Skip to main content
personal finance reader

Stock certificatesComstock

The best of the Web on money, markets and all things financial, as chosen daily by Globe and Mail personal finance columnist Rob Carrick.

Adventures in Bondage

Whether it's the U.S. credit rating downgrade or the government debt problems in Europe, today's financial headlines are affected to a large extent by bonds. Once synonymous with safe, simple investing, bonds are increasingly complex and, in some cases, risky. Here's an infographic that helps explains how bonds work. It's focused on the U.S. bond market, but there's plenty of good info on bonds in general.



Book Those Savings

Ten tips to help students save money on textbooks from the Squawkfox blog.

Card Costs in Canada

Did you know that when you use your credit card in another country, you pay a 2-per-cent surcharge on your purchase called a foreign currency fee? The Rewards Canada blog notes that some U.S. card companies are eliminating these fees and asks Canadian card issuers whether they play to follow suit. Blogs too seldom do this kind of reporting legwork.

Flying Economy

A very useful list of 10 travel blunders that can cost you money.







Follow us on Twitter: @globemoney

Editor's note: If you don't receive Rob Carrick's newsletter twice weekly by email, 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, log in 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; and All-Star Investors, a monthly collection of articles exploring an investing trend or theme.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe