Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #133 – March 19, 2010
Welcome to the March 19, 2010 Edition #133 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
Mike @ Green Panda presents 3 Tricks to Succeed When Making a Budget posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “Tired of getting squeezed at the end of each month? Tired of counting your pennies and looking at the balance of your bank account on a daily basis? there are 3 basics rules to follow when writing down your budget…”
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Budgeting Tools Online And Beyond posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “One of the biggest obstacles to making and keeping a budget is not knowing where to begin. Thankfully, the Internet age has brought with it some wonderful tools designed to help you keep an eye on your spending.”
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.”
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.”
The Skilled Investor presents Save More Money posted at Financial Decision Rules, saying, “How much you earn, spend, budget, and save are by far the most dominant determinants of your long-term financial well-being. Self-control in your financial decision-making regarding budgeting and consumption is far more important than clever investing. Expenditure control and budgeting works, while attempts to be clever about investing usually are counter-productive.”
Economics
KCLau presents Global Spending: How People Spend their Money posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Results from a World Bank study entitled “Global Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures 2005 International Comparison Program” spanning 2003 – 2008.”
Estate Planning
FMF presents Your Parents’ Estate Plan Part 2: What You Need to Know posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Helping your parents through estate planning issues.”
Consumer Boomer presents Charitable Gifting Rules for Baby Boomers posted at Consumer Boomer.
Joe Plemon presents Should You Leave an Inheritance to Your Children? posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Leaving an inheritance is a dicey issue. Do you? How much? Now or later? This post doesn’t have all the answers, but will challenge your thinking.”
BWL presents How To Donate Stocks & Mutual Funds To Charity posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “IRS tax regulations allow you to donate stocks and mutual funds to non-profit organizations. Understanding a few tax implications regarding your contribution will help add value to your donation.”
Financial Planning
jim presents Roth and Traditional IRA Contribution Limits posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Super Saver presents Experts with Whom I like to Consult posted at My Wealth Builder.
The Dough Roller presents Change Banks in 5 Easy Steps posted at The Dough Roller.
FMF presents How to Find a Professional Financial Advisor posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Thoughts on how to find a great financial planner.”
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 How to Become a Successful Financial Advisor posted at Jeff Rose.
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.”
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.”
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!”
Nigel Savers presents Investor Asset Allocation posted at Lifetime Financial Planning, saying, “Diversification has become an axiom of personal investing, because the specific risks of businesses and other investment entities can be reduced or eliminated from a portfolio without reducing expected returns. When you hear that you should diversify your investments, this means that you should diversify your investments completely and globally – now and always. ”
Larry Russell presents Mutual Fund Sales Loads posted at Best Mutual Funds, saying, “With over 60,000 different mutual fund investment share classes sold worldwide, some mutual funds must be better than others, but which ones are they? Superior past performance has simply not been shown to be a reliable predictor of superior future performance. However, low costs can lead you to the best mutual funds.”
Financing a Home
Patrick @ Military Money presents VA Loan Eligibility and Financing posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “Find out who is eligible for a VA Loan and how much money you may be able to get in guaranteed financing. This is great information for any military veteran.”
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.”
Financing Education
Ryan @ Cash Money Life presents Create a Net Worth Statement posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “How to create a net worth statement and how to use it to improve your financial situation.”
MoneyNing presents How to Use a 529 Plan to Improve College Savings posted at Money Ning, saying, “A 529 plan can help your college savings tremendously. Check out how the government can help contribute!”
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 Piper presents Saving for College with a Savings Account posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “Is a savings account an appropriate method for saving for college? My vote is “no.”"
Health Care
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
FMF presents Top Tools for Analyzing Your Salary posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Details on sites where you can find out what others in your position and industry make. Then you can use that information to ask for a raise.”
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.”
nissim ziv presents What Are Your Salary Expectations? posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “You would be wise not to focus completely on salary expectations during the interview, as you will probably want to know more about the job and consider the other job benefits being offered to you by the company.”
Investing
Consumer Boomer presents Should You Sell Your Mutual Fund if it’s Placed on a Watch List? posted at Consumer Boomer.
Jeff Rose presents Building Real Wealth: Small Company Equity posted at Jeff Rose.
Marc Ryan presents Investment newsletters- a Hail Mary pass for investors? – IndependentInvestor.info posted at IndependentInvestor.info, saying, “Everywhere and always, investors have looked for sources of information that allow them to take the pulse of the market and to better predict future movements of the market generally, or of individual stock prices. The search for techniques believed to help beat the market can result in some investors ending up in strange places. Consider the case of investment letters: they can be published without registration with regulatory agencies, and they typically promote an active management approach to investing that gives little weight to modern theories of the efficiency of markets. However, all would be forgiven if studies found a positive value to their recommendations. Read-on to find out if the odds are better than your typical Hail-Mary pass”
Steve Alexander presents Has the Tax Preparation Industry Lost Its Luster? posted at MagicDiligence – Optimizing Joel Greenblatts Value Stock Strategy, saying, “With the two biggest U.S. tax preparation firms, H&R Block (HRB) and Jackson-Hewitt (JTX), both plummeting, is the traditionally attractive office-based tax preparation industry losing its luster permanently?”
Zach Scheidt presents Homebuilders Face Challenges posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Homebuilders may see their businesses improve, but the stock prices have already taken the recovery into account. MDC Holdings is a potential short opportunity”
Praveen presents Omnivision Technologies (OVTI) posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Discussion of OVTI stock”
Patty Pedersen presents eBook Readers: Stock Investing Strategy to Profit from Disruptive Technology posted at AlphaProfit MoneyMatters – Investing Blog, saying, “The number of eReaders sold is expected to ramp to 6 million this year and grow exponentially from hereon. To profit from eReaders with growth and value ideas, read eBook Readers: Stock Investing Strategy to Profit from Disruptive Technology.”
Dividends4Life presents 5 Dividend Stocks Delivering What?s Important posted at Dividends Value, saying, “The income statement is where you find all the metrics that The Street loves. It therefore must be the most important financial statement. Not! That title goes to the lowly cash flow statement. Ultimately cash flow is what drives the value of any financial asset, including dividend stocks.”
The Smarter Wallet presents Free Online Stock Trading & Broker Promotions posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Some great online stock trading promotions that you can take advantage of!”
Four Pillars presents Use Your Cell Phone Apps To Manage Your Money posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Some cell phone apps to help track your finances”
ABC presents Reasons For A Roth Conversion From 401K Or Traditional Roth posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “Reasons for and against doing a Roth conversion.”
Frank Knight presents Municipal Bond Investments posted at Personal Financial Planning Software, saying, “Municipal bond investments and your state and federal marginal income tax rates: Some investors hold municipal bonds in an attempt to reduce their tax burden. This article discusses the relationships between tax-exempt municipal bonds, bond market returns, marginal tax rates, and investment asset tax location.”
ABC presents How To Convert To A Roth IRA posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A detailed explanation of how to convert to a Roth IRA with examples.”
The Skilled Investor presents Market Timing posted at Personal Investment Management, saying, “You must stay invested in the securities markets to earn market risk premiums. You have to have your money invested and at risk to be paid a risk premium. Attempting to avoid risk or losses by jumping in and out to “time the markets” does not work. Both amateurs and professionals are lousy at market timing.”
MoneyNing presents Investing in Physical Gold Can Cost You posted at Money Ning, saying, “Gold is one thing but buying the physical product will cost you. Here’s why.”
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.”
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.”
Tomas Escent presents Securities Trading Applications posted at Nerds on Wall Street, saying, “A little artificial intelligence goes a long way on Wall Street. If you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if you teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a lifetime.”
jim presents Roth and Traditional IRA Contribution Limits posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Zach Scheidt presents Portfolio Recovery Prices Successful Secondary Offering posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Portfolio Recovery Assoc (PRAA) has traded sharply higher after reporting a strong fourth quarter and issuing new stock to fund future acquisitions. Buying receivables at 3.5 cents on the dollar appears to be paying off.”
Frank Vertin presents Top 10 Index Funds posted at No Load Mutual Funds, saying, “Useful information on the top ten no load index funds that track the Standard and Poors 500 composite index in terms of lowest costs.”
Managing Debt
My Wallet presents How To Get A Free FICO Credit Score posted at The Smarter Wallet.
Big Cajun Man presents Do You Have a Financial GPS? posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Do you need a financial GPS?”
My Wallet presents Debt Consolidation Loans: Tips, Pros and Cons posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Some tips on debt consolidation loans, as well as their pros and cons.”
Sylvia Blake presents myFICO Promotional Code and Review posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Here’s a review of myFICO products and how to get them for less.”
2 Cents presents Should You Take Money Out of RRSPs to Pay Off Debt? posted at Balance Junkie, saying, “This article looks at the pros and cons of taking money out of retirement savings to pay off debt.”
Sylvia Blake presents Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from AmEx Review posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Review of an American Express card.”
Miscellaneous
Pasadena Financial Planner presents Mutual Fund Performance posted at Top Mutual Funds, saying, “Summarizes a research report that compared Vanguard’s passively managed index mutual funds with Vanguard’s actively managed mutual funds. If you invest in any of Vanguard’s investment fund products, you might want to read and understand this study.”
Joe Plemon presents People Are Begging for Financial Help. Five Things You Can Do posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “The recession has a positive spin off: people are seeking more financial knowledge. This post gives some ideas of how to reach out and help someone.”
Retirement Planning
Darwin presents 401K Loan Rules – Taxes, Interest, Pros and Cons posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “401K Loans are misunderstood and misused. This article clears up the pros, cons, how the interest is handled and when to best consider a 401K loan.”
Consumer Boomer presents Avoid these common retirement mistakes posted at Consumer Boomer.
Jeff Rose presents Rules and Limits to Open a SEP IRA posted at Jeff Rose.
PT Money presents How to Find the Best Roth IRA Rates posted at Prime Time Money, saying, “Have you ever wondered what the best Roth IRA rates are? Well, you are not alone. Many people looking to start investing for their retirement think the same thing.”
Joe Plemon presents Reverse Mortgages Part Three: What are the Disadvantages? posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “This post, explaining the disadvantages of reverse mortgages, is part three of a four part series.”
Jules Wells presents Roth Retirement Calculator posted at Retirement Planning Software, saying, “This article helps you understand the trade-offs between “traditional” and “Roth” tax-advantaged retirement plan contributions, including Roth 401k and IRA retirement plans. It helps with the 2010 Roth conversion decision.”
The Financial Blogger presents Freedom 75? posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “Life is full of irony! While my retirement goal is to stop being part of the rat race by 35, we see more and more people working pass the “normal” age of retirement of 65. I must admit that most of us will define themselves according to our job: “Hello Mike, nice to meet you, tell me, what are you doing in life?” A) I am me. B) I am a father. C) I am a passionate man who loves watching hockey, playing golf, blogging, play soccer with my son and making pony tails to my little girl, and.. and.. bla blab la… D) I am a financial planner / web entrepreneur I can tell that most people will answer “D”. So if we define ourselves according to our job, what do we become if we quit working?”
Risk Management and Insurance
Jeff Rose presents What Happens When a Life Insurance Policy Lapses posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “In case you ever let your life insurance policy lapse, here’s what you need to know.”
Savings
Debra Jacobson presents How To Be Frugal: Saving Money on Eating Out posted at All Things Frugal, saying, “In lean economic times, eating at restaurants is generally avoided. However, there are ways to eat out without breaking the bank.”
Ryan @ Cash Money Life presents Comparing Money Market and Savings Accounts posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “What is the difference between a money market and savings account, and is one a better option for emergency funds or long term savings?”
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”
DaveOzment presents Dollars Spent posted at Do You Dave Ramsey?, saying, “Money is dynamic and so too should be how we view our spending patterns.”
Taxes
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Property Tax Deferral For Young Families A Good Idea? posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “A look at whether the option to deffer property tax is a good idea.”
Four Pillars presents How Long Before I Get My Income Tax Refund? posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “A guideline for how long you have to wait for a tax refund.”
FMF presents Five Tax Myths posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “You may think these are true, but they are tax MYTHS.”
GLBL presents How to Properly Prepare for Filing Your Taxes posted at Gather Little By Little, saying, “The main causes of tax filing errors are rushing and not having all necessary tax documents on hand.”
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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