Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #156 – September 3, 2010
Welcome to the September 3, 2010 Edition #156 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.
The Carnival of Financial Planning takes a long-term view of personal financial planning for individuals and families. We focus on efficient and sustainable personal financial planning practices that can lead to lifetime financial security.
This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.
Enjoy!
The Skilled Investor, Editor
Budgeting and Economics
Roshawn Watson presents Economists Blame ME for the Slow Recovery posted at Watson Inc, saying, “We are responsible with our money, yet instead of admiration (or even understanding), these efforts garner contempt as the frugal once again get the blame for dismal economic activity.”
Lauren Mendel presents 7 Days to a Budget – Richly Reasonable – Money, Saving, Living, Playing posted at Richly Reasonable – Successes and failures, all in the name of living reasonably., saying, “I’m assuming that most people are ‘normal’ (at least in terms of budgeting) and for that reason, I have broken the process into seven, doable steps, so that by this time next week you will finally be on a budget.”
Faith Allen presents How to Do Monthly Financial Budget Planning with Excel | eHow.com posted at FaithAllen, saying, “A monthly financial budget is so important because every person or household needs to be in charge of their own finances.”
Joe Plemon presents How to Successfully Budget For an Irregular Income posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “You CAN budget for an irregular income by following these five simple steps.”
Roshawn Watson presents Why Is Debt Really Decreasing? posted at Watson Inc, saying, “In the first quarter of 2008, our debt to disposable income peaked at a staggering 131%. This means for every dollar we earned, we spent $1.31. As of March, our debt as a share of our annual income is presently 122%. If you think this change indicates that we have collectively been so scarred by the “Great Recession” that we are now behaving fiscally responsible, think again. There is a surprising and sad reason why our debt has gone down. Hint, it has nothing to do with frugality.”
MoneyNing presents Money Mistakes That (Mostly) Women Make posted at Money Ning, saying, “Women are prone to make certain money mistakes more often than others.”
Mike @ Green Panda presents The $7.27 Mistake Plus Ways To Avoid It posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “How to make the most out of your money when going out.”
The Skilled Investor presents Save More posted at Personal Financial Strategy, saying, “Budgeting and self-control in consumption is far more important than clever investing. Expenditure control and budgeting works, while “clever” investing usually is counter-productive.”
Alex Foster presents 10 Reasons Why the Strength of the Dollar Matters posted at AF Capital Management, LLC, saying, “The pros and cons of a strong US Dollar.”
Financial Planning
Jason presents Do you have what it takes to be wealthy? posted at Live Real, Now, saying, “If you can’t handle being wealthy, should you even try?”
Sustainable Life Blog presents Prioritizing Goals? posted at Sustainable Life Blog, saying, “Wondering where to turn when starting to attack debt? Here’s a quick guide on how to help you prioritize your goals.”
freefrombroke presents What Is A Secured Credit Card? posted at Free From Broke, saying, “Sometimes the best way for a person to either build up or re-build their credit is t use a secured credit card. See what a secured credit card is and how it could benefit some people.”
Frank Knight presents Roth IRA ConversionFinancial Planning Software posted at My Financial Freedom Plan, saying, “Whether to invest in a Roth IRA or Roth 401k versus their traditional retirement account alternatives is one of the most complex personal financial decisions. Roth accounts do not make sense financially for most people. They are a good deal, for a minority, but you need to do the analysis.”
Susan Howe presents How to Replace Six Vital Documents posted at Get Rich Slowly, saying, “Here’s how to replace six of the most important documents in your life.”
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.
Ryan @ MFN presents What to Do With an Enlistment Bonus posted at The Military Wallet, saying, “What should you use a large cash bonus for? Pay down debt, invest, spend?”
jim presents Review Your Credit Reports Every Year posted at Identity Theft Wall.
Larry Russell presents Best No Load Mutual Funds posted at Best Index Mutual Funds, saying, “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
FMF presents How to Improve Your Chances of Getting a Mortgage posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Getting a home loan these days can be difficult — even for qualified buyers. This post gives some tips for improving your borrowing potential.”
Financing Education
Ryan @ CML presents Where to Open a Coverdell ESA Plan posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Coverdell ESAs are a college savings account that have great tax advantages. This info can help you find a great place to open your Coverdell ESA.”
mike presents 8 Things You Need to Know About Withdrawing Money From Your RESP Account posted at Mike, saying, “RESP withdrawal rules for Canadians.”
Income
MoneyNing presents 15 Ways to Earn Extra Money posted at Money Ning, saying, “There are lots of ways to make more money. Here are 15 to start you off.”
Investing
FMF presents Deciding When to Sell a Mutual Fund posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “One key to successful investing is knowing when to sell. This post tells how to determine this for mutual funds.”
Dividend Tree presents Dividend Investing and Businesses with Moat posted at Dividend Tree, saying, “In general, companies with moats in their business are very good dividend growth providers. However, the opposite may not be true.”
The Financial Blogger presents Best 50 Canadian Dividend Stocks posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “With the plethora of dividend stocks out there, here are the best 50 canadian dividend stock picks.”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Want To Day Trade? Try Paper Trading First posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks!”
Arjun Rudra presents Investing in small and micro cap value stocks with Matt Miller of Chanticleer Holdings posted at Investing Thesis, saying, “An interview with Matt Miller of Chanticleer Holdings. Matt helped launch Chanticleer Investors II, a value oriented fund, on January 1st 2007 and has served as co-portfolio manager of that entity since its inception. Matt’s top stock pick is a company called Eastern Insurance Holdings (EIHI:NASDAQ).”
Frank Knight presents Muni Bond Financial Software, posted at Best 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.”
Praveen presents Caveat Emptor: If An Investment or Opportunity Appears Too Good To Be True, Beware! posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Beware of investment opportunities that seem to be too good to be true.”
Tomas Escent presents Stock Trader Automation posted at Nerds on Wall Street
Dividends4Life presents 9 Stocks Raising The Dividend Growth Bar posted at Dividends Value, saying, “Have you ever noticed those that most vehemently attack a buy-and-hold strategy really don’t understand how the strategy works? They confuse a buy-and-hold strategy with day-trading with a longer duration. A true implementation of buy-and-hold includes a focus on blue-chip stocks with a sustainable advantage, along with a reasonable asset allocation framework. One sign of a blue-chip stock is a long string of dividend increases.”
The Skilled Investor presents Stock Market Timing posted at Personal Investment Management, saying, “Always stay invested to earn risk premiums. You must have your money invested and at risk to get risk premium returns. Jumping out and in or “timing the markets” doesn’t work.”
Mike Piper presents Hedge Fund Expenses: They’re Not Cheap posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “Even relatively low-cost hedge funds have expenses several times those of a good index fund.”
Frank Vertin presents Top Index Funds posted at Index Mutual Funds, saying, “Top ten no load index funds that track the Standard and Poors 500 composite index in terms of lowest costs.
Tushar Mathur presents Can’t Control the Markets? Try controlling the Costs posted at Everything Finance, saying, “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 may have left you feeling concerned over your financial future. You’re not alone.”
Managing Debt
Jeff Rose, CFP presents How to Make Corrections on Your Credit Report posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “You could be paying the consequences due to errors in your report!”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents No Credit Credit Cards: Are Prepaid or Secured Cards The Way To Go? posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “One way to build up credit is by using secured cards or prepaid debit cards.”
Big Cajun Man presents Found Money Trap posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Found money should go on debt no matter what!”
David presents Say No To Credit Card Debt With These 8 Tips | Credit Card Offers IQ posted at Credit Card Offers IQ, saying, “8 Tips to avoid credit card debt”
Learn Save Invest presents 5 Steps To Debt Reduction posted at Learn Save Invest, saying, “Here are 5 tips you need to master in order to reduce your debts.”
Aaron presents Do people really use prepaid credit cards? They Sure Do! posted at Prepaidcards123.
The Smarter Wallet presents Are Debt Counseling Services The Way To Debt Relief? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “On debt counseling services.”
Tim Chen presents What is the Best Gas Credit Card? (We Compare 26 of them) posted at NerdWallet Blog – Credit Card Watch, saying, “What is the best gas credit card? The answer is not black and white. While it may be tempting to just pick the card with the highest listed reward rate, there are other things to consider first.”
Miscellaneous
Jeff Rose, CFP presents 4 Common Places Where College Graduates Can Store Their Money posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “You graduated from college, networked your way to your current job, and now you’re looking for a few places to safely store your money.”
Pasadena Financial Planner presents Vanguard’s Investment Performance posted at Top Mutual Funds, saying, “Compares Vanguard’s actively managed mutual funds and Vanguard’s passively managed index mutual funds. Vanguard investors should read and understand this study.”
nissim ziv presents What Do You Know About Our Company? How To Research A Company For A Job Interview posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “One of the simplest questions during an interview is whether you know anything about the company. This article provides tips on: When should you start researching about the company, Where to find information about a particular organization/company and How to answer the question: “what do you know about our company?””
Mike @ Green Panda presents Stop Waiting For The Big Idea posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “Just thinking about the next big thing might just be a complete waste of time. Take that step towards your goals.”
Big Cajun Man presents Trust Only in Fire posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “What is the best way to dispose of sensitive material at home?”
Joe Plemon presents This Family Paid Cash For Their Car; You Can Too! posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “A story about some friends who are excited about paying cash for their car. Turns out they are doing lots of things right.”
Retirement Planning
Jeff Rose, CFP presents 401k Tips Right Before You Retire posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “It is very important to take the necessary steps to protect your retirement savings and ensure they are used as intended.”
Jules Wells presents Retirement Planning Calculator-Retirement Savings Software, posted at Retirement Income Planning, 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.”
Super Saver presents Don’t Count on Housing for Building Wealth posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “The appreciation of home values is expected to be significantly lower.”
Larry Russell presents Roth IRA Conversion posted at Personal Financial Planning Software, saying, “Trying to decide about a traditional IRA to Roth IRA conversion without first having a comprehensive lifetime financial plan in place makes absolutely no sense. Without such a plan, you cannot figure out whether or not you are likely to achieve the tax savings in retirement that would warrant paying higher taxes now.”
Jeff Rose, CFP presents Rules for Borrowing Against Your 401k posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “When you borrow from a 401k plan, you end up repaying yourself, plus interest – but it’s not quite as simple as that sounds.”
Risk Management and Insurance
Big Cajun Man presents Self Insured Company Disability Plans posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Sometimes insurance is not as safe as you might think (in Canada at least)”
Savings
FIRE Getters presents Save Your Wallet With These Penny Hacks posted at FIRE Finance, saying, “Every couple of months our wallets wear out due to the stress of bulging coins on the soft leather. Often the cost of replacing a wallet varies from $10 to $25. We’re wondering about ways to optimize this expense. One possible solution is to increase the life of the wallet. Another one is to do away with the use of a wallet!”
Ryan @ MFN presents Military Savings Deposit Program (SDP) posted at The Military Wallet, saying, “The Savings Deposit Program is a government sponsored savings account that guarantees 10% return on interest for deployed military members.”
Super Saver presents A Simple Way to Build Wealth posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “One of my favorite personal finance principles is ‘Pay yourself first.’”
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”
Wise Bread presents Best Money Tips: 7 Worthless Excuses for Not Saving posted at Wisebread.
Taxes
Madison DuPaix presents 2011 Tax Calculator for Income Tax Planning posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “Get a head start on your 2011 taxes with this tax calculator.”
Intelligent Speculator presents Please do not let the Bush tax cuts expire posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “It may be easier to take the popular position and have the Bush tax cuts expire, but I personally think otherwise.”
David de Souza presents Landlords: 3 Ways To Reduce Your Tax Bill posted at UK Tax Blog, saying, “Guide to three ways that landlords can reduce the tax they pay on their rental income”
Financial Freedom presents Roth IRAFinancial Software, posted at Financial Freedom, saying, “The Roth tax optimization puzzle for asset conversions, as well as for annual Roth contributions during working years, is one of the most complex decisions that the ridiculously complex US taxation and retirement planning system forces upon individuals.”
Ken presents Hope Credit: Who can still use this educational tax credit? posted at Spruce Up Your Finances, saying, “With the introduction of the American Opportunity Credit, the Hope credit faded away since it offers less benefit. However, the Hope Credit yields a higher benefit if you are part of this group. The article also discusses the test that you need to meet to qualify, what expenses you can deduct, what you can’t deduct and how to calculate the credit.”
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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