Carnival of Financial Planning – September 6, 2007 Edition
Welcome to the September 6, 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
Silicon Valley Blogger presents The Cost Of Living With Pampered Pets In Luxury And Some Really Weird Pet Products posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “This post is about how much people spend money on their pets.”
Millionaire Mommy Next Door presents How to Treat Affluenza: Spend Less and Live a Happier Life posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door, saying, “The number of “very happy” people peaked in 1957, and has remained fairly stable or declined ever since. Even though we consume twice as much as we did in the 1950s, people were just as happy when they had less. 86% of Americans who voluntarily cut back their consumption feel happier as a result.”
MoneyNing presents Numerous Apartment Rent Increases Are Really Getting On My Nerves posted at Money Ning, saying, “Rent increases are making budgeting impossible!”
Kevin Surbaugh presents 30 Ways To Save Money posted at Becoming & Staying Debt Free, saying, “Back in February I posted a post about “25 Frugal Tips To Save Money”. Today I would like to revisit that post and bring everyone up to speed with how my efforts have progressed. There re now 5 additional ways added to those original 25.”
teaspoon presents Solving Our Savings and Budget Issues – The No-Budget Budget Way posted at www.TeaspoonFinance.com – Financial wisdom, one teaspoon at a time…, saying, “Proposing a way of looking at handling your savings and budgeting called the no-budget budget.”
Economics
Sagar Satapathy presents Top 100 Economics Blogs posted at Currency Trading.net.
Estate Planning
edithyeung presents The Money Series – You Are Not Going to Live Forever posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..
Matthew Paulson presents Long Term Care Insurance: When It Makes Sense, When It Doesn’t. posted at Getting Green.
Financial Planning
Logan Flatt, CFA presents A Simple, 3-Step Program posted at PowerWealth.com, saying, “How would you like to live in crushing, abject poverty? Does the idea of living and sleeping on the streets of a major American city sound appealing to you? Would you like to grow old and penniless, spending your final days on this Earth barely getting by on the meager checks sent to you by some large government bureaucracy? Well, my friend, do I have the program for you.”
Golbguru presents Think About Your Finances Before Having (More) Children posted at Money, Matter, and More Musings, saying, “Having kids is a rewarding experience, but you need to make a quick check if you are in a position to provide your kids with basic necessities – health insurance, proper education, and nutrition.”
ISPF presents Grad Money Matters: What I Do to Live Frugally posted at Grad Money Matters.
Pushpa Sathish presents 10 Free Alternatives to Quicken posted at Home Loan Tips For First Timers.
KCLau presents Hacking your Cash Flow & Net Worth Chart posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Learn how to hack the cash flow and net worth charts of the rich and you will be heading towards financial freedom in no time.”
Eric Hudin presents Simple Tips to Organizing Your Vital Information – Are You Prepared? posted at My Estate Planning Career Blog, saying, “If you’re like most people, you have good financial records. Ideally, there is a central location where this information can be referenced and accessible to you, your spouse or your family.”
glblguy presents DIY Financial Planning posted at Gather Little By Little.
Cade Krueger presents Ten Ways To Get Rid Of Debt And Cost In Business posted at Write To Right.
Financing a Home
Ian Welsh presents How Bad Will the Housing Bubble Hangover Be? posted at The Agonist, saying, “Be very careful with financing your home: parllels with the Japanese housing bubble suggest the housing market may be in for years and years of pain.”
Steve-Leung presents What People Think About Before Looking for a Home posted at 1SiliconValley.com, saying, “Financing a home isn’t just about getting a mortgage, it’s about planning and understanding why you’re buying the home so that you know where to spend your hard-earned money. This article discusses the questions people should ask themselves so that they have that understanding.”
Financing Education
Super Saver presents Choosing a College 529 Plan posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Here are three references that can help one choose a plan for your child.”
Marlon J. Broussard presents The True value of Money in Our Age | MoneyBlog posted at MoneyBlog, saying, “The point is not to just point out the fact that a dollar is only worth 4 cents (about the exact cost of printing, regardless of the denomination), but to shed light on some things you need to be mindful of:”
Brian presents Give Your Graduate the Gift of a Financial Education posted at FinancialDominance.com, saying, “Explains why giving your child a session or two with a financial planner before college can save them a lifetime of financial struggles.
SpiKe presents 10 Tips For College & University Students posted at Organize IT.
Health Care
Shaheen Lakhan presents A Patient is Not a Consumer posted at GNIF Brain Blogger.
Income
Chris Russell presents Working Hard Does Not Produce Success posted at Productivity Planner, saying, “Yes, we work hard to be successful, but we also have to choose to be successful. It is a decision. It is a conscious effort. It takes mental discipline. It is a deliberate mindset.”
Nenad Ristic presents Attribution Theory posted at Money Conciousness.
Starving Artist presents Head Count Reduction – or – My Company Might Fire Me, posted at INDEBTED 2 YOU saying, “Looks like I have to hope for the best and plan for the worst! My company is doing a mass fire in November–this is what I’m doing to get ready.”
Investing
Sean-Paul Kelley presents Buy The Rumor and Sell The News posted at The Agonist, saying, “There is a reason why people say ‘Sell In May and Go Away.’”
Tyler presents Why Investors Jump From Skyscraper Windows! posted at Dividend Money, saying, “This article will help you to control your emotions during swings in the stock market. Emotions can be the investor’s biggest enemy.”
Nidhi presents Anatomy of a Bull Market posted at Creating Wealth via Stocks, Options and ETFs, saying, “Understanding the anatomy of a BULL/BEAR market is important to strategize your investment plan.”
Nidhi presents Importance of consistent portfolio performance posted at Creating Wealth via Stocks, Options and ETFs, saying, “Consistent performance can deliver better results in the long run. Here is a good example!”
FIRE Getters presents Etrade Introduces Advised Investment Accounts! posted at FIRE Finance.
Blain Reinkensmeyer presents The Smart Investor, How to Stay Calm While Trading posted at Stock Trading To Go, saying, “Thanks.”
Shadox presents The Extremes of Investing posted at Money and Such, saying, “I compare the investment styles of two very different investors that I know personally. One is very aggressive, one is very conservative. Both are very wrong.”
Jimmy Atkinson presents Top 25 Forex Sites (By the Numbers) posted at Forex Blog.
The Dough Roller presents How to Evaluate a Mutual Fund in 60 Seconds Flat posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “You can evaluate a mutual fund in 60 seconds flat. Here’s how.”
Allen Taylor presents Credit Crisis – Fasten Your Golden Seatbelts posted at Investing World Today, saying, “For years, now, financial talking-heads have been telling us how the Feds credit expansion of six years ago would come back and bite us in the butts. Last week, it did just that.”
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
FMF presents The Keys to Getting the Best Reward Credit Card for You posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “How to get the very best reward credit card for you.”
Abdulrasool Sumar presents How to Negotiate Debt Obligations with Creditors posted at 3 Debt Consolidation Community, saying, “If creditors do not receive on time payments from you, they will often report your delinquency status to the major Credit Bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion). But what if you are willing to make payments to the creditors, but not the full amount they are asking for? For example, you have $15,000 of credit card debt and your minimum monthly payment is $375. However, you can only afford to pay $200 a month at the moment. How do you negotiate with your creditors so as to get the payment terms to your advantage and get negative items deleted off your credit report? That is the purpose of this article.”
Bonnie Krueger presents How To Take Care Of A Defaulted Student Loan posted at Student Loan Consolidation, saying, “Many students struggle to pay off student loans. These are steps to help you to take care of these debts when you are in crisis.”
Ryan Russell presents Finding A Fix: 10 Tips For Resolving Financial Disputes posted at My Money Thinks, saying, “Learn how to communicate effectively with creditors and financial institutions to get disputes cleared up as quickly as possible. Learn how to master the negotiations and come out on top.”
Henry Bagdasarian presents Buy Credit And Every One Loses posted at Free Identity Theft Prevention, Detection and Fraud Solutions.
Jason Elder presents Bankruptcy – Information and Myths You Need To Know posted at A Bankruptcy Lawyer’s Blog, saying, “You may heard lots of different things about filing for bankruptcy. It’s likely that a lot of this information is wrong. Find exactly what you need to know.”
Matt Hanson presents Credit Card Fraud – How to Protect Yourself posted at The Credit & Credit Card Blog, saying, “As technology has increased, so has credit card fraud. There are some simple steps that you can take to help protect yourself from credit card fraud.”
Tim Ramsey presents Paying Down Credit Card Debt – 5 Key Points posted at My Debt Relief Blog, saying, “There are a number of no-nonsense, time-tested ways to conquer credit card debt. Here are 5 key points for eliminating your credit card debt and getting on the road to financial health.”
Retirement Planning
Praveen presents My Simple Trading System: Americans Overestimate Retirement Resources posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “The 17th annual Retirement Confidence Survey shows that Americans overestimate their preparedness for retirement.”
Thomas Humes presents Retirement Income Planning – Getting Started posted at Wealth Building World, saying, “The days of being able to retire on social security alone are long gone, and todays retirees must rely on personal investments and/or earnings as well. Whether you’re 30, 40, 50 or 60, here are a few tips to get you on track for a rich and rewarding retirement.”
Risk Management and Insurance
nickel presents Do You Need Longevity Insurance? posted at fivecentnickel.com.
Tushar Mathur presents Save Money on Auto Insurance posted at Everything Finance.
Savings
Tushar Mathur presents High Energy Bills ?? Try out these simple ideas ! posted at Everything Finance.
MoneyNing presents Buying Newspapers Saves Me Money Each Week posted at Money Ning, saying, “Many things can save us money!”
Ryan Russell presents Saving money without calling names posted at My Money Thinks, saying, “The main reason store brands cost less is simple – marketing and advertising! Private label products require less than 2% of sales to be spent on marketing, whereas manufacturer brands spend 10-40% of sales. Just how much money can you save?”
Raymond presents Money Blue Book » Blog Archive » Save Money – Be A Vegetarian…At Least Part Time posted at Money Blue Book.
Eric Stanley presents Are You Falling Into These 4 Frugality Traps? posted at Personal Finance Blog Articles, saying, “It’s easy to say that this item costs less than that item. But does the difference really justify buying the cheaper item? Not always, and that is what you have to think about.”
Kevin Bedell presents A simple step you can take — Join Freecycle posted at 21st Century Citizen, saying, “Avoid many small or large purchases by joining your local Freecycle group. By working with others in your community you can acquire a surprising amount of household appliances and other goods at no cost – plus you’re working with others to reduce landfill waste.”
Taxes
Kevin Surbaugh presents Struggling With IRS Debt? Talk To The IRS Yourself! posted at Becoming & Staying Debt Free, saying, “Do you owe the IRS? Are you struggling with IRS debts and cannot figure out what to do? Don’t despair, you are not alone. Many Americans owe back taxes, or cannot afford to pay their IRS debts. If you want to get IRS debt help, it’s important to understand the different IRS tax debt strategies.”
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
Marlon J. Broussard presents The 7 Immutable Laws of Building “True Wealth” posted at MoneyBlog, saying, “I have come to realize that my core beliefs about economics, finance, capitalism, business, money, consumerism, and the like, are all contrary to how our world functions today. Now, the questions to ask are rather simple; Does that make the “Worlds” way of functioning wrong?, Are those who make their livelihoods through this way of functioning, bad for doing so?, Are you an anarchist? The simple answers to these three questions are no, no, & NO!”
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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