It’s been a year since the launch of Brighter Life on September 19, 2011 and there’s a lot to celebrate. The site has posted a wealth of new, daily articles, videos and infographics. It’s also extremely honoured to have received some prestigious industry awards.

But, most importantly, Brighter Life is proud to have connected with you – our readers. As per its tagline, Brighter Life was launched with the goal of “sharing ideas” about:

• Money: Budgeting, saving and investing for a bright future
• Health: Getting fit, feeling good and staying healthy
• Family: Achieving the best out of life with your partner, kids and parents
• Working life: Building work-life balance into your career
• Retirement: Planning for and enjoying your retirement

We’re delighted to report that as Brighter Life turns one, you, our readers, have browsed over 620,000 pages of content. And we’re equally proud that we’ve been able to post over 500 your comments. Because, just as important as the expert tips brought to you by our columnists, is the valuable advice and information you’ve shared with your fellow readers. For example:

• In reference to Is the Canadian economy in trouble? Lisa K commented: “You know that debt is a huge problem. Blame the government all you want, but take responsibility for the debt you have, and pay it off. This is something you can change!”

• After reading How to handle your child’s peanut allergy, Louise Jardine shared a tip she’s learned from dealing with her own sons’ allergies: “Both boys carry epi-pens in a pouch around their waist everywhere they go. We actively teach people in our community how to use the pens, even our babysitters.”

• Where to stash your cash: RRSP or TFSA? inspired Michael Ivy to comment: “I simply look at the two vehicles in the following manner: RRSP’s protect current income. TFSA’s protect future income. And I imagine that everybody probably uses the RSP to generate as much tax return to pay for the TFSA contribution.”

As we head into year two, we look forward to continuing to receive your input and ideas. Let us know what’s on your mind. Tell us the topics you’d like us to write about. We invite you to post your comments below.

Brighter Life is your platform and we look forward to hearing more from you in the year ahead, both on BrighterLife.ca and via our social media extensions Facebook and Twitter.