Globe Investor asked five personal finance and investing writers and bloggers to submit nominations for 2011's Best of the Blogs contest. We have divided their nominations into two categories, personal finance and investing. Read their picks, check out the blogs, then vote for your favourites in our polls.
ROB CARRICK, Globe and Mail personal finance columnist
1. Canadian Capitalist: An eye for useful topics and an analytical touch that digs deep make this the king of personal finance blogs.
http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/
2. Canadian Couch Potato: A niche blog spreading the gospel about index investing with higher calibre content than you generally get in the blogosphere.
http://canadiancouchpotato.com/
3. Canadian Mortgage Trends: You'll know more than your lender if you read this blog before arranging your next mortgage.
http://www.canadianmortgagetrends.com/
4. MoneyIndex: Not a blog, but a genius idea to provide a continually updated directory of the recent posts on dozens of personal finance and investing blogs.
5.) RetireHappyBlog: A blog written by a financial educator and adviser who does an ace job of keeping things light and informative.
DAVID BERMAN, Globe and Mail Market Blog reporter
1. Chris Umiastowski's Blog: Ever wondered what an analyst really thinks about stocks after he or she leaves the office? This blog gives you a taste.
http://www.chrisumiastowski.com/
2. Humble Student of the Markets: Great look at the macro trends shaping the economy and the stock market, written from the perspective of a quantitative equity manager.
http://humblestudentofthemarkets.blogspot.com/
DIANNE NICE, Globe and Mail personal finance reporter and editor
1. Gail Vaz-Oxlade: You've got to love the no-nonsense approach of well-known TV host and author Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Her personality is all over her blog, which features great tools, including Gail's Guide to Building a Budget.
http://gailvazoxlade.com/blog/
2. RetireHappyBlog: Run by Jim Yih, a financial expert with 20 years of experience in the industry, the Retire Happy blog is full of practical tips for retirement savings but also has hundreds of personal finance articles on a range of topics from children's allowances to taxes.
3. Canadian Couch Potato: Educational and amusing, Dan Bortolotti, an award-winning personal finance journalist, writes a great blog for those who hate high mutual fund fees and want to learn more about do-it-yourself investing through index funds and exchange-traded funds.
http://canadiancouchpotato.com/
4. For the Love of Money: Laurie Campbell of the not-for-profit Credit Canada is the lead writer for this humorous blog that aims to "improve everyone's financial savvy." I love the pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps tone of the articles, which are geared toward those who tend to overspend.
http://www.fortheloveofmoney.ca/
5. Money Smarts: Mike Holman, author of The RESP Book, has worked in the Canadian financial industry for almost two decades and is the go-to guy for answers about registered education savings plans, but his blog touches on all things personal finance, from discount brokerages to energy sales scams.
http://www.moneysmartsblog.com/
PREET BANERJEE, Globe and Mail personal finance writer and author last year's best investing blog: Where Does All My Money GO.com
1. Michael James on Money: A cryptographer by day, Michael James focuses on taking everyday financial concepts and considerations and very deftly breaks them down in laypersons' terms.
http://michaeljamesmoney.blogspot.com/
2. Give Me Back My Five Bucks: A non finance industry 20-something, once burdened with student debt, opines on personal finance issues, partly for catharsis.
http://www.givemebackmyfivebucks.com/
3. Squawkfox: The incumbent. Squawkfox's layout looks more professional than most new outlets' websites, with content to match.
4. Sustainable Personal Finance: Palatable to non-financial types, this married couple discusses how they balance life with being financially responsible.
http://sustainablepersonalfinance.com/
5. Canadian Personal Finance Blog (by Big Cajun Man): If you like quirk and sarcasm, you'll like Big Cajun Man's blog. He claims he became a mathematician because a teacher once declared he would never be able to do math. He further explains this as the concept of negative motivational declaration which he then ties into part of the root of poor financial decision making behaviour. Funny and informative.
http://www.canajunfinances.com
6. Boomer and Echo: A mother (Boomer) and son (Echo) team who discuss financial planning issues for Canadians of all ages.
KERRY K. TAYLOR, author of last year's best personal finance blog: Squawk Fox
1. Teens and 20s: Get Smarter About Money Blog: Calling all cash-strapped and budget-conscious students! The Get Smarter About Money Blog, run by the Investor Education Fund (IEF), features bloggers Stacey Bowman, Fahmida Kamali, and Christine Sirois who share their money struggles from a student perspective. These savvy gals dish the details on cheap entertainment, discount groceries, and student debt. This blog reminds me of my own starving student days.
http://blog.getsmarteraboutmoney.ca/
2. The 20s: Give Me Back My Five Bucks: Blogger Krystal Yee is living proof that financial independence is possible in your 20s. She paid off a staggering amount of debt in under 12 months, just bought her first home in pricey Vancouver (all by herself), and shares her money goals on her blog Give Me Back My Five Bucks. I love following Krystal's money journey and wish I had her financial smarts early in my twenties.
http://www.givemebackmyfivebucks.com/
3. The 30s: Canadian Capitalist: I've been reading Ram Balakrishnan's blog, Canadian Capitalist, since my early 30s. Going strong since 2004, the Ottawa-area engineer and father of three deserves major kudos for engineering a top personal finance blog covering a wide variety of money topics. He may be a professional math man, but his blog writing is magic.
http://www.canadiancapitalist.com/
4. The 40s: Balance Junkie: Turning 40 proved to be a watershed year for Kim Petch. As a busy mom with three sons, Ms. Petch started her blog Balance Junkie to strike a balance between her busy home life and the challenges of her 40-something financial life. Ms. Petch is a big fan of paying down the mortgage, do-it-yourself investing, financial literacy, and baseball.
5. All ages: Ellen Roseman, On Your Side
Got a beef with your bank? Having Telecom troubles? Or do you just need some money guidance from a trusted Canadian voice? Ellen Roseman may be known as a financial author and journalist, but her blog On Your Side also provides a wealth of straight talk and discussion on personal finance and consumer issues. Ms. Roseman's blog has helped many of my friends and family members resolve a myriad of money grievances over the years.