Welcome to the Globe and Mail Personal Finance Reader. I'm Rob Carrick, personal finance columnist at The Globe, and each week 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.
In looking ahead to 2010, I can't help but think of how the tone of e-mails readers send to me has changed over the course of the year. Early on, there was a clear sense of alarm bordering on panic. People weren't just asking about deposit insurance and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund, which covers assets held in brokerage account. They wanted to know how solid these plans were and whether they could withstand the collapse of a major player. Today, we're very much getting much back to normal, which is to say that readers are in more of a profit-making state of mind.
They're asking, for example, about new exchange-traded funds that have hit the market, how they can find good yields in bonds, and whether I can recommend a good online broker. This edition of the Personal Finance Reader is for all those investors who are back to playing offence again. Our theme: predictions, suggestions and recommendations for 2010. Top stocks, the outlook for gold, your ETF options - they're all covered here. As well, you'll find mention of a new website for finding the best travel deals, a look at the decline of the "trophy appliance," and some reading suggestions.
Found something on the Internet that your fellow investors might enjoy? Talk to me at rcarrick@globeandmail.com
From The Globe and Mail, Globe Investor and Personal Finance
Put a few dollars RESP dollars under the tree . The latest Building Blocks story on how to save for your child's education ran this week, alongside this video on the same topic with financial planner Ted Rechtshaffen. For a roundup of all the videos and stories in this special web series, check out the new Building Blocks website.
Household wealth over the past year has recovered in a way few had expected, says Rob Carrick
When do advance RRSP donations make sense? Tim Cestnick with a look at tax technology that can save a senior thousands of tax dollars
Easy cheap tips for freezing your energy bill this winter, from Blogger Chaya Cooperberg
Must Reads From Around the Web
Your Guide to 2010 Writer Dan Solin has made a specialty of cutting through the hype and nonsense of the financial industry and here he offers three "stock market predictions" for 2010.
John Mauldin, a money manager and widely followed market commentator, says in this video that now is NOT the time to jump into stocks. They're just too expensive.
For the rebuttal to Mauldin, we turn to Bill Miller, a U.S. mutual fund manager who has regained his mojo after a 15-year streak of beating the S&P 500 was interrupted. He sees a positive outlook for stocks.
A humorous rebuttal to the bearish take on the stock markets.
The 10 top stocks for 2010 according to analysts at the U.S.-based investment firm Raymond James, which has a history of outperforming the S&P 500 with its annual selections.
TheStreet.com picks the Top Six tech stocks for the year ahead.
What To Buy OK, let's say you want to put some money into the market. Considering exchange-traded funds? Here's a comparison of Canadian market ETFs from the How to Invest Online blog.
Here's a Portfolio Strategy column I wrote not too long ago that assess the major Canadian market ETFs.
The Portfolio Strategy homepage - useful for browsing to find columns on particular investing topics or to catch up if you miss the Saturday paper.
Gold is one of the big stories of 2009, but what about 2010? Is there more upside? Read about how an interest-paying chequing account would have delivered better returns than gold since the metal's last big peak in January 1980.
Now for the argument in favour of buying gold. Victor "Trader Vic" Sperandeo, a longtime commodity trader, says gold is the best investment in the world for the next two to three years.
Home On The Range How the implosion of the U.S. housing market has hurt the market for expensive "trophy" appliances.
Cheap Flights A new website that helps travellers compare costs for flights, car rentals and such.
Good Reads The Canadian Capitalist blog offers some gift ideas for what he describes as "finance enthusiasts." What a nice euphemism for nerd (said the nerd-in-chief, me).
Here's Canadian Business Online blogger Larry MacDonald on must-have personal finance book with a big pricetag - $60.
Here's an interesting free read - Vanity Fair's look at the mystique of the controversial U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs.
Editor's note : If you don't receive Rob Carrick's newsletter each week by email, you can sign up to get it for free at https://www.theglobeandmail.com/. 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 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
Rob Carrick