Canadian Finance Blog

Posted: 17 Jul 2011 02:00 AM PDT

Nice to finally have a nice weekend here in Edmonton… after weeks of rain!

Budgeting

John Border at Stock Market Basics and Investing for Beginners presents Best Personal Finance apps for iPhone, saying “This post lists some major money saving and personal finance apps that are must have for your iPhone and help you budget, save money and invest also.”

Business

Investor Junkie at Investor Junkie presents Just Starting Up: Loan or Investment?, saying “When starting your own business for the first time, one of the very first decisions that you'll have to make is how you're going to get access to the initial burst of capital necessary to start and grow a company. You might need money to pay for start-up costs such as buying office equipment, or for the ongoing costs of business such as rent or telephone bills. Unless you are already a person of independent means, this decision is likely to come down to one of two choices: whether to get a loan, or whether to get people to invest in your business.”

Group Benefits Guy at Group Benefits Online presents Implementing a Financial Education Program at work, saying “Great financial education can take ordinary group retirement plans and make them exceptional. One of the key components of a employee sponsored plan is a the education program.”

Career

Glen Craig at Free From Broke presents The High Price of Professional Degrees on Your Finances, saying “Getting a professional degree used to mean building financial stability. These days, though, a professional degree may put you into a stressful amount of debt with no definite job.”

Crystal at Stupid Cents presents Career Websites, saying “Here is a list of the popular career websites for employment. There was a time not too long ago when you had to pound the pavement to find employment.”

Debt and Credit

Danesh at Financial Rebellion presents I hate lines of credit, saying “Discusses consolidation loans and how lines of credit rarely make sense.”

Philip at Deliver Away Debt presents Consequences of Using Credit as an Emergency Fund, saying “Takes a stand against credit of any kind that tries to disguise itself as an emergency fund. No matter if it's credit cards, bank loans, or payday loans, you should never use borrowed money as an emergency fund.”

Money Spending Mommy at Money Spending Mommy presents Should You Use Your Savings to Pay Off Credit Card Bills?, saying “Financial experts recommend saving up to six months' worth of expenses so you're prepared for emergencies. An emergency fund might cover expenses when you've lost a job, had unexpected medical bills, or you have to take a leave of absence from work to care for a loved one. If you don't have money coming in, should you use your savings to pay off credit card bills? Before you run to empty your savings account to pay off one or more credit card bills, there are some things you may want to consider.”

Extra Income

Mike at Experiglot presents I Write for Others Because I?m An Online Entrepreneurial Failure, saying “A look at a failed blogging attempt.”

Sustainable PF at Sustainable Personal Finance presents Making Money Online – 4 Decades of Deals, saying “Believe it or not, i’ve been making money on the Internet spanning 4 decades.”

md at PIN presents How Did 23 Bloggers Make Their First Buck Online?, saying “How 23 bloggers first got started with making money online.”

Frugality

Melissa at Mom’s Plans presents Ways to Find Free Gifts – A Lesson I Learned from My Son, saying “Recently when my son was allowed to get a prize at the dentist, he chose to pick something for someone else instead of himself. It was a great strategy for gift giving on a limited budget.”

Emmie at Frugal Living presents The Secret to Huge Savings: Use Coupons, saying “The increase of living standards has led to an increase in earnings for many individuals in many developed countries, including Australia. This increase in wages has resulted in a paradox because people tend to spend more and thereby deplete their savings. This should not always be the case if people are more money-savvy in the way they shop. Quality products can be bought at huge bargains, if consumers know where to look. One of the best examples is the use of money saving coupons. For consumers who are not aware of how coupons can help them save, below is a list of tips on using coupons to make huge savings on your monthly expenses.”

The Family Wallet at The Family Wallet presents Is Your Bank Making Money Out of You?, saying “The fees that your bank charges you can add up in a hurry. In order to avoid them, it's important to read the fine print when you sign up for checking accounts and other services. Don't let the bank get rich at your expense!”

Investing

Neal Frankle at Wealth Pilgirm presents 5 Retirement Hobbies That Will Save You A Fortune, saying “If you're thinking about retirement, you might also consider developing some hobbies — even if you have years before you actually pull the plug. This is not just a matter of enjoyment. It might be the difference between having a successful retirement or not. Here's why I say this.”

Mike at The Financial Blogger presents Would you rather make 10K or 1K 10 times?, saying “We have some fun with this little question.”

Mike at Green Panda Treehouse presents Building a Bank Relationship, saying “Do you have a banking relationship?”

IS at Intelligent Speculator presents Is Your Portfolio Ready For The Next Crash?, saying “How strong is your portfolio?”

Outlaw at Outlaw Finance presents The Difference Between Stocks and Bonds, saying “Clears the air about some investment basics: how to define stocks and bonds, what are their benefits, and what are their drawbacks.”

Lifestyle

Kevin at Invest It Wisely presents Savings=Freedom, saying “Being out of debt is good, but the only way we really improve our lot in life is by saving and investing for the future! This is true both individually, and of us as a whole. The Dodges have it rough, but they are doing great compared to people a hundred years ago. They are able to indirectly benefit from the accumulated savings and investment of other people which has led to all of the things in society which we enjoy today.”

J.B at My University Money presents What To Bring To Residence, saying “This is a list of useful items that you could use when moving into residence. They usually don’t include these items in the welcome manual but they really should.”

Brian at Wallet Watcher presents Money Saving Tips for Gamers, saying “With prices exceeding $40 or $50 for a console game, it might be time to evaluate your budget in this area. Even if you play games occasionally, the cost of a new console, accessories, and games every once in a while can overshadow other areas. Here are some tips to help you realise some savings with games.”

Real Estate

Philip Taylor at PT Money Personal Finance presents Was It Worth It to Refinance My Mortgage?, saying “Analyzes my decision to refinance our house and lower our mortgage payment.”

Retirement

Mike at Do Not Wait presents Generating Income From Your Own Pension Plan, saying “How you can create income with your retirement plan.”

Jim Yih at Retire Happy Blog presents 10 ways to reduce the Risks of Health problems, saying “Cancer, diabetes, heart and lung disease are leading causes of preventable death and disability. Here’s 10 ways to reduce the risk of these diseases”

Saving

Echo at Boomer & Echo presents No Fee Banking, No More Excuses, saying “Finally switching over to a no fee banking account was a no-brainer for me.”

Mike at Rewards Cards Canada presents Earning PC Points With PC Financial, saying “PC Financial offers the PC points rewards program, which is designed to be very simple for customers to earn and redeem points.”

Canadian Finance Carnival #45 originally appeared on Canadian Finance Blog on July 17, 2011.