe space in a no-barrier and inclusive environment. They provide connection and support to those experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg or those who need somewhere to go.

Your unwanted electronics can make a real difference in the lives of those who need it. Not only will it be used by these incredible community builders, it’ll also divert electronic waste and potentially harmful chemicals from our shared landfill. A 2023 study out of the University of Waterloo found that Canada’s e-waste tripled in the two previous decades, making it more vital than ever for Canadians to correctly dispose of their old phones and hard drives.

The Western Canada Professional Hockey Scouts Federation held its second Wall of Honour induction dinner in Okotoks, Alta. on July 29.

Ten scouts with a connection to Manitoba were among the 30 honoured.

The scouts were recognized in four categories: Pioneer prior to 1967; Early Era 1968-1980; Modern 1981 to Present; and Major Junior. The three Pioneers were Winnipeggers Denis Ball and Jimmy Walker and Jeep George from North Battleford, Sask., who scouted for the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers and the NHL Central Scouting.

Ball started scouting part-time for the Rangers in 1949 and became a full-time scout in 1953. He later served as general manager and vice-president of hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues. Walker started scouting for the junior Winnipeg Jets and became the team’s chief scout in 1970. He spent 20 years as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks.

The comments section. That’s where many people live. They look for real reactions from real people in a world full of businesses trying to make a buck. The consumer version is online reviews. Shoppers browse through ratings and reviews to see what real people think before making their decisions. This is a wealth of information that can be a good predictor of a company and product. But not always. What happens when these reviews aren’t real at all? When they’re curated or mistaken or even maliciously deceitful? Consumers give so much power to them, yet they can paint an opposite view of reality.

That’s why it’s so important to give businesses the opportunity to respond to reviews and complaints. Several platforms allow for this, like the Better Business Bureau. The not-for-profit corporation will notify businesses when a complaint has been filed against them and give them a timeline to respond. They’ll work with the consumer and the business to bring the complaint to a resolution so that any misunderstandings can be resolved rather than taken out of context and posted as fact.

Sometimes, consumers don’t understand that a business issue may not actually be with the organization they’re reviewing. For example, a subcontractor of a larger business may not be able to address certain issues that should be taken up with the larger company, but the subcontractor ends up taking the online flack. Other times, people who have personal vendettas or competing business ventures against a business owner will post negative reviews for personal gain. And other times, a business that’s committed to responding to reviews will appear lower rated than one who simply deletes the reviews posted about them or selects the highest ones for their own website.

That’s why it’s so important for consumers to visit third-party websites like bbb.org to get a better understanding of the businesses they’re looking to deal with. They can see a history of reviews, complaints and the businesses’ response to those complaints there. More unregulated platforms may reflect skewed perceptions of a business and its practices.

Dear Money Lady Readers,

It seems September 2025 is the month that most companies are aiming for to force Canadians back into the office.

RBC announced to their employees in May that all staff must be in the office four days a week and then like dominos, all the other Big Banks did the same. Ford Motor Company wants staff in by September too; Rogers wants their staff in by October, and General Motors, Amazon, Apple, IBM (and many more — the list is too long) want all staff in by January 2026. It looks like the big executives want to bring back the old pre-COVID ways, saying “we all work better when we’re together.”

The problem is the average lap-top class worker, who has been at home for the last five years, tends to disagree. Corporations realize that it is better done as a mass approach, and many have collaborated with their competitors to ensure they are not the only ones. Mandating a return-to-work movement for Canada’s big corporations ensures we will soon see the traditional office norms once again. So, rather than discussing ways to get out of this forced work situation like all the other media platforms, let’s talk about how to deal with it and ensure you create good “work karma.”