So 2012 is already half over. (?!) It’s a good time to enjoy some warmer weather with family and friends, thinking about where we’ve been and where we want to go. To help put you in a pensive state of mind, I’ve collected 10 great articles from June. I hope you find some time to enjoy them. P.S. Happy Canada Day! 
1. In case you missed Anne-Marie Slaughter’s blockbuster article on Why Women Still Can’t Have It All, please take a few moments to check it out via The Atlantic. She offers a nice reality check for those who believe that you can have a demanding career and a family – and do both really well.
2. On a similar note, The Atlantic also published Conor Friedersdorf’s article In Defense of Stay-at-Home-Moms. Turns out Conor thinks stay-at-home-moms “do real work” and “the men in their lives know it.” This is a rebuttal to an article that claimed that abdicating a pay cheque to care for your home and children is not a real job.
3. Where Does All My Money Go published an article by Tusk Trader showing that Sex Discrimination on Bay Street Is Worse Than You Think. This was an eye-opener for me. I had no idea the financial industry was so far behind other sectors. I guess machismo is alive and well on Canadian trading floors.
4. According to Andrew Hepburn, trading floors aren’t the only area in which Bay Street is completely undiversified. In Meet the Toronto Stock Exchange, Andrew charts the striking concentration of financials and commodities traded on our home and native exchange and he shows how this puts our markets at higher risk if (when?) the global financial system blows another tire.
5. According to a study that won an award this June, it’s not just Canadian stocks that are riskier than you think. Do you buy into Jeremy Siegel’s “stocks for the long run” research? Well, according to this study, stocks are not necessarily less volatile in the long run. You can read the whole study here.
6. Although markets tried to stage a recovery mid-month, they drifted lower again as June drew to a close. Pragmatic Capitalist took a slightly longer term view, highlighting a few key charts at or near 10-year lows as June began.
7. Clark offered a great primer on The Basics of Economics over at Million Dollar Journey. I wish I had learned about this stuff a lot earlier.
8. Fast Company had a fascinating article on How Intangible Corporate Culture Creates Tangible Profits.
9. I thoroughly enjoyed Jeff Haden’s article on Inc. outlining 9 Beliefs of Remarkably Successful People. My favourite was #1: Time doesn’t fill me. I fill time. I haven’t mastered that one yet.
10. If, like many average folks, you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around the financial events of the past couple of decades, take some time to read Barry Ritholtz on Causes of the Financial Crisis. It’s an honest examination of the issues by someone who’s been around Wall Street for some time. Bonus: Barry recommends 5 great books to add to your summer reading list!
That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading!
Please feel free to add your 2 cents on any of these articles below.
