Carnival of Financial Planning Sept Edition

Carnival of Financial Planning 09-16-2011

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

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #202 – September 16, 2011

Welcome to the September 16, 2011 Edition #202 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

Marie presents Pay Bills Promptly and Save posted at Money Spending Mommy,
saying, “The simple act of paying your bills on time can save you lots
of money each year. Here are some tips for getting everything paid when
it is supposed to be.”

Jonathan from Debt Loans presents Give the Gift of Financial Finesse: Your Young Child posted at Wallet Watcher,
saying, “Money is, for better or for worse, one of those things people
learn about early in life. If a child learns the wrong things and gets
the wrong impression, a multitude of adult financial woes can be the
result. Parents, here are some money concepts to teach your young
children, and tips on how to make them work in your family.”

simond presents Budgeting Business posted at True to Business, saying, “This article is about budgeting in business. I think its pretty thorough.”

Mike Holman presents A practical way to estimate and budget for home maintenance costs posted at Money Smarts Blog,
saying, “Traditional methods of calculating home maintenance costs can
be misleading. Here is a more accurate to handle house maintenance
costs.”

Miranda presents 45 Ways to Save Money posted at Financial Highway,
saying, “You can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your
personal economy by finding ways to save more money. Here are 45 of my
favorite ways to save money.”

Janet presents Frugal Living: Save Money on Food Costs posted at Credit, Eh,
saying, “Happily, with a little planning, you can save money on food
costs, by reducing the need to eat out. Here are some strategies that
can help.”

Jonathan presents Mint.com Review: The Ultimate Budgeting Software posted at Deliver Away Debt,
saying, “Mint is a full featured money management website owned and run
by the famous TurboTax. Mint is always on the lookout to provide the
best and most revolutionary services all at zero cost to you. At the
core of Mint is a passion for helping the masses manage their money.”

Rogan Seager presents Retirement Savings Calculator posted at Retirement Savings Calculator,
saying, “Valuable future investment portfolio assets and future
investment returns slip through many people’s fingers at the checkout
stand every day, because they spend beyond their long-term means.”

FIRE Finance presents What is the Current Unemployment Rate? posted at FIRE Finance,
saying, “Unemployment has been a rising concern since the US economy
went into recession. At present, our president is trying to boost
employment by providing tax cuts and tax credits to encourage
businesses to hire. In most reports concerning the US economy, the
unemployment rate is frequently mentioned. But many are at a loss for
understanding what this number really means. Let’s take a look at the
unemployment numbers and try to unravel its real meaning.”

Estate Planning

Boomer presents Estate Planning: Protect Your Assets posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “Estate planning is not something that concerns only the rich or the elderly. Everyone should have an estate plan.”

Financial Planning

Investor Junkie presents How to Become Wealthy posted at Investor Junkie,
saying, “In my opinion, over 20 – 30 years everyone should be able to
at least achieve some level of financial independence, but most don’t.
A recent survey showed 64% of Americans don’t have $1,000 in savings.
Which means many are living pay check to pay check.”

Jonathan from Debt Loans presents 5 Useful Steps to Manage Your Windfall posted at Frugal Living,
saying, “Have you received an inheritance, lotto money or work bonus
recently? Think of how you can stretch the money by generating passive
income for yourself from your windfall through sound investment
methods.”

Moneyedup presents How to Open a Roth IRA posted at MoneyedUP,
saying, “Among individual retirement accounts, the Roth IRA stands out
because of its special tax advantages. Instead of providing tax breaks
at the time of deposit, Roth IRAs allow account holders to receive
benefits completely tax free after retirement.”

Judy Blackburn presents Practical Tips for Saving Money at College posted at Debt Consolidation, saying, “Here are a number of tips to help you find areas in which you can save some money while at college.”

Ciana Locke presents Market Index Funds posted at Best Index Mutual Funds,
saying, “The dominant issue in choosing among passively managed index
mutual funds and ETF funds benchmarked against the S & P 500 is
that securities industry management and trading fees are all over the
map from reasonably low to shockingly high.”

Paula presents What’s Wrong With Most Money Advice? posted at Afford Anything,
saying, “The world is over-saturated in money management advice. And
yet many of my friends have never heard of a Roth IRA. So many people
are deep in debt. Why? Where are we screwing up?”

Crystal presents Bowling Leagues are Dang Expensive! posted at Budgeting In The Fun Stuff,
saying, “An effective financial plan will include money for you to
enjoy yourself. Letting loose can help you stay motivated and continue
toward your financial goals.”

Frank Knight presents Investment Asset Allocation posted at Retirement Planning Software,
saying, “When you are already there and invested in an asset class, you
are following a passive asset allocation strategy. Tactical asset
allocation strategy advocates suggest that you can anticipate the
crowd, but flow-of-funds studies show that almost all tactical asset
allocation fund flows are late money flows that chase performance after
valuations have already moved.”

Suba presents Financial Planning for the middle class posted at Wealth informatics,
saying, “Many financial planners ignore the middle class and want to
take only wealthy clients.Here is how to find a financial planner for
middle class salary”

Financing a Home

MoneyCone presents Demystifying Mortgages For The First Time Home Buyer posted at Money Cone,
saying, “The American dream isn’t complete till you own a home! No one
likes a depressed economy, but with it comes low interest rates. This
is as good a time as any to buy or refinance a home. Just don’t go
overboard! Evaluate your financial situation, cover the basics, educate
yourself and make a decision.”

Financing Education

Jon Elder presents How to Save Money by Renting College Textbooks posted at Free Money Wisdom,
saying, “You have the ability to save a lot of money off of your
textbook cost each semester, and you won’t have to worry about getting
taken to the cleaners by your on-campus bookstore ever again if you
rent books.”

Income

Jason@LiveRealNow presents Jobs I’ve Had posted at Live Real, Now,
saying, “I’m 32 and I’ve had 1 month out of the last 26 years that
didn’t come with a paycheck. I’ve worked for 10 different companies and
I start the job before this one when I was 20.”

Kyle Taylor presents Rent Your Clothes Online for Extra Money posted at The Penny Hoarder,
saying, “For some reason my closet is still holding onto the suit I
wore to prom nearly 10 years ago. It’s never going to fit again, but
some combination of laziness and sentiment has thus far kept it from
landing on a Goodwill rack. If you’re like me and have a closet full of
stuff you don’t wear, what would you think about renting your clothes
out to strangers?”

FMF presents The Most Overlooked Step in the Job-Hunting Process posted at Free Money Finance,
saying, “Want a simple but effective way to separate yourself from the
job-hunting pack? Write a thank-you note after every interview.”

Investing

Intelligent Speculator presents Cash Is King – Just Ask Warren Buffett posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “How much cash are you holding?”

DGB presents TSX Dividend Yield and Ex-Dividend Date posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “Some important financial information to note.”

Alexander presents Using Income Funds for Diversity and Revenue posted at Dividend Stocks,
saying, “One of the ways that you can build up your investment
portfolio is to look into income funds. Income funds provide you an
opportunity to build a revenue stream, as well as add a little instant
diversity to your portfolio.”

Hemant Beniwal presents 15 Types of Risk that affect your Investments posted at The Financial Literates,
saying, “What comes to your mind when someone says RISK or this
investment is risky? Loosing the principal amount. No there are more
than 15 types of risks – that you must understand before Investing”

Frank Bertin presents Index Funds posted at Top Index Funds, saying, “Top ten no load index funds that track the Standard and Poors 500 composite index in terms of lowest costs.”

Steve Smith presents Top Advice for Aspiring Currency Traders posted at Forex Trading System Central, saying, “A good way to learn Forex Trading is to practice with virtual currencies on Forex simulation games.”

Everything Finance presents Disadvantages of Investing in Treasury Bills posted at Everything Finance,
saying, “Many people like investing in Treasury bills because they are
generally safe, when compared to other investments. Indeed, even with
current economic troubles, Treasury bills are still backed by the most
stable taxpayer base in the world.”

Mirelle Rowden presents Fixed Income Funds posted at Best Bond Mutual Funds,
saying, “Vanguard dominates this low cost United States bond mutual
funds marketplace for direct purchase accounts with both low and high
minimum deposits.”

Dividends4Life presents 9 Dividend Stocks With A Low P/B Ratio posted at Dividend Growth Stocks,
saying, “A declining market is what value and dividend investors long
for. There have been times in the past where I struggled to find stocks
worthy of purchasing. Now, the challenge is to pick the best available
stocks that will maximize my chances of future success. When looking
for value priced stocks, the Price-To-Book (P/B) ratio is one that I
like to focus on.”

Shawanda Greene presents 5 Reasons Past Stock Market Returns Are Totally Irrelevant posted at You Have More Than You Think, saying, “Five reasons historical U.S. stock market returns are irrelevant when it comes to making investment decisions.”

Bradson Oakley presents Bond Mutual Funds posted at Best Bond Funds,
saying, “Higher bond fund expenses tend to mean lower net returns to
individual investors. It is not worth paying higher bond fund fees.”

Ryan presents Target Date Funds: Will Your Funds Hit Their Target? posted at Outlaw Finance, saying, “Target Date funds have become increasingly popular with 401(k) plan investors and managers.”

Dan presents Shorting Treasuries For the Ultimate Risk-Takers posted at ETF Base, saying, “With US Treasury Bonds at lows not seen since WWII, here’s a primer on how I shorted T-Bonds and it’s working!”

Managing Credit and Debt

My Journey presents Factors to Consider When Consolidating Debt posted at My Journey to Millions,
saying, “I think when people decide to consolidate their debt they are
only looking at the interest rate, however, there are other factors to
consider:”

Miscellaneous

Mike @ Green Panda presents Should You Work Full Time or Part Time in College? posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, “We look at the debate over working in college.”

FMF presents Five Best Ways to Look for a Job posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Looking for a job? Play the odds and focus on these five methods that are most likely to get you the job you want.”

The Skilled Investor presents Market Timing Does Not Work posted at Personal Financial Management,
saying, “Always stay invested to earn risk premiums. You must have your
money invested and at risk to get risk premium returns. Jumping out and
in or “timing the markets” doesn’t work.”

Tripp Danner presents No Load Funds posted at No Load Fund,
saying, “There are over 60,000 different mutual fund investment share
classes sold worldwide. Some mutual funds and ETFs must be better than
others, but which ones are they? How can you tell before the fact?”

Retirement Planning

Kevin Mulligan presents Use a Financial Planner to Get Your Roth IRA on Track posted at Retirement Planning Blog, saying, “A financial planner can put together an investment plan to get everything on track for retirement.”

Darwin presents Older Americans Are Going to Wreck Your Life – Here’s Why posted at Darwin’s Money,
saying, “There are several surprising demographic and financial reasons
why older Americans are set to wreck your life. Nobody’s talking about
it, but the outcome is undeniable.”

Brockton Eaton presents Long Term Investment Strategies posted at Retirement Investment Strategy,
saying, “The investment research literature repeatedly demonstrates
that a fully diversified, low cost investment strategy is superior.”

Sustainable PF presents Pay yourself first for retirement posted at Sustainable Personal Finance, saying, “Financial planning looks toward retirement. Pay yourself first and you’ll land on your feet.”

Risk Management and Insurance

DJ presents Homeowner Insurance: How to Protect Your Home and Its Contents posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “Even if you own your home free and clear, homeowners insurance is something you need.”

Glen Craig presents Do You Need Disaster Insurance? What Type Should You Get? posted at Free From Broke,
saying, “Do you need disaster insurance? Depending on where you live
you may find you need disaster insurance. See the different types
available and if you need it.”

Savings

Eric J. Nisall presents Savings Accounts: Anything Is Better Than Zero posted at DollarVersity,
saying, “Interest rates are at historic lows, giving people even more
reason NOT to save their money. That’s not the smart approach, and this
is why.”

David Leeman presents Saving Money at Home with Frugal Household Tips posted at Financial Freedom Advantage,
saying, “Do you want some great ideas for saving money at home? By
following these simple tips you can easily reduce your average family
budget and learn how to live frugally at the same time.”

Jason@LiveRealNow presents 3 Worst Things About Being Financially Responsible posted at Live Real, Now,
saying, “Everybody talks about all of the wonderful things that happen
when you’re saving money and being responsible. I know I do. It’s true,
good things do happen. There’s really nothing like the feeling that
you’re suddenly not living paycheck to paycheck. But what about the
other side of the coin? What sucks about staying in the black?”

Matt presents Am I too Cheap? Dealing with my Broken Glasses posted at Living In Financial Excellence,
saying, “Will people notice I have two different colors and styles on
my frames? I don’t know but at this point I’m not too worried about
that. I’m just glad I can see and it didn’t cost me anything yet.”

Paul Gamble presents Choosing the Best Savings Account For Short or Long-Term Interest Yield posted at All Cash On Deck,
saying, “Things to look at when deciding on an ideal savings account,
including different types of savings accounts as well as their benefits
and downsides.”

Walter W. Fouse presents Large Cap Mutual Funds posted at Mutual Funds,
saying, “You can save a lot by paying attention to mutual fund
expenses. Each of these S & P 500 index funds is among the least
costly on the market.”

Philip Taylor presents Is Your Emergency Fund Big Enough? posted at PT Money Personal Finance,
saying, “So, how do you know if your emergency fund is big enough? This
article gives you some points to think about to give you confidence in
your emergency funds.”

Amanda presents 6 Surprising Benefits of the One Car Household posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “Could you switch to a one-car household? There are plenty of benefits both financial and otherwise!”

Dr. Dean presents Saving Money: Painlessly! posted at The Millionaire Nurse Blog,
saying, “Every little cent helps especially if you start early and
continue regularly. It’s really easy to sock away extra money that
comes in before you have a chance to spend it.”

Taxes

Jackson presents Pros and Cons of IRA Conversions posted at 2009 Tax,
saying, “Back in 2010 the government changed the rules to allow
investors to move over to Roth IRA’s from their Traditional IRA’s
irrespective of the amount of money that they earned.”

Finley Merriwether presents Retirement Planning Calculator posted at Retirement Plan Calculator,
saying, “Tax-advantaged retirement savings plans give you the
opportunity to make investments with deferred taxes in 401k, 403b, 457,
Keogh, Simple, or other employer sponsored retirement plans.”

Robert Moore presents Monitoring your Federal Tax Refunds via your iphone. posted at 2011 Tax,
saying, “The IRS2Go app was released earlier in the year for the
purposes of allowing people to quickly and easily check the status of
their tax refund.”

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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