Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning - Edition #122 - January 1, 2010
Welcome to the January 1, 2010 Edition #122 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 Get Out Of Debt With YNAB – You Need A Budget Financial Software Review posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Indepth review of You Need a Budget software.”
Dorian Wales presents The Dangers of Excess Frugality – Budgeting and Balanced Living posted at The Personal Financier, saying, “A more balanced life and balanced goals will help achieve inner peace and acceptance that money is truly a means and not an end. This takes work and time. I suppose on cannot escape the slippery slope I’ve presented but understanding the need for balance early on will save considerable frustration and contribute to early happiness.”
Estate Planning
FMF presents Three of the Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Three estate planning mistakes you’ll want to avoid.”
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.”
Jeff Rose presents What is the Purpose of a Trust? posted at Jeff Rose.
Financial Planning
FIRE Getters presents Americans Living Without Bank Accounts? posted at FIRE Finance, saying, “Last weekend we were wondering how many Americans live without bank accounts. Our first thought was not many. Curious to know the facts we started researching on the web. We were stunned to find that 17 million Americans have no bank accounts! And 18% of the rest of the population that do have bank accounts use non-traditional banking services like pawn shops and payday lenders.”
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.”
Super Saver presents Spending because of Stimulus Money? Not Us. posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Although we qualified for the Cash for Clunkers and the new Home Buyer’s Credit program, we passed on on participating, for one simple reason — if we needed it, we would have already bought it.”
Susan Saverton presents Portfolio Asset Allocation posted at Financial Planner 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
Alex Fotopoulos presents When to Refinance a Mortgage? posted at My Trader’s Journal, saying, “Some key points to consider when refinancing your home.” 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.”
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”
Health Care
Jeff Rose presents What’s the Best Health Savings Plan For You? posted at Jeff Rose.
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.”
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Open Enrollment Health Insurance Options posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “what you need to know about the common health insurance options available from most employers during the open enrollment season.”
Income
Curt presents If Your Business is Going to Survive Next Year Consider Raising Your Prices posted at PennyJobs.com.
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.”
FMF presents Why a High Income Often Doesn’t Translate into a High Net Worth posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “A high income often doesn’t translate into a high net worth. This is why.”
Investing
jim presents Where Dividend Stocks Fit in Your Portfolio posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity
Diane Steward presents The Definitive Guide To Cotton ETF Investing posted at ETFdb.
Steve Alexander presents Does Magic Formula Investing Provide International Diversification? - MagicDiligence posted at MagicDiligence - Optimizing Joel Greenblatts Value Stock Strategy, saying, “Economic experts recommend investors dedicate 30-40% of their stock portfolio to foreign firms. Does following Joel Greenblatt’s Magic Formula Investing strategy automatically meet that recommendation?”
20smoney presents Investing Psychology – Accumulating Assets posted at 20s Money, saying, “The appropriate way to view accumulating assets.”
Control your Cash presents Our non-endorsement of the week. posted at Control Your Cash, saying, “We show you why penny stocks aren’t worth the price”
Dividends4Life presents 7 Low-Debt High-Rated Dividend Stocks posted at Dividends Value, saying, “When selecting a dividend growth stock there is really only one factor that is important – sustainability. As we evaluate many aspects of a company, what we are really trying to determine is if the company can continue to raise its dividend indefinitely into the future.”
Mike Piper presents How to Rollover Your 401k into a Roth IRA posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “If you’ve left your job, it’s possible to roll your old 401k account directly into a Roth IRA.”
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.”
Super Saver presents Choosing Certainty or Additional Returns posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Here’s how we choose between certainty and additional returns.”
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.”
ABC presents What Is Private Equity Investment? posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “An explanation of private equity investing.”
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.”
jim presents Introduction to FOREX Investing posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, saying, “An in-depth article on how investing in foreign currencies work.
Larry Russell presents Top 10 No Load 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.”
Tomas Escent presents Investment Portfolio 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.”
The Skilled Investor presents Best Investment Strategies posted at Personal Financial 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.”
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 Blackstone Sees Improving Trends posted at ZachStocks, saying, “The Blackstone Group, LP (BX) reported earnings and the stock is trading sharply higher. The environment is improving for the private equity company as liquidity and risk premiums increase.”
KCLau presents Case Study: Consolidating Personal Loan, Mortgage and Credit Card Debt posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Important lessons on investment”
MoneyNing presents How to Get Your Wife to Invest posted at Money Ning, saying, “Talk and discuss. Learn how to get your significant other to invest!”
Frank Vertin presents Index Stock Fund posted at Best Index 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.”
Jules Wells presents Simple Investing posted at Personal Financial Planning Software, saying, “Investing often seems almost unfathomly complex, however your best investment strategy will tend to be a simple and straightforward investing strategy.”
Zach Scheidt presents Netsuite Investors Begin to Doubt Growth posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Netsuite Inc. (N) has seen revenue growth trend significantly lower. The cloud computing technology firm is trading at an excessive price given its growth prospects and the aversion to risk we are seeing in the market.”
jim presents How to Determine Your Asset Allocation posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Managing Debt
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Balance Transfer Credit Card Tips, Facts and Traps posted at The Digerati Life
David presents List of Credit Card Foreign Currency Transaction Fees posted at Credit Card Offers IQ.
The Smarter Wallet presents How Debt Management Programs Affect Your Credit Score posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Can debt management programs have an impact on your credit score? We review this issue in this article.”
Miscellaneous
BankShout presents How To: Prevent Overdraft Fees posted at BankShout.
nissim ziv presents Your Work Experience – Interview Questions and Answers posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “These are only a few of many work experience interview questions that you may face. Some questions may be easy to answer, while others may have you reaching for the best way to respond. Preparation is the key to having confidence while talking about your work history and future goals.”
FMF presents 10 Tips to Be Assured of a Website’s Security When Shopping Online posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Simple but effective tips on being safe while shopping online.”
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents 10 Ways To Reduce Your Cable Or Satellite TV Bill posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “With the majority of households looking for ways to cut their expenses, television might be the first non-essential bill you’ll want to look at. Fortunately there are a few ways to save money on your television bill.”
Frank Knight presents Stop Identity Theft posted at Best Financial Planning 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.”
Big Cajun Man presents Men’s Health posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “The little blue pill factor in Male Health…”
Susan Saverton presents Personal Finance Plan posted at Family Financial 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.”
Retirement Planning
Joe Plemon presents How to Purchase Long Term Care Insurance: Ten Great Tips posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “Long Term Care Insurance is not easily understood. This post will walk the reader through the process of understanding and purchasing Long Term Care Insurance.”
Super Saver presents Why I Consider Myself Retired posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Since I retired while still in my forties. I know that some people questioned whether it was really a retirement or whether it was just simply a job resignation, followed by unemployment.”
Jeff Rose presents 401k Rollover to IRA: How To Consolidate Your Retirement Accounts posted at Jeff Rose.
Frank Knight presents Roth Retirement Accounts posted at Financial Planner 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.”
Jeff Rose presents What are Deferred Compensation Plans? posted at Jeff Rose.
Top Stock Mutual Funds presents Stock Mutual Funds posted at Top 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.”
Super Saver presents Maximizing our Social Security Benefits posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “A strategy know as the 62/70 solution appears to be most promising, allowing us to have the proverbial cake and eat it too.”
Risk Management and Insurance
Jeff Rose presents Life Insurance Reality Check – Do you have enough? posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “Life insurance is an important component of your financial planning.”
The Dough Roller presents Should You Add Rental Car Reimbursement to Your Auto Insurance? posted at The Dough Roller.
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Do You Have Enough Insurance On Your Home? posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “When you first bought your house, you most likely got insurance to cover against disasters like fires and storms. Since that time, has the value of your home stayed the same?”
jim presents Finding Affordable Self Employed Health Insurance posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, saying, “As a self-employed person, finding affordable and reputable medical insurance can be a big challenge.”
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.”
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Save Money on Auto Insurance Rates posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Tips on how to save money on your auto insurance rates, including multi car discounts, multi-line policies, defensive driving courses, and more.”
FMF presents Life Insurance Reality Check – Do you have enough? posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “How to know if you have enough life insurance.”
Savings
MoneyNing presents How to Deal with Frugal Naysayers posted at Money Ning, saying, “There’s a better way to deal with all the naysayers.”
Four Pillars presents $8,000 Credit For First-Time Homebuyers Extended 6 Months – Not Increased To $15k posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Home buyers credit extended 6 months.”
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “pay attention to the internal assets”
MoneyNing presents 10 Reasons to Have a Library Card posted at Money Ning, saying, “Library is still one the best way to spent your time. Here are 10 reasons why you want a library card.”
KCLau presents Caring for the Elderly posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Problems faced by the elderly”
Taxes
Jeff Rose presents Tax Planning Demystified posted at Jeff Rose.
David de Souza presents Make Checking Your Tax Code Your New Year’s Resolution posted at UK Tax Blog, saying, “A profitable New Year resolution should be to check your tax code and get it corrected before the end of the tax year.”
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Tax Tips for Children and Newborns posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Many people are aware of the child tax credit, but here are some other tax credits and deductions that you maybe eligible for if you have children.”
Super Saver presents Accelerating Tax Deductions to 2009 posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “We’ve decided to accelerate appropriate 2010 tax deductions to 2009 to maximize our Schedule A itemized deductions, and take the standard deduction for married filing joint in 2010.”
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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