This is a special edition of our monthly 20 Cents roundup. Balance Junkie was born one year ago today. It’s been a pretty eventful year in the financial world, and I’m grateful to everyone who has shared their thoughts here over the past 12 months.
I hope to continue to grow our community in the coming year as well, but I’ve been told I need to be a little more forceful with self-promotion. It’s not something I’m terribly comfortable with, so if you know anyone who is interested in personal finance, economics, and life balance, please don’t be shy about mentioning BJ or forwarding articles you find particularly interesting. If you want to suggest anything you’d like to see more of on BJ, go ahead and send me an email.
I’d like send out a special note of thanks to Balance Junkie readers and to my fellow bloggers. So many of you have been so kind and encouraging in your comments, links, Tweets, Stumbles and Tips that I can’t possibly mention everyone here. Rest assured, however, that your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated.
I’m always honoured to receive compliments on the quality of my writing, and it seems to happen more often than I deserve. I’ve had several requests to write for other blogs this year. You can find some BJ content syndicated on Seeking Alpha. More recently I’ve become a contributing writer at both Money Crashers and Financial Highway. So if you want to subject yourself to more of my ramblings, you can find me (and some other really good writers) at these two online publications.
In honour of Balance Junkie’s first anniversary, I thought I would highlight two posts from each site instead of just one. So I guess you could say we’re offering 40 cents from November 2010 today. I know it’s not fancy, but I hope you enjoy these articles as much as I did, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy Balance Junkie! 
1. The Dividend Guy suggested that buying a good dividend stock might be the Best Black Friday Deal. He’s got a couple of specific suggestions for you too. He also wrote about SRI – Socially Responsible Investing and asked whether you can make good money investing this way.
2. Have you started your RECP (Retirement Emotional Circle Plan)? Larry MacDonald suggests that we should Attend Charm School Before Retirement in his review of Lyndsay Green’s book You Could Live a Long Time: Are You Ready? He also continued his informative series on What the Scholars Are Saying.
3. Tom wrote about a whole bunch of different Ways to Save Money at Canadian Finance. With today’s uncertain job market and less-than-stable pension system, Jim Yih writes that Despite the Challenges of Retirement Planning a happy retirement is achievable. He’s got some great ideas on what you need to know to get there.
4. Frugal Trader wrote about Succession Planning for the Family CFO at Million Dollar Journey. He also made some of us a little jealous in How We Paid Off Our Mortgage in 3 Years. Way to go FT!
5. Thoughts I Always Keep With Me – for Happiness was posted by Daniel at Personal Dividends. Find out the two key thoughts he focuses on each day. Meanwhile, Miranda wrote Productivity: Could Working Less Really Help You Get More Done? This article makes a lot of great points on how going full throttle 24-7 doesn’t always produce the best results. I’ve learned that the hard way – more than once.
6. Bret at Hope to Prosper asks us to Imagine a Life without Debt. Doesn’t that sound amazing? I can’t wait. Given his contempt for debt, I guess it’s not surprising that Bret’s not exactly a member of the Federal Reserve fan club. He’s got some pretty good reasons for it too, and he spells them out in The Federal Reserve Plunders America.
7. Kevin from Invest It Wisely wrote about Challenging Your Thoughts and Beliefs and suggested 3 Unconventional Investment Moves to Make in 2011. I love the idea of challenging our core assumptions, and stretching outside the box.
8. Squirrelers had a couple of good articles in November that made me think. First, there were 10 Tips to Improve Productivity. I’m working on my “not-to-do” list. Then, there was a touching post on Lessons from a 7-Year-Old and a 97-Year-Old. Just read it. You’ll be glad you did.
9. Young and Thrifty is another Canadian financial blog that recently celebrated its first anniversary. A couple of my favourite articles from November were a book review of The Intelligent Investor and a thoughtful piece that wondered If I Were a Boy . . .
10. Out of Your Rut featured an interesting article by Rob Bennett that asked Am I Crazy for Being Out of the Stock Market for 14 Years? More recently, Kevin asked Where Are You Investing Your Money Right Now? He suggests that we shouldn’t forget to include investing in ourselves (through our businesses or careers) when we’re looking at our asset allocation – great advice.
As usual, there were more great posts this month than room to write about them. I hope you enjoyed this small sample. Thanks again for reading over the past year. I’ve learned a lot from all of you, and I’m looking forward to learning more over the next year too! 
Your comments are always welcome. You can add your thoughts on one of these fine articles, or you can share a favourite BJ post or comment from the past year. The floor is yours.
Happy 1 year anniversary BJ! I’ve been a reader for some time and really enjoy your posts. We are one week down, 51 weeks to go until we hit your impressive mark! Congrats!
Thanks and welcome to the blogosphere! I’ll head over and check out your site. In some ways, the year has flown by. In others, it’s been a long slog from zero readers to a few hundred regulars.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to your first anniversary post in 2011!
Happy 1st anniversary. What an accomplishment. You should feel proud of yourself and all you have done with this blog the last 12 months. I too have been a reader for sometime and I enjoy reading your posts. They are always so in depth with lots of detail so I am sure to understand the topic fully. I have a few more months to go before I hit my one year anniversary. Hopefully I will be able to be as proud as you.
PS: If you are ever interested in guest posting or having guest posters let me know.
Yeah, I have a hard time keeping my posts short. It always feels like I’m not doing justice to the topic (or to readers) if I cut them short. I’m sure some folks appreciate the detail while others wish I’d cut back already.
Congratulations on sticking with it at Prairie EcoThrifter. I wish you continued success in the New Year!
Congratulations! Very well done, and thank you.
Thanks for reading Ian, and for contributing your thoughts over the past 12 months!
Congratulations on reaching the one-year mark. It looks like it was a good one for you. Here’s to another. And thanks for the mentions!
Not a bad year at all. I hope to keep up the momentum into 2011. Thanks so much for your comments and support over the past year!
Congratulations on your first anniversary. The first year is always the toughest. You can look back now and appreciate all of the wonderful posts you have produced. And, you can look ahead to next year knowing you already have plenty of fans.
It was a tough year in some ways. There were days where I wondered whether anyone besides my husband was reading. If I can hang in there as long as Hope to Prosper has so far, I will be very grateful.
It’s been great exchanging ideas with you over the past year. Let’s hope the next one is a little more boring!
Congratulations on your first anniversary.
The honeymoon phase is now over!
Look forward to more great posts.
Steve
Oh boy. The honeymoon’s over, eh? OK. I guess it’s time to come through with some really great posts. I sure hope I don’t disappoint!
Thanks for stopping by Steve, and for reading over the past year!
Congrats on the 1 yr anniversary!
Mike
Thanks so much Mike. Now if only I could find the time to write a really helpful book like you did with The RESP Book, I would really be on my way!
Happy 1st anniversary!
I enjoy reading your thoughts around here especially when it comes to investing. Keep the good stuff coming.
Thanks! It sounds like you’ve had a great run with your investments, so I might need to ask you for some advice if or when I decide to enter the markets again!
Happy anniversary, Balance Junkie! I think your writing is great, and I highly enjoy reading your posts. I look forward to much more of the same in the new year.
I really enjoy your outside-the-box thinking as well Kevin. Keep up the good work and thanks so much for taking the time to contribute your comments here too!
Congratulations and Happy 1st Birthday Kim, keep up the great work!
Thanks Echo!
Happy Blogiversary BJ! We have similar blogiversaries, I guess most bloggers start their blogs in November/ December, eh?
I hope we get to celebrate our 2nd blogiversary next year
Congratulations on a wonderful blog!
Happy Blogiversary to you too! I’m looking forward to both of us celebrating year #2 next fall! Thanks for stopping by.
Congrats and thanks for the mentions!
Thanks Frugal Trader!
This blog has always looked so well established. You’ve done such a great job with it. I never would have thought that it had only been around for one year. I know that I have been reading your posts for what seems like more than a year now, so that article about you in the Globe and Mail last year (Me and My Money) must have come out when you just started the blog. That was what got me onto your site. Congratulations! It clearly looks as though you also have a well-deserved following. Keep up the great work
Andrew
Thanks Andrew. That means a lot coming from someone with your level of investment knowledge and experience. I’m still a relative newcomer on the web, but I’m glad I managed not too look too green!
Thanks so much for stopping by to offer your good wishes. All the best to you!
Sorry I missed this post… First off, congrats on hitting the one year mark, I didn’t realize it’s been so long! Secondly, thanks for the mention!