January is always a very interesting month as everyone rushes to their pencils to draw up new resolutions and see how everything is going. I do the same thing so I can’t complain but I just hope that everyone takes the time to look back at their resolutions at least once or twice per month, or less they will just be forgotten!

I cannot do these ramblings without first suggesting that you make a donation to help the situation in Haiti. I suggest giving to either Unicef or Care at Google`s page, or perhaps the Bill Clinton foundation. We truly can make a positive difference in this world and this is one of the moments where it can happen.

Here are some of the best readings I enjoyed last week:

Google and China @ Time.com
Your most important financial decision? Your Spouse! @ Moolanomy
S&P500 Dividend aristocrats @ bargaineering
A look at my net worth – January @ TheFinancialBlogger
Goldman expects Q4 GDP to be 5.8%! @ ZeroHedge
Selling Puts on Intel(INTC) @ MyTradersJournal
The Invese relationship between gold and the us dollar @ MoneyUnder30
Roth IRA contribution limits for 2010 @ FourPillars
My Financial Goals for 2010 @ MillionDollarJourney

On Monday, I was asked about the spreadsheet that I use when deciding on possible and potential trades. So here you go, you can start by downloading the file and I will briefly explain how I use it:

DOWNLOAD HERE

You can see the different stocks that I track (currently 23), which are sorted by the subcategory (column 3). If you are a regular reader of this blog, most of those names will ring a bell, I have either traded or discussed almost all of them.

Column 4 is obviously the price. I do not pay that much attention to the price except perhaps avoiding stocks that would trade under 5$, these can become very volatile, hard to borrow, etc.

Column 5: this includes the annualized earnings per share

Column 6, 7 & 8: the PE ratio is one of the primary indicators that I use when looking for stocks that are undervalued or overvalued.  There are also estimates from Bloomberg for PE ratios for the next two years which also give interesting informations.

Column 9: Total return YTD is not as much help right now with the year just starting but as the year goes on, it helps to give an indication of stocks that could have moved differently from others, etc.

Column 10: The sales growth is a clear indication of how quicky each company is growing, in terms of revenues only.

Now obviously, I do not decide on a trade simply by looking at this table, but it is what gives me ideas which I then take the time to research in details, looking at news, statements, visitor stats, etc, etc. I also use stockcharts.com to get the graphs that I use. I generally look for one of two trade ideas:

-Stocks that trade at similar PE ratios, then deciding if it is warranted or if one stock is undervalued.

-Stocks that are similar because they are in the same sub-category (such as the trade done yesterday on Expedia & Priceline), these also offer many possibilities.

Again, this is just a start but it will give you a good idea of how I get my trade ideas.

Any comments/questions?

No-fault insurance does sound like no one has to be responsible for a car accident, but that is not the case. When an accident occurs, it means that each driver is required to contact his or her own car insurance company regardless of which one caused the damage.

This type of auto insurance in Ontario also applies to each passenger in the cars involved. Each one must contact his/her own insurance company to see what benefits are available. In the event that someone is traveling with no insurance, they may be covered under the driver’s policy.

Fault Determination Rules are used by insurance companies so that fault is justly placed upon the right party (or parties) involved in an automobile accident. These rules work closely with the Insurance Act so that accidents are dealt with in a timely manner. Drivers beware that charges can still be made by the police at an accident using the Highway Traffic Act.

All types of accidents are up for determination of fault when they occur. Some are deemed “no fault” by either driver when road conditions come into play. Even though the police may decide this way, the insurance company still has to place blame somewhere. When an accident occurs the driver at fault will have to pay a deductible for damages and the insurance premiums may rise upon renewal of the policy.

Some do not agree with their “at fault” status when an insurance company makes a decision on an accident claim. There are ways to fight this. The insurance company’s Ombudsman Liaison Officer can be contacted and then the Ontario Insurance Ombudsman if needed. After these two, some opt for a court preceding if not happy with the outcome.

With the winter, snow, ice and cold weather around, thankfully there is some football on this weekend to keep us warm next to the tv:) I still had some time to look around the web and here are some of my best reads:

-Invest in your most income producing asset @ GetRichSlowly
-Jobs not being created? Is the economy alright? @ Smartmoney
-Returns comparisons between hedged and unhedged ETF returns @ CanadianCapitalist
-Good returns by Four Pillars in 2009 @ Four Pillars
-4 moves to achieve your financial goals @ GatherLittlebyLittle
-How to buy a blog in 3 easy steps @ TheFinancialBlogger
-2009 Financial Goals evaluation @ MillionDollarJourney
-Top 10 hottest ETF’s for January 2010 @ StockTradingtogo
-The World is a better place outside the US @ Marketwatch
-Leveraged ETF’s meet leveraged mutual funds @ ZachStocks