Want to get better at investing? Check out our free giveaway at the bottom of this newsletter.
Welcome to the Globe and Mail Personal Finance Reader. I’m Rob Carrick, personal finance columnist at The Globe, and twice weekly I compile a list of articles, blog postings, videos and websites that represent the best of what the online world has to offer on money-related subjects.
Do you buy into the adage that money can’t buy happiness? Regardless of your views on spending, check out the interview in this edition of the Reader with a University of British Columbia psychology professor. Her take: think small when spending on yourself. A single chocolate truffle instead of a box of chocolates, for example.
You’ll also find an eclectic list of consumer “how-to” instructions (everything from saving on groceries to getting out of a car lease), a look at some of the world’s greatest investors and a kind of scary argument that the United States is essentially bankrupt.
And as the back-to-school shopping season approaches, The Globe's Personal Finance section looks at ways to save and to pass your financial knowledge on to your offspring.
Found something on the Internet that your fellow investors might enjoy? Talk to me at rcarrick@globeandmail.com.
From The Globe and Mail
Want to raise a money-smart kid? Good habits in childhood can lead to good credit in adulthood.
Personal Finance editor Dianne Nice and Smart Cookies columnist Angela Self offer tips for saving on your back-to-school shopping trip.
Home Cents blogger Chaya Cooperberg looks at how parents are getting smarter about spending.
In an excerpt from his new book, Your Life & Your Money, author and financial planner Scott Feher explains how to get your family on track with your spending goals.
Must Reads From Around the Web
Finding Happine$$
UBC psychology professor Elizabeth Dunn is interviewed on National Public Radio in the United States about money and happiness.
How To...
Tips on such topics as getting out of a car lease, saving on groceries, making an effective complaint online and more.
Investorama
SmartMoney.com’s list of the world’s smartest investors: Warren Buffett and several others you may not have heard of.
Four tips for investing in exchange-traded funds that emerged from a recent conference in New York.
The Dividend Guy blog looks at whether it’s better to seek dividends by owning individual stocks or dividend-paying ETFs.
The Balance Junkie blog recently did an investor sentiment survey. Check out this one testy response from an individual who I think is speaking for a big group of investors out there.
An investor’s guide to making a complaint against an investment adviser or dealer from the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, known as IIROC.
Some thoughts posted on the Motley Fool website about the best dividend plays right now in the U.S. market.
Laziness, and other helpful investing attributes.
Red, White and Blue Alert
The United States is essentially bankrupt, argues a Boston University economics professor in this commentary published by Bloomberg News.
For Aircraft Buffs
A photo gallery from the most recent Farnborough Air Show, a huge bi-annual trade show for the global aviation industry.
Skim City
Ever had your bank contact you to say your client card has been compromised? Probably the result of having your card “skimmed” when you used it for an ATM withdrawal or debit transaction. Here’s some help in identifying an ATM skimmer.
Editor's note: If you don't receive Rob Carrick's newsletter twice weekly by e-mail, you can sign up to get it for free at The Globe and Mail. All you need to do is register for the site, or if you've already registered, login and go to your profile at the top of the homepage. Once you're in your profile, look under Newsletters and Alerts and look for the Personal Finance Reader and other newsletters. Other financial newsletters include:
- Business Ticker, a summary of the day's top business stories
- Berman's Market Update, a summary of the markets at the open, noon and close
- Globe Investor Magazine, a biweekly collection of smart investment ideas and portfolio management stories
- Trade by Numbers, a monthly collection of articles exploring an investing trend or theme
Sign up for one of our newsletters and you'll have a chance to win a free Investing for Canadians for Dummies book. The draw for 10 lucky winners will be held at the end of summer.
