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personal finance reader


Globe and Mail personal finance columnist Rob Carrick brings you the Personal Finance Reader, his twice-weekly picks for the best online reading about money, the markets and more. If you're having trouble reading this newsletter or want to read the archives, click here.

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

From Rob Carrick This Week

Why renting can be the right choice for aging boomers

Invest the proceeds of the sale of your house to strengthen your retirement portfolio

New names among the dividend growth stars

Fewer companies make the A-list, but here's a checkup on dividend growers from several angles

Must reads from The Globe and Mail

Vacation property: emotional buy or sensible investment?

The summer place - where everyone's happy and the sun always shines, right? Not so fast, writes Noreen Rasbach

Who gets the family financial adviser?

It's splitsville. You get the cottage but he gets the boat. Or perhaps you get the house, but she gets all the retirement savings.

Pension plan funding improving in Canada

85 per cent of plans are 80-per-cent funded thanks to strong investment performances, additional cash contribution

Gay community faces unique retirement challenges

Few retirement homes accepting of gay couples or singles, but preparation can help with finding and funding care later in life

Urban gardening blossoms

Rising food prices and a desire to know where their food is coming from has city dwellers growing vegetables in their backyard

Six signs it's time to buy a house

Are you ready to buy a home? Find out if it's the right time for you to enter the real estate market

Where's inflation going?

The outlook for rising prices and their impact on your finances. Rob Carrick takes a look in this Let's Talk Investing video

Must Reads From Around the Web

Home, $weet Home

The Retire Happy blog has provided a good rundown on reverse mortgages, where you borrow against the equity in your home and don't pay the money back until you sell.

TV Power Grab

The set-top boxes that bring us digital TV and personal video recording are sucking down electrical power like nobody's business.

Hotels Are So Boring

Houses, apartments, boats and even trailers: Choose your city, then pick the kind of accommodation you want to rent on iStopOver.com, which officially launches today.

Up When The Rest Are Down

Some U.S. stocks that were on the rise recently while the overall market was falling.

House Hunting In The City

Houses in cool neighborhoods cost big bucks. Here's how to find an up-and-coming part of the city where prices haven't yet moved to premium levels.

Good News On The Economy: Shoplifting Is Up

Finally, a positive indicator on U.S. economic growth: Retail employees are stealing more from the stores where they work. Apparently, thefts like this increase when times are good because workers aren't as desperate to keep their jobs.

No Vacation From Risk

A look at vacation planning from the point of view of what happens if you get sick or hurt while away.

Trading, But Not The Kind You Think

Forget stock trades. Back in 1973, the trade that caught everyone's attention involved the swapping of families by New York Yankees pitchers Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson. Yup, they traded wives, kids and pets.

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:

Business Ticker, a summary of the day's top business stories

Berman's Market Update, a summary of the markets at the open, noon and close

All-Star Investor, investment ideas from the best and the brightest minds in the business using StarMine's equity analyst rankings and Lipper's mutual fund manager rankings.

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