BC PROPERTY CONNECT

The Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) is urging home owners to set up property alert if scammers attempt to impersonate legitimate property owners.

LTSA created BC Property Connect a secure online service that allows owners to track property updates and protect their most valuable asset.

First, you need to download and set up the BC Services Card mobile app.

Then, you will receive a unique one-time code to set up your BC Property Connect account.

Thank you Joan Letendre for this valuable tool - and it's a free service.

PASSKEY REPLACING SMS

If you are currently using Short Message Service (SMS) or voice authentication as your 2-Factor, Microsoft is phasing that out with Passkeys by default.

September 1, 2026 is the soft roll-out for Users to register a passkey when completing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

February 1, 2027 is when Microsoft fully retires the Entra ID system and Users who have not switched to Passkey will be blocked from signing in.

Passkeys are simpler than SMS or voice because it relies on biometrics such as Face ID or your fingerprint - bypassing the need for passwords.

This provides stronger security against phishing and data breaches because there is no shared secret to steal.

TEST DRIVE AI APPS

Did you know that you can go to POE.com to chat with the best AI, privately or in a group chat?

Explore GPT-5.6-Sol, Claude-Opus-5, Claude-Fable-5, Claude-Sonnet-5, Kimi-K3, Gemini-3.5-Flash-Lite, Grok 4.5, Inkling, and thousands of others, all at one location.

Grok Imagine has a particularly strong image generation system that requires minimal prompt engineering whereas Midjourney's greatest strength is visually compelling concept art images.

CARPE DIEM (SEIZE THE DAY)

Turning 90 this year, my mother Sumiko continues to inspire me and others to new levels.

She is the North Star that propelled me into learning about financial literacy and ultimately into real estate investing.

When I look back, I see a woman who endured hardships beyond imagination, leading a life of quiet commitment and perseverance. 

OUR PRIVILEGE

This quote from Simon Sinek has profound meaning embedded in it, and he has a lot of these quotes.

I was given the luxury of creating an abundant lifestyle by my parents who sheltered me from the financial storm after my divorce. 

They never blamed me for how my life turned out; they simply embraced me with kindness.

How true this quote from Ephesians 6:2-3 "Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

Her sacrifices for family and friends revealed something invaluable: that love is more than a feeling; love is acting in spite of inconvenience.

REGRET-FREE

Bronnie Ware is a palliative care nurse who spent years caring for patients in their final stages of life.

She noticed a recurring theme with the dying: their regrets.

The top five regrets are:

1: Choosing to live for other's expectations instead of having the courage to live your true self.

2: Choosing to work instead of spending time with loved ones.

3: Choosing to be silent instead of expressing your true feelings.

4: Choosing to let friendships go instead of nurturing them.

5: Choosing to live in the same fear patterns instead of joy and happiness.

Your greatest freedom is the freedom to choose.

10 AIR SQUATS ARE BETTER

Being sedentary is a disease.

If you sit all day, did you know that doing 10 air squats per hour outweighs the benefits of a 30-minute run.

And just like neuroplasticity for the brain, there is heart plasticity achieved through intense exercise. 

The Ben Levene study showed remodeling in the hearts of 50 year old men after 2 years of specific exercise had the biological age of a 30 year old heart.

Heart plasticity is available up to age 65, after which the heart becomes too stiff to remodel.

CREATINE SUPER CHARGER

Our liver and pancreas produce creatine naturally, but more is better for brain health.

Supplementing with 20 grams of creatine per day has anti-cancer effects as reported in the NHANES 2025 Study (National Health and Nutrition Examination Study).

The ensure high quality creatine, check to see if it is NSF certified and its purity because many manufacturers add ingredients to make creatine more mixable.

Creapure is a high-purity, German-made creatine monohydrate known for its 99.9–99.99% purity and rigorous quality control.

SLEEP IS YOUR SUPER POWER

One night of sleep deprivation increases the risk of dementia by 4% and this compounds over time.

Our brains build up toxins during the day and it is only during sleep when those toxins are flushed out.

Personally, getting into a good sleep regimen has been challenging with a spouse who likes it hot when I do not.

So, found alternative solutions such as cool blankets (haven't tried the pillows yet), grounding sheets, and red light bulbs to minimize melatonin disruption.

CLAIM YOUR HOMEOWNER GRANT

It's Property Tax time.

The due date is always July 2nd of every year.

My bad, I actually forgot to pay it on time last year because I was trying to time it closer to the due date, and incurred a 5% late payment penalty.

This year, I am paying early.

For eligibility requirements and to apply for the home owner grant, calll 1-888-355-2700 or visit gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant.

REVIEW BEFORE YOU BUY

Before you buy a product, look for online reviews first.

#1: The number of reviews: thousands of reviews are better than hundreds to give a more balanced cross section of experiences.

#2: Sponsored reviews: these are not impartial, they are paid by advertisers.

#3: Read the worst reviews first: are the failings consistent or varied? In my experience, consistent failure remarks are due to product design whereas various types of failures are due to personal preference. 

#4: Ships from: does it come directly from Amazon or a third party? There are freight costs when returning a product to a third party. 

2 TERABYTES FOR UNDER $200

Incredibly, our digital storage capacity exceeded 1-Terabyte with our service provider and the cost for every byte over 1-Tb was really expensive.

So, we decided to transfer the stale-dated digital files on our server from 20 years ago onto an external hard drive.

There are great deals on Amazon and found a 2-Tb Seagate external drive for less than $200, and paid for itself after one month.

Did you know there are Seagates that hold up to 256-Tb of data?

And got an 8-Tb Seagate when it went on sale for the same price as the 2-Tb.

BEING NICE IS NOT KIND

“Be friendly, not friends” is a core tenet of property management. 

This excerpt from Steven Bartlett’s podcast explains the difference between a nice person and a kind person.

Nice is about people pleasing and hiding behind a facade: “I can’t tell them the truth; it wouldn’t be nice.”

Kind is about connecting to people and choosing transparency: “I care about you enough to tell you the truth.”

Success is not defined by pleasing people - that’s impossible. Success is rooted in kindness.

YOU CNUT CONTROL THE TIDE

King Cnut (aka Canute) was teaching humility, not promoting his hubris.

The only thing you can control is your attitude and actions.

Harv Eker used the TFAR formula: Thoughts + Feelings + Actions = Results.

Bad thoughts lead to bad feelings lead to bad actions lead to bad results.

Good thoughts lead to good feelings lead to good actions lead to good results.

Why do we try so hard to control things over which we have no control over? 

Work with the tide instead.

LIFE IS ABOUT CADENCE

Ever wonder where the concept of work-life balance came from?

In 1817, a Welsh labor activist Robert Owen wanted to create balance by dividing the day into 8 hours of work, 8 hours of discretionary time, and 8 hours of sleep.

Then it re-emerged in the 1970s during the Women’s Liberation Movement and we’ve been trying to balance work-life ever since.

The error in this logic is that life is designed to ebb and flow, like a sine wave or a heart beat. 

If you try to flatline nature's rhythm, you're nullifying your drive, your energy, your vitality.

Karl Martin points out that you don’t get balance by trying to be balanced.

Life is, more appropriately, a cadence.

FOCUSED OR FUDDLED

I was trained to get things done - not to "not do things."

However, I've learned that knowing what not to do is more valuable than doing.

When your list of activities becomes overwhelming, some coaching programs advocate the Eisenhower Matrix to sort through the Urgent and Not Urgent tasks.

This may be great for prioritizing many high stakes issues, but there are times when less is more.

Growth for the sake of expanding is not always the right path. 

YOUR NOT-TO-DO LIST

My mentor T. Harv Eker taught that one of the fastest ways to grow your personal development is to learn from the successful strategies of others.

Why re-invent the wheel of failure when others have gone before you?

This is not to say that failures are bad because every failure is the foundation upon which success is built on.

But why not take a short cut if you can.

So, for all of us who love To-Do lists and a full calendar of activities, let us take a pause and ruthlessly focus on what we do well by taking inventory of your Not-To-Do List.

Remember - it's better to be a big fish in a small pond of your choosing.

DURABLE WPC PANELS

The most wear and tear in a rental building is the elevator.

Wood Plastic Composite panels are an inexpensive outdoor solution to an interior problem.

WPC resists moisture, UV rays, mold, pests, impacts, scrapes, and is highly durable.

It sure beats having to fix drywall every month, plus it has an elegant aesthetic.

EYES THAT SEEK VALUE

It boggles my mind that high net worth individuals see value in low-interest bearing savings accounts - and by low, I mean 1% to 2%.

This is highway robbery from my perspective because this money is actually losing value due to inflation. 

There is a significantly higher return in real estate investments (double-digit returns) than term deposits, GICs, or savings accounts.

Okay, this is a great place to park cash while waiting to deploy it into an investment but it's not ideal as the primary wealth-building strategy.

It takes educated eyes to see where to place cash for maximum returns.

EZ EYEWEAR - META GLASSES

Steve's son has a painting business in Washington and it seemed like a great idea to record the walk-throughs with the clients during the estimate because there are times when the owner misinterprets a quote or forgets that they added/eliminated a change order. 

However, the glasses get very hot if used for more than a couple minutes.

The glasses are designed for shorter video bursts, not for 30-40 minutes.

Here are 10 brutally honest meta glass reviews before buying.

EZ EYEWEAR - TOBII TRACKER

The Canadian military is seeking wearable eye-tracking glasses to understand how their personnel work.

Trobii tracker glasses can help track inefficiencies or improve safety conditions.

I'm waiting for the glasses (not headsets) that can give you a heads up display.

LOUGHEED INVESTOR UPDATE

The next investor update and information session is on Saturday, February 28th from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. at 5794 - 203 Street, Langley, BC. 

Please note that the Class C capital raise remains open for subscribers who qualify under the National Instrument 45-106 exemption. 

FINANCIAL HEALTH CHECK UP

Just like an annual physical with your doctor, it's important to conduct an annual check up on your financial health.

It's a great time to review your budget and spending habits just in time for tax season in three months. 

The first step is identifying your financial goals, preferably in writing.

Although there are a lot of resources available online for the DIY Do-It-Yourselfer, some people need a coach or an accountable partner to prompt them into action. You don't have to do this alone.

Chunk down your big goals into small actionable steps.

Remember that one completed task is more than zero; and the power of one is massive when compounded daily over time.

It just takes that one step to get started.

DOCTOR CHECK UP

Did you know you can check your physician credentials online?

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is the regulating body for medical professionals.

All healthcare practitioners must be licensed, regulated, and accountable.

You can also register complaints, see the disciplinary actions list, and review the list of unlicensed practitioners.

It is only prudent practice to third-party verify accreditations, just like you would do in any real estate transaction.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

BE SAFE - CALL DESIGNATED DRIVERS

As we celebrate this season, sometimes we might imbibe just a wee bit more than our limit.

But wait! You don’t want to leave your car in that parkade or on the street overnight.

Call Designated Drivers at 604-917-0177.

They will pick you up and drive your car back home.

Thank you Elaine Allison for introducing this service – it came in handy during a business lunch that went overtime.

LOBBYING FOR LOUGHEED LANDMARK

The City Planner has requested that we lobby for support from the community to keep the 84-child daycare facility and office spaces designed for Lougheed Landmark.

According to a Child Impact Assessment, the 500-block of Lougheed only allows up to a maximum of 24 children – we disagree because every daycare facility that we know of is over-capacity.

If you live in the Coquitlam/Burquitlam area and seeking daycare (now or in the future) please write a letter supporting your need for this 10,000 sf facility.

Also, there are old office spaces that are being torn down to build condos, so we designed our building to include office spaces for these displaced businesses.

If you would like to maintain a business presence in this area of town, please write a support letter to the City Planner at 3000 Guildford Way, Coquitlam, BC  V3B 7N2.

Spread the word: the City of Coquitlam wants your input.

With so many high-density condo towers being built in this area, the need for daycare and office space will only increase.

We designed these amenities including 3 park areas, playground, and dog run, to support the community.

Please provide a copy of your letter so we can track the number of supporters - send either by email to july@ocmi.ca or by mail to #210-15272 Croydon Drive, Surrey, BC V3Z 0Z5.

If submitting your letter to the City of Coquitlam by email, send to DMaloney@coquitlam.ca, name your document "Daycare Support 576 Lougheed" or "Office Support 576 Lougheed."

The deadline for submissions is the end of March 2026.

Thank you for your support !

NOVEMBER 21, 1620

Did you know . . . The Mayflower was blown 200 miles off course after a 66-day journey through stormy seas.

The settlers had originally chartered the Speedwell for this trip, but Captain Reynolds (the owner) sabotaged the ship and in doing so, he was able to honor his contract, keep the pay, repair the leaky ship, and sell it for profit.

The story of the Mayflower Saints is a powerful testament of endurance, patience, and faith.

Over half the settlers perished until they were saved by 2 aboriginals: Squanto and Samoset, who taught them to farm and how to survive.

President George Washington declared the first public holiday on November 26, 1789 - A Day of Publick Thanksgiving.

90 years later, Canada followed by officially declaring a public Thanksgiving holiday on November 6, 1879.

THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT

Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. Ironically, the more reliable you are and the less you complain, the more likely you are to be taken for granted.

Gretchen Rubin is a best-selling author, speaker, and podcaster for her work on happiness, habits, and human nature.

Her book The Happiness Project is available for free on the Internet Archive.

Is there someone that you've been taking for granted? 

How about dropping a thank you text or sending a handwritten card to express your appreciation? 

It's the little gestures of gratitude that make the biggest impact.

PATIENCE, PERSISTANCE, PERSEVERANCE

This inspiring TedTalk by Percival Tussamba on the power of perseverance, persistence, and patience.

Patience isn't just waiting, it's endurance that builds resilience.

Persistence isn't just pushing through, it's knowing why you keep going.

Perseverance isn't stubbornness, it's a journey that is being written.

He reminds us that moments of failure, fear, and doubt is necessary for successful outcomes.

And that sometimes (I would say oftentimes) growth happens in the shadow of uncertainty.