The Complete Idiot's Guide to Personal Finance for Canadians

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, Japan Foundation Fellow 1991-92, and the author of
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered:
Leo Kennedy’s Story.

Borrowing the title strategy used by books aimed at technophobes and
self-styled computer dummies, this guide stakes out its territory: the
novice investor, frozen at the starting gate.

Front and back covers keep up the pitch. This book is “cheaper than
therapy,” “your help in times of trouble,” and “the best
reference for the financial novice.” The accuracy of the latter claim
depends on your temperament. Paragraph titles like “Budget
Schmudget!” and “The Plan, Stan” can become irritating, but much
of the low-grade humor serves as a mnemonic device. You’ll remember
it. Cartoons and the book’s design also make it user-friendly.

One negative: the authors feel no compunction to identify themselves or
note their track record. Actually, only a few chapters offer investment
advice in a narrow sense. The guide is a financial primer and catch-all,
sweeping over broad areas such as real estate, RRSPs, mortgages, power
of attorney, living wills, life insurance, and that most basic of all
financial questions: Why save? The language can be irritating. Browse
before buying.