20 Cents from July 2010

Today is a Civic Holiday for many people in Canada. If you are one of those, I hope you’re enjoying your long weekend! Once again, I was amazed by the number of really great articles out there in July. Here are just 10 of my many favourites. Enjoy!

1. Brett Arends at The Wall Street Journal gets the top spot this month for pointing out Ten Stock Market Myths That Just Won’t Die. There are some real gems here. How many times have you heard these pearls of wisdom? (Sarcasm intended.)

2. Thicken My Wallet offered some ideas on Avoiding Overexposure to the Equity Market. This is a great look at some of the reasons we may come to have too much equity exposure and a few ways to avoid them.

3. The omnipresent Miranda Marquit wrote about how Compound Interest Can Be Your Friend. This article, posted at Cash Money Life, comes complete with a fantastic infographic that shows how compound interest can be both a friend and foe.

4. Control Your Cash gave a detailed explanation of the people and concepts behind a few companies that seem to be Too Big to Stop Failing. If you’ve always wondered exactly what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do and why it’s so important to wind them down A.S.A.P., this article is worth your time.

5. In Search of Salt shares some classic investing advice in Nearly Everything I Learned about Investing I Learned from My Father. You can’t hear this kind of stuff too often, and the stories that go with each lesson make for a great read!

6. Jim Yih offers some really good reasons why you should Take Control of Your Portfolio Before You Retire at Wealth Web Gurus. These cautionary tales might just give you the inspiration you need to audit (or start) your retirement planning.

7. While You Are Growing Your Net Worth, Pay Attention to Your Self-Worth. So says The Loop 21 and I couldn’t agree more. How about you?

8. Business Insider gave us 21 Reasons Why the So-Called Recovery Is a Joke for Many Americans, but I found it through Wall St. Cheat Sheet. There is a lot of great information, graphic evidence, and food for thought here.

9. Bank Nerd posted BMO Survey Reveals Why Canadians Are Not Saving for Retirement. This is a really interesting survey that examines the competing priorities Canadians face and the disconnect between our beliefs and our behaviours.

10. Go Banking Rates reminds us Why Saving Before Spending Is a Better Idea. Take a look at the spending equation vs. the saving equation and see if it makes more sense (and cents! )

Has July passed already? Here’s hoping you get a chance to savour the Dog Days with people you care about. That’s always a great investment!

As always, I welcome your comments on these articles or anything else you see here at Balance Junkie.