Congratulations to Bedford student Jennifer Tait, the lucky winner of an Apple iPad in the Nova Scotia draw of the Canadian Securities Administrator’s Financial Fitness Challenge.

Ms. Tait recently completed her first year of arts studies at Dalhousie University and is transferring to the University of New Brunswick in the fall to study nursing.

More than 600 Nova Scotia youth took the challenge to become more “financially fit” by visiting the annual financial literacy contest’s website at www.financialfitnesschallenge.ca between Feb. 15 and April 15.

Winnipeg student Ashley Olson took the national grand prize of a $2,000 scholarship.

The Challenge provides Canadian youth with the knowledge and resources to plan for and protect their financial futures, using fun trivia and great prizes to engage youth and make financial issues relevant.

Thousands of visitors from across Canada explored the website’s educational resources, used interactive tools and participated in online discussions. Twelve other provincial and territorial winners also demonstrated their financial savvy by participating in the challenge and were awarded an iPad. The national winner list is as follows:

• Ashley Olson (Grand Prize)
• Brogan Pratt (British Columbia)
• Brittany Taylor (Alberta)
• Corissa Ducharme (Saskatchewan)
• Tyler Ibrahim (Manitoba)
• Natalee Whelan (Ontario)
• Joanie Lacroix (Québec)
• Alyssa Bannister (New Brunswick)
• Jennifer Tait (Nova Scotia)
• Pierce Smith (Prince Edward Island)
• Amber Dyke (Newfoundland and Labrador)
• Trey Talbot (Northwest Territories)
• Adam Jewis (Nunavut)
• Shellby Fulton (Yukon)

While the 2011 Financial Fitness Challenge contest has ended, its Facebook and Twitter page, videos, educational resources and interactive tools remain available year-round to youth and teachers who visit www.financialfitnesschallenge.ca.

From March 2 to March 29 we’re giving away great prizes including gift cards for local restaurants, Chapters and iTunes, and commemorative editions of Canadian currency!

Learn how to play (link to simple rules)

Official contest rules

Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Today’s Trivia question is brought to you by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Maritimes.

Answer the question below for your chance to win a $50 Lawton’s card. Draw takes place Friday, 25 March 2011.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
What is one of the Better Better Business Bureau’s New Year’s resolutions that a consumer should follow?

Click here to visit the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Maritimes to find the answer.

Visit www.investinknowingmore.ca to provide your answer.

From March 2 to March 29 we’re giving away great prizes including gift cards for local restaurants, Chapters and iTunes, and commemorative editions of Canadian currency!

Learn how to play (link to simple rules)
Official contest rules

Monday, 21 March 2011

Today’s Trivia question is brought to you by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Maritimes.

Answer the question below for your chance to win a $50 iTunes card. Draw takes place Wednesday, 23 March 2011.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
In the Better Business Bureau list of top ten scams, what is the top scam for 2011?

Click here to visit the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Maritimes to find the answer.

Visit www.investinknowingmore.ca to provide your answer.

From March 2 to March 29 we’re giving away great prizes including gift cards for local restaurants, Chapters and iTunes, and commemorative editions of Canadian currency!

Learn how to play (link to simple rules)
Official contest rules

Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Today’s Trivia question is brought to you by  the New Brunswick Securities Commission.

Answer the question below for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate to local restaurants. Draw takes place Friday, 18 March 2011.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What are two ways to spot a scam artist?

Click here to visit the NBSC’s resource on how to spot a scam artist.

Visit www.investinknowingmore.ca to provide your answer.

From March 2 to March 29 we’re giving away great prizes including gift cards for local restaurants, Chapters and iTunes, and commemorative editions of Canadian currency!

Learn how to play (link to simple rules)
Official contest rules

Monday, 14 March 2011
Today’s Trivia question is brought to you by the New Brunswick Securities Commission.

Answer the question below for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate redeemable at select local restaurants. Draw takes place Friday, 18 March 2011.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
What are the four steps you should follow to check an investment before handing over any money?

Click here to visit the NBSC background check to find the answer.

Visit www.investinknowingmore.ca to provide your answer.

From March 2 to March 29 we’re giving away great prizes including gift cards for local restaurants, Chapters and iTunes, and commemorative editions of Canadian currency!

Learn how to play (link to simple rules)
Official contest rules

Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Today’s Trivia question is brought to you by  the Bank of Canada.

Answer the question below for your chance to win a $5 commemorative bill from the Bank of Canada. Draw takes place Friday, 11 March 2011.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
What four actions help to ensure that your bill is real?

a) Touch, tilt, look at, fold
b) Touch, tilt, look through, look at
c) Touch, look at, fold, rub on white paper
d) Touch, look through, fold, rub on white paper

Click here to visit the Bank of Canada website to find the answer.

Visit www.investinknowingmore.ca to provide your answer.

Learn how to play (link to simple rules)
Official contest rules

Monday, 7 March 2011
Today’s Trivia question is brought to you by  the Bank of Canada.

Answer the question below for your chance to win a $5 commemorative bill from the Bank of Canada. Draw takes place Friday, 11 March 2011.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Which of the following materials have been used to produce Bank of Canada bank notes?

a) Flax

b) Cotton
c) Linen
d) All of the above

Click here to visit the Bank of Canada website to find the answer.

Visit www.investinknowingmore.ca to provide your answer.

The contest is aimed at helping youth increase their financial literacy and offers them the chance to win an Apple® iPad or a grand prize of $2,000.

The Financial Fitness Challenge runs from February 15 to April 15, 2011 and uses interactive tools and scenarios to raise awareness of important financial concepts such as balancing needs versus wants, budgeting, saving and investing.

The bilingual contest is open to Canadians ages 15 to 21 and offers youth the opportunity to invite friends to join the Challenge, and to compete and engage with contest participants at a local and national level. Classroom materials including lesson plans are available to download from the Teacher and Parent Resource Centre.

At the close of the contest, 13 entries – one from each province and territory – will be randomly selected from eligible participants to win an Apple® iPad, and one national grand prize winner will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship.

Saving for a child’s education is an important goal for many families. But it is also a confusing and often difficult task. Parents are often struggling to balance daily expenses, a desire to buy a home or to pay down an existing mortgage, all while also needing to plan for their own retirement. Education savings is just one more thing on the financial “to-do” list.

RESPs are a fantastic tool which allow for tax-free growth of your education savings, and give access to government grants to top up your savings. But with all the rules and exceptions and options, parents often don’t know how to get started – or chose a plan early on, and later realize that it does not work for them, and it is too late to get out without penalties.

Parents (and uncles and aunts, grandparents, family friends, etc.) I am happy to tell you about a fantastic new resource: Mike Holman’s The RESP Book. Mike, a long-time personal finance blogger (First at Four Pillars, which later became the Money Smarts Blog) has written an easy to read, easy to follow guide to Registered Education Savings Plans. He will help you to understand how the accounts work, how to get one started, what kind of RESP account to set up and what kind of investments to buy. He addresses all the relevant topics: RESP grant eligibility, types of grants, Canada Learning Bonds, contribution rules,  withdrawal rules, how to avoid penalties, and (I was so happy to see this!) basic investing information.

I spend my days educating Nova Scotians about investing. I have heard the complaints, and sometimes the horror stories of those who have gotten into investment products they do not understand. I have helped individuals navigate the often unreadable fine-print of account contracts and websites. Here, finally, is a comprehensive resource written in plain-language, full of easy to understand examples, to help parents and family members feel confident they are investing their education savings safely, and building a nest egg for their child.

The RESP Book is available from Amazon.ca, but one lucky reader will receive a free copy from Before You Invest and the Nova Scotia Securities Commission. Simply leave a comment below with your RESP question, frustration or success. On Monday, November 8, I will draw one name from all commenters and send that person a free copy. Good luck.

October is Investor Education Month in Canada. We at Before You Invest believe you can never have too much education, and regularly encourage investors to read up on investing and personal finance. Throughout the month of October, we will be awarding readers with great personal finance books, and one lucky reader will win an all new Kindle WiFi e-reader, loaded with our favourite finance books!

How do you enter?

On the blog:

1. 1.     You may enter by visiting Before You Invest and commenting on any of the October 2010 blog posts. Please note that your comment must relate to the post content. (Comments subject to moderation, at discretion of the staff of the Nova Scotia Securities Commission.) One entry per person, per blog post will be eligible for the draw.
2. 2.     You may earn an additional entry to that week’s draw, and the monthly draw, but subscribing to the Before You Invest blog.

On Twitter:

1. 1.      Follow @B4UInvest (www.twitter.com/B4UInvest). We’ll need to be able to direct message for your details if you win so we can send your prize.
2. 2.      Every weekday, we’ll post a trivia question. The answer to all questions can be found on the Before You Invest website, or on links we will provide.
3. 3.      Tweet your answer (within 140 characters of course) using the hashtags #iemonth #ns. You must use the hashtag to enter the contest. (That’s how we’ll find you.)
4. 4.      Only one correct entry per Twitter account, per day, will be eligible for the draw.

On Facebook:

1. 1.        Participants can gain an additional entry for the Kindle prize by “liking” Before You Invest on Facebook.
2. 2.        Once per week, participants can earn an additional entry in the book draws by answering a trivia question we will post on the Before You Invest Facebook page.

The contest will run weekdays, from October 4 to October 29, 2010. One prize package (consisting of two finance books) will be awarded per week in each of the first 4 weeks. All eligible correct answers received will be entered into a random draw. The draw will take place the following Monday, at the office of the Nova Scotia Securities Commission.

The winners will be announced through Twitter, on Facebook and on www.beforeyouinvest.ca.

All eligible entries received between October 4 to October 29 (inclusive) will be entered into the Grand Prize draw for a Kindle Wifi. Draw date will be on November 1, 2010. The winner will be announced on Twitter, Facebook, and on www.beforeyouinvest.ca.

Please read the official Rules and Regulations.

From March 1 to March 31 we’re giving away 4 copies of Quicken Cash Manager software, and one Grand Prize of a Nintendo Wii!

How do I enter?

1.    Of course, you’ll need a Twitter account. (*To answer triva. To enter without a Twitter account, see #6.)

2.    Follow www.twitter.com/B4UInvest. We’ll need to be able to direct message for your details if you win so we can send your prize.

3.    Every weekday, we’ll post a trivia question. The answer to all questions can be found on our website: www.beforeyouinvest.ca, or on links we will provide.

4.    Tweet your answer (within 140 characters of course) using the hashtag #fraudfree. You must use the hashtag to enter the contest. (That’s how we’ll find you.)

5.    Only one correct entry per Twitter account, per day, will be eligible for the draw.

6.    You may also enter by visiting www.beforeyouinvest.ca and providing relevant commentary on articles and blog posts. (Comments subject to moderation, at discretion of the staff of the Nova Scotia Securities Commission.) One entry per blog post, per day will be eligible for the draw.

7.    The contest will run weekdays, from March 1 to March 31, 2010. One copy of Quicken Cash Management software will be awarded per week in each of the first 4 weeks. All eligible correct answers received will be entered into a random draw. The draw will take place the following Monday, at the office of the Nova Scotia Securities Commission.

8.    The winners will be announced through Twitter and on www.beforeyouinvest.ca.

9.    All eligible entries received between March 1 and March 31 will be entered into the Grand Prize draw for a Nintendo Wii. Draw date will be on April 1, 2010. The winner will be announced on Twitter and on www.beforeyouinvest.ca.

Please read the official Rules and Regulations.

The Challenge, which runs Feb. 15 to April 15, uses a new, interactive website to quiz youth on their financial knowledge. The contest is sponsored by the Canadian Securities Administrators, of which the Nova Scotia Securities Commission is a member.

The contest allows participants to compete with friends and other  people at a local and national level. It also features its own Facebook page where young Canadians can exchange ideas and tips about managing money, or you can receive contest updates on Twitter.

While anyone can visit the site, the bilingual contest is open to Canadians aged 15 to 21. Thirteen entries, one from each province and territory, will be randomly selected from eligible participants to win a notebook computer, with a national grand prize winner awarded $2,000.

Teachers are also encouraged to use the program as a fun and informative learning tool to support the development of good financial behaviour among their students. Visit the teacher resource page to download classroom materials, including complete lesson plans.

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.)

How do I enter?

1. 1. Of course, you have to have a twitter account.
2. 2. Follow www.twitter.com/B4UInvest. We’ll need to be able to direct message for your details if you win so we can send you the iPod.
3. 3. Everyday, we’ll post a trivia question. The answer to all questions can be found on our website: www.beforeyouinvest.ca.
4. 4. Tweet your answer (within 140 characters of course) using the hashtag #IEtwivia. You must use the hashtag to enter the contest. (That’s how we’ll find you.)
5. 5. One entry per Twitter account, per day.
6. 6. The contest will run from October 5 – October 30, 2009. One iPod Shuffle will be awarded per week. All correct answers received will be entered into a random draw. The draw will take The winner will be announced on the following day over twitter and on www.beforeyouinvest.ca.
7. 7. All correct entries received will be entered into the Grand Prize draw for an iPod Touch. Draw date will be on November 1, 2009. The winner will be announced on the following day over twitter and on www.beforeyouinvest.ca.

Please read the official Rules and Regulations, and note that due to contest law, contest is only open to legal residents of Canada, and not to residents of Quebec.