Personal Investment Management and Financial Planning

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.

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

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.”

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: money economics

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 managing personal debt

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”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money estate planning

This Week from the Best Personal Finance Blogs

The Skilled Investor — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:22:16 +0000

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

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #216 – December 23, 2011

Welcome to the December 23, 2011 Edition #216 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 Check Whether a Deal is a Deal posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Not all deals save money as I found out when evaluating alternative options for purchasing residential natural gas and electricity.”

DJ presents Tips For Saving Money on Heating Bills posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “Often times, too many of us heat the neighborhood each winter which simply throws money out the door. Saving money on your heating bill is not impossible; you just have to be diligent about following the above tips.”

Estate Planning

Bob presents Inherited IRA Accounts and Taxes: What you need to know posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “It all starts when you get a notice that a family member has passed away and you were the beneficiary of an account. The first question you should ask yourself is if the IRA owner died before or after April 2 after the year the person turned 70 1/2.”

Ashley presents Cremation vs. Burial Costs posted at Money Talks Coaching, saying, “Planning your funeral and communicating your wishes will help your loved ones make those awful decisions when the inevitable happens. Of course, make sure you are ready to die in other ways too.”

Financial Planning

Dough Roller presents Comparison of Layway Plans from 5 Major Retailers posted at Dough Roller, saying, “Layaway is making a comeback and we’ve taken a look at five of the most popular plans to show which one costs you the least amount of money.”

Shaun presents Who Spends More UK or US Parents: Average Family Christmas Gift Spending Per Child 2011 posted at Smart Family Finance, saying, “How similar are UK and US family spending on Christmas gifts in 2011? Do parents in both nations spoil their children the same?”

101 Centavos presents almost Live from Sao Paulo – random notes posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “Notes about my trip to Sao Paulo, another fascinating place!”

Daniel presents IRA Contribution Income Limits Should Be Based on Tax Rates posted at Sweating the Big Stuff, saying, “When taxes rise there is less disposable income, so contribution limits should rise, but they don’t.”

Kevin presents College Kids Need Skills, Not Good Grades posted at Thousandaire, saying, “Get a skill like accounting or engineering in college. It’s way more valuable than getting a high GPA without any real skills.”

PITR presents Owning Blogs vs. Staff Writing posted at Passive Income To Retire, saying, “To earn money online, you can do one of two things. Find out what is the best way to make money online.”

A Blinkin presents How To Stop Receiving Credit Card Offers posted at Funancials, saying, “This article will show you how to stop receiving credit card offers and junk mail. ”

Paula @ Afford Anything presents Be Frugal With Your Time, Not Your Money posted at Afford Anything, saying, “Time is like money: we must ruthlessly cut things that don’t matter, so we can spend lavishly things that matter most. Here are my Top 3 hints for achieving this.”

John presents Traveling Abroad? Save Big With A Credit Card posted at Wallet Blog, saying, “Using a credit card while traveling overseas can help save money. In fact, a recent study shows that credit cards have the potential to save international travelers as much as 15% on currency exchange.”

Suba presents Get Your Accomplishments Noticed posted at Broke Professionals, saying, “It’s tough at work these days, companies are trying to do more with fewer employees. Employees are struggling to meet increased workloads without ruining their personal lives. Most are probably just making it through the critical, must do, tasks each day.”

Hank presents One Time Is Too Many With Identity Theft posted at Money Q&A, saying, “How do you protect yourself from identity theft? What are the warning signs of identity theft? One incident is too many when it comes to protecting your identity.”

Erika presents Rich and single or Poor and In Love? posted at Newlyweds on a Budget, saying, “Do finances affect the way you look at potential mates? Should financed play such an important role in marriage and relationships?”

Corey presents Turn Around Your Finances posted at 20s Finances, saying, “People often find themselves with a bad credit score due to poor financial choices in the past. The sooner the credit score is repaired the better. It is a good idea to put aside money every month to cover any emergencies that may arise.”

Penny presents Financial Lessons From Unexpected Places posted at Penny Pinching Professional, saying, “What personal finance lessons do you think can be learned from a board game based on subsistence farming in 17th century Europe?”

Julie presents Pets: The Gift That Keeps on Eating posted at The Family CEO, saying, “Just imagine the look on your child’s face when, from underneath the Christmas tree, comes a Golden Retriever puppy. The unbridled joy, unconditional love, but let’s take a look at the other side of the fence: ownership costs!”

DJ presents Save Money on Off Season Family Getaways posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “Traveling off season is a great way to save money on family vacations. Not only will you have more money in your wallet, but fewer tourists will be around, affording you more time to enjoy your activities.”

Kevin presents Five Financial Conversations to Have Before You Get Married posted at Invest It Wisely, saying, “Here are five financial conservations you should have before you get married.”

Eddie presents Christmas Gift Guide For Your New Relationship posted at Finance Fox, saying, “This gift can say the world about you or it can become a ticking time bomb, especially if you’re in a new relationship.There are no rules per se when it comes to gift giving, ultimately you place the final value on the gift. Buying too much, too early in the relationship can be a disaster too.”

Aloysa presents Five Things Everyone Should Know About Twitter posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “I’ve recently learned the value of twitter! Read these 5 things that everybody should know about twitter too!”

Financing a Home

Kennedi presents Would You Ever Buy an Investment Home? posted at Face and Fitness, saying, “Here are some things to consider before you buy an income house.”

Miss T. presents Planning How to Buy a House posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “Planning a home purchase isn’t something that you should just jump into without some careful planning. It pays to get yourself in the best financial position before you do anything as this can potentially make or break your plans. Here are some tips for planning your house purchase from a financial point-of-view.”

Evan presents Calculating Future Housing Costs to Determine Affordability posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “The Wife and I have been giving serious thought to listing our house after the new year, and it was in the course of a recent discussion that The Wife told me she just wanted to know the “bottom line” in terms of future housing costs. So, I set to work doing a few calculations.”

Michael presents How to Manage Credit Cards While Buying a House posted at Begging To Retire, saying, “Buying a house is always an exciting time but don’t forget about your current debt … especially your credit cards.”

John presents Teach Your Kids to Ride Safely Into Their Financial Futures posted at Wallet Blog, saying, “Hey, I hope all is well! I think your readers will find my submission this week very useful because it shows parents the importance of teaching their children about personal finance and gives them a few tips on how to guide their kids in the right direction so they too can start building their wealth and understand how to be frugal and smart with the money they earn.”

humble savers presents Five Ways To Save – In Your First Job posted at Humble Savers, saying, “Starting you job is a big step and it’s important to start good saving habits”

Aaron Hung presents Should you buy a home in this economy? | Aaron Hung.com posted at Aaron Hung.com, saying, “Admit it, the economy is not getting any better and gas prices will never be $1 a gallon again(good times). However, there are advantages if you consider buying a home. We all know that this is a buyer’s market so you have the upper hand when buying a house with lower prices and in better neighborhoods.”

Financing a Home

N.W. Journey presents Warning: The Absolute Worst Way to Buy a Home posted at Networth Journey, saying, “Learn how not to buy a home.”

Theresa Torres presents Low Cost Ways To Prepare Your House For Sale posted at TH Services Blog, saying, “Putting your house’s best foot forward for buyers need not be expensive. Here are low cost ways to help you prepare your house and make a good impression on potential buyers.”

Chelsea Prescotti presents Foreclosure: Just the Facts | CreditScore.net posted at CreditScore.net, saying, “Those who have low incomes or lose their jobs are not the only ones that may be facing foreclosure. There are various reasons people have difficulty making ends meet and eventually face foreclosure because they are unable to make their mortgage payments. Individuals from all walks of life deal with foreclosure, and it is more common than most people realize. If they miss even one payment on their mortgage, it is very difficult to catch up because they must make their current payment in addition to the missed payment.”

Financing Education

Marie presents Dorm Living and Other Money-Saving Tips for College Students posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “If you’re going to school full-time, you’ll have a limited number of hours each week to work and earn money. So it’s important to learn how to cut costs and live on a budget. Here are some money-saving tips that will help.”

Jules Wells presents Financial Education posted at Rational Financial Planning, saying, “A financial planning reading list about personal financial planning and investment management.”

Charles Chua C K presents What an Emergency Fund Can do for Your Car Loans and Credit Card Debts posted at All About Living with Life.

Health Care

Marie presents Subsidized Assisted Living Explained posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “Assisted living is a good alternative to a nursing home for seniors who need some assistance but can do most things for themselves. And for those with limited income, subsidies can allow them access to communities that they might not have otherwise. If you, a friend or a loved one could benefit from such a living arrangement, it is certainly worth looking into.”

Income

Kay Lynn presents 3 Reasons to Roll Over Your 401K posted at Bucksome Boomer, saying, “Now that you have left your employer (career change or possible retirement), you have an important choice to make. You can either leave the money with your previous employer in the 401k plan or you can do what’s called a 401k rollover. The former seems like the easy option but let me give you some reasons why you want consider rolling over to your own personal Individual Retirement Account (IRA).”

FMF presents The Difference Good Performance Can Make posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “The numbers show why it’s so important that you work at growing your career. No other asset you have is as valuable, and if you consistently strive to grow it (by excelling at your work), you will be handsomely rewarded financially (and, by the way, it’s more likely that you’ll enjoy what you do if you are doing it well.)”

Miranda @ Financial Highway presents 50 Home Business Idea posted at Financial Highway, saying, “Many of us want to earn extra money from home. And, indeed, starting a home business can be a good way to cultivate additional income, and help you reach other financial goals that you might have. From creative business ideas, to the more mundane, here are 50 home business ideas.”

Jeffrey Trull presents Is it Better to Work for Commissions and Incentives? posted at Money Spruce, saying, “Is it better to earn a living off of commission or just a flat salary with no incentives? Perhaps adding commissions and incentives encourages workers to try their hardest and do their best work.”

Mike Collins presents The Difference Between Income and Wealth posted at Saving Money Today, saying, “Increasing your income is great. But in order to build true wealth you need to use that income to acquire assets than increase your net worth.”

Investing

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey presents How to Ignore Market Volatility posted at My Personal Finance Journey, saying, “This post discusses ways in which to ignore market volatility. With this market of wild ups and downs, this post points out ways to not let this volatility negatively affect ones’ investments.”

Glen Craig presents What is a Mutual Fund Prospectus? posted at Free From Broke, saying, “So you want to invest in mutual funds but you are clueless about them? A good place to start is to answer the question: What is a mutual fund prospectus?”

Jon the Saver presents Start Your Long-Term Savings Before Its Too Late posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, “Historically, the stock market has always recovered from every economic downturn, and generally can be relied upon as a safe place for long-term investment. Consider investing as part of your plan to save money for your future. ”

Sustainable PF presents Sustainable Index Investing Is a Joke posted at Sustainable Personal Finance, saying, “You shouldn’t bother with sustainable index investing. Instead, do like the rest of the market does. Put your cash in the spot where you feel it’ll get the best return. Then, if you’re so inclined, spend your profits on whatever environmentally friendly hippie stuff you want. Investing should be about making money, not saving the world. The two just don’t mix.”

Echo presents How To Reduce Mutual Fund Fees And Expenses posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “This post reviews a very helpful personal investing book titled Low Cost Mutual Funds and ETFs. This book focuses on the most important problem facing many investors today: investing costs that are excessive and unwarranted.”

Cash Flow Mantra presents An Explanation of the Stock Option Collar posted at Cash Flow Mantra, saying, “In reality, a collar is really not all that difficult to understand. It consists of owning a stock (being long), owning a protective put against that stock, and selling a covered call against that same stock. As always, a real-life example is in order so I will provide just that.”

FMF presents Dividend Investing is Not the Perfect Solution for Yield posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Is investing in dividend stocks a good way to generate income? Nope.”

Don presents Dividends Paying Expenses – My Thoughts posted at Money Reasons, saying, “This is why I think dividends paying expenses is a great idea. See if you agree…”

Novel Investor presents Know The Wash Sale Rule When Selling Those Losers posted at Novel Investor, saying, “The end of the year is a popular time to sell those loser investments for tax purposes. But not knowing the wash sale rules can kill this strategy.”

DGB presents How to Build a Leveraged Dividend Portfolio posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “How to build a new dividend portfolio.”

Intelligent Speculator presents Top International Dividend Stocks (ADR’s) posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “Stocks you need to watch out for.”

Marc Ryan presents The Power of Passive Investing, by Richard Ferri: a book review – IndependentInvestor.info posted at IndependentInvestor.info, saying, “When we launched our site in 2008, one of the books on investing we most consulted was All About Asset Allocation, 2006 by Richard Ferri. We were therefore happy to discover that Richard had recently published a new book, The Power of Passive Investing. We wondered if he had found enough new material to warrant a new book. After reading it, we can enthusiastically respond, yes. The fact that Vanguard’s founder, John C. Bogle, accepted to write the foreword and that many others notable proponents of passive investing have praised the book, says a lot about the author and his most recent publication.”

Dividends4Life presents 7 Higher-Yielding, Low Debt Stocks With A Tiny Payout Ratio posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “All income investors love a stock with a good yield. The smart ones look for dividends that are sustainable and likely to grow. The question is, ‘In an uncertain world, how do you determine which dividends are sustainable and likely to grow?’ Of coarse, there is no way to know with exact certainty which dividends are sustainable, but there are tell-tale signs that often foretell the future.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Marjorie presents Card Hub’s 6 Credit Predictions for 2012 posted at CardHub.com, saying, “The holiday season tends to be a time for nostalgia and reflection, but as the calendar turns from 2011 to 2012, we will undoubtedly begin looking to the future, making resolutions and wondering what the new year has in store. But why wait? Foresight is key in finance, so let’s make some predictions for things that will affect your wallet in 2012.”

Charles Tran presents Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: 50000 Bonus Points Worth It? posted at CreditDonkey Review, saying, “$95 annual fee vs 50,000 bonus points, is it worth it?”

Joe Plemon presents Take Control of Your Debt by Setting a Time Goal posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Setting a time goal will kindle your creativity, force you to be focused and give you the enthusiasm to maintain your momentum.”

Marjorie presents Bad Credit Guide posted at CardHub.com, saying, “The arena of bad credit is often very confusing and filled with misleading information, causing you, the consumer, to sometimes feel unsure which way is up. To help you, we have compiled a “Bad Credit Guide,” which explains bad credit, debunks myths and directs you toward the ultimate goal of good credit standing.”

Mike presents CIBC Visa Cards: Comparing The Options posted at Rewards Cards Canada, saying, “CIBC Visa cards offer a wide range of benefits and services including rewards, cash-back and competitive interest rates.”

Peter presents Learning How to Increase Returns and Become a Better Peer to Peer Lending Investor: P2P Lending Educational Resources posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “Because I’m becoming more interested in social lending through sites like Lending Club and Prosper I’ve also been looking into places where I can educate myself a bit more about how this whole peer to peer lending paradigm works, and how to maximize my earnings. While doing some research on the topic I came across a variety of good educational resources that I thought I’d share today.”

Miscellaneous

Beating Broke presents 4 Frugal Ways to Keep Kids Busy During Christmas Vacation posted at Beating Broke, saying, “There are plenty of frugal ways to keep the kids, especially your preschool and elementary school kids, entertained during the Christmas vacation. Consider the following activities:”

Bradson Oakley presents No Load Mutual Fund posted at No Load Funds, saying, “There is no good evidence that investment sales loads and other 12b-1 sales fees charged to investors result in higher mutual fund and ETF performance. In fact, the opposite has repeatedly been shown to be true.”

Craig Ford presents Christmas Lessons on Repentance and Redemption from Three Villains posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “Chistmas offers all of us a chance to change.”

Jeri Ford presents Best Current American Express Membership Rewards Transfer Bonuses posted at Help Me Travel Cheap, saying, “A guide on how to get even more value out of Membership Rewards.”

Tim @ Faith and Finance presents How Does Subjective Value Work? posted at Faith and Finance, saying, “People value things differently, which is key to understanding the free market. Read about subjective value and how it affects you each day.”

The Financial Blogger presents Preparing for an Interview posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “Time to crush that interview in the financial industry.”

Dr. Dean presents Decisions: How YOU Can Improve! posted at Dr. Dean’s TheMillionaireNurse.com Blog, saying, “Do you make good decisions? The decisions we make impact all areas of our life, including our finances. Join me in a review of the process and ways to improve your method.”

Retirement Planning

YFS presents 401k Is Not Enough: Alternatives to Your Retirement Planning posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “Nowadays, it’s disconcerting to realize how employee retirement plans just don’t seem to be enough to cover one’s retirement.”

SB presents Don’t Give Up, Get Even With Your Financial Frustration posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “Preparing for retirement is not always our number one priority. At the same time we may notice swings in our accounts every day, making it hard to see progress toward their goals. No matter how discouraging retirement planning can be, you should never give up preparing for your financial future.”

Mr. Money presents Why NOW Is the Best Time to Start Saving for Your Retirement posted at Smart on Money, saying, “Actually, years ago was the best time to start saving for retirement. As soon as you started earning income was the best time to save for retirement. But now is the second best time to start saving for retirement.”

FMF presents Ideas for Staying Busy in Retirement posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Sure, you may have the money to retire, but what actually are you going to do with all that free time?”

Money Cone presents How to Calculate Your Retirement Income posted at Money Cone, saying, “In this post I’m going to show you how to find out what your income will be at retirement, if you continue saving what you are currently saving. No, no worksheets or spreadsheets or complicated calculations! Not on this blog! I want to highlight a FREE Retirement Income Calculator I found very useful.”

Philip presents Exploring Extended Stay Options posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “Discusses extended stay options, gives sources for doing further research, and offers reasons they might help a family save money on travel.”

Justin presents 5 Purchases to Wait on This Holiday Season posted at Money Is the Root, saying, “If you are one of my fellow procrastinators then do yourself a favor and hold off on these these purchases until 2012. In fact, start your Christmas 2012 shopping next month, you will be amazed at how much you can save!”

Lisa presents Saving Money: How Important Is It? posted at Thriftability, saying, “No matter what age you are, a savings account is important. You can never be too young or too old to start saving. And here’s why you should be.”

Lazy Man presents Today’s Deal: Ditch Your Landline for VOIP and Save Big posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “Nearly two years ago I wrote about how you can get free lifetime phone service for $150. The product is called the Ooma Telo and it’s something that I’ve been using the for many months now. It is a great savings over both a standard landline phone and alternative VOIP services such as Vonage (which I had before I switched.)”

Kelsey presents Versatile Salt: 10 Household Uses posted at Money Mum, saying, “If you think table salt can only be used to season your food, think again; salt is actually an incredibly versatile material to keep around your home for everything from cleaning to home repair. Since it’s also quite natural and inexpensive, learning how to utilize salt in a variety of ways can be great for both convenience and saving money.”

Pam presents How to Eat Healthy on a Budget posted at Frugal Living, saying, “Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost more. Here are some tips for staying healthy on a budget.”

humble savers presents How To Set And Achieve Goals For Your Money – Three Step Guide | humble savers – Practical ways to save money posted at Humble Savers, saying, “Goal setting for your money is vital for financial success. Our three step guide will help you to understand and prioritize your goals; and achieve them.”

Taxes

Super Saver presents Strategies to Lower Federal Income Taxes in Retirement posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “As a retiree, I’ve learned that I have additional opportunities to minimize our tax responsibility. I gladly use those opportunities to send less of our hard earned money to the wasteful federal and state governments. These strategies simply require the capability to shift income and deductions.”

Tim @ Faith and Finance presents 8 Year-End Tax Moves to Consider at the End of 2011 posted at Faith and Finance, saying, “Before you know it, 2011 will be in the past and tax season will be upon us. Because it will be here sooner than you know it, now is a good time to look at what you’ll need to accomplish for your 2011 taxes before the end of the year”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money budgeting

Where to invest in low cost mutual funds and ETFs

The Skilled Investor — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:57:03 +0000

With this investment book about ETF and mutual funds fees and expenses, you can lower your portfolio investing costs, reduce your portfolio risk exposure, and understand how to invest in stocks and bonds funds directly

This article is about a low cost investing book which is among the most helpful books on personal investing that you can find. Titled Low Cost Mutual Funds and ETFs, this investing book addresses what is the largest challenge that most personal investors face: investment costs that are far too high.

In addition, the low cost investing book provides an easy to understand and clear discussion concerning what really works in individual investment methods. It provides straight forward and extensive information on how to invest money.

With this book it is easy to locate the lowest cost index mutual funds and ETFs. It lists 212 low cost mutual funds in 30 different categories, plus it provides tables with 208 low cost index ETFs in 27 different asset categories. All these top no load mutual funds tables were screened with methods backed by investment research which are explained in this useful investing book. The book’s ETF and mutual fund list tables provide a full spectrum of lowest cost index mutual fund and ETF alternatives for any investor.

This book on better investing contains over 250 pages and was written and researched by Larry Russell, who is an experienced financial planner and advisor from Pasadena, California who has degrees from MIT, Brandeis, and Stanford.

The problem with investments: Most investors pay far too much in ETF and mutual funds expenses and receive way too little in return for these costs

Charging individual investors high fees for its allegedly better insight, the great majority of the investment industry simply just lives off of the returns and assets of individual investors without adding net value. In brief, you are simply a financial services industry center of profit and revenue.

By overwhelming the market with complex securities products and services which are excessively costly, the investment industry makes the investment process unnecessarily and overly complex. Next, the financial services industry gives self-interested and biased “free advice” on where to invest,, which is the most costly “free advice” investors will receive in their lives. Without looking for less expensive investment products and services, investors are much more likely to be encouraged to buy these outrageously costly investment products and services.

Unjustifiably costly securities products and services are the real enemy that you face as you are investing money. The more of your assets you allow the financial services industry take, the less you will have in retirement. Save your money. You do not have to participate in this unfair game, when you know how to invest in stocks and bonds funds directly.

With the help of this Low Cost Mutual Funds and ETFs investment book you can quickly control your portfolio investing fees, reduce your portfolio risk, and increase your retained investment returns. Cutting your ETF and mutual funds fees and expenses down to the bone is the most powerful investing strategy you have.

For decades, inexpensive noload index mutual funds and now more recently inexpensive exchange-traded funds have produced superior returns after accounting for risk. After costs and taxes have been accounted for, individual investors just keep more of their portfolio returns. As a bonus, individual investors who purchase inexpensive index funds lower investment risk, spend less effort, avoid pressure sales tactics, endure far less hassle, and save time.

You can invest by yourself directly, and with direct investing you can do it better. All you need is correct information to find the top no load mutual funds and ETFs. For some straight information about better investing and what really works with individual investing, get this mutual funds expenses book.

Information about the no load index funds and ETFs in this investments book

This mutual funds list book includes 212 low cost no load index mutual funds and 208 low cost ETFs in 30 and 27 separate asset classes, respectively. Included noload index mutual funds and exchange-traded funds are characterized by having the lowest management fees, no marketing charges, and no sales loads. Also, listed index funds have significantly lower portfolio turnover which is associated with reduced trading expenses.

The listings of the top no load mutual funds and ETFs include:

US international, and global multi-cap, large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stock investment funds with low costs including value and growth stock funds
US, global, and international long-term, intermediate-term, and short-term treasury, government, corporate, municipal, and inflation protected bond investment funds with low costs
Money funds and real estate funds with low costs

Using this ETF and mutual funds list book, you can choose the lowest cost portfolio which is fully diversified by geography and investment asset class.

Savings with this useful low cost mutual funds and ETFs investor book

Depending upon how big your portfolio is, this modestly priced mutual funds expenses book would save you hundreds even thousands of dollars year after year by helping you know where to do direct investing. If you can reduce your total investment expenses and fees by one percent of your assets annually and you own an investment portfolio of $10,000, your investment savings will be $100 each year. If you have $50,000, you will save $500 per year. With $100,000, you will save $1,000 each year. Since total annual investing fees and costs paid by the average individual investor add up to between 2% and 2 & 1/2% a year, most investors could in reality save two percent annually. Therefore, these annual investment savings on overall expenses and fees savings would even be double each year — year in and year out.

Some people might say: “Sure that is what I might save, but if I pay mutual funds fees and expenses when I am investing money, I will get higher portfolio returns.” Sorry, however financial research clearly will not justify paying more in fees. Here are some typical financial research quotes from this book:

“Simply put, if you pay higher bond mutual fund fees, then these higher bond management expenses tend just to be a deadweight loss to you.”
“This leads us to estimate the annual under performance of the broker-sold funds at $4.6 billion dollars.”
“The inferiority of active investment strategies … across the various countries, when the time horizon increases active strategies are increasingly inferior.”

If you really think that you can get superior portfolio return, when you pay higher expenses rather than lesser costs, well then you really should get and read this valuable how to invest in stocks and bonds funds investing book!

Who is the author?

This direct investing book, by Lawrence Russell was written with his objective and in-depth knowledge of what really works in personal finance and investing strategies. He is a knowledgeable and experienced fee based financial planner in the Pasadena and LA, California area. Larry’s stated goal is “to improve people’s knowledge and improve their ability to manage their own personal financial and investing situations.”

Larry is the publisher of many personal finance articles on the web and the designer and developer of sophisticated home lifetime financial planning software. Across many years, Larry has broad knowledge in finance, economics, investments, taxation, accounting, probability, statistics, software development, and web technologies. For 25 years, Larry contributed as a manager and executive within the computer industry at companies such as Sun Microsystems and HP.

Retiring from the software industry in 2001, he started an in-depth and systematic reading of the academic literature that affected finance and investments for his personal interest. To make this financial research information better available for individual investors, during 2003, he began to write and publish investments and finance academic research summaries on his now oldest retirement investing education web site, The Skilled Investor. From 2003, he has authored and published in excess of 1,000 investing money and other personal finance articles across a half-dozen of his personal finance and investing sites. A portion of this personal finance ebook has been drawn from these web postings, and hyperlinks supplied in this ebook will enable you to find Larry’s investing and personal finance web sites.

Also in 2003, Larry started to design and develop sophisticated and individually customized home lifetime financial plan software. This investments and personal finance software tool, VeriPlan, was designed at the beginning to serve as a personal decision application for advisory customers. In 2006, Larry started to develop an individual user version of VeriPlan that home users could utilize by themselves. This VeriPlan application is now the most automated and highly customizable home life cycle personal financial planning software that is available on the public market for much less than competing investing and personal finance software products.

(Investing book cover photo from Alan Cleaver found on Flickr.com)

Tags: mutual funds expenses

Best Financial Planning Articles this Week

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 07:10:40 +0000

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

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #215 – December 16, 2011

Welcome to the December 16, 2011 Edition #215 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

Justin presents The Importance of Cash Management posted at Money Is the Root, saying, “I’m willing to bet that many of you who read this article will probably disregard the need to forecast and manage your cashflow. I can’t urge you enough that it can and will help improve your life and your finances.”

Don presents Controlling Christmas Costs posted at Money Reasons, saying, “This is how I control Christmas Costs in the past, present and future. These strategies work for me and perhaps will work for you!”

Investor Junkie presents Mint.com Review – Should I Use Mint? posted at Investor Junkie, saying, “Mint is great for creating, and tracking your budget. It’s great you can get alerts via Email to ensure timely bill payments. It’s unfortunate that Mint’s investing area is very weak for all of but the basic investors.”

Lisa presents Creating a Budget the Easy Way posted at Thriftability, saying, “Before starting, remember that budgeting is for you. It is for your security and peace of mind. It needs to make sense to you and fit your lifestyle. No one is going to come to your house to make sure you are keeping your books ‘correctly.’ For a private citizen keeping track of their own money, ‘correct’ is what works for you.”

Estate Planning

Paul Vachon presents Estate Planning Basics – What You Need to Know posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “Have you ever thought about what would happen if you became incapacitated or died? What would happen to your home and other assets? Do you have a will and does your spouse know what your final wishes are? An estate plan is a set of legal documents that will make sure that your final wishes are taken care of.”

Financial Planning

Dough Roller presents Credit Card Minimum Payments will Maximize Your Financial Pain posted at Dough Roller, saying, “I’m not talking the minimums your card issuer suggest, rather the minimums you set for yourself. Paying a little more goes a long way”

SB presents Only you can take care of your finance posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “You, only you are responsible for your own financial life. Each cent drains and each cent you miss to earn is because of you. You are your biggest coach and biggest enemy when it comes to personal finance.”

Jason presents Fighting Fair posted at Live Real, Now, saying, Arguments in your marriage aren’t–or shouldn’t be–intended to draw blood. Fights happen. If your goal is to win at any cost, you will both lose, possibly everything.”

Ashley presents Accountability Partner posted at Money Talks Coaching, saying, “Yesterday I wrote about how my accountability partner, my husband, kept me from spending $5,000. It’s important to have an accountability partner to keep spending in check. Even if you don’t have a “spending problem” it’s still helpful because anyone can fall prey to a good sales pitch or shiny .”

101 Centavos presents Caffe Break: Walk-away Negotiating posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “Learn about walk away negotiating, be perpared to use this techique if you have to.”

Daniel presents Give This Gift If You Want To Piss Off Your Husband posted at Sweating the Big Stuff, saying, “I love getting surprises, but there’s one I wouldn’t be too thrilled with. If Lauren ever does this to me, we’d have a problem. What do you think?”

Kevin presents Thousandaire Countdown #2 HTPC Rap posted at Thousandaire, saying, “The HTPC Rap is my best and only rap song. It’s also the second best song I’ve ever done.”

Shaun presents Will a College Degree Increase Your Odds of Becoming Wealthy? Gallup Poll Finds Half of the Wealthiest 1of mericans Have a Graduate Degree posted at Smart Family Finance, saying, “Do you want to better your odds at become part of the wealthiest on percent of Americans? Gallup polling results show that you should consider getting a graduate degree. Half of those in the top 1of ge earners have one.”

YFS presents Work Hard and Shut Up! posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “I promise you, that if you worked this hard at anything your life would be different! Mrs. YFS and I were at our local IHOP to take advantage of some of their seasonal pancakes and stumbled upon this very ambitious and dedicated employee who is the basis of my story. ”

Peter presents Love Your Children? Take Care of Your Financial Health posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “We parents love our children, but sometimes the best way to show that, in addition to time and attention, is to take care of our own financial needs so that our children don’t have to.”

Janet presents The Gift of Good Finances: Financial Giving this Christmas posted at Credit Cards Canada, saying, “Financial gifts can help the recipient get on the right track, and be a great way to show that you care.”

oilhand99 presents Financial Analysis: Which Payment Option Would You Rather Have posted at Trees Full of Money, saying, “If you’ve ever wondered whether to take a lump sum of cash over an annuity or other form of structured payment, this article will give you the skills to calculate the most advantageous payment structure for you!”

Financing a Home

Emmie presents Renovating Your Home on a Budget posted at Wallet Watcher, saying, “Turn your dreams into reality by converting your home into a blissful sanctuary without spending a fortune. By doing pre-renovation research on design, materials and colour scheme and adopting the above-mentioned strategies, it is possible to cut costs without compromising on quality”

Financing Education

Jules Wells presents Financial Education posted at Rational Financial Planning, saying, “A financial planning reading list about personal financial planning and investment management.”

Income

PITR presents Keep My Day Job? posted at Passive Income To Retire, saying, “In my plan to retire from passive income, I have often questioned at what point will I quit my day job. It is hard to pass up on some of the benefits that my day job offers. Find out what my plan is.”

Julie presents The Top Three Things I’ve Sold Online posted at The Family CEO, saying, “These are the top three things that I have sold online that were big wins for me!”

Evan presents The Value of Earning a Side Income posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “Even a relatively small amount of extra cash can go a long way. To show you what I mean, let’s look at two examples–retirement (with a good chunk of side income) and credit card debt (with a relatively small amount of side income).”

Miranda @ Financial Highway presents 50 Home Business Ideas posted at Financial Highway, saying, “Many of us want to earn extra money from home. And, indeed, starting a home business can be a good way to cultivate additional income, and help you reach other financial goals that you might have. From creative business ideas, to the more mundane, here are 50 home business ideas.”

FMF presents Being Beautiful Can Earn You a Fortune posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Want to earn more money? Become more attractive.”

Eddie presents Thinking of Going Back to Former Employer – Would You? posted at Finance Fox, saying, “Returning to a former employer is real trend and it’s happening in all industries. The trend is appropriately dubbed as boomeranging. No one said, all relationships are perfect the first time, maybe the second time around is the charm.”

Will presents Want To Blog Full-Time? Ignore “Warnings”;, Listen To Advice! posted at Former Banker, saying, “Becoming a full-time blogger takes time, money, dedication, and unfortunately, most people who try will fail. Which side you end up on depends partly on getting the right information.”

Investing

Eric J. Nisall presents When Investing You Really Need To Think For Yourself posted at DollarVersity, saying, “In life most people are happy to let others do the work and thinking for them. When it comes to investing, that attitude can get you in deep trouble.”

The Financial Blogger presents Tips For Young Financial Advisors posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “How to make money in the financial world.”

Steven Zussino presents Why Lululemon (LLL) is a poor stock and why you should sell posted at Canadian Personal Finance, saying, “Have all the retailers like Nike, Under Armour, Joe Fresh, and even Walmart started ambushing the expensive clothing of Lululemon? The answer is YES. This stock has gone done well for shareholders but I feel it’s time is up.”

Money Cone presents If You Own Mutual Funds or ETFs, Don’t Ignore This Metric posted at Money Cone, saying, “Lipper Metrics are just a tool to help the investor navigate the ocean of ETFs and mutual funds. Having an understanding of this rating system should go a long way in making the right decision when it comes to investing.”

Dividends4Life presents 7 High-Yielding Mega-Cap Stocks posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “There is perceived safety in size. Giant corporations aren’t randomly grown. Instead, they are carefully built through superior management and foresight. Often these are more mature companies that also offer stability and predictability, usually at the expense of dynamic growth. These are your mega-cap stocks.”

Managing Credit and Debt

J.R. Weber presents December 2011′s Best Credit Card Balance Transfer Offers posted at Smart Balance Transfers, saying, “An analysis of consumer balance transfer options available this month.”

Jeri Ford presents Will I Lose Points or Miles When I Cancel My Credit Card? posted at Help Me Travel Cheap, saying, “Learn what happens to your miles if you cancel your credit card.”

azra panjwani presents What You Need to Know About ‘Balance Transfer Day’ posted at ReadyForZero Blog, saying, “How to do a successful balance transfer (in light of balance transfer day). When it’s a good idea, what to watch out for etc.”

Theresa Torres presents A Happy Holiday Season Means Staying Out of Debt posted at CreditDonkey, saying, “Most of us can’t help it, but during the holiday season, we tend to go over our budget. Here are some tips to help us manage our finances and have a happier and less indebted holiday.”

Chelsea Prescotti presents Can One Piggyback to Increase Credit Score? posted at CreditScore.net, saying, “When you say the phrase “piggybacking,” it instantly conjures up images of someone riding on someone else’s back to get to the same destination. The process of piggybacking credit scores to improve a credit rating has been going on for a long time.”

Corey presents Getting a Bank Loan posted at 20s Finances, saying, “Learn about what factors you need to consider when you are going to take out a bank loan and why you should use it as a last resort.”

Miscellaneous

Penny presents Cell Phones Are Like Soup? posted at Penny Pinching Professional, saying, “Have you ever looked at your cell phone bill and wondered what it reminded you of? The answer is a can of soup!”

101 Centavos presents Caffe Break: Walk-away Negotiating posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “Continuing with a series of short blog posts on anything that I can write about in between bouts of writer’s block and indecision, filling in the nooks…”

Paul Vachon presents Ready to go Travel? – Try a Vacation Rental for Big Savings posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “Vacation rentals are becoming a popular choice for today’s traveler because of the flexibility they can offer. Vacation rentals come in a variety of options: budget studios, luxury highrise apartments, cottages and cabins, and bed and breakfast inns. Vacation rentals also offer flexible length of stays from overnight to monthly to accommodate the tourist as well as the business traveler.”

Joe Plemon presents Our Ten Dollar Christmas Challenge posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Instead of being overwhelmed by a gift exchange, our family is doing something different this Christmas.”

Intelligent Speculator presents Even Warren Buffett Has Terrible Ideas posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “Even Buffett has his days.”

A Blinkin presents I Only Listen to Techno – crats posted at Funancials, saying, “Technocrats are becoming very popular in within our debt-stricken governments. Greece and Italy have already placed two technocrats in charge of their countries, now which countries will follow?”

John presents 4 Frugal Ways to Have Fun as a Family This Holiday Season posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “Most schools have two weeks off during Christmas, and if you haven’t planned carefully, you may have stir crazy kids and exasperated parents. Instead, take a day or two to unwind from the busy holiday season and relax together as a family. Not only will you all be happy because you are spending some enjoyable time together, but you may also be creating memories together. Consider some of these activities listed below.”

Sustainable PF presents Dangers to Stockpiles posted at Sustainable Personal Finance, saying, “Right after we moved into our new house, I started buying extras of almost every non-perishable food item we ever used just so I’d have it ready in my awesome pantry for the next time we craved it. Long story short, having a stockpile has not been good to us.”

Craig Ford presents 45+ ‘Two Thumbs Up’ Christian Book Suggestions posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “Christmas book suggestions for Christians.”

Charles Chua C K presents 7 Don’ts to Avoid a Scam Effectively posted at All About Living with Life.

Dr. Dean presents Shoplifting: Top Ten Holiday Favorites! posted at Dr. Dean’s TheMillionaireNurse.com Blog, saying, “Shoplifting is an enormous drain on a retail businesses bottom line. Massive amounts of money are also spent trying to decrease the drain on profits. Find out how the holiday spirit affects the most popular items of theft.”

Retirement Planning

N.W. Journey presents Self Employed Retirement Plans posted at Networth Journey, saying, “Discover your retirement planning options if you are self-employed.”

Hank presents Three Christmas Gifts To Give Your Children That Keep On Giving posted at Money Q&A, saying, “There are a few examples of Christmas gifts to your children such as Roth IRA contributions that will keep on giving long after the holiday season has ended.”

Matt presents How Much Do You Need to Retire posted at Living in Financial Excellence, saying, “Most people wait until they’re ready to retire and then wonder if they can retire. If you wait that long, it’s waaaaay too late, and you probably won’t be able to retire. You need to have a plan early and start working the plan early.”

Risk Management and Insurance

Glen Craig presents What Are Consumer Driven Health Plans and How do They Work for You? posted at Free From Broke, saying, “Consumer driven health plans have the potential to create significant savings for both employers and employees. See how they can work for you.”

FMF presents Ten Insurance Policies You Need To Own posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “There’s a balance between being underinsured and having too much insurance. Here are 10 policies you should at least consider before you decide on your specific insurance needs.”

Sam O presents NTSB calls for ban on all cellphone use while driving— even hands-free phones posted at Auto Insurance News.

Savings

Sustainable PF presents Green Christmas Tree Options posted at Sustainable Personal Finance, saying, “We usually strive to stick to our financial plan but when it comes to Christmas trees we are willing to shell out a few extra bucks to do the sustainable thing. We will be looking into a potted tree in the near future.”

Miss T. presents Saving Money by Taking Your Own Lunches to Work posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “If you work out how much you’re spending on work lunches in the average work week, you might be surprised to know just how much money is being frittered away. You can save money by taking your own lunches to work and depending on what you’ve previously been grabbing in your lunch break, it might be a lot healthier too. Here are some tips on making it work for you.”

Aloysa presents Is Hoarding The New Frugal? posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “My friend is a very frugal person: she counts every penny, she evaluates every purchase, and she does her research before she decides to buy anything whether it is a car or a pair of shoes. Read her story here!”

Kelsey presents 6 Tips for Eliminating Food Waste posted at Money Mum, saying, “Using leftovers and budgeting wisely can save money – and resources. Learn to become cognizant of how much food you really do dispose of, and then consider these tips to improve the efficiency of your kitchen:”

SavingMentor presents Shopping at Costco: The Lazy Way to Save Money on Almost Everything posted at HowToSaveMoney.ca, saying, “Shopping at Costco is actually almost too easy as you always find so many great products that you never knew existed before, so you may end up spending much more than you originally intended to. To stay on budget, it is important to go in with a list of things you need and then stick to it religiously. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Jim R. presents Credit Unions versus Banks : Not Exactly Win versus Fail posted at Free By 50, saying, “Thinking of dumping your bank for a credit union? Credit unions may provide better service than banks on average. However not all credit unions are created equal and credit unions aren’t miles ahead of banks in general.”

Charles Chua C K presents 7 More Effective Ways to Save Money posted at All About Living with Life.

Taxes

Linsey presents Taxes and Your Small Business: Are You Ready posted at 1099 Mom, saying, “If you are a very new business, and haven’t begun to track your expenses and income for the year, it’s not too late! If you are an old pro, and simply need to collect all your documentation for easy tax preparation, now is the best time to get started.”

Madison presents 17 Tips for End of Year Tax Planning posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “Don’t let the busy-ness of the holiday season make you forget about end of year tax moves!”

Philip presents Deadline for Qualified Charitable Distribution Approaching posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “Discusses the laws for tax-free qualified charitable distribution provisions, the benefit of it, and the deadline.”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money budgeting

Weekly Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles

The Skilled Investor — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:20:27 +0000

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

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #214 – December 9, 2011

Welcome to the December 9, 2011 Edition #214 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

J.B. presents The Black Market They Don’t Make Movies About posted at My University Money, saying, “The majority of the “underground economy” as it sometimes known is actually common services that people simply perform for cash and then keep the tax man out of everyone’s pocket.”

Jason P. presents Tips to Design on a Dime posted at One Money Design, saying, “When you don’t have the budget to create the beauty desired according to the “magazine standards.””

Beating Broke presents Have a Holiday Spending Plan: Don’t Dread January posted at Beating Broke, saying, “Follow these tips to rein in your holiday purchases this season.”

Rogan Seager presents Savings Calculator posted at Retirement Savings Calculator, saying, “Valuable future investment portfolio assets and future investment returns slip through many people’s fingers at the checkout stand every day, because they spend beyond their long-term means.”

Matt presents The Wow Factor: Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck posted at Living in Financial Excellence, saying, “Learn to rank your choices on your own personal Wow Factor scale, and you will find that your satisfaction with your budgeting and spending choices will increase substantially.”

Theresa Torres presents How to Stretch Your Marketing Budget posted at Sadia Komal.Com, saying, “Many small businesses don’t have the kind of budget to properly market their products or services and this is where a diversified marketing strategy becomes important.”

Shaun presents How Much Money Does the Average Family Plan to Spend on Christmas Gifts in 2011? posted at Smart Family Finance, saying, “Most of us will be purchasing gifts this year for family and frieds. Data on family spending on Christmas presents reveals interesting information on when and how to buy your gifts this holiday season.”

LM presents Importance of Financial Planning | Definition of Financial Planning posted at The Wealth Steps Blog.

Anna presents Save on Holiday Entertaining posted at Good Cents Savings, saying, “Learn a few ways to save on holiday entertaining. It is possible to have a great holiday party and still keep costs down!”

Financial Planning

Annette presents Catching Up with the American Dream posted at CreditDonkey.com Tips, saying, “The American Dream is not so much an entitlement of address; but rather, it is a fusion of national values and personal effort.”

Fred Lee presents Baby Budget Buster: Small Steps for Family Finances posted at Parenting Squad, saying, “In the insightful words of my grandfather, “If you wait until you have enough money before having kids, you’ll never have them.” To help out with family finances, put some of these tips to work in your own household.”

humble savers presents Financial Adviser Fees – The Cold Hard Facts | Humble Savers posted at Humble Savers, saying, “How is it that financial adviser fees can easily be $350,000 on a your $200,000 investment portfolio?”

Alex Leigh presents 10 Ways to Save Money during Christmas 2011 posted at The GLC Money Saving Blog, saying, “Christmas is coming up and with so much spending it’s a great time to plan financially and save some money.”

Cash Flow Mantra presents Paid Off a Business Credit Card posted at Cash Flow Mantra, saying, “In the near future, I will be considering my overall goals for 2012 some of which will include financial goals for my LLC. As I sit down and reflect on this past year, I am encouraged by the progress I have made and will be looking forward to even more in the year ahead. Having a sense of what is possible will make it easier to sit down and work out those goals.”

Beck presents Do Your Children Understand the Value of Money? posted at Money Mum, saying, Your child might be in nappies now, but even at an early age, you can teach positive financial behaviour.”

Dan presents Why You Shouldn’t Do What You Love for a Career posted at Sweating the Big Stuff, saying, “Making money is great, but doing what you love for a living can be dangerous. Here’s why!”

Jason presents Little Monster Late Fees posted at Live Real, Now, saying, “Last week, I paid a late fee to daycare. I neverpay daycare late. Except last week. She finally got paid on Thursday. Over the 12 years we’ve had kids there, we’ve paid late maybe 5 times. I hate late fees. What’s the fix?”

FMF presents The Complete Guide To Building Wealth In Two Sentences posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “The truth behind wealth building is public domain knowledge, simple to understand, and nobody is going to get rich selling it you. In fact, it is so simple it can be explained in just two sentences.”

Larry Russell presents Identity theft protection posted at Personal Investment Management and 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.”

SB presents 5 Steps to Fix Financial Failures posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “If you are in a financial mess, there are ways to come out of that. Here is the list of 5 steps to take to overcome financial failure. Admit fault, seek help, Manage debt, adjust spending and increase earning”

Aloysa presents Battling Shopping Addiction: Self-Assessment posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “Discover how I am going to fight the battle against shopping addiction. I’ve struggled with this problems and here is my personal story.”

Frank Knight presents Portfolio Asset Allocation posted at Retirement Planning Software, saying, “When you are already there and invested in an asset class, you are following a passive asset allocation strategy. Tactical asset allocation strategy advocates suggest that you can anticipate the crowd, but flow-of-funds studies show that almost all tactical asset allocation fund flows are late money flows that chase performance after valuations have already moved.”

Kevin presents Thousandaire Countdown #4 The Adult Baby Song posted at Thousandaire, saying, “The number four song on the Thousandaire Countdown is the Adult Baby song. It talks about an adult baby and why taxpayers shouldn’t fund his lifestyle”

Financing a Home

Justin presents Mortgages – Interest Only or Repayment posted at Money Is the Root, saying, “Getting a mortgage is probably the most important financial product you will ever get – it’s certainly likely to be the most valuable – so it’s important that you get the right one for your circumstances. In the post-economic crash world, some people are finding it harder to find the right deal, even though there remain many good deals around.”

D.J. presents Why First Time Home Buyers Should Use a Mortgage Broker posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “One of the options that every first time homebuyer should look at is a mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers have a number of advantages over traditional loan companies.”

Financing Education

Super Saver presents Morningstar’s Top 529 College Saving Plans posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “I was pleased to confirm that our choice was among top plans based on investment options and low expenses.”

Corey presents Graduation from College and Its Financial Challenges posted at 20s Finances, saying, “Graduation from college marks a pivotal point in young adults’ lives. It forces them to deal with many financial challenges at one point.”

Marie presents PLUS Loans: An Explanation posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “If you want your child to graduate without having to worry about debt, a PLUS Loan is a great way to get the money he needs.”

Income

Investor Junkie presents Starting a Business: Monetize What You Know posted at Investor Junkie, saying, “Starting a side hustle is a dream for many. However, it’s easier to start a business based on something you know. You don’t always need specific knowledge to be successful with a business, but it can smooth the way. If you are expert in an area, there are ways to build a business around what you know.”

Miranda @ Financial Highway presents 4 Creative Business Ideas posted at Financial Highway, saying, “Do you want to start your own business and make a little extra money? It can seem daunting at first, since there are so many others out there trying to get something started. Here are 4 creative business ideas that can help you get started.”

Mike @ Green Panda presents Get a Job in Your Field After Graduation posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “How to find work right away and start investing.”

Investing

Dividend Growth Investor presents How to Build a Retirement Dividend Portfolio with only $1000/month posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, “If a dividend investor saves $1000/month and is able to allocate them to dividend growth stocks which yield 3% at the time and grow distributions at 7% per year. After 21 years this investor will be able to generate over $20,000 in annual dividend income based off the $240,000 investment.”

Dividends4Life presents 10 High-Yield Stocks With A Low Price To Book posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “When looking for value-priced stocks, the Price-To-Book (P/B) ratio is one that I like to focus on. P/B is calculated as share price divided by book value per share. Book value is most often calculated as Assets less Liabilities.”

Mike Piper presents What are Muni Bonds? And Should I Own Any? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “Municipal bonds offer interest that’s free from federal income tax. But are they a good fit for *you*?”

Darwin presents Surprise! Here’s how the ROI on Your Real Estate Investment Can Crumble AFTER You Buy It posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “Just when you thought you’d heard every story about a real estate investment gone wrong, here’s an entirely new genre to sink your teeth into. See what happened to this ROI right after closing!”

Frank Bertin presents Best Index Funds posted at Top Index Funds, saying, “Top ten no load index funds that track the Standard and Poors 500 composite index in terms of lowest costs.”

MR presents Having Stock Dividends Pay Money For Allowance posted at Money Reasons, saying, “Why not establish a passive income stream via dividend stocks now? This will take the mystery about of such a concept and make it more real.”

Janet Russell presents Professional fund manager performance posted at Personal Investment Management, saying, “If investment mutual fund managers were truly skilled at beating the market, then you would expect mutual fund manager performance prowess to persist over time. 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.”

Marc Ryan presents Investing in wine- if the price goes up, it must be an investment posted at IndependentInvestor.info, saying, “Since the Dow Jones hit 10, 000 on March 30, 1999 traditional investing has been challenging, to say the least. Stock markets have been volatile, and overall have been disappointing. Over the same period gold and many other commodity markets have been booming. Wine has been no exception, with the media widely reporting rapid price increases. Many wine drinkers/investors ask themselves if they should add wine to their investment portfolio. In this first commentary in a 5 part series on wine investing we look at two recent published research reports on wine which have received much media attention.”

Mirelle Rowden presents Fixed Income Mutual Funds posted at Best Bond Mutual Funds, saying, “Vanguard dominates this low cost United States bond mutual funds marketplace for direct purchase accounts with both low and high minimum deposits.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Barb Friedberg presents Where to Get a Loan; Help, I?m Really Struggling posted at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance, saying, “Once in awhile, you may need a loan to help you through a rough patch; consolodate credit card debt or pay off medical bills. Learn about peer to peer lending and borrowing not from a bank, but from other ordinary folks.”

Chelsea Prescotti presents How to Dispute a Credit Report | CreditScore.net posted at CreditScore.net, saying, “Simply put, your credit report is a record of all of your financial activities that involve the use of credit, such as with loans or credit cards. It lists any remaining balances you may have on your accounts and also documents whether you have been reported due to unpaid bills. While your credit report is supposed to be a good representation of your credit history, according to the most recent statistics available, about 70% of all credit reports contain some sort of error that may hinder consumers from acquiring important loans, credit cards, insurance, mortgages or even a job.”

Luke Lee presents Debt Consolidation – Your 4 Options posted at Debt Consolidation Advice, saying, “Debt consolidation is a general term and refers to the practice of consolidating/combining multiple bills and payments into a single payment. This can be done through debt relief programs, such as debt management and debt settlement, or through taking out a loan to pay off individual debts and then paying back the loan. Here is a simple breakdown of 4 ways you can accomplish debt consolidation.”

Glen Craig presents Get Your Credit Score…For Free posted at Free From Broke, saying, “Your credit score is a crucial number to your finances! Being able to get your credit score for free helps you monitor as well as correct your credit score.”

Miscellaneous

John presents Should You Buy a Pet as a Christmas Gift? posted at Passive Family Income, saying, “Before you consider giving a pet as a Christmas present, think carefully about the responsibility you are also giving the recipient. Consider the following typical expenses:”

The Skilled Investor presents Timing Does Not Work posted at Personal Financial Management, saying, “Always stay invested to earn risk premiums. 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.”

Suba presents Scrooge vs Santa : Gift giving is a huge waste of money! posted at Wealth Informatics, saying, “If there is a division of the Government that wasted $82 billion an year, how would you feel? Every year that is how much we waste with the current state of gift giving. What went wrong and how to fix this?”

Tripp Danner presents No Load Mutual Funds posted at No Load Fund, 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?”

Bob presents How To Find Discounted Gift Cards posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “While some may think that giving gift cards are a little impersonal, I think you can still make someone happy with a practical gift card. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to get a discount on gift cards? You can. Here’s how!”

Charles Chua C K presents Malaysia’s Credit Rating and Ringgit Foreign Exchange Rates posted at All About Living with Life.

Kristine McKinley presents Congress Expected to Extend Payroll Tax Holiday into 2012 posted at Social Security Retirement Income, saying, “Before the end of the year, Congress will be voting on whether the current payroll tax holiday will be extended into 2012 or it will be allowed to expire at the end of 2011. Without an extension, taxes for the average American family would be approximately $1,000 higher next year.”

Fred Lee presents Holiday Spending Plan: 6 Financial Principles for Avoiding December Debt posted at Parenting Squad, saying, “Christmas is almost here, again. Be sure you have a plan to spend your money wisely on others.”

Michael presents The Best Job I Never Took posted at Money Beagle, saying, “Planning the right career choice can sometimes mean saying no.”

Dr. Dean presents Cloned Banks: Why That’s Not A Good Idea! posted at Dr. Dean’s TheMillionaireNurse.com Blog, saying, “Let me tell you a tale that could be the gist of Stephen Kings next Scfy thriller-except it’s NOT! It’s an explanation of new banking regulations that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”

Retirement Planning

FMF presents Five Retirement Surprises posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Although I found a lot of material on planning and preparing for retirement, I didn’t find much on actually being in retirement. To help all of you future retiree’s out there, here are 5 surprises I have found in retirement and some suggestions for you on each.”

Brockton Eaton presents Lifetime Investment Strategies posted at Retirement Investment Strategy, saying, “The investment research literature repeatedly demonstrates that a fully diversified, low cost investment strategy is superior.”

Philip presents Stop 401k Contributions to Pay for Private School? posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “I recently received this question from a reader: “Would you ever advise someone to suspend 401K contributions to fund a child’s K-12 education?”

Walter Binkle presents Large Mutual Funds posted at Mutual Funds, saying, “Retirees can save a lot by paying attention to mutual fund expenses. Each of these S & P 500 index funds is among the least costly on the market.”

Lazy Man presents Wht Does Day One of Retirement Look Like? posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “In the past I’ve asked the question: What’s Your Definition of Retirement? I came up with some answers for myself. In some ways, I almost felt that I was retired. I guess I might call it quasi-retired, because it’s not like I wake up each morning and decide whether I’m going to play badminton or whether I’m going to catch a matinee.”

Risk Management and Insurance

101 Centavos presents A Brief History of Insurance posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “The need to protect ourselves against risks is one of the oldest and insurance is the perfect way to do so, learn more here!”

Risk Management and Insurance

Tyler presents Low Cost Auto Insurance: 6 Do’s and Don’ts to Save on Auto Insurance posted at Auto Insurance Companies

Paul Vachon presents Gap Insurance ? What is it? and Do I Need it? posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “When you purchase a new vehicle the minute you drive it off the lot the value of the vehicle depreciates, up to 30% depending on the make and model. If you purchase a vehicle and finance it with less than 20% down you just might be upside down the minute you drive your new vehicle off the lot. Gap insurance covers this negative equity.”

Rachel Cleary presents Fact or Fiction: Do I Really Need Life Insurance? | TermLifeInsurance .org posted at Term Life Insurance, saying, “This article is about the need for life insurance. It effects the family or loved ones after we’re gone.”

Sam Puri presents El Paso cop discovers firsthand what a federal DWI posted at CarInsuranceQuotes.com blog, saying, “If you’re busted for DWI in a national park, according to Ardoin, you can be hit with a Class B misdemeanor. Maximum punishment: six months in federal prison, a $5,000 fine and five years of probation.”

Savings

Miss T. presents Home Improvements that Pay You Back posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “For those of you less green and money conscious folks, I can tell you that being green also saves you money. Eco- friendly methods are proven to be cost efficient. Today I wanted to share with you how you can be green in your home and at the same time make money. Here is how:”

John presents Your Holiday Guide to Gift Cards posted at Wallet Blog, saying, “On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…eight things to know about gift cards this holiday season. Sure, you might have been expecting some milk maids or something, but with gift cards firmly entrenched as the most popular type of holiday present and the U.S. agriculture industry not what it once was, you might find this more useful.”

Bradson Oakley presents Bond Index Funds posted at Best Bond Funds, saying, “Higher bond fund expenses tend to mean lower net returns to individual investors. It is not worth paying higher bond fund fees.”

Miss T. presents Energy Efficient Could Be Worse for the Environment posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “Ultimately, energy-saving appliances aren’t the cure-all to environmental problems. New technology doesn’t save the planet; we do. Increasing the longevity of household appliances will protect both your budget and the environment. Live above the “go green” hype, and refuse to buy anything new until you have to.”

Marissa presents Free personal finance software review posted at Thirtysixmonths, saying, “A review of two of the best free personal finance softwares out there, Mint and Wave accounting, that can be used both for business and personal.”

Ciana Locke presents Index Funds posted at Best Index Mutual Funds, saying, “The dominant issue in choosing among passively managed index mutual funds and ETF funds benchmarked against the S & P 500 is that securities industry management and trading fees are all over the map from reasonably low to shockingly high.”

YFS presents Lessons from Frugal Billionaires posted at YourFinancesSimplified, saying, “YFS provides insight on lessons you can learn from famous frugal billionaires.

Jason P. presents How to Teach Teens to Save Money posted at Comments for Childrens Savings Accounts HQ, saying, “Help ensure that you’re teenager turns into a financially responsible adult.”

Charles Chua C K presents Wisely Selecting a Savings Account posted at All About Living with Life.

Taxes

Super Saver presents Higher Tax Advocates’ Hypocrisy posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “If I were an advocate of higher taxes, I would gladly pay higher taxes. However, that is not the case for these two well known higher tax advocates.”

Darren Marks presents Free Tax Advice by Phone… From a Software Company? posted at Consumer-Rankings, saying, “Introducing a great new free service just in time for Tax season. TurboTax is now offering free tax advice by phone from professional accountants and tax preparers in the hopes of getting some of those using this service to convert into customers.”

Finley Merriwether presents Retirement Planning Worksheet posted at Retirement Plan Calculator, saying, “Tax-advantaged retirement savings plans give you the opportunity to make investments with deferred taxes in 401k, 403b, 457, Keogh, Simple, or other employer sponsored retirement plans.”

Jim presents What Tax Bracket Am I In? posted at Bargaineering, saying, “If you were ever curious what tax bracket you were in, this post is for you. Knowing this is crucial if you want to properly plan your finances.”

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

Tags: money managing personal debt

Carnival of Financial Planning – Thanksgiving Day Edition

The Skilled Investor — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:40:13 +0000

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

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #212 – November 25, 2011

Welcome to the November 25, 2011 Edition #212 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

DJ presents Ten Tips For Teaching Kids about Money posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “Here are ten ways you may want to try to teach your kids about money.”

Lisa presents Financial Independence: Your Personal Finance Goal | posted at Thriftability, saying, “If you’ve been considering how your family will ever become financially independent, this process may indeed begin with the budget. Budgeting, and your financial goals are a very powerful part of living responsibly, and providing your self and your family with a comfortable way of life.”

Paul Vachon presents Finance for Dummies – CPI posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “The Consumer Price Index is a measure of the average change in the price of a basket of consumer goods and services. 1982-1984 is used as the base and equals 100. There are different versions of the CPI, for instance CPI-U includes food and energy”

Justin presents Advantages of Credit Unions posted at Money is the root…of all things GOOD!, saying, “The benefits extended by a credit union are simply untouchable by banks because they aim to serve their members, rather than return profits to shareholders. Simple math tells us that reinvesting your profits into the business will yield more financial advantages for the account holders.”

Jason P. presents Envelope System: Budgeting Best Practices posted at One Money Design, saying, “Closer look at envelope system and when it works best and when it might be more challenging to use.”

Eric J. Nisall presents How Can Consumer Confidence Surveys Be Taken As Seriously As They Are? posted at DollarVersity, saying, “One of the biggest economic indicators is controlled by surveying random people. The question is, do these people even have an understanding of the economy?”

Lazy Man and Money presents Palmer’s Planners: Finances Made Simple posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “Palmer’s Planners is a set of financial planners covering topics such as general money planning, getting out of debt, and preparing for a baby. I had a chance to look at a few, and here are couple of thoughts on a few of the products:”

Jonathan presents Keeping Warm on a Budget posted at Money Mum, saying, “If you live in a place where the weather gets chilly, you know that keeping warm can be a challenge if you’re trying to stick with a budget. There are plenty of easy, inexpensive ways to fend off the cold and save money, so consider some of these ideas the next time you need to warm up:”

Rogan Seager presents Retirement Savings Calculator posted at Retirement Savings Calculator, saying, “Valuable future investment portfolio assets and future investment returns slip through many people’s fingers at the checkout stand every day, because they spend beyond their long-term means.”

N.W. Journey presents Budget, Budget Who’s Got the Budget? posted at Networth Journey, saying, “A budget may benefit you and take you to a place of financial security you never imagined”

Aloysa presents Why I Don’t Want To Die In Wal-Mart posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “Find out how a shopping addict can forego an abundance of stuff enhanced by early opening hours and seemingly great discounts.”

Kay Lynn presents Do You Have a Plan for Charitable Giving? posted at Bucksome Boomer, saying, “o get me through the holiday season without going broke or guilty, every year my husband and I sit and make a charitable plan. We decide which charities will get our money that year and we stick with it. Here are the factors we consider:”

Estate Planning

Echo presents 11 Steps To Financial Freedom: Create Or Update Your Will posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “Every adult who owns assets and has a spouse or children should have a will. An accurate and up-to-date will is the only way to ensure your assets will be distributed the way you want them to be.”

Financial Planning

Jon Elder presents 10 Steps I?m Taking to Become a Millionaire posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, “Let’s dig in, here are ten specific decisions I’ve made or plan on making to become a millionaire and retire early:”

Ramsay presents What to look for when hiring a financial advisor posted at Wealth Management, saying, “When looking for a financial advisor to work with, be sure they are an independent. Independent advisors have the flexibility to offer their clients the things they need.”

SteveR presents Top Ten IPhone Apps to Manage Your Money posted at Debt Consolidation, saying, “There different types of financial apps to suit your needs and best of all, many of them are free.”

Corey presents My Financial Goals posted at 20′s Finances, saying, “Creating financial goals help ensure that you are saving.”

Hank presents 7 Ways Not To Go Into Debt This Christmas posted at Money Q&A, saying, “Things are rough this year for many families across the country, but that doesn’t mean that you should add to your debt to make up for it this holiday season.”

Miss T. presents How Are Billionaires Different than Millionaires posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “What are the differences between a millionaire and a billionaire? Here is what I found – based on interviews with mega millionaires and billionaires by Forbes and The Business Insiders take on Robert Jorden’s book “How They Did It”.”

Marjorie presents 8 Things to Know About Gift Cards this Holiday Season posted at CardHub.com, saying, “There are a few things you can count on every year during the holidays: time off from school; an overweight, bearded out-of-towner breaking into numerous houses in the neighborhood via chimney; eating a bit too much; and, of course, gift cards. Unfortunately, for most of us the holidays are also about penny pinching and making our funds go as far as possible, so understanding the gift card market and finding ways to save are therefore imperative.”

Jon the Saver presents Money Tips from 49 Personal Finance Bloggers posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, “In my quest for knowledge, I contacted 49 of the top finance blogs on the web and asked one simple question: What is your #1 personal finance tip?”

Kevin presents 7 Wealth Building Strategies posted at Invest It Wisely, saying, “In my last post in this series, I introduced “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Samuel Clason and talked about how to get started on the path to wealth. Today, I’m going to continue my book review and discuss seven wealth building strategies to help you pad your wallet and build your wealth.”

D.J. presents Talking to Your Family about Your Finances posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “Your children will remember what they learn when they come alongside their parents to help with the finances. After all, how your family manages its money affects every family member.”

Larry Russell presents Identity theft protection and prevention posted at Personal Investment Management and 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.”

Dough Roller presents Get A Totally Free Credit Score from Credit Sesame posted at Dough Roller, saying, “Checking your credit score can save you thousands of dollars in interest payments before applying for a big line of credit. Know it, fix it, then go after credit.”

Michael presents No Job is Truly Secure posted at Begging To Retire, saying, “I just lost a job I had no idea I could or would lose. Needless to say, my financial future took a big hit but I did have a back-up plan.”

Frank Knight presents Investment Asset Allocation posted at Retirement Planning Software, saying, “When you are already there and invested in an asset class, you are following a passive asset allocation strategy. Tactical asset allocation strategy advocates suggest that you can anticipate the crowd, but flow-of-funds studies show that almost all tactical asset allocation fund flows are late money flows that chase performance after valuations have already moved.”

Glen Craig presents The Three Best Financial Moves You Can Make for Your Child posted at Free From Broke, saying, “You have the power to start your children off on a road to financial freedom. See the three best financial moves you can make for your child.”

SB presents Personal Finance, the basic principle posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “We read articles on saving money, investing, frugal living everyday. These are important, no doubt, but it’s also important to remind our self on the basic pillars of personal finance. What it is and what it constitute? Explained the 6 different aspects of personal finance.”

Financing a Home

BIFS presents Persistence is the Key to Everything Money | Budgeting In the Fun Stuff posted at Budgeting In the Fun Stuff, saying, “The key part to this post is – be persistent when it comes to your money. Be stubborn. Be politely aggressive. Because no one cares about your finances more than you do. It’s a lesson I’ve learned a hundred times, but it is worth repeating.”

Kevin McKee presents The Hidden Costs of Buying a House posted at Thousandaire, saying, “Every now and then, I look at houses for sale and think about buying one. When comparing figures it looks like a better rate than my current rent, but you have to consider the hidden costs.”

Financing Education

YFS presents How to Save For A Child’s Higher Education posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “YFS provides some tips for saving for a child’s higher education that could effectively leave you with some breathing room when enrollment time finally comes!”

Lina Zussino presents Canada Education Savings Grant and your child’s education posted at Baby on a Budget, saying, “Education is high on my list of priority to provide for my child, the question is how am I going to start planning or how much should I be planning for? Some parents may suggest that their child pays for their own education, which will teach them more about money”

Income

Gerry Sandis presents Don’t Give Your Resume a Christmas Break posted at Resume Mag, saying, “Whether employed and looking to make a change in your career, or unemployed and looking for a job, the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is probably one of the most opportune times to look for a job, for many different reasons.”

Beating Broke presents I Quit My Job: Recovering posted at Beating Broke, saying, “Im recovering. From the high of quitting my job. From the flu. From stressing entirely too much over money. From a lot of things. Such a major life change is bound to require some recovery period, and I am confident that I’ll come out the other side.”

Darwin presents 6 Shocking Reasons Companies Announce HUGE Layoffs Years in Advance posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “Have you ever wondered by companies make HUGE layoff announcements years in advance? Here are the 6 shocking reasons why.”

Mr. Money Smarts presents Looking For A Job? Don’t Forget The Tax Deductions! posted at Smart On Money, saying, “If you’ve spent some time and effort — and money — on your job search this year, you might be eligible for a few tax breaks. Indeed, many of the expenses that you are likely to incur during a job search are tax-deductible.”

The Financial Blogger presents Niche Site Duel Challenge posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “How I’m increasing my income through niche sites.”

Darwin presents Income Disparity is Actually Good. Here’s Why posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “With all the outrage from the Occupy movement, you’d think income disparity is a bad thing. Well, it’s not and here are the reasons why.”

Investing

DGB presents The Ultimate Bulletproof Investing Technique When The Market Goes Bust posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “How you can protect your money and investments.”

Intelligent Speculator presents Dividend Investing Vs. Annuities Part 3 – Mentality Shift posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “The discussion of both investment options continues.”

Madison presents Cost Basis Reporting: Preparing for 2012 posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “Let’s take a look at what is going on with cost basis reporting, what the brokers have to do, and most importantly what we have to do to prepare for 2012.”

Frank Bertin presents Index Funds posted at Top Index Funds, saying, “Top ten no load index funds that track the Standard and Poors 500 composite index in terms of lowest costs.”

YFS presents What Is Asset Allocation and Why Is It Important? posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “YFS provides details as to why asset allocation is important. He also gives a brief overview of some common investment choices.”

Janet Russell presents The illusion of superior professional mutual fund manager performance posted at Personal Investment Management, saying, “If investment mutual fund managers were truly skilled at beating the market, then you would expect mutual fund manager performance prowess to persist over time. 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.”

Mirelle Rowden presents Fixed Income Funds posted at Best Bond Mutual Funds, saying, “Vanguard dominates this low cost United States bond mutual funds marketplace for direct purchase accounts with both low and high minimum deposits.”

Dividends4Life presents 17 Stocks Building Wealth Through Higher Dividends posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “Some traditionalist would say your home is your greatest wealth building asset. I would argue it is not. Others would say your income is your greatest wealth building asset. Thought there is a lot of truth to the statement, it is still not your greatest wealth building asset. So, what is your greatest wealth building asset? Everyone is born with it.”

Managing Credit and Debt

Investor Junkie presents Could Your Business Handle Another Recession? posted at Investor Junkie, saying, “It doesn’t hurt to be ready for the next economic setback. It’s always a good idea to shore up your business finances, and be prepared for whatever might come your way. So, as you try to avoid falling into panic, here are some things to consider:”

J.R. Weber presents Chase Freedom Rewards Cards: Freedom $200 Cash Back Vs. Freedom $100 posted at Smart Balance Transfers, saying, “Consumers comparing rewards cards who also have credit card debt are wise to look past headline bonus offers and find a card that offers rewards and value.”

Marie presents Spent Too Much Over the Holidays? Ways to Earn Extra Cash posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “After the holidays, we’re often left with a debt hangover that’s hard to shake. We might even find ourselves struggling just to make the minimum payments on our debt, never mind paying extra to eliminate it faster. The best thing we can do is try to find ways to earn extra money to put toward those debts so we can put them behind us. Here are some ways to accomplish that.”

Tim @ Faith and Finance presents 4 Money Myths – Tips Against Breaking the Bank posted at Faith and Finance, saying, “Before you start shopping around, spending your entire grocery budget on great bargains, or buying paint and wallpaper from the clearance aisle to ‘Do It Yourself’, discover why these 4 money myths should be debunked once and for all.”

Justin presents What Is the Difference Between Good Debt and Bad Debt? posted at Money Is the Root, saying, “Most people assume that any type of debt is bad and that the ultimate goal should be to have no debt at all. However, not all debt is bad. As a matter of fact, there are many types of debt that are excellent for your credit and financial well-being.”

Jim presents Average Credit Score by Age` posted at Free By 50, saying, “The CreditKarma site has data they compiled on average credit score trends versus age groups. Here are the numbers.”

Money Cone presents A Curious Thing Happened to My Credit Score When I Took on Some Debt posted at Money Cone, saying, “After taking out a mortgage, I discovered me with the burden of debt is more creditworthy, than my former debt-free self! I don’t care how many PhDs Fair Isaac has, if something eludes common sense, it is just plain wrong. ”

Charles Chua C K presents Can You Choose Wisely Between Savings and Debt Settlement? posted at All About Living with Life.

Miscellaneous

Craig Ford presents How to Develop Healthy Financial Communication and Financial Oneness in Marriage posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “5 powerful tips for helping improve your marriage and money.”

Jeri Ford presents The Almost Irresistable Appeal of Amtrak Redemption Options posted at Help Me Travel Cheap, saying, “Discover the cheapest way to take a family train trip on Amtrak.”

101 Centavos presents Career Tip #14 – Right Vs. Wrong posted at 101 Centavos, saying, “I asked this question once of an interview candidate: “When is there a right time to do the wrong thing?” Find out what the ideal answer is and why it doesn’t always apply.”

DanielPacker presents Are Half Day Fridays the Best Perk Ever? posted at Sweating The Big Stuff, saying, “Find out the many benefits of having a half day off every Friday. Do any other perks compare to it?”

Jason presents Rebates Suck posted at Live Real, Now, saying, “Eventually, I found a great deal. I got a much bigger/faster/smarter/nicer laptop for about $375 with tax. There was a sale, a coupon, and a rebate all in play to make that happen. I don’t mind coupons and sales. In fact, I am a fan. Rebates, however, irritate me.”

Lazy Man presents How HP Can Still Succeed with webOS/TouchPad posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “At the end of August, HP announced they were discontinuing the production of their TouchPad. This lead me to write an article on how, in hindsight, HP could have succeeded With the TouchPad. Note the past tense on that article. So why am I writing this article today? Ten days ago HP CEO Meg Whitman met with their webOS division of the company.”

The Skilled Investor presents Market Timing Does Not Work posted at Personal Financial Management, saying, “Always stay invested to earn risk premiums. 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.”

Kyle Taylor presents 7 (More) Weird Things in Your Trash Worth Cash posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, “In February 2011 we published our original list of “7 Wacky Things in Your Trash Worth Cash.” We thought it was high time we gave the list an update. Here are 7 things we missed the first time…”

Tripp Danner presents No Load Funds posted at No Load Fund, 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?”

Ashley presents What People Are Searching For posted at Money Talks Coaching, saying, “Let’s take a look at what the world was looking for when they came across my site.”

MaryLou Walston presents I Just Filed Bankruptcy, Now What? | PersonalLoans.org posted at Personal Loans, saying, “Bankruptcy can be a helpless time in a consumer’s life. The stigma attached to bankruptcy is that you lose everything and cannot get credit for 10 or more years. The truth about bankruptcy is a little more consumer-friendly but still pretty intimidating.”

Bill Smith presents Casino Bankruptcies in Sin City posted at FastSwings, saying, “If you’re a Sin City enthusiast like myself, a tiny glimpse into the scandals that ensue behind closed doors on the city strip offer a world of intrigue and entertainment.”

Retirement Planning

Steve R presents What is a Spousal IRA? posted at 2011 Taxes, saying, “Congress created Spousal IRAs so that housewives and househusbands can have an individual retirement account of their own.”

Sunil presents Saving for Retirement IS Rocket Science. Don’t Let Financial Experts Fool You! posted at The Extra Money Blog, saying, “Every “financial expert” has some idea, usually a fixed percentage of your income, of how much YOU should be saving for retirement. Fact of the matter is – only YOU can answer how much YOU should be saving for retirement.”

Super Saver presents My Retirement Transitions posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Here are three retirement transtions I have experienced since taking early retirement in 2007.”

Brockton Eaton presents Long Term Investment Strategies posted at Retirement Investment Strategy, saying, “The investment research literature repeatedly demonstrates that a fully diversified, low cost investment strategy is superior.”

Evan presents Increasing My 401k Contributions to Avoid Leaving Money on the Table posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “I just realized that the whole number I used to calculate my 401k match was chosen almost 3 years ago! or put differently 2 raises ago…which leads me to the two points of this post…I have been leaving “free” money on the table!”

Walter Binkle presents Large Cap Mutual Funds posted at Mutual Funds, saying, “Retirees can save a lot by paying attention to mutual fund expenses. Each of these S & P 500 index funds is among the least costly on the market.”

Martha Stewart presents 15 Incredible Businessmen Who Refused to Retire posted at onlinemba.com, saying, “For many who reach the top echelons of business, retirement is a time to enjoy the spoils of a life well lived and years of hard work and perseverance. Others, however, take a different approach.”

Risk Management and Insurance

Jonathan presents Frugal Private Health Insurance Comparison posted at Frugal Living, saying, “To make sure that you’re more extensively covered, you might consider buying private health insurance as an investment in your health – viewed this way, rather than as a luxury, it may find a space in your budget after all.”

Super Saver presents Thinking About Earthquake Insurance posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “With the recent earthquakes in Virginia and Oklahoma, I’ve been considering insuring against this risk.”

Money Beagle presents Insurance Can Be Complicated, But Only If You Let It Be posted at Money Beagle, saying, “Don’t get overwhelmed by insurance choices. Look at all of your options and weigh them against your costs to determine what is right for you and your family.”

Savings

Jason P. presents What is a 529 Plan? posted at Childrens Savings Accounts HQ, saying, “Choosing a 529 plan is the smart way to go when investing in your child’s education savings plan.”

Bradson Oakley presents Bond Mutual Funds posted at Best Bond Funds, saying, “Higher bond fund expenses tend to mean lower net returns to individual investors. It is not worth paying higher bond fund fees.”

FMF presents The Different Types of Permanent Life Insurance Policies posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Here I outline the basic information for the most common forms of permanent life insurance and help you determine which category of permanent life insurance may be best for you.”

Control Your Cash presents What Coverage Should You Get When Renting a Car? posted at Control Your Cash, saying, “When you buy insurance on your personal vehicle, you have all the time you need to shop around and run numbers. When you buy insurance on a rental, you’re subject to a monopoly.”

FMF presents Finding the Life Insurance That Is Best for You posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “As you’d expect, each type of life insurance has a wide set of variations and options. So which is right for you? That’s what this post is about.”

Philip presents 30 Christmas Gifts Ideas Under $25 posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “I’m a big fan of the consumable gifts that don’t add to the endless junk we Americans have, so I’ve included many in this list.”

Matt presents Shopping Around to Save Money posted at Living in Financial Excellence, saying, “The sad reality for shoppers like me is we often pay too much for our purchases. By exercising a little patience and planning ahead, we can save a lot of money through the process of shopping for the best price.”

Ciana Locke presents Market Index Funds posted at Best Index Mutual Funds, saying, “The dominant issue in choosing among passively managed index mutual funds and ETF funds benchmarked against the S & P 500 is that securities industry management and trading fees are all over the map from reasonably low to shockingly high.”

Peter presents Black Friday Shopping Tips: How to Get the Best Deals on the Things on Your List posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “How do you make sure that you’re not one of the people missing out on the Black Friday deals? You need to plan your day with military precision, detailing your battle plan down to the smallest detail.”

Paula presents Dare to Be Boring! How the Simple Stuff Leads to Riches posted at Afford Anything, saying, “We hear about the glamorous, high-profile ways to make millions – invent Google, launch Facebook, become the next Justin Bieber. It commands headlines because it’s glamorous. It’s a riveting story. But for most people, achieving a goal – like winterizing your home – is a matter of the simple acts.”

Cash Flow Mantra presents How to Save Big Money on Black Friday posted at Cash Flow Mantra, saying, “I have gotten to observe my brother-in-law who is real good at shopping and saving money so I would like to share some of my observations on how to save a lot of money on Black Friday and relate them to our everyday personal finances.”

Steve Zussino presents How to Save Money on Your Kid’s Next Birthday Party posted at Grocery Deals in Canada, saying, “If you have kids, then you probably know that birthday parties can end up taking a good chunk out of your wallet. After you buy the decorations, food, presents, a cake you could easily spend $200 or more.”

Aaron Hung presents Change Your Ways with Money Without Struggling posted at Aaron Hung.com, saying, “It isn’t fun when people have to scale back because they need to save money. It makes life much less interesting. Consumers don’t have to make their lives less fun in order to keep more of their money in the bank, and they don’t have to have fewer things in their lives to save money.”

Taxes

Gregory Stokes presents Changes To Tax Credits posted at Tax Credit Calculator, saying, “The rules around tax credits are changing in April 2012. This guide looks at how the change might affect you and your finances.”

SteveR presents Keeping track of your business mileage posted at 2010 Tax, saying, “The guidelines that are in place from the IRS enable workers and business owners to claim for mileage as a business deduction if you are using your vehicle for business purposes.”

SB presents Year end personal finance checklist posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “We know about setting up goals for the year. We never talk about a checklist of things that should be check against before the year comes to an end. This post features the top 10 things to do before your tax year changes. This sure to help many of us getting our finances and taxes in order.”

Finley Merriwether presents Retirement Planning Calculator posted at Retirement Plan Calculator, saying, “Tax-advantaged retirement savings plans give you the opportunity to make investments with deferred taxes in 401k, 403b, 457, Keogh, Simple, or other employer sponsored retirement plans.”

Odysseas presents Switzerland Supports Criminals & Hurts Your Wallet posted at Wallet Blog, saying, “CEconomies around the world are now more interconnected than ever, and if we want the world to become a safer place and for all U.S. citizens to be held accountable for the same tax laws, then Switzerland will need to adjust or risk expulsion from the Western financial network.”

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Tags: money personal retirement planning

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