Welcome to this edition of 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.
This edition of the Reader will keep you au courant on the economy and the stock market, and there's a look at the ins and outs of investing in natural gas. Oil has soared even as natural gas stumbled. Is this an opportunity in this unusual development? Read on.
Questrade is probably Canada's cheapest online broker, with commissions as low as $4.95. Want to know what's good and not so good about Questrade? Keep reading. You'll also find career advice, a trailer for Michael Moore's upcoming movie on Wall Street and the financial crisis and the lowdown on property insurance for students away at college or university.
Found something on the Internet your fellow investors might enjoy? Talk to me at rcarrick@globeandmail.com .
The latest from The Globe and Mail and Globe Investor
Tax Matters Spousal credits are one idea you can get married to, says Tim Cestnick
Online Investing Ditching your adviser hasn ever been easier, writes Rob Carrick
Financial Planning
Do Archie and Veronica need a prenup? With couples amassing more assets prior to marriage, financial advisers say a contract should be considered
Home Cents Blogger Chaya Cooperberg weighs in on the pros and cons of having a nanny
Let's Talk Investing In this video , UBS Securities equity strategist George Vasic delves into where to find diamonds in the rough
Must Reads From Around the Web
Not With a V, But a U Economic optimists see a V-shaped recovery from the recession (a quick turnaround), hard realists see a U shape (a slower turnaround) and doom merchants see a W (the dreaded double dip). Nouriel Roubini, an economist now famous for predicting the global financial crisis, outlines the reasons why the U outcome is likely, and why there are risks of a W.
Now, read a somewhat more optimistic view offered this week from Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC World Markets, on how the various economic outlooks could play out in the stock market.
Investors have their own take on the economy - happy days are here again. As Bespoke Investment Group notes on its Think Big blog, this is shown by the fact that Price-Earnings Ratio for the S&P 500 has nearly doubled since March - to 18.4 from 10.
His Next Victim Michael Moore takes on Wall Street and the global financial crisis in his next movie, Capitalism: A Love Story. Whether you like Moore or not, you have to admit there are some great possibilities here.
Insurance for Students All that stuff your kids are hauling off to university or college - is it insured against theft? Find out in this post on Sympatico MSN Finance.
Career Advice Lost your job or trying to help a young person decide on a career? One word: phlebotomy. Technicians who draw blood rank third on the Bankrate.com website's list of occupations that need people now.
Got Gas? Oil prices are rising, while natural gas prices keep declining. If this anomaly has you thinking about investing in a gas turnaround, then check out what Fabrice Taylor said in his Vox column in the Globe this week.
More on gas, this time from a Globe article that delves into the decoupling of oil and natural gas prices.
Finally, the Abnormal Returns blog weighs in on problems with a popular natural gas-focused exchange-traded fund called the United States Natural Gas Fund.
Questrade Quandary The online broker Questrade has the lowest stock-trading commissions around at $4.95 to $9.95 a pop. If that catches your attention, check out this posting and subsequent reader comments on the Four Pillars blog.
Want to know what's being said about Questrade on other blogs? I go to Google's blog search function in such situations.
Cross-Border Orders Ever wanted to buy something online from a U.S. retailer, only to find out they wouldn't ship to Canada? Money coach Nancy Zimmerman writes on her blog about a new solution from Visa Canada whereby your order is shipped to a U.S. address and then forwarded on to you.
In this blog post , the Globe's Chaya Cooperberg makes the case that American e-retailers are embracing virtual Canadian consumers. Some websites have the option of viewing prices in Canadian dollars while others offer free shipping to Canada.
Rob Carrick