Canadian Personal Finance Blog

Archive for the ‘Carnivals’ Category

I have the privilege of hosting this week’s version of the Best of Money Carnival . What is this carnival about? I’m glad you asked:

The Best of Money Carnival features the ten best (in the opinion of the carnival host) money-related posts of the past two weeks — giving readers the best of the best in personal finance.

Now this differs from my Random Thoughts posting, because these posts have been sent in and entered for judging by me, so the content is a little different. There were many, many entries and it was hard to get the list down to a “Top 10” format, but I did (and my apologies to those who did  not get chosen, remember there is always next time).

Remember the Quicktax Give-away ends tomorrow night too!

Best of Money Carnival #39 for February 22nd, 2010

There were a lot of great articles posted this week, and it was hard for me to choose a winner and the 9 runner ups, but given I am the “decider” this week, here are the posts:

Entries

These posts were really good, but which one is the best this time?

Clayton presents Free credit report posted at Just Good Financial Advice.
Talks about how you can get Credit Reports (in the states) for free every year, with some info missing, and you know how I loves that free stuff!

Craig Ford presents The Infinite Advantages Of Paying Cash For A New Car posted at Money Help For Christians.
I must admit I do have  a vested interest in this one, because I just did pay cash for my “New to me” car.

Jeff Rose presents Warning Signs You Need to Fire Your Financial Advisor posted at Jeff Rose.
A very good list of points to look for to make sure your Financial Advisor is on the “up and up”, also if your Financial Advisor goes on better vacations than you every year, start wondering about that as well.

GLBL presents Money Saving Mondays: How to know if your loan should be refinanced posted at Gather Little by Little.
OK I am a sucker for any post with a racing car on it, but also some good points about when it might be a good idea to refinance your debt (no, it is not when your bank thinks it would be a good idea).

Jason @ Redeeming Riches presents 6 Ways To Find Free Money posted at Redeeming Riches.
Again, I am a sucker for free things, but this points out areas where you can keep from losing money (which is free money as well).

Wealth Pilgrim presents Why This Boyfriend Doesn?t Need A Valentines Day Gift Idea posted at Wealth Pilgrim: Money Management Advice, Financial Stress Management, & Resources.
The price of the gift is not what matters, it’s the reason for the gift that matters, and that message resonates with me a lot. I still think his girlfriend isn’t going to be very impressed by this, but that is just my opinion.

FIRE Finance presents Annual Fee Introduced for Citi Cash Returns Credit Card posted at FIRE Finance.
I love stories where people simply cancel credit cards or move banks, because the reason they were there changes. A sudden fee change is an excellent reason to change or get rid of a Credit Card!

2 Cents presents Taxes: The Missing Step posted at Balance Junkie.
A good list of things we Canadians should remember during tax time (yes it is Tax time both in Canada and the U.S., who says we don’t share crappy traditions?).

LeanLifeCoach presents Combat The Closing Techniques – The Puppy Dog Close posted at Eliminate The Muda!.
I read this and thought, “… wait a minute, I almost fell for this once as well!”, damn puppies! Another important sales technique to watch for, and be wary of.

The Investor presents Pros and cons of being wealthy posted at Monevator.
So this one has me scratching my head, but it is intriguing, so I include it for your perusal. Any article which says, “It ain’t easy being rich”, is bound to make you stop and think (and possibly cause you to have a violent reaction, which makes it a useful article).

The Winner!

Taxes: The Missing Step

Guess I am a sucker for a set of Canadian Tax tips, during Tax season, thanks to all who participated!

To end this week, I host the Carnival of Financial Planning, which is edited by the Skilled Investor, hope you enjoy these interesting posts.

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

Welcome to the February 12, 2010 Edition #128 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

Happy Valentine’s Day (Big Cajun Man, Host)

Budgeting

Darwin presents How Much Could You Reduce Your Budget if You Get Laid Off? posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “In this economy, it’s important to perform an analysis of how much you could immediately cut from the family budget in the event of a layoff. We could cut over $1,000. How about you?”

Super Saver presents Living on a Cash Basis was a Good Experience posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Living on a cash basis quickly taught me financial responsibility.”

Joe Plemon presents Budgeting Without Bean Counting…5 Great Tips posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Making a budget isn’t the problem; keeping it is. This post gives common sense hints on how to keep a budget for the long term.”

Four Pillars presents The Low Down on Zero Down Payment On A House posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Why it is not essential to have a large down payment for your house.”

SVB presents Money Management Software For The Desktop: YNAB 3 Review posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “We discuss a top notch budgeting tool.”

Estate Planning

Jeff Rose presents Inheriting Retirement Assets: What You Need to Know posted at Jeff Rose.

The Financial Blogger presents Estate Planning: 5 Reasons Why You Should Have A Professional Among Your Liquidators posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “managing an estate is more complicated than simply writing a few checks! Fortunately, for those who can afford it, you can name a professional among your liquidators.”

Financial Planning

FMF presents The Two Financial Measures that Determine the Health of Your Finances (AKA Two Financial Measures to Track Your Finances) posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “The two financial measures you need to grow and track.”

Consumer Boomer presents Roth IRA Withdrawal Rules, Options, and Penalties posted a Consumer Boomer.

Roshawn Watson presents Thoughts on Escaping The Rat Race posted at Watson Inc, saying, “Do you yearn to be free…really free? What would you do if money was not a big limitation? Perhaps the primary reason for increasing your financial literacy is so you may indeed escape the rat race.”

Dividend Tree presents Building
Core Competency for Long Term Survival posted at Dividend Tree, saying, “whether it is running a business or individuals’ investment portfolio, it is important to build a core competency for long term sustainability. In my case, I focus on good quality companies that consistently pay or have potential to pay growing dividends over time.”

Jeff Rose presents Unforeseen Consequences of the Roth IRA Conversion posted at Jeff Rose.

Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Consider Your House And Career When Deciding Your Portfolio Diversification posted at The Canadian Finance Blog,
saying, “You have heard about the importance of a diversified portfolio to reduce the volatility. What many don’t consider is how their house and career could effect the diversification of their investments.”

Susan Saverton presents Investor Asset Allocation posted at Financial Planning Pasadena,
saying, “Set your personal investment asset allocation according to your personal tolerance for investment risk. Allocated percentages to asset classes would tend to slowly change with the years, and thus it is key to
decide correctly from the beginning.”

The Man of the Hour Big Cajun Man presents Personal Finance Resolutions for the New Year? posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Are Financial New Years resolutions a good idea? Yes, but make them achievable, don’t try to boil the ocean, just take small steps!”

Jeff Rose presents How to Choose The Best Financial Advisor/Planner for You posted at Jeff Rose.

Lakita presents How are the New Year Resolutions Coming? posted at Personal Finance Journey, saying, “Many of us start the year with new year resolutions that fall into the finance category. Like most resolutions, they are quickly
forgotten. Are you still in line with your resolutions? What steps are you taking to ensure you’ll meet your goals?”

Jasmine Hall presents 100 Important Personal Finance Posts for Women posted at Accounting Degree.com.

FMF presents Problems with Traditional Financial Planning posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “What’s wrong with much financial planning these days.”

Financing a Home

James Staine presents What is up with the new Good Faith Estimate? posted at Oregon Mortgage Blog, saying, “Visit the Oregon Mortgage Blog to know about the current trends concerning the good faith estimate.”

Roshawn Watson presents Is Bigger Better? Scaling Down The American Dream posted at Watson Inc,
saying, “Today’s post-crash buyers are not willing (nor able in some cases) to extend themselves like before, and the impact on the housing market is substantial.”

Alex Fotopoulos presents When to Refinance a Mortgage? posted at My Trader’s Journal, saying, “Some key points to consider when refinancing your home.”

Super Saver presents Why We Chose a 30 Year Mortgage posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “A 30 year mortgage provided more flexibility in payments than a 15 year mortgage, which benefited us during the financial crisis of 08/09.”

Financing Education

Praveen presents Will
Education Follow the Housing Bust? posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Tips for students to avoid excessive loans and debt”

Mike presents Is Law School Worth The Cost? posted at The Frugal Law Student, saying, “With the soaring cost of law school tuition, does it still make sense to go to law school?”

Health Care

Zach Scheidt presents Wound Care Technology Offers Growing Profits posted at ZachStocks,
saying, “Kinetic Concepts has a unique wound care treatment which is patent protected. With a stable revenue base and increasing global footprint, the company should see its stock price rise rapidly in the coming months.”

Patrick @ Military Money presents Open
Enrollment Window Open for Some posted at Military Finance Network,
saying, “Open enrollment is the only time of the year that many people are able to make changes to their health insurance elections. Make sure you take advantage of this time to select the best health care option for your needs.”

Income

Dividend Tree presents Three
Companies with Sustainable Dividends posted at Dividend Tree,
saying, “Even in soft economic environment, there are companies out there that are continuing to increase dividends for their shareholders. While dividend increase is good, it is more critical to make sure we
understand that companies can sustain their dividends.”

Lisa Taylor presents 100 Best Twitter Feeds to Follow for International Business posted at Online Degree.

Investing

RJ Weiss presents The Dangers of Market Timing posted at Genyweath.com, saying, “This article looks at the dangers of trying to time the market. Is it worth the risk?”

Dividend Growth Investor presents Universal Corporation (UVV) Dividend Stock Analysis posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, “Overall Universal Corporation does appear to be attractively valued, trading at a P/E of 9, yielding 3.90% and having an adequately covered dividend. The main problem for the company is the slow earnings
growth, and concentration in the tobacco industry, which comes with its own inherent risks.”

Intelligent Speculator presents New leveraged ETF’s to suffer from less erosion? posted at Intelligent Speculator,
saying, “volatility can have an important impact on the return of the ETF and as time goes by, the return will not be correlated as much with the underlying index it is intended to track.”

Jeff Rose presents How Much Does it Take to Open/Start a Roth IRA? posted at Jeff Rose.

ABC presents What Are Money Market Mutual Funds posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A brief explanation of money market mutual funds.”

GLBL presents Investing Baby Steps #1: Know Who You Are posted at Gather Little By Little,
saying, “So the very first step before starting to invest is to determine your investor profile. I would suggest you meet a financial advisor so he can help you understand the questions and provide additional information regarding the market.”

Zach Scheidt presents Salesforce.com Shocks Market With Debt Offering posted at ZachStocks,
saying, “Salesforce.com (CRM) is issuing $500 million dollars in convertible notes. The dilution to shareholders could drive the stock down and with CRM’s lofty multiple, the risk looks to be very high.”

Alan Johnson presents Market Timing Manipulation posted at The Reasoned Investor.

jim presents The S&P500 Dividend Aristocrats posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

The Skilled Investor presents Best Investment Strategy posted at Personal Finance Investments,
saying, “Investment costs which are clearly measured, like fees deducted on your monthly investment
statement. Most investors are no aware of opportunity costs that arise from sub-optimal investing practices. Opportunity costs like these are much greater than more costs and  investment fees that show up on their
statements.”

Alex Fotopoulos presents Gold Chart (GLD) ? More Room to Fall posted at Chart Analysis, saying, “Alex posted a chart of the Gold ETF, GLD, this week and shows how much farther it could fall before finding support.”

Zach Scheidt presents 2010 ZachStocks Recommendations posted at ZachStocks, saying, “2010 should offer investors both opportunity and risk. Here are four investments which should generate healthy gains in the coming
year.”

Tushar Mathur
presents Can’t Control the Markets? Try controlling the Costs posted at Everything Finance, saying, “As 2008 proved, the financial markets are prone to unpredictable periods of turbulence. That can make investing feel a bit
like a roller-coaster ride. The disappointing results that many mutual funds posted in 2008 and at the outset of 2009 may have left you feeling concerned over your financial future. You’re not alone.”

Praveen presents Just Bought Hyatt Hotels (H) posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “About Hyatt’s recent IPO and why its a good stock.

Larry Russell presents  No Load Stock Funds posted at Best No Load Mutual Funds, saying, “Don’t bother to frantically move your assets from one mutual fund to another or from one ETF to another. Investment research has
repeatedly showing academic studies that performance chasing is a bad strategy the most ofter will yield inferior returns.”

Jules Wells presents Simple Personal Investments posted at Personal Finance Software,
saying, “Investing often seems almost unfathomly complex, however your best investment strategy will tend to be a simple and straightforward investing strategy.”

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Zecco Review: Want Free Online Trading? posted at The Digerati Life,

Intelligent Speculator presents Yahoo (YHOO)…the next AOL(AOL)? posted at Intelligent Speculator,
saying, “Then, think of Yahoo Finance, which used to be the ultimate financial resource. It was a great property to generate advertising revenues and seemed far ahead of any competitors. But look at the website from a few years ago and you will hardly notice any improvements in today’s version.”

Sun presents Fidelity Reduces Trading Commission and Offers Commission-Free iShare ETFs posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

Hoven Keith presents Ultimate Guide To Biotech ETFs posted at ETFdb, saying, “ETF investors looking to gain exposure to the biotech sector have a number of options to consider–five to be exact. While there are
some similarities between these funds, there are also some significant differences that result in unique risk and return profiles and diverging returns. In this article, we profile each of the ETF options, highlighting the pros and cons of each.”

MoneyEnergy presents What Are Stock Certificates Still Good For? posted at MoneyEnergy,
saying, “Stock certificates are definitely on the way out, but there are still a few important cases in which you’ll need and/or want to have them.”

Super Saver presents Schwab ETFs – Commission Free for Schwab Clients posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “It’s now cost effective to purchase as little as one share, since there is no commission charge.”

Mike Piper presents What Can Past Performance Tell Us? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “A look at what we can–and can’t–learn from looking at a fund’s past performance.”

Tomas Escent presents Automated Ivestment Trading posted at Nerds on Wall Street,
saying, “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Wired Markets. In this funny financial book, there are no robots parking your
car millions of times, however, right now in milliseconds robots trade millions of shares.”

Frank Vertin presents Stock Index Funds posted at S&P 500 Funds,
saying, “When you buy an S & P 500 index mutual fund through a broker or investment advisor you can increase substantially your purchasing costs, while you drive up your recurring annual expenses through asset management and other fees. Financial advisors most often will not recommend to buy index mutual funds with very low fees.No
load, low cost index mutual funds don’t pay financial brokers and advisors nearly as well as front loaded, high fee, active mutual funds.”

Dividends4Life presents 16 Dividend Stocks Aspiring To Be A Champion posted at Dividends Value,
saying, “There are winners and there are champions in every walk of life. The difference is subtle, but very real. A champion is driven for success and will not let anything stand in its way. Some dividend stocks can be classified as champions.”

Mike Piper presents Index Funds vs. Active Mutual Funds posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “The actively managed mutual fund industry has a compelling sales pitch. The problem? It’s not really true.”

FMF presents Anyone Buy Physical Assets? posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “A lively discussion on the pros and cons associated with investing in gold, silver, land, and the like.”

healthylivinggal presents Solar ETFs: Bright Future Or Headed For A Burnout? posted at ETFdb.

Managing Debt

Joel Ohman presents Want a Retail Credit Card? You Better Make Enough Money… posted at Credit Card Chaser, saying, “Looking to apply for a retail credit card? Things just got a little harder…”

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Comparing Debt Consolidation, Debt Management and Debt Settlement posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “There are three main types of debt relief agencies, those that deal in debt consolidation, debt management and debt settlement. This article covers what you need to know about all three.”

GLBL presents Which debt do you hate the most? posted at Gather Little By Little, saying, “Do you know the debt that bothers me the most? It is our car loan. We still owe around $11,000 and we are paying right around 9% in
interest.”

Our Astounding Host presents Do You Have a Financial GPS? posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Do you need a financial GPS?”

The Smarter Wallet presents Do Debt Consolidation Programs Work? Reviewing Debt Consolidation Care posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “On debt management and debt consolidation.”

The Dough Roller presents List of Free Prepaid Credit Cards posted at The Dough Roller.

David presents Low Interest Credit Cards posted at Credit Card Offers IQ.

Keith Morris presents 2010 Financial Planning: Check Your Credit Report posted at LifeTuner,
saying, “If 2010 is the year you have vowed to get your financial house in order, a great place to start is with your credit report.”

Miscellaneous

Joe Plemon presents Tax Refund? How You Should Use It and Why You Should Lose It posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Everyone getting a tax refund needs to plan what to do with the money before getting their hands on it. Better yet, plan not to get a tax refund next year.”

MoneyNing presents No One Became Wealthy Worrying for Others posted at Money Ning, saying, “No one knows everyone else’s situation so why try to worry about their finances?”

Frank Knight presents Prevent Identity Theft posted at Best Personal Finance Software, saying, “You need to be proactive and take easy steps to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft. Identity theft is increasing
dramatically and it takes a huge amount of time to clean up the mess once you get hit with identity theft.”

The Smarter Wallet presents Check Your Credit Score From Credit Reporting Agencies posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “How you can check your credit score.”

Susan Saverton presents Personal Financial Plan posted at Family Finance Planning,saying, “You need a system that is efficient with respect to your time and your costs, when to develop, implement, and track a personal investment plan.”

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents How to Get Your Free FICO Credit Score posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Tips on how to get a free copy of your FICO Credit Score, and how to avoid getting charged without your knowledge.”

nissim ziv presents Career Transitions: What Are Your Mental Resources? posted at Job Interview Guide,
saying, “Career transition sounds promising to those who feel that their current career doesn’t seem to fulfill their desires – their career aspirations. Though many people decide making a career transition, not so many can
make it.”

Retirement Planning

ABC presents Roth IRA Contribution Limits For 2010 posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “2010 Roth IRA contribution limits.”

Stock Mutual Funds presents Top Stock Mutual Funds posted at Low Cost Index Funds, saying, “This article discusses the 10 ten very low cost stock index mutual funds that track the Standard and Poors 500 large capitalization
stock index.”

Frank Knight presents Roth IRA Accounts posted at Financial Planning Software,
saying, “One of the most complex personal financial decisions is whether to invest in a Roth IRA or Roth 401k versus their traditional retirement account alternatives. For most people, Roth accounts do not
make sense financially. For a minority, they are a good deal, but you need sophisticated financial planner software to do the analysis for yourself.”

Risk Management and Insurance

Consumer Boomer presents Should You Annuitize with an Immediate Annuity? posted at Consumer Boomer.

Jeff Rose presents How to Buy Affordable Term Life Insurance posted at Jeff Rose.

Rysterlin presents Beneficiaries Unclaimed Life Insurance Policies posted at Florida’s Insurance Blog – Locals Helping Locals Understand Risk, saying, “It is a sad and painful experience losing a loved one. What if
there is Life insurance floating around somewhere that will help ease some of the burden?”

Savings

Ray @ Financial Highway presents Frugal Valentines Day Gift Ideas posted at Financial Highway, saying, “Valentines day does not have to break you bank, here are some fun and frugal ideas to celebrate valentines day.”

KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”

Taxes

FMF presents Two Tax Credits that Could Save You a Bundle posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Two tax credits that could save you a good amount if you qualify.”

Peak Personal Finance presents Tax Time: Home Related Tax Breaks posted at Peak Personal Finance, saying, “Don’t overlook these tax benefits of home ownership.”

Consumer Boomer presents 2010 Tax Law Changes posted at Consumer Boomer.

jim presents How Does the IRS Pick Tax Returns to Audit? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents How to Organize Your Tax Documents posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Tips on how to manage your tax documents to make it quicker and easier to fill out and file your taxes.”

Matt Jabs presents Turbotax – Prepare Taxes Online – Free eFile posted at Debt Free Adventure!, saying, “A personal review of TurboTax Online to let readers know how I file my taxes and which software I trust for my own returns. Included is a brief history of how I have filed my taxes over the years and what I use now.”

jim presents How to Report Tax Fraud & Tax Cheats posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

FIRE Getters presents Taxes – Donating An Old Car May Not Be Deductible posted at FIRE Finance.

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.

I will neither confirm nor deny that my birthday may or may not have or will occur in the past or next few days, however, I will confirm that my age is in between 30 and 75. Having been crystal clear on this point (no, you should not be publishing on the web your birthday and year, since that is the start of someone stealing your identity or something of the like), let’s talk about the things you might do if your birthday anniversary is some time this year (which I hope it is).

Things to Do Financially on Your Birthday

Just some ideas for some of the financial things you can do on the anniversary of your birth:

• Are you old enough to retire? Seems like a straight forward question, but when can you retire is another question to ask if the answer to the previous question is No? If you can’t even guess when you can retire, then today would be a good day to figure it out, or at least make a guess and work towards it. Aim to retire at 61, that’s an interesting prime age.
• Can you take today off today? Some companies actually give you your birthday off as a vacation day, I think it would be good to know that one (nope, not in my case).
• You can get free meals at some restaurants, I think Denny’s is one of those places, but call around and see where you can eat for free. Free meals is a very good way to celebrate a birthday.
• Does my car registration need to be renewed? Ottawa has an interesting problem because if you don’t renew your registration by your birthday, and take your car to Quebec, you can get fined a LOT of money, because in Quebec they’ll fine you for that one (I think they do in Ontario too, but they don’t worry about it too much until the next month).
• Did your car driving license expire? I was surprised that one year I realized a month after my birthday that I had been driving with an expired license, I received no reminder in the mail. Luckily I was not pulled over or that might have been expensive.
• Has your life insurance premium just jumped? If you have crossed an age group, your term life insurance rate may be increasing, so go check that out.
• Can you get a senior citizen’s discount now? You’d be surprised, a lot of these discounts do not start at age 65, it actually starts at 55.

Any other ideas I may have missed that you should do on your birthday?

In Carnivals my posting Personal Finance Resolutions For the New Year? was mentioned in the Carnival of Personal Finance #239 and the Carnival of Money Stories.

Welcome to the Carnival of Money Stories, the End of Year and Pseudo Boxing Day Edition.

Boxing Day was actually on Saturday, but most of us get the Monday off from our work, thus I view today as Pseudo-Boxing Day.

Hopefully to counteract the orgy of post-Christmas shopping, I present a cavalcade of articles about Money (some think the root of all evil, but still something most of us think about every day of our lives)  grouped by the Great Boxers of our time (yes I know Boxing Day has nothing to do with pugilism, but what do you want during my Christmas vacation?).

Muhammad Ali Section

These articles float like a butterfly and sting like a bee (good solid money talk)

• Jennifer Meyer presents ETFs vs. Mutual Funds: The Ultimate Guide posted at ETFdb.
• Canadian Capitalist presents 2009 Year-end financial deadlines posted at Canadian Capitalist.
• Rich Weber presents What Is Money? posted at mrpooper.
• KCLau presents The Important Lessons I Learned On Investment posted at KCLau’s Money Tips.
• Million Dollar Journey presents Bah Humbug! : 3 Ways to Be More Like Scrooge posted at Million Dollar Journey.
• Gail Vaz-Oxlad presents Of Eggs & Baskets posted at gailvazoxlade.com.
• Joe Plemon presents How to Purchase Long Term Care Insurance: Ten Great Tips posted at Personal Finance By The Book.
• Jeff Rose presents Suze Orman’s Last Cash Survival List posted at Jeff Rose.
• LeanLifeCoach presents What Men Don’t Know About Money posted at Eliminate The Muda!.

Rocky Marciano Section

Hard hitting these articles can also take a punch and will not go down no matter how hard you hit them (good advice on Money issues):

• David de Souza presents Tax Rebate when Leaving the Country – Tips and Advice posted at UK Tax Blog.
• Matt Jabs presents Credit Card Debt Reduction How To posted at Debt Free Adventure!.
• Jimmy Hagans presents Definitive Guide To Preferred Stock ETF Investing posted at ETFdb.
• Preet presents The Elves Index posted at WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com.
• The Smarter Wallet presents Managing Our Family Finances During A Jobless Recovery posted at The Smarter Wallet.
• J. Money presents What’s your biggest financial fear? posted at Budgets are Sexy.
• debt kid presents Debt Down, Confidence Up posted at Debtkid.
• David presents List of Credit Card Foreign Currency Transaction Fees posted at Credit Card Offers IQ.

Sugar Ray Robinson Section

Quick posts that are going to sting you if you aren’t watching closely (may not really be exactly about Money, but still quite interesting):

• Big Blue Pill Man presents Men’s Health posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog.
• Michael James presents Sometimes Frugality can be Taken Too Far posted at Michael James on Money.
• J.D. Roth presents Start Saving For Next Year’s Christmas Today posted at Get Rich Slowly.
• Madeleine Begun Kane presents Taxing Verse posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
• Mrs Green presents Can a zero waste lifestyle save you money? posted at MY ZERO WASTE.
• FMF presents Free Money Finance: McDonald’s Turning Cheapskate posted at Free Money Finance.
• Bucksome presents Home Ownership: Selling Our House posted at Buck$ome Boomer’s Journey to Retirement.
• Darwin presents Study: Smart Investors MUCH Better Stock Pickers than Dumb Investors posted at Darwin’s Finance.

Rocky Balboa Section

Stories that are all heart, and give their all (the ones left I couldn’t group together, diverse topic come at you from everywhere):

• Arie Rich presents Fables and Fortune Hunters posted at KMP Blog.
• Super Saver presents First Bank Deposit posted at My Wealth Builder.
• Shawanda Greene presents 85% Savings on a Name Brand Product Purchase?! I’ve Outdone Myself. posted at You Have More Than You Think.
• Jeff Williamson presents Mutual Fund Investment Strategies posted at Inside Mutual Funds.
• Wenchypoo also presents Something NOT to Do: Turn Your Tax Refund into a Savings Bond posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.
• FIRE Finance presents Americans Living Without Bank Accounts? posted at FIRE Finance.
• James Carter-Truman presents Opportunity Calls: Buy Gold Now! posted at Buy Gold Secrets.
• Evolution Of Wealth presents Universal Life Holes posted at Evolution of Wealth.
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents How To Buy Short Sale Real Estate posted at The Digerati Life.
• DR presents Is Ooma Free Home Service A Scam? posted at The Dough Roller.
• Frank Goley presents More Tech Tools to Increase Business Productivity posted at Business Success Strategies.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of money stories 2 using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags:

carnival of money stories 2, blog carnival.

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

Publisher’s Note: To my regular readers I give you the Carnival of Financial Planning which I am priviledged to host this week, Video of the weekend will return next week, enjoy these interesting articles. -C8j

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #94 – June 20, 2009

Welcome to the June 20, 2009 Edition #94 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

FMF presents Simplicity Can Streamline Your Budget posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “A good budget is a simple budget.”

Susan Saverton presents Living Expense Tracking Methods posted at Family Financial 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.”

Economics

Dorian Wales presents On Causality and Correlation in Economics posted at The Personal Financier, saying, “Causality is perhaps the most fundamental element of empirical evidence available to economists. However, it is also the source of many misconceptions due to its elusive nature.”

Britannica Blog presents Dayton, Ohio: Final Fortune 500 Company Abandons City posted at Britannica Blog, saying, “At the turn of the last century, Dayton, Ohio, was something akin to the Silicon Valley of its day. It was the home to the Wright brothers, of course, as well as Charles Kettering, the automotive genius who would develop so many innovations that allowed General Motors to become the dominant player in a new industry. And the backbone of all this was the National Cash Register Co. (NCR), founded by John Henry Patterson.”

Estate Planning

Tushar Mathur presents Getting finances in order posted at Everything Finance, saying, “Keeping organized records is a gift to your family and to yourself. It helps ensure that your wishes are followed, that your assets are accounted for, and that your money is available to meet your family’s needs in a timely fashion.”

Financial Planning

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Do You Need Long Term Care Insurance? posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Do you need long term care insurance? When should you but it and how much should you get?”

Susan Saverton presents Efficiency of Personal Investing Strategies posted at Family Financial Planning, saying, “When pursuing optimal financial planning and investing strategies and controlling your costs and capital gains taxes, you also need to establish a time-efficient system to monitor, adjust, and adhere to your financial plan. You need to control and limit the time that you spend on your financial planning, and you need to focus your planning efforts on the most effective activities.”

jim presents Ally Bank Review posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

KCLau presents Why Robert T. Kiyosaki is a best-selling author? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Robert T. Kiyosaki is the best personal finance author I follow. I started reading his books back in 1999. Although some reviews you found written by readers on Amazon say that he keeps repeating most of the points, I still find them interesting every time. It works as a revision whenever he repeats.”

Jeff Rose presents Cash Your Social Security Check Now Not Later posted at Jeff Rose.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents myFICO Score Watch: Equifax Credit Score Monitoring posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Here’s one option to monitor your credit score. It’s a popular credit score monitoring service that keeps track of your FICO score and credit report on a regular basis. This is for those people who don’t want to order reports and scores on their own.”

Financing a Home

Alex Fotopoulos presents When is it Smart to Refinance a Mortgage? posted at My Trader’s Journal, saying, “Some key points to consider when refinancing your home.”

Brian Brady presents What If The Real Estate Industry Didn’t Control The Real Estate Market? posted at BloodhoundBlog.

Brian McKay presents Today’s Mortgage Rates Zap Mortgage Refinancing posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, “Rising interest rates are causing a drop in mortgage refinancing, reversing a an upward trend started earlier this year.”

Financing Education

Patrick @ Military Money presents Tax Advantages of 529 Plans posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “Tax advantages for the 529 College Savings plan.”

Income

FMF presents The Most Useful Thing Students Can Do to Prepare for the Job Market posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “The one things students should do to prepare themselves for the job market.”

Praveen presents Easy Ways to Generate Cash posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Easy ways to generate extra cash”

Khan Ben presents From Classroom to Corporation posted at Higher Education and Career Blog, saying, “Tips for professors who want to make big time moolah.”

Investing

Darwin presents Study:Google Earnings Stock Manipulation EVERY Time? posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “This article highlights a damning study demonstrating the manipulation of Google’s share price around earnings and option expiry virtually EVERY quarter and what you should know about investing in Google shares.”

Frank Vertin presents Just Buy Index Funds Directly posted at Best Index Funds, saying, “Buying an S&P 500 index fund through an investment counselor can substantially increase your initial purchasing costs and and drive up your annual management expense fees. Unfortunately, the vast majority of individual investors buy mutual funds and ETFs through brokers and investment advisers. Rarely do financial advisors recommend that you buy index funds with low fees. This is because low cost, no load mutual funds do not pay them as well as loaded, high fee mutual funds.”.

ABC presents Investment Time Horizons for Retirees posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “Discussing investment asset allocations and time horizons for retirees.”

MoneyNing presents Turbocharge Your Savings with Certificate of Deposits (CDs) posted at Money Ning, saying, “Certificate of Deposits are boring but it’s a guaranteed way of capital preservation!”

Alex Fotopoulos presents Sold Allstate (ALL) Naked Puts posted at My Trader’s Journal, saying, “FINBLOGGER – Alex added Allstate to his list of stocks to buy. He is playing it with naked puts to play a horizontal or upward move in the stock.”

The Smarter Wallet presents Use Candlestick Charts, Trading Signals To Evaluate The Stock Market posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “We look into how to use candlestick charts to analyze the stock market.”

Larry Russell presents 7 Ways to Pick the Best Noload Mutual Funds and ETFs posted at NoLoad Mutual Funds, saying, “Taken as a whole, the vast body of investment research studies show that there really are better approaches to buying and owning mutual funds and ETFs. You do not need to frantically chase fund performance. Performance chasing simply does not work.”

Four Pillars presents Asset Allocation – Include Future Contributions? posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Can a small investor ignore asset allocation?”

Mike presents Beware of the Double Dip posted at Great Depression Version 2: Bear Market and Economic Depression, saying, “The stock market may be up, but that does not mean the end of the recession is necessarily near.”

Michael Cohen presents Don’t Bet On A Soft Landing Into The New Normal posted at Debt, Economics, Boom and Bust, saying, “There are those predicting a new normal of 1-2% economic growth. We will likely not ease our way into that sort of situation.”

KCLau presents What is the best investment? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “The best investment comes in many forms. I was frequently asked this same question over and over again. Let’s see how some successful people answer the same question”

Puneet Kapoor presents Hedge: Not a Four Letter Word posted at KuberKhana -Indian Stock Fundamental Analysis, saying, “A broadside view of what hedging is all about.”

Zach Scheidt presents Potash May Fertilize Economy’s Green Shoots posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Potash Corp. (POT) offers an inflation hedge and also participates in a growing economic picture. The stock should rise based on the value of potash reserves in the ground.”

Dividends4Life presents Wal-Mart Has Gone Shopping posted at Dividends Value, saying, “What do you do when the economy tanks and the stock market follows suit, but you are still generating a lot of cash? Many people would look for bargains in the market. Wal-Mart (WMT) has done just that.”

Zach Scheidt presents S&P 500 Correction, Gold Update, and Inflation vs. Deflation posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Is the S&P 500 experiencing a brief correction or major turn? What is next for the price of gold? And how can you predict whether the coming months will feature inflation or deflation?”

Four Pillars presents Transfer In Kind posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “An explanation of transfering your investments “in kind”.”

Praveen presents Sometimes You Bend Your Trading Rules… posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Taking an early profit to ease your comfort during a volatile market.”

Investing School presents The Rule of 72 posted at Investing School, saying, “A neat mathematical trick to calculate when your investment will double!”

Tom Escent presents Introduction to Nerds on Wall Street posted at Quantitative Finance, saying, “Think of this book as sort of a Hitchhiker’s Guide to Wired Markets. There are no robots parking cars for six million years, but there are robots trading millions of shares in six milliseconds, so maybe that’s close enough.”

Super Saver presents My Plans for the Stock Market Pullback posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “At this point, I don’t expect a correction to take out the March 9, 2009 lows. However, I will hold back at least 25% of my funds, in the case the market does dip lower”

Praveen presents Successful Trading is About More than Generating A Buy Signal.. posted at Stock Trading Riches, saying, “When buying stocks, your initial purchase is the least important part of successful investing. Your return is determined by how well you manage the trade – i.e. knowing when to add to your position and when to take profits.”

jim presents Smart Money 2009 Best Online Brokers posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Managing Debt

Super Saver presents We’ve Achieved Zero Debt posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “We paid off our mortgage and became 100% debt free.”

Tushar Mathur presents When It Pays To Use Cash For Purchases posted at Everything Finance, saying, “For years there have been many consumers who have charged through life (pun intended) putting any and all expenses on their trusty credit card. Roughly half of those consumers managed their accounts responsibly and benefited from the many perks associated with using their credit card and paying the balance in full each month. The other half….well many of those people are dealing with the fall out from the economy and struggling with high levels of debt.”

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Best Zero Percent Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Make or save money with a 0% balance transfer credit card offer.”

The Dough Roller presents Best 0% Balance Transfer Credit Card posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “0% balance transfer offers are becoming harder and harder to find. There still is a 12-month offer, however, and this article describes how to get it.”

nickel presents How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Early posted at fivecentnickel.com, saying, “Should you payoff your mortgage early? I tackled that question a couple of weeks ago, and the majority of respondents said “yes.” With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a list of strategies for doing just that…”

Mr Credit Card presents Struggling with business debt posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Manshu presents Will I be sued for credit card default? posted at OneMint.

Raj Patel presents Credit card delinquencies rise posted at DebtGoal, saying, “Recent data show the credit card delinquency rate is rising. Here’s some remedies for debt problems related to credit card delinquency.”

Four Pillars presents Dave Ramsey Debt Snowball Method Of Debt Repayment posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “An indepth look at the Dave Ramsey snowball debt method.”

Abigail Perry presents Is getting deeper into debt ever justifiable? posted at i pick up pennies, saying, “Are there times when extenuating circumstances make more debt worthwhile? What if it were to improve your circumstances and, ultimately, increase your income?”

Miscellaneous

Credit Shout presents 8 Benefits of the Credit Card Act of 2009 posted at CreditShout.

Fitz Villafuerte presents A Guide To Choosing The Right Business Structure posted at Ready To Be Rich, saying, “A guide on how to choose the right business structure. Having the right type of business entity is always important for business success”

Tyler Tervooren presents Are You More Frugal or Green?: Balancing Multiple Goals posted at Frugally Green, saying, “It can be hard trying to balance all your goals. If you don’t look for opportunities to reach them together, you may find yourself excelling toward one while hindering another.”

Noload Bonds presents Bond Mutual Fund Fees posted at Bond Index Funds, saying, “Simply put, if you pay higher bond mutual fund fees, then these bond management expenses tend just to be a deadweight loss to you. The best bond fund buying strategy is to pick only very low-cost no load bond funds.”

Retirement Planning

Super Saver presents Planning to Retire Later also has Risks posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “The option to continue working is no longer easily controlled by the employee.”

Jeff Rose presents What’s in a Number? Choosing a Withdrawal Rate for Your Retirement Assets posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “Learn how much you can withdraw from your investment portfolio in retirement safely.”

Top 10 Index Funds presents Top 10 S&P 500 Index Funds posted at Top 10 Index Funds, saying, “Buy these top 10 very low cost no load S&P 500 index mutual funds directly. You do not have to pay the heavy added expenses of buying through a stock broker, financial adviser, investment adviser, or investment counselor.”

Jeff Rose presents Company Is Going Bankrupt. What About My Pension? posted at Jeff Rose.

Risk Management and Insurance

Rajeev Kumar Singh presents Child Insurance Plans – Parents Being Taken for a Ride posted at Investment and Personal Finance, saying, “When parents invest their hard earned money in child insurance plans so prevalent these days, they do not know that they are being ripped off by the insurance companies … Read on..”

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Lower Your Car Insurance Rates! How To Cut Insurance Premiums In Half posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “I offer some suggestions and tips for lowering your car insurance and keeping your car related costs (and budget) to a minimum.”

Savings

The Skilled Investor presents Most Individual Investors Are Poor Personal Portfolio Managers | Personal Investment Management posted at Personal Investment Manager, saying, “Investors more easily understand investment costs that are directly measurable, such as fees deducted on investment statements. However, many investors ignore or are unaware of the opportunity costs of their sub-optimal investment behaviors. Opportunity costs are usually much more difficult to measure directly, but these investment costs can be even higher than more visible investment fees.”

MoneyNing presents How to Save Money Every Month posted at Money Ning, saying, “Recurring expenses really add up. Here are a whole bunch of ways to save money, month after month after month.”

Taxes

Robert D Flach presents What Happens in and IRA Stays in an IRA posted at The Wandering Tax Pro, saying, “Just like in Vegas, what happens in an IRA stays in the IRA!”

MoneyNing presents Let Businesses Deal with Sales Tax – Government Improvement Series posted at Money Ning, saying, “Government really needs to improve on somethigs and I say to let businesses deal with sales taxes!”

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.

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