Welcome to this week’s edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance! My name is Adam and I am your host this week. It was an honor reading everyone’s submissions this week. There were a TON!
For a theme this week, I thought about pictures of cities at night. I’m not sure what it is about these types of pictures, but I absolutely love them. So, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for stopping by!
Editor’s Choice
Jason from Live Real, Now has a great piece on Garage Sale Management. With the garage sale season well underway, following Jason’s plan can net you a lot of extra cash. You can use that extra cash to GET OUT OF DEBT!
Pop Economics has some great new ways to Trick Yourself Into Saving for Retirement. Personally, I love behavior economics. When I learned about it during my master’s degree, I just couldn’t get enough. Check out this great piece!
Flexo from Consumerism Commentary wants to know, Should We Discourage Students From Attending College? When I graduated in December of 2008 and couldn’t find a job, I often wondered if it was a waste of money and time. Looking back, I wouldn’t have changed anything. I learned so much both educationally and socially.
Budgeting
Craig from Free From Broke presents Organic Food Is Not Expensive, and says, “Reports keep coming out suggestion possible links to problems with non-organic foods. Can you afford NOT to eat organic these days?”
Elizabeth from Modern Gal presents What is an Emergency Fund?.
Debt
Kim Snider from Kimmunications presents How to Get Rid of All Bad Debt, and says, “If you follow the guidelines and steps in this article you will have a systematic plan to eliminate your bad debt and get closer to true financial independence.”
Jason from One Money Design presents How Should I Start Paying Off Student Loans, and says, “Many students will graduate with student loan debt this year. Follow these steps to get started paying them off!”
Len from Len Penzo dot Com presents 8 Big Reasons Why You’re Getting an F in Personal Finance 101.
Revanche from A Gai Shan Life presents Lingering Side Effects of Debt.
Frugality
Miss Bankrupt presents Is a Housekeeper Worth the Money?.
Miss T from Prairie Eco-Thrifter presents Dress Well On The Frugal.
Amanda from My Dollar Plan presents 10 Budget Wedding Ideas From a Satisfied Bride, and says, “This is a great article for anyone planning a wedding on a budget!”
Endless Gibberish presents How I (and You) Can Use Fandango to Save Money on Movie Tickets, and says, “I write about how I cut the cost of movie tickets from $68.50 to $36.50 for an outing to watch Shrek 4 in 3d for a savings of $32. I use various methods from 2-for-1 deals, discounted gift cards and using coupons bought off eBay.”
Jim from Wanderlust Journey presents International Restaurant Tipping Guide.
Credit
Ben from Money Smart Life presents Six Credit Card Rewards Tips to Maximize Your Points.
Jim from Bargaineering presents How FICO Credit Scores Work.
RJ Weiss from Gen Y Wealth presents How Important Is Your Credit Score?, and says, “It’s safe to say, understanding how credit, credit cards, and your credit score work, can save you over a hundred thousand dollars over your lifetime.”
J. Money from Budgets Are Sexy presents A Great Reminder to Watch Your Credit Card Statements, and says, “Credit card scams can happen to any of us – be on the look out!”
Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents Can I Lower the Interest Rate on My Credit Card?, and says, “Many credit card holders that have high balances were hoping to be able to lower the rate that they have.”
Tim Chen from NerdWallet presents Durbin Interchange Amendment: Precursor to $132 Annual Fees?, and says, “The new interchange fee, or “swipe fee”, regulation that Congress is proposing may not be all it’s cracked up to be. While merchants will be better off, banks will likely pass off the fees to consumers instead.”
Saving
Big Cajun Man from Canadian Personal Finance presents Registered Disability Savings Plan the Story Continues, and says, “The continuing case study of my attempts to set up a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) in Canada for my son. The program has been in place for over a year, but it still has some “teething pains”.
Not Made of Money presents Save Money On Your Next Water Bill With These Tips.
Career
Darren from MORE than Finances presents Working Overtime – A Blessing Or A Curse?, and says, “What would you do if you were asked to work overtime? How do you decide if working overtime is worth it?”
LeanLifeCoach from Eliminate the Muda presents Money and Loyalty , and says, “To be successful in life maybe we need to take a page from business and build loyal customers.”
Paul from Provident Planning presents How to Start a Corporation in Pennsylvania (and Most Other States, Too), and says, “If you’re looking to start a corporation, this step-by-step guide will show you what you need to do.”
David R. Lampsen from Personal Finance Analyst presents Atheist or Catholic High School Scholarships?.
Taxes
Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents After I Do My Taxes, How Does My Tax Return Get Processed?
Investing
Sun from The Sun’s Financial Diary presents 2010 SmartMoney Broker Survey.
Helen from Science and Money presents Create Your Own Personal Mutual Fund, and says, “With stock transaction fees as low as $2/trade, is it possible to create your own diversified fund?”
2 Cents from Balance Junkie presents Today’s Markets: Not Business as Usual, and says, “This article looks at some of the factors that make today’s markets and financial system different from the past.”
Kristina from Dinks Finance presents 5 Easy Strategies For Smart Investors, and says, “Here are 5 easy tips to help you maximize your investment strategies.”
Clint from Accumulating Money presents Currency Option Trading.
PT from PT Money presents The Best Online Stock Brokers For Cheap Stock Trading, and says, “Begin investing with a low cost brokerage. Don’t pay big trading fees.”
Money Smarts from Smart On Money presents What Type Of Retirement Account Should I Choose? Traditional IRA, Roth IRA And 401k, and says, “Which account type is the best one, which should you choose for your situation?”
FMF from Free Money Finance presents Why I Invest Like I Do, and says, “A successful reader gives his investing philosophy — which is advice I agree with and follow quite closely.”
Mike Piper from The Oblivious Investor presents 401k Rollover Guide, and says, “An attempt to make a comprehensive 401k rollover resource, covering whether you should do it, how to do it, where to do it, etc.”
Russ from Thornton Wealth Management presents When To Buy & When To Sell, and says, “This is a post about the battle between emotions and logic in the quest to make smart investment decisions. This was prompted by a recent voicemail from a client”
D4L from Dividends Value presents Five Dividend Stocks To Buy On A Dip, and says, “Did May 6th frighten or excite you? I received a few emails from frightened dividend investors letting me know they were getting out of the market, while others asked if this was the beginning of another significant downturn. The first group are destined to always lose money in the market (sell low/buy high) and my answer to the second group was, ‘I hope so!’ Let me explain.”
Money Management
MD from Studenomics presents Planning to Start a Business? Read This First.
Panda Mike from Green Panda Treehouse presents Survival Guide to Recession, and says, “This is how each individual should manage a recession; with a survival guide to recession. The best plans don’t have to be complicated.”
Bret from Hope to Prosper presents A Purpose for Wealth, and says, “What if you want to become a millionaire, so you can live the good life? You probably won’t stay rich for very long, because your wealth doesn’t have a purpose, except to be consumed.”
The Financial Blogger presents What is Your Relationship With Money?, and says, “Find out if your relationship with money looks like your relationship with your ex-girlfriend, with your parents or with your dog!”
Finance
Barb Friedberg presents Why I’m Wealthy & My House Is Dusty, and says, “Invest regularly & deliberately to attain wealth. Put time and attention towards what you value; eliminate the unproductive.”
Musings of an Abstract Aucklander presents Mo’ money, mo’ problems?, and says, “If you have the opportunity to make more money for the same amount of work, do it.”
Kevin from Financially Poor presents Make Your Money Work For You.
Real Estate
Jake from Not Rich Yet presents The math behind buying a rental property, and says, “This shows some interesting math behind buying rental properties. Most people find the concept of cash flow positive attractive but have no idea what return on investment they actually get. This article attempts to remedy that.”
Craig Ford from Money Help For Christians presents How to know if you’re ready to buy a home, and says, “Seven questions every first time home buyer must answer.”
Andy from Saving to Invest presents Another 2010 Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension Unlikely Based on Stronger Housing Data, and says, “Unfortunately it looks like the chances of a further extension to the home buyer tax credit are lessening by the day as stronger housing data and focus on reducing government debt and foreclosures emerges. Bloomberg reports that purchases of new homes in the U.S. surged 27% in March, the most in almost five decades as buyers rushed to qualify for the home buyer tax credit. ”
Other
VH from Funny About Money presents Good Corps, Bad Corps, and says, “Adventures in customer (dis)service.”
Consumer Boomer presents Things to Know About Comparing Life Insurance Policies, and says, “When it comes to comparing all your options for life insurance, it can be just as overwhelming as a Las Vegas buffet.”
Lucia from moneyStrands presents How To Plan A Garage Sale, and says, “A post on how to make some extra cash and de-clutter your home.”
Mr. Credit Card from Ask Mr. Credit Card presents Anatomy of a Scam.
Lance from Leave Debt Behind presents Avoid These Common Money Mistakes.
Ryan Ayres from The Financial Student presents 10 Lies We’re Told About Money, and says, “A list of some common attitudes and beliefs that are rarely, if ever, true.”
mbhunter from Mighty Bargain Hunter presents Review: Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market?, and says, “A review of Mariusz Skonieczny’s new book”
Austin Morgan from Foreigner’s Finances presents How to Pick a Charity, Track Donations and Maximize Giving, and says, “It’s important to donate, but keeping our donations in order can be tricky. This post shows you how to get the most out of your donations without giving yourself a headache. ”
Wealth Pilgrim presents How to Select the Right Roth IRA Beneficiary, and says, “You should pick your Roth IRA beneficiary carefully. Here are a few unusual tips to help you make sure you select the right beneficiaries.”