Brock Debenham

I’ve always had a certain hate for even-numbered years.  They always seem to lag behind odd-numbered years to me.  This year, I guess, is no different, with some exceptions of course. 

I got married in July of this year to my wonderful wife, Amanda.  I had a great time at my wedding, and I hope most of our guests did, as well.  We went to the Riviera Maya for our honeymoon, which was superb.  We’re going back to the area in April of ’09 for Lacey and Aaron’s wedding, which will be a lot of fun!

In November of this year, Amanda and I transferred back to Edmonton.  With the move, we put our place up for sale in Calgary, and it’s still for sale!  The real estate market has been exceptionally bad in Calgary, and despite our reductions in price, it’s still for sale.  Hopefully 2009 will bring some better luck for us in this department, and we can sell our place in Calgary, and buy something in Edmonton.  If you’re looking for a well-maintained townhouse in Calgary, send me an email! 

I also got a new BlackBerry Bold for my birthday, ending my 5 years with Bell, and a switch to Rogers, which was an excellent switch.  I don’t know how I functioned without it!  I also started using Google Sync, which syncs your Google Calendar with your BlackBerry calendar wirelessly, which is awesome.

2009 will hopefully bring change to the world.  There will be a new, dynamic US President, who, I can’t imagine, will ever be any worse than the current president.   Future generations will pay for the mess that has occurred now, and will have to pay back the massive debt that will be generated from the deficit-spending programs that many governments will embark on to bring their economies out from the gutters.

The stock market fell by 40% in 2008, which I believe is the 2nd worst on record after the crash in the 1930′s.  This affects people like my parents, who were planning on retiring in the next few years, but will likely be forced to work much longer than they planned to.  The drastic fall in stock prices presents an opportunity for younger people to get in when prices are cheap, and hopefully things will bounce back in the coming years. 

2009 brings in the era of the tax-free savings account in Canada.  I’m very excited about this.  It will be adjusted for inflation, so the contribution amount will increase with inflation.  If you think about it, in 10 years, a couple will have the opportunity to contribute over $100,000, and any earnings on this money will be tax free.  Hopefully many Canadians will take advantage of this opportunity.

I’ve got a couple of simple resolutions for the new year.  One, lose a couple of inches off my waist and get more exercise.  Two, spend more time with friends and family.  Three, save and invest more money for the future.

I hope everyone has a great 2009, and good riddance to 2008!