Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs
Carnival of Financial Planning - Edition #90 - May 23, 2009
Welcome to the May 23, 2009 Edition #90 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
Roshawn Watson presents Good Old Middle Class or Wealthy, You Decide posted at Watson Inc, saying, “My wife and I make $400,000 annually and I’m “barely getting by” bemoans James Duran, an owner of a human resource company Silicon Valley.”
Dave presents Control Your Mind, Control Your Money posted at Cheapo Groovo.
Silicon Valley Blogger presents The Dave Ramsey Budget: Budgeting Tips For Successful Savers posted at The Digerati Life
Pasadena Financial Advisor presents Financial Planning Reading List posted at Pasadena Financial Advisor, saying “When I work with clients to develop their customized lifetime financial and investment plans, they often ask what they should read to improve their financial literacy. This article provides a list of recommended reading from among the many hundreds of articles that I have authored in the past several years.”
Economics
Dorian Wales presents On Causality and Correlation in Economics posted at The Personal Financier, saying, “Causality is perhaps the most fundamental element of empirical evidence available to economists. However, it is also the source of many misconceptions due to its elusive nature.”
Michael Haltman presents Does CNBC Know What A Bid and Ask Are? posted at The Political and Financial Markets Commentator, saying, “This hopefully makes some sense, but the point is that investors need to understand what is happening and the way that markets work, because in many instances the “experts” on television do not and are not.”
Bank Savings Review presents More Restrictions to Repaying the TARP posted at Bank Savings Review, saying, “The government have spoken. No one will be able to repay TARP until we say so!”
Dorian Wales presents Stress Tests and Capital Adequacy Explained posted at The Personal Financier, saying, “The highly anticipated FED stress test results may very well serve as fuel for further gains or, more likely in my opinion, as a sought after excuse for turning the tide (in the short run).”
Estate Planning
Tushar Mathur presents Getting finances in order posted at Everything Finance, saying, “Keeping organized records is a gift to your family and to yourself. It helps ensure that your wishes are followed, that your assets are accounted for, and that your money is available to meet your family’s needs in a timely fashion.”
Financial Planning
Tushar Mathur presents How to choose a financial planner posted at Everything Finance, saying, “There’s retirement to plan for and college tuition for the kids. Insurance. Estate planning. And, oh, don’t forget a wedding for your daughter. If all this sounds familiar, it may be time for you to start shopping around for a financial planner.”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Prevent Identity Theft: Some Credit Report Monitoring Services and Options posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks!”
Tom Drake presents Fee-Only Financial Planners posted at The Canadian Finance Blog.
Lazy Man and Money presents Free $25 for Signing up for a 529 College Savings Plan posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “Two years ago, I decided I wanted to give my newly-born nephew a little extra cash for schooling when he gets older. My research lead me to the 529 plan, a tax-advantaged investment to help with future higher education (typically college). Unfortunately California isn’t a state where I get a tax break for putting money in. I had to look at the plans in the rest of the country and find the one with the lowest fees and expenses, but with good investment options.”
jim presents How Secured Credit Cards Work posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Financing a Home
Alex Fotopoulos presents When is it Smart to Refinance a Mortgage? posted at My Trader’s Journal, saying, “Some key points to consider when refinancing your home.”
BrandonLaughridge presents New Credit Card Law Likely to Hurt Markets posted at Mortgage Loan Place Blog, saying, “An interesting take on the next meltdown. Credit card companies appear to be the culprit.”
Chris presents 7 things you can do to help the agent sell your house, part 1 posted at Home I Own, saying, “This post is about how to sell your house at the best possible price - by helping your real estate agents in 7 easy things.”
Financing Education
Chris McClelland presents Recent College Graduates, Prepare to Starve posted at Lucrative Investing.
Chris McClelland presents Some job markets for new grads posted at Lucrative Investing.
Income
Donald Latumahina presents How to Make More Money posted at Life Optimizer, saying, “The amount of money you earn is proportional to the amount of value you contribute to the society. What you need to do to make more money is simple: contribute more value to the society.”
KCLau presents The Most Common Habit of Rich People posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “About the common habits of the rich”
Investing
Ricky Dee presents Mutual Fund Investing posted at Stock Market College - Investment Advice & Stock Tips.
ABC presents Commodities posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A brief explanation of commodities.”
Frank Vertin presents Just Buy Index Funds Directly posted at No Load Index Funds, saying, “Buying an S&P 500 index fund through an investment counselor can substantially increase your initial purchasing costs and and drive up your annual management expense fees. Unfortunately, the vast majority of individual investors buy mutual funds and ETFs through brokers and investment advisers. Rarely do financial advisors recommend that you buy index funds with low fees. This is because low cost, no load mutual funds do not pay them as well as loaded, high fee mutual funds.”.
Rick presents Retirement Investing posted at Stock Market College - Investment Advice & Stock Tips.
Ryan Suenaga presents Why to Not Give Up on Stocks posted at Uncommon Cents.
Four Pillars presents Asset Allocation - Include Future Contributions? posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Can a small investor ignore asset allocation?”
Alex Fotopoulos presents SPY Chart - Premarket posted at Chart Analysis, saying, “Chart of the large S&P 500 ETF, SPY. Alex analyzes the SPY chart using trend lines, moving averages and the Williams %R indicator.”
Larry Russell presents 7 Ways to Pick the Best Noload Mutual Funds and ETFs posted at NoLoad Mutual Funds, saying, “Taken as a whole, the vast body of investment research studies show that there really are better approaches to buying and owning mutual funds and ETFs. You do not need to frantically chase fund performance. Performance chasing simply does not work.”
Craig Ford presents Your First Step in Developing A ‘Personalized’ Investing Plan posted at Money Help For Christians, saying, “Those starting out in the world of investing need to be sure they have personalized goals. Knowing your personal investing plan if your first step (and most important) in developing an investing plan.”
Zach Scheidt presents DigitalGlobe Launches Successful IPO posted at ZachStocks, saying, “DigitalGlobe, Inc. (DGI) launched a successful IPO. The satellite imagery company should offer opportunities to traders and indicates strong liquidity in the current market.”
Four Pillars presents Transfer In Kind posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “An explanation of transfering your investments “in kind”.”
Praveen presents Successful Trading is About More than Generating A Buy Signal.. posted at Stock Trading Riches, saying, “When buying stocks, your initial purchase is the least important part of successful investing. Your return is determined by how well you manage the trade - i.e. knowing when to add to your position and when to take profits.”
Zach Scheidt presents ZachStocks Podcast 11: Chrysler, Market Pullback, Retail Weakness and Economist Projections posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Chrysler bankruptcy, market rally pulls back, retail sales figures disappoint, WSJ survey of economists sheds light on recession and eventual rebound.”
Darwin presents Start an Investment Club: How To, Rules and Reality Checks posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “A comprehensive ‘how-to’ and reality check on both the benefits and the downsides of an investment club.”
ABC presents Warning - Not All Index Funds and ETFs Are Low Cost posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “Some index funds and etfs are too expensive.”
Wally Fouse presents 7 Ways to Pick the Best Noload Mutual Funds and ETFs posted at Best Index Funds, saying, “The vast body of investment research studies show that there really are better approaches to buying and owning mutual funds and ETFs. You do not need to frantically chase fund performance. Performance chasing simply does not work.”
Dan at Everydayfinance presents Sucker’s Rally: For 34% since March, Call Me a Sucker! posted at Everyday Finance, saying, “With esteemed economists referring to current investors as ’suckers’ in a Sucker’s Rally the question is - for 34% since March, are you willing to be called sucker?”
Investing School presents Morningstar Review - Free vs Premium Membership posted at Investing School, saying, “Morningstar is a well known name but not many people know of its free service. Is it worth the money? Find out.”
Vahid Chaychi presents How to Use MACD or Moving Average Convergence / Divergence in Forex and Stock Trading posted at SirForex.com, saying, “MACD is one of the most important and reliable indicators in forex and stock trading. MACD helps the traders to take a position on time and to stay with the trend and maximize their profit. It also prevents them from going against the trend.”
Praveen presents Options Basics posted at Stock Trading Riches, saying, “A blog reader asked me this question: Can any one explain about options trading in a simple manner?”
Richard M. Rothschild presents Low Cost Taxable Bond Mutual Funds posted at Best Bond Index Funds, saying, “The top 14 low cost taxable US fixed income funds with a $10,000 or lower initial deposit. Low investment management fees are very important with fixed income funds. Simply put, if you pay higher bond mutual fund fees, then these bond management expenses tend just to be a deadweight loss to you. When you pay more in bond mutual fund fees, you are just wasting your money.”
Dividends4Life presents Dividend Investing in a Bear Market posted at Dividends Value, saying, “So far in 2009, the Dividend Aristocrats have under-performed the S&P 500. However there are several dividend stocks that have done quite well and beat the S&P 500 index, and some of those companies just might surprise you!”
MoneyNing presents TradeKing Review posted at Money Ning, saying, “TradeKing is quickly becoming one of the best stock brokers out there. Find out why.”
Zach Scheidt presents Bankruptcies, M&A, and Playing Defense posted at ZachStocks, saying, “A discussion on current economic reports and their effect on the markets, Bank stress tests as a catalyst for selling, and defensive strategies to protect your portfolio from losses.”
One Family presents eBay (EBAY) – Stock Analysis posted at One Family’s Blog.
ABC presents Investment Time Horizons for Retirees posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A short and concise analysis of retirement asset allocation possibilities.”
Managing Debt
David presents CNN Money Names Top 5 Credit Card Offers posted at Credit Card Offers IQ, saying, “CNN Money 100 has named the top credit cards in five categories, including cash back, travel and balance transfer.”
Raj Patel presents Snowball method worthless? posted at DebtGoal, saying, “An evaluation of the debate on the snowball metho compared to the other payment strategies for reducing debt.”
FinancialHealthGuy presents The Problem With Credit: Don’t Rent Your Money posted at Financial Health Guy, saying, “Debt interest and penalties, when combined with taxation of the fees you must pay, can be extremely damaging to financial health. This article takes a look at avoiding interest on debt by not ‘renting’ money.”
KCLau presents Do You Have a Wedding Debt? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Most couples want to begin their married life auspiciously and free from the problems. However, it is not uncommon to hear about married couples who go into debt just to get married. Article explores the reasons.”
Raag Vamdatt presents How to use a credit card the financially prudent way :: RaagVamdatt.com :: Financial Planning demystified posted at RaagVamdatt.com, saying, “Do you know how a credit card should be used? This post explains how you can avail of the credit facility, while incurring absolutely no interest expense.”
Jim DeSantis presents 3 Keys To Self-Control and Saving Money posted at On Line Tribune | Family Life, saying, “Lack of self-control when it comes to money is a common pitfall for most people. Often, when people come into an extra amount of money, they have this tendency to rush out and instantly satisfy the irresistible urge to splurge on anything they lay their eyes on. This is a very costly mistake from a number of aspects. Sometimes people fail to recognize the idea that the future has to be considered, too, whenever spending and saving enter the picture.”
ChristianPF presents How to manage your debt in a recession posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “These are a few tips for managing your debt in the midst of a recession…”
Miscellaneous
PFCreditCards presents Credit Card Companies are Screwed with the New Bill posted at PF Credit Cards, saying, “Credit card companies have had enough fun. They are going to lose tons of money on this new bill.”
Retirement Planning
Super Saver presents On Surviving Early Retirement during the Financial Crisis posted at My Wealth Builder.
Jeff Rose presents Hitting Your Peak: Investing Guidelines for Your 40s and 50s posted at Jeff Rose.
FMF presents Roth Segregation Accounts posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Good thoughts from a guest poster on Roth IRAs.”
Jeff Rose presents IRA Consolidation: The “Super IRA” Strategy posted at Jeff Rose.
Risk Management and Insurance
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Reasons to Buy Whole Life Insurance posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Here are a few times when you should consider whole life insurance over term life insurance.”
nickel presents How Much Life Insurance Do You Need? posted at fivecentnickel.com, saying, “How much life insurance do you need? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. In this article, I take a look at the key factors to consider.”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Lower Your Car Insurance Rates! How To Cut Insurance Premiums In Half posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “I offer some suggestions and tips for lowering your car insurance and keeping your car related costs (and budget) to a minimum.”
MoneyNing presents 20 Different Areas to Think About for a Cheaper Auto Insurance Policy posted at Money Ning, saying, “Insurance is something we usually forget, yet we pay quite a bit for it regularly. If you can spend a few minutes and save big, why not?”
KCLau presents Bad Experience of Car Insurance Claim posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “a story of bad experience with vehicle insurance claim”
Savings
MoneyNing presents How to Deal with Frugal Advice posted at Money Ning, saying, “Don’t just skip the article if you think it doesn’t apply to you as it might be useful later on in life.”
The Skilled Investor presents Most Individual Investors Are Poor Personal Portfolio Managers | Personal Investment Management posted at Personal Investment Manager, saying, “Investors more easily understand investment costs that are directly measurable, such as fees deducted on investment statements. However, many investors ignore or are unaware of the opportunity costs of their sub-optimal investment behaviors. Opportunity costs are usually much more difficult to measure directly, but these investment costs can be even higher than more visible investment fees.”
MoneyNing presents What Drives You to Be Frugal posted at Money Ning, saying, “The reason why I’m frugal is not strictly about necessity. What is the real reason for you?”
Taxes
Jeff Rose presents 2009 Required Minimum Distribution (RMDs) Suspended posted at Jeff Rose.
Barb A. Ryan presents Asset Allocation, Investment Asset Tax Location, and Emergency Cash Management posted at Independent Financial Planner, saying As you move your cash, bond, and stock financial assets into lower cost, more broadly diversified investment mutual funds and/or ETFs, you should also consider how to locate your investment asset allocation with respect to more optimal taxation. This article will discusses some ideas about where and how to hold your cash assets and how to make emergency cash available.”
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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