National winner - Kim Ma from Quebec

BC - Jocelyn Bootle
Yukon - Helen Booth
NWT - Matthew Grundy
Alberta - Eva Hu
Manitoba - Wendy Kwong
Ontario - Clinton Cairns
Saskatchewan - Courtney Johnson
Nova Scotia - Dominic Daemen
Nfld & Labrador - Meredith Loveys
New Brunswick - Raphaelle Theriault
Quebec - Kim Ma
PEI - Graham Watts

Tip #17 [February 9, 2004]
Coins count! You know all those coins that you toss aside, well, over time they can add up to a lot of money. Invest them and put the power of compounding to work for you.

Tip #16 [February 2, 2004]
What is an RESP? A registered Education Savings Plan enables a contributor, on a tax-deferred basis, to accumulate assets on behalf of a beneficiary to pay for post secondary education. The government will make a contribution to this account up to a certain dollar amount every year. It's a great way to help save for your education.

Tip #15 [January 26, 2004]
What is an RRSP and why does everyone stress about them? It's a retirement savings vehicle in which growth is protected from tax until taken into the RRSP's owner's income. It's a way you can defer paying tax on your money.

Tip #14 [January 19, 2004]
Monitor your spending - Always check back to the goals that you identified and your budget to see that you are keeping on track. Sometimes your financial situation changes. For example, maybe you got a raise and have more money to put towards your tuition.

Tip #13 [January 12, 2004]
We know what a fashion portfolio is, but do we know what an investment portfolio is? The entire combination of securities that an individual holds.

Tip #12 [December 22, 2003]
Diversify - spread out your investments to reduce risk by buying different securities from various companies, businesses, locations and governments.

Tip #11 [December 15, 2003]
Investment scams on the internet. You could get hooked! Protect yourself against investment scam artists by knowing their tricks. Scam artists often offer high returns with low or no risk, their come-ons will sound really convincing, they will tell you that the investment is highly confidential, often they will pressure you to make a decision quickly, they won't provide you with any written documentation and then they'll tell you that the information is based on a inside or hot tip.

Tip #10 [December 8, 2003]
Fees, fees and more fees. What are they all about? When you invest your money, any fees that you pay to invest cut into your returns over the long term. Read any information offered about investment, and find out if there are fees built in. Shop around for the best deal and always ask if you can get a better deal.

Tip #9 [December 1, 2003]
"Find the right professional to work with you . Get recommendations from people you trust or call the Securities Commission in your province or territory to make sure that they are registered. Some financial advisors will offer discounts to students." http://www.csa-acvm.ca/html_CSA/invinfo/financial_advisors.htm

Tip #8 [November 24, 2003]
Kick some tires - talk to people, parents, friends, professionals, read some books, go online and read fund documents called prospectuses. We spend lots of time researching what car we want to buy, why not do the same when making investment decisions? /p>

Tip #7 [November 17, 2003]
Compounding, the 8th wonder of the world - The interest earned on an investment is added to the base amount, and this new figure is used to calculate the following year's investment. If you invest $2000/year from age 19 to 26 ($16,000 total investment) at age 40 your portfolio will be worth 95,541. However if you started investing $2000 at age 27 until age 40 ($28,000 total investment) your portfolio will be worth $61, 545(given a 10% rate of return).

Tip #6 [November 10, 2003]
Note the cost of credit-if you purchase an item on sale, and pay for it by credit card, if you do not pay off the card at the end of the month, the real price of the item is more than the sale price that you paid.

Tip #5 [November 3, 2003]
Set aside some rainy day money - always have a safety net. For example, for emegencies like you need to take a cab from a party or you need to give money to a friend to take a cab.

Tip #4 [October 27, 2003]
Start Investing Early - The earlier you start investing, the better your chances of reaching your long term goals like buying a car or paying for your first year of university.

Tip #3 [October 20, 2003]
Pay yourself first! Take 10% of all the money you earn (from part-time jobs, birthdays, allowance, etc.) and put it into savings or investments. When the money is taken off the top, you don’t miss it and you can’t spend it.

Tip # 2 [October 6, 2003]
Curb your spending. Determine if what you’re about to spend your money on is actually a need or a want. If it is a want, perhaps you could put off spending. Especially if you plan to pay for it using credit or layaway.

Tip # 1 [September 29, 2003]
Identify your financial goals. Do you need money to go on a class trip? Are you saving for a car or university? How soon will you need the money? Setting your money goals is the first step to reaching them. Think of goals like a road map, they help give you direction to where you're going and how you're going to get there.