Best Financial Articles from Personal Finance Blogs! |

Each week, the Carnival of Financial Planning highlights the best financial articles from personal finance blogs. I love ?reading the freshest material across the blogosphere and discovering new blogs ? especially those that provide tips to help me save money! ?This week Thriftability hosts the carnival ? be sure and visit each of the carnival contributors!

~ Ms. Thriftability

?

Welcome to the April 20, 2012 Edition #233 of the Carnival of Financial Planning.

This edition is arranged by subject heading, so that you can browse efficiently.

Enjoy!

The Skilled Investor, Editor

Budgeting and Economics

Jeremy presents Establishing Spending Priorities posted at Modest Money, saying, ?Depending on your financial situation, you may need to make some sacrifices. At the same time, you dont want to let your budgeting prevent you from enjoying the things you love. To stay happy you need to establish spending priorities and spend a bit where it makes you happy.?

Liana presents Get Ready For More Credit Card Fees? posted at Card Hub, saying, ?Credit card offers that require you to pay a fee before your account is even open? Yes, they do exist, and now the CFPB has proposed a rule that will exclude those fees from the first-year fee limit imposed by the CARD Act.

Danny presents Why the Lottery is a Double Edged Sword posted at One Money Design, saying, ?Playing the lottery is a double-edged sword. Spend money in lose. Or, win and odds are you might let it dwindle all away!?

Janet presents?Expense budget tracking posted at Fee Only Financial Planner , saying, ? Many people do not track their living expenses and do not understand the magnitude of their consumption. Failure to monitor your consumption expenditures means that they are flying blindly regarding their future finances. ?

The Planner presents What is Rich? What does it Mean? posted at Provident Plan, saying, ?Defining what is rich and/or wealth alters our understanding of ourselves and our mission in life. Find out why.?

Married on a Dime presents Saving Money: Using Pinterest To Plan Your Wedding, saying, ?If you?re trying to save money on your wedding (or any special event) it?s definitely possible to stick to your budget by sharing ideas using Pinterest.?

John presents 6 Fun Facts about Credit Cards posted at Wallet Blog, saying, ?What do you really know about credit cards? Take a closer look at how that little piece of plastic in your wallet came to be, and what it may be able to do for you beyond what you expect. Enjoy some interesting and useful tidbits about their usage and evolution! ?

The Business of ?Blogging presents?Five Earth Friendly (And Cheap!) Ways to Market Your Blog or Small Business, saying ?Recycling, clean energy, and the come-back of our economic eco-system is the minds of many these days. Knowing your green marketing options can push your business farther!?

Financial Planning

Don presents Saving Money By Negotiating Health Care Costs posted at MoneySmartGuides, saying, ?My last post was about how the country could save money if everyone was more conscious of medical costs and limited their use for times when they really needed a doctor.?

Wayne presents The Price of Being Organized posted at Young Family Finance, saying, ?Find out what it cost me to buy a new desk and become more organized.?

Joseph Audette presents NerdWallet Launches a Financial Literacy Orientation posted at NerdWallet, saying, ?In celebration of April as National Financial Literacy Month, NerdWallet is releasing their Financial Literacy Orientation. This program helps students, young adults, and anyone interested in improving their financial literacy build the necessary skills to effectively manage their money.?

Walter?presents Best Bond Mutual Fund posted at Fixed Income Fund Investing, saying, ?The bond investment fund market is no place for an individual investor to try to beat the market and get higher returns through attempts at clever fixed income investing. Even professional bond market money managers do not beat the bond market.?

Sean presents Gym Memberships ? Using Money to Motivate You posted at One Smart Dollar, saying, ?All of us need ways to motivate ourselves to get things done. One of the biggest motivators is money. Thank you for your consideration.?

Lazy Man presents Money Rules by Jean Chatzky Reviewed posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, ?I?m of two minds on this book. On one hand, there?s great value in having something concise and to the point. On the other hand, it?s not a lot of information for $13. I could see it as a gift for someone graduating college. It?s got enough of the beginner tips, and it doesn?t require a commitment to read. It also says, ?I spent nearly $15 on you and I care about your financial future?, so that?s a good thing.?

Dave presents Active Investing ? Alpha Returns posted at Wall Street Nerds , saying, ? The Old Testament of indexing is Burton Malkiel?s classic A Random Walk Down Wall Street, first published in 1973 by W.W. Norton and now in its ninth edition. 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. ?

Mike Piper presents How Much Do I Need to Save Per Year? posted at Oblivious Investor, saying, ?t?s a common question ? and an important one. But it?s remarkably difficult to answer precisely.?

Daniel presents You?re Emancipated From Paying Taxes?At Least For A Few Days posted at Sweating the Big Stuff, saying, ?In 2012, taxes aren?t due until April 17th, two days later than usual. But do you know why??

PFP presents?Investment Asset Tax Location posted at Pasadena 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.?

FG presents Why Are Environmentalists Against North American Oil & Gas? posted at Financial God, saying, ?I don?t understand why environmentalists are supporting regimes that are well-known for their corruption and human-rights abuses, like Iran or Venezuela.

Jon the Saver presents Avoid Starbucks and Make your Own Gourmet Mocha Coffee! posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, ?Use this awesome mocha recipe to avoid Starbucks and help you save money. it is not only tasty but fun to make, now go grab some coffee!?

Frank?presents Passive Index Fund posted at Individual Investor Strategies, saying, ?Short-term mutual fund trading is a zero sum game played against other very well informed mutual fund traders and other securities market traders. On average, higher mutual fund turnover is far more likely to result in lower investment fund performance ? instead of superior risk-adjusted performance.?

MR presents Are You Trying to Become Financially Independent? posted at Money Reasons, saying, ?I admit it, I wasted time on wasteful activities, but now I want to be rich and I?m changing my direction. Now I have a plan, do you??

Jeffrey presents Famous Money Movie Moments and Lessons with Video! posted at Money Spruce, saying, ?Money movies are entertaining, but you can learn something from them, too! Here?s a few of the best moments that are not only funny but also have great lessons.?

Income

PITR presents Is Passive Income only for the Rich? posted at Passive Income To Retire, saying, ?Can only the rich create passive income or is there another way besides investing money that you already have to create passive income.?

Corey presents Why You Need A Keyword Rich Resume posted at Resume Mag, saying, ?Keywords are not just for search engines. When you submit your resume to a company, it is immediately scanned for specific criteria in the form of keywords. This is why it is so important to have a keyword rich resume that is specifically tailored for each application. Here?s how to do it.?

Insurance and Risk

Glen Craig presents Save Money by Bundling Insurance Policies posted at Free From Broke , saying, ?We all want to save on insurance. You can do this is by bundling insurance policies. See more on how bundled insurance can help you save as well as some drawbacks.?

Sarah presents?Portfolio risk and investment returns posted at Do-It-Yourself Financial Planning , saying, ? When making personal finance and retirement planning decisions, individuals must confront the dilemma that, historically, more conservative portfolio investments have yielded substantially lower investment returns than the returns that riskier investments have delivered. With either lower or higher risk-adjusted market return strategies, you simply cannot have your financial cake and you eat it too.?

Philip Taylor presents Long-Term Disability Insurance: Do I Need It? posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, ?A discussion about Long-term Disability insurance with my peers and friends (who has it, who doesn?t, and why), as well as a bonus discussion on LT disability for the self-employed.?

Investing

Tushar presents Types of Common Stocks posted at Start Investing Money, saying, ?Stocks are essentially partial ownership in a company. When you buy shares, you are buying a small piece of the company itself. Depending on the type of company, its size, and a variety of other factors, a stock may be classified a certain way.?

Young presents A Peek Inside My TFSA Trading Portfolio 2012 posted at Youngandthrifty, saying, ?It seems customary that I share what my purchases were for the year in terms of my TFSA Trading Portfolio with Questrade.?

Jack Parker presents?Top NoLoad Funds posted at Preferred Investment Funds, saying, ?Some mutual funds and ETFs must be better than others, but which ones are they? How can you tell before the fact??

James presents 9 Super Stocks For The Long Term posted at Short Road To Retirement, saying, ?Lists 9 companies that have increased dividends for 30+ consecutive years and have also been able to grow revenues 10+ percent over the last 2 years. These companies are similar to companies that Warren Buffett invests in.

FMF presents Size: The Second Factor of Investing posted at Free Money Finance, saying, ?Size is the second factor with investing??

Frank Pinter presents?No Load Bond Mutual Funds posted at Cheapest Bond Funds, saying, ?Investment research overwhelmingly shows that lower cost fixed income funds tend to yield higher bond investing returns.?

Super Saver presents Probabilty of a Market Correction is High posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, ?The much anticipated correction appears to have started. I don?t believe the recent decline will be another false start. There are too many factors pointing towards a correction.?

Pat Huddleston presents The FBI is On the Case, But It Isnt Enough posted at Investor?s Watchblog, saying, ?Just like every investor thinks hes too smart to fall for a fraud, every scam artist thinks hes too crafty to be caught.?

DJL presents Global Markets in Distress 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.?

MMD presents How to Buy an Index Fund posted at MyMoneyDesign, saying, ?If youre new to investing, youre probably not totally sure what an Index Fund is or why people always talk about them. Read on and Ill show you how to buy one of the easiest and cheapest Index Funds available.?

Managing?Debt

Sandy presents Money Traps You Should Never Give In To posted at Yes, I am Cheap, saying, ?When trying to work your way out of debt, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel can seem impossible. Feeling like the debt is endless is a typical feeling, and because of it, many people are quick to look for extreme options to put cash back in their pockets.A few major money traps to avoid include.?

Mike presents The Risks And Rewards Of Store Cards posted at Rewards Cards USA, saying, ?Store cards can be very tempting it can be hard to say no when youre standing at the register and the clerk tells you about a sign-up discount and hands you a card application.

Mike presents New ScotiaHockey NHL Visa Card posted at Rewards Cards Canada, saying, ?Scotiabank created a unique way to enrich the hockey experience for their customers and hockey fans alike with their new rewards credit card, the ScotiaHockey NHL VISA card.?

Real Estate

Amanda L Grossman presents Guests are Coming: Does the Entertainment Book or CityPASS Offer More Savings? posted at Frugal Confessions, saying, ?We are so excited and feel very blessed that our home was chosen for a Grossman reunion.?

A Blinkin presents Should You Sell Your Timeshare? posted at Funancials, saying, ?Timeshares soared in popularity over the past 15 years, but recently, as the economy has dipped; many individuals are reconsidering whether owning a timeshare is really worth it. During boom years, people thought timeshares were a great investment, similar to owning a vacation home, but without all of the other costs associated with it.?

Philip Taylor presents We Received Our New Home Mortgage Pre-Approval Letter posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, ?Part of our story in our journey to buy a new home and turn our present-day home into a rental property.?

Retirement

Barbara Friedberg presents You don?t need an IRA; There?s always Social Security posted at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance, saying, ?Contribute to a ROTH IRA immediately and continue every year. Social security is not enough for your future security!?

Frank Knowles presents?S&P 500 Index Funds posted at?Large Cap 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.?

Corey presents Common but Avoidable IRA Tax Mistakes posted at Steadfast Finances, saying, ?Learn more about common IRA tax mistakes. Find out if you are making avoidable mistakes.?

Whitney?presents Retirement?Worksheets posted at Retirement Saving Plans, saying, ?While personal wealth should measure current financial investments and other salable assets, it should also measure your ability to sustain your household budget, build up your investment portfolio, and weather potential financial risk and misfortune across your lifetime.?

Savings

Gil Tenorio presents Benefits of Online Banking posted at Online Internet Banking, saying, ?Online banking changed the traditional banking method in the past decades. Before, you need to visit your bank before you can move or transfer money to other people or even to your other bank accounts.?

KT presents Save Hundreds of Dollars a Year by Making These Four Drinks at Home posted at Personal Finance Journey, saying, ?We spend a lot on beverages. Take a typical Saturday ? you may grab some coffee in the morning and spend anywhere from $2 to $6, depending on the drink you buy.?

TSI presents Savings determine wealth posted at The Skilled Investor , saying, ? How much you earn, spend, budget, and save are by far the most dominant determinants of your long-term financial well-being. Self-control in your financial decision-making regarding budgeting and consumption is far more important than clever investing. ?

Jen presents Having Only One Car Saves Us Money-Even Though it Sucks posted at Master the Art of Saving, saying, ?It?s been over two years now since my husband?s car broke down for good. It was a sad day, but sometimes things have an upside. I have realized that there are other ways that having only one car saves us money, aside from the obvious ones.?

Earth and Money presents Planning a Green Frugal Wedding ? Invitations posted at Earth and Money, saying, ?In many cases, being either frugal or environmentally responsible when it comes to weddings requires you to challenge the status quo or the established wedding traditions. Invitations are one of the easiest places to save the environment and cut the wedding budget.?

Greenable Nation presents?Don?t Buy a ?Gas-Guzzling? Laptop!,?saying, ?You can expect to save 30%-65% more power by buying an eco-friendly laptop, which uses less energy to operate and reduces your carbon footprint. ?From major appliances to home office items, there is a simple way to start living green and save money.?

Taxes

Bill Smith presents Tax Season Is Upon Us Once Again posted at 2012 Tax ? Free Tax Filing Options, saying, ?There is only one week left before the tax season comes to an end for 2012.?

Monroe presents Evaluating Roth IRA Conversions posted at Do-It-Yourself Financial Planning , saying, ? This article could help you to make a more informed decision about your family?s Roth investment strategy. 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.?

Teacher Man presents Student Tax Return posted at My University Money, saying, ?Its that time of the year again. The time for beer that is cheaper than the usual cheap. When pasta and red sauce 5 days a week consists of budgeting. Spring time for post-secondary students is often a lean financial period.?

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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