I don’t know whether it’s some kind of recency bias or just a coincidence, but I found many of the articles in today’s roundup on the last day of February. Maybe everyone was saving their best for last. Either way, I hope you find the articles in today’s collection as informative and thought-provoking as I did!

1. Let’s start today with a wonderful article from my hometown newspaper. Anne Jarvis of The Windsor Star has some thoughtful insights on the cultural shifts that have led to many of us Living Beyond Our Means.

2. Miranda Marquit of All Business asked Has Personal Debt Really Been Going Down? This is based on U.S. credit card stats, but considering that the Canadian savings rate is now below that of our neighbours to the south, I’m sure we can draw similar conclusions north of the 42nd parallel.

3. How Are You Faring in the Jobless Recovery? Kevin from Out of Your Rut senses a sea change in the economy as the middle class is increasingly getting squeezed. He’s got 6 steps you can take to make sure your personal economy doesn’t suffer because of the macroeconomy.

4. Over at Million Dollar Journey, Frugal Trader questions Yield Chasing as an Investment Strategy. Should you buy the securities with those juicy 15%+ yields?

5. I’m a “never say never” kind of girl, but I have to agree with everything on Andrew Hallam’s List of What Investors Should Never Do.

6. Canadian Dream: Free at 45 has some advice that’s even more basic: Clueless on Investing? Then Don’t Use Stocks. I agree. You need to read the instruction manual before you handle a new tool. Did you hear that Mr. Cents?

7. Mark from My Own Advisor is clearly not clueless on investing and he’s pretty happy that he Just Bought Another Dull and Boring Stock. This one’s on my shopping list too.

8. If you’re looking for a few names to add to your own shopping list, you might want to check out 9 Sectors, 9 Great Dividend Stock Picks by The Dividend Guy.

9. For a bigger picture view of retirement savings, check out Boomer’s post on Wealth Based vs. Income Based Portfolios at Boomer and Echo.

10. As the rising price of oil continues to roil global markets, Beating the Index offers a fine explanation on Why the Middle East Is a Breeding Ground for Black Swan Events.

There were so many more great articles I could have included today. I highlight quite a few each day on Twitter. You can see my Twitter feed in the right sidebar or follow me on Twitter @BalanceJunkie.