Welcome to the May 22 edition of the Carnival of Financial Planning. I’m sorry for the late posting, but there was a small problem with the code. Thanks to Don for fixing everything up beautifully. There are some terrific posts for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
BUDGETING AND ECONOMICS
Jules Wilson @ Fat Guy,Skinny Wallet writes A Recap of April 2013 for Fat Guy – My Worst Month EVER!!! – April was my worst month both physically and financially in well over a year! Find out what happened and what I’m doing about it.
Philip @ PT Money writes The 4 Items You Really Need to Include in Your Estate Planning Checklist – It may be a morbid subject most people avoid, but it is essential to have a proper plan for your estate. Make sure you at least have these 4 things taken care of.
Mike @ The Financial Blogger writes How Can I Retire At 35? – The finances behind retiring early!
krantcents @ KrantCents writes I Love Other People’s Money! – What is other people’s money? When you buy real estate, you usually get a mortgage which is other people’s money. It is a way of leveraging your down payment in order to buy an asset. When you borrow money to buy a business, it is other people’s money.
Bank Free Credit @ Bank Free Credit writes How to Find Free or Cheap Food – Eating cheap doesn’t always mean eating bad for you. Eat smart, and you’ll save in the long run.
Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes Four Templates to Save You Time Running a Business – When you run a business, you get busy fast. I run both a blogging business and a flash mob business, and I get tons of emails and have to create new documents and content regularly. I found that some templates can save me a lot of time if I get them setup ahead of time.
Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Extreme Bedroom Style Makeovers Revealed – An extreme makeover doesn’t always have to involve a complete overhaul of the entire room. One of the best things about the bedroom is that a few small changes will have a big impact.
CAREER AND INCOME
Sam @ Simplefinancialfreedom writes Work and School From Home – Day to Day Financial and Time Freedom – Learning or teaching from home can be an excellent means for teachers to remain educators while staying at home.
Green Panda @ Green Panda Treehouse writes My Top Summer Jobs That I Would Reccomend – What are your top summer jobs?
Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Skint and How the Other Half Live-English t.v. shows about wealth and poverty – I have discovered that I am unable to turn off the personal finance mentality and have found some fascinating finance things to think about while here in the U.K. Specifically, the cost of living in England and two shows that I watched on my off day. Skint (broke in U.S. lingo) and How the Other Half Live. I found both shows incredibly edgy, honest, and thought provoking.
MR @ Money Reasons writes Am I Too Greedy In This Stock Market – I’m getting the feeling I should increase my position in my brokerage account by 20 percent or more. After all, why be too greedy in this stock market…
DEBT AND CREDIT
John S @ Frugal Rules writes After the Swipe: How Do Credit Cards Work? – Many think that little happens after you swipe your credit card. The truth is though that a number of things happens and all in a very short span of time. Be mindful of that next time you use your card and be aware of how easy it could be for someone to steal that information.
Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes All About Rent to Own – Furniture expensive. You may consider using a company to rent to own furniture. Before doing so, it’s important to understand what is involved.
Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes Simple College Planning Tips – College is definitely expensive, and if you’re a parent, you may wonder how on Earth you’ll cover this cost. The average student with a four-year degree graduates with at least $20,000 in student loans.
Ray @ Squirrelers writes 96 Month Car Loans are Insane – While I’m not a fan of debt, I know many people might have to take out a loan for a car. But a 96 month loan? Come on.
Jon Haver @ Pay My Student Loans writes We’ve all heard that old adage “Cash is King.” In this day and time if “Cash is King”, credit “Rules the Universe.” It absolutely impera – We’ve all heard that old adage “Cash is King.” In this day and time if “Cash is King”, credit “Rules the Universe.” It absolutely imperative that you improve upon your credit and build a positive score which will allow you to acquire the things you desire. A major problem for students in college is lack of financial knowledge which includes credit management and building.
Grayson @ Debt RoundUp writes Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Debt Doesn’t Play That Game – Being in Debt Denial is not going to get you anywhere. Debt is not like a broken tail light. You can’t just ignore it, because it just continues to grow. Face the facts and stare at your debt head on. It is the only way to change your financial picture.
Cash Flow Mantra @ Cash Flow Mantra writes Debt Payoff Progress for April 2013 – I had every intention of making April better than March in regards to debt payoff, and in reality, it is not as bad as it seems. But the debt that I report here didn’t even decrease.
INVESTING AND SAVING
Irfan Ahamed @ Everything About Investment writes Generating Passive Income: Make Your Money Work for You – How would you feel if the money in your bank account brought in even more money, with minimal additional effort? That’s what it means to have passive income. This is how the rich continue to gain wealth and generate additional income, enjoying a simple living with little to no financial stress.
Mrs. PoP @ Planting Our Pennies writes What To Do With A Car Accident Settlement? – The PoPs recently settled a car accident with the other party and are trying to figure out how best to invest the money. Check out their ideas and give advice!
Jason Hull @ Hull Financial Planning writes Fiduciary Duty Isn’t Enough; Your Planner Better Not Suck, Either – Bad advice from someone who has your best interests at heart is still bad advice. Here’s how to identify if your financial planner is competent as well.
BARBARA FRIEDBERG @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes IS IT TIME TO INVEST IN THE STOCK MARKET NOW THAT RETURNS ARE UP? – Should I Invest in the Stock Market Now? Smart investing strategies.
Mr. Frenzy @ Frenzied Finances writes Fashion Finance: Looking Great Without Going Broke – Whether you love it or not, clothes shopping is a necessity – and often an expensive one. Don’t fear – here are great tips on fashion for cheap.
Michael @ Financial Ramblings writes Investing With a Three Fund Portfolio – Interested in maintaining a bit more control over your money and/or avoiding the fees associated with an investing service or financial professional? Here’s how to get started investing on your own.
Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes Providing Healthy Food Choices for Your Children – Providing healthy food choices for your children and family takes some extra work. Reading labels, selecting only the healthiest of foods to have in your home and avoiding dinning out are some steps you can take, read on to learn even more.
Steven @ MyDividendStocks writes Cash Dividends vs Stock Dividends – The definition of dividends is basically sharing the wealth of the company with its shareholders. There are two forms of dividends stock and cash. A cash dividend is when a company pays back its shareholders and investors in check, cash or wire transfer.
Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes The Best $100 Monthly Payment Ever – Lauren and I have a bit of a texting and driving problem. So we came up with a plan that will probably save our lives.
SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes How To Book Cheap Flights & Air Travel Deals – Are you planning to take a vacation sooner? Then it is most likely that you must be hunting through several booking sites and airline websites in search of a good deal to find a cheap flight ticket.
Maria @ The Money Principle writes How you can afford more than one holiday this year – You may be wondering whether you can afford a holiday this year. Using these tips you may be able to have more than one holiday.
Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes How Frugality Can Lead to, and Sustain, an Extreme Early Retirement – Many of you know that I grew up on a family dairy farm in Pennsylvania.
IMB @ Investing Money writes Ways to Invest in Dividend Stocks to Build Wealth – Looking to build some wealth from the stock market? Dividend stocks might just be an option for you. Here are tips on investing in dividend stocks.
Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Benefits of the Family Dinner – Eating out was the exception when I was growing up – at least in my neighborhood in the 1950′s. For one thing, there weren’t many affordable and convenient restaurant choices.
MMD @ My Money Design writes Using the Dividend Yield Formula to Evaluate a Stock Prospect – In my effort to learn more about stock evaluation, I’m going to look at the dividend yield formula and what it can tell us about the company’s future.
Arnel Ariate @ Money Soldiers writes How to Buy Precious Metals – The purchase of precious metals can provide you with a tangible asset that will increase steadily over time. Precious metal dealers can be found anywhere from within jewelry stores to pawn shops.
CF @ The Outlier Model writes Should I purchase Encana for my TFSA? – A look at Canadian Natural Gas producer Encana – are they a good investment for a dividend producing stock?
REAL ESTATE AND PROPERTY
Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Preventive Medicine For Your Home – We all know that one the largest assets we will own in our lifetime is our home.
Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes The Joneses are Probably Broke – It has only been a few months that I have been immune to the feeling that I must, through my spending, keep up with others. These days, I barely care what brand of clothing others are wearing. I say no way more than I ever have when asked to go out to eat. My house is still in need of a huge paint job. You get the idea.
RETIREMENT AND TAXATION
Super Saver @ My Wealth Builder writes What I’ve Learned from My Retirement Jobs – There is no perfect long term retirement job for me.
LaTisha @ Young Finances writes How Much Do I Need to Retire? – When you are planning your retirement consider your retirement date, desired cash flow at retirement and how long you plan to live on your retirement income.
Kevin @ Passiveincometoretire writes Saving for Retirement Strategies – CNN.com delivers the latest breaking news and information on the latest top stories, weather, business, entertainment, politics, and more. For in-depth coverage, CNN.com provides special reports, video, audio, photo galleries, and interactive guides.
This is an excellent group of articles. If you’re working on your finances you’ll want to give these sites a read.