Weekend Reading – NCAA picks, Easter bunnies, Ellen milestones and great blogs

My NCAA Tournament bracket started off nice and strong last weekend but it quickly collapsed thanks to an upset win by Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).  These juggernauts from the South knocked off second seed Georgetown in the first round (I had them in my bracket) and then proceeded to take down San Diego State in the second round, making FGCU the only No. 15 seed to make it the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.  How are they going to do against No. 3 Florida?  It would be a small miracle for them to win that game tomorrow night but I wouldn’t put it past them.  History is always waiting to be written and my bracket will be totally destroyed if this happens.  It would make a great story though…

Before I watch some NCAA ball this weekend, back to more personal finance stuff; I read an article in The Globe and Mail that suggested “buy-and-hold investing is dead”.  I suppose the author of the article (Fabrice Taylor) may have some argument here when it comes to pure technology company plays, since that is such a dynamic industry, but I don’t foresee Coca-Cola or Johnson & Johnson for a couple of examples being replaced anytime soon.  I dislike these types of articles because they make sweeping generalizations about the stock market and some of the big blue-chip companies that are the glue that hold it together.  Personally, I’ll put my trust in an investor who own 400 million shares of Coca-Cola (Warren Buffett), watching what he does versus a columnist stating owning Kodak was a bad idea.

On this note, do ever follow the media’s advice for stock selections?

Before I leave you to Easter bunny treats and chocolates this weekend, a reminder you’ve got a couple days left to win another book from my site – More Money for Beer and Textbooks.  In the next few weeks, I’ll have another book to giveaway thanks to the great folks at Wiley Canada who keep sending me some cool books to read and giveaway.  Stay tuned for that.

Thanks to all my followers and subscribers – you’ve recently pushed my Twitter account to over 1,500 followers and email subscriptions are now approaching 1,000!  Don’t follow my site yet?  Geez, why not, I give away stuff all the time?  Subscribe here, especially since Google Reader will disappear soon.

Until my next post, have a great Easter everyone and enjoy this special time with family. 🙂

Congratulations goes out to Ellen Roseman who hit new miletones on her blog earlier this month:  post # 382 was published and Ellen has received over 10,000 comments on her site to date…pretty darn impressive!

Dividend Monk highlighted a few engineering companies for your dividend stock portfolio.

My friend Dan at Canadian Couch Potato answered a reader question about constructing U.S. couch potato portfolio.

Michael James on Money got technical when discussing value averaging; a strategy when employed properly makes you buy low and sell high.  Michael argues this approach undermines returns, and to be honest, most investors are better off picking an asset allocation of stocks and bonds and just sticking with that.   Agreed – simple works more often than not.

Balance Junkie said planning your meals will help you eat better and save cash.

Preet Banerjee had Money Coach Sheila Walkington on his latest podcast.

Canadian Capitalist told us how the 2013 budget will affect our wallets.

Simply Investing answered a reader question about investing and when interest rates rise.

The Dividend Guy blog said you might be poorer than you think.

Dividend Ninja said to be wary of high-yield stocks.  I’m watching one in my portfolio rather cautiously actually.

Dividend Mantra was featured in USA Today.  Great stuff!

The CFA Institute listed ten rights any investor should expect from a financial service provider.

Andrew Hallam said ETF wars offer opportunities for Canadian investors.

Modest Money offered some tips when starting a blog.  Oh yeah, speaking of blogs, don’t forget to vote for me as one of Canada’s Top Finance Blogs (shameless plug).

Retire Happy took a look at DIY investing versus using a financial advisor.

Following Million Dollar Journey’s lead, Echo gave us a peek into his RRSP.  Echo holds a number of Canadian stocks in his RRSP.  I tend to hold a number of U.S. stocks in my RRSP.

Krystal Yee is doing pretty well regarding her 2013 goals.  I’ll have a post about mine soon.

Mr. CBB said somebody is watching you and your family finances.

Million Dollar Journey highlighted a few changes for small business owners thanks to our 2013 budget.

The Passive Income Earner shared 20 stocks to check out.

Financial Samurai wrote about the pros and cons of early retirement.  I see WAY more pros than cons.

Big Cajun Man asked:  What’s in it for me?

Beating The Index profiled Renegade Petroleum.

The folks at WinX DVD told me they are giving away an all-in-one video converter, if you like those things.