Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs

Welcome to the June 9, 2012 Edition #240 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

Miss T. presents Small Money Mistakes that Have Big Consequences posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, ” It is often the little things you do, the small actions you take, that have the biggest impact on your financial security, both in the present and in the future. Of course, this concept is true whether the little things are positive or negative.

A Blinkin presents Simple Steps To Grow Your Business posted at Funancials, saying, ” As your business starts succeeding, you should look at what the next level is. This can encompass a whole range of things, from moving out of the house and into a real shop, or even just making your existing business look more professional and function more streamlined.

Daisy presents It’s Not Necessary To Pay For Your Kid’s College Education posted at Add Vodka, saying, “This does not reduce the accomplishments of those who had their parents pay for college for them, nor is it meant to be a compare/contrast of people that pay for their own.

Janet presents Expense budgets posted at Independent Financial Planner , saying, ” Many people do not track their living expenses and do not understand the magnitude of their consumption.”

Financial Planning

Miranda presents Funding Your Small Business posted at Wallet Hub Blog, saying, “Finding money for a small business can be difficult right now, with the economy struggling, and many banks reluctant to take a chance on small businesses. If you are looking for sources of income for your small business, here’s where to start

Jason presents Things to Consider With Your Relationship and Money posted at Work Save Live, saying, ” Your Relationship and Money A lot of couples fight about money.

Crystal presents Getting Excited about FINCON12 But Nervous Too… posted at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff, saying, ” The Financial Blogger Conference 2012 is going to be awesome, but I am already nervous about speaking. This will make FINCON12 a bit more stressful for me.

Corey presents Cost of Being in Someone Else’s Wedding posted at 20s Finances, saying, “Do you have any close friends getting married soon? Have they asked you to be in their wedding? Do you know how much it will cost you to say yes? I was in a friend’s wedding in December and will be in another wedding in June. Between those two weddings and having 3 other weddings to attend in the next few months, I have weddings on the mind.

Amanda L Grossman presents 20 Ways to Spend Money On and Off Board a Cruise posted at Frugal Confessions, saying, “I am fresh off the ship of the first cruise I have ever taken.

Johnny presents Investment education  posted at Personal Finance and Planning , saying, ” 99+% of the financial information that is easily available through the media and the Internet is: self-interested and biased, superficial and non-implementable, historical in nature or just current “noise” reporting without any actionable utility, and/or poorly researched, just plain wrong or unmitigated rubbish.”

101 Centavos presents How To Painfully Save Hundreds of Dollars a Year posted at 101 Centavos, saying, ” While we’re off on vacation, I’m recycling.

Eddie presents 35 Money Lies People Tell Regularly posted at Finance Fox, saying, “Men supposedly lie six times more per day than women, and when someone tells you, be a man or a woman – Nothing is wrong, I’m OKAY -, they’re really lying to your face.

Franklin presents Passively Funds posted at Investor Strategies, saying, “On average, higher mutual fund turnover is far more likely to result in lower investment fund performance — instead of superior risk-adjusted performance.”

Luke presents Are Investors in the PIMCO Total Return Fund Missing Out? posted at Learn Bonds, saying, ” The PIMCO Total Return Fund is Underperforming PIMCO’s new BOND ETF. Are PIMCO Total Return Fund Investors missing out?

Don presents Alpha Returns posted at Wall Street Financial Engineering , saying, “For typical individual investors, without special access to information, it offers what is likely the best financial advice they will ever get: It is hard to consistently beat the market, especially after fees. A passive strategy will do better in the long run. ”

John presents Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen and the Prosperity Gospel posted at Married with Debt, saying, ” Preachers like Creflo Dollar and Joel Osteen are leading figures in the prosperity gospel movement. What is it, and is it right?

Income

Jeremy presents Overcoming Unemployment Challenges posted at Modest Money, saying, “As many of you know I’ve been unemployed the whole time I’ve been running this blog. Now find out about the struggles I’ve had to overcome to rejoin the world of the employed.

YFS presents Rental Property #3 Numbers Analysis posted at Your Finances Simplified, saying, “As I told you guys in the last post, I’m going to give you the actual break down of my current and future rental property purchases.

Martin presents Can You REALLY Start a Business With $100? posted at Studenomics, saying, “How to start a new business without tons of capital.

Insurance and Risk

Stephen presents Do You REALLY Need Life Insurance? posted at NerdWallet, saying, ” If no one depends on your earning capacity, you most likely do not need life insurance. That’s the fundamental rule by which to make your decision.

Evan presents Trying to Understand Long Term Care Insurance posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “While I am entirely too young to consider Long Term Care Insurance considering I don’t think many carriers sell individual policies for people under the age of 40,I have been giving it a lot of thought recently.

Lawrence presents ID theft protection posted at Best Financial Planner, saying, “As a threat to your financial security, you should take the potential for identity theft very seriously. Identity theft sometimes entails a loss of your money, but whether or not you lose money, it can take a very large amount of your time to rectify.”

Jeff Rose presents Protection For Your Home – Is Mortgage Life Insurance Worth It? posted at Life Insurance By Jeff, saying, “While your house is most likely your biggest asset, does that justify paying the extra premiums to have a mortgage life policy? Does the added cost really give you the protection you need?

Investing

Jeff Rose presents Best Short Term Investments For Your Money Right Now posted at Good Financial Cents, saying, “In such an unstable market, short term investing may be a safer alternative for investors. Short term investing allows investors to invest their money with little or no risk, while knowing their money is not going to be tied up for long periods of time.

Pinter presents No Load Bonds posted at Cheap Bond Funds, saying, “Investment research overwhelmingly shows that lower cost fixed income funds tend to yield higher bond investing returns.”

Sustainable PF presents Canadian Dividend Stocks: Brookfield Renewable posted at Sustainable Personal Finance, saying, ” Many investors are looking to Canada as a source of investing opportunity that are a little more eco-friendly than their competitors like Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners.

TSI presents Morningstar Ratings posted at The Skilled Investor , saying, ” Individual investors and their advisors appear to make investment decisions that are heavily influenced by the Morningstar Rating system. Because the stars are very widely used and often misunderstood, these are articles to help investors make more rational decisions about the stars.”

Pierre presents Teaching Your Kids To Become Great Investors posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, ” Do you teach your kids about money?

Div Guy presents Canadian Aristocrats; They Have it Too posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “What sort of stocks are you investing in?

DL presents Global Financial Markets  posted at Nerds on Wall Street , saying, ” Stock markets are almost perfectly transparent, with full information available to all, and the best electronic clearing and settlement in history. These technologies were omitted in building the skyscraper of cards (“house of cards” seems too mild) out of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), credit default swaps (CDSs), synthetic collateralized debt obligations (SCDOs), and the rest.”

W presents A Speculative Alternative To Investing Part 1: Goals posted at Off-Road Finance, saying, ” A long term speculative trading system for those who want to avoid conventional investing.

Managing Debt

Maria presents Four conditions under which cash loans may not be such a bad idea after all posted at The Money Principle, saying, ” Before I go on and set out the four conditions under which, I believe, cash loans may not be a bad idea let me tell you a story.

Mike presents Why Cash Back Beats Travel Rewards posted at Rewards Cards Canada, saying, ” A free vacation keeps many Canadians loyal to their travel rewards program, but for me, cash back is king. Here’s why cash back beats travel rewards

Mike presents Best Cash Back Credit Cards posted at Rewards Cards USA, saying, “If you are looking for some solid choices when it comes to cash back credit cards, here are a few of the best options for getting money back

Echo presents Home Equity Line Of Credit: Friend Or Foe? posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, ” A home equity line of credit has its advantages, but be cautious. Easy access to credit and loose repayment terms can make HELOC’s very dangerous.

Real Estate

Suba presents Our House On The Market: Month Three posted at Broke Professionals, saying, ” We’ve now had our house on the market for three long months, and I’m losing faith. We’re dropping the asking price, but I wonder whether it’s enough to get it sold.

Wayne presents Should You Hide Money From Your Spouse? posted at Young Family Finance, saying, “A recent study showed that many partners or spouses hide money from their significant other. Is it okay to hide money from your spouse?

Retirement

Hank presents Harnessing The Power Of Compound Interest posted at Money Q&A, saying, ” There is a power of compound interest that both savers and investors need to understand and harness in order to grow their wealth.

Brock presents Retirement Spreadsheet posted at IRA Account Investment, saying, “Whether or not to make investments into “traditional” tax-advantaged employer accounts and IRAs versus investing in “Roth” tax-advantaged employer accounts and personal IRAs is never a straightforward nor simple financial planning decision.”

PITR presents Reasons Why People Don’t Follow Their Dreams posted at Passive Income To Retire, saying, “Find out why people fail to realize their dreams. Why do people fail? Why do people give up on their dreams?

Knowles presents SandP 500 Funds posted at Large Cap Index Funds, saying, “The no load index fund strategy of the Schwab S & P 500 Index Fund tracks the S and P 500 stock index. This no load index fund was listed as one of the top 25 lowest cost index mutual funds in a research study.”

Savings

John presents Why You Should Think Twice Before Hitting a Toll Road in a Rental Car posted at Wallet Blog, saying, “One would think you would have to go through the Phantom Toll Booth to pay a phantom toll fee. Sadly, that is not the case, and the unsuspecting consumer is getting hit with unreasonable toll charges when driving a rental vehicle. Are these costs avoidable?

Freedom presents Savings Rates posted at Financial Freedom Plan , saying, ” Understand how your current savings rate and retirement withdrawal rate would affect all of your lifetime personal financial planning goals ”

Liana presents What to Make of the New Capital One Daily Deals Program posted at Card Hub, saying, “Move over Groupon and Living Social! Capital One is taking the stage with one of its newest programs. See what your credit card can do for you when it comes to saving money at places where you already spend!

Taxes

FMF presents The Eight Tax Rules posted at Free Money Finance, saying, ” In this article are eight rules that I recommend you follow in dealing with taxes. The first four are principles that you should adopt, and the next four are specific areas of competency that I recommend you develop.

Monroe presents Roth Conversions posted at Do-It-Yourself Finance , saying, “Key to you making a better decision about your lifetime Roth account contribution and asset conversion strategy is the need for a sophisticated financial planning software tool.”

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.

Technorati tags: carnival of financial planning, blog carnival.

I can’t believe how quickly this week has passed by. I feel as though I should have yet another work day ahead of me before the weekend. But, TGIF! I though I would leave you with a few posts from around the blogosphere to check out this weekend.

• How to Increase Your Financial Literacy from MoneyCrashers.com
• Festival of Frugality: Time Passes Edition hosted at Frugal for Life
• Carnival of Personal Finance #271 – The Secret to a Successful Budget eBook Edition hosted at Provident Planning
• 10 Guaranteed Ways to Limit Your Earning Potential from PTMoney.com

Last, here is a rather inspiring quote from Seth Godin, one of my favorite people in life.

“The problem with putting it all on the line is that it might not work out. The problem with not putting it all on the line is that it will never (ever) change things for the better. Not much of a choice, I think. No risk, no art. No art, no reward.” – Seth’s Blog

Welcome to the 104th edition of the Money Hacks Carnival! I couldn’t make up my mind on the theme so I went directly to the source of all light and knowledge – my wife. I ran a couple of my ideas by her and she offered a fun twist on one of them.

For this edition, the links to all of the selected articles (which are all great reads) either ask or answer one simple question: Have you ever? To kick things off, I’d like to quote one of my favorite movie lines, “HAVE YOU EVER danced with the devil in the pale moon light?” (1989 Batman starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson)

Editor’s Choice

HAVE YOU EVER thought of Evaluating The Costs of a Longer Commute: When It’s Better to Just Suck It Up? Check out LenPenzo.Com for an excellent analysis.

HAVE YOU EVER wondered if you’d be better off investing in the currency of a country or in it’s stock market? Intelligent Speculator presents Single Country Investing – Equity or Currency? Surprising conclusion posted at Intelligent Speculator.

HAVE YOU EVER used a race car analogy to structure an investment strategy? Well,Gather Little by Little has Investing Baby Steps #2: Different Investing Strategies for Beginners Part 2.

HAVE YOU EVER realized that someone you trust, or should trust, isn’t actually bound to act in your best interest? Make sure you understand What Is a Fiduciary and Why Does It Matter? posted at Provident Planning.

“HAVE YOU EVER called your boyfriend or girlfriend by the wrong name?” – ESL Conversation Questions

Career

HAVE YOU EVER found yourself asking Who’s to Blame for College Financial Aid Shortfalls? Jason at Automatic Finances offers his two cents.

HAVE YOU EVER been in a situation where you want to help someone find a new job but aren’t sure How to Refer a Friend for a Job? Ben has a few ideas at Money Smart Life.

Debt & Credit

HAVE YOU EVER evaluated which Credit Crunch Spending Ideas to Keep? Find a few ideas at One Advice.

HAVE YOU EVER bought a prepaid credit or debit card? Maybe you should ask yourself Is Money Deposited on a Prepaid Credit Card Safe? Find the answer at Prepaidcards123.

“HAVE YOU EVER looked fear in the face and said I just don’t care?” – Pink, the singer

Frugality & Saving Money

HAVE YOU EVER justified the purchase of 10 garden gnomes, 6 plastic flamingos, and 5 decorative rocks just to show-up your neighbor? Well, Kyle C. offers a spin with Keeping up with the Joneses, In a Good Way posted at Suburban Dollar.

HAVE YOU EVER spent countless hours at a therapist recovering from post traumatic stress disorder resulting from childhood cross-country vacations? Tom says Save Money With Fractional RV Ownership posted at Canadian Finance Blog.

HAVE YOU EVER wrapped yourself in seran wrap (just seran wrap) and waited on the couch for your husband to come home from work? Maybe that will make The Top 10 Ways to Woo on Budget (or perhaps ever?) next year posted at Budgets are Sexy.

“Just tell me HAVE YOU EVER really, really, really every loved a woman?” – Bryan Adams

Investing

HAVE YOU EVER asked How to Open a Scottrade Brokerage Account Online? You can find the answer posted at The Dough Roller.

HAVE YOU EVER been angry with a teller or Personal Banker II? Or wondered why the II? Studenomics presentsCommon Bank Tricks To Watch Out For posted at studenomics.com.

HAVE YOU EVER known the RRSP Deadline – Limits & Options? Visit Ray at Financial Highway for more information on your Canadian retirement accounts.

HAVE YOU EVER found that you feel too much like the hare that thought he could beat the tortoise? Money Ningpresents some surprising findings in Steady and Consistency Can Win the Race.

HAVE YOU EVER left a delivery room and asked yourself, “What’s the Difference between Coverdell Education Savings Accounts vs. 529 College Savings Plans?” Jeff Rose outlines in succinct detail the difference between the two accounts.

HAVE YOU EVER had to explain the difference between an ETF and an Index Fund? I have, about 526 times. How about just sending your friends and family to Why ETFs are So Much Better Than Mutual Funds and Stocks posted at ETF Base.

“Joey, HAVE YOU EVER been in a… in a Turkish prison?” – Captain Oveur, Airplane!

Taxes

HAVE YOU EVER considered using a Tax Advisor? If you aren’t sure if you should use an accountant, then you need to read Six Reasons to Consider Consulting a Tax Advisor posted at My Wealth Builder.

HAVE YOU EVER wondered if Animaniacs actually had deep political undertones and was an attempt to indoctrinate our children? Are you thinking the same thing I’m thinking? For real politics, read Winners and Losers Under Obama’s New Tax Plan posted at Darwin’s Finance.

HAVE YOU EVER been audited by the IRS? Help yourself avoid it by reading How To Organize Your Tax Paperworkposted at Quest For Four Pillars.

Other

HAVE YOU EVER sold out someone you loved just to make a few extra bucks? Maybe you can have both love and money. Read Love & Money: Does It Have to Be One or the Other? posted at Balance Junkie.

HAVE YOU EVER been frugal with your efforts to communicate with your spouse? Maybe you have and didn’t realize it. Read Can Money Un-Do Your Marriage? posted at Cash Flow Sherpas.

HAVE YOU EVER needed some outside help with money concerns in your relationship? I bet you can find at least 20 good ideas to help from the 101 Ways To Improve Your Marriage Money Relationship posted at Money Help For Christians.

Question: “HAVE YOU EVER read a book or watched a movie that made you cry?”
Answer: “The 6th Sense”
– Yahoo Answers

Thank you to everyone who participated in this week’s edition of the Money Hacks Carnival. Please take a moment to inform others of this resource by using any of the social sharing buttons below. I also invite you to subscribe to our RSS Feed for weekly updates on other relevant financial topics. Have a great day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Well, it’s almost Valentine’s Day. I finally did figure out a gift for my wife. We are have a photographer go with us down to a frozen lake to take pictures this afternoon.

We haven’t had professional pictures of the two of us since the day we were married. And fortunately, the photographer is a neighbor so we are receiving a pretty good deal.

Here is a list of blog carnivals that RabbitFunds was featured in recently. Also, we are the featured Blogger of the Month on Fwisp.com. If you aren’t familiar with Fwisp yet, you should be.

• Again, we’re honored to say that RabbitFunds is the Featured Blogger of the Month on Fwisp.com
• My review of Paul Evans was also featured this week in the 36th edition of the Book Review Blog Carnival
• 5 Reasons was featured in the Money Hacks Carnival #102 hosted at PassiveIncomeNow.com

Have a great weekend!

Welcome to the September 14th, 2009, edition of Twenty Something Finances. I hope that you enjoy the line-up today. There are a lot of great articles, so jump in and then spread the word!

(Oh, and let’s be honest. The real reason we all go to the carnival or state fair is for funnel cake and bumper cars. It’s the only time road rage is not only legal but encouraged. In fact, I’m going to the state fair tonight! )

Editor’s Pick:

• PT presents How to Effectively Use 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at PT Money. I picked this post because it in part discusses some balance transfer options that I think are worth being aware of, though they should be cautiously considered.
• Jeff Rose presents The American Opportunity Tax Credit For College posted at Jeff Rose. With the high cost of education, Jeff offers a good recap of available options.
• Jim presents Roth IRA Account Explained posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. Jim writes, “Take advantage of the Roth IRA, one of the best retirement accounts ever.” I’m a big proponent of Roth IRAs and this post is a great breakdown.
• J. Money presents Inspiration From My Homeless Friend. posted at Budgets are Sexy. A great perspective piece about realizing that even though our finances matter, they aren’t what matters most in life.
• The Statement presents It Pays to Part Painfully ? The Science of Credit Card Debt posted at Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. I found this post to be a quite fascinating discussion about the psychological factors at play when using credit cards instead of cash.

Investing:

• Manshu presents China ETF List posted at OneMint. A list worth evaluating.
• Investing Toolkit presents Why Trade In The Forex Market? posted at Investing Toolkit.

Credit and Credit Cards:

• Master Your Card presents New Rules for February: College Students Won’t Be Receiving Any Valentines from Credit Card Companies in 2010 posted at Master Your Card.
• CreditCardAssist presents Excellent Credit Requires Your Own Due Diligence posted at CreditCardAssist.com. “Maintaining an excellent credit score has never been more important and these days it requires constant upkeep and due diligence to maintain it.”
• FIRE Finance presents FIRE Finance: Credit Cards In Ireland and Associated Stamp Duties – A Top Personal Finance and Investing Blog for Early Retirement and Money Management! posted at FIRE Finance.
• The Smarter Wallet presents Equifax Credit Report and Score: Review of Equifax Products posted at The Smarter Wallet.
• David Weliver presents Student Credit Cards: A Necessary Evil? posted at Money Under 30.
• Vic presents Credit Card Free Annual Fee Warnings posted at Kota Medan Travel. A good review of issues surrounding credit cards in Indonesia.
• Bill Spohnholtz presents Credit Solutions Start With You posted at Learn The Stock Market And How to Trade. Bill elaborates, “If you’re staying up late at night watching get rich or credit repair infomercials, scatching a lotto ticket, praying Uncle Harry dies and leaves you 10% (though you never talk to him) you don’t have a credit solution! Here is some that might work better.”

Frugality:

• Miss Thrifty presents Trade your old mobile for pop concert tickets posted at Miss Thrifty. Definitely worth checking out.
• DR presents How to Stop Printer Ink Cartridges from Smearing Your Budget posted at The Dough Roller. “At $22 per quarter-ounce, the cost of printer ink cartridges reminds us of why we got that inkjet printer for “free” when we bought our last computer.”
• Tyler presents Eat Less Meat, Kill Cow Farts, and Save $600 a Year posted at Frugally Green. Tyler elaborates, “How often do you eat meat? Would you eat less if you knew exactly how expensive it is – not just to you but to your environment as well? I recently realized that I was eating so much of it that I wasn’t fully enjoying it anymore and decided to make a change.”

Insurance:

• Tom @ Canadian Finance blog presents Insurance You Can Do Without – Credit Life Insurance posted at The Canadian Finance Blog. “Credit life insurance is purchased so that the balance of your car loan or credit line would be covered if you die before your debt is paid.”

Career:

• Darwin presents Corporate Pension Plan Shortfall – The Next Crisis? posted at Darwin’s Finance. Darwin wants to help, “The 50 Best Places to Launch a Career Survey – Results and Analysis that is both enlightening and surprising in many aspects.”
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents Find The Best Web Host For Your Online Business posted at The Digerati Life. Ms. Silicon Valley states, “Starting an online business? Check out my tips and resources.”

Budgeting:

• Travis presents Christmas, it’ll be here sooner than you think posted at Christian Money Mountain.

Real Estate:

• Tallahassee Real Estate presents Housing Market Bottom Reached In Tallahassee posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog. “It is obviously premature to call the bottom of the market, as we only have a 10 day up-trend. If this ends up being the true real estate market bottom in Tallahassee, you can record August 23rd, 2009 as the day the market turned! I really suspect that we are closing in on the bottom if we have not hit it already. My earlier predictions were for this to occur in November, but I’ll certainly take an earlier result if we can find it.”

Other:

• Roshawn Watson presents Being A Landlord By Default posted at Watson Inc. Roshawn comments, “Although choosing to become a landlord can be financially rewarding, many homeowners are finding that this option is not all that it is cracked up to be.”

Summary

If you are interested in submitting a post from your blog to this carnival, just use this convenient submission form. Or if you are interested in hosting the carnival, then here is all the information you need. Again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this week’s line-up. If you have, then please show some social love and spread the word!

This week’s Carnival of Personal Finance was hosted by Budgets are Sexy. The theme is Chuck Norris quotes and is pretty entertaining. There are a couple of posts from the list that I think are very worthwhile. I hope that you enjoy!

• $100,000 in Principal by Age 30 – Final Recap – MFJ from My Financial Journey recaps his journey to having contributed $100,000 to the principal of his retirement accounts. Now that he’s 30, see whether or not he made his goal and the lessons he learned.
• 7 Attributes of High Net Worth Individuals – In case you haven’t read The Millionaire Next Door, Peter Anderson outlines seven of the fundamental traits that millionaires practice or exhibit.
• Top 16 Pieces of Your Information Identity Thieves Crave – I’m a big believer that consumers need to be proactive about protecting their identity (see Identity Theft – Should you or LifeLock guard against it?). Man vs. Debt outlines what you need to be safeguarding.
• How do Stock Options Work? Trade Calls and Puts – I don’t normally recommend that the average investor use Options when trading unless you have a firm understanding of how they work and how they can be used to help offset risk and round-out a portfolio. However, for those looking to start, here is a pretty good guide to get started.

Also, my recent post, Removing a collections account from your credit report, was also included. Thanks Budgets are Sexy!