Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning - Edition #135 - April 2, 2010
Welcome to the April 2, 2010 Edition #135 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
PeakPersonalFinance presents Payment Priorities: Making Your Mortgage Payment First posted at Peak Personal Finance, saying, “Here’s why your mortgage should be budgeted as your first priority.”
2 Cents presents Emergency Fund FAQ posted at Balance Junkie, saying, “This article covers everything you ever wanted to know about emergency funds from how much to save to where to keep it.”
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.”
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 How to Save Money posted at Financial Decision Rules, saying, “The most dominant determinants of your long-term financial well-being are how much you earn, spend, budget, and save. 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.”
Tisha Dotson presents The Psychology of Spending Money: 25 Tricks You Need to Know posted at Career Overview.
Economics
The Financial Blogger presents Why The Loonie Is As Strong As a Bear ? posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “It’s been more than a year that our Canadian Loonie has been beating on the greenback and we have now reached the moment when most economists predictions will become reality: the elusive state of parity between the Canadian and US dollar.”
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
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.”
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.”
Financial Planning
jim presents How Long Should I Keep Financial Documents? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Chris Van presents 5 steps to economic survival posted at The Economic Survivor, saying, “To be an economic survivor, it helps if you are prepared before the crisis occurs. As the old saying goes, “hope for the best but plan for the worst.”
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!”
jim presents Roth and Traditional IRA Contribution Limits posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
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.”
Frank Knight presents Roth IRAsFinancial 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.”
Nigel Savers presents Portfolio Asset AllocationComprehensive Financial Plan, posted at Pasadena Financial Planner saying, “Diversification means that the specific risks of businesses and other investment entities can be eliminated from a portfolio without reducing expected returns. You should diversify your investments completely and globally – now and always.”
Larry Russell presents Mutual Fund Loads posted at Top 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
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
Praveen presents Will Education Follow the Housing Bust? posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Tips for students to avoid excessive loans and debt”
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!”
The Smarter Wallet presents A 529 College Savings Plan As A Child’s Gift posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thoughts on financing a child’s education.”
Health Care
Madison DuPaix presents Health Care Reform Bill Summary, Taxes, and Fines posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “The health care bill focusing on the taxes and fines included.”
Craig Ford presents When Should You Increase Insurance Deductibles? posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “This post shows how people could cut insurance rates by increasing their deductible.”
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 Three Rules of Networking posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “One way to increase your income is to have a good network to give you leads, help with job changes, and so on. This post lists three good ways to develop and grow a network.”
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Passive Income – How to Supplement Your Retirement posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “There are a ton of benefits that you can get from building passive income streams, which include saving for retirement.”
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.”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Make Money Blogging: Top Bloggers And How Much They Earn posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Blogging is one way people earn a side income. It can actually be a fruitful venture for some!”
Investing
FMF presents Don’t Invest Too Much in Your Company’s Stock posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “One of the golden rules of investing: do not put too much money into the stock of your employer.”
Arjun Rudra presents What You Need To Know About Technical Analysis with Chartered Market Technician Cory Mitchell posted at Investing Thesis.
Marc Ryan presents Rules of thumb,checklists and investors- an overview - IndependentInvestor.info posted at IndependentInvestor.info, saying, “The financial industry would have you believe that investing is far too complicated to be left in the hands of the small investor. We beg to differ. This is not to say that you shouldn’t use all the help you can find. In the first of a series of commentaries, we look at a subject so mundane many view it with derision. Yet, rules of thumb and checklists can make the difference for many investors between i) throwing up their hands in disgust (investing is so complicated and time consuming!) and deciding to rely on others for their financial well-being, and ii) empowering themselves to chart a do-it-yourself approach to investing. Can rules of thumb and checklists really make such a difference? Read on.”
Zach Scheidt presents Healthcare Issue With Robust Growth posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) is a strong growth company in an industry filled with skepticism. I expect growth to remain robust with the potential for ISRG to surprise analysts who appear overly conservative.”
ABC presents Short Selling Stocks posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A brief explanation of short selling stocks.”
Zach Scheidt presents Employment Issues Trigger “Backsourcing” posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Outsourcing Employment is becoming less of a competitive advantage for US based business. Stimulus programs to encourage employment is prompting “backsourcing” Here are some short candidates that will fall because of the trend”
BeaBu presents SEC 13F Holdings Report: How to Make George Soros Tell You about His Latest Investments posted at BeaBu.com, saying, “Most people who are trying to actively manage own investments would love to see into the brains of today’s trading superstars like George Soros or Warren Buffett – or at least into their portfolios. The SEC 13F holdings reports makes exactly this possible, with some limitations addressed in the article. Detailed advice on how to get the report and how to best use it (as well as how not to use it) is also provided.”
Dividends4Life presents 8 Dividend Stocks Avoiding the Cash Trap posted at Dividends Value, saying, “BCG’s research indicates that buybacks do not change investors’ estimates for long-term earnings-per-share growth, or induce them to accord a company a higher valuation multiple. By contrast, it says, dividend growth has a far more positive long-term impact.”
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.”
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.”
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”
Praveen presents Omnivision Technologies (OVTI) posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Discussion of OVTI stock”
Frank Knight presents Municipal Bond Returns Financial Planning Software, posted at Personal Finance 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.”
The Skilled Investor presents Stock Market Timing posted at Personal Investment Management, saying, “Stay invested always in the securities markets 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. Professionals and amateurs are both really lousy at market timing.”
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.”
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.”
Mike Piper presents Tactical Asset Allocation: Adjusting Based on Valuations posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “An explanation of an alternative method to determine your asset allocaton.”
Managing Debt
Jeff Rose presents What Happens if You File Your Bankruptcy posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “However, even if you feel that bankruptcy is the only way out for you, it is important to carefully consider your options, since a bankruptcy has far-reaching effects on your financial history.”
Michael Pruser presents How to Establish Credit After Bankruptcy posted at The Dough Roller.
Big Cajun Man presents Do You Have a Financial GPS? posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Do you need a financial GPS?”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Best 0% APR Credit Card Offers posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks!”
The Smarter Wallet presents Discover Credit Card Review: Get Cash Back From Discover posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “A look at Discover and its rewards credit cards.”
Miscellaneous
Pasadena Financial Planner presents Mutual Fund 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.”
Retirement Planning
Consumer Boomer presents What Are Your Options With Your 401k if You Lose Your Job? posted at Consumer Boomer.
PT Money presents Are You a Member of the Club? Roth IRA Qualifications posted at Prime Time Money.
Super Saver presents Top Three Things to Like about (Early) Retirement posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Even with the economic crisis of 08-09, I have no regrets about retiring early in 2007. Here are my top three “likes.”"
Abigail Perry presents Retirement? That’s soooo 20th century! posted at I Pick Up Pennies, saying, “Despite being a relatively new invention, retirement is something most of us assume we’ll get to have. But has the recession changed all that?”
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?”
Jules Wells presents Retirement Savings Calculator-Retirement Planning Software, posted at Fee-only Financial 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.”
Larry Russell presents Evaluating Roth IRA Conversions posted at Best 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.”
Consumer Boomer presents Roth IRA Conversion Tax Rules posted at Consumer Boomer.
Risk Management and Insurance
Jeff Rose presents Long Term Care Insurance Quotes: How Much Do You Need? posted at Jeff Rose.
Consumer Boomer presents SR22 Auto Insurance Policy posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “Once you file a SR-22 auto insurance form your insurance company will either cancel you, or double, or maybe even triple your rates! Without the insurance you can’t get your driving privileges back.”
Savings
MoneyNing presents Are You Tired of Being Frugal? posted at Money Ning, saying, “Frugality, like everything else, really gets easier with time.”
Joe Plemon presents Five Reasons Why a Penny Saved is Better Than a Penny Earned posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “With apologies to Benjamin Franklin, a penny saved is actually better than a penny earned.”
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”
Austin Morgan presents Book Review: Biography of the Dollar posted at Foreigners Finances, saying, “A review of a book that’ll change your opinion on the dollars sitting in your bank account. A great look at what the future could hold for our money, and how to plan ahead to stay ahead.”
Taxes
Darwin presents What’s wrong With THIS Health Care Reform posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “With this “historic” health care bill passed, it’s important to cut through the contrived numbers and gimmicks and understand exactly what’s in the bill and why it is so problematic.”
David de Souza presents Tax Return Blog - Who thought taxes could be interesting? posted at UK Tax Blog, saying, “If you are an overseas student or if you ever have been, this blog post provides some tips on how to claim a tax rebate if you worked while studying.”
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.”
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.”
Financial Freedom Plan presents Roth IRA Conversion CalculatorPersonal Finance Software, posted at My Financial Freedom Plan, 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. ”
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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