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personal finance reader

Welcome to the Globe and Mail Personal Finance Reader. I'm Rob Carrick, personal finance columnist at The Globe, and twice weekly I compile a list of articles, blog postings and websites that represent the best of what the online world has to offer on money-related subjects.

One of the things I like about running is that it's a cheap way to stay fit. The only cost is a decent pair of running shoes, shorts and a t-shirt, all of which can be had for close to $125 or thereabouts. But there are even cheaper alternatives for getting a good workout, and you'll find a list of them in this edition of the Reader. One of the idea is to use workout videos posted to YouTube by fitness pros trying to promote their workout products.

Key facts about the Canada Pension Plan are also included here, plus some cool new online personal finance tools, a listing of personal finance bloggers on Twitter and an interview with the author of a book on the downside of our pursuit of the cheapest possible goods and services.

Found something on the Internet that your fellow investors might enjoy? Talk to me at rcarrick@globeandmail.com.

If you're having trouble reading this e-mail, try viewing the Reader online.



Must reads from The Globe and Mail

You may never be a member of TIGER 21, an exclusive investment club for the wealthy, but you can still benefit from their tips.

Tim Cestnick takes a look at two often-overlooked ways of saving for an education.

The real cost of owning a car explained.

Laptops, textbooks, renter's insurance? Many students don't realize the importance of this back-to-school essential.

Why 70,000 people may have to pay penalties for overcontributions to their TFSAs and other tips in this video.

Share your favourite books and websites with Globe readers.



Must Reads From Around the Web

Fitness On A Budget

Low- to no-cost alternatives to spending hundreds on a health club or gym membership.

The 411 On The CPP

Financial writer Jim Yih notes that articles on the Canada Pension Plan have been among his most popular. Here's a collection of his CPP commentary.

Cool Tools

Want to know how your financial habits compare to those of other people (OK, to American people)? Then check out Bundle.com, a website that lets you track your spending and see how it stacks up.

AdjustedCostBase.ca offers a new solution to the problem of keeping track of your adjusted cost base, which is the cost of your investments that you will use in calculating a capital gain or loss in a non-registered account.

Investorama

The Ontario Securities Commission has updated its brochure on how to launch a complaint against an adviser or firm.

Ten investments that are beating the stock market.

A German study looked at the value that investment advisers provide and came away unimpressed.

For the pro-adviser view, here's a report on some research commissioned by the Investment Funds Institute of Canada. Note that IFIC is the mutual fund industry's trade organization, and that advisers are the sales channel through which most funds are sold.

Twitter Time

Are you using Twitter much? I'm tweeting more often these days and lots of personal finance bloggers are doing likewise. Here are some bloggers you might want to follow on Twitter.

Tax Time

The Squirelers blog looks at the tax load and savings rates in major industrialized countries. Check out where Canada stands on saving. Lame.

The High Cost of Cheap

The author of the book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, explains the negative effects of the drive for lower-priced goods and services



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Editor's note: If you don't receive Rob Carrick's newsletter twice weekly by email, you can sign up to get it for free at The Globe and Mail. All you need to do is register for the site, or if you've already registered, login and go to your profile at the top of the homepage. Once you're in your profile, look under Newsletters and Alerts and look for the Personal Finance Reader and other newsletters. Other financial newsletters include:

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