A while back, I leaked the release of a new book – The Beginner’s Guide to Saving and Investing for Canadians. I feel very fortunate to be a part of a team of great authors and bloggers. The book is now officially launched so here so more information . . .

What is the book about?

The book is a starter book for any Canadian that wants to get ahead financially. It’s considered a primer for those just getting started with saving and investing. At first glance one might assume this book is targeted to younger people but the concepts in the book are truly universal in nature.

The first chapter, written by Krystal Yee, author of the popular blog Give Me Back My Five Bucks and contributor to Moneyville is all about dealing with debt. Despite all the information available to people, debt continues to rise and wreak hovoc in people’s lives. Anyone, young or old can benefit from the information in this chapter. Krystal also talks about budgeting as a key to saving money.

I was privileged to write the second chapter about where to save money. I cover a concept that gets a lot of attention in my workshops on where to save money. Which accounts are best for saving money? RRSPs? TFSAs? RESPs?

A very well known personal finance blogger, Ram Balkrishan also known as the Canadian Capitalist, wrote the third chapter on passive investing. After you’ve saved some money, and figured out which account to use, Ram walks you through some really great information on how to invest the money. Passive investing is a very popular approach for do-it-yourself investors and bloggers like Ram are very supportive of this approach.

The next chapter was written by Frugal Trader of Million Dollar Journey. Million dollar Journey was one of the very first personal finance blogs and remains one of the most popular in Canada. We were very fortunate to have Frugal Trader write about dividend investing in the fourth chapter.

The last chapter was written by Glenn Cooke who was the founder of this book concept. Glenn is a life insurance expert and the man behind LifeInsuranceCanada.com. Glenn does a fantastic job covering the difficult topic of insurance including the different types, how much insurance you might need and what insurance products to avoid.

My five cents

I am very proud to be a part of this book not just because I am in good company but because I think the book is well written and has a great flow despite having different authors. Dan Bortolotti also known as the Canadian Couch Potato did an amazing job editing the book and bring 5 distinct voices together. Although the book is being promoted as a primer for starting out, I think it’s for anyone who wants to get on track. We live in a world that is incredible confusing and complex. It’s filled with clutter and overloaded with information. What’s needed in the personal finance word is simplicity, common sense and focus. For me, that’s what A Beginer’s Guide to Saving and Investing is all about!

What others have said about the book

Overall, this is an excellent book for the average Canadian who is looking for clarity in the confusing world of personal finance. Understanding the ideas in this book can make the difference between perpetual money problems and having a sound financial future.

– Michael James on Money

I think this book covers everything you need from Day 1. What I like about this book is the volume of practical advice. You get a budget sheet template, a debt repayment plan example, an investment portfolio sample, a list of indexes, a clear and understandable way of how the insurance world works, etc. The authors are not trying to sell you anything. They are just educating you so you can make the best choices for your own situation.

– The Financial blogger

This 100 page financial guide is packed solid with useful and detailed information for any investor.

– Avrom Digance, The Dividend Ninja

How to buy the book?

You can find this book on Amazon for kindle, which works on kindles, as well as their desktop reader and the kindle app for smartphones and tablets.