Canadian Finance Blog

Posted: 12 Sep 2010 02:00 AM PDT

Welcome to the very first edition of the Canadian Finance Carnival! Thanks for stopping by and thanks to the bloggers who submitted their posts.

If other bloggers would like to share their posts, please submit each week from the Canadian Finance Carnival page. Readers, check in each Sunday to find more great posts from these awesome blogs!

Budgeting

Bob at Christian Finances presents 10 Free Budget Spreadsheets, saying “This article looks at 10 different budgeting spreadsheet options to help us manage our finances more efficiently.”

Career

Darwin at Darwin’s Money presents Is Private School Worth It? It Depends, saying “Before sending your child off to private school, consider the net financial benefit – it may not be worth it at all.”

Craig Ford at Money Help For Christians presents Make Money Blogging, saying “A 7,500+ guide on how to make money blogging.”

Debt and Credit

Craig at Free From Broke presents Pay Off Highest Interest Or Highest Balance Credit Card â€" Analysis Paralysis, saying “People get stuck over what kind of credit to pay first – High interest or high balance. See what my answer is.”

glass_is_half at The Mouse Trap presents Debt Planning and Management, saying “Dealing with existing debt and ensuring that you have a plan in place to address it in a reasonable time frame.”

Frugality

Steve Zussino at Grocery Alerts Canada presents 5 reasons why they should ban grocery shopping carts, saying “Today’s average shopping cart is nearly twice the size of the original.”

Joe Plemon at Personal Finance by the Book presents Three New Car Purchases to Steer Away From, saying “There are times when a new car is exactly what you don’t need. Here are three.”

Geoff at Car Negotiation Coach presents GAP car insurance, do you need it?, saying “If you’re looking to save money when buying a car, consider not purchasing gap car insurance (also called gap protection). Many websites (and of course the Finance Department at a car dealership) will try to scare you into thinking it’s a necessity, but I try to provide a more objective opinion. “

Investing

WealthWebGuru at WealthWebGurus presents Use caution with In Trust Accounts for Children or Grandchildren, saying “Parents and other relatives often use in-trust accounts to save money for the child. One of the main benefits of in-trust accounts is the money can be used in the future for any purpose and not just for education — unlike an RESP which can only be used for education.”

Mich at BeatingTheIndex presents How to Invest a Lump Sum of Money, saying “A look at a grid of investment options categorized by risk for a lump sum of money.”

Tiny Potato at Tiny Potato – Interested in All Things Financial presents TFSA – My DRIP Rules of Engagement, saying ” I’m looking to establish a long-term DRIP approach for my TFSA. This post establishes some starting guidelines for my investment approach and asks readers for input and suggestions.”

Natalie MacLellan at Before You Invest presents Paying for your child’s education, saying “A good education is a goal most parents have for their children. But the rising cost of post-secondary education has many parents concerned about whether they will be able to afford to send their children to college or university. To reduce strain on the family budget, and reduce reliance on student loans, it is wise to plan ahead and create a specific education savings fund.”

Dan at ETFBase presents MLP ETF Review, saying “There’s now an ETF capturing the oft-cited “hidden gem” of investing – Master Limited Partnerships. With high yields and no tax forms to fuddle with, this may be 2010′s winning ETF.”

youngandthrifty at Young and Thrifty presents Me, Myself, and Investor’s Group, saying “A post detailing my experience with a financial adviser and youngandthrifty’s foray into investing.”

Real Estate

Kevin at Invest It Wisely presents Fixed Rate and Variable Rate Mortgages: Which is Better?, saying “If you’re a first-time home buyer on the market, then one of the big questions on your mind is probably “should I go with a fixed rate or a variable rate?” Since you pay a significant part of your interest in the beginning of your mortgage, the decision could have a significant impact on how much interest you wind up paying, and how long it will take to pay off your mortgage.”

Maulik at Simple Financial Analysis presents Objective comparables of Housing – US vs Canada, saying “I believe the title says it all… I’m comparing the state of Canadian & US housing with some simple numbers and the conclusions of IMF.”

Saving

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com at Fabulously Broke in the City presents What is the difference between Emergency Savings and Savings?, saying “The difference between emergency funds and savings.”

Miss T at Prairie Eco-Thrifter presents Should You Have More Than One Savings Account, saying “A breakdown of the different savings accounts a family should have in order to ensure proper distribution of goals and money. “

The Saved Quarter at The Saved Quarter presents 10 Things I Want… But I want an emergency fund more, saying “When I’m not being diligent about keeping my eyes on the prize, I lapse into the “I want, why can’t I just have, poor me” thinking.”

Echo at Boomer and Echo presents Insider Tips: How To Save Money On Hotel Rooms , saying “5 tips to save money and get the best value out of your next hotel stay”

Taxes

Ronika Khanna at Montreal Financial presents Employment Insurance for Self Employed Individuals, saying “In January, 2010 the Federal Government extended Employment Insurance benefits to self employed individuals/small business owners. Discussion of the key provisions.”

Other

Big Cajun Man at Canadian Personal Finance presents RESP Withdrawals Redux, saying “The RESP is still having some growing pains for this important but now complicated government sponsored savings plan.”

Fred at Extra Income Daily presents Top 30 Business Bloggers, saying “If you are interested in creating or running a small business you need to check out these great business bloggers.”

Fred at The Debt Hawk presents Introduction to Disability Insurance, saying “A great primer on disability insurance.”

John at Passive Family Income presents 11 Ways to Spend $100 in Monthly Passive Income, saying “Most of us dream of finding financial independence so that we no longer need to rely on our jobs for income. The thought of debt free living for many is enough to motivate us to create passive income that can one day replace any forms of active income that we may have.”

Life Insurance Blog