The Second (EVER!) Canadian Tour of Personal Finance Blogs

And here it is... the one you've all been waiting for:
The Second (EVER!) Canadian Tour of Personal Finance Blogs

Thank you so much for visiting! I am known as "The Money Diva" (although this is not my real name), and it is my great pleasure to host this tour which will take you around to some of the best Canadian PF blogs, many of which I read daily myself. Over the past couple of days the submissions have been pouring in and I have been consistently impressed by the knowledge and effort that my fellow bloggers have put into their posts.

I have organized the tour around which aspect of personal finance the post addresses and we got a great range. As a reminder, many of these blogs cover more than one area of personal finance and I encourage you to go back to the ones you like for new content after the Tour.

Now Here's The Tour!!

Spending, Saving and Daily Personal Finances

• You, Your Partner, Your Money and the Great Big Fight
  posted Nancy Zimmerman of Your Money By Design
  Provides three very good pieces of advice about an area that can be very tricky. A must-read for anyone with money conflict in their relationship!
• Paying Attention to your Finances
  posted by Ellen Roseman at Ellen Roseman: On Your Side
  Ellen hopes we do better than her 20 year old son, who doesn't care about money yet. She identifies new areas, beyond Starbucks, that we may be wasting money and losing our ability to save.

Consumer Topics

• Improve Your Credit Score
  posted at Thicken My Wallet
  A detailed look and why this is important and how to work on it. After reading this post (in two parts) you will have the tools you need to improve your own credit score.
• Compensation of Financial Advisors - A Middle Class Rant V
  posted at Middle Class Millionaire
  MCM continues his Middle Class Rant series with this great post. For those who think that advisors are unfairly becoming the whipping boys of the PF blogosphere, here is a more balanced perspective on things. I think that I may have to join the discussion on this one!

Risk and Insurance

• The Four Financial Risks
  posted by Promod Sharma at Riscario
  Promod is an actuary by profession and brings a very informed perspective to this topic. He helps us understand the four main risks that insurance is designed to address, and the choices that we all have to make to manage these risks. This is a very accessible introduction to a topic that is sometimes scary. He even includes a picture!
• Life Insurance is the Defensive Personal Finance Strategy with Personal Finance
  posted by Monty Loree at Quality Life Insurance
  This post shows you the role that life insurance plays in an overall personal finance strategy. Monty examines risks a bit differently than Promod (above) to further fill in the details. A great hockey analogy makes this post easy to relate to!

Asset Allocation

• Analyzing my Current Asset Allocation
  posted by Canadian Dream at Canadian Dream: Free at 45
  I am big fan of the learning that comes from seeing details of other people's actual finances, which anonymous blogging allows. For the Tour, Canadian Dream looks at where his money is invested and discovers that his asset allocation contains some surprises. Posts like this always inspire me to examine my own finances from a new angle!
• Portfolio Magic ... 3+1 = 5!
  posted by Outroupistache at Canadian Financial DIY
  Here is an interesting post that suggests that good asset allocation can accomplish what we all want - to maximize portfolio returns while minimizing volatility! Outruopistache includes examples and relevant links to help you acheive the benefit of correctly implementing this strategy.

Investing

• How to Assess Hot Stock Tips
  posted at Investoid
  They say you can tell a bubble when you are getting tips from the cashier at 7-11. But never fear, Investoid is here to help you separate the lead from the gold! This article is solidly informative and useful, with a touch of humour about those situations that we each may recognize. :)
• Low Fee Mutual Funds
  posted at Canadian Capitalist
  It is impossible to predict how a mutual fund will perform in the future but two characteristics correlate highly with odds that a fund will perform well relative to its index: low-cost and low-turnover. This post seeks Canadian Equity funds that have costs that are much lower than the average.
• How Segregated Funds Work
  posted by Frugal Trader at Million Dollar Journey
  If the words "Segregated Fund" are greek to you, then this post is the answer. Frugal Trader avoids jargon and clearly explains what it is, how to buy it, advantages and disadvantages.
• Dividend Paying Stocks – The Holy Grail?
  posted by Average Joe at Investment Jungle
  This post looks at a topic that has been dominant on my blog lately - dividend stocks - and asks whether they live up to the hype. Joe identifies some reasons that good companies may not issue dividends and also some possible challenges in a dividend strategy.
• Don’t Steal My Ideas - Where I find stock ideas and how I evaluate them
  posted by NonyMous at Canadian Economy, Commodities And Mining Stocks Through a Fundamental Lens - Wolf Stone
  This article discusses how piggybacking on the holdings of investment managers you admire can be a valid way to build a watchlist and/or portfolio. A great idea if you are searching for a way for the small investor to thrive without an in-house research department!

Retirement Planning

• Top 10 Exciting Semi-Retirement Jobs
  posted by Financial Jungle Guy at Financial Jungle
  This is the mystery post in the group. Financial Jungle Guy was working SO HARD on this post that he needed more time on the weekend to complete it and I haven't seen a draft in advance. The title certainly piques my interest though, and I know that I will be checking it out as soon as it's up on Monday!

Remember to comment, bookmark and link to posts and blogs that you like!

The purpose of this tour is to help people find all the great blogging that is available in this area. Some of these bloggers are relatively new and others have been blogging for quite some time. We represent a variety of backgrounds, philosophy and experience. We all know and like each other, even though sometimes we get into heated arguments (FT and CC!). I hope that you enjoy this tour as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

And be sure to visit Canadian Capitalist's blog on May 22 for the THIRD (ever) Canadian Tour of Personal Finance Blogs.

Thanks again for visiting! Hope to see you again soon....

The Money Diva

p.s. Bloggers - I have linked to your home page to begin with and I will change to permalinks later today. Thanks! MD :)