Canadian basketball fans are just as caught up in March Madness as those who are crazy about the US college game south of the border. Here are the five cities in this nation where hoops junkies should feel most at home as they prepare for the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

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1. Toronto - Not only is Toronto home to Canada's only NBA team, but it delivers top-flight talent to the NCAA Tournament each year. The city's playgrounds and high schools are filled with emerging stars and exciting pick-up games. Some of the country's best sports bars, including Real Sports Bar & Grill and the Ballroom, are in downtown Toronto, and they will be packed with hoops fans throughout March Madness. Toronto also has lots of basketball-related history, having hosted the first NBA game in 1946.

2. Almonte, Ontario - Before he invented the game in Springfield, Massachusetts, James Naismith acquired his love for sports and competition in his hometown near Ottawa. You can visit the Naismith Museum in the nation's capital and a statue of Naismith in Almonte, which unveiled the attraction on July 23, 2011 - complete with peach basket.

3. Montreal - After leaving Almonte, Naismith went to McGill University and 10 of its students would later participate in the first organized basketball game in Springfield. Montreal remains a hot bed for this nation's basketball talent and many Canadian fans will cheer for Kris Joseph, the star of No. 1-seeded Syracuse and an NBA prospect who hails from Quebec's largest city.

4. Edmonton - We've all heard about the Harlem Globetrotters, but do you know about the Edmonton Commercial Graduates? This team of Canadian women won 147 straight games and had an overall record of 502-20 during their 25-year history early in the 20th century. Theirs is one of the great sports legacies in the City of Champions.

5. Victoria - The British Columbia capital is home to this nation's greatest basketball player, Steve Nash. The two-time NBA MVP, who was born in South Africa, went to university at Santa Clara in California, where he led the Broncos to three NCAA Tournament appearances. In Victoria, Steve Nash Youth Basketball is developing the next generation of hoops players and spreading love of the game on the west coast.

The learning doesn't have to stop during March Break. Museums and resource centres across Canada have plenty on the go for kids during March Break, including many activities that will teach them about art and culture. Here are five museums in Canada that offer great activities for kids during this month's prolonged recess for school:

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1. Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto - With loads of programs, the AGO keeps kids entertained from March 12-16. Activities include a hands-on learning centre, a series of "Tin Tin" episodes to watch, a room where kids can build their own "sculpture garden" using soft plush pieces and family-friendly tours of the galleries.
2. Diefenbunker, Ottawa - If your kid has dreams of being James Bond - or Austin Powers - then the Diefenbunker Spy Camp is for him, or her. Kids will learn the art of espionage, which some parents may not be too keen about, but it's all in good fun. The Diefenbunker, so-named because it was a secret Cold War facility created during John Diefenbaker's administration, features lots of history as well as this unique experience. Kids will create a disguise for going undercover, make and break codes, and configure spy gadgets, among other things. The week-long camp ($225 per child) runs from March 12-16 and is for ages 7-12.
3. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax - Sculpture, mixed-media and traditional painting are among the skills kids can learn from professional artists at this gallery. Classes run from March 10-18 with full-day ($250) and half-day ($125) sessions available.
4. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal - This fantastic museum has a 2-for-1 admission special during March Break to the special exhibit called "Feininger the Great Carnival," in which the work of Lyonel Feininger is explored. But what makes the Montreal Musem of Fine Arts special is its devotion to Canadian art, as best illustrated in the newly opened Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art. For older kids, the museum offers a cultural insight into Canada that they may appreciate if they're keen on art or the nation's history.
5. TheMuseum, Kitchener, Ont. - Hockey, art and skill development are all rolled into one fun package in this museum an hour southwest of Toronto. "Arena" features art work that comments on the national pastime as well as celebrates it. There are fun interactive displays and excellent art, including hockey masks from Wanda Koop that resemble tribal paintings and Graeme Patterson's mesmerizing stop-animation film featuring Darryl Sittler's famed 10-Point Game. The Canada-Russia Summit Series documentary will transfix parents. It runs continuously on the museum's top floor. With this being the 40^th anniversary of the Summit Series, the memories are even more poignant for some. "Arena" runs until May 6 at TheMuseum.

Financial planner Iveta Koskina recently met with a pair of clients who were both Ontario teachers, making a combined annual income of more than $190,000 and yet they had $100,000 of RRSP room that they weren't using.

"When we talk RRSP, they are the ones who should really be doing their RRSPs, because of their tax bracket," Koskina says of the teachers, whose income would be taxed at well over 40 per cent without a contribution in a registered retirement savings plan. "Instead, he's making $100,000, she's making $90,000, but they have no money to invest and that's because of inappropriate investing and poor debt planning."

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Iveta Koskina has seen Canadians rack up their retirement dollars through some fine-tuning of their portfolios and she's also noticed a lot of people miss out "simply because of a lack of knowledge."

A senior financial planner with a proven track record, Koskina has plenty of knowledge to impart to existing and prospective clients, especially in the midst of RRSP season. She offers these three tips for making the most of your registered retirement savings plan.

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His quest for zero has made Mike Brigham No. 1. Brigham recently became the first owner of a Chevrolet Volt that significantly lowers its carbon footprint through a partnership agreement with a Canadian-based renewable energy company.

For a $198 option, the Volt can be upgraded to a Bullfrog Power-branded model that gives environmentally conscious owners the added benefit of seeing their power usage replenished into the electricity grid through the form of clean, renewable energy.

"I've been researching this vehicle for years," said Brigham, who is in the renewable energy industry and endeavours to live a life where he has a carbon footprint of nil. This month, he hosted a launch of the Bullfrog Power Volt at his home in The Beach area of Toronto. "I had been driving a Prius for 11 years but always wanted an electric vehicle for the energy benefits and because they are so much more fun to drive."

You want to escape to the warmth and sun, but work and finances mean you can't do that for more than one or two weeks each winter. So, rather than lament living in a cold climate, why not embrace it? To make the best of what Canadian winters have to offer, take advantage of these free or inexpensive activities that just may make you appreciate those below-zero temperatures a little bit.

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1. Public skating - Few pursuits are as quintessentially Canadian as a skate on frozen water. In most of our cities, public skating rinks are free. Some spots, like the rink behind Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, offer lessons. Others, such as the Rideau Canal in Ottawa and the rink at Lake Louise in Banff, Alberta, present iconic experiences that make winter fun.
2. Museums on discount days - Almost every museum in the country offers free admission at some point each week. Find out what the hours are at your favourite local museum and get cultured. If you're in Montreal, be sure to check out that city's fine arts museum, which is not only free, it's one of the best in the country.
3. Snowshoeing - Like ice skating, snowshoeing is a truly Canadian pursuit, and one that can be enjoyed for no cost if you own your own snowshoes. If you don't, rentals are available at kiosks and businesses that have trails leading to or from their property. From Vancouver to St. John's, snowshoeing can take you into nature during one of the most beautiful times of the year. Being amid the woods with snow clinging to trees and with all silent except for your breath is a sublime moment that not enough of us enjoy. Snowshoeing isn't as difficult as cross-country skiing, nor as expensive or time consuming. Give it a try and you might be surprised how quickly you take to it.
4. Libraries - Our public libraries are national treasures and they offer all kinds of free or low-cost activities, including writing workshops, readings from authors and film screenings. Check the schedule of events at your local library and take advantage of what's offered. After all, your tax dollars are going toward making those events possible.
5. Maple syrup making/cooking classes - You'll never buy Aunt Jemima's again once you've tasted maple syrup tapped from a tree. You'll love that sweet stuff even more if you capture it yourself. Many locations in Canada offer maple syrup-making classes for next to no cost, and those sessions often include the chance to bring home whatever you make.

When the 54th Grammy Awards are announced on Sunday night, many viewers will for a moment fantasize about being a rock star. For those who aspire to be professional singers, turning that fantasy into a dream come true is easier than ever thanks to a revolutionary technology.

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Come Super Bowl Sunday, the pressure will be on the New England Patriots and New York Giants as they battle in Indianapolis for NFL glory. And it will also be on you, as you aim to plan the Super Bowl party to end all Super Bowl parties - without sacking your savings account. Here are some tips for hosting a Super Bowl party that doesn't blow the budget.

For more than 10 years I have owned two timeshare properties, paying roughly $11,000 for each of them. One of them, The Manhattan Club in New York, is under a class-action lawsuit because owners like myself are fed up with obscene maintenance fees and the inability to book when we want to stay. The second one, Silver Lake in Orlando, Fla., is a place that I've never visited, choosing instead to use the points for exchanges into other properties in the RCI timeshare network. Its maintenance fees have also increased every year since I've owned it. Many timeshare owners lament their purchases for one reason or another. If you've been invited to a timeshare presentation, here are five things to keep in mind when you're confronted with the hard sell that you will surely face.

From a solar-powered Kindle to a machine that gives you cash for your old electronics, green technology will be front and center at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Here's a look at five devices making waves at CES 2012 that use green technology and figure to impact the way we live in the coming years.

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