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The Globe and Mail's Globe Investor section (which replaced Net Worth) is dedicated to giving you what you need to manage your personal finances successfully. Globe Investor appears every Saturday in The Globe and Mail and on globeinvestor.com. View our archive of past Globe Investor issues.
TOP STORY
The ABCs of ETFs
Exchange-traded funds are cheap, easy to buy and, if history is any guide, may be a much better way to invest than mutual funds. As finds, ETFs can make great building blocks for a home-made portfolio
By ROB CARRICK
It's time you got up close and personal with the product that could eventually end the mutual fund industry's reign as the investment choice of the masses.Exchange-traded funds are simple to understand, a cinch to buy and cheaper to own than almost all mutual funds. Most importantly, history suggests they'll give you better performance than the majority of mutual funds over the long haul, and more flexibility in constructing a portfolio.
Teachers struggle to make ends meet
By ANDREW ALLENTUCK
For Mary and Mark Oldman, a couple in their early 30s living in Guelph, Ont., raising Matthew, their six-month-old child is a stretch.Mark, a high-school science teacher, is the current breadwinner of the family. Mary, a primary-school teacher, is on an extended leave of absence. If she returns to work when Matthew begins school, it will only be part time. Until that happens they are committed to a frugal lifestyle in order to meet their long-term goals of home ownership and a university education for Matthew.
For Richer or Poorer: Putting it in writing
It may not sound like the world's most romantic idea, but there's good reasons for love birds to consider a prenuptial agreement. Here's a primer on the advantages of getting it in writing before the big day.
By GAIL VAZ-OXLADE
While no one ever gets married with the intention of getting a divorce, each year thousands of couples in Canada call it quits. Most people would prefer an amiable separation, but anger and disappointment being what they are, this rarely happens. And while less than 4 per cent of divorces are finalized by a contested hearing, the squabbling and confrontations of an out-of-court settlement are no less messy.
NET WORTH - BEST BUYS
A weekly scorecard of some of the lowest and highest rates and yields across Canada. The survey of mortgage, GIC and car loan rates - taken from a sample of companies by Cannex Financial Exchanges - covers posted rates only so consumers may be able to haggle for a better deal at some financial institutions.
You may have to pay someone else's taxes
By TIM CESTNICK
I've been without a car for the past couple of weeks.I sold my bachelor-to-the-core, two-door, 200 horsepower, shiny black sports car two weeks ago. I've got two kids now, and my wife Carolyn had been a little jealous that I've been cruising around town in the car, while she drives the minivan.
Two new Internet services offer financial advice
By ROB CARRICK
You're chafing at the paternalism and lack of results you get from working with a financial adviser, but you lack the confidence to make your own investing decisions.Welcome to the middle ground of investing, half way between dependence and independence.
Coal is dead -- just like oil was
By BENJ GALLANDER BEN STADELMANN
When the price of oil nose-dived many analysts predicted continued low prices, but we were skeptical. We concluded the price of this commodity was cheap, and a rebound was in store that would be reflected in the value of stocks in this sector. Coal appears ready to mimic the oil scenario.
STARS & DOGS
A selection of this week's winners and losers Compiled by Dave EbnerWHO'S HOTJohn Manley Our dashing Industry Minister is getting tough, putting his foot down, not taking any guff. Well, maybe, at least. John Manley let it be known this week that the federal government might ignore a recent World Trade Organization ruling that would force the Liberals to redraw parts of the Patent Act. Bold, certainly, especially with the threat of U.S. retaliation in the air. But is Mr. Manley really in a combative mood? No comment from the man himself and all his office could muster was: ''Other countries have also chosen not to comply.'' Them's some real serious fightin' words.
These books try to discover what drives investors
By GORDON POWERS
As high-flying tech stocks continue to give ground, dip-buying investors are becoming increasingly nervous. If you're fight or flight synapses are working overtime, perhaps it's time to try to figure out what's really driving your decision-making.
HOT HAND
A look at what the hot fund managers are buying
By ANDREW ALLENTUCK
The Resolute Growth Fund earned its unitholders 14.5 per cent in the six months ended Sept. 30, five times the 3.1-per-cent return of Canadian small- to mid-capitalization funds for the period. For the year ended Sept. 30, it gained 77 per cent, more than twice the 31.7-per-cent average gain of funds in the category. And for five years, it has a 22.7-per-cent return.
HOME BASE
By RANDY RAY
WHAT: Three bedrooms, in 4,500 square feet on a five-acre waterfront lot. WHERE: On Vancouver Island, 25 minutes north of Cassidy Airport in Nanaimo and 175 kilometres from Victoria. AMENITIES: This estate is minutes from a marina and a handful of golf courses. It overlooks the islands of Hornby and Denman with the mainland mountains and the Georgia Strait as the backdrop.
