If you're looking for a financial planner and unsure who to turn to, you're not alone. One issue many of us have is that financial planners aren't regulated in most provinces.

"Anyone can call themselves a financial planner," says Tamara Smith, Vice President of Marketing & Consumer Affairs for the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC). "But not all of them have financial planning credentials. They may be licensed to sell products, but they're not licensed financial planners."

So, how do know if the planner you're thinking about working with is for real? You can start by finding out if they're a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). While being a CFP doesn't necessarily mean a financial planner is right for you, all CFPs have to complete 30 hours of continuing education every year. They also have to abide by a strict code of ethics and follow established financial planning practice standards set by the FPSC. And that's something.

Start Your Search
But certification isn't the only thing you'll want to ask about before you choose a financial planner. To help you get started on your search, the FPSC has created 10 Tips for Choosing a Financial Planner. The list includes tips such as doing your own research on financial planning strategies, thinking about your financial goals, asking for referrals, checking credentials, and interviewing multiple planners.

Have you seen the posters? The ones that say, "You wouldn't let your grandparents choose who you date. Then why let them choose your government?" Sure they're ageist, and some say offensive, but they're also a little bit true. Middle-aged and older Canadians vote in higher numbers than our youth, and pensions matter to them.

So with the federal election just over a week away, you just know that all the party leaders are making big pension promises. We thought this would be a good time to recap what the leaders are saying, and find out if it will change the way you vote.

Conservatives
Stephen Harper has promised to double the amount of money you can put into your Tax Free Savings Account. Currently, you can put up to $5,000 a year into a TFSA without paying taxes on any interest or capital gains earned within that account. Harper says he will raise that amount to $10,000 a year, but there's a catch. He won't do it until the federal deficit is eliminated, which is predicted to happen in fiscal 2015–16.

Beyond that, the Conservatives will stay the course with the new Pooled Registered Pension Plan, which we told you about in December.

The Juno Awards celebrated their 40th anniversary and organizers were going all out to mark the occasion.

The awards show was back to Toronto, where the first Junos were held in 1970. A new statuette was unveiled, and Shania Twain, the best-selling Canadian female artist was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

And for the first time the event will be completely powered by green electricity. Bullfrog Power, a 100 percent green electricity provider, announced this week that it will be "greening" 568 MWh of electricity on behalf of the Junos, which is about enough electricity to power 58 homes for a year.

As a financial type, I shouldn't admit this, but March is my least favourite time of year. RRSP season is barely behind me, and now I have to think about taxes? Wonderful.

I know I'm not alone, so it's no surprise that Canadians are looking for plenty of financial information at this time of year. And according to new research by Investors Group, who surveyed more than 1,000 Canadians who save and invest, many of us are finding the information we need online through financial websites, blogs and social media.

"We conducted this survey because advisors keep hearing [from clients] that their information is coming from the Web," says Christine Van Cauwenberghe, Director, Tax and Estate Planning at Investors Group. "Lots of people send all sorts of information through blogs or on Twitter or LinkedIn."

Online Sources More Credible?
The survey shows 42 percent of us now use online sources and social media to find information to help us make financial decisions. And 38 percent believe online sources of financial information are more credible than family and friends (30 per cent) or traditional TV, radio and print media (29 per cent). However, 66 percent still rely on experts when making the final financial decision.

A new study by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) says older Canadians who are laid off work struggle to find new jobs. Or rather, they struggle to find appropriate jobs. At the time of being laid off, many older workers have years of seniority, yet the jobs available to them are often lower paying than their previous jobs. Rather than take lower-paying jobs, many older laid-off Canadians feel forced into early retirement.

The study, Labour-Force Participation of Older Displaced Workers in Canada: Should I Stay or Should I Go?, says this premature retirement will reduce Canada's economic growth and put additional pressure on private and government pension plans.

Pay Cuts for Older Canadians
Canadians aged 45 to 64 who return to work after being laid off end up earning an average of 40% less than they earned at their previous jobs. This statistic is in contrast to what happens to younger workers who return to work after being laid off, many of whom find new jobs at the same or higher salaries, and that salary often grows over time.

In response to the disruption of oil supply stemming from the civil unrest in Libya, Saudi Arabia has quietly increased its oil output to more than 9 million barrels per day (bpd). That's an increase of 700,000 bpd from Saudi Arabia's estimated 8.3 million bpd in January.

The price of crude oil reached almost $120 a barrel yesterday, but had dropped to $111.38 earlier today.

Real Disruption to Supply
It seems like just a few weeks ago that we were on the edge of our seats because oil was approaching $90 a barrel. Oh, that's right. It was. Last month's civil unrest in Tunisia saw oil prices rise rapidly, then fall again to slightly more comfortable levels. At that time, the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) said they would not change their output quotas because there was no issue with supply.

Last week, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) announced its $7 billion takeover of the TMX Group Inc. (owners of the Toronto Stock Exchange). Market and investor reaction to the deal has been, predictably, mixed. Supporters of the takeover say merging the two exchanges will cut costs for both exchanges and open up access to European capital markets for Canadian companies. Others fear it will be a regulatory nightmare.

But what most market analysts and investors seem to be saying is that the merger simply isn't going to happen. Shortly after the announced merger, Scotia Capital published a research note giving the merger a 40% chance of failing to get regulatory approval. The odds of failure were more recently increased to almost 50%. Not surprising when you look at the number of political and regulatory hurdles the merger must clear.

Multiple Hurdles
Under the Investment Canada Act, the federal government has to review and approve any merger worth more than $299 million. To get that approval, the TMX Group and LSE will have to show that the merger is good for Canada and its markets. The federal government has 45 days from the time the review is initiated (expected to be soon) to issue a decision.

Earlier this week, Royal Bank of Canada released a survey about how men and women approach investing. The survey found significant differences in what we invest in, how much we invest, and why we invest, with men being more likely to save for the future and women being more focused on spending today. To me, this highlights the obvious: Men and women are different. We approach many things differently, and money is no exception. So when it comes to financial advice, shouldn't women expect something different? Something tailored to our unique goals and needs? I think so. Investment advisor Natalie Jamison agrees.

In 2007, Natalie created Women and Wealth™, which provides financial planning services for each stage in a woman's life. Her clients include career women, women entrepreneurs, moms, widows, and divorcees. But they're all women. Here, Natalie talks about her company, and why women need different financial advice than men.

What drove you to create Women and Wealth™?
I worked for an advisor for many years, and I observed that female clients were interested in finance. They wanted to take charge of their portfolios, but they were intimidated by our industry. Even when I had couples in my office talking to me, I could see that the female was often shy and reserved and wouldn't ask a lot of questions. I wanted to create something specific for women. And I wanted to remove any level of intimidation there was in managing their personal finances.

This article started out with a simple question from a friend: What do women want for Valentine's Day? Unfortunately, my friend was asking the wrong woman. After several years of marriage and two kids, my husband and I don't do much for Valentine's Day.

Sure, we make it fun for the kids, who are still young enough to get a kick out of heart-shaped pancakes and roses made of chocolate. But for me, a sweet card and an "I love you" are pretty much all I want.

Still, I couldn't help wondering, "Is this all I should want for Valentine's Day? Is there something wrong with me? Where has the romance gone?" After all, my television has been telling me for weeks that I should want knot-shaped pendants and diamond bracelets, or at least an expensive dinner out. Isn't that what most women expect? I wanted to know, so I put it out there to my 50 or so closest friends. I asked them, "What's the number one thing you want for Valentine's Day?"