Best of Blogs – Gong Hai Fat Choi

Happy Chinese New year!  It’s the year of the dragon and the dragon is a symbol of power and change.  Some experts suggest that the year of the dragon usually signifies change from bad to good so that may be a good sign for better markets in 2012.

This week also marks the first birthday for Retire Happy Blog which has enjoyed just crazy success in 1 year of existence.  Thank you all for your continued support and making my blog successful beyond my expectations.

This Week I Wrote:

It was a busy week for articles an writing.

• On Monday I shared The Case for Low Cost Passive Investing.
• On Tuesday I wrote an article for Canadian Finance Blog on Financial Goals that are easy to achieve.
• On Wednesday I tackled the hard dilemma of debt with How to Reduce Your Debt?
• On Thursday I was very excited to bring a new writer to RetireHappyBlog.  Donna McCaw is an authority on retirement planning so it will be fitting that once a month, she will be writing on Retirement Lifestyle.  For her first post, she tackled the issue of timing and explained why The Timing of Retirement is Different for Everyone.
• This week at Group Benefits Online, I also discussed why Savings Rates are the Key to Success of Defined Benefit Pensions.

Other Great Reading This Week:

• When it comes to investing, PWL this week declared, I’d Rather Try My Luck in Vegas.
• Ever wondered how your daily expenses add up?  Retire by 40 wrote an eye-opening post that examines How Much We Spend on Coffee, Gas, Pets, Beer, and More.
• Michael James on Money provides an excellent analysis of whether it makes sense to lock in your natural gas prices
• According to the Financial Post, it’s time for us to embrace the sad truth that there are Boomers Drowning in ‘Punchbowl’ of Debt.
• Financial scams are everywhere but thankfully this week Rob Carrick discussed How to Spot an Investment Scam, including a mock scam website.
• Some frightening news from the Wealthy Boomer in his post on how A Third of Those in Their 40s Still Have No RRSP.
• This week the Canadian Capitalist wrote an in-depth post about Comparing Currency-Hedged and Unhedged Holdings.
• The Canadian Finance blog this week shares some tips on how to Improve Your Finances: Look Up, Not Down.
• Warren Buffet has been making the news lately.  This week the Canadian Personal Finance Blog asked, Does Canada Need a Buffet Rule?
• If you’ve been thinking of buying a new car, you’ll want to read this post by the Financial Highway that shares Why You Should Buy Your New Car in 2012.
• Blunt Bean Counter discusses corporations and whether they are a Personal Service Business
• My Own Advisor makes a good case as to why Credit Cards can be a good tool if used properly.