This week MyTradersJournal.com has the honor of hosting the Carnival of Financial Planning, The Best Personal Financial Planning and Personal Investment Articles this Week from Personal Finance Blogs.
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Welcome to the November 13, 2009 Edition #115 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
Adam Williams presents Eat food in your pantry, you’ll save money. Really. posted at RabbitFunds.com, saying, “I think we’ve all read articles talking about how we should make a shopping list before going to the store. We almost always make a list. And yet, we still have what I’m going to call “unintentional food storage.””
April presents Large Amounts Matter Too posted at Get Rich Slowly, saying, “Remember: Saving money on the little things every day is great, but saving money on the big things can make an awesome difference to your budget.”
Four Pillars presents Get Out Of Debt With YNAB – You Need A Budget Financial Software Review posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Indepth review of You Need a Budget software.”
Baker presents Budgeting Ups and Downs: October and Beyond posted at Man Vs. Debt, saying, “Ever since we’ve left overseas, our budgeting system has been on one huge roller coaster ride. I’ve outlined what we DIDN’T plan for and what areas we had success. What about you, though… how was your budget in October? What about November?”
Susan Saverton presents Personal Budgets posted at Family Financial Planners, saying, “When you don’t understand how much you spend and how much you save and invest, you do not have a financial plan. This dramatically increases your family’s long-term financial risk.”
The Debtress presents Financial Lessons from a Man Who Lives for Free posted at – The Debtress Blog –, saying, “Daniel Suelo of a Utah lives in a cave and has no money. Lessons we can all learn from his lifestyle.”
Wise_Bread presents The First Step to Budgeting posted at Wisebread.
Estate Planning
The Financial Blogger presents Estate Planning: 5 Reasons Why You Should Have A Professional Among Your Liquidators posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “managing an estate is more complicated than simply writing a few checks! Fortunately, for those who can afford it, you can name a professional among your liquidators.”
Jeff Rose presents Your Estate Planning Checklist posted at Jeff Rose.
Financial Planning
Dividend Tree presents Building Core Competency for Long Term Survival posted at Dividend Tree, saying, “whether it is running a business or individuals’ investment portfolio, it is important to build a core competency for long term sustainability. In my case, I focus on good quality companies that consistently pay or have potential to pay growing dividends over time.
jim presents Conduct a Financial Fire Drill posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, saying, “Conducting a financial fire drill is one of the most important financial planning steps you can take. You can make better decisions when you aren’t emotionally involved.”
Susan Saverton presents Financial Advisor Pasadena California posted at Pasadena Financial Planner, saying, “Appropriately setting your personal asset allocation in line with your personal risk tolerance is a critical decision for every investor. The percentages that are allocated to various asset classes tend to change slowly over time, so it is important to get it right at the outset.”
Financing a Home
Joe Manausa, MBA presents Home Buyer Tax Credit Expanded By Congress posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “Congress has extended and expanded the homebuyer tax credit. The modifications will become effective when President Obama signs the bill, which could occur as early as November 6, 2009.”
Roshawn Watson presents Should You Buy A House Outright? posted at Watson Inc, saying, “Suppose you find yourself in the somewhat unique predicament of having the resources to purchase your house outright without a mortgage. Is it then financially-wise to make the purchase?”
Madison presents $6,500 Home Buyer Tax Credit for Existing Homeowners posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “Great news for those planning to move soon! A tax credit for existing homeowners.”
Alex Fotopoulos presents When to Refinance a Mortgage? posted at My Trader’s Journal, saying, “Some key points to consider when refinancing your home.”
Financing Education
Praveen presents Will Education Follow the Housing Bust? posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “Tips for students to avoid excessive loans and debt”
Health Care
Jeff Rose presents What’s the Best Health Savings Plan For You? posted at Jeff Rose.
PT presents Save Money on Health Care: A Quick Summary of Tax Advantaged Medical Savings Accounts posted at Prime Time Money.
KCLau presents Withdraw EPF Fund to Pay Insurance Premium? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Vincent Lee generously shares an idea to use your EPF”
Income
Ted Reimers presents Tips for making a Career Change posted at A Degree Online, saying, “The road to financial independence requires many changes. Here are a few tips when changing careers.”
nissim ziv presents What Are Your Salary Expectations? posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, “It is worth being prepared to answer this question wisely because you can, accidentally, make some critical mistakes that greatly weaken your negotiating power down the road.”
Dividend Tree presents Three Companies with Sustainable Dividends posted at Dividend Tree, saying, “Even in soft economic environment, there are companies out there that are continuing to increase dividends for their shareholders. While dividend increase is good, it is more critical to make sure we understand that companies can sustain their dividends.”
Investing
Soo-Young presents 10 Things Zombieland Taught Me About Stock Market Investing posted at Bullishness.com, saying, “Applying The Zombieland Rules To The Stock Market”
ABC presents Top Down Investment Approach posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “An explanation of the “top down” investment method.”
Aussie Investor presents How To Buy Shares In Australia posted at Australian Investing, saying, “Investing in the stock market can be a rewarding experience, but where do you start? This post introduces the mechanics of buying shares. What sort of things do you need to consider beforehand and how do you actually go about making your first purchase?”
Zach Scheidt presents Blue Nile Reports Growth posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Blue Nile Inc. (NILE) reported earnings growth in the third quarter. The company is growing market share but the stock is simply overpriced. Watch for a 50% drop in the coming months.”
Super Saver presents Dow 10,000 3.0 – What’s Next? posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “After the Dow crossed 10,000 in October, 2009, the big question is where next . . . up, down or sideways?”
Fred Elkins presents Diversified Munis Offer Good Value and Minimize Your Tax Burden « Finance Banter posted at Finance Banter, saying, “Diversified muni funds offer investors current income without increasing their tax liability. Here is advice on what to look for and a few core choices.”
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Best Discount Brokerage Firms posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “A list of the top online discount brokerage firms, including a short review of each to give information about what gives each brokerage an advantage over the others.”
Jules Wells presents Best Investment Strategy posted at Financial Planning Software, saying, “Personal investing seems incredibly complex, but the best investment strategy also tends to be a more simple investment strategy.”
Roshawn Watson presents Save For Retirement or Avoid Student Loans posted at Watson Inc, saying, “If a student is working and has acquired some cash, should he or she use that money to avoid future student loans or invest the money for retirement?”
Praveen presents Just Bought Hyatt Hotels (H) posted at My Simple Trading System, saying, “About Hyatt’s recent IPO and why its a good stock.”
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Alternative Investments to High Yield Savings Accounts posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Looking for a safe place to stash your cash and still receive a decent rate of return on your money? Then check out this article, which lists several good safe investment alternatives to standard high yield savings accounts.”
Silicon Valley Blogger presents EverkBank Review: Online Bank For High Yield Investment Accounts posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “I look into some interesting CD products from Everbank.”
MoneyNing presents How to Get Your Wife to Invest posted at Money Ning, saying, “Talk and discuss. Learn how to get your significant other to invest!”
Control your Cash presents Reading this post will make you sound 477% more financially literate posted at Control Your Cash, saying, “What does Dow 10000 really mean?”
Curt presents How I Plan to Double My Money Twice Next Year posted at PennyJobs.com.
Zach Scheidt presents Blackstone Sees Improving Trends posted at ZachStocks, saying, “The Blackstone Group, LP (BX) reported earnings and the stock is trading sharply higher. The environment is improving for the private equity company as liquidity and risk premiums increase.”
ABC presents More Exciting Facts About Stock Indexes posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “Some interesting facts about stock indexes.”
GeoffG presents Technical Analysis | Stock Market Timing Signals | Top Stock Picks » Blog Archive » Technical Analysis and Market Timing Update for 11/10/09 posted at Market Timing and Top Stock Picks, saying, “Want to know the best and worst time to own stocks. Use technical analysis and market timing signals for long term investing success.”
FMF presents Portfolio Recommendation Beats S&P 500 by 9.4% posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Suggestions on a market-beating portfolio.”
lifestyles presents Chunking: Using Passive Income Streams from Real Estate to Pay for Chunks of Your Bills posted at Lifestyles Unlimited Real Estate Investing and Mentoring, saying, “Brian Lee addresses the concept of “chunking.” Pay off parts of your bills by investing in real estate!”
Frank Vertin presents Low Cost Index Fund posted at Best Index Fund, 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.”
Dividends4Life presents 4 Stocks With Higher Dividends posted at Dividends Value, saying, “Investing in Dividend Stocks is a long-term strategy. Frequent buying and selling of dividend stocks can significantly increase your expenses and taxes, thus lowering your returns. A growing dividend is a strong indication of a company’s increasing intrinsic value.”
ABC presents “Bottoms Up” Investment Method posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, “A short description of “bottom’s up” investing style.”
Steve Alexander presents Magic Formula Buyouts and Bankruptcies 2009 posted at MagicDiligence – Optimizing Joel Greenblatts Value Stock Strategy, saying, “In addition to normal capital returns and dividends, the Magic Formula has a knack for finding stocks that are good acquisition targets – but also some that go bankrupt. A look at some buyouts and bankruptcies on the MFI screen in 2009.”
Mike Piper presents Where to Rollover My 401k posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “For anybody who has left their job recently, one of the biggest questions is what to do with their old 401k. This article helps sort through the three major options.”
Tomas Escent presents Professional Investment Management posted at Nerds on Wall Street, saying, “Think of this book as sort of a Hitchhiker’s Guide to Wired Markets. There are no robots parking cars for six million years, but there are robots trading millions of shares in six milliseconds, so maybe that’s close enough.”
The Skilled Investor presents Investing Strategy 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.”
The Financial Blogger presents The Financial Blogger » Blog Archive » Canadian ETFs That Pays Dividends – Am I in Heaven? posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “There are a lot of people that love dividends. There are 2 major reasons why so many investors love them. #1 they are usually issued by very stable companies which mean less volatility in a stock portfolio. #2 they pay quarterly income, which is great for revenue seekers.”
Mike Piper presents Is Technical Analysis Profitable? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “An extremely thorough study was recently performed, testing over 5,000 different technical analysis trading rules. The results: Not so rosy.”
Diane Laine presents The Definitive Inverse ETF Guide posted at ETFdb.
Tushar Mathur presents Can’t Control the Markets? Try controlling the Costs posted at Everything Finance, saying, “As 2008 proved, the financial markets are prone to unpredictable periods of turbulence. That can make investing feel a bit like a roller-coaster ride. The disappointing results that many mutual funds posted in 2008 and at the outset of 2009 may have left you feeling concerned over your financial future. You’re not alone.”
Larry Russell presents NoLoad Mutual Funds posted at Best No Load 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.”
Zach Scheidt presents Rosetta Hits IPO Price – Lowest Trading Since April posted at ZachStocks, saying, “Rosetta Stone Inc. (RST) has traded below it’s IPO price, leaving all investors with losses. Weakness in consumer spending, and a difficult macro environment will likely continue to pressure this vulnerable company.”
Managing Debt
Darwin presents The Truth About Rewards Credit Cards – But, Is it Really True? posted at Darwin’s Finance, saying, “After ABCNews published some rather disturbing data on the spending habits of users of reward cards, it’s worth evaluating their assertions because Correlation is not necessarily Causation. Is this just sloppy reporting or is there something to be concerned about?”
Manshu presents Disney Rewards Visa Credit Card posted at OneMint, saying, “A look at the rewards and features of the Disney Visa Credit card.”
MoneyNing presents Credit vs Debit Transactions with Your ATM Card posted at Money Ning, saying, “Are there any difference with saying credit or debit when you hand over an ATM card?”
Tristan presents How Do Debt Collection Agencies Work posted at How To Eliminate Debts, saying, “A quick look at how debt collection agencies work with creditors to collect on delinquent debts.”
oneadvice presents Debt Management Solution posted at One Advice, saying, “Looking for a debt management solution which is right for you? Be clear and concise about your debt management requirements before signing ANYTHING….”
The Smarter Wallet presents How 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards Can Save You Money posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “You can save money with the right kind of credit cards!”
The Dough Roller presents Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “Balance Transfer Credit Cards”
Miscellaneous
FMF presents How to Buy a New Furnace and Air Conditioner posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Keys steps to buying a great furnace and AC unit at a great price.”
No Load Bond Funds presents Low Cost Bond Funds posted at Bond Index Fund, saying, “Simply put, if you pay higher bond mutual fund fees, then these bond management expenses tend just to be a deadweight loss to you. The best bond fund buying strategy is to pick only very low-cost no load bond funds.”
Mike presents Journey of 1000 Miles: Part III of III posted at Minting Pennies – Personal Finance, Investing, and Microfinance, saying, “A post about finishing the journey to achieving good credit and reaping the rewards you are at the final destination. It is also about the importance of reaching out and helping others during your journey.”
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Do You Know If You Are Owed Money From A Bankruptcy? | The Canadian Finance Blog posted at The Canadian Finance Blog, saying, “To help you find out if you are owed money from bankrupt debtors, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy maintains an Unclaimed Funds Database.”
Frank Knight presents Identity Theft Prevention posted at Personal Financial Planning Software, saying, “Financial Planning and Identity Theft Prevention — Identity theft prevention is a key, but often overlooked, component of a prudent financial plan.”
Tyler Tervooren presents Stop Feeling Guilty and Go Do Something Awesome posted at Frugally Green, saying, “Guilt gets in everyone’s way. We use it as motivation to do all kinds of junk we don’t really care about, but think we should. What could you accomplish if you forgot about what everyone else thinks you should be doing and started making your own rules?”
Susan Saverton presents Personal Financial Strategy posted at Family Financial Planner, saying, “When pursuing optimal financial planning and investing strategies and controlling your costs and capital gains taxes, you also need to establish a time-efficient system to monitor, adjust, and adhere to your financial plan.”
Retirement Planning
FMF presents The World’s Best Places to Retire posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “One way to make your retirement savings go farther is to retire overseas.”
Jeff Rose presents 2010 Traditional and Roth 401k Contribution Limits posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “401k limits for 2010 have been announced.”
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents 2010 Roth IRA Contribution Limits posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “The IRS recently released the 2010 Traditional and Roth IRA contribution limits. Now is a great time to get started on your retirement and tax planning for next year!”
Frank Knight presents Roth IRA Retirement Planning posted at Financial Planning Software, saying, “Roth IRA Retirement Planning — Deciding between traditional retirement plan contributions and Roth retirement plan contributions”
Jeff Rose presents What you need to know about your Medicare and Medicaid Benefits posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “Many seniors have misconceptions on the differences between Medicare and Medicaid eligibility benefits. Throw in long term care insurance, and the water gets even more muddier.”
Top Stock Index Mutual Funds presents Stock Index Funds posted at Top 10 Index Fund, saying, “To build your retirement portfolio, buy some of these top 10 very low cost no load S&P 500 index mutual funds directly. You do not have to pay the heavy added expenses of buying through a stock broker, financial adviser, investment adviser, or investment counselor.”
Risk Management and Insurance
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Save Money on Auto Insurance Rates posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Tips on how to save money on your auto insurance rates, including multi car discounts, multi-line policies, defensive driving courses, and more.”
Chris McClelland presents Things to not say to your insurance company posted at Lucrative Investing.
Patrick @ Military Money presents COBRA Benefits 2009 Economic Stimulus Recovery Act posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “The 2009 Economic Stimulus Plan includes additional COBRA and unemployment benefits.”
Savings
MBB presents Best Online Bank: Savings and Checking Accounts posted at Money Blue Book Blog.
The Smarter Wallet presents HSBC Direct Review: Top Savings Account posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Reviewing an online savings account”
Four Pillars presents $8,000 Credit For First-Time Homebuyers Extended 6 Months – Not Increased To $15k posted at Quest For Four Pillars, saying, “Home buyers credit extended 6 months.”
Jody T Fransch presents The Law of Saving | jody fransch posted at jody fransch.
David Carlson presents Attitudes Towards Savings posted at Dual Income No Kids, saying, “This article is about American’s view towards saving and how we as a nation are saving less than the past. This is done through comparing past attitudes towards saving to today’s attitudes towards saving. It also talks about how saving can be more than just an emergency fund and can serve other purposes.”
KCLau presents Caring for the Elderly posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Problems faced by the elderly”
Taxes
Super Saver presents End of Year Tax Planning – Deductions posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “For me, October is a good time to review my 2009 financial status for tax return filing purposes. It gives me a few months to make any changes that can lower my taxes.”
Jacqulyn Richey presents First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended posted at Las Vegas Real Estate News, saying, “Details of the extension of the 2009 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. A breakdown of who now qualifies, the new income limits and the extension deadline.”
Jeff Rose presents 2010 Traditional IRA to Roth IRA Conversion Tax Rules posted at Jeff Rose, saying, “Tax implications of converting from a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Don’t forget the after-tax contributions.”
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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Thanks for featuring our post on the Dow.
Betty