Personal Investment Management and Financial Planning

Money Management Edition #229

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:51:59 +0000

Best Personal Financial Planning Articles this Week

Carnival of Financial Planning – Money Management Edition #229 – March 23, 2012

Welcome to the March 23, 2012 Edition #229 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

Super Saver presents New Spending Strategy posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “I’ve started thinking about our budget in a new way: necessary expenses and entertainment expenses.

Jester presents How to Get a Second Job posted at The Ultimate Juggle, saying, “Find out what you should consider when selecting your second job. Don’t jump in without considering these options.

LaTisha presents I Graduated, but Don’t Have a Job posted at Financial Success for Young Adults, saying, “Are you a recent grad without a job? This post has tips on how to land a job after college graduation. Smart networking tips for recent graduates.

Paul Vachon presents Saving Money with a Digital Wallet – Google Wallet vs Isis posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “A digital wallet is an electronic packet that contains information such as credit card numbers and shipping addresses that can be used when purchasing goods and services. This digital information is kept at a central vault if you will, and in theory will make it much more difficult for hackers to steal digital information. This technology allows consumers to make online purchases without ever entering personal information.

Janet presents Living expense tracking methods posted at Independent Financial Planner , saying, ” Many people do not track their living expenses and do not understand the magnitude of their consumption. Failure to monitor your consumption expenditures means that they are flying blindly regarding their future finances. ”

Financial Planning

Daniel presents Are Company Sponsored Trips The Best Perk Ever? posted at Sweating the Big Stuff, saying, “My favorite perk at my job has been half day Fridays. Recently, I went on a ski trip and to a shooting range with the company. Which perk is better?

A Blinkin presents Friends Don’t Let Friends Ignore Inflation posted at Funancials, saying, “Lets say you have two friends. One of your friends keeps stealing money from the other. Wouldnt you feel an obligation to warn your one friend about the other? Of course you would! Its the same obligation I feel when I think about your money and inflation.

FG presents How Kickstarter and the Point Are Great Ways to Give to Others, and Sponsor Some Really Cool Projects posted at Financial God, saying, “Have you ever used Kickstarter or The Point before? These are a couple of pretty cool websites that are changing the face of charitable giving, and encouraging entrepreneurship by making it easier to support projects and sponsor creative works of art. The way that these sites work is that you ‘pledge’ your support for certain projects.

Kyle presents How to Get Paid $200 a Month Testing Websites posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, “Website testers are paid $10 to record their opinions of a website’s appearance and ease of use. It’s a pretty easy job and there a number of firms currently hiring.

YFS presents How Friends Can Ruin Your Finances posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “Have you ever had the kind of roommate that eats everything in the fridge even though he didnt buy the groceries, or come up short on rent and ask you to cover for him? Most guys are familiar with the slacker roommate or flakey friend who is always

Frank presents Best Index Fund posted at Individual Investment Strategies, saying, “Short-term mutual fund trading is a zero sum game played against other very well informed mutual fund traders and other securities market traders. On average, higher mutual fund turnover is far more likely to result in lower investment fund performance — instead of superior risk-adjusted performance.”

Kevin presents How To Turn Your House into Income posted at Thousandaire, saying, “If you want to make some money off your house, consider renting out a room. That way you keep your place to live and make some money of it at the same time.

krantcents presents The 3 J’s of Success posted at KrantCents, saying, “The 3 J’s of Success is the tenth in a series of articles to help you reach your goal.

Dave presents Passive Investing – Active Investing – Alpha Returns posted at Wall Street Nerds , saying, ” The Old Testament of indexing is Burton Malkiel’s classic A Random Walk Down Wall Street, first published in 1973 by W.W. Norton and now in its ninth edition. For typical individual investors, without special access to information, it offers what is likely the best financial advice they will ever get: It is hard to consistently beat the market, especially after fees. A passive strategy will do better in the long run. ”

Liana presents The Best Credit Cards for Every Stage of Life posted at Card Hub, saying, “You aren’t the same physically, mentally, emotionally, or financially at every stage of your life, so why would you think that the credit card you use should be the same as your needs change? Find out what kind of credit card is best for different stages of your life.

Aloysa presents My Mother Was a Mail-Order Bride posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “People often ask me how I came to the United States. Sometimes they give me an unpleasant smirk, wink at Beaker, my American husband, and say nothing but imply a lot. Sometimes they go as far as measure me up and down, and blatantly ask me if I was a mail-order bride.

Luke presents 10 Year Treasury Going to 1 percent posted at Learn Bonds, saying, “Bond fund manager Robert Kessler making the case that the end of the bull run in treasuries is not over, and in fact could have a lot farther to go. Here are his main points.

Bob presents What is a Charitable Remainder Trust ? posted at ChristianPF, saying, “A Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) is an arrangement under which a donor receives income (for a fixed period or during donors lifetime) from an asset donated to a qualified charitable organization. It is just one of the ways you can give

Walter presents Best Bond Funds posted at Fixed Income Investing, saying, “The bond investment fund market is no place for an individual investor to try to beat the market and get higher returns through attempts at clever fixed income investing. Even professional bond market money managers do not beat the bond market.”

Eddie presents 8 Tips to Save Money on Gas posted at Finance Fox, saying, “If you’re looking for some ways to shave a few dollars off your household spend, one possibility is to spend less on gas, by following some of these fuel economizing tips.

Income

Mike presents What Would You be Willing to Do in Order to Work 4 days a Week? posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “We look at working less to invest in other ways.

Jason presents 4 Tips to Get the Most Out of Working from Home posted at One Money Design, saying, “Do you have the opportunity to work from home? If so, follow these 4 strategy to get the most out of working from home and please your boss.

Insurance and Risk

Madison presents How to Save Money on Your Insurance Renewal posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “Here’s a list of homeowners insurance tips for dealing with increased deductibles some of you might be facing.

Sarah presents Lifetime trade-offs between investment portfolio risk and investment returns posted at Do-It-Yourself Financial Planning , saying, ” When making personal finance and retirement planning decisions, individuals must confront the dilemma that, historically, more conservative portfolio investments have yielded substantially lower investment returns than the returns that riskier investments have delivered. With either lower or higher risk-adjusted market return strategies, you simply cannot have your financial cake and you eat it too. ”

Don presents Using Your HSA as A Retirement Account posted at MoneySmartGuides, saying, “As the price of insurance continues to increase, Health Savings Accounts or HSAs are becoming more and more popular.

Investing

Matt presents Mutual Funds Explained for Dummies posted at RamblingFever Money, saying, “If you have a 401k through your employer, you probably have money invested in mutual funds. Whether you knew it or not, you are mutually funding an investment that is managed by somebody else. Many believe mutual fund investing to be the safest and most secure way to invest in the stock market.

Frank Pinter presents No Load Bond Funds posted at Lowest Cost Bond Funds, saying, “Investment research overwhelmingly shows that lower cost fixed income funds tend to yield higher bond investing returns.”

Div Guy presents A 100% Dividend Stock Portfolio is a Safe Portfolio posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “A new way to arrange your portfolio.

FMF presents Stop Making Excuses — You Can Save and Invest posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “I used to hear it all the time. Comments like: “I can’t save and invest. I don’t make enough money.” “Life is too expensive. I have nothing left over to save.” And so forth. What do I call these sorts of statements? Excuses.

Larry presents Investment risk tolerance posted at Independent Financial Planner , saying, ” Individual investors with different levels of investment risk tolerance for financial risks tend to be more satisfied with risk management strategies, which are better aligned with their financial risk and return profile. ”

Pierre presents What Portion Of Your Portfolio Should You Invest In Bonds? posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “Are you putting money into bonds?

Jack Parker presents Top No Load Funds posted at Preferred Investment Funds, saying, “Some mutual funds and ETFs must be better than others, but which ones are they? How can you tell before the fact?”

Managing Debt

Suba presents Five Things You Must Know About Freelancing posted at Broke Professionals, saying, “Freelancing can be a path to professional freedom, but if you’re not careful, life as a freelancer can complicate your finances.

Hank presents Five Creative Ways To Fund Your New Small Business posted at Money Q&A, saying, “So, what does a small business owner have to do to find funding for his or her business? Get creative to fund your new small business. It takes a lot of guts to run a small business these days.

Jeremy Waller presents Credit Cards Are Dangerous: The Psychology Of Paying With Cash posted at Personal Finance Whiz, saying, “Over the years I’ve discovered that knowing how to manage your money is only 20 percent of the picture. The biggest part, by far, is the mental battle. If I could sit down with you for 1 hour I could teach you everything you need to know to budget your money, pay off debt, invest and retire well.

Real Estate

Amanda L Grossman presents Keeping All Your Eggs in One Basket is Risky posted at Frugal Confessions, saying, “My sister and I used to gather eggs from our henhouse for breakfast.

Shaun presents Should Families Buy a House or Rent an Apartment: The Risks of Homeownership Compared to Renting posted at Smart Family Finance, saying, “Understanding the risks of homeownership can also help you implement strategies to reduce those risks.

Retirement

Ryan presents Common Sources of Retirement Income posted at Early Retirement Investments, saying, “There are many sources of retirement income! See if you are considering the ones that I have on my radar.

Frank Knowles presents S&P 500 Funds posted at Best Large Cap Funds, saying, “The no load index fund strategy of the Schwab S & P 500 Index Fund tracks the S and P 500 stock index. This no load index fund was listed as one of the top 25 lowest cost index mutual funds in a research study.”

Glen Craig presents New Federal Regulation for 401k Fee Transparency Rules posted at Free From Broke , saying, “As of January 2012, there are new 401k fee transparency rules in place to help those participating understand the fees and the funds themselves. See more about the new regulation.

Brock presents Best Retirement Calculators posted at IRA Account Investment, saying, “Whether or not to make investments into “traditional” tax-advantaged employer accounts and IRAs versus investing in “Roth” tax-advantaged employer accounts and personal IRAs is never a straightforward nor simple financial planning decision.”

Savings

Crystal presents In Praise of Hand Me Down Toys posted at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, saying, “Ill admit it. Im a cheap but proud! Aunt. One of the older nieces hands down her toys to the youngest via me.

TSI presents Personal earnings, expenditures, and savings determine wealth posted at The Skilled Investor , saying, ” How much you earn, spend, budget, and save are by far the most dominant determinants of your long-term financial well-being. Self-control in your financial decision-making regarding budgeting and consumption is far more important than clever investing. ”

Jo Robinson presents Could plain old saving be better than a pension? posted at TotallyMoney, saying, “Asking the question if you would be better of saving rather than putting your money into a pension

Taxes

Corey presents What are the Political Risks of Your Retirement Plan? posted at Steadfast Finances, saying, “Is your retirement plan secure? Find out if it is at political risk.

Monroe presents Evaluating Roth IRA Conversions posted at Do-It-Yourself Financial Planning , saying, ” This article could help you to make a more informed decision about your family’s Roth investment strategy. Key to you making a better decision about your lifetime Roth account contribution and asset conversion strategy is the need for a sophisticated financial planning software tool. ”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Financial Planning using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: budgeting

Planning and Investing Articles from Finance Blogs

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:33:56 +0000

Financial Planning – Money Management Edition #227 – March 9, 2012

Welcome to the March 9, 2012 Edition #227 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

The Carnival of Financial Planning takes a long-term view of personal financial planning for individuals and families. We focus on efficient and sustainable personal financial planning practices that can lead to lifetime financial security.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

Liana presents Currency Exchange Guide posted at Card Hub, saying, “Saved up for a trip overseas for vacation this summer Great! Make sure your planning is complete. These are some important tools to have and things to know to save you time, money, and frustration before and during your travels”

D.J. presents Budget Shortfall Here’s How to Make Money Quick posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “If you are in need of quick cash, whether to cover a budget shortfall, to pay down debt, or to grow your emergency fund, here are some legal ways to make some extra money:”

Janet presents Living expense tracking methods posted at Independent Financial Planner , saying, ” Many people do not track their living expenses and do not understand the magnitude of their consumption. Failure to monitor your consumption expenditures means that they are flying blindly regarding their future finances. ”

Matt presents Don’t Be a Cheapskate While Dining Out posted at RamblingFever Money, saying, “There is nothing wrong with being frugal, and saving money to improve your personal finance situation is a good thing. But, when it comes to eating out, I have to respectfully disagree with most of the frugal advice. In fact, I would go so far as to say that frugality while dining out is a contributing factor to some of the bad economic times.”

Jeremy Waller presents Sometimes It’s The Simple Things in Life posted at Personal Finance Whiz, saying, “There’s the saying that the best things in life are free. Recently we’ve cut out budget way back to help meet some of our financial goals this year. That means our fun budget is pretty thin right now. But that didn’t stop us from having a great weekend.”

John presents Make a Monthly Debt Budget: Rule 3 posted at Married with Debt, saying, “A debt budget spreadsheet puts everything in one place, keeps you focused, and prevents missed or late payments. Free spreadsheet inside!”

Sandy presents Get Out of Debt in 2012: Cutting the Fat posted at Yes, I Am Cheap, saying, “After youve spent some time following a budget, usually where every penny is accounted for, you may begin to notice that you can probably make a few minor changes in one or two areas to save a bit of money.”

Financial Planning

YFS presents Hiring A Financial Planner 5 Good Reasons Why You Should posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “Your finances is something that you should always get in order. After all, much of your future and your family’s depend on the financial decisions that you make in life when you were younger.”

Jester presents Do You Spend Enough Time on Yourself posted at The Ultimate Juggle, saying, “Do you need more time to relax Find out how to maximize your efficiency and create time for yourself.”

Frank presents Best Index Fund posted at Individual Investment Strategies, saying, “Short-term mutual fund trading is a zero sum game played against other very well informed mutual fund traders and other securities market traders. On average, higher mutual fund turnover is far more likely to result in lower investment fund performance — instead of superior risk-adjusted performance.”

Shaun presents Why It Is Time To Invest In Your Family posted at Smart Family Finance, saying, “Here are a few ways to invest in your family and produce beneficial financial results that could protect them in the long term”

Franklin presents Traditional IRA and 401k Versus Roth IRA and Roth 401k Contributions posted at Retirement Planning , saying, ” Many taxpayers puzzle over whether to contribute to traditional versus Roth tax-advantaged retirement plans. For most people, contributions to traditional tax-advantaged plans will probably provide a higher net present value over their lifetimes. ”

Amanda L Grossman presents Myths and Rituals that Perpetuate the Mystery and Power of Money posted at Frugal Confessions, saying, “Early Saturday morning after several bouts of tossing and turning I decided to go to the living room and grab my laptop for a little flow-of-consciousness”

SB presents Managing Personal Finance is About Making Choices posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “Personal finance is mostly about making choices, buy or not to buy, invest or not to invest, spend or save, stocks or funds, etc. The more informed you are, better choices you can make and manage personal finance better”

PFP presents Asset Allocation, Investment Asset Tax Location, and Emergency Cash Management posted at Pasadena Financial Planner , saying, ” As you move your cash, bond, and stock financial assets into lower cost, more broadly diversified investment mutual funds and/or ETFs, you should also consider how to “locate” your investment asset allocation with respect to more optimal taxation. ”

Jeremy Biberdorf presents My Decision To Live In An Expensive City posted at Modest Money, saying, “As I prepare for my move at the end of the month, Ive been thinking more and more about my decision to stay close to Vancouver. It is a very expensive city to live in, but I feel at home here. Am I a fool for staying here when I cant really afford it Maybe, but I just cant see myself living anywhere else at this point in my life.”

Financing a Home

Ashley presents We Applied for a Mortgage Refinance posted at Money Talks Coaching, saying, “Well, after much discussion and back and forth we finally applied to refinance our mortgage! We have a rate of 3.875 percent locked in and we have submitted all our paperwork so now we wait and see what they have to say.”

Hank presents Ten Ways To Cut Costs On Moving Expenses posted at Money Q&A, saying, “Moving is expensive, but that does not mean that there are not ways to cut costs. You can save a lot of money on your move by planning ahead and thinking outside of the box a little.”

Don presents The Government Supports The Rich With Foreclosures posted at MoneySmartGuides, saying, “The US Government has tried many times to thwart off the rise of foreclosures from the bursting of the housing bubble. They came out with catchy programs: HARP, HAMP, and now HARP2. Sadly, none of these tricks worked.”

Bob presents Is refinancing always a good idea posted at ChristianPF, saying, “The thought of having a lower mortgage payment is enticing to just about anyone, but there are some other factors to consider before signing the dotted line.”

Paul Vachon presents Home Affordable Modification Program – HAMP posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “The Home Affordable Modification Program or HAMP, was created to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure keep their homes. This important loan modification program comes at a time when many homeowners are struggling to make ends meet.”

Financing Education

Erika presents Paying off my student loans posted at Newlyweds on a Budget, saying, “Pay off student loans faster to save money on interest and get out of debt faster.”

PFP presents Financial planning reading list posted at Independent Financial Planner , saying, ” When I work with clients to develop their customized lifetime financial and investment plans, they often ask what they should read to improve their financial literacy. ”

Corey presents Jobs in College – Part 2 posted at 20s Finances, saying, “Are you looking for the best jobs in college It’s hard to say which one is the best job in college, but it is clear that having a job in college has its benefits as I discussed last week . What are the job opportunities available to college students What do certain jobs offer to college students These are all questions that college students have. I’m here to help change that.”

Income

MR presents Working Two Jobs At Once – Making Twice As Much posted at Money Reasons, saying, “My buddy worked two jobs last year at the same time and made twice as much money as he could have normally made by working only one job. Read his story! ”

PITR presents Proof Owning Blogs is More Profitable than Staff Writing posted at Passive Income To Retire, saying, “Ever wondered if owning blogs is more profitable than staff writing Find out how long it takes to earn more money.”

Jason presents Does Fear Control Your Life posted at Work Save Live, saying, “What’s Holding You Back Why are you scared to take risk the risk of following a new career path, pursuing a dream job, starting a website or blog and sharing your story Why are you scared to test your limits and challenge the things that you think you’re capable of”

Investing

101 Centavos presents Canadian Natural Resources and the Ecology of Business posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “In my day job, I have to scour the planet for the cheapest/best/safest companies to manufacture our company’s products. This gives me a unique insight on companies.”

Boomer presents Borrowing To Invest posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “Borrowing to invest offers the ability to gain financial leverage, which when used prudently can add some muscle to your portfolio more quickly.”

Dan presents US Companies Enjoying Record Low Bond Yields and Issuing in Droves posted at High Yield Edge, saying, “See the latest trends and transactions in US corporate bond issues – all driven by historic low rates. Time to invest or move up the chain in risk to chase yield”

Pierre presents Finance 101: Why A Stocks Price Doesnt Matter posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “We look at stock prices and their importance.”

William presents Inferior Mutual Fund Performance posted at Best No Load Funds , saying, ” Screen out inferior mutual fund performance — but only after using other ETF and mutual fund selection criteria. Superior or even average mutual fund performance in the past simply does not predict similar fund performance in the future. “

Managing Credit and Debt

Jeffrey presents Multiple Bank Accounts: Is More Better or Worse posted at Money Spruce, saying, “Opening multiple bank accounts can be better for organizations, but it can also be confusing, too.”

Daisy presents How Different Debt Relief Strategies Affect Your Credit posted at Add Vodka, saying, “There are multiple options for getting relief for your debts. Depending on your specific situation, some debt relief strategies will work better than others. Many times consumers will avoid their debts because they do not know all of the options!”

Janet presents Watch Out: Business Identity Theft is on the Rise posted at Credit, Eh, saying, “We’ve been hearing about the dangers of identity theft for years. However, small businesses need to be on the alert as well.”

Philip Taylor presents Should I Consolidate My Student Loans posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “Discusses student loan management, as well as whether or not it should take precedent over credit card debt.”

Miscellaneous

Wayne presents Affordable Modes of Transportation posted at Young Family Finance, saying, “Affordable modes of transportation may seem rare, but they really aren’t that hard to find.”

Luke presents What does GM know about savings bonds posted at Learn Bonds, saying, “What do you do if you make more cars they people want to buy A short-term solution is to discount the car through big rebates”

TSI presents Investment astrology – should you pick investments according to the Morningstars? posted at The Skilled Investor , saying, ” Individual investors and their advisors appear to make investment decisions that are heavily influenced by the Morningstar Rating system. Because the stars are very widely used and often misunderstood, these are articles to help investors make more rational decisions about the stars. ”

Matt presents Embrace the Difficulties in Your Life posted at Living in Financial Excellence, saying, “You can continue to run from your wild beasty problems and blame them for your lack of progress, or you can tame them and use their strengths to help move you toward your goals. Its your call.”

Retirement Planning

MMD presents Is 2 Percent the New Safe Retirement Withdrawal Rate posted at MyMoneyDesign, saying, “Are you planning to withdrawal 4% from your nest egg in retirement What if I told you some analysts think 2% may be a more appropriate figure. Lets calculate the numbers and see for ourselves.”

Whitney presents Retirement Savings Worksheets posted at Retirement Savings, saying, “While personal wealth should measure current financial investments and other salable assets, it should also measure your ability to sustain your household budget, build up your investment portfolio, and weather potential financial risk and misfortune across your lifetime.”

Dividend Ninja presents Using Dividends For Passive Income In Retirement posted at The Dividend Ninja, saying, “My father-in-law was a bank executive for over thirty years at a large regional bank in the United States, and he amassed quite a bit of his company’s stock through options over his career. Now, in addition to his pension, he also has quarterly dividends that support him in retirement. That is the beauty of dividends. They are truly a passive income stream.”

Risk Management and Insurance

Sarah presents Lifetime trade-offs between investment portfolio risk and investment returns posted at Do-It-Yourself Financial Planning , saying, ” When making personal finance and retirement planning decisions, individuals must confront the dilemma that, historically, more conservative portfolio investments have yielded substantially lower investment returns than the returns that riskier investments have delivered. With either lower or higher risk-adjusted market return strategies, you simply cannot have your financial cake and you eat it too. “

Savings

SFB presents The Not-So-Simple Way To Buy Savings Bonds posted at Simple Finance Blog, saying, “I thought the government’s new method to buy savings bonds was supposed to make the process simpler Why I find fault with the TreasuryDirect system.”

Justin presents The Difference Between Term Deposit Accounts and High-Interest Savings Accounts posted at Budget Snob, saying, “It is vital to understand the differences between the two most popular bank saving options: the term deposit account and high-interest savings accounts.”

TSI presents Personal earnings, expenditures, and savings determine wealth posted at The Skilled Investor , saying, ” How much you earn, spend, budget, and save are by far the most dominant determinants of your long-term financial well-being. Self-control in your financial decision-making regarding budgeting and consumption is far more important than clever investing. ”

Jen presents Save Money: Embrace Free posted at Master the Art of Saving, saying, “One of the best ways to save money is to take advantage of free stuff. It sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes our perception is a bit skewed when it comes to this notion. Why do we sometimes perceive something that’s free to be of lesser quality than what we pay money for”

Laura Edgar presents Spotlight on Community Banks: NerdWallets Top 10 Savings Accounts posted at NerdWallet, saying, “NerdWallet’s picks for high-yield savings accounts at community banks. Its hard to find high interest rates anywhere these days, but we found 10 savings accounts at community banks that beat the puny national average APY of 0.10% by leaps and bounds. In fact, many of these accounts beat the so-called highest rates in the nation. Read on to see our full list.”

Taxes

Amanda presents What is the Difference Between Refundable and Nonrefundable Tax Credits posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “Whether a tax credit is refundable or not can make a big difference. Read this to learn more!”

Monroe presents Evaluating Roth IRA Conversions posted at Do-It-Yourself Financial Planning , saying, ” This article could help you to make a more informed decision about your family’s Roth investment strategy. Key to you making a better decision about your lifetime Roth account contribution and asset conversion strategy is the need for a sophisticated financial planning software tool. ”

Glen Craig presents Marginal Tax Rate VS Effective Tax Rate What are They and How do They Affect You posted at Free From Broke , saying, “Most don’t understand the difference between their marginal tax rate and their effective tax rate. See the difference between them and how they affect you.”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: financing education

Financial Planning – Money Management Edition #225

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:31:20 +0000

Best Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs

Carnival of Financial Planning – Money Management Edition #225 – February 24, 2012

Welcome to the February 24, 2012 Edition #225 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

The Carnival of Financial Planning — Money Management Edition takes a long-term view of personal financial planning for individuals and families. We focus on efficient and sustainable personal financial planning practices that can lead to lifetime financial security.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

Jester presents Why I Prefer Online Purchases posted at The Ultimate Juggle , saying, “Shopping online offers many benefits. Find out how online shopping can save you time and money.”

Justin presents Tax Refund, What Are You Planning to Do with It? posted at Money Is the Root , saying, “Traditional personal finance wisdom is that tax refunds are bad. If you are getting a tax refund then you must have done something wrong. But you know what, I don’t care about that! I’ve gotten a tax refund every year of my adult life, and I’ve smiled every time.”

Estate Planning

Marie at Family Money Values presents Settling an Estate? Learn How to Make Your Job Easier posted at Family Money Values , saying, “Have your parents designated you as their estate executor – or perhaps their successor trustee – or both? If so, you have my condolences. Settling an estate is a lot of work. But, you can work now – while your parents are alive, towards making your job as executor less difficult when the time comes.”

Financial Planning

Joe Morgan presents Why A Mortgage Loan Without PMI Is A Bad Idea. posted at Simple Debt-Free Finance, saying, “Private mortgage insurance is one of those things homeowners love to hate, but some banks offer mortgages without it. Here’s why I think mortgage offers without PMI are a bad idea.”

Bill Smith presents Early Bird Gets the Worm: Planning for Retirement in Your Twenties posted at 2009 Tax, saying, “Thinking about the time when you give up work can never start too early.”

Dana presents Save Money by Sharing a Nanny posted at Not Made of Money , saying, “If you need full-time childcare, you may be shocked by the cost. When I worked full-time and my husband went to school full-time, we discovered quality care in our area outside a large city would cost approximately $900 a month. If you look into hiring a nanny, the cost is usually higher.”

SFB presents The Dark Side of Automatic Payments posted at Simple Finance Blog , saying, “While I still use online billpay to pay my accounts, all it took was one major accident for me to swear off automatic payments.”

Teacher Man presents Don’t Let Financial Anchors Weigh You Down posted at My University Money , saying, “In my last article, we explored how our fear of regret could inhibit us from taking action. Let’s stay on the same psychological path but change things up a bit. Instead of focusing on our tendency to do nothing, let’s look at something that influences our minds when take action. Go ahead and grab your Erlenmeyer flask, it’s time for an experiment.”

Financing a Home

KT presents How Do You Know When a House is Right for You? posted at Personal Finance Journey , saying, “Looking for a house is often as frustrating as it is exciting. You want to find the perfect house for you and your family, but how do you know when youve found it? How do you know what you can afford? The second question is often easier to answer than the first.”

Little House presents How Much House Can You Afford? posted at Little House in the Valley , saying, “With interest rates at an all time low and housing prices stagnating, now is a great time to buy a house for the right person.”

Financing Education

Cash Flow Mantra presents FAFSA Fun for the Weekend posted at Cash Flow Mantra , saying, “If this time of year and income taxes wasn’t enough fun and excitement for you, it is also that time of year when students planning for college in the fall (but more likely their parents) get to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA.”

Financing Healthcare

Khaleef @ KNS Financial presents Should We Get A Gym Membership? posted at Faithful With A Few, saying, “Cancel a gym membership. Sounds easy enough, right? Unfortunately, many people fall victim to scams and end up losing money. Learn how to properly end your contract, and also help us decide if we should start one!”

Income

FG presents How the Federal Minimum Wage Crushed the Economy of American Samoa posted at Financial God , saying, “Most people probably have not heard of American Samoa, or what has been happening there. It is a small island located tens of thousands of miles away from the continental United States, and has a small economy with a high rate of unemployment and a low level of income per capita.”

Jon Rhodes presents How To Make Money From Your Hobbies posted at Affiliate Tips , saying, “This article gives you many ideas on how you can make some money from your hobbies.”

Investing

Mike presents Dragon’s Den & Venture Capital posted at The Financial Blogger , saying, “What’s your plan to borrow money?”

Dan presents Apple Expected to Announce Dividend in 2012 – Finally! posted at High Yield Edge , saying, “Investors may soon be getting a chance to take a bite out of a juicy dividend payment. See what’s driving the pressure on Apple to issue one and how big it may be.”

Div Guy presents Grow Your Stocks With $0 posted at The Dividend Guy Blog , saying, “A strategy you need to try.”

Justin presents Key Difference Between Money Market and Mutual Funds posted at Budget Snob , saying, “There are some key differences between money market funds and mutual funds. Knowing these differences can help you choose which fund is right for you to put your money in.”

Kevin presents The Importance of Buffering Your Life posted at Invest It Wisely , saying, “An important lesson that I have learned recently is: the importance of buffering. I wasn’t always a big believer in emergency funds,and even today I believe that emergency funds, while useful, are not adequate. Perhaps the truth is that “emergency fund” is a misnomer. Better to call it “savings buffer’, which is what it really is.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Jon the Saver presents Credit Sesame Free Credit Score Review posted at Free Money Wisdom , saying, “Don’t you hate those supposedly “free” credit report companies trying to reel you in to buy other services? Do you just want the down and dirty about your credit report? I just want my credit report number and move on with my life. In all of my searching, only one company does this completely free and hassle free. Credit Sesame to the rescue! It really is the best way to get your credit score.”

N.W. Journey presents 5 Mistakes People Make When Paying Off Debt posted at Networth Journey, saying, “Instead of telling you what to do, I’ll tell you what not to do when getting out of debt.”

Jeri Ford presents The Business Card Denial: Lessons Learned for Non Income Earning Spouses posted at Help Me Travel Cheap, saying, “A non-income earning spouse may have a harder time getting approved for a credit card.”

Craig Ford presents Debt is a Symptom: How to Diagnose and Prescribe a Debt Solution (No Degree Required!) posted at Christian Debt Coach, saying, “Discover the true causes of your debt crisis.”

Kyle presents The 10 Weirdest Investments on Lending Club posted at The Penny Hoarder , saying, “Last week I wrote about how you can earn 17by laning money to couple on Prosper.com that is trying to adopt a baby. Well, not to be out done, LendingClub.com just sent over a list of some of the weirdest loans that their members funded last year. Its a pretty great list…”

Tushar presents Anonymous Banker on SBA Loans posted at Small Business Resource , saying, “Joe Nocera has a blog in the New York Times called Executive Suite, and can also be heard on NPR. He has had what he calls an Anonymous Banker writing to him. Todays Topic:Why Are S.B.A. Loans Disappearing?By Joe NoceraAnonymous Banker, who is fast becoming Executive Suite’s new best friend, is back, this time with a first-hand explanation about why banks aren’t making small-business loans.”

Corey presents Jobs in College – Part 1 posted at 20s Finances , saying, “Are you looking for a job in college? Many of the best jobs in college are hard to get, leaving you fighting for a few extra bucks while in college. We all know that it is hard to graduate from college without debt and finding a job in college is one of the best ways to avoid it. Have you ever wondered what the best jobs in college are? Or maybe how to get them? “

Miscellaneous

John presents Thought Leader: What Makes One? posted at Married with Debt , saying, “A thought leader is someone who seeks to help people by changing the way they think.This empowers you to solve future problems on your own. ”

Corey presents Should the Fed be Fighting Deflation or Inflation? posted at Steadfast Finances , saying, “The economy isn’t as predictable as many would make it seem. Find out whether inflation or deflation is worse.”

Suba presents The Fork In My Husband’s Career Path posted at Broke Professionals , saying, “My husband’s found himself having to choose between two career opportunities: one that will result in better pay, and another that could lead to better jobs.”

Amanda L Grossman presents True Acceptance of Your Circumstances and Your Finances posted at Frugal Confessions , saying, “The funniest thing happened to me the other day. While standing in line at a Subway I looked out of the window into the parking lot long enough to see someone drive away with my car! Needless to say I was shocked!”

Aloysa presents 50 Things No One Told Me About America posted at My Broken Coin , saying, “Twelve years ago I arrived to the Salt Lake City International Airport with broken luggage it was duct taped all over to hold my precious possessions in hand, and two hundred dollars in my wallet. I came to America with great expectations and hope for a better future. I had a very vague idea about what it was really like!”

Andy presents Retiring to Panama posted at My Retirement Blog , saying, “Youre looking for somewhere warm to retire but you dont have much money. Instead of Florida or Mexico, consider another spot, instead Panama. We spent two weeks driving around this lovely country last year, staying at hotels, B&Bs, and even a beachside resort. What we discovered surprised us: both good and bad.”

Shaun presents Financial Reasons to Get Rid of Your Junk posted at Smart Family Finance , saying, “You need to realize that the more stuff you have, the larger the costs above will grow. As stuff accumulates so does the cost of keeping all that stuff.”

A Blinkin presents How Do You Judge Value? posted at Funancials , saying, “If you have been following Funancials for an extended period of time, you have noticed the direction of my articles have changed. I used to focus primarily on numbers. Numbers don’t lie. Numbers make sense; and numbers are black and white. There is a problem in viewing financial decisions with this binary code approach. ”

Luke presents Is The US Economy Recovering? The Market Says YES! posted at Learn Bonds , saying, “Stocks were up big today. All three major stock indexes were rose between 0.96 percent and 1.51 percent. The DOW had a triple digit gain rising 123 points. Is the economy recovering? YES!”

Nick presents A fun way to frame the “want” versus “need” debate posted at Step Away from the Mall , saying, “This is an agry little post about framing the wants versus needs debate. At the end it offers a fun (but not perfect) little way to help determine if your next purchase is truly a need.”

Retirement Planning

MMD presents Are We Fools for Saving Our Money? posted at MyMoneyDesign , saying, “Is there a chance all the money we’re saving for retirement someday could be worthless? “Rich Dad Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki thinks so and has some alternative ideas for becoming rich!”

FMF presents $4 Million Not Enough to Retire on If You’re Young posted at Free Money Finance , saying, “It used to be that a million dollars was enough to retire. Now, if you’re going to retire in 30 years, $4 million might not be enough. Man, I hate inflation!”

Risk Management and Insurance

Daniel presents What Makes More Sense – High Insurance Premiums or a High Deductible? posted at Sweating the Big Stuff , saying, “The decision about whether to take a risk with a high premium insurance plan or a high deductible insurance plan is a tough one. Here are some tips.”

Eddie presents Dear Insurance Agent, I Wish my Car Insurance Was Cheaper! posted at Finance Fox , saying, “We’ve been together for well over 7 years, and with no major infractions. Honestly, I’ve been a really solid client. Just ask my driving record. I know you’re not a magician, and I don’t expect you to make magic happen, however I’d like a cheaper auto insurance quote.”

Savings

Kay Lynn presents It Is America Saves Week: Tips To Save Money without Feeling the Pinch posted at Bucksome Boomer , saying, “Here are some tips to save money without shelling out the dollars from your budget or making changes to your current lifestyle. ”

Laura Edgar presents NerdWallet’s Top 10 High-Yield Savings Accounts for the Digital Age posted at NerdWallet , saying, “A review of the nation’s top 10 online, high-yield savings accounts. From the article: “The rumors are true: savings account interest rates are at an all-time low. Just looking at big bank accounts, you might well think that your best course is the tried-and-true mattress method. The numbers would bear you out: as of February 21st, 2012, the national average is 0.10%. But don’t give up on high-yield savings accounts just yet. You can earn up to 10 times the national average just by looking online.”"

SavingMentor presents Save Money Using Long Distance Providers posted at HowToSaveMoney.ca , saying, “There are essentially three types of long distance providers that you might consider using and that is what this guide is all about.”

Taxes

LaTisha presents How to Do Your Taxes on the Cheap posted at Financial Success for Young Adults , saying, “What you need to know about filing your taxes on your own. Do your taxes with TurboTax or other online tax programs and save money filing taxes.”

Jason presents Understanding Taxes: Tax Deductions posted at Work Save Live , saying, “A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the first step in understanding taxes: knowing which tax bracket you fall in. The next part of understanding taxes is to learn about TAX DEDUCTIONS! What is a Tax Deduction? A tax deduction is different from a tax credit.”

YFS presents Tax Deductions and Tax Credits Debunked posted at Your Finances Simplified , saying, “Tax deductions and tax credits are similar, but they are not the same thing. As we approach tax season, it is good to know the difference when you go into the accountant’s office.”

Charles Chua C K presents Are You Ready For a Tax Audit? posted at All About Living with Life.

Philip Taylor presents Tax Preparation Checklist 2011 posted at PT Money Personal Finance , saying, “A post that helps readers ensure that they are prepared for the tax season.”

SB presents The Pro’s and Con’s of Preparing Your Own Taxes posted at One Cent at a Time , saying, “The author explains pros and cons of preparing your own tax return. The things to consider before think of doing it alone. “

DeWitt Dudley presents The Top Five Asset Protection Strategies For The Owners Of A Closely Held Business posted at Law Offices of Givner & Kaye, saying, “The owners of a closely held business that is operated as an “S” corporation may be the targets of lawsuits that will drain their insurance policies, that may even exceed the limits of their insurance policies and that may cause them sleepless nights. What steps should these business owners take so that if something goes wrong, they will not lose all or most of the assets that they have worked so long to accumulate?”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: budgeting

Financial Planning – Money Management Edition

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 06:11:10 +0000

Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs

Carnival of Financial Planning – Money Management Edition #224 – February 17, 2012

Welcome to the February 17, 2012 Money Management Edition #224 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

Miss T. presents 10 Reasons You’re Broke posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter , saying, “If you always have more month than cash and never seem to get ahead or even to even, it’s time to look at some reasons you may be broke.”

Sabrina presents The Number One Tip for Budgeting Success posted at Frugal Living , saying, “Given the different way people manage, or don’t manage, their finances, what one tip would I give anyone? Choose a budgeting method and don’t give up.”

Jeffrey presents Wealthy, Successful Bloggers: Don’t Simply Follow Their Frugal Advice posted at Money Spruce , saying, “I often wonder if I’m brainwashing myself with the stuff I just want to hear. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of blogs, books, and other advice about self-employment and starting your own business. I’ve mostly convinced myself that working a 9-5 job isn’t the key to happiness and success in my life.”

Jeff presents When Your Fun Makes You Want More posted at Saving Advice , saying, “While I can’t completely kill of the “wanting more” feeling — it is human after all to want more — I’ve learned to deal with it in a few ways by reminding myself of what I already have. When the wanting gets to be too much, I have the following conversations with myself.”

Amanda presents Tips for Buying a Car posted at Frugalist , saying, “For many, buying a car happens to be one of the first loans they drown ourselves in after they graduate from university. However, by carefully implementing a financial plan of action you can get the most out of your vehicle without drowning in financial oblivion.”

Mr. Money presents 9 Common Ways You Could Be Wasting Your Money posted at Smart on Money , saying, “If you are trying to figure out what has happened to your budget, and trying to pinpoint where your money is leaking away to, here are 9 common ways that you could be wasting your money: “

Estate Planning

Marie presents 6 Reasons to Update Your Will posted at Money Spending Mommy , saying, “Perhaps you, like many others, believe that once your will has been drawn up, that’s the end of the process. While wills have never been anyone’s idea of fun, it’s important to review your will on a regular basis. There are many reasons to pull out your will and give it a thorough review. Here are some of the most common reasons:”

Evan presents Never Assume a Person Has a Completed Estate Plan posted at My Journey to Millions , saying, “Testamentary intent should be the most important goal but that is predicated on the fact that some form of estate planning is actually gets done!”

Financial Planning

Hemant Beniwal presents Setting SMART Financial Goals posted at The Financial Literates, saying, “Let’s simplify the whole process of setting smart financial goals, you can check how to set smart financial goals, few examples of financial goals & finally you can download a financial goals worksheet which will help you in converting your dreams into reality.”

Craig Ford presents Learning Personal Finance: A Guide to Successful Financial Health (Part I) posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “Easy to implement personal finance action items that make a huge impact.”

Charles Chua C K presents 7 Ways to Obtain True Wealth posted at All About Living with Life.

Financing a Home

Amanda L Grossman presents A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Timeshares Included in Social Buying Site Travel Deals posted at Frugal Confessions , saying, “Timeshares and Travel Deals Should Not Be Combined Read My Experiences With Them.”

YFS presents What My Tenants Say posted at Your Finances Simplified , saying, “So I receive my January statement from my property manager and I noticed that both of my tenants are lagging big time on their portion of the rent. The reason why I say, portion of the rent is because the two properties I own are occupied by section 8…”

Evan presents How Much Is Your Security Worth? posted at Smart Wealth , saying, “The cost is high for a home security system; the monthly fees will never end as long as you have the system but is peace of mind worth the price to you?”

Scott Skyles presents FHA Loan Requirements and Underwriting Guidelines 2012 posted at Mortgage 1A, saying, “The Federal Housing Administration, commonly known as “FHA,” is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD.) The program was created for low income individuals, or families that might need a little help in the homeownership process.”

Financing Education

John presents College and Future Earnings: What’s the Connection? posted at Wallet Blog , saying, “School for school’s sake, not necessarily the best way to plan for your financial future. Look at the overall picture first, then pick the path to success that is right for you!”

Financing Healthcare

Nathan Kim presents Pros and Cons of Flexible Spending Accounts posted at Everyday Money Info , saying, “Flexible spending accounts are a good idea and these days require less hassle than in years past, but you still have to be diligent to maximize your benefits.”

Income

Justin presents Blog Goals and Updates 2012 – #6 posted at Money Is the Root , saying, “Just as last year, I will provide weekly updates on my site statistics, blogging income, and intended goals for the short and long term. These posts will provide ongoing updates regarding my progress on my five blogs, and perhaps more in the near future, as well as achieving $30,000 in online income this year.”

Investor Junkie presents What Is Human Capital? posted at Investor Junkie , saying, “The point of recognizing human capital is to make use of the expertise, skills and talents of a workforce in a way that maximizes profits. With the right human capital at your disposal, you can run your business more efficiently. ”

Kyle presents Make Money Playing in Scrabble Tournaments posted at The Penny Hoarder , saying, “If you’ve got a knack for the game, we’ve got a few tips on how to make some extra money playing the game professionally…”

Investing

Tom Drake presents Where to Research Investments posted at Stupid Cents , saying, “There are plenty of tools that can help you research investments you are interested in. Research can reduce the likelihood that you invest in a total loser.”

Justin presents To Buy or Not to Buy Penny Stocks posted at Budget Snob , saying, “There are many small and micro cap companies out there that have great potential. However, it’s precisely because they are considered small that conventional advisers and stock brokers don’t bother to follow them. What unsuspecting investors don’t understand is that these penny stock shares can reward them with big gains, if they get in early enough.”

Dividends4Life presents 12 Dividend Stocks With A 20% Yield In 20 Years posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “Investing in dividend growth stocks requires a long-term vision. It is easy to run a screen and find stocks that are paying a 10%, 15% or 20% yield today; but how long will they be able to sustain it? Instead you may want to skate to where the future high-yielders are going to be. To do that end, here are some things you need to know…”

Don presents Investing: What You Cannot Control posted at MoneySmartGuides , saying, “This will be a two part posting on what you can and what you cannot control when it comes to investing. This first part will highlight four things you cannot control. Picking winning stocks Picking superior managers Timing markets… “

Luke presents Obama Proposes Cap on Municipal Bond Tax Deduction posted at Learn Bonds , saying, “To the dismay of many municipal bond market players, President Barack Obama on Monday unveiled a budget for fiscal 2013 that includes a measure that would impact the attractiveness of investing in municipal bonds.”

Kanwal Sarai presents Top 3 Tips for Successful Investing posted at Simply Investing , saying, “The beginning of the new year is a great time to plan for the future. Plan on how you will be able to earn more passive income this year than last year. Here are 3 tips to help you earn more:”

Martin presents 5 Stock Market Rules to Live by posted at Studenomics , saying, “Stock market tips to follow religiously.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Jeremy Waller presents A Financed Lifestyle is No Lifestyle At All posted at Personal Finance Whiz , saying, “I was looking at my credit card today the one with the nearly $18,000 balance when it hit me. I finally saw my credit card as something other than just a method of payment. My credit card has been my chief enabler, lifestyle financier and knew things need to change.”

Paul Vachon presents Personal Finance for College Graduates posted at The Frugal Toad , saying, “Graduating college is an exciting time in your life. You are finally on your own and facing many important decisions such as what career path to choose or where to relocate. Decisions made now can have a big impact on your potential income and living expenses. If I could offer one piece of personal finance advice to a new college graduate it would be to start saving money as soon as possible. Here are several other tips to get you on the road to financial success.”

Boomer presents Quick Cash Solutions: A Dangerous Game posted at Boomer & Echo , saying, “Payday seems an eternity away and you have no money in your wallet. Your credit cards are maxed out and you need some quick cash. What do you do?”

Daniel presents Lending Club Returns at 15.87in February 2012 posted at Sweating the Big Stuff , saying, “I started investing in Lending Club in 2011, and so far my returns have been stellar. Using some smart criteria, I’ve been able to crush the average.”

Shaun presents Why You Shouldn’t Consolidate Your Student Loans posted at Smart Family Finance , saying, “There are plenty of reason why you should consolidate your student loans: lower interest rates and lower monthly payments. There are some very good reasons why you shouldn’t consolidate student loans, read more to find out why.”

Miscellaneous

MR presents Do You Look Poorer Than You Are? posted at Money Reasons , saying, “Do You Look Poorer Than You Are? Apparently, I do! A lady at work thought I was much poorer than I really was…”

Jester presents How to Accept Advice from Others posted at The Ultimate Juggle , saying, “Who do you ask for financial advice. Find out who you should be asking for financial advice and learn how to accept it gracefully.”

Suba presents The Definition of Broke: What Does It Mean? posted at Broke Professionals , saying, “I often catch myself saying I’m broke… but is it true? Just because you have no money in the bank doesn’t necessarily fit the definition of broke.”

Liana presents Nasty Credit Card Fees posted at Card Hub , saying, “How do these guys sleep at night? See some of the most vicious application of fees around…Talk about biting the hand that feeds you…here’s hoping First Premier has its rabies shots”

Mich presents Weekend Edition: 2012 BP Energy Outlook 2030 posted at Beating The Index , saying, “BP just released its Annual Energy Outlook 2030 which contains its projects for future energy trends. BP sees overall energy demand growing about 40 percent”

KT presents Improve Negotiation by Being Willing to Walk Away posted at Personal Finance Journey , saying, “Negotiation can be a powerful tool to save you money, yet many people never negotiate because they think it is in poor taste or they are afraid their attempt at negotiation will be denied. In my experience, more than half of the time you try to negotitate, you will be successful.”

Retirement Planning

FG presents Harper’s Plan to Cut Canada’s Old Age Security OAS Program posted at Financial God , saying, “The Internet is afire with news that the Conservative government of Canada is planning to raise the minimum age for Old Age Security, as part of a comprehensive government-wide cost-cutting measure for the upcoming federal budget.”

Bill Smith presents 8 Tips to Prepare for Retirement posted at 2008 Taxes, saying, “Whether you’re just starting to plan for retirement, or you’re retiring in the next year or two, there’s never a bad time to learn how to prepare yourself for the wonderful world of retirement.”

Jim Yih presents The History of OAS posted at Canadian Finance Blog , saying, “OAS is a hot topic these days as the government looks at different ways to address the concerns over the number of baby boomers expected to retire.”

Risk Management and Insurance

Corey presents Saving Money on Car Insurance posted at Steadfast Finances , saying, “Read ways to save money on Car Insurance.”

Savings

Little House presents How Does Your Rainy Day Fund Stack Up? posted at Little House in the Valley , saying, “According to Mint.com, 50% of Americans claim that they would have difficulty coming up with $2,000 for unexpected expenses. Around here, that’s what an emergency fund is for. However, I guess this is still a novel idea to many Americans based on data Mint.com collected. Check out the infographic yourself (click on the link to see a larger version on Daily Infographic):”

Eddie presents Canadian Extreme Couponing, Is There Such A Thing? posted at Finance Fox , saying, “Canadians are also not fortunate enough to get coupons on fruits, veggies or meat. All of the coupons are on non-perishable items. Most of our money goes on fruits, veggies and meat, and every now and then you’ll get some coupons on dairy items.”

Steve presents Saving Money and Time Through Automation posted at Money Infant , saying, “Automation is one of the keys to unlocking your financial freedom. Chances are you already automate some of your savings plans like 401k and emergency savings”

Taxes

Glen Craig presents Cost Basis Reporting – How it Affects Your Taxes posted at Free From Broke , saying, “Cost basis reporting is an important concept to understand when you are selling investments as it can affect what you pay in taxes. See how new rules can change your filing. ”

Lazy Man presents Why Am I Receiving a 1099-K? posted at Lazy Man and Money , saying, “Paypal has let many sports card collectors know that this year they are receiving a 1099-K. At the end of the day, I feel that the IRS was really trying to target the people that only sell on line, and where thereby not reporting all of their taxable income to the IRS. But in the end, there are a myriad of collectors in various lines of collectibles that have no profit motive to their buying and selling that are also getting snared in the net of using PayPal and Ebay.”

Sunny Speaks presents Why You Should Avoid Tax Refund Anticipation Loans posted at About.com Financial Planning, saying, ” In fact, this has been a common practice in recent years. Most large tax preparers would offer what’s called a tax refund anticipation loan. How it works is they determine how much of a refund you’ll be receiving when filing your taxes and then lend you the money immediately so that you don’t have to wait a few weeks for the IRS to send you a check.”

Joe Plemon presents 5 Plans for Your Tax Refund posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “If you don’t have a plan for your tax refund, it will vaporize. This post gives five different plans, tailored for your financial well being.”

Bill Smith presents Can You Discharge Your Tax Debts In Bankruptcy Court posted at 2008 Taxes, saying, “There are many debts that you can discharge through bankruptcy. Is tax debt eligible for discharge through bankruptcy?”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money budgeting

Personal Financial Management Articles from Personal Finance Blogs

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:55:49 +0000

Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs

Carnival of Financial Planning – Financial Management Edition #223 – February 10, 2012

Welcome to the February 10, 2012 Financial Management Edition #223 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

Glen presents 5 Kids Expenses to Budget For – Apart from College posted at Parenting Family Money, saying, “There are other expenses for kids-not on the magnitude of college-that are also worthy of budgets all their own. Make sure you budget for these kids expenses!”

Young presents Transitioning from the Starving Student Budget to a Real Budget posted at YoungAndThrifty, saying, “So your big day has come and gone, you wore the cap and gown, stood line for hours while 1000 other people had their 10 seconds in the spotlight, and now you finally have your big university/college degree/diploma. Welcome to the world of bills and expenses.”

Jeremy Biberdorf presents Starbucks Coffee Prices Brewing A Hole In Your Wallet posted at Modest Money, saying, “Most coffee drinkers are sure to know that their daily habit adds up to a lot of money. What they might not realize is how that habit may be affecting their other financial decisions.”

Financial Planning

J.P. presents Two Guaranteed Ways To Improve Your Finances posted at Novel Investor, saying, “No matter how you dress it up, rewrap it, spin it, discuss it on a per item or action basis, improving your finances only comes down to two things.”

MMD presents Which Is Better – Paying Down Your Auto Loan or Mortgage? posted at MyMoneyDesign, saying, “Explore whether it is better to pay down your auto loan or pay down mortgage. Download my free Excel worksheet to try it out yourself!”

Evan presents February 2012 Net Worth Update posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “From January 2011 to February 2012 my net worth has increased 85.97%”

Financing a Home

Matt presents Keeping a Mortgage for Greater Investment Gain posted at RamblingFever Money, saying, “The 15 vs 30 year mortgage debate. I ran some numbers and was shocked to find out that it might actually make mathematical sense to stick with the 30-year. Is this the best choice though as it pertains to your “personal” finances?”

Financing Education

Colin Williams presents Financial Comparison Websites – Who Uses Them And Why posted at humble savers, saying, “Q & A with one of Australia’s leading Financial Comparison websites to discover who typically uses their website and why. We also investigate how financial comparison websites have changed the marketing of product providers to be more transparent.”

Pat Huddleston presents A Course at College, But Not a College Course posted at Investor’s Watchblog, saying, “If retirement planning courses at local colleges are the next iteration of free lunch seminars, I wonder what will keep these courses any cleaner than their predecessors. Get advice from someone who has no financial interest in managing your money before you venture into the world where everyone wants a piece.”

Financing Healthcare

John presents How Are You Handling Increases in Your Medical Premiums and Deductibles? posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “Do you have an employer sponsored medical plan? Have you noticed drastic increases in your medical premiums and deductibles over the past decade? I know that my family has certainly been impacted by these increases and I am sure we are not alone.”

Income

John presents Job Loss Protection: An Emergency Plan posted at Married with Debt, saying, “If you are facing job loss or want to plan for job loss, it is a smart idea to have a Job Loss Emergency Plan. Read on for ways to protect your family and prepare for the worst.”

Kevin presents How to Quit Your Job with Grace posted at Invest It Wisely, saying, “Whether you are leaving for personal reasons, for another job, or to go independent, there are several things you need to consider before you make it official. Once you are ready, you should then leave your job with grace.”

Sean presents Discussing Salary Raises With Your Boss posted at One Smart Dollar, saying, “Timing is everything when asking for your raise. Every year employees have an annual review and this is the perfect time to ask for a raise. You have talked about the good things you have done over the past year and all the ways that you have help the company become more profitable.”

Investing

Doctor Stock presents Holding Stocks during Earnings Announcements posted at Invest in the Markets, saying, “Holding stocks during earnings announcements has inherent risks… but that’s not to say you shouldn’t do it. But if you already own the stock, or are considering it, here’s some ideas to consider.”

Pam Whitlock presents Teaching Your Kids about Money: Investing and Growing Your Money posted at The MoneyTrail Blog, saying, “Investing and growing money is an often overlooked area of financial literacy with kids. Find out ways to go beyond the standard savings account and get your child actively involved in investing and money growth.”

Green Panda presents A Personal Story of a Risk Taken posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “A risk that could have gone either way.”

Marissa presents Learning to Invest posted at Thirty Six Months, saying, “Here is a great break down of researching stocks the smart way.”

Pat Huddleston presents Technology: Every Scamster’s Friend posted at Investor’s Watchblog, saying, “Forgery is centuries old and will always be with us. Technology has made creating passable forgeries easy. A criminal case out of New Jersey shows that the forger’s toolbox looks nothing like what it did even fifteen years ago.”

Mich presents Stock Updates: Aroway Energy, Hyperion Exploration, Palliser Oil and Gas posted at Beating The Index, saying, “Aroway Energy : This stock, the one that got away, has performed superbly in the past months particularly in a difficult year such as 2011 where it outperformed”

Hank presents What’s The Difference Between Index Funds and Exchange Traded Funds ETFs posted at Money Q&A, saying, “At first glance, many investors simply do not understand the difference between index funds and exchange traded funds and how they can fit into your investments.”

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey presents Spread Betting – How It Works and Risks Involved posted at My Personal Finance Journey, saying, “This post describes the concept of spread betting, and details the different risks involved. By understanding what spread betting is and how it works, one can decide if it’s right for one’s own financial planning strategy.”

Dan presents How to Invest in Junk Bonds posted at http://www.highyieldedge.com, saying, “Last week saw a new record of inflows into junk bonds. What gives?! Find out why investors are flocking to this asset class and how you can diversify with ETFs.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Dr. Jason Cabler presents Winning Without a Credit Score posted at Celebrating Financial Freedom, saying, “A story about my friends mom “Marge” who got turned down for a credit card because she has no credit score, and how that means she’s been winning with money for over 40 years. “

Erika presents Traveling vs. Saving posted at Newlyweds on a Budget, saying, “Is it okay to travel when you’re paying down debt and saving money?”

Eddie presents Get Your Free Credit Report – Honestly, it’s FREE! posted at Finance Fox, saying, “Small business web hosting offering additional business services such as: domain name registrations, email accounts, web services, FrontPage help, online community resources and various small business solutions.”

LaTisha presents The Five Components of a Credit Score posted at Financial Success for Young Adults, saying, “How can I improve my credit score? There are five components to credit card scoring and if you want to improve your FICO score pay attention.”

Sunil presents How to Spot the Best Rewards Credit Card Quickly and Effectively posted at The Extra Money Blog, saying, “How do you know what card to choose when you are comparing so many different credit cards? Here are five things you should consider looking for when comparing credit cards.”

Mike presents Marriott Rewards Credit Card Review posted at Rewards Cards USA, saying, “The Marriott Rewards credit card is meant specifically for those who want to earn free stays at Marriott hotels (and at Ritz-Carlton hotels).”

Miscellaneous

krantcents presents The 3 C’s of Success posted at KrantCents, saying, “The 3 C’s of Success is the third in a series of articles to help you reach your goal. What are your goals? I know you thought about it! You know, it is your dream, wish or resolution you made! Before you can get to where you want to be, you need to know where you have been!”

FG presents The Role of Money in the Financial Crisis posted at Financial God, saying, “There is an interesting post by Jeffrey Tucker on the Mises Institute of Canada about the ongoing ‘crisis of capitalism’. If one is talking about the current world economic order, then there is indeed a crisis going on, but it all depends on how you define the word ‘capitalism’.”

Mike presents Frequent Flyer Miles Programs posted at Rewards Cards USA, saying, “Frequent flyer miles programs provide you with the opportunity to earn free airfare, seat upgrades and other perks from your preferred airline.”

Aloysa presents Spending That I Can Afford posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “January was not an easy month. I felt unhinged. I felt content. I was a bitch. I was a good friend. I was rude. I was sweet. I expected a lot. I expected very little. I was happy. I was blue. I was sick. I was all over the place. All shopping bills are paid.”

Luke Bonds presents Treasury Bonds posted at Learn Bonds, saying, “All three are types of bond issued by the federal government of the United States. The name indicates the maturity date of the bond.”

A Blinkin presents Market Update: Snowboarding on the Stock Market posted at Funancials, saying, “When Burton first introduced snowboards back in the 80′s, they were forlack of a better term, runaway death machines. They did not have metaledges and were very hard to control, especially in less than idealconditions.Read how I tie this into the stock market!”

Wayne presents Financial Benefits of Not Having Kids posted at Young Family Finance, saying, “Discover some of the financial benefits of not having kids. It may surprise you to know the true costs and what you are saving by not having kids.”

Retirement Planning

Jen presents Where Did The Dough Go? #39 posted at Master the Art of Saving, saying, “Welcome to yet another weekly edition of ‘Where Did The Dough Go?’. Below you can get a completely open and honest view of what we’re spending money on, how much we’re saving, investing and putting away for retirement.”

MyMoneyDesign presents A Strategy for Maxing Out Your Retirement Savings posted at My Money Design, saying, “Learn about the strategy we used to max out our retirement plans like our 401k and IRA’s, and how we plan to keep saving above and beyond that!”

Savings

Teacher Man presents More Rewarding: Earning vs Saving posted at My University Money, saying, “Us personal finance nerds seem to have an ongoing debate raging (ok, maybe a slightly aggressive term) concerning who is cooler, the guys/gals that save more, or the guys/gals that earn more. Clearly the coolest peeps are the ones that save as much as possible and instead of wasting valuable time partaking in a fairly mundane exchange of stale views, earn more than the rest of us as well…”

Mike presents Redeem Air Miles For Gift Cards posted at Rewards Cards Canada, saying, “I prefer to redeem Air Miles for gift cards to spend on movies, gas and groceries to help supplement my monthly budget.”

Small Business Resource presents How to Save Money on Technology For Your Business posted at Small Business Resource, saying, “Fax machines, copiers, printers, computers, smartphones, tablets … it seems like every day there is some new piece of technology without which your business”

Taxes

DeWitt Dudley presents The Top Five Asset Protection Strategies For The Owners Of A Closely Held Business posted at Law Offices of Givner & Kaye, saying, “The owners of a closely held business that is operated as an “S” corporation may be the targets of lawsuits that will drain their insurance policies, that may even exceed the limits of their insurance policies and that may cause them sleepless nights. What steps should these business owners take so that if something goes wrong, they will not lose all or most of the assets that they have worked so long to accumulate?”

Kyle presents The #1 Most Overlooked Tax Deduction Could Save You $1,000 posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, “There’s free money available to people who invest in retirement accounts, but the money is often overlooked. Many low-income individuals could qualify for the Saver’s Credit. It’s a tax deduction that could put up to $1,000 in their wallets. “

Glen Craig presents What is Self-Employment Tax? posted at Free From Broke, saying, “When you own your own business, taxes can get complicated. One complication is paying your own self-employment taxes. But what is self-employment tax? Read on.”

Don presents Your 401k: How Much Are You Paying? posted at MoneySmartGuides, saying, “I’m not a huge fan of writing about taxes. Most readers aren’t big fans of reading about taxes. I can’t lie, so unfortunately this post is about taxes. Please don’t go. I promise this is very important information and it help you!”

Jessica Bird presents How CO2 Affects The Cost Of Your Car Tax posted at CarTaxBands.org, saying, “The amount of pollution that your car emits can have an affect on how much tax you pay. This article shows you how to find out what the CO2 emissions are on a car.”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money managing personal debt

Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:53:31 +0000

Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #222 – February 3, 2012

Welcome to the February 3, 2012 Edition #222 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

SavingMentor presents Buying on Sale: Are You Really Saving Money? posted at HowToSaveMoney.ca , saying, “It seems that everybody loves a good sale, but the real question is when you buy stuff on sale are you really saving money? Well, sure, you are saving money off the regular price of that particular product at that particular store, but is that even meaningful?”

Beating Broke presents I Quit My Job: Overcoming the Fear posted at Beating Broke , saying, “One question I’ve been asked over and over when talking about quitting my job is how I overcame the fear of not being able to find a new job, or not being able to pay my bills. Obviously, both of those questions played a part in the decision. My answer might surprise some. I didn’t.”

D.J. presents Do You Have Enough Saved in Your Emergency Fund? posted at The Family Wallet , saying, “In years past, I’ve relied on the emergency fund for small bumps in the road of personal finance. But today there are stories everywhere about major financial catastrophes. People are losing jobs and homes. In fact, some families are losing everything.”

Cash Flow Mantra presents Getting More Miles Out of the Old Van posted at Cash Flow Mantra , saying, “My 2004 Pontiac Montana just clicked over 167,000 miles, and I couldn’t be more excited. It is my goal to get up to 200,000 with it.”

Kelly presents Seven Fun Hobbies that Won’t Cost You a Cent posted at Wallet Watcher , saying, “Here’s a handful of hobbies that are sure to be entertaining, beneficial and basically free of charge.”

MyMoneyDesign presents How to Budget posted at My Money Design, saying, “Is your budget not working? Learn how to create one that fits your lifestyle! And download my free Excel budget template!”

Money Cone presents This one thing will make a huge impact on how your car handles in snow and ice posted at Money Cone , saying, “Now tires are not cheap and prices vary greatly between retailers for the exact same set of tires. Here’s how you can get a good deal on a tire:”

Eddie presents Airline’s Charge to Check Bags = One Big Cash Grab posted at Finance Fox , saying, “Despite a pretty smooth trip overall, I had the pleasure of paying $25 to check my bag. Three different airports, three different starting points and that’s $75 less I had in my wallet.”

Janet Russell presents Personal Budgeting Spreadsheet posted at Best Financial Retirement Planner, saying, “If you do not understand how much you spend and how much you are saving and investing, you simply do not have a financial plan. This situation dramatically increases your family’s long-term financial risk.”

Marissa presents Think You can’t afford to budget? posted at Thirty Six Months , saying, “Budgeting is easier than you think. Here are some ways to ease into it.”

Martin presents What Nobody Will Tell You About The Economy posted at Studenomics , saying, “A secret you just need to know about economic issues.”

Small Business Resource presents Top Tips For Small Businesses To Survive The Recession posted at Small Business Resource , saying, “Here are some tips for small businesses to survive the recession …. courtesy of the everywoman network!”

What Next presents Options to Track Your Spending posted at What Next, saying, “I don’t really care where you spend your money but the key to success is that you know where you spend your money. Tracking your spending is crucial to success. Below are what I call the big three methods of doing this with pros and cons for each. Pick the one that works best for you.”

N.W. Journey presents Stay Within the Boundaries posted at Networth Journey, saying, “Learn how staying in the boundaries reaps massive rewards.”

Estate Planning

Hank presents How To Raise The Next Millionaire Entrepreneur posted at Money Q&A , saying, “Giving them a solid foundation to launch their creative ideas will help them achieve a financial freedom. A true millionaire entrepreneur knows that they can’t wait for opportunities to find them.”

Jen presents My Biggest Financial Fear posted at Master the Art of Saving , saying, “Sometimes fear can motivate us and other times, it can paralyze us or dictate our decisions. I have plenty of fears, and I’m not afraid to admit it.”

DeWitt Dudley presents My Mom Is Dying: What Should I Do About Estate Tax? | Law Offices of Givner & Kaye posted at Law Offices of Givner & Kaye, saying, “We get the call all too often: “My mom (or dad) is dying: what should I do?” Of course, if they are calling us, what they really mean is “what should I do to reduce the potential estate tax?””

Financial Planning

Amanda presents Financial Software for Your Computer posted at Frugal Living , saying, “Whether you are running a small business, creating a family budget or filing your taxes, there is a myriad of computer software available to serve your financial needs. Many of these programs not only help declutter that mess of financial papers you may have lying around, but also allow you to see exactly where your money is coming from and where it’s going.”

Walter Binkle presents Fixed Income Bond Funds posted at Fixed Income Investing, saying, “The bond investment fund market is no place for an individual investor to try to beat the market and get higher returns through attempts at clever fixed income investing. Even professional bond market money managers do not beat the bond market.”

MyMoneyDesign presents Which Is Better – Paying Down Your Auto Loan or Mortgage? posted at My Money Design, saying, “Is it better to pay down your auto loan or pay down mortgage? This post will explore the differences and walk through an example on how to calculate which is better.”

Super Saver presents Surviving the Great Recession posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “The Great Recession has truly been a test of economic survival capability. Here are some of the actions we took and how they helped us survive so far.”

Larry Russell presents Personal ID theft protection posted at Personal Financial Planning, saying, “As a threat to your financial security, you should take the potential for identity theft very seriously. Identity theft sometimes entails a loss of your money, but whether or not you lose money, it can take a very large amount of your time to rectify. Taking these steps to prevent an occurrence is prudent.”

Marie presents Personal Finance Principles for the Retirement Years posted at Money Spending Mommy , saying, “Whether you are heading towards those golden years, or an older relative is looking to make more of their money, here are a few ideas to help you manage your personal finances in retirement.”

Frank Bertin presents Top Index Funds posted at Best Investment Strategies, saying, “Short-term mutual fund trading is a zero sum game played against other very well informed mutual fund traders and other securities market traders. On average, higher mutual fund turnover is far more likely to result in lower investment fund performance — instead of superior risk-adjusted performance.”

Kelsey presents 5 Time Management Tips for Busy Mums posted at Money Mum , saying, “If you’re feeling overwhelmed or short on time, here are some time management tips to get you back on track:”

Financing a Home

Suba presents Simple Home Maintenance Anyone Can Do posted at Broke Professionals , saying, “If you own a home, you can save time and money by learning to do some common and simple home maintenance. The time you save is the time needed to locate a repair person, wait for them to arrive and do the task. The money you save is their labor charge.”

krantcents presents Protecting your home when on holiday: top tips posted at KrantCents , saying, “Whatever kind of neighbourhood you live in, you will want to protect your home while you are away from it. Should you be embarking on a big holiday in the coming weeks and months and you find yourself away from the house for two weeks or more, there are a number of things you can do.”

Miss T. presents How to Shop for Furniture at Thrift Stores posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter , saying, “If you are looking for ways to cut costs in your household, you should take the time to check out some of the thrift stores in your area.”

Evan presents How to Reduce the Cost of Home Insurance posted at Smart Wealth , saying, “Home insurance may seem like just one more cost on top of the price you pay for food, energy and the gas in your car, but it can be one of the most important policies you ever take out – particularly if your house is ever damaged by flooding, fire or severe weather.”

Matt presents Don’t Be Stupid! Get the 15-Year Mortgage posted at RamblingFever Money , saying, “You wouldn’t bench Wayne Gretzky for two entire periods would you? Why then would you get a 30-year mortgage? Don’t be stupid!”

Shaun presents Mistakes Young Families Make When Financing Their First Home posted at Smart Family Finance , saying, “Money mistakes made by young, educated and affluent families were a direct cause of our current economic turmoil. If families fail to learn from those home buying mistakes, we are doomed to repeat the consequences.”

Financing Healthcare

Rachel C. presents Five Reasons Why You Cannot Wait for Health Insurance posted at Business Insurance, saying, “As the health insurance reforms roll out, many people are still without any form of coverage. Some Americans are opting to wait for the public programs rather than signing up for private insurance through their jobs or other insurance carriers. There are some inherent dangers in waiting for the health insurance reforms to kick in before getting the coverage that you need. There are several negative situations you can encounter during the wait for public health insurance that can be avoided if you take the steps to get coverage now.”

Income

Linsey presents Working from Home. . .With a Toddler posted at 1099 Mom , saying, “I can imagine that for most Moms, there is at least one “high-needs” kid in the household. Working from home with one in your care, however, takes a delicate balance of being attentive and not allowing yourself to be completely run over.”

Kevin presents These Three Jobs Are a Great Way for a Teen to Earn Money and Learn Something About Life at the Same Time posted at Invest It Wisely , saying, “My opinion is that one of the best ways for a teenager to learn about making and saving money is to get a summer-job, or work part-time. These are absolutely amazing ways to gain valuable experience in helping others and learn about responsibility, endurance, and teamwork, and earn money in the process.”

LaTisha presents How You Can Build Wealth posted at Financial Success for Young Adults , saying, “Building wealth takes time and knowledge. There is no get rich quick method. There are a few ways to begin building wealth. Passive income is the key.”

Corey presents Passive Income Done Right posted at 20s Finances , saying, “Do you often think about how you could create a passive income? Maybe you’re just itching to get out of your job and would love to create a real estate empire, or perhaps a franchise that is run completely by someone other than you. These dreams are all well and good, but you must first have your finances in order before you can pursue opportunities such as these…”

Tim @ Faith and Finance presents 16 Great Jobs For 16 Year Olds posted at Faith and Finance, saying, “We’ve all known what’s it’s like to be a 16 year old looking for a good job. Here are 16 job ideas that any 16 year old can do to make some extra money.”

Investing

MR presents Why Taxing Dividend Income Hurts The Elderly posted at Money Reasons , saying, “Taxing dividends at a higher percentage hurts the elderly and the young.”

Mich presents Investing in Canadian Well Completion & Drilling Companies posted at Beating The Index , saying, “The oilfield services industry provides investors with exposure to the oil and gas commodity sector minus the inherent risks associated with exploration and development drilling.”

Janet Russell presents Investment fund manager performance posted at Personal Investment Management, saying, “The effort to find those few supposedly superior money managers willing to sell their services sufficiently cheaply is a costly, time consuming, and futile, “Where’s Waldo?,” searching exercise for the individual investor.”

Paul Vachon presents How to Invest When You Have Little Money posted at The Frugal Toad , saying, “There is an old saying that it takes money to make money. The assumption is you can’t build wealth investing small amounts of money. You can build wealth when you invest with small amounts of money, you just need a disciplined approach. The key to building wealth is to start young, take advantage of tax sheltered diversified investments, and increase your investment contribution rate over time.”

101 Centavos presents Redneck Dividends posted at 101 Centavos , saying, “As I was editing the notorious 101 Centavos Dividend Portfolio that is featured on this site, it occurred to me that some of the dividend picks shared”

Investor Junkie presents Morningstar Ratings – Are They Useful? posted at Investor Junkie , saying, “Instead of relying on Morningstar ratings, you might actually be better off checking into expense ratios”

FMF presents Your Portfolio Needs Rebalancing posted at Free Money Finance , saying, “Most investors do not have a balanced portfolio. They look for investments with little to no risk that still provide great rates of return. And by chasing this elusive chimera they miss the easy money they could make from having a good asset allocation in the first place and rebalancing it periodically.”

Finley Merriwether presents Index Bond Mutual Funds posted at Low Cost Bond Funds, saying, “Vanguard dominates this low cost United States bond mutual funds marketplace for direct purchase accounts with both low and high minimum deposits. Investment research overwhelmingly shows that lower cost fixed income funds tend to yield higher bond investing returns.”

Dan presents International Bond ETFs – Perfect Mix of High Yield and Diversification posted at High Yield Edge , saying, “Looking for international exposure AND high yield? Well, you’re in luck! The following review of multiple international bond ETFs may be just what you’re looking for.”

Hank presents The Beginner’s Guide – How To Find A Mutual Fund posted at Money Q&A , saying, “There are tens of thousands of mutual funds out there for investors to choose from. It is very intimidating for new beginner investors to learn how to find a mutual fund.”

Dan presents International Bond ETFs posted at High Yield Edge , saying, “Looking to mix high yields with international exposure? Then check out this review of international bond ETFs where you can find protection from Europe, a weak US dollar and inflation.”

DGB presents 4 Top Canadian REITs For 2012 posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “Do you know what the top REITs are?”

Intelligent Speculator presents Dividend Investing Is Not Just A Trend posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “Dividends are here to stay.”

MyMoneyDesign presents Browsing for Stocks – January 2012 posted at My Money Design, saying, “I want to start investing in dividend stocks this year. But which ones should I pick? This post explores several popular ones and narrows them down using a combination of strategies.”

Jack Ping presents Top Noload Mutual Funds posted at My Investment Funds, saying, “There are over 60,000 different mutual fund investment share classes sold worldwide. Some mutual funds and ETFs must be better than others, but which ones are they? How can you tell before the fact?”

Mike @ Green Panda presents Important Dividend Information for Young Investors posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “Are you into dividends?”

Dividends4Life presents 26 Confident and Secure Companies Boosting Dividends posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “Dividend growth investing is a long-term strategy. A growing dividend is a sign that the company is becoming more valuable. Companies that consistently increase dividends tend to have steadily rising share prices and the best way to benefit from this is to buy and hold the stocks. Diversification and a focus on blue-chip stocks provides insurance for the few companies that don’t pan out.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Janet presents Financing Your Business? Consider P2P Lending and Crowdsourcing posted at Credit, Eh , saying, “Even if you have a good business idea, it might be hard to find financing. One way you can improve your chances is try P2P lending, or some sort of crowdsourcing.”

Todd R. Tresidder presents Debt & Credit – The Only Guide You Need posted at Financial Mentor , saying, “Another in a series of epic posts from Todd, this time revealing a simple 3 rule system to avoid debt and 5 steps to getting out of debt. Includes credit resources, a snowball calculator, and more…”

Liana presents http://www.cardhub.com/edu/george-lopez-prepaid-card-evaluation/ posted at CardHub , saying, “One of these things is not like the other: stand-up comedian, sitcom star, talk show host, prepaid card endorser. George Lopez recently joined the rapidly swelling ranks of prepaid card endorsers, and the card he’s backing better come with a laugh track because its fees sure won’t leave you smiling.”

Money Beagle presents Our Next Credit Card posted at Money Beagle , saying, “We plan on getting the most out of our new camper, which involves buying more gas, which involves getting the best credit card. See what we picked!”

Daniel Rosenstein presents 4 Services that are a Waste of Cash | Miss Money Bee posted at Miss Money Bee, saying, “In 2012, the dollar divas at MissMoneyBee.com want you to cut wasteful spending and get the most bang for your buck! But you can’t do that if you are wasting your money on frivolous and unnecessary “services.” Why would anyone want to pay for something that they can easily do on their own? Get informed by reading my list of services that you should axe in the New Year! Once you have cut these wasteful expenses out of your budget, take that money and do something more useful with it like increase your 401 (k) contributions or emergency savings.”

Jeri Ford presents Lies Skeptics Spew About Credit Scores posted at Help Me Travel Cheap, saying, “How does applying for multiple credit cards impact your credit score?”

Anisha Sekar presents NerdWallet Study: Average Prepaid Debit Card Can Cost Over $300 a Year posted at NerdWallet , saying, “An in-depth analysis of prepaid debit cards and their sneaky fees. From the article: “In a study of 40 popular prepaid debit cards, NerdWallet found that the average card cost nearly $300 a year in basic fees – before considering activation, cancellation, paper statement and other costs. The single greatest charge tended to be the monthly fee, ranging up to $14.95, but $1-2 charges for transactions and ATM use could easily accumulate to over $20 a month.”"

Miscellaneous

John presents Frugal Living is All About Creating the Debt Free Magic in Your Life posted at Married with Debt , saying, “This site is about helping people, both financially and in all aspects of their lives. ”

Kevin presents Cheap Things That Make Life Easier posted at Thousandaire , saying, “Sometimes people get so caught up in the idea of saving money that they won’t use their hard earned cash to buy something that would improve their quality of life. What the heck are you working for if you can’t buy yourself something that will make you happier?”

Aloysa presents How ‘Do Not Need’ Lists Can Save You A Buck posted at My Broken Coin , saying, “I am on a three month no-buy resolution. I figured it is a good prelude to start implementing my next resolution – de-cluttering. Where do you usually start? I, of course, started with my favorite place which happens to be you guessed it, right! my closet. ”

The Skilled Investor presents Investment Timing Strategies Do Not Work posted at Financial Management, saying, “You must have your money invested and at risk to get risk premium returns. Jumping out and in or “timing the markets” doesn’t work.”

Darwin presents Confidence is Great, Right? Nope, It’ll Wreck Your Life posted at Darwin’s Money , saying, “We’re all taught to be confident from childhood. You know, those confidence boosters like getting a trophy no matter where you placed, parents telling you that you can do anything in life and so on. On some level, having confidence in yourself and what you can achieve does allow you to think big, stretch your your limits and achieve great things.”

Jester presents Unexpected Crisis posted at The Ultimate Juggle , saying, “Find out how I managed to take care of a lot of things in a short amount of time.”

Don presents What to Look for in Mutual Funds – Part 1 posted at MoneySmartGuides , saying, “This is my first part of a two part series on what to look for in Mutual Funds.”

The Financial Blogger presents 5 Years To Become Millionaire posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “Time to become a millionaire.”

Theresa Torres presents Super Bowl Scams: Credit Cards Can Protect Football Fans posted at CreditDonkey.com Tips, saying, “These types of scams are a threat to our finances and this article shows you how credit cards can be a good defense against them.”

Chelsea Prescotti presents Top 10 Tips to Protect Your Privacy Online posted at CreditScore.net, saying, “We lock our doors and close our curtains in order to protect our privacy. Unfortunately, however, when we sit down at the computer, we often expose ourselves to those who want to invade our privacy. Our activities online are easily monitored at work and at home, and if we are not careful, we can give away our credit card numbers, identities and much more to the undesirable elements of society when we surf the Internet. Yet protecting our privacy online is not that difficult, especially when we follow these ten easy steps:”

Craig Ford presents When a Pumpkin Is More Valuable than a $1,000 posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “When a Pumpkin is More Valuable Than $1,000″

Wayne presents Cheap Romantic Dates posted at Young Family Finance , saying, “Cheap romantic dates are great on the budget and relationship. Find creative ideas here.”

FG presents Is Canada Immune to a Financial Blowup? posted at Financial God , saying, “My Own Advisor recently wrote about the heavy austerity in Greece, and thanks his lucky stars that things are nowhere near this bad in Canada. I agree that those in Canada are very lucky that the country has weathered the financial storm in relatively good shape, and not only that but the Canadian government has wasted less of the people’s wealth on ‘stimulus’.”

KT presents How to Host a Superbowl Party on the Cheap posted at Personal Finance Journey , saying, “The Super Bowl is just around the corner and if your house is about be invaded by party-goers, you might be worried about what hosting a huge party is going to cost you. Potlucks and BYOB are always a good way to host a party on the cheap!”

Brockton Eaton presents IRA Retirement Calculators posted at IRA Account Investing, saying, “Whether or not to make investments into “traditional” tax-advantaged employer accounts and IRAs versus investing in “Roth” tax-advantaged employer accounts and personal IRAs is never a straightforward nor simple financial planning decision.”

Daniel presents Paypal Income Reporting Requirements for Bloggers posted at Sweating the Big Stuff , saying, “The IRS required PayPal to issue Form 1099-K to those making over $20,000 a year on PayPal. Since it was so confusing, the IRS did something smart.”

Erika presents How do you talk about money with your husband? posted at Newlyweds on a Budget , saying, “Who manages the finances in your relationship? And how do you decide how to spend your money?”

Corey presents Fake Prosperity: U.S. National Debt Growth vs. GDP Growth posted at Steadfast Finances , saying, “If you’re a member of Gen X and Gen Y, this is probably the scariest chart you will see in in the Economy, and possibly, right up to the time you’re old and gray.”

Odysseas presents Should You Be Mad That Free Checking Accounts Are Becoming a Thing of the Past? posted at Wallet Blog , saying, “Hey, what’s the deal with rising checking account fees? Should we light the torches and grab the pitch forks? Before you do, you may want to be sure you’re headed toward the right victim…Which of the new rules should get your back up?”

FMF presents Economic Lessons from “Farmville” posted at Free Money Finance , saying, “If we celebrated our efforts at financial responsibility as much as we do Farmville, the savings rate in this country would rise significantly. But for most families, talking about finances happens only rarely, and it is not socially acceptable to post the amount you are saving and investing as a status update on your Facebook page. Perhaps one of the many advantages of working with a personal financial planner is simply having someone who will celebrate your successes.”

Retirement Planning

PITR presents Early Retirement posted at Passive Income To Retire , saying, “In preparation for early retirement, what are you doing? Find out what I am doing to prepare for early retirement.”

Frank Knight presents Low Cost S&P 500 Mutual Funds posted at Best Mutual Funds, saying, “The no load index fund strategy of the Schwab S & P 500 Index Fund tracks the S and P 500 stock index. This no load index fund was listed as one of the top 25 lowest cost index mutual funds in a research study.”

Amanda L Grossman presents Double Tax Benefits for Mid to Low Income Households Who Contribute to Retirement Accounts posted at Frugal Confessions , saying, “When you think about retirement, are you stuck in disillusionment somewhere between your dreams and the reality of an empty retirement account?”

Super Saver presents Emergency Funds Can Augment Retirement Funds posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Emergency funds with enough money to cover long periods of time can eventually become part of an retirement.”

Whitney Broad presents Retirement Savings Calculator Worksheets posted at Retirement Savings, saying, “By looking at wealth as a lifetime pattern of sustainable expenditures within one’s budget, then people who are indeed wealthy cannot be identified solely by their current assets or income. While personal wealth should measure current financial investments and other salable assets, it should also measure your ability to sustain your household budget, build up your investment portfolio, and weather potential financial risk and misfortune across your lifetime.”

A Blinkin presents Are You A Mental Accountant? Grand Finale posted at Funancials , saying, “Remember when Jeff Foxworthy came out with his unforgettable series, ‘You Might Be A Redneck?’ It was a huge hit that led to book deals, TV shows, and enough riches to fund every redneck’s retirement. Read my take on being a mental accountant with a Jeff Foxworthy spin.”

Risk Management and Insurance

Emily presents The Costa Concordia Tragedy and the Need for Travel Insurance posted at PT Money Personal Finance , saying, “Uses the cruise ship tragedy as a springboard for a discussion on the necessity of travel insurance.”

YFS presents 10 Easy Tips for Saving Money on Car Insurance posted at Your Finances Simplified , saying, “Everyone has to have car insurance, but it can be a pain to find something that works for you and that you can afford. If you are tight on funds, or if you simply want to save some money, here are ten easy tips for saving money on your car insurance.”

Savings

Jon the Saver presents We Won What? posted at Free Money Wisdom , saying, “The next time you dismiss a sweepstakes because you know you never win, think again. We entered a sweepstakes and got a $5,000 honeymoon in return!”

Taxes

Jill presents How Do Tax Brackets Work? posted at My Dollar Plan , saying, “Are you getting ready to file your taxes? If so, you might find yourself needing a slight refresher on how tax brackets work.”

Andy presents 2012 IRA Contribution Limits posted at My Retirement Blog , saying, “Curious what the 2012 IRA Contributions Limits are?”

Paul Tabbet presents Retirement Planning Software posted at Retirement Worksheets, saying, “Retirement planning software should automate the development of lifetime projections that incorporate tax laws and rules associated with tax-advantaged retirement investment incentive programs such as traditional IRA, Roth, 401k, 403b, SEP, Keogh, and other retirement plans. Retirement calculators hides the complexity of the tax laws that are associated with these various personal retirement plans and employer-sponsored retirement plans.”

Glen Craig presents What is Tax Evasion and How Could it Affect You posted at Free From Broke , saying, “Tax evasion – you hear about it in the news but do you know what it really is? See what tax evasion is and why it will do you in if you try to evade paying your taxes.”

Steve presents Use Turbo Tax For Easy Tax Filing – 2009 Taxes – Free Tax Filing Options posted at 2009 Taxes, saying, “Filing taxes can be a frustrating experience. Hiring a professional for tax filing is not an option for some people.”

Jeffrey presents 37 Must-Read Posts for Tax Savings posted at Money Spruce , saying, “A collection of the best tax tips posts that cover a wide range of tax topics, including deductions, tips for filing, and working with an accountant.”

Kyle presents How to Make Money Buying Virtual Real Estate posted at The Penny Hoarder , saying, “Real estate is such a valuable investment, you no longer need it to be real to make money. Learn how real-life virtual real estate entrepreneurs have made millions. ”

JP presents 7 Tax Tips You Should Not Overlook posted at Novel Investor , saying, “Looking to speed up your refund, lower your taxes or just get your return in on time? Here’s a few tax tips to get you started.”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money budgeting

Property Loss Can Dent Your Finances

The Skilled Investor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:51:30 +0000

Homeowners live with the fear of break-ins and burglary. Those living in areas prone to floods or earthquakes have an added risk, that of losing their home and property to these natural disasters. But it is not only homeowners who are affected. Renters, too, can lose property to thieves, floods or fires as safety for them is not guaranteed either.

Starting afresh following a loss of personal belongings can be depressing and financially straining, unless of course you have several million dollars sitting idle in some bank or safe. It is one thing to know you have some money somewhere that can save you on a rainy day, but it is an entirely different matter when you have no savings and worst of all, no insurance coverage to help you shoulder your loss.

Insurance products have improved over the decades. Gone are the days when you could count the various rental insurance policies available on one hand. Today, there are all types of policies, fully customized to meet very individual needs. A policies every tenant should have is renters insurance.

Unfortunately, many tenants do not have this insurance policy, often because of the assumption that it is unaffordable. Surprisingly, renters’ insurance is one of the more affordable insurance policies on the market, with policy cost starting from as little as $160 a year. Now you know you have no excuse for not having this policy that will cover property against:

Burglaries
Fires
House Destruction
Natural Disasters

Choose a cover amount that reimburses most or all of your lost or damaged belongings. Note that while it would be great to receive compensation for all your belongings, but most insurance companies put a cap on how much you can receive for valuables. The best solution is to purchase a rider equal to the value to your valuables.

Even as you plan to purchase insurance for your property, financial planning is what will help avert most of the heart-ache when the safety of your property is compromised. Increasing your monthly savings amount is a great way to ensure that you have some money to get you through a disaster such as property loss.

However, financial planning is not limited to savings alone. It includes risk management, increasing your investment and asset portfolio, increasing your earnings and eliminating unnecessary expenses. If you have various loans, consider consolidating them into a manageable, lower amount, as well.

Tags: renters insurance

Best Financial Articles of the New Year

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:55:38 +0000

Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #218 – January 6, 2012

Welcome to the January 6, 2012 Edition #218 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

D.J. presents How to Be a Savvy Shopper posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “Saving money while shopping isn’t too difficult if you stick to a few basic and important rules – make a list, shop around and think purchases through before buying.”

Money Cone presents And Let There Be Light! posted at Money Cone, saying, “Light bulbs have come a long way. In case you haven’t heard, incandescent bulbs (the one’s we are all familiar with!) are being phased out. There are a lot more choices now and and bulbs come in a variety of types, shapes and sizes.”

Daniel presents Free ATMs Are Coming! Will You Leave Your Big Bank Now? posted at Sweating the Big Stuff, saying, “Ever see a brilliant business idea and think to yourself: why didn’t I think of that? I did that when I read this story about a simple idea that will possibly change a lot of the things we hate about banking. When you use an out-of-network bank, you are often charged by that bank you…Free ATMs Are Coming!”

Justin presents Monthly Financial To Do List: 1 of 12 posted at Money Is the Root, saying, “Welcome to the first of twelve checklists of the top five financial to-do’s each month. I will be running this series throughout 2012, and each list will provide you with an article on financial maintenance tips relevant to that month.”

Financial Planning

Jon the Saver presents 9 Tips to Get Control of Your Finances posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, “Many people are so intimidated by setting up a budget that they never do it. Setting up a budget is really an easy process. It can be done in nine easy steps.”

Evan presents Goals and Objectives for 2012 posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “A couple of days ago I “graded” myself as to how I did for my 2011 Goals and Objectives and with only a couple days left in 2011 it is about time to lay it on the line for what I expect for myself in 2012″

Lazy Man presents Robert Kiyosaki and Multi-Level Marketing Exposed! posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “Today, I’d like to share some thoughts on the business of MLM and pair that with well-known personality Robert Kiyosaki, co-author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. As you can tell from the title, this is going to be a little harsh on Kiyosaki, but keep in mind that Rich Dad, Poor Dad was major motivation for me to begin this blog.”

FMF presents Seven Financial Resolutions for the New Year posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Here are seven practices to take you from pauper to prince or princess if you add one each year.”

Janet presents 5 Credit Card Resolutions for the New Year posted at Credit, Eh, saying, “While it might take time to work through some of your credit card issues, you can still resolve to make improvements and set money goals that will work for you. As you get ready for a brand new year, here are 5 credit card resolutions to consider”

Peter presents Take Time as a Family to Evaluate What You Accomplished Last Year posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “It is important to set new goals for yourself in the New Year. What is often overlooked in goal setting is looking at the entire family, if you are married with children.”

Amanada presents How to Green Your Finances posted at Frugal Living, saying, “When you think of going green, your finances may not necessarily come to mind. The fact of the matter is that money management is often overlooked as a way to make responsible and sustainable choices that help the planet. By taking a few simple steps you can make an enormous impact on the environment without breaking the bank.”

Kay Lynn presents Make 2012 Your Best Year Ever posted at Bucksome Boomer, saying, “It’s only the 4th day of January, but even if you’ve already blown your New Year’s Resolution, don’t give up! I’m going to give you the tools to hit your goals and fulfill all of your dreams!”

John presents In the New Year, Be Willing to Set Audacious Goals posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “The new year can be a good time to set new, specific goals, and people can often benefit from goals that are slightly out of reach”

MyMoneyDesign presents My “Money Design” – 2012 Update posted at My Money Design, saying, “As part of my annual financial checkup, I have updated my plan to one day automate my income rather than rely solely on employment income.”

Mike Knowlton presents Top 5 Financial Moves to Start the New Year posted at RatRaceExodus, saying, “Want to get your finances on the right track, but not sure where to start? Here are 5 great ideas to kick off 2012 in the right direction.”

Financing a Home

Marie presents Costly Mistakes to Avoid when Facing Foreclosure posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “In many cases, foreclosure is avoidable. But most homeowners have little or no knowledge about how to save their homes. This causes them to make mistakes that put them in even greater danger. Here are some common mistakes to avoid at all costs:”

Tyler presents Real Estate ROI Calculator posted at Calculator Pro, saying, “Start by entering the following information into this free financial calculator: Property Price – This should be the total purchase price of the property, including any closing fees, the down payment, and any portion that will be financed. Down Payment – Enter the percentage of the purchase price entered above that is being brought to closing as a down payment. Mortgage Rate – Enter the interest rate on the mortgage being taken out on the property. Be sure to enter the APR”

Health Care

D.J. presents Tips for Challenging a Rejected Medical Claim posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “Before you panic over the high balance left unpaid on your medical bill, rest assured that this notice is not the final word on your medical claim. There are several steps you can take to find out why your claim was denied and correct any mistakes. Take a minute to calm your fears and then start working your way through these suggestions:”

Philip Taylor presents Health Savings Account: Use It or Lose It posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “Discusses what an HSA is and ways to maximize its use for your family.”

Income

PITR presents Are You Living the Life? posted at Passive Income To Retire, saying, “Is your job fulfilling? If you are doing what you love, share your story with me. My readers would love to hear about it.”

Miss T. presents How to Make Millions with Passive Income posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “Do you want to know the truth? Passive income is actually very difficult to create. It takes a well-thought-out business plan, it takes hard work initially with no guarantee of success, and there’s often scoffing along the way from all the people that think you’re crazy for trying something so unheard of.”

Investing

Boomer presents Should You Keep Your Company Pension Or Take The Commuted Value? posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “Employees may be given the choice to either stay in the company pension plan and receive a lifetime monthly pension at retirement, or take the commuted value out of the plan.”

Intelligent Speculator presents Do You Trust Your Government? posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “Do you trust your government?”

Dividend Growth Investor presents Tech Dividends on the Rise posted at Dividend Growth Investor.

MyMoneyDesign presents Which is Better – Paying Off Your Mortgage or Investing the Money? – Part 1 posted at My Money Design, saying, “Explores whether it is better to pay off your mortgage or invest your money.”

Ken Faulkenberry presents Is Gold a Good or Wise Investment for 2012? posted at AAAMP Blog, saying, “A discussion of the difference between an investment and a store of value is necessary for investors to decide if investing in gold is right for them.”

Kanwal Sarai presents Which Company Has Paid Uninterrupted Dividends for More than 110 Years? posted at Simply Investing, saying, “Which company has paid uninterrupted dividends for more than 110 years? Actually there’s more than one company! Dividends Growth Stocks recently published a list of 15 companies that have paid uninterrupted dividends for more than 110 years.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Julie presents The Power of Using the Snowflake Method to Pay Off Debt posted at The Family CEO, saying, “Read how a User uses The Power of the Snowflake Method to Pay Off Debt.”

Ashley presents Different Types of Loans posted at Money Talks Coaching, saying, “Well, there are actually a few different kinds of loans out there. Today I’m going to review the different types of loans.”

Marie presents Do You Know How Much You Owe? posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “Whether you’re managing your debt well or struggling with it, it’s important to know how much you owe to each creditor, and how much you owe all together. In this case, ignorance might seem like bliss, but it’s actually quite dangerous”

Joe Plemon presents 3 Ways To Recover From Christmas Over-Spending posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Don’t let that Christmas debt linger. These tips will be give you a quick recovery to your Christmas over-spending.”

CreditShout Kevin presents What Happens to My Debt if I Move? posted at Credit Repair Guide, saying, “Moving to a remote tropical island will not get rid of your debt. We look at what happens to your debt when you move.”

humble savers presents Budgeting – How It Can Make It Easier To Pay Off Debt | humble savers posted at Humble Savers, saying, “Back to basics with budgeting to get out of debt. Highlights the Debt Snowball method of paying off debt.”

Jason presents 2012: The Year the World Ended posted at Live Real, Now, saying, “This is traditionally the time that people look back at the previous year, and make resolutions they don’t intend to keep in the following year. Who am I to buck tradition?”

YFS presents A 6 step plan to dominate your debt posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “Do you feel like you’re falling into a pit of debt and it’s almost impossible to claw your way out of that mountain of bills? Instead of sitting on your butt and staring off into space yet again, you may want to try a really simple debt repayment strategy!”

Erika presents 2011: A Year in Review posted at Newlyweds on a Budget, saying, “January 2011 started off with a bang. We had just paid off our credit cards, I had started my new job and it seemed we were finally getting control of our budget. Then we decided to do a fun money account for Eric. We put separate money into his own account that he could spend.”

Corey presents What to Do When You Are Behind in Debt? posted at 20s Finances, saying, “This article explains what to do when you get overwhelmed by your debt. If you fall behind, is it best to give up?”

Andy presents Credit Cards and Retirement Planning posted at My Retirement Blog, saying, “With the holiday season upon us many people are running up debt putting their holiday purchases on their credit cards. Running up credit card debt could be hazardous to your retirement plans. If you’re struggling to decide whether to contribute funds to your retirement or pay down your credit card debt, I have some advice.”

Miscellaneous

A Blinkin presents How Does Facebook Make Money? posted at Funancials, saying, “If you’ve logged into your Facebook recently you may have noticed a feature box above your news feed. If you’re as adventurous as I am, upon your inquisitive click, you were soon face to face with an Indian girl who is much smarter than you. In a very simple video, she introduced Facebook Ads.”

Eddie presents From Homeless To Successful – The Story Of One Entrepreneur posted at Finance Fox, saying, “Despite tough obstacles we encounter in life, we must keep pushing forward. Resources exist to us for taking and making something out of our selves. Whatever your life goal or dream, remember, it’s never too late to get started.”

Ashley presents Why You Should Donate Money posted at Money Talks Coaching, saying, “In my experience, the best receivers have always been those who are the best givers.”

Linsey presents Is There a PayPal Shipping Link for Non-Ebay Shipments? posted at 1099 Mom, saying, “There is a way to ship anything that’s eligible for online USPS postage through PayPal, even if it’s not connected to an Ebay order.”

Hank presents Eight Ways To Save Money On Car Repairs posted at Money Q&A, saying, “Even if you are not knowledgeable about taking your car to the mechanic, there are several ways that you can save money on car repairs. You can educate yourself on ways to save money on car repairs.”

Kevin presents Cash in on Unwanted Gift Cards posted at Thousandaire, saying, “A gift card is an easy way to get someone a Christmas present. You don’t know the person well enough to know exactly what they would want, but you think you know them well enough to at least pick a store they would like. Sometimes you’re wrong, here’s how to cash in on them!”

Beating Broke presents 2011: Beating Broke’s Year in Review posted at Beating Broke, saying, “I don’t normally share a whole lot of the behind the scenes things here at Beating Broke, but, I’d like to share some today. First, I want to take a look at some general statistics of the site.”

Don presents The Week Before The New Year posted at Money Reasons, saying, “The week before the new year is both a restful and a very productive time for many of us physically and mentally. I explain how its almost a magical time ”

Amanda L Grossman presents The Big Reveal: Did We Meet our Goal of Saving 50 Percent of Our Take Home Pay in 2011? posted at Frugal Confessions, saying, “In a word, no. But what a great experience! I always believe that you should shoot for the heavens because when you miss you will still fall among the stars, and I believe we have, read more to see if you agree!”

101 Centavos presents Kitchen Gardening, the Accidental Side Gig posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “It’s wintertime, it’s bloody cold in most parts of the country a balmy, uncharacteristic 61 deg F yesterday here in Tulsa. Read how I created my accidental side gig with kitchen gardening.”

Jailan Marie presents The Strategic business planning process posted at Innovative Solutions For Positive Change, saying, “It is important to know that all businesses, regardless of size, need strategic planning. The smaller an organization will mean the shorter and simpler the plans will be but any business running without a clear Strategic path is running blind.”

Aloysa presents What I Did Right and Wrong in 2011 posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “Looking at 2011, I can say that I’ve accomplished a few things I am not going to talk about any salary increase because there was none and failed at some.”

Suba presents Setting SMART Goals posted at Broke Professionals, saying, “SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. SMART goals sets you up to have targets to achieve and ways to measure progress.”

Retirement Planning

Neo presents Roth IRA & Roth 401k: Another Sham Designed to Tax the Middle Class posted at NetWorthProtect.com, saying, “You know the wonderful Roth IRA or the Roth 401K contributions everyone has been raving about? Well, it might not be so shiny and wonderful after all.”

Boomer presents Consider A Life Annuity posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “If you want to turn your RRSP savings into something that more closely resembles a true pension, then you might want to consider purchasing a life annuity.”

MyMoneyDesign presents Retire Early Using a 72(t) posted at My Money Design, saying, “If you’re doing a good job of saving up for retirement and looking at the possibility of meeting your goals sooner than later, one of the next biggest hurdles you’ll have to overcome is how to physically get your money out of your retirement accounts. For most personal accounts such as a 401(k), 403(b), or IRA, you have to wait until age 59-1/2 or get slapped with a hefty 10% penalty fee. There are special exceptions to the 401(k) and 403(b) that may allow you to access your money without penalty by age 55. But even still, what if you are able to retire even sooner than that?”

Risk Management and Insurance

Dr. Dean presents A Fortune: Is A Lost Claim Owed To You? posted at Dr. Dean’s TheMillionaireNurse.com Blog, saying, “There is an estimated one billion in unclaimed life insurance benefits in the US alone. Payouts waiting to go…someplace. Is it possible your family could be owed a life insurance pay out? Learn how to find these ‘lost’ policies.”

Van R. Mayhall, III presents Insurance Regulation 2012: Reading the Tea Leaves posted at Insurance Regulatory Law, saying, “Insurance industry insiders predict that insurance regulation will take center stage in governmental affairs in 2012, and expect that insurance regulatory issues will have an increasing effect on business in the new year.”

Lisa presents Save Money on Insurance: Simplify by Bundling posted at Thriftability, saying, “As the quest continues to save money on insurance premiums, individuals and families may be overlooking a common method to doing so. Going with one company could just be the ticket, not only for the health of your bank account, but also to make things just a bit simpler.”

Bob presents 5 Insurance Policies to Consider for the New Year posted at ChristianPF, saying, “Insurance is one of those financial products that you should have, but hope that you never actually use. Unfortunately, accidents do happen and those who have an insurance policy will be happy they planned ahead.”

Savings

SavingMentor presents Shopping Online is Safe, Easy and Saves Money posted at HowToSaveMoney.ca, saying, “A strong motivator for shopping online is that it can definitely save you a lot of money, not to mention it is also very convenient. You still have to be vigilant ensuring what you are buying is actually well priced, just like you would when shopping in a retail store, but your chances of getting a great deal when shopping online are much higher because comparison shopping and price checks are so quick and easy to do.”

Adam presents Should You Get A Junior ISA? | Junior ISA Explained posted at Magical Penny, saying, “Launching at the start of last month (November 2011) the product allows parents to save money for their children in a tax-efficient way, without needing to use their own ISA and therefore saving their tax allowance for themselves.”

Mike Knowlton presents How do your Saving Habits Rank vs. a Squirrel’s? posted at RatRaceExodus, saying, “Squirrels are better than saving than us. Learn to trick yourself into saving like a Squirrel.”

Charles Chua C K presents How Safe is Your Money in the Bank posted at All About Living with Life.

Mike presents Delta SkyMiles Rewards Program posted at Rewards Cards USA, saying, “Delta SkyMiles can be a good rewards program if you travel frequently, and if you use a credit card to rack up the points faster.”

Taxes

Darwin presents Social Security Tax Deal for 2012 Explained posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “Social Security Tax measures were enacted for 2012 which provide a payroll tax holiday to workers up to the FICA cap.”

FMF presents Taxes: What’s New for 2011 posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Here’s a summary of what’s new in the 2011 tax year.”

Chelsea Prescotti presents How Children Can Impact Your Tax Situation | CreditScore.net posted at CreditScore.net, saying, “Children have tremendous tax implications for parents. Typically, the implications are favorable for the parent, as conditions associated with having children qualify the parents for certain exemptions and tax credits. This is a good thing, considering how expensive raising a child can be for parents. From diapers to diploma, children cost their parents far more than Uncle Sam provides in credits and exemptions. Without those tax breaks, some parents might have to consider asking their children for a refund on all those years of allowances, not to mention student loan payments, first cars, and that envious Senior trip to Europe.”

Kyle presents How I Made $25 by Starting My Taxes posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, “I don’t know if it was an eggnog buzz or my Type A personality, but somehow I found the motivation to get a jump on my taxes over the Christmas vacation. I organized my deductions, scanned receipts and I even uploaded my Quicken data to TurboTax!. Read how I made $25 by starting my taxes.”

Shaun presents New Taxes on Health Insurance Premiums in 2012 and Five Ways to Save on Health Care Expenses posted at Smart Family Finance, saying, “The government is levying new taxes on health insurance premiums in 2012. While your health care plan costs will increase, there are ways to lower your bill.”

Glen Craig presents Investment Losses? Harvest them for a Tax Deduction posted at Free From Broke , saying, “Investment losses aren’t all bad. You can use your investment losses for harvesting tax deductions to lower your taxable income. See how tax harvesting is done.”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money personal income

Best Articles this Week from Financial Blogs

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:03:06 +0000

Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #217 – December 30, 2011

Welcome to the December 30, 2011 Edition #217 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

Sustainable PF presents Sustainable Eating posted at Sustainable Personal Finance, saying, “While most Americans say they would like to eat a healthier, more sustainable diet, they are turned off by stores like Whole Foods that cater to the wealthiest members of the population. Fortunately, there are sustainable options that are available to Americans that won’t make savings account rates skyrocket.”

J.B. presents Bah Humbug! Presents Make No Economic Cents posted at My University Money, saying, “Christmas has turned into a holiday of commerce, and we don’t agree with it.”

Mr. Money presents From Billionaire to Broke: One Wealthy Heiress and Her Slide Into Bankruptcy posted at Smart on Money, saying, “While it’s fun to read the stories that had a good ending, unfortunately there are far too many examples of people who have squandered their fortunes as well. Today I wanted to look at one such story, that of Billionaire Heiress Patricia Kluge.”

Kevin presents The Durbin Amendment Stole Your Money posted at Thousandaire, saying, “The Durbin Amendment stole your money and gave it to retail store owners. Thanks Dick Durbin!”

Sabrina presents 5 Tips for Keeping Your Pets and Your Budget posted at Frugal Living, saying, “There’s no way around the fact that pets are expensive, but there are ways to save. Here are our 5 favourite money saving ideas for pet care:”

Cash Flow Mantra presents SMART Financial Goals for 2012 posted at Cash Flow Mantra, saying, “I have divided up my goals for 2012 into two main categories, financial and personal. This post will only concentrate on the financial goals.”

Crystal presents Shopping for Secondhand Books posted at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, saying, “Second-hand books in particular offer a way to spend less money without missing out on treating yourself or depleting your savings. Delving into the realm of pre-loved books can lead to forgotten words, escapism into past worlds and secret letters stuffed in-between pages from past readers.”

Financial Planning

Glen Craig presents How to Find the Best Financial Planner – 10 Qualities to Look For posted at Free From Broke, saying, “We hear about how great a financial planner can be but how do you find the best financial planner? Here are 10 qualities to look for in an excellent financial planner.”

Investor Junkie presents How to Hire the Right Accountant for You posted at Investor Junkie, saying, “Here are some ideas to help you hire the right accountant for you.”

John presents Winter Snow: Charming Holiday Treat or Lawn Killer? posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “With winter quickly approaching – for those of us who haven’t already been pelted with a snowstorm like the one that hit the Northeastern United States – there are several things that can be done to ensure your lawn is the envy of the neighborhood when Old Man Winter does his final bow at the start of Spring.”

Sunil@TheExtraMoneyBlog presents A Good CPA Certified Public Account Can Expedite Your Financial Progress posted at The Extra Money Blog, saying, “Paying a good CPA for their services will make you wealthier, and I will prove it to you.”

Erika presents Where did our money go? posted at Newlyweds on a Budget, saying, “One newlywed couple reviews their annual budget to answer the question: Where did our money go?”

Financing a Home

Teacher Man presents The Smith Manoeuvre – Make Your Mortgage Tax Deductible posted at My University Money, saying, “Many of the personal finance sites I visit like to share their own financial situation in with their readers. I believe I finally have something that might stir some thought one way or another – The Smith Manoeuvre.”

YFS presents 8 Hidden Costs of Home Ownership posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “Owning a home has always been a part of the American dream. It’s something that we fantasize about when we’re young, something we scrimp and save for, and quite frankly, something we end up paying for, for the rest of our lives. Check out these eight hidden cost associated with the dream!”

Darwin presents Here’s What Happens When You Rent to College Kids posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “Renting to college students is no walk in the park as evidenced by our recent experience as landlords.”

Investor Junkie presents REITs vs. Real Estate Investing posted at Investor Junkie, saying, “Investing in REITs and direct investment in real estate both come with advantages and disadvantages.”

Financing Education

Kevin presents How to Get Out of Student Loan Debt posted at Invest It Wisely, saying, “There is no clear path to becoming debt free instantly; it is a mental shift. I am a lot more conscious of my decisions and being aware of my financial situation has allowed me a clarity that I value”

Kay Lynn presents Home Ownership Isn’t a Money Losing Proposition posted at Bucksome Boomer, saying, “After owning seven homes over the past three decade, my experience has shown it does make financial sense. Of course, you should follow some common sense guidelines.”

Shaun presents A Guide to Common Seller Concessions: Because a Home Buyer Might Ask You to Throw In a Ferrari posted at Smart Family Finance, saying, “Odd, but some homebuyers have asked for Ferrari’s as a seller concession. Knowing what the common seller concessions are will help you be a better home seller.”

Health Care

Dr. Dean presents Doctor Visit Soon? Read This! posted at Dr. Dean’s TheMillionaireNurse.com Blog, saying, “Medical software billing changed this year. Known as HIPPA 5010, this new software upgrade goes into effect January 2012. The problems that may occur in the bills you receive from your doctor are described here.”

Income

Matt presents Taking Time Off to Recharge: No More Working on Vacation posted at Living in Financial Excellence, saying, “With all the technology available to us, it’s so easy to work while on vacation. We can bring laptops, tablets and even our smart phones to keep up on our business tasks. Whether it’s staying current on email or conducting full-fledged business, the temptation to keep working on your time off is really strong.”

Miss T. presents Is a Penny Saved a Penny Earned? posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “As you can see, earning money is far more exciting than saving money – and as an added bonus there is a limit to how much you can save – but the amount you can earn – is limitless.”

Grand Per Month presents My Plans for Decembers Grand posted at Grand Per Month, saying, “Right now, I am looking to pay off debt with my extra grand in order to increase my monthly cash flow and have been using my earnings from blogging to do just that. I have already paid off one of my credit cards.”

Mike @ Green Panda presents Are You a Last Minute Shopper? posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “How do you spend your income on shopping?”

Linsey presents Should I Open an eBay Store? posted at 1099 Mom, saying, “Ebay stores have been a popular way to sell goods for quite awhile. I remember when the auction-style listings were hot, and stores were more of an afterthought. In today’s small business economy, however, many types of mom-owned businesses are successfully using Ebay’s store features to easily list and sell all kinds of products. I have done both the store and auction format, and here is what I have found.”

John presents Three Ways to Make Money in the New Year posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “The resolution to get organized is more than an interesting tidbit, however. It can also be a way for you to make some side money or even start a full-fledged business in the new year.”

Philip Taylor presents What to Do if Your Job Is Dying posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “A few tips or thoughts for those whose job might be considered “dying.”"

Investing

Stefan presents Investment checklist posted at Investing Strategy, saying, “Every investor wants to invest in the best possible companies and investment products. There are a lot of methods to find the best investment, and on this site you can find the different methods on a checklist.”

Martin presents Should You Kill Credit Card Debt Before Investing? posted at Studenomics, saying, “Why you should pay off your credit cards before getting into investing.”

Barb Friedberg presents Should I Invest in a Closed End Fund? posted at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance, saying, “Learn about closed end mutual funds. Get the basices to figure out whether they are for you or not?”

Intelligent Speculator presents You’d Be Crazy To Not Own Apple (AAPL) posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “Is your money in Apple?”

DGB presents Darden Restaurants (DRI) ? Should You Put Money Where Your Mouth Is? posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “The stock worth looking at moving forward.”

Dividend Growth Investor presents Margin of Safety in Dividends posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, “Dividend investing is a form of value investing, where investors do not realize all of their return all at once, but rather on regular and consistent intervals. Dividends provide a direct link between the financial performance of a company, and the returns of its shareholders.”

Aaron Hung presents Make money with dividend stocks posted at Aaron Hung.com, saying, “When it comes to making a little money online, I believe one of the best ways to do that is by investing some of your hard-earned money in dividend stocks. The biggest mistake people make is by leaving their money in a savings account earning 0.5% interest and not taking advantage of what the market has to offer.”

Dividends4Life presents Are Storm Clouds Gathering For These 7 High-Yielding Dividend Stocks? posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “Everyone wants to earn more. For investors in dividend growth stocks, the quick way to earn more is to select dividend stocks with higher yields. Swap those 2-4% yields in for stocks earning 7-10%, or more. Before doing making the trade, you should ask yourself the following two questions:”

Dan presents Here’s What Happens When You Chase 10% Dividend Yields posted at High Yield Edge, saying, “If you find stocks yielding 10% to be attractive, beware this common outcome. Here’s what happened to a very popular high yielder which is all too familiar to income investors.”

Jon the Saver presents After the Crash–How to Survive a Stock Market Freefall posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, “Even though the market continues to have its ups and downs it is still important to look to the future and while you should possibly make some tweaks in your investment planning, you absolutely should still continue to invest. Here is a lowdown of what you should be doing to protect your financial future.”

Ken Faulkenberry presents How Much of Your Investment Portfolio Can You Afford to Lose? posted at AAAMP Blog, saying, “All investors need to have a plan for controlling their investment losses. A breakeven loss analysis chart demonstrates why your asset allocation and risk management must control investment losses.”

Justin presents Nine Common Investing Mistakes posted at Money Is the Root, saying, “Many people tend to make similar investing mistakes. Although we learn best from our very own mistakes, we can learn from other people’s errors. Read on to learn what mistakes others have made on the investing front.”

Money Cone presents Top 10 Stocks for 2012 (and Beyond) posted at Money Cone, saying, “If I were to pick stocks just for 2012, I would be speculating. I prefer stocks for the long term. My top picks for the coming year is not just for 2012, I would like to hold on to most of it even if the returns are less than spectacular.”

Lazy Man presents How to Invest in Mutual Funds posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “Last week, I wrote an article Understanding and Avoiding Mutual Fund Fees and a few commenters had some questions that I’d like to address here.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Beating Broke presents How to Recover from a Holiday Spending Hangover posted at Beating Broke, saying, “We all make mistakes, particularly when temptations are around every cheery holiday corner. The bigger mistake would be to ignore the problem and let it get out of hand without dealing with it. Don’t start your 2012 in the shadow of your poor 2011 decisions. Take charge of your finances and make sure your New Year is a great one.”

Evan presents Our Credit Card Spending November to December posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “I am sharing exactly how much we spent on our credit card in November and December. I was completely shocked when I read these numbers (like sick to stomach sick), but after reading through them a bit I think I figured out what was going on.”

Miscellaneous

Suba presents Woman’s Work posted at Broke Professionals, saying, “Is the concept of woman’s work or man’s work still around? If not, then why are there not more woman CEO’s? Why do all father’s not get paternity leave? Why do men not aspire to administrative assistant jobs? Why do more women still bear primary responsibility for child rearing and housekeeping? Interested? Read more!”

A Blinkin presents Why I Love (and Hate) Gift Cards posted at Funancials, saying, “Have you ever had that someone (or many someones) that is impossible to shop for? If so, then Gift Cards seem like the golden answer, except when they aren’t!!!”

Eddie presents 7 Things About Reality That Business Education Never Taught Me! posted at Finance Fox, saying, “Despite my educational background and a passion for business, reality is different. And as much as I’ve learned in school, I have equally as much learned on my own.Here are 7 things that I never learned in school which I learned on my own.”

Hank presents Have You Been Scammed or Ripped Off? How to Get Help and Get The Problem Resolved. posted at Money Q&A, saying, “Have You Been Scammed or Ripped Off? How to Get Help and Get The Problem Resolved.”

Don presents Will Buying A Laptop For Christmas Make My Son A Digerati? posted at Money Reasons, saying, “Supplying your kids with the latest technology may make then superior technology users. Will they become Digerati?”

Jason presents 5 Personal Safety Apps that Could Save Your Life posted at Live Real, Now, saying, “Did you know your iPhone or Android device can call for help or record vital information if you ever find yourself in a life-threatening situation? Here are five personal safety apps that could save your life.”

Julie presents Last Minute Gift Idea: Charitable Donations posted at The Family CEO, saying, “Stuck for a last minute gift idea? How about a charitable donation? Here are three things to consider when giving a charitable donation as a gift.”

Daniel presents The Problem With Money Ratios posted at Sweating the Big Stuff, saying, “I really enjoyed the book. However, the book is geared more toward people in their 40s and beyond.”

Kyle presents Where Should I Sell My Gift Card? posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, “Check out our comparison chart of the leading gift card buyback companies. Find out who will pay you the highest amount for your gift card….”

Retirement Planning

101 Centavos presents Retiring Abroad – A Few Things to Ponder posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money. ~Jonathan Clement… Stretch you dollar farther by considering retirement abroad!”

Andy presents Retirement Planning Software posted at My Retirement Blog, saying, “There are lots of free retirement calculators available on the web. These can be interesting but when you are planning for your retirement they are of limited use. They often give ballpark figures and point you to their company’s financial advisers. Retirement planning software gives you the ability to make a more comprehensive plan. Check out these!”

Darwin presents How Does Your Personal Capital-To-Income Ratio Stack Up with This Recommendation? posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “Check out how your personal Capital to Income ratio stacks up against the recommended level for your age. You might be surprised!”

FMF presents The (Often Understated) Cost of Inflation During Retirement posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “The most stark retirement (surprise) reality that I’ve had, and I was warned about it by a good friend, is “the inflation factor” which prominently figures into the retirement mix. It’s definitely highly understated and has played largely in my mid-course retirement adjustment.”

Corey presents Roth IRA – Great Investment in your 20s posted at 20s Finances, saying, “Finding the best first investment is a difficult thing. If you are already investing in your employer’s 401k or 403b plan or your employer doesn’t have offer one, a Roth IRA is the way to go!”

Barb Friedberg presents What to do with retirement funds when I switch jobs posted at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance, saying, “A reader asked about what to do with her retirement funds when she switched jobe. See how I approached this complex topic.”

PITR presents My Early Retirement Plan in Detail posted at Passive Income To Retire, saying, “I share my early retirement plan in detail, including target dates and monthly target income amounts. Find out how I am going to do it.”

FMF presents Investing Mostly in Bonds Means a Lower Lifestyle in Retirement posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “The markets are inherently volatile. What you must give up in your lifestyle to avoid market volatility is not worth it for most retirees. Make sure your portfolio asset allocation is set appropriately and well diversified across all six asset categories. And then moderate your spending each year in accordance with the safe percentages for your age. Having an appropriate asset allocation matters for what you can safely spend in retirement.”

Savings

Aloysa presents Under Beaker’s Microscope: Why I Let My Wife Shop posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “I am a believer that everything is shared in a marriage. We share the ups and downs, the good times and the bad. We are a team that strives to improve our lives for the better, and we do this together.”

Robb presents Pay Off Student Loans Or Save? posted at Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “Should young people make it a goal to pay off student loans right away, or save money to help improve their finances down the road?”

SavingMentor presents How to Save Money on Internet Services posted at HowToSaveMoney.ca, saying, “This guide will show you how you can reduce your internet costs, upgrade your service for less, and increase or eliminate your bandwidth caps.”

Kelly presents Cheap-o-Vision: Save Money on Your Movies posted at Wallet Watcher, saying, “The following tips ought to help you keep the burden of movie entertainment costs lighter and your wallet a bit heavier. ”

Peter presents Top 10 Ways to Catch Up on Retirement posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “Life goes by quickly. One minute you’re walking into your first day in kindergarten, the next you are getting ready to leave the workforce and enter retirement. If you are one of the 30 percent of Americans who are almost at retirement age with no savings to speak of, it’s time to act.”

SavingMentor presents Is This Morally Wrong? posted at HowToSaveMoney.ca, saying, “After feeling a little ripped off on the original purchase, this is what I did to get my money back with very little hassle.”

Taxes

Darwin presents 2012 Social Security Tax Deal Explained posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “Here are the juicy details behind the latest Payroll Tax holiday on Social Security taxes for the beginning of 2012.”

Clint Cora presents W8BEN Form For Canadians And Foreigners Who Work In The US posted at Motivation Diversity Success Blog, saying, “To help foreigners who get some income in the US reduce withholding tax”

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