Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning - Edition #126 - January 29, 2010
Welcome to the January 29, 2010 Edition #126 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
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.”
Lovelymary presents 100 Extreme Ways to Save Serious Money posted at Accounting Degree.com.
JL 4 Media presents 10 Things You Buy Now and Pay Later posted at Live Life to the Fullest, saying, ““Buy now pay later” highly encourage consumers to satisfy their wants NOW, whether they need it or not. “Buy now pay later” lure people to acquire their wants as easy as swiping their shining cards.”
Economics
Joshua Dorkin presents Imprudent Use of Leverage: A Contrarian Opinion posted at Real Estate Investing For Real, saying, “Contrarians zig while other investors zag. They hold to the belief that most people receive news too late and act irrationally. This contrarian thinks now is a great time to buy real estate.”
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
Jeff Rose presents Unforeseen Consequences of the Roth IRA Conversion posted at Jeff Rose.
Evolution Of Wealth presents Are You Happy? posted at Evolution of Wealth, saying, “People get so caught up in numbers that they think if they can just change the number it will fix their problem. When in fact a problem can only be fixed at it’s root, at it’s cause. You must dig down to the cause of the problem to fix it. This begins with mentality.”
Ray @ Financial Highway presents 7 Money Lessons From Monopoly posted at Financial Highway, saying, “Monopoly is not only a fun game, but also a very educational one. Sharing 7 money lessons I learned from monopoly and many other lessons my twitter followers learned.”
Curt presents What is the Likelihood of Hyperinflation in 2010, 2011 or 2012? Part 3: How to Break the Cycle before Getting to Hyperinflation posted at PennyJobs.com.
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.”
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!”
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.”
Financing a Home
James Staine presents New FHA Rules! (how does this effect Portland?) posted at Oregon Mortgage Blog, saying, “Federal Housing Administration is planning to introduce new rules by increasing its cash position and lower its risk profile for about a year. This increase will affect the down payment, as the first payment amount changed by FHA would increase from 3.5% to 5% down. This increase will affect the down payment, as the first payment amount changed by FHA.”
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.”
Leslie Brown presents Time For A Real Estate ETF? posted at ETFdb.
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
Praveen presents Will Education Follow the Housing Bust? posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Tips for students to avoid excessive loans and debt”
FMF presents Revisiting the Value of a College Degree posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Is a college degree worth the cost? It is if you do it correctly.”
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.”
Faithe Jamse presents 17 Healthcare Trends that Are Actually Bad for Us posted at Masters in Health Care, saying, “Computerization, recession issues, the digital divide and even the price of gas all affect people and their health care. This list of seventeen healthcare trends and why they might be bad for us shows that some issues might be debatable.”
Income
FMF presents Three Easiest Ways to Earn More Money posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Here are the three best ways you can add some extra money to your pocket.”
Jeff Rose presents FDIC Coverage Limit Expiration Extended Through 2013 posted at Jeff Rose.
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.”
Investing
Craig Ford presents Should I Pay Off My Mortgage or Invest? posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “Evaluates the benefits of paying off a home instead of investing.”
ABC presents What Are Money Market Mutual Funds posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A brief explanation of money market mutual funds.”
Darwin presents Business Development Companies – Excellent Overlooked Investment Strategy posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “If you haven’t heard of Business Development Companies, this article highlights some of the opportunities and risks associated with these high yield investments.”
Consumer Boomer presents Dollar Cost Average Your Way to a Successful Retirement posted at Consumer Boomer.
jim presents The S&P500 Dividend Aristocrats posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Sam presents Investing in Gold posted at Surfer Sam and Friends, saying, “Gold is a precious metal found underground around the world. Gold is considered by many as a store of value and a safe haven for wealth in economic crisis. One of gold’s important properties is psychological, because it is so closely associated with money. All the gold that has ever been mined would hardly fill a cube with the length, width and height of a tennis court. The total gold production of all time totals about 140,000 tons.”
The Financial Blogger presents Note to Myself: Key Points to Investing During a Bear Market Part1: Remember High Yield Bonds posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “This is what I am doing with the recent market crunch of 2008. Some people generated amazing returns by taking little risk. Here’s how they did it.”
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.”
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.”
youngandthrifty presents Tax Free Trading Account (a souped up TFSA) posted at youngandthrifty.ca, saying, “About Tax Free Trading Accounts (TFSA’s earn you a measly 1-3% but the options are less limited with TFTA’s). TFTA’s is like the “opposite” of RRSP’s in Canada.”
20smoney presents Long Term Outlook For Wal-Mart Is Excellent posted at 20s Money, saying, “A look at the long term potential of investing in Wal-Mart stock (WMT)”
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.”
jim presents Your Take: How Do You Evaluate Brokers? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Darwin presents Darwin’s Inverse Leveraged Short ETF Strategy – Incredible Results Outlined posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “Astounding new strategy that changed the face of investment for me forever. Come see how I achieved double digit gains in any market by shorting leveraged ETF pairs and exploiting value decay due to daily rebalancing.”
Dividends4Life presents 13 Dividend Stocks With A Great Attribute posted at Dividends Value, saying, “I couldn’t begin to estimate how many different stocks are traded around the world. There are many participants, but few players. Though the population of stocks may be large, there are only a precious few that are worthy dividend stocks.”
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.”
Mike Piper presents Lending Club Risks and Costs posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “A read through Lending Club’s prospectus and accompanying disclosures suggests that it’s somewhat higher risk than many investors seem to think.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Managing Debt
MoneyNing presents 0% Credit Card Basics - The Difference Between 0% Purchase and 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at Money Ning, saying, “Know the difference between the two 0% credit cards so you know which card to choose for maximum benefit.”
The Smarter Wallet presents How 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards Can Save You Money posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “How balance transfer cards can save you money if used appropriately!”
David presents American Express Preferred Rewards vs. Premier Rewards Gold Card posted at Credit Card Offers IQ.
Miscellaneous
Jeff Rose presents Why You Should Check Your Credit Report Regularly posted at Jeff Rose.
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.”
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.”
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents New Year’s Resolutions For Your Personal Finances posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “While we all hope to have our personal finances in order all year long, a new year can give us a fresh start to change some of the areas that need improvement.”
Roshawn Watson presents Americans Have Loss Financial Hope posted at Watson Inc, saying, “A recent study highlights how Americans have loss hope for getting rich”
Retirement Planning
ABC presents Roth IRA Contribution Limits For 2010 posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “2010 Roth IRA contribution limits.”
FMF presents Six Mistakes to Avoid When Converting to a Roth IRA posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “In 2010 high income earners can convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. But they need to be sure and avoid these mistakes.”
Super Saver presents Roth IRA: To Convert or Not to Convert posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Since anybody will be able to convert funds from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, in 2010, a question is whether is it makes financial sense to do a conversion or not.”
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.”
Jeff Rose presents Required Minimum Distributions Resume for 2010 posted at Jeff Rose.
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 Time to Review Your Life Insurance posted at Consumer Boomer.
The Dough Roller presents How to Instantly Compare Auto Inurance Quotes Online posted at The Dough Roller.
Patrick @ Military Money presents COBRA Benefits 2009 Economic Stimulus Recovery Act posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “The 2009 Economic Stimulus Plan includes additional COBRA and unemployment benefits.”
Savings
FMF presents What Makes You Think You Can Do Your Own Taxes? posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Are you leaving money on the table by doing your own taxes?”
MDP presents Savings: Starting from Scratch posted at My Dollar Plan.
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Ally Bank (GMAC Bank) Review posted at The Digerati Life.
MoneyNing presents How to Deal with Frugal Naysayers posted at Money Ning, saying, “There’s a better way to deal with all the naysayers.”
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”
jim presents Consider Moving Your Money to Local Banks posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
The Smarter Wallet presents Top Online Savings Accounts For Savvy Savers posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “On online savings accounts.”
FIRE Getters presents A Simple Budget That Works? posted at FIRE Finance.
Taxes
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Do You Need An Accountant? posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Do you need to use a tax professional for filing your taxes? A tax professional not only offers expert tax advice, but can do the job more quickly and accurately than you can.”
Four Pillars presents 2010 Income Tax Deadline for 2009 Taxes posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Income tax deadline for this year.”
Ben presents TurboTax Software vs Manual Income Tax Returns posted at Money Smart Life.
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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Comment by Ben
1 January 28, o'clock |
Thanks for including the article on tax software vs manual tax prep!
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