Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning - Edition #129 - February 19, 2010
Welcome to the February 19, 2010 Edition #129 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
oneadvice presents Credit Crunch Spending Ideas to Keep posted at One Advice, saying, “The credit crunch is over, or so we are led to believe! But don’t let your frugal skills go out of the window just yet. Here are some credit crunch spending ideas you should keep…”
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.”
Economics
LeanLifeCoach presents Why The GDP Needs A Makeover posted at Eliminate The Muda!, saying, “So what are the alternatives to the GDP? What should we really be measuring? I would argue that the quality, sustainability, and length of a human life should be what we measure, not how many tickle me Elmos or coal plants we produce.”
Estate Planning
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
FlBlogger presents Josh’s 10 Year Financial Plan posted at 20s Money, saying, “An example of an excellent and detailed ten year financial plan.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
FMF presents Problems with Traditional Financial Planning posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “What’s wrong with much financial planning these days.”
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.”
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.”
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!”
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.”
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.”
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
ABC presents How Do I Set Up a 529 College Savings Plan? posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “Instructions on how to set up a 529 college education plan.”
Praveen presents Will Education Follow the Housing Bust? posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Tips for students to avoid excessive loans and debt”
Jeff Rose presents What’s the Differences between Coverdell Education Savings Accounts vs. 529 College Savings Plans? posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “ESA’s (formerly known as the Education IRA) had been a popular planning tool for college up until the creation of the 529 plan and I very seldom ever come across them.”
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
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.”
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.”
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.”
Investing
Dan presents 16 New Proshares 3X Return ETFs Coming posted at ETF Base, saying, “A review of several new 300% daily return leveraged ETFs coming to market.”
Sun presents It Could Be Time To Jump On The Buffett Bandwagon posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.
The Financial Blogger presents 2010 RRSP Contribution Limits, RRSP Contribution Deadline and other RRSP FAQs posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “I guess you will probably meet with your financial advisor for your 2010 RRSP contribution in the upcoming weeks. So I thought of gathering a few RRSP facts and FAQs:”
Dividend Growth Investor presents Unilever (UL) Dividend Stock Analysis posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, “Unilever PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the production and supply of fast moving consumer goods in food, home, and personal care product categories in Western Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe. This international dividend achiever has raised dividends for over one decade.”
Dividends4Life presents 20 Dividend Stocks Riding The Tsunami Of Dividend Increases posted at Dividends Value, saying, “What a difference a year makes. This time last year we were looking at big-name dividend cuts and very few increases. Last week’s 16 increases set the stage for this week’s flood of companies, large and small, raising cash dividends paid to their shareholders.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
jim presents The S&P500 Dividend Aristocrats posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
ABC presents What Are Money Market Mutual Funds posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A brief explanation of money market mutual funds.”
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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
Mike Piper presents Index Funds: Are They Really Passive Investing? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “Index funds are known as a passive investment vehicle, but can you really “set and forget” with them?”
Managing Debt
The Dough Roller presents What Credit Score do You Need to Buy a Home? posted at The Dough Roller.
David presents » Spend Analyzer by Discover Card–A Free Money Management Tool posted at Credit Card Offers IQ.
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.”
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.”
Big Cajun Man presents Do You Have a Financial GPS? posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Do you need a financial GPS?”
Keith Morris presents Fine Print: Understanding a Credit Card Offer posted at LifeTuner, saying, “Just because Congress passed a law that is aimed to help consumers avoid getting ripped off by credit card companies, doesn’t mean they aren’t going to try.”
Miscellaneous
nissim ziv presents Resume Writing Examples posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “Writing a resume that summarizes effectively experience, skills and competencies is challenging for many people. A professional resume serves as your first impression on a prospective employer.”
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?”
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.”
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.”
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.”
FIRE Getters presents Knock Out Your Financial Problems Like Rocky posted at FIRE Finance, saying, “One befitting story which is an uplifting example for those of us struggling with financial problems is that of Sylvester Stallone. His perseverance and courage is heart rending and has always inspired us to the core of our beings.”
Retirement Planning
Consumer Boomer presents How to Rollover Your 401k Into a Roth IRA posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “Before 2010, it was much more difficult to rollover your 401k into a Roth IRA.”
RJ Weiss presents Roth IRA Contribution Deadline for 2009 posted at Genyweath.com, saying, “Did you know that you can still contribute to a Roth IRA for 2009, even though the year has already passed?”
Joe Plemon presents Retirement Funds Tanked? Time to Redefine Your Retirement. posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “When your retirement nest egg isn’t what you hoped for, don’t despair. It is time to redefine your retirement.”
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Avoid The Financial Trap Of A Reverse Mortgage - Canadian Finance Blog posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “A reverse mortgage is a product that allows you to borrow a lump sum amount based on your house value.”
Ray @ Financial Highway presents RRSP Deadline – Limits & Options posted at Financial Highway, saying, “Reminder of to contribute to your retirement plans and last minute tips and tricks.”
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Excess Roth IRA Contributions posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Contributing too much to your Roth IRA may subject you to 6% penalty tax. Find out what you need to do to correct over contributions.”
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.”
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.”
Patrick @ Military Money presents Why Military Members Should Open Roth IRAs posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “Military members have 3 distinct advantages when opening Roth IRAs, including possible tax free contributions, time extensions to contribute, and low current tax brackets.”
Risk Management and Insurance
Consumer Boomer presents Term Life Life Insurance is Cheap to Buy posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “Term life insurance coverage is cheap these days. Make sure you don’t pay too much.”
Jeff Rose presents How to Buy Affordable Term Life Insurance posted at Jeff Rose.
Consumer Boomer presents Should You Annuitize with an Immediate Annuity? posted at Consumer Boomer.
Jeff Rose presents Do You Need a Long Term Disability Income Insurance Policy? posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “In my earlier working years, I wasn’t complete sold on disability income insurance.”
Savings
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”
jim presents Best Free Checking Accounts posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Taxes
Darwin presents Winners and Losers Under Obama’s New Tax Plan posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “A detailed review of winners and losers under the Obama tax plan for 2010 and beyond.”
ABC presents Should You Prepare Your Tax Return By Hand Or Use Tax Software? posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “Is it better to prepare taxes by hand or use tax software?”
Four Pillars presents Income Tax Changes to Be Aware of On Your 2009 Return posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “New tax deductions and changes for your 2009 return.”
Four Pillars presents Should I E-File My Taxes Or Mail Them? posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Is it safer to e-file taxes or mail them?”
Peak Personal Finance presents Advantage of Having a Tax Professional Do Your Taxes posted at Peak Personal Finance, saying, “Sometimes it pays to hire a professional.”
MDP presents When is the Tax Deadline? posted at My Dollar Plan.
ABC presents Income Tax Brackets And Marginal Tax Rates for 2010 posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “Complete list of income tax brackets and marginal tax rates.”
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.”
Super Saver presents Six Reasons to Consider Consulting a Tax Advisor posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Although I believe many people are able to do their own tax returns correctly, I think there are six situations when it may be worth consulting a tax advisor, because of the complexity of interpreting the tax laws.”
David de Souza presents Tax Rebate Forms ? Tips and Advice posted at UK Tax Blog, saying, “Some tips and advice for when you complete your tax rebate forms this year.”
MDP presents Do You Have to Repay the Making Work Pay Tax Credit? posted at My Dollar Plan.
Four Pillars presents How To Organize Your Tax Paperwork posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Some suggestions for organizing your tax paperwork”
jim presents How Does the IRS Pick Tax Returns to Audit? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
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.”
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.”
Four Pillars presents Income Tax Software – Desktop Version Versus Online Version posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Comparison between filing taxes with online version vs desktop version.”
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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Tags: budgeting, economics, estate planning, financial planning, financing education, income, insurance, investing, managing debt, personal finance advice, personal finance blogs, retirement planning, risk management, taxes
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