Weekend Reading: Because Weddings Edition

We launched a new business this week – a fee-only planning service – and the response so far has been fantastic.  Thank you for all of your positive comments and emails, we really appreciate the support.  If you’re interested in working with us, please check out our fee-only advice page where you can read more about our background and the service we provide.

Financial Post columnist Melissa Leong was our guest on the Because Money video podcast Wednesday night.  We talked to Melissa about her recent wedding, why the average wedding today costs upwards of $23,000, and how to save money on your special day while still getting the experience you want.

How will Canada’s housing market look 10 years from now?  Rob Carrick explains what might happen if housing prices keep rising at recent levels.   Hint: It didn’t go over well with certain readers:

Today’s column on housing just described in a reader e-mail as “scaremongering at its finest.” Finest? Am so proud. http://t.co/vYyPi67RJX

— Rob Carrick (@rcarrick) January 9, 2014

Dan Bortolotti revealed the 2013 performance figures for the model portfolios on his Canadian Couch Potato blog.  The two Global Couch Potato portfolios led the way with a 15.5% return last year.

Today’s Economy blogger Kevin Press lists 20 smart money moves to make in 2014.  One tip that caught me by surprise was the suggestion to take the Canadian Securities Course.  He says, “this course is an investor’s best friend.  The textbook itself is worth the price of registration.”

DIY investor Barry Choi guest posted on Canajun Finances and explained how he got the deferred sales charges waived on his mutual funds.  The story is worth a read.

Krystal Yee explained why she reduced her mortgage payments to free up more cash to invest in her RRSP.  This quote summed up her decision, “If (early retirement) is the most important financial goal for me at the moment, why wasn’t my budget reflecting my priorities?”

An article in the Financial Post suggested we could retire much earlier if only we didn’t spend so much time in school.  The author says by the time you earn a degree, and pay it off, you might be 32 years old before you start making money.

No surprise, the head of a national student association fired back, saying that post-secondary education is actually a great retirement investment.  He argues that the increased earning potential of a post-secondary degree would far outweigh any negative effects of getting a later start to your career.

A controversial article in Slate explained why dividends are evil, saying they’re bad for the economy, bad for business, and surprisingly unfavourable to investors.  Instead, the author argues, companies should use their extra cash to either buy back shares or invest back in their business.

Financial Uproar held a stock picking contest last year.  I did not win (again).  My four picks netted a 37.5% gain, which beat the S&P 500 but was only good enough for third place.

Final thoughts

I’ll be back Monday to post the 2013 performance of my dividend stock portfolio and compare it with a couple of benchmarks.

Have a great weekend!