Weekend Reading: 2015 Farewell Edition
With the year quickly winding down I wanted to publish one final edition of weekend reading before we break for the holidays. Expect to see new articles published here on Monday and Wednesday for each of the next two weeks before we get back to our regular posting schedule in the new year. In the meantime, thanks for reading and we hope you all have a relaxing and enjoyable Christmas season.
Juicy credit card deals
I’m always on the lookout for a great credit card offer – one that comes with a juicy sign-up or welcome bonus. Here are the best two offers on the market, and they happen to be for cards that I personally use and recommend:
The Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite card is Canada’s cash back rewards king and now comes with a fantastic sign-up bonus from Rate Supermarket:
- Free $100 gift card from Amazon, Starbucks, Best Buy, or the Ultimate Dining Card
- $100 statement credit when you spend $500 in the first 3 months
- 4% cash back on grocery and gas spending, 2% cash back on drug store purchases and recurring bill payments
The Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite MasterCard has a new look and is easily one of the two best travel rewards credit cards on the market today. The rewards are even better when combined with this promotion from Great Canadian Rebates:
- $75 cash back from Great Canadian Rebates
- 40,000 point welcome bonus when you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months (worth $400)
- 2 points for every $1 spent on all purchases
This week’s recap
On Monday I wrote about how to budget for irregular expenses throughout the year.
On Wednesday Marie explained the different types of mutual fund classes.
On Friday I offered my take on what Sean Cooper really achieved by paying off his mortgage in three years.
Over on LowestRates.ca I shared our favourite holiday tradition: Adopting a family at Christmas.
Finally, on Rewards Cards Canada I explained how we make our holiday shopping more rewarding by going online with Amazon Prime and Great Canadian Rebates.
Weekend reading:
With the economy teetering, Rob Carrick argues that it’s time to prepare for the worst and make 2016 the year of the emergency fund. Can’t say I disagree.
Alan Whitton – aka Big Cajun Man – opened up about his investment portfolio and why he sleeps better now with index funds.
Michael James writes a detailed review of Pension Ponzi, a book written in 2011 by Bill Tufts and Lee Fairbanks. I haven’t read this one, but I enjoyed reading The Third Rail, which is about confronting our pension failures.
How does your salary stack up against the rest of the country? Here’s a look at what Canadians make.
The Globe and Mail explains what negative interest rates are and how they work.
Doug Dahmer argues that Canadians should draw down their RRSP first in order to maximize their CPP benefits.
Adam Mayers talks about the risk of outliving your savings and why the 4 percent rule still applies.
We keep hearing about how interest rates must return to “normal” but this New York Times article suggests that in the long arc of history, high interest rates from 1970 to 2007 look like the aberration, not the norm.
Personal finance columnist and author Jason Zweig on Wall Street’s big lie.
Our Big Fat Wallet blogger Dan Wesley had a bad taste in his mouth after this dental bill shocker.
Finally, Jessica Moorhouse and Cait Flanders are opting for a more frugal and fun Christmas as opposed to just “buying things for the sake of buying things.”
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Most assuredly a very odd photo of me in the Globe, but the story does capture my major investing skill, blind luck. A luckier so and so you will most likely never meet.
Enjoy the holidays and thanks for the inclusions this year.
I always say it’s better to be lucky than good. Like Alan, my best skill was to be unbelievably lucky in 1999. I’ve been coasting since then. Thanks for them mention.