If you are new to WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com, every Friday I run a post called “A Lap Of The Blogs” which provides links to articles I found interesting and think that others may want to read for themselves. I also sometimes include some commentary on what’s going on in my personal life and a weekly “racing video” since my former life was in the auto-racing industry. The name “Lap of the Blogs” is in reference to “A Lap Of The Gods” which is an old video series which chronicled on-board footage of the world’s greatest F1 drivers lapping various racetracks from around the world. NOTE: you have to visit the actual website to see the embedded video – it may not appear in your email. Just click on the title of the email to see it…

I was in Calgary on Tuesday and Wednesday but luckily a chinook rolled in and the temperature wasn’t as bad as it has been of late. In Vancouver now until Sunday. It’s interesting how different the general portfolio management philosophy is from province to province. Without generalizing too much, I’m not the only one who has noticed that Albertan advisors are much heavier into commodity exposure and oil and gas plays, and BC advisors seem to have more exposure to OM products (investment funds requiring Offering Memorandums as opposed to Simplified Prospectuses – this means hedge funds, concentrated real estate plays, MIC-like investments, etc.). Anyways…

From Around The Blogosphere

Canadian Capitalist notes that the new HST in Ontario and BC doesn’t seem to mean as much extra burden as bandied about in the media of late.

Big Cajun Man notes that the desire to avoid shooting pool with a rope means men are healthier in general than they’ve ever been. This is definitely worth a read – insightful and very funny!

Jonathan Chevreau notes that two-thirds of Canadians are planning on skipping their RRSP contributions this year. Perhaps one other reason could be that TFSA room is competing for long term savings/investment dollars?

Million Dollar Journey has a post about charitable giving. I, too, do not give the $1 donations at the cashier because I don’t get a tax receipt and I have a budget for charitable giving. I also only give to certain charities. I’d love to give to them all, but you have to draw a line somewhere. It shouldn’t make you feel bad.

Thicken My Wallet talks about Holiday Savings and Holiday Scams.

Michael James on Money no longer believes in recycling mouse traps, he reached his frugality limits on this one.

Four Pillars has a last minute cheap gift guide.

Canadian Financial DIY has a post explaining how to maintain asset class exposure whilst avoiding superficial losses if you have a capital loss you’d like to crystallize.

Ellen Roseman explains that while credit cards can protect you from online fraud, they don’t protect you from not reading the fine print.

This Week’s Racing Video

Why drive on a controlled, closed circuit race track when you can take a behemoth of a car and drive it on public roads? Welcome to the world of hill-climbs… Enjoy!