Invest in these stocking stuffers

by Natalie MacLellan on December 15, 2009

in Contests, educational resources, financial goals

Only 10 days till Christmas. Have you got your shopping done?

To help you out, I have quizzed staff at the Nova Scotia Securities Commission, as well as our followers on Twitter, for their personal finance book recommendations. These make great stocking stuffers, and offer lessons that last a lifetime.

Our top picks are:

1. The Wealthy Barber, by David Chilton. It’s a Canadian classic. Covers the whole range of personal finance topics in a story format that anyone can understand. A great book for beginners.

2. The New Retirement, by Sherry Cooper.
Retirement is changing in Canada, and Sherry Cooper has advice for boomers. The economist draws from studies in psychology and gerontology to offer tips on living the second half of your adult life productively and in good health.

3. The Smart Cookies Guide to Making More Dough, by Andrea Baxter, Angela Self, Katie Dunsworth, Robyn Gunn, and Sandra Hanna. The Smart Cookies are five young Canadian women who formed a “money club” to dig thenmselves out of debt and turn their financial lives around. In this book, the “Cookies” share their stories, offer easy-to-follow steps, and lay out simple plans for meeting any goal, whether it’s eliminating debt, making good investments, becoming a smart spender or saving up for a big-ticket purchase.


Do you have a favourite personal finance book or resource? What should I be putting in my family’s Christmas stockings? Leave a comment below, or retweet this post, and you could win your choice of the books listed. (Draw date Friday, December 18, 2009. Contest open to Canadian residents only.)

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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Brian 12.15.09 at 11:16 am

Wealthy Barber is a great pick…read it when I was young and have always subscribed to the ‘pay yourself first’ idea…so simple yet so effective

2 Charlene 12.15.09 at 12:22 pm

I need a book that step by step, day by day tells me what to spend and how to track it, and why I shouldn’t spend in on that!

Hm… wait, I need a husband.

Wealthy Barber rocks! That Smart Cookie book sounds good too though.

3 Laura 12.15.09 at 12:44 pm

The Smart Cookies book is a goodie. And I picked it up at Costco so it was even cheaper than the cover price!

4 Ashley 12.15.09 at 1:26 pm

It’s The Wealthy Barber for me this xmas!

5 Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog 12.17.09 at 3:01 pm

Big fan of Wealthy Barber for anyone’s first finance read. I’ve got 2 other favorites that changed how I look at investing…

The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein – Details the theory, history, psychology and the business of building a portfolio.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle – A compelling argument for following the market through index funds, from the founder of Vanguard.

If I were to win, I’d be interested in checking out The Smart Cookies Guide to Making More Dough

6 Kathy 12.17.09 at 3:50 pm

I haven’t read it yet, but I would love to win Start Late, Finish Rich by David Bach. It’s on my Christmas list!!!

7 Hollie 12.17.09 at 4:54 pm

I too am a fan of Start Late Finish Rich by David Bach.. I would be interested in The Smart Cookies Guide. I hear it is a good read.

8 Steve Zussino 12.17.09 at 6:50 pm

I think the 4 hour work week is great.

It teaches you to simplify your life and work!

9 Natalie MacLellan 12.22.09 at 10:09 am

Congratulations to our retweeter cre8tivecandy for winning our stocking stuffer giveaway!

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