Every Wednesday, Patrick McKeough, editor of The Successful Investor publishes his “Investor Toolkit” series on his TSI Network. These weekly updates are designed to offer specific investment advice ... which you can accept or ignore as you like.

Written in jargon-free English, each update provides a fundamental piece of investing strategy, and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.

Last week, for instance, McKeough warned about some of the dangers in putting too much faith in a company's history of dividend payments. Too many investors think of a stock with a good dividend history as the next best thing to a government bond.

Minor hockey is over and, although summer and soccer are still a few weeks away, weary parents have to decide soon which sports camps their kids are going to sign up for -- and for how long.

The cost of sending your son or daughter away for a week or more can be daunting. Some parents simply need a babysitter but, for many, it’s all about helping talented kids realize their potential. And the sky is the limit in that case.

And, as Mark Hyman documents in recent book, The Most Expensive Game in Town, the lengths to which many parents go in pursuit of that vision can turn it into a nightmare. 

How much are parents plunking down to send Johnny to that hockey camp or to support Tamara's golf aspirations? A lot, says Hyman, who laments what he calls the over-commercialization of children's athletics.

Canadians will be spending a little more on gifts for mom this Mother's Day.

As a matter of fact, they'll be spending an average of $107 to shower mom with love on May 12. That's up 27 per cent over 2012, according to BMO Bank of Montreal's 2013 Mother's Day survey.

And, men are planning on spending a little more than their female counterparts ($119 versus $96).

How do you know you've found the right home? Well, it's love at first sight of course.

According to a new report by BMO Bank of Montreal, 80 per cent of prospective homebuyers are sold on a home when they first set eyes on it.

The Psychology of House Hunting report, conducted by Pollara, also found that while 80 per cent know right off the bat that it's the perfect home for them, another 68 per cent say they are willing to settle for a home that's less than perfect.

What are the odds?

No, really. What are the odds of actually winning the biggest Lotto 6/49 jackpot in Canadian history?

Well, I wouldn't quit your day job.

According to statistics, chances are one in almost 14 million -- well, one in 13,983,816 to be exact.

Up for grabs is an estimated $55 million jackpot which is continuing to grow.

Move over Imelda Marcos -- make more closet room for Canadian men and their love of shoes.

A new report, released by global research company NPD Group, revealed that Canadian men really do like their shoes. 

In fact, sales of men's footwear in Canada stepped up by 13 per cent in 2012 way ahead of women's sales which grew by a modest three per cent. Overall, the industry saw a six per cent growth spurt socking in $5.1 billion in sales.

First we heard of Wal-Mart weddings, now the latest buzz from the world's largest retailer is that it is considering having its in-store customers deliver packages to its online customers.

With millions of customers across the globe, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is hoping that this growing trend called "crowd-sourcing" will create speedier delivery services for its online buyers.

The idea is still, well -- just an idea, and all the details have yet to be worked out. For instance, an in-store customer would receive perhaps a store discount for dropping off a package on the way home to an online customer.

Eggs...check. Baskets...check. Chocolate...check. Presents...check. Budget...what budget?

Believe it or not, Easter is the second biggest gift-giving holiday occasion for Canadians next to Christmas.

From organizing an Easter egg hunt for your kids to buying gifts, flowers, food, candy, visiting relatives -- it all adds up. And, if you didn't already have it included in your annual household budget you may be stretching it a little bit.

If it sounds too good to be true -- it probably is.

The Competition Bureau wants consumers to be aware of scams as part of its 2 Good 2 Be True campaign during Fraud Prevention Month in March.

Among the various scams out there, the Competition Bureau wants consumers to recognize false online testimonials and subscription traps on mobile devices.

What do you do when dealing with a wealthier friend who's quick to reach for his wallet in social situations? Sure, it's a nice problem to have, but everyone wants to feel some sense of control when it comes to money. 

Say, you've just bought Raptors tickets and want to bring him along.

If you tell him the tickets are your treat, he’ll still insist on paying. But if you tell him the tickets were free (likely the only way he won't pony up), you'll miss out on some of the charge that comes from giving an expensive gift.

Here's what to do, suggests Dan Ariely, a professor of behavior economics at Duke University whose latest book, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty, explains how creativity makes us better liars, particularly to  ourselves.