Personal finance served family style

Canadian Personal Finance Blog serves up this edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance. It was Family Day in Canada this week, so his blog is themed accordingly: advice that might come from a member of your family. My three fave posts:

• What we learn from tragedy. Jason of MyMoneyMinute offers some heartfelt "practical applications" and "fundamentals" to think about. I'd add that make sure you also have powers of attorney in place.
• A macroeconomic look at credit cards, by David of Davidonfinance. Read the post, and the first few comments. David initially characterizes credit cards as "inherently evil," but then seems to be persuaded otherwise by some readers.
• Valentine Day flowers a rip-off? by MoneySmartLife. Valentine's Day flowers are worth the gouging by flower shops because" they perform a valuable service," according to the unnamed blogger. It made me wish I'd spent a little more on the flowers I got M, which I gave her a few days ahead of Valentine's Day. After her initial surprise and gratitude, she said knowingly, "Were they on sale?" Guilty as charged.