- It’s not just a quaint concept: Don’t buy stuff you cannot afford. But so many seem to have trouble with so simple a concept. (Hat tip to Jon of DRIP Primer for the link).
- ING Direct and Ally might get some competition from a new source — Walmart. The world’s biggest retailer has received license to offer banking products here in Canada.
- Do you collect Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum Points? If you do, you need to be aware that, starting July 1st, Shoppers is cutting back on the value of merchandise you receive for your points. In this blog post, Ellen Roseman explains that the value of redemptions for someone with a balance of 150,000 Optimum points will drop from $300 to $255.
- Canadian Couch Potato is writing an excellent series of posts on the 9 secrets of the empowered investor. Part 1 is available here.
- Universities across the country are holding convocation ceremonies. Rick Spence, who writes a column on entrepreneurship for the Financial Post and regularly posts on the long-running Canadian Entreprenuer blog, wrote a recent column on the speech he’ll give to newly-minted graduates.
- If you work with a Financial Advisor, it is important to know how she is compensated. Preet wrote an excellent post on the different compensation options they operate under.
- In the wake of the “flash crash”, scary ETF stories often appear in the media. Michael James points out that ETFs need not be “scary” for investors trading them a few times every year.
- Rachelle’s guest post for the Money Smarts Blog on a tenant from hell simply reinforces my decision to stick to Real Estate Income Trusts.
- If you are tempted by 3D TV sets, Larry MacDonald suggests it may be best to wait for a while. After getting a splitting headache watching Avatar, I have little appetite for anything 3D.
- Million Dollar Journey answered a question on when to start the Smith Manoeuvre. In my opinion, “never” is a good answer for most people.
- Canadian Financial Stuff reminds us to beware of self-insured company disability insurance plans.
- Closed-end funds often trade at a discount to net asset value and their illiquid nature may offer profitable opportunities. Gail Vaz-Oxlade posted an introduction to Closed-End Funds.
I’m unable to highlight all the articles worth checking out in my weekly round up but you can check them out through my Twitter feed. Have a great weekend everyone!
