My Own Advisor

Needless to say, it’s been a few weeks since I shared any of my reads and trips from around the blogosphere.   I’m not sure where you are, but the weather in Ottawa over the last week or so has been nothing but rain, no shine.  If that sounds like your weather, at least you’ll have lots of good reading material to pour through this long weekend below.  If the sun does happen to shine brightly where you are this weekend, get out and enjoy it.  The articles will be here when the sun goes down ;)

First up, my shameless plug.  I was pleased to find out my “Why become a DIY Investor” article was featured in the Globe and Mail this week, under Rob Carrick’s Personal Finance Reader.

Check out:

My Adviser? The Firm Of Me, Myself And I - reasons to consider becoming a do-it-yourself investor.

Thanks for the mention Rob!

Next up, a host of great articles.  Everything from what makes a good negotiator, to the inevitability of the U.S. debt crisis,  moving to Teksavvy, a dividend stock review of Sun Life and budget travel tips.  Enjoy the articles and have a good weekend folks.  I’ll be back in a few short days!

101 Centavos tells us what makes a good negotiator.

If you got your latest MoneySense magazine, check it out, The Millionaire Teacher Andrew Hallam is featured.  Want to know more about Andrew and his journey to financial success?  Pre-order his book!

Balance Junkie wrote about opportunity costs and lost.

Mich from Beating The Index asked if oil and gas stocks will rise again.

Boomer and Echo provided some excellent criteria for selecting a dividend growth stock.

Larry MacDonald told us about the inevitability of the U.S. debt crisis.

Canadian Capitalist said goodbye Bell, hello Teksavvy!   I might have to consider the same thing, after learning you can pay less than $40 per month for 5 Mbps and major bandwidth.

Canadian Couch Potato asked if you could have picked the winning funds.  Sounds like a lottery to me.  I’ll stick to my ETFs, thanks for the reminder Dan!  Also, if you haven’t already heard, Canadian Couch Potato was selected as the top investing blog in Canada by the Globe and Mail.  Great work and keep up the great stuff.

Canadian Mortgage Trends told us about falling 5-year fixed rates.

Big Cajun Man wrote a scathing, but justified article about the poor folks fighting for their Nortel disability plan. I wish to offer my sincere condolences to the family of Peter Burns.

Dividend Growth Investor asked if dividend stocks are indeed a separate asset class.  I could see this, but it’s a stretch.

Dividend Mantra told us about his recent buys.

Dividend Monk gave a great analysis of dividend-payer Novartis.

Dividend Partisan told us about five utility stocks worth considering.

Robert from DIY Investor asked if the U.S. has run out of financial options.

Financial Uproar made a case against going to college.  Not a bad one, considering he saved a crazy percentage of his income during his first few working years.

Kevin at Invest It Wisely told us why he supports Ron Paul for U.S. President in 2012. I hope Paul gets some serious consideration.

Susan Brunner did a thorough review of Sun Life Financial, amongst a host of other stocks over the last week.  Check out her blog for the details.

Michael James is not convinced there is any truth behind cutting your losers and letting your winners ride on.

Million Dollar Journey offerred some suggestions for spending your tax refund, if you haven’t already!

Mike from Money Smarts Blog wrote about some last minute RESP ideas.

Jim from Retire Happy Blog informed us that debt has become big business.  Also, Jim is another award winner:  Retire Happy Blog gets the nod by the Globe and Mail for Best Canadian Personal Finance Blog this year.   Amazing stuff Jim, very well deserved!

Sustainable Personal Finance offered us a tip related to digital music.

The Dividend Ninja had an extensive interview with Canada’s Youngest Retiree. Check it out!

The Passive Income Earner gave us a great list of dividend stocks to consider based on his customized technical screen and dividend yield.   His watch list is a worthwhile one to check out.

Young and thirfty had a guest post on her blog who offered some great tips to budget for a holiday. My simple rule of thumb?  Pack half the clothes but take twice the money.  You never need as many clothes as you think you do but you can always use a bit more cash when travelling…right?

As always, your comments, perspectives and opinions are welcome.

Cheers!

Thanks for reading and sharing this article.