October 4 2007 Edition of the Carnival of Financial Planning

By The Skilled Investor, October 4, 12:39 pm

Carnival of Financial Planning - October 4, 2007 Edition

Welcome to the October 4, 2007 edition 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

Budgeting

Joseph presents Save Money On Car Insurance posted at Penny Pinching, saying, “Shop around for car insurance quotes.”

ChristianPF presents How to budget with ING direct posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “ING Direct is my secret budgeting tool. Here are a few steps to start budgeting using ING Direct.”

Trent presents Starting The Thought Process Behind Buying A New Vehicle posted at The Simple Dollar, saying, “Planning ahead for a purchase, from figuring out what you need to budgeting for it, is important - here I use my own example with a need to buy a car.”

Daily Idea presents Find the Cheapest Days to Buy posted at Daily Idea, saying, “This short video looks at the cheapest days to buy certain things. Should you buy groceries on Thursday or plane tickets on Saturday? Watch the video and find out.”

Economics

Sagar Satapathy presents The Amero: An Introduction, A Short History, and What it Would Mean for Our Economy posted at Currency Trading.net.

Warren Wong presents What Do You Actually Buy With Money? posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, “What do you actually purchase when you exchange money for some item? The answer isn’t as obvious as you may think!”

Estate Planning

Eric Hudin presents My Estate Planning Career Blog » Blog Archive » The Professional Corporation Trust - Preserving the Value of Your Practice posted at My Estate Planning Career Blog, saying, “The professional corporation trust is simply a revocable living trust with a specific purpose: to keep a licensed individual’s interest in a professional corporation out of probate in the event of the death of its owner.”

Financial Planning

ISPF presents Campaign Against Financial Myths: 82 Myths Busted! posted at Grad Money Matters.

KCLau presents Are you a Financial Idiot or Genius? Plot Your Net Worth Chart! posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “This article alerts you to plot your net worth chart. You’ll learn how the charts are differentiated with different level of financial intelligence”

Golbguru presents A Quick Financial Awareness Wake-up Call posted at Money, Matter, and More Musings, saying, “A list of simple things to do to be on top of your financial life.”

Jimmy Atkinson presents 15 Crucial Money Moves for Seniors posted at Ask the Advisor.

Ryan Russell presents DIY: 5 Steps to Becoming Your Own Financial Planner posted at My Money Thinks, saying, “It seems that more and more people are talking about their financial planners these days. At times, it feels like not having a financial planner means that you are not serious about money or that you are just not serious about doing smart things with your money.”

Pinyo Bhulipongsanon presents Money Lesson #2: Setting Financial Goals posted at Moolanomy, saying, “This is 2nd part of the money lesson series. In this series, I am writing about financial lesson I am teaching my wife so that she is prepared to take over in case something happens to me. I hope you can include this in the carnival. Thank you, Pinyo”

Financing a Home

Steve_Leung presents Empowering Yourself Through Your Credit Rating posted at 1SiliconValley.com, saying, “One of the best ways to help finance a home is to reduce the amount of money that goes to the lender in interest. A good credit rating can mean the difference between getting the best rates and paying hundreds, and sometimes thousands, more a month. Find out how to make yourself look more attractive to lenders through your credit rating.”

Phil B. presents The Best Mortgage Comparison Website is Bankrate.com « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, “The Best Mortgage Comparison Website is Bankrate.com”

ted presents How to pick a loan that’s emotionally right for you « TradeLine Solutions.com posted at TradeLine Solutions.com, saying, “Choosing and financing a home is more than a money game; it’s an emotional decision that effects every area of your life and needs to be made wisely.”

Rodney Burge - Marketing Strategies presents More Single Women Buying Homes posted at Joyce Gioia - Herman - Future Workforce Trends, saying, “Leading Future Trends Expert Joyce Gioia-Herman writes as more women postpone marriage and family, we see them choosing to buy their own homes as individuals. Some say they are taking a stand for “financial independence” and others say they say they are investing for the future. Whatever the reason, there is a definite trend towards more single women buying homes of their own and you can read more at her blog at http://www.keyboard-culture-future-workforce-trends.com”

Sam presents How to Save on a Home Mortgage Loan, Mortgage Refinancing, Second Mortgage Loan. posted at Surfer Sam and Friends, saying, “How to Save Money on a Home Mortgage Loan. All Interest Rate Quotes Are Not Alike. Don’t Let Closing Costs Scalp You.”

Financing Education

Ted Reimers presents Student Loan Consolidation FAQ posted at CampusGrotto, saying, “I just recently consolidated my student loans. Here are some frequently asked questions that can clear up the process for you.”

FIRE Getters presents Credit Score - Myths & Facts! posted at FIRE Finance.

FMF presents Parents Pay for Most of College posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Who should pay for college — parents or kids?”

Scott H presents Biggest College Ripoffs — And How to Avoid Them posted at College and Finance, saying, “How to help finance education by avoiding common college ripoffs. Planning is key.”

Everything Finance presents Saving for Kids College Education posted at Everything Finance.

Tim Ramsey presents How To Save Thousands When Paying Off Student Loans posted at My Debt Relief Blog, saying, “The primary strategy for saving money when paying back student loans is to consolidate multiple loans into one with a (hopefully) lower interest rate, which will reduce the amount of interest you are paying on the loan(s) and will also lower your monthly payment. You truly can save thousands of dollars by consolidating student loans.”

Health Care

GrrlScientist presents Your Money or Your Life! America’s Growing Health Insurance Crisis posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “So why does this rich country have so many people who cannot afford health insurance? Who are the uninsured? A review of a report by Familes USA provides a few answers.”

Shaheen Lakhan presents The Inherent Problem With Health Insurance posted at GNIF Brain Blogger.

Income

Roshawn Watson presents Do Your Friends Keep You Broke? posted at Watson Inc, saying, “I was shocked to learn that your income will often mirror that of your five closest friends. I had to ask myself who is in my inner circle. Learn from billionaire J Paul Getty. He said that if he were down to his last five dollars, you wouldn’t find him in some cheap restaurant trying to eat all he could. He would rather be in a nice hotel lobby drinking coffee with visionaries and leaders. His rationale was that the people he wanted to be a part of his future were at the hotel not the restaurant. Believe him.”

Investing

Dax Desai presents A Gift from the Fed (I was wrong) posted at Dax Desai, saying, “How could you have made money with the recent Fed cuts? Gold, Cd’s, and Foreign exchange are explained here as shown by this person’s real-life investment examples.”

Babak presents Forget Gold, It Is Silver’s Time To Shine posted at Trader’s Narrative, saying, “While gold has gotten a lot of attention because of its recent run up, silver is the precious metal that is poised to go up in price right now.”

David B. Bohl presents Understanding Opportunity Costs Leads to Better Decisions : Slow Down Fast Today! posted at Slow Down Fast Today!, saying, “Opportunity Cost is one of those concepts that all of us think we understand, but we’re often unable to calculate the real dollars involved.”

Jimmy Atkinson presents A Beginner’s Guide to Investing in Art posted at Ask the Advisor.

Allen Taylor presents Stocks Are Your Best Shot For Getting A Return Over And Above The Pace Of Inflation posted at Investing World Today, saying, “Stocks are your best shot for getting a return over and above the pace of inflation. Stocks are estimated to provide higher returns than bonds over the long term, but the premium for investing in stocks isn’t as high as it has been historically.”

Larry Russell presents The Biggest Personal Finance Story of the Past 30 Years (Part 2) posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog, saying, “The biggest personal finance story of the past 30 years has been the dramatic growth of the market capitalization of financial services firms within the U.S. equity markets. The reason that this is so important to your personal finances is pretty straightforward. Simply put, most individuals pay far too much for financial products and services. Their continuing over payments show up in the increasing value of financial services company stocks. People have paid far too much for years, and the industry’s excessive charges have been increasing for years.”

Managing Debt

karyn presents 6 Bad Habits That Can Lead You Into Debt posted at Finance 123, saying, “Develop these 6 bad financial habits and you will be on the road to falling deep into debt. Learn to avoid them and you will establish good spending habits which , in turn, will lead to a secure financial future.”

Eric@APennyCloser.com presents The Downside to Debt Consolidation Loans posted at A Penny Closer, saying, “A debt consolidation loan can be a blessing or curse, depending on how you handle it.”

Jason Elder presents How To Find A Cheap Bankruptcy Lawyer - Basic Tips On Choosing One posted at A Bankruptcy Lawyer’s Blog, saying, “Avoid hiring bankruptcy lawyer based on their cheap cost only. You need to acquire a skilled cheap bankruptcy lawyer who can really assist you out from your unfortunate financial injury, Here are some tips…”

Aaron Wakling presents Apply For A Credit Card Online - What You Must Know posted at The Credit & Credit Card Blog, saying, “In today’s credit-hungry world, the internet has made it easier to obtain credit cards than ever before. When you apply for a credit card online, you usually know within minutes if you qualify…”

judleoson presents Are Credit Cards Worth The Risk? posted at gomestic.

Ryan Russell presents Is Debt Consolidation A Good Idea? posted at Care on Credit, saying, “Debt consolidation is a term often thrown around as a generic label for products to get out of debt — but the services offered by companies vary greatly. Learn about the different options available to consumers and when you should consider each alternative.”

Retirement Planning

Shadox presents How to Invest Your 401K Funds posted at Money and Such, saying, “Talking to my colleagues at work this week I heard about some really crazy strategies people are using to invest their 401K funds. Here are some examples, and some better strategies to invest your money.”

Kurt Brouwer presents Retirement: Seeking Wise Counsel posted at Fundmastery Blog, saying, “Seeking wise counsel is probably the best way to get started with retirement planning, whether you are retired now or still planning for the future. Certainly, talking with a financial adviser is important as is talking with your accountant, attorney and your family. However, communication with your spouse is absolutely imperative, yet as this article in the Wall Street Journal shows, good spousal communication is rather rare. Glenn Ruffenach reports on a couple of studies of couples by Fidelity Investments and other organizations…”

Eric Stanley presents Saving For Retirement ? The Big Lie! posted at Personal Finance Blog Articles, saying, “Why is it that only about 5% of the population is rich or financially independent when retirement age arrives? Why are so many Americans hovering around, at, or below the poverty level in the richest nation that has ever been known? The answer to that question is, at the same time, simple and complex.”

Risk Management

Rodney Burge - Marketing Strategies presents Hurricanes Can Have Positive Results posted at Corbett Kroehler - Global Warming, saying, “Is it possible to have a home that could survive a hurricane and have no insurance claims? Even as the region affected by hurricanes takes small, painful steps toward recovery, we must remember some of the lessons which that disaster taught us. In his blog at http://www.keyboard-culture-global-warming.com, global warming and green building expert Corbett Kroehler writes about and shows a picture of a next-generation, hurricane-proof home with so much environmental sensitivity it is called the American Standard Green Envirohome.”

Matthew Paulson presents Reshop Your Life Insurance Policy and Save up to 50%. posted at Getting Green.

Savings

KCLau presents Should you focus on Increasing income or reducing expenses? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Cash flow chart involves simple mathematic calculation: Saving = Income - Expenses. Savings is the priority since it appears first in the equation. To increase saving, we can either increase income, reduce expenses, or doing both at the same time. Which option requires your most attention?”

Dean presents The Latte Factor: Starbucks is Evil posted at Mr. Cheap Stuff, saying, “Think twice before you get your Starbucks coffee.”

Thomas Humes presents Saving Money - An Easy But Tricky Job posted at Wealth Building World, saying, “The advantages of saving money are numerous. Saving money is undoubtedly one of the easiest ways for amassing wealth. But in spite of being easy, people often fail to save properly. It is almost a ritual that needs to be put into practice. Only then one can be assured of accumulating a considerable amount saving.”

Taxes

John Crenshaw presents Pay Off Mortgage, Lose Tax Deduction? posted at Truthful Lending dot Com, saying, “The home ownership tax deduction is one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of home ownership. I was asked the other day by a client that if he were to pay off his home, wouldn’t he lose his tax deduction? Absolutely, but that’s not a bad thing.”

WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com presents The Fund Company that might change the Mutual Fund industry in Canada FOREVER? posted at WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.com, saying, “A new way fund company in Canada has found a way to let you get capital gains income from bond funds… and more…”

The Skilled Investor presents Summary Table of Traditional IRA and Roth IRA Tax Rules, posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog, saying, “For your convenience, the table provided summarizes 2007 rules for traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. The table has a left-hand column of questions and 12 columns of information. Read the first four questions in the first four rows to determine which of the twelve columns would apply to you. Once you have done this, you should have found one “traditional IRA” column and one “Roth IRA” column that apply to you. Read the remaining questions further down the table to compare the various traditional IRA and Roth IRA rules that affect you. Be careful to distinguish between the rules about whether you can make a contribution and whether an allowable contribution is tax deductible.”

Miscellaneous

Kevin Surbaugh presents Money Quotes posted at Becoming & Staying Debt Free.

Matthew Paulson presents Protect Your Family, Your Home and Your Possessions: Get a Smoke Detector posted at Getting Green.

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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