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.
Preliminary mutual fund industry numbers for May are in and they're ugly. With the stock markets bucking and pitching like 2008 all over again, some people are bailing out on their funds. Call it another manifestation of a conservative investing mindset that has prompted many people to stay out of the markets altogether. This behavior has implications for both for investors and their ability to meet their financial goals, and for the investment industry itself. In this edition of the Reader, check out how spooked investors are affecting the big U.S. investment dealer Charles Schwab.
There's more on investing here, including a look at a way to buy real-return bonds and a bullish outlook for gold, plus a whack of tips in the area of family finances, including how to argue with your spouse about money.
You'll also find some insight on all the bashing of the new Sex and the City movie, plus tips on the best free anti-virus software programs and a list of the cars offering the best ratio of horsepower to cost.
Found something on the Internet that your fellow investors might enjoy? Talk to me at rcarrick@globeandmail.com.
Note: If you're having trouble reading this e-mail, try viewing the Reader online.
From The Globe and Mail
It's your turn to tell us:
Find out why Canadians are still crazy about cottages, even as costs rise and interest rates go up.
Investor Clinic: Answers to Globe readers' tax questions.
Did you miss our discussion with financial planner Ian Black on passive investing?
Wondering what Warren Buffett is up to? He's unloading some of his long-held stocks, that's what.
Must Reads From Around the Web
Investorama After almost three years of stock market volatility, investors are scared and uncertain. Read here about how this is affecting the big U.S. brokerage firm Charles Schwab. Just FYI, Canadian investors are even more spooked than the Americans discussed here.
A look at a new exchange-traded fund in the BMO family that tracks inflation-protected real-return bonds.
Hedge fund managers talk about their top stock picks and market outlooks.
Find out why the bearish economist David Rosenberg is so positive about gold.
Family Finances Ground rules for fighting with your spouse over money.
Squawkfox, recently voted the favourite personal finance blog of Globe and Mail readers, offers a list of six free budgeting software programs designed to help track your spending.
Some tips from Consumer Reports for saving on the cost of goods bought at retail stores.
Hear about the difference between being cheap and thrifty (cheap is bad, thrifty good) in a video interview with the authors of a new book called Be Thrifty: How to Live Better With Less.
Bargain Horsepower The top 10 dollar-per-horsepower bargains in the automobile world.
Ugliest cars of the past 50 years, including the sainted Toyota Prius.
$ign of the Times Is criticism of the movie Sex in the City 2 a result of a backlash against conspicuous consumption and a shift to frugality-first mindset?
How Not To Go Viral The best free anti-virus software programs for your home computer.
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Rob Carrick