Carnival of Financial Planning – August 9, 2007 Edition
Welcome to the August 9, 2007 edition 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
Budgeting
Millionaire Mommy Next Door presents Where Does Your Money Go? Tips and Tricks for Tracking the Flow posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door, saying, “Money flows like water. It can gush like a raging river or drip like an annoying leaky faucet at midnight. If we use this precious resource mindlessly, we face drought. However, if we first observe the ebbs and flows, effective management becomes a simple matter of design. Here’s how.”
FMF presents What Personal Finance Software Do You Use? posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Free Money Finance readers sound off on what personal finance software they like best.”
ISPF presents You are Probably Paying Too Much for Your Cable posted at Grad Money Matters.
Sagar Satapathy presents 100 Creative Ways to Cut Wedding Costs posted at Credit Card Lowdown.
edithyeung presents The Money Series – How to Manage and Maintain your Bank Account? posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..
Estate Planning
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Avoid A Bitter Family Feud: Estate Planning To The Rescue! » Silicon Valley Blog About Money posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Here are some case studies of families that did not plan their loved ones’ passing. Why do some families avoid estate planning? Plus some tips about how to plan for your future generations.”
Eric Hudin presents My Estate Planning Career Blog » Blog Archive » Selecting a Good Trustee – Factors to Consider When Choosing a Trustee posted at My Estate Planning Career Blog, saying, “Wills and Trusts are an important financial vehicle for transferring wealth. But who should manage your trust? I’ll tell you how to pick the best person.”
Financial Planning
Leroy Brown presents Money and Marriage posted at A Penny Saved, saying, “How to handle finances once you’re married.”
Sagar Satapathy presents All You Need is Love and a Good Financial Plan: 17 Finance Tips from the Beatles posted at Credit Card Lowdown, saying, “When you’re in need of a little financial pick-me-up, who do you turn to? Someone you trust, someone who has experience dealing with money, and probably someone who has a generally optimistic view on life. So who might that person (or persons) be in your life? The Beatles, of course! John, Paul, Ringo, and George may not be personal friends of yours, but after reviewing 17 of their most insightful business and investment tips, you’ll be surprised at how much brighter your financial future shines.”
Financing a Home
Roger Daly presents Save Money; Get the Lowest Mortgage Rate Possible | Mighty Mortgages posted at Mighty Mortgages, saying, “A key part of saving money with your mortgage is to get the lowest mortgage rate possible. The mortgage rate determines how much interest you will have to pay to the bank for the privilege of borrowing their money to buy your home. What many people don’t understand is that this is a controllable expense.”
J at IHB and HFF presents Inflating Leveraged ROI Can Ruin You posted at Home Finance Freedom, saying, “The promised 7.7% spread (16.9 over 9.2) was not impressive enough so the author used a percentage of a percentage to make the pro-leverage number 10-times bigger (80%–Who doesn’t want to earn 80%?). Almost doubling your ROI would be a good thing but let’s not get carried away too soon.”
George Courtney jr presents The Smart Way to Use Your Home Equity posted at The Authentic Bartender Blog, saying, “using your excess home equity to become wealthy”
Lucynda Riley presents Our New Home posted at The Traveling Man.
Income
SmallTownBS presents Employment – I don’t want a job. posted at Small-town Big-shot, saying, “Entrepreneurship or starting your own business to obtain several income streams is a lot safer and more rewarding than a regular job.”
James Wong presents Make Money Online: 30 Day Challenge posted at Online-ebiz.
Investing
nickel presents The Very Best 529 Plans? posted at fivecentnickel.com, saying, “We’re in the market for the “best” 529 plan available. Our state does have a plan with state tax benefits, but we exceed the income limits for deducting even a small portion of our contributions. Beyond that, the plan isn’t all that good, so I’m looking elsewhere.”
The Dough Roller presents Beginner’s Guide to Asset Allocation: Actively Managed vs. Index Mutual Funds » The Dough Roller posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “The article looks at actively managed versus index mutual funds as part of an asset allocation plan.”
Christopher J. Brunner presents Funding Options for Small Business posted at GreatFX Business Cards, saying, “Explores the funding options a small business owner has, including investing your own money, loans and credit cards.”
ISPF presents Campaign Against Financial Myths: Part 6 – Stock Market Investing posted at Grad Money Matters, saying, “Knowing the myths from reality can save all of us a lot of money in the long run. This article is a part of a series called campaign against financial myths on my blog and specifically looks at myths associated with investing in the stock market.”
Leon Gettler presents Gen Y and the looming funds management crisis posted at Sox First, saying, “Nearly five years after the most stringent anti-fraud and corporate governance measures were introduced in the US, and fraud is still as a big a problem as ever. Sarbanes-Oxley has not worked.”
Roshawn Watson presents NEXT WEEK: WATSON INC EXCLUSIVE Interview with Van… posted at Watson Inc, saying, “In the long run, the price differences generally save individual investors tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. ETFs are often tax-efficient as well. Also, consider the fact that one would need between 20-50 individual stocks to be adequately diversified compared to just 1 ETF (i.e. VTI)…Everyone’s investment plan must be tailored to his or her’s own financial goals. However, one generally starts investing in pretax vehicles, such as (401K, 403b, Thrift Savings Plans, or Traditional IRA). If your company matches your contribution (for 401K, 403b, or TSP), I would contribute up until the match. Do not throw away free money!”
Josh presents Option Premium Valuation: Time and Intrinsic Value posted at The Mad Money Analyst, saying, “A good review of how to effectively evaluate options premiums. This gives investors a clearer view of what exactly effects prices and premiums of options. Markets have lately been increasingly volatile and this will help you find those right entry points and calculate volatility profitability. Make more on your investments.”
Sagar Satapathy presents How Ron Paul as President Would Affect the US Dollar posted at Currency Trading.net, saying, “If Ron Paul becomes the President of the USA, his economic policies would affect the US Dollar, which is on a declining mode. Learn how.”
Babak presents 12 Reasons Why This Is A Buying Opportunity posted at Trader’s Narrative, saying, “Yes, the stock market has fallen and yes, there is a lot of scary news out there about the sub-prime market. But here are 12 reasons why smart and level headed investors see this as a buying opportunity.”
George Courtney jr presents Despite Volatility, Stocks Are a Good Deal posted at The Authentic Bartender Blog, saying, “regarding the recent volatility of the stock market”
Josh presents Choosing a Stock That Beats the Street posted at The Mad Money Analyst, saying, “Investors use many different approaches to pinpoint the stock that will out-perform analysts expectations — of course that’s the goal anyway. How do you choose the winning stock? Generally I look for companies that are thriving financially with consistent earnings and a reasonable amount of debt. Then…”
Shawn Edwards presents Make Ends Meet, and Then Some. posted at Desty Online, saying, “Creating wealth isn’t very difficult if you follow a set plan. Don’t expect to create your fortune over night. Follow the 5 Laws of Gold…”
Eric Stanley presents Two Investment Mistakes posted at Personal Finance Blog Articles, saying, “Are you finding good investments for you new money? Or are you doing the right thing and also finding better investments for your OLD money?”
Pushpa Sathish presents 13 Signs Forex Has Taken Over Your Life posted at Currency Trading.net.
Priya Jestin presents 24 Hour Trading: A Minute-by-minute Schedule of Daily Trading Updates & Events posted at Currency Trading.net.
Managing Debt
Abdulrasool Sumar presents 4 Ways to Successfully Control Debt posted at 3 Debt Consolidation Community, saying, “If your credit card company charges you an interest rate in the 13% – 15% range, shop for other credit card companies that offer lower interest rates. If you have been a loyal customer to your credit card company for many years but have not seen a reduction in the interest rates charged, try to negotiate a deal with them to lower interest rates. Advise them that you have been a loyal customer to them for many years, but what are you getting from this loyalty?”
Kevin Langston presents Low FICO Score? The Sooner You Know the Better posted at The Credit Camp, saying, “Improving your FICO score can help you get lower interest rates. In fact the FICO score is the most important factor lenders use to anticipate how you will repay a loan.”
MyQuo presents Free Credit Card posted at MyQuo.com, saying, “Like every other financial industry out there, the credit industry is highly competitive. These companies fight an everyday battle to attract customers. And this battle is raged with their credit cards. There is absolutely no reason to pay for a credit card. Almost all, if not all, of your cards should have no annual fee attached to them. Why people pay an annual fee for a credit card is beyond me.”
Aaron Wakling presents Credit Cards – A Necessary Evil posted at The Credit & Credit Card Blog, saying, “Well you probabaly already know the answer to this one. I cover good uses for credit cards and bad ones. Its a good article for anyone concerned about if they should use their credit cards to make purchases.”
Tim Ramsey presents How to Pay Off Credit Card Bills posted at My Debt Relief Blog, saying, “Trapped in credit card debt? You can get out of the credit card trap with my sure-fire way to pay off those pesky bills.”
Colin presents How to Read Your Credit Report | Credit Help and Tips posted at The Truth About Credit Cards.com, saying, “It’s one thing to order a credit report, but if you don’t know what it all means it won’t prove to be of much value. Learn how to read your credit report from start to finish.”
Jimmy Atkinson presents How Will My Divorce Affect My Credit? posted at Ask the Advisor.
Retirement Planning
Super Saver presents Retirement Saving Challenge – One Month Status posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Those who joined the Retirement Saving Challenge on July 1, 2007 have completed a month. This update shares a table by yearly salary and age on how much one should have saved.”
Nina Smith presents The Lowdown on the Roth 401(k) posted at Queercents, saying, “Now that the Roth 401(k) is a permanent tool in the arsenal of retirement planning options, many more employers may offer these new accounts in addition to their traditional 401(k) plans. As the name implies, the Roth IRA combines features currently available with Roth IRAs with those available with traditional 401(k) plans. Before you make a decision on this or any other retirement option, here are a few things you should know.”
cameron presents The Stock Market Drop – S&P P/E Ratio posted at Empty Nest, saying, “Looking at the S&P P/E Ratio over the past five years will provide valuable information on previous corrections and near corrections.”
Joey Rosario presents Is Self-Directed IRA For You? posted at Own Your Life With Joey Rosario, saying, “How to invest in a non-traditional investment to diversify your retirement.”
Risk Management and Insurance
KCLau presents When Should We Review Our Life Insurance Coverage? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “From time to time, there are certain changes in our lives that may have a significant impact on our insurance needs. We should think of it as a checkup. Most of us go for medical checkup once a year. It might be a simple blood test or a full body examination. Our financial security also need preventive medicine as maintenance. Needs change over time, sometimes it is much more rapidly than we realize.”
KCLau presents Investment Replacement Feature in Investment-linked Policy that Beat Unit Trust posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Investment-linked plan (ILP) is probably the first life insurance policy you buy in Malaysia if you are below age 30 this year. The new business premium collected for ILP will exceed traditional policy in the very near future. In this article, I will show you a special add-on rider that makes ILP stands out as the most wanted policy by young people. This feature is called “investment replacement“.”
Savings
Rachel Langston presents OSAs are MVPs posted at My Money Thinks, saying, “Online Savings Accounts (OSAs) have become one of the most popular offerings of online banks. In some ways, they seem too good to be true. In others, they seem to be the smartest and safest place to store and grow cash.”
Tushar Mathur presents Easy Ways to Save Money posted at Life of a Resident Alien….
Taxes
Joey Rosario presents IRA And Double Tax Deduction posted at Own Your Life With Joey Rosario, saying, “Double Tax Deduction on your investment loss.”
The Skilled Investor presents Summary Table of Traditional IRA and Roth IRA Tax Rules, saying, “For your convenience, the table provided summarizes 2007 rules for traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. The table has a left-hand column of questions and 12 columns of information. Read the first four questions in the first four rows to determine which of the twelve columns would apply to you. Once you have done this, you should have found one “traditional IRA” column and one “Roth IRA” column that apply to you. Read the remaining questions further down the table to compare the various traditional IRA and Roth IRA rules that affect you. Be careful to distinguish between the rules about whether you can make a contribution and whether an allowable contribution is tax deductible.”
Miscellaneous
Jimmy Atkinson presents Everything You Need to Know about Marriage and Money posted at Ask the Advisor.
Moneywalks presents How to Determine Financial Success posted at moneywalks.
SpiKe presents Determining Value For Money posted at Organize IT.
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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