|
|
Recently Published BooksView a selection of financial books by publishers
who specialize in financial titles.
Books appearing on these pages have been previewed by Dale Ennis,
Editor-in-Chief of
Canadian MoneySaver. Other financial titles that have been featured
in Canadian MoneySaver are shown below. These financial titles can be
obtain at most local bookstores and through online bookstore services.
 Random
House
John Wiley &
Sons
McGraw-Hill
Ryerson
 The Little Book of Big Dividends – A Safe Formula for Guaranteed Returns
by Charles Carlson, John Wiley & Sons, C$23.95, ISBN: 978-0-470-56799-9
Charles Carlson comments: "This book is a blueprint for successful dividend
investing. In the book I walk you through the basics – what a dividend is (and
isn't); why, how and when companies pay dividends while others pay no dividends
at all. I also discuss the importance of size and safety of dividends when
considering dividend-paying stocks, as well as the ability to buy attractive
dividend-paying stocks directly via DRIPs and direct purchase plans.
Additionally, I provide you with a simple yet powerful formula for finding what
I call "Big, Safe Dividends (BSDs). My ?BSD Formula? takes into account factors
most critical to the safety and growth potential of a company's dividend and can
be used by any investor to find attractive dividend stocks."
Chuck Carlson is the recognized expert in the U.S. on "no-load" stocks. More
information at http://www.BigSafeDividends.com. TOP
 The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Direct Stock Investing by
Douglas Gerlach with Lita Epstein, Penguin Group, $13.50, ISBN:978-1-59257-995-2
Direct stock purchases (DSPs) of American stocks can be completed without using
a broker. How to do this is clearly outlined by the authors. Step-by-step
instructions for purchasing your first DRIP stock are explained.
Even if you buy
only Canadian DRIPs, the content is insightful.
TOP
 Crossing the 49th – The Complete 2010 Guide to Finding and Importing
a U.S. Boat into Canada by Kris Olson, $10, e-Book.
There has never been a better time to buy a boat from the U.S. Favourable
exchange rates and a downturn in the U.S economy have produced many amazing
deals – discounts of 30% are common. Here is a detailed e-book published in 2010
by Kris Olson, which explains the entire process. You will learn:
* How to find a U.S. Boat - links to key websites
* 3 important pitfalls to avoid when importing
* How to evaluating your dream boat from afar
* The purchasing process – detailed step by step instructions
* Hidden costs you need to KNOW!!
* Transport options and costs
* A simple budgeting tool for a true total cost of importation
* Border, customs and taxation rules in simple English
* 3 common oversights that could cost you BIG money
* All required forms you will need throughout the process
To order visit www.importingusboats.com
TOP
 The
Smart Cookies Guide to Couples and Money: Earn More, Argue Less, Achieve the
Life You Want Together by five Canadian women known as the Smart
Cookies, Random House of Canada, $29.95, ISBN: 978-0-307-35798-4
This hip and accessible guide addresses all of the nagging money questions and
thorny situations that come up when you're in a relationship – whether you're
just starting to get serious or you're already married.
Find answers to:
 How to start a
money discussion.
How to split the
bills.
How to manage your
money together.
Whether you should
merge your bank accounts.
What to do if
she's a spender and he's a saver.
How to know if
you're financially compatible.
How to talk about
the life you want together and what it will cost.
Tackling the topic of money early on and speaking openly and honestly with each
other about the issues that arise can save couples a lot of stress and heartache
down the road. When you synchronize your financial goals and agree to the part
you?ll each play in achieving them, you'll reach them much faster.
TOP
 Tax Planning – For You and Your Family 2010 by tax editors, Carswell, $23.95, ISBN: 978-0-7798-2209-6.
This perennial favourite from the national tax practice of KPMG is a
comprehensive, yet succinct, pocket guide.
It is loaded with year-around
financial advice for every sort of taxpayer. Tax tips and highlighted scenarios
in every
chapter will help both the novice and the veteran taxpayer keep more of
their annual income within the family. TOP
 Life, Money and Illusion by Mike
Nickerson, New Society Publishers, $22.95, ISBN: 978-0-86571-659-9.
This updated edition of Life, Money and Illusion was inspired by the dilemma of
living on a finite planet with an economic structure that is hard wired for
growth. It looks at the resilience of life, reviews the basic elements of mutual
provision (economic) and examines how growth, once beneficial, is bringing about
economic and environmental collapse.
It then outlines how the economy can be restructured to remain within planetary
limits, and points the way to a sustainable future.
Techniques to shift the dominant economic paradigm from growth to sustainability
include:
Measuring progress with social, economic and environmental indicators;
Encouraging investment in the community;
Honoring the Golden Rule instead of the Rule of Gold; and
Focusing more on living than on stuff.
TOP
 Wealth
Planning Strategies for Canadians 2010, Christine Van
Cauwenberghe, Carswell, $59.95, ISBN: 978-0-7798-2068-9.
This book provides wealth planning strategies for 15 different life stages:
single, common law, engaged, married, separated, divorced, blended families,
widowed, children, grandchildren, disabled persons, elderly parents, seniors and
retirees, vacation properties, and family businesses. Each life stage or
scenario has its own financial, tax and family law, disability, estate and
insurance needs that are explained.
Every chapter highlights the unique laws in each province. Case studies help
illustrate wealth planning strategies in action. By using her signature life
scenarios approach, Van Cauwenberghe helps readers focus in on the situations
that are happening in their lives now, thus getting the most from this
comprehensive guide (623 pages).
TOP
 Prescriptions
for a Healthy House by Paula Baker-Laporte, Erica Elliott and John
Banta, New Society Publishers, $28.95, ISBN: 978-0-86571-604-9
Although there is nothing complicated about constructing healthier homes,
building for health is still not standard practice, and, in fact, there are many
aspects of conventional home construction that are detrimental to human
well-being.
From foundation to rooftop, to home care and repair, Prescriptions for a Healthy
House takes the mystery out of healthy-house building, renovation and
maintenance by walking the owner/architect/builder team through the entire
construction process. Chapters include:
frame
construction alternatives,
thermal and
moisture control,
finishes,
flooring, and
furniture.
The authors, an architect, a medical doctor and a restoration consultant, bring
a singular combination of expertise and perspective to this book. The result,
now in its third completely updated edition, is a unique guide to creating
healthy indoor and outdoor spaces, including many new resources, as well as
specialized knowledge from several nationally recognized experts in the field of
building biology.
TOP
 Too
Good To Be True: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff, Erin Arvedlund,
Penguin Group, $32.50, ISBN: 978-1-59184-287-3.
In her meticulously researched book, investigative journalist Erin Arvedlund
answers the many bewildering questions that still surround Madoff, perhaps the
biggest con artist in history.
Back in 2001, Arvedlund was the first reporter from a major publication
(Barron?s) to question Madoff's amazing yet highly suspicious hedge fund
returns. Sadly, the authorities never followed up on that groundbreaking
article.
Now she narrates the dramatic full story of Madoff's rise and fall. She
explores, among other mysteries, how Madoff was able to defraud so many smart
and wealthy clients; what role his wife and family played; and why so few
people, including the SEC, didn?t heed the warning signs that Arvedlund and
others had raised.
Among the revelations in Too Good To Be True:
Bernie's
father-in-law essentially started the scam in the 1960s, raising money for his
son-in-law and promising investors annual returns of 20% or more.
Madoff was able
to avoid investigation because he was "revered" within the SEC. To avoid
registering with the SEC, he regularly underreported the amount of money he was
managing.
After Bernie?s
arrest, Ruth Madoff lied about $65 million in bank accounts in her name,
claiming she had inherited the money. Estate and probate records prove that to
be a falsehood.
TOP
 The Citi Commonsense Money Guide for Real People, edited by Dara Duguay and Bill
Knight, ECW Press, $19.95, ISBN: 978-1-55022-865-6
The book addresses the common challenges people face when dealing with money.
This title is not an investment-related book.
This guide is divided into 3 main sections:
Get Back on Track suggests several options and strategies for people who find
themselves in debt.
Basic Training covers having kids, owning a home, investing responsibly and
planning for the future.
Curveballs covers the good and bad financial issues that arise unexpectedly
including having your credit card stolen, receiving inheritance and others.
TOP
 Benjamin
Graham on Investing, edited by Rodney Klein and David Darst, McGraw-Hill
Ryerson, $37.95, ISBN: 978-0-07-162142-7
Known as the "father of value investing", Benjamin Graham remains one of the
world?s most acclaimed financial thinkers. Benjamin Graham on Investing is a
selection of Graham?s early articles that appeared in The Magazine of Wall
Street over a period of ten years (1917-1927) and show how his thinking
evolved and matured during the years predating the Great Depression.
This is the first time these early writings are available exclusively in a
single volume. The articles showcase Graham's analytical thinking during an
interesting time for the financial markets as they were written in a challenging
economic, financial and geopolitical climate. His early works have never been as
relevant as they are today. David Darst, one of the world?s most respected
experts on asset allocation, provides insightful analyses connecting Graham's
articles to events today.
TOP
 The
Little Book of Main Street Money by Jonathan Clements, John Wiley,
$23.95, ISBN: 978-0-470-47323-8
In this book, Clements brings readers down to earth with commonsense guidance
that will put them on the path to clear and intelligent money management. From
the big picture (home, retirement and life) to the micro (taxes and inflation),
Clements offers readers clear-cut guidelines for taking control of their
financial life and details the strategies needed to thrive in today's volatile
economy.
The 21 truths outlined throughout this book are a guiding light for every one,
young and old, just starting or soon retiring. From the obvious to the
counterintuitive, each truth will either bolster returns or cut costs.
Collectively, the 21 truths are a compelling guide to today?s treacherous
financial terrain. Renowned for his spirited writing and shrewd investment
guidance, Clements is the same voice investors need to keep them grounded in the
midst of so much financial insanity.
TOP
 Inside
the Mind of the Turtles - How the World's Best Traders Master Risk by
Curtis Faith, McGraw Hill, C$33.95, ISBN: 978-0-07-160243-3
Since the mid-1980s, Curtis Faith has been a Turtle, one of a group of
Chicago-based commodities traders who made a name for themselves for earning
over $100 million in less than five years on behalf of their mentor, Richard
Dennis. Founded on Dennis's premise that anyone can be trained in trading, just
as he saw turtles being trained on a farm in Singapore, the group famously
emphasized behavioural finance and the psychology of investing as the roots of
their success.
Faith gives readers a rare glimpse inside master trading psychology, featuring:
Understanding the three kinds of risk: risk you anticipate and plan for, risk
you anticipate and don't plan for, and risks you don't see coming (the ones that
are the most common cause of bankruptcy and financial failure).
Three critical strategies for handling uncertainty: actively track reality,
respond quickly to change, and remain flexible.
What the top traders, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists know about not
only weathering financial storms but also anticipating, managing and mitigating
risks in a variety of everyday situations, even beyond the realm of investing.
TOP
 The
Boomers Retire - A Guide for Financial Advisors and their Clients by
Lynn Biscott, Carswell, $45.00, ISBN:978-0-7798-1765-8
Although this title is aimed at financial advisors, all prudent investors will
find this book jammed with practical advice. It is one of the best retirement
titles available today. Order directly at 1-800-342-6288.
TOP
 Fight
For Your Money - How to Stop Getting Ripped Off and Save a Fortune by
David Bach, Doubleday Canada, $29.95, ISBN: 978-0-385-66623-7
Comprehensive in scope and designed to be dipped into where and when it serves
an individual reader's needs. Fight For Your Money tackles an A-Z list of items
for which Canadians are paying too much - automobiles, banking, cell phones,
cable, credit cards, home mortgages, insurance, tax preparation, travel and
more.
Bach shows just how we are being taken and by just how much in each major arena
of financial life. For each product or service, he explains how to find a good
deal, what to watch out for and where to go for help if things go wrong. To
inspire readers to take immediate action, he also provides sample letters, call
scripts and resources that empower consumers to fight back and win.
This best-selling American author has written this detailed guide for everyday
consumer purchases. This is not an investing title. Much more helpful than most
books of this ilk.
TOP
 Ask
Arthur Frommer and Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter by Arthur Frommer,
Wiley, $23.99, ISBN: 978-0-470-41849-9
Many travelers know Frommer through his first travel guide, Europe on $5 a Day.
Frommer packs decades of experience and up-to-the-minute travel information into
one essential guide bursting with invaluable, moneysaving travel tips and
strategies (getting airfare discounts with aggregators, sailing the world for
free), deals and destinations (finding the cheapest golf vacation in America,
supporting biodiversity in Borneo), and travel ideas and trends (medical
tourism, adventure travel).
Throughout, Frommer shares strong, honest, uncompromising opinions in his
characteristically forthright style, offering travel options that are both smart
and affordable.
We readily recommend Frommer's Budget Travel magazine also (800-829-9121,
US$24.95), the first glossy designed for average-income travelers.
TOP
 New Rules of Retirement
by Warren MacKenzie and Ken Hawkins, Collins, $21.95, ISBN:978-1-55468-001-6.
Retirement planning today isn't the same as it was in the past. We're living
longer; we're leading more active lives and we have more options about how we
want to live after employment. The question is not simply "How much do I need to
retire?" Industry veterans Warren MacKenzie and Ken Hawkins offer street-smart,
unbiased advice for retirement while debunking the many myths surrounding it.
TOP
 Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures That You Absolutely Can't Get
Unless You're Over 50
by Joan Rattner Heilman, McGraw
Hill, US$16.95, ISBN:978-0-07-159884-2.
And you, too, probably think the title is long. This American book is long
also — long on hundreds of money-saving travel tips. Dale has used Joan Heilman's travel suggestions for years.
TOP
 Enough by John Bogle, Wiley, C$26.95, ISBN:978-0-470-39851-7. Bogle has
been known as the individual investor's best friend. He is founder of the
Vanguard Group, Inc.
"We actually can measure how much that wholesale embrace of fund innovation
costs our investors. Let's compare the returns reported by the funds themselves
(time-weighted returns) to the returns actually earned by fund investors
(dollar-weighted returns) during the 25 years ended 2005. The average equity
fund reported an annual rate of return of 10 percent for the period — trailing
the 12.3 percent return on an S&P 500 index fund. But the return actually earned
by the investors in these funds was 7.3 percent, a lag of 2.7 percentage points
per year below the return the funds themselves reported."
TOP
 The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear
Markets - How to Keep Your Portfolio Up
When the Market is Down
by Peter Schiff,
Wiley, C$21.95, ISBN:978-0-470-38378-
0.
Known by the financial media as "Dr.
Doom" for his bold predictions, Peter Schiff, President of Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. offers
investors a dose of hard-hitting investment advice in his
new book. As we watch established financial institutions
go from bankruptcy to government bailouts and the U.S.
spiral into economic turmoil, Schiff shares unconventional
wisdom on how to protect your investment
portfolio from a collapsing dollar, a real estate bubble
burst, and declining stock prices. The book provides
valuable historical analysis of bear markets in the 1930s,
1970s and the current crisis as well as the bull markets of
the 1990s, 1960s and 1920s.
The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets
explains in
laymen's terms the current state of the economy. Schiff
zeroes in on what inflation really means and offers
insight into the agendas of the Fed, Wall Street institutions
and industry groups. Schiff urges investors to
beware of government statistics and believes, for example,
that "Uncle Sam is using GDP growth as evidence
that a weak, dangerously overextended economy is
strong, healthy and growing and that Americans should
therefore keep spending." Instead Schiff suggests
individuals go back to the time of saving for items rather
than racking up credit card bills and using home equity
loans. He recommends building your savings by cutting
costs where you can, fix items rather than buy new,
purchase large items second hand and sell items online
on sites like eBay.
TOP
 Security Analysis
(sixth edition)
by Benjamin Graham and David
Dodd, McGraw-Hill Ryerson,
C$81.95, ISBN:978-0-07-159253-6.
Security Analysis,
first published
by McGraw-Hill nearly 75 years ago,
forever changed the theory and
practice of successful investing.
Written in the midst of the Great
Depression and in the wake of the 1929 stock market
crash, the book convinced the nation that stocks were
still worth buying and became a bible for generations of
investors, the most famous being Warren Buffett. Its
timeless advice is as relevant today as when it was first
published.
To update each of the seven parts of
Security
Analysis,
a team of leading value investors with expertise in the
seven areas was assembled. Each contributor wrote a new
introduction in his area of expertise, from fixed-income
to distressed investing. They present new commentary
that will refresh and update the 1940 edition, which is
considered the definitive edition by many Graham
aficionados including Buffett. This edition also includes a
CD-ROM of the original text.
TOP
 The ETF Strategist
- Balancing Risk and Reward for Superior
Returns by Russ Koesterich, Portfolio (Penguin
Group), C$44.00, ISBN:978-1-59184-207-1.
The author is the head of investment strategy for Barclays
Global Investors. Mr. Koesterich explains how both investment advisors and
sophisticated investors can best use ETFs as an integral part of a complete and
balanced investment strategy.
Although primarily focused on ETF investment strategies,
the book also covers broader investment themes,
such as focusing on risk rather than just return, being as
aware of how returns are generated as you are of what returns are generated, and
making sure that the risks you take are the ones you intended.
This title is specifically targeted by focusing on U.S. and
foreign ETFs.
TOP
 Plan
C - Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change by Pat
Murphy, New Society Publishers, C$19.95, ISBN: 978-0-86571-607-0.
Concerns over climate change and energy depletion are
increasing exponentially.
Mainstream solutions still assume a panacea that will cure
our climate ills without requiring any serious modification to our way of life.
Plan C explores the risks inherent in trying to continue
our energy-intensive lifestyle. Using dirtier fossil fuels (Plan A) or switching
to renewable energy sources (Plan B) allows people to remain complacent in the
face of potential global catastrophe. Dramatic lifestyle change is the only way
to begin to create a sustainable, equitable world. The converging crises of peak
oil, climate change and increasing inequity are presented in a clear, concise
manner, as are the twin solutions of community (where co-operation replaces
competition) and curtailment (deliberately reducing consumption of consumer
goods). Plan C shows how each person's individual choices can dramatically
reduce CO2 emissions. It offers specific strategies in the areas of food,
transportation and housing. One chapter analyzes the decimation of the Cuban
economy when the USSR stopped oil exports in 1990, and provides an inspiring
vision for a low energy way of living.
Plan C is an indispensable resource for anyone interested
in living a lower energy, saner, more sustainable lifestyle.
If you accept the plethora of research supporting energy
depletion (oil, gas and coal) and climate change globally, you must read this
book. Written without big business or a political bias, this objective author
provides the framework for future development. Shrewd investors be aware.
TOP
 Big Death -
Funeral Planning in the Age of Corporate Deathcare
by Doug Smith, Fernwood Publishing, $18.95, ISBN:978-1-55266-240-3
"Do You Have to Use a Funeral Director?
While there is no legal requirement to use a funeral director, some government
publications are misleading on this point. For example, the 2005 Government of
Quebec publication, "What
to Do in the Event of Death",
states:
'As soon as a death occurs, contact a funeral director for burial, cremation or
other funeral arrangements. The funeral director will provide all professional
services related to the disposal of the remains and can handle all the
formalities connected with the funeral.'
The funeral director can indeed do this - but there are other
options, as a
publication by the Ontario Board of Funeral Services makes
clear. It states that you
can use either a funeral home or a transfer service (sometimes
called a removal
service). A transfer service typically can pick up bodies, place
them in containers
(including caskets) and deliver the body to wherever the funeral
service or interment
is going to take place. They can also deliver bodies to a
crematory. In Ontario they
can also specialize in immediate dispositions of the deceased
(usually cremation). As
no-frill operations, they do not do any preparation of the body
or hold services, and,
if you use one, you are likely going to find yourself having to
do much more in the
way of organizational work.
If you so choose, you can simply take charge of the body
yourself. In such
instances, you are a lay funeral director. There is no legal
requirement to move the
dead body by hearse or ambulance as long as the death did not
arise from one of a
number of specific contagious diseases. Aside from embalming,
which must be
carried out by a licenced embalmer, any person can legally make funeral
arrangements for themselves or a family member or friend."
Excerpt with permission from
Big Death -
Funeral Planning in the Age of Corporate Deathcare
by Doug Smith, Fernwood Publishing, $18.95, ISBN:978-1-55266-240-3,
(705) 743-8990.
Dale's note: If you will be planning the funeral arrangements
for anyone, you can
save hundreds or thousands of dollars by reading this book.
Unlike hundreds of
thousands of Canadians, you will not be misinformed. This title
is a must-buy book
for most of us.
TOP
 The
Little Book that Makes You Rich: A Proven Market Beating Formula for Growth
Investing by Louis Navellier, Wiley,
$23.99, ISBN: 978-0-470-13772-7.
The Little Book That Makes You
Rich is a clear and in-depth guide,
details eight key fundamental measures including accelerated earnings growth and
rapid sales growth, plus Navellier's exclusive quantitative ranking which
measures buying pressure. An explanation of alpha and beta reveals Navellier's
unique approach to measuring reward and risk. A companion website,
www.getrichwithgrowth.com, allows readers access to Navellier's
stock-rating tool, PortfolioGrader Pro. This online tool applies Navellier's
detailed formula to the nearly 5,000 stocks on Wall Street. The website combined
with the book offers a powerful system and rare opportunity for individual
investors to gain access to tools and data that
hold the key to building a winning growth
portfolio.
TOP
 The
Economics of Happiness - Building Genuine Wealth
by Mark Anielski, New Society Publishers, $20.95,
ISBN:978-0-86571-596-7.
Why, in spite of increasing
economic prosperity over the past 50 years, are many conditions of well-being in
decline and rates of happiness largely unchanged since the 1950s?
Why do our measures of economic progress not reflect the values that make us
happy: supportive relationships, meaningful work, a healthy environment, and our
spiritual well-being?
Economist Mark Anielski has developed a new and practical economic model called
Genuine Wealth, to measure the real determinants of well-being and help redefine
progress.
TOP
 The
Carbon Buster's Home Eneregy Handbook by Godo Stoyke, New Society
Publishers, $14.95, ISBN: 978-0-86571-569-1.
The first book in North America to provide a detailed carbon accounting of a
family's carbon emissions and how to reduce them. It systematically analyzes
energy costs and evaluates which measures yield the highest returns for the
environment and the pocketbook.
It provides answers to questions such as:
Which measure is
more effective: putting solar panels on your roof or buying a hybrid car?
Where do I need
to invest first: in high-efficiency shower heads or solar tubes?
Is a $500 fridge
that uses 800kWh of power per year a good buy?
The book allows individuals to quickly and accurately assess which products are
a good deal and which aren't. It systematically analyzes residential carbon
emissions and energy costs, and prioritizes solutions based on the highest
carbon reductions and monetary returns, yielding results that are often
surprising.
TOP
 The
Complete Guide to Buying and Owning Recreational Property in Canada by
Douglas Gray, John Wiley & Sons, $26.99,
ISBN:978-0-470-83972-0.
Real estate expert Doug Gray offers valuable insights and tips on purchasing and
owning recreational properties, from cottages, to condos, to chalets.
Topic areas include:
Buying the right property, for the right reasons, in the right location;
How to set a purchase and financing strategy and how to negotiate your best
deal;
How to exercise caution when buying with family or friends and how to keep
peace in the family when sharing use or ownership;
Getting the help of professionals, such as a tax accountant, lawyer, home
inspector, mortgage broker, insurance broker, and realtor;
Obtaining tax and estate planning strategic advice to save tax on transfer,
sale or bequeathing of the property, or inheriting a property;
What you need to know if you are buying recreational property as an
investment;
Special cautions if buying a vacation home outside of Canada;
Creative ways of using your vacation home for exchange or barter; and
Key strategies to follow and classic pitfalls to avoid.
TOP
 Bonds for Canadians by Andrew Allentuck, Wiley, $34.99, ISBN:
0-470-83691-1.
In Bonds for Canadians, author Andrew Allentuck discusses bond investing,
the unique risks of bonds, and how to manage that risk successfully.
The past two decades have seen a steady slide in interest rates. This downward
trend produced extraordinary returns for bond investors. However, those days of
easy money in the bond markets appear to be over as interest rates are once
again on the rise. In the coming years, investors will have to be very astute to
make money in a much tougher bond environment.
As the bond market has grown to include bond futures, global bonds, and bond
derivatives, the market has expanded and added huge amounts of risk as well as
leverage. Despite the risks, the inescapable fact is that bonds should be a part
of every investor's portfolio.
Bonds for Canadians is for investors of moderate experience who want to gain
fluency in bonds. It provides an analytical system that can show which bonds are
worth their risks and which are not. Topics covered include:
A history of bonds,
Risks in the bond market,
Alternative bonds,
Global bonds: A tale of promises and defaults,
What's a bond worth?,
Bond funds,
Bond trading tactics,
The future environment for bonds, and
Bond strategies.
TOP
 Mortgages Made Easy by Douglas Gray, Wiley, $26.99, ISBN:
0-470-83732-2.
With the vast selection of mortgages and mortgage options available today, it is
easy to get confused over which one is best suited to the needs and requirements
of the borrower. And while lots of information on mortgages is available from
banks and brokers, Canadians need unbiased advice.
Mortgages Made Easy by Doug Gray is a comprehensive look at mortgage options for
Canadians who are in the market to buy property, whether it is for their primary
residence or as an investment. Real estate lawyer and author Gray gives readers
insight into the sometimes confusing and overwhelming world of mortgage
products. Topics include:
Types and sources of mortgages,
Key factors to consider when selecting a mortgage,
How to negotiate a mortgage and look for key areas that can reduce payments,
Key legal considerations,
Creative financing techniques,
Borrowing for investment purposes/investing in mortgages,
RRSPs and mortgages,
Strategies on renewing, refinancing or prepaying a mortgage,
Important forms, charts, checklists and amortization tables.
Other key areas Gray covers include selecting a real estate team,
government-assisted programs (e.g., CMHC), financing options for seniors,
investing in mortgages, and where to go to get more Canadian-specific
information.
TOP
 Canadian
Small Business Kit for Dummies by Margaret Kerr and Jo Ann Kurtz, John
Wiley & Sons, $37.99, ISBN: 0470838183
The ultimate entrepreneur's resource is back and better than ever with an
updated edition that includes information on the latest changes to laws and
taxes that small businesses need to know, as well as new ideas for raising
much-needed capital.
Updated in the 2nd edition:
Updated legal advice: Laws regarding intellectual property, confidentiality
and privacy, and employment standards have all changed; the second edition
provides entrepreneurs with the information you need to know.
Tax changes: The new edition offers up-to-date information on all the changes
to taxes that affect small businesses.
New risks: Today's entrepreneurs face new risks: terrorism, epidemics such as SARS, and cyber hazards such as viruses and spy ware. In the new edition, the
authors address how to best handle these risks.
New financing information: Information regarding private and government
sources of funding has been updated.
New technology: Plenty of new gadgets and software are available for small
businesses; the new edition separates the essential tools from the lame toys.
Updated Internet information: New content details how to have an optimal
online presence, and how to advertise and sell online.
Updated resources: The new edition's revised list of helpful websites and
contacts provides small businesses with all the resources they need.
CD-ROM contents:
Many valuable forms, agreements, and checklists.
Up-to-date software: The enclosed CD-ROM features trial versions of
applications valuable to the Canadian small business operator.
TOP
 The
Standard & Poor's Guide to Building Wealth with Dividend Stocks (U.S.)
by Joseph Tigue, McGraw-Hill, C$33.95, ISBN: 0071457828.
Investors are rediscovering the profitable advantages of dividend-paying stocks,
due to the "bird in the hand" nature of regular dividend payments, dramatically
reduced historical volatility, and the current reduction in the federal dividend
tax rate. The author tackles all the key issues for independent investors
looking to add the stability and performance of dividend stocks to their
portfolios, providing hands-on techniques for identifying the best
dividend-paying stocks and companies, using dividend tax law changes to improve
returns, and implementing innovative dividend stock strategies.
Tigue lists numerous dividend-paying stocks recommended by Standard & Poor's
that remain relatively undiscovered and are often available at bargain prices.
Dozens of charts and tables help readers visualize and hone in on the most
profitable dividend opportunities.
TOP
The Directory of Dividend Reinvestment Plans - 2006 Edition by Charles
Carlson, Horizon Publishing Company, U.S. $15.95.
There are approximately 1,100 U.S. companies and closed-end funds which allow
investors to buy shares directly from the company and bypass the broker. With
each company's description is all the essential information for you to move
forward with your purchases. Under each listing, you'll discover if the stock is
"open to investors outside the U.S."
Order the directory by calling (800) 233-5922 or visiting
www.horizonpublishing.com.
TOP
 The
Little Book that Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt, Wiley
(U.S.), C$25.99, ISBN: 0471733067.
Although it sounds like an audacious claim, Columbia Business School
Professor and hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt says he can teach you how to
beat the market.
Using basic math skills, simple concepts and a wry humour, this book is a
no-nonsense (okay, a little nonsense) approach to buying good companies at
bargain prices. Greenblatt's track record speaks for itself. As founder of
Gotham Capital, his company has enjoyed average annualized returns of a
staggering 40% for over 20 years.
The magic formula doesn't rely on predictions of any kind. It has been tested
over hundreds of different periods and thousands of stock picks and while it
takes a bit of effort and a little more patience, Greenblatt says his approach
can be mastered by almost anyone.
TOP
 Millionaire Homeowner - How to Turn Your Home into a Real Estate
Goldmine by Stuart Leland Rider, Entrepreneur Press (U.S.), US$24.95, ISBN:
1932531653.
If you didn't have to invest in one single thing—not stocks, not bonds, not
mutual funds, not rental property, not fixer-uppers—other than your own home to
become a millionaire, would you be interested? Over 70 percent of the country
own their own homes—that's 100 million people who can turn their homes into a
million dollars by reading this book. By covering such topics as location,
financing, marketability, renovation, cosmetic upgrades, expansion, and
flipping, Millionaire Homeowner offers a long-term, low-risk, big-payoff
investment strategy that might be the best strategy for the average American—and
Canadians, too.
TOP
 The
Complete Guide to Credit and Credit Repair for Canadians by Mike Morley,
Nixon-Carre Ltd, $24.95, ISBN: 0-9737470-0-5
The guide is written by a CPA and industry insider and features step-by-step
instructions to enable anyone to fix their own credit report, avoid credit
repair scams, improve their credit score, handle annoying collection calls,
negotiate with creditors, and protect themselves from identity theft.
The author writes practical information such as: "If you are under the age of
majority (age 18 in some provinces) and enter into a contract, such as a 'Music
of the Month Club', the contract is not valid. A friend, whose sixteen-year-old
son had purchased an introductory priced CD from a coupon in a magazine, was now
receiving calls at home from a collection agency for a bill owing for unwanted
items that were still arriving after more than six months. When the parents
offered to return the items, they were told that their son had entered into a
contract, that he owed the money, and that he was locked in for another year.
When I called the collection agency's manager to explain that there was no valid
contract because their son was under 18 years of age, he agreed. The company
cancelled the bill, the collection agency removed the collection notice from the
son's credit report and confirmed everything in writing."
Note: The Complete Guide to Credit and Credit Repair for Canadians
is
available directly by calling Mike Morley at (416) 275-1278 or
www.amazon.ca.
TOP
 The
Canadian Widow's Guide by Benjamin McLean, McGraw-Hill Ryerson,
$24.99, ISBN: 0-07-087399-2.
The Canadian Widow's Guide looks at the typical emotions and events facing
widows during the emotional days following the death of a spouse and over the
longer term. Author and financial planner Ben McLean explains what questions
need to be dealt with in the early days and what can wait. And, he offers
advice on how to work with family and professional advisors to get the help
needed to ensure that wise personal and financial decisions are being made at
every step.
The author's sensitive but practical advice is given a real-life edge through
the voices of a group of widows from his community who call themselves "The
Merry Widows". The book is modelled after a series of lively seminars McLean
held in 2000 to discuss the group's questions and concerns with experts
including a grief counsellor, an investment executive, a CFP, a lawyer and a
barrister.
TOP
 Simply
Essential Funeral Planning Kit by Don Cochrane, Self-Counsel Press, $15.95, ISBN: 1-55180-382-8
The Simply Essential Funeral Planning Kit is designed to provide the
reader with a fundamental understanding of the procedures and purchases
involved in funeral planning. Written in an easy-to-read format, it includes
facts, guidelines, a Q&A section, samples, appendixes, a glossary, and
suggested reading and Internet links. A floppy disk containing worksheets is
also included.
TOP
|
|
