Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #143 – May 28, 2010
Welcome to the May 28, 2010 Edition #143 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
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 to 2008.”
The Financial Blogger presents May Net Worth Update (+13.5%!!!!) posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “with the recent sale of GLBL and the sale of our home, I am starting May with a big jump in terms of net worth.”
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.”
June Tree presents Clever Budgeting Strategies – Streamline Your Budget And Stay On Target! posted at TDL Budgeting, saying, “Some great tips on budgeting. How to streamline your budget effectively.”
The Skilled Investor presents Save More Money posted at Personal Finance 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.”
The Financial Blogger presents Why The Loonie Is As Strong as a Bear? posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “It has 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.”
Estate Planning
LeanLifeCoach presents Financial Intervention With Aging Parents posted at Eliminate The Muda!, saying, “While most of us are focused on our own retirements, we may want to take a moment to consider that of our parents.”
Jeff Rose, CFP presents How To Select a Guardian for Your Children posted at Jeff Rose.
Financial Planning
FMF presents The Eight Money Ratios, Part 4 posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “These money ratios can help you determine whether or not you’re on track financially.”
Roshawn Watson presents Through the Looking Glass posted at Watson Inc, saying, “Do you really believe in a world of financial abundance? Could you ever have too much money? Could you ever even conceive of summering in the Hamptons for $35,000 per night? Pregnant in your answer is a revelation of your core belief system regarding money”
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.”
jim presents How Long Should I Keep Financial Documents? posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity
Susan Howe presents The Business of Marriage: Five Things You Should Do Before Tying the Knot posted at Get Rich Slowly, saying, “Whether you choose to go all in like we did or hold onto your independence, you live with your spouse’s spending choices — for good or ill. And while research suggests money isn’t as responsible for divorce as many experts believe, it can certainly sour goodwill in a relationship. The really dangerous part is to pretend marriage that marriage has nothing to do with money. And in order to set a good financial foundation for your future, here are five things you should do before you get married.”
Everything Finance presents Guide to Retirement Planning posted at Everything Finance.
BIFS presents Suggested Questions for the Always Broke posted at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, saying, “Questions for anybody needing to get on a personal finance track.”
Frank Knight presents Roth IRAFinancial Software posted at 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.”
Roshawn Watson presents A Secret Weapon To Your Financial Plan posted at Watson Inc, saying, “Personal finances become personal when you realize that your finances affect so many other areas of your family lives, such as your health, your education, your safety, and your relationships. No wonder why Solomon proclaimed, “money answereth all things.”"
Larry Russell presents No Load Mutual Funds posted at Top 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
Ryan @ MFN presents How to Apply for a VA Loan posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “A VA Loan is a great way to finance a home, but there are several steps you need to take before you can qualify for and obtain a VA Loan.”
Craig Ford presents How To Pay Off A Mortgage Early posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “Tips for paying off your mortgage early.”
Financing Education
Ryan @ MFN presents History of the GI Bill posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “A brief history of the GI Bill, one of the best ways for military veterans to pay for college.”
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!”
Health Care
Joe Plemon presents The New Health Care Bill: A Prescription for Diminished Health Care posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Yes, the health care bill passed. I predict the long term consequences will be poorer health care.”
Income
Joe Plemon presents My House Flipping Experience: The Bid posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “My son approached me with the idea of partnering in a house flip. This post is the first of a chronicled adventure series.”
Mike @ Green Panda presents 10 Promising Sectors for the Next Decade posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “Choosing your career at the age of 20 is not an easy thing.Which jobs will be paid well by employers for the next 10 years? Here are my top ten picks (in no particular order) of the best sectors”
jim presents Dividend Champions posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Investing
FMF presents Should You “Sell in May and Stay Away”? posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Is this a useful guideline to use when investing?”
2 Cents presents Modern Portfolio Theory: Fact or Fiction? posted at Balance Junkie, saying, “This article looks at whether or not Modern Portfolio Theory is still relevant in today’s markets.”
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 Lichello’s AIM System posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “A look at Robert Lichello’s AIM stock investing system, which was popular in the 1970′s and then went out of style.”
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.”
Consumer Boomer presents How to Invest When Interest Rates Expected to Rise posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “What goes down, must come up-eventually. Short term interest rates have been at historic lows for quite sometime, so it is expected that rates should go up soon.”
Sun presents Vanguard Now Offers Commission Free Vanguard ETFs posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.
LearnSaveInvest presents Investing Advice For Regular People posted at Learn Save Invest, saying, “Many regular investors fall into the same traps over and over. Here is a list of traps to avoid, and how you can profit on your investments making good choices.”
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.”
Mike @ Green Panda presents Asset Allocation Basis Part 1: Know Your Asset Classes posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “You want to learn how to manage your asset allocation properly? You first need to know which kind of asset classes you can invest in! Today, I will first review the major asset class categories and in a second post, I will subdivide each of them, but let us just start with a definition of asset class and asset allocation:”
Frank Knight presents Municipal Bond Financial 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.”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents OptionsHouse Review: Low Commission Broker posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “A review of a top stock broker.”
PT presents The Best Online Stock Brokers For Cheap Stock Trading posted at Prime Time Money, saying, “Get started investing without paying a bunch of trading fees. Read the reviews of the best online brokers.”
marc ryan presents Saving and investing for retirement- some rules of thumb – IndependentInvestor.info posted at IndependentInvestor.info, saying, “In this commentary, we bring together a few rules of thumb governing three closely related subjects: the proper allocation of your investments; the worst not enough investing mistakes (not saving enough, not growing your money fast enough, and not diversifying enough), and how much do you need to retire comfortably. In a subsequent commentary, we look at how to align your investments and spending post-retirement. prete4nce guerilla”
Frank Vertin presents Top Index Funds posted at Noload Mutual Fund, saying, “Top ten no load index funds that track the Standard and Poors 500 composite index in terms of lowest costs.”
Praveen presents Three Good Stocks Made More Attractive By The Recent Market Activity posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Three stock picks made more attractive by the recent market drop.”
Zach Scheidt presents Solar Selloff Close To Exhaustion? posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Solar stocks are off sharply due to Euro-Zone concerns. Trina Solar could end up being an exceptional value if earnings remain somewhat stable and management is able to calm investor fears.”
The Skilled Investor presents Market Timing posted at Investment Portfolio 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.”
Dividend Growth Investor presents Dividend Payback from six quality dividend stocks posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, “Dividends have traditionally been more stable than capital gain returns. Stock prices are volatile, and it would not be unheard of experiencing 40% losses in one year, which is then followed by 30% gains in the following year. That’s why many retirees these days are building their retirement income strategies exclusively off of dividend stocks.”
Tomas Escent presents Stock Trading Automation posted at Nerds on Wall Street
Dividends4Life presents 13 Dividend Stocks Raising Their Payouts And Yields posted at Dividends Value, saying, “In a down-market when many people are rushing to buy gold, I take comfort that I already have mine. No, not that kind, but something much better! A growing stream of dividend income from solid companies. While everyone else is panicked about their portfolio’s decline, I see a downturn as an incredible buying opportunity.”
Mike Piper presents Roth IRA Rules and Information posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “An attempt to make a comprehensive Roth IRA resource with everything from contribution limits to conversion rules to withdrawal rules.”
Zach Scheidt presents Express IPO Looks Good for a Bounce posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Express Inc. (EXPR) has traded down since its IPO earlier this month. The company is still primarily owned by a private equity firm who has a vested interest in making sure the stock price is stabilized.”
Managing Debt
Jeff Rose, CFP presents Can I Lower the Interest Rate on My Credit Card? posted at Jeff Rose.
The Smarter Wallet presents Are Debt Counseling Services The Way To Debt Relief? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “On debt counseling services.”
Joe Plemon presents How Minimum Credit Card Payments Will Keep You in Debt Forever posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “”Diabolical” is a good word to describe the credit card minimum payment scheme. This post explains why.”
Big Cajun Man presents Do You Have a Financial GPS? posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “Do you need a financial GPS?”
LearnSaveInvest presents Pay Off Credit Card Debt Fast posted at Learn Save Invest, saying, “Credit card debt is hard to pay off fast. Here are 5 tips that will help you slash your credit card debt, and be debt free from now on.”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Best Student Credit Cards For College Students posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “I looked at the top credit cards that were geared towards students.”
Miscellaneous
Ryan @ CML presents How to Sell Your Car on Craigslist posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Tips on how to quickly and easily list and sell your car on Craigslist.”
Super Saver presents Signs of a Short Layoff posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Here are some of the signs that the layoff may be short.”
Joe Plemon presents How to Ensure That You Will Never Be a Millionaire: Eight Great Tips posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “A satirical look at those who want to avoid wealth.”
nissim ziv presents Why do you want to work for this Company? posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “It appears that many companies – big companies, startup companies and even schools and institutes keep asking this question during an interview. What does the employer want to know by asking this question?”
Pasadena Financial Planner presents Vanguard Investment Performance posted at Top Mutual Fund, 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
Madison DuPaix presents Take Advantage of Retirement Catch-Up Contributions posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “This is a great article on the importance of maxing out catch-up contributions. It shows what a difference they can make!”
MoneyNing presents Before Your Roth IRA Conversion: Have You Considered Taxes? posted at Money Ning, saying, “Beware of the several tax concerns of you convert to a Roth IRA.”
Larry Russell presents Roth IRA Conversions posted at Best 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.”
Mike Piper presents Life Insurance in Retirement: Do I Need It? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “Life insurance is often considered to be for investors in their early years, but many retirees would benefit from it as well.”
Jules Wells presents Retirement Calculator-Retirement Savings Software, posted at Retirement 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.”
Risk Management and Insurance
Consumer Boomer presents How to Compare Life Insurance Policies posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “Let’s look at closer look at all the options when we compare the different types of life insurance policies and which might be best for your situation.”
Jeff Rose, CFP presents Paying for Self-Employed Insurance posted at Jeff Rose.
Ryan @ CML presents Flexible Spending Account vs Health Savings Account posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “HSAs and FSAs are a great way to use tax exempt money to pay for your health care costs. But do you know the difference between the two health care plans, or know which is best for your situation?”
Savings
Big Cajun Man presents Registered Disability Savings Plan the Journey Continued posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “The continuing story of my attempts to set up a Registered Disability Savings Plan (in Canada) for my son.”
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”
Taxes
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.”
Financial Freedom Plan presents Roth IRA ConversionFinancial Software, posted at My 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.
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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