Carnival of Financial Planning – Veterans Day Edition #210 – November 11, 2011

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

Never Forget

Welcome to the November 11, 2011 Edition #210 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

Super Saver presents Leftover Halloween Treats posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “For this year, we assumed that we would need to eat leftover treats. So we bought treats that we would be OK with eating: pretzels.”

Corey presents How I Got 4 Movie Tickets for $9 posted at 20′s Finances, saying, “Find out how I got 4 movie tickets for $9. It’s possible that you can too!”

David Leeman presents Christmas On A Budget – Best Ways to Save Money During the Holidays posted at Financial Freedom Advantage, saying, “With a little thought and planning, Christmas on a budget can be fun as well as festive. Here are some great ideas for frugal Christmas decorations, cheap stocking stuffers, and frugal Christmas gifts.”

Matt presents 085 Financial Excellence: Money & Military ? A Tribute to our Troops posted at Living In Financial Excellence, saying, “Today Matt talks about the financial challenges faced by our military men and women and offers some tips for them to avoid financial problems while serving our country.”

DJ presents POS Fees ? An Explanation posted at The Family Wallet, saying, “There’s no reason you should ever have to pay POS fees, but you may not have known how to avoid them. With this information, you may be able to avoid those fees by choosing to use your debit card as a credit card.”

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.”

Lisa presents Stick to a Budget: Rockin’ It Like Russell Brand | posted at Thriftability, saying, “As my own freelance career and blog sites continue to grow, I find myself reminding myself to save more – which is sometimes hard to do, especially after toughing it out through a hard couple of years following the economic downturn. Read on to consider ways in which we can live comfortably, without compromising our budgets.”

Financial Planning

Jon Elder presents Set Your Financial Life to Automatic posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, “Consider these ways to automate your savings and bring order to your financial life:”

Paul Vachon presents Are Your Finances Prepared for a Cyber Attack? posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “In 2010 an Iranian Nuclear Facility was damaged in a cyber attack by a virus called Stuxnet. This type of cyber attack could cause wide spread electrical outages in the U.S. Are you prepared to manage your finances during an extended power outage?”

Janet presents Credit Utilization: An Important Part of Your Credit Score posted at Credit Cards Canada, saying, “You want to make sure that you keep your credit utilization in mind as you work to improve your credit score.”

Darwin presents MAJOR Financial Miscalculations We’re All Making posted at Darwin’s Money, saying, “Darwin bares his soul and shares 6 MAJOR Financial miscalculations over a lifetime that you may be making as well. From salary assumptions to investment returns, everything you thought you knew might be wrong.”

Flexo presents 5 Reasons You’re Unhappy With Your Career Progress posted at Consumerism Commentary, saying, “Not everyone works at their dream job (few actually) but if you’re unhappy with your career progress, you’re not alone. ”

Larry Russell presents Identity theft protection and prevention posted at Personal Investment Management and Financial Planning, 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. Taking these steps to prevent an occurrence is prudent.”

Jill presents 7 Financial Consequences When You Say “I Do” posted at My Dollar Plan, saying, “This is a must-read for anyone planning on tying the knot soon!”

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.”

Aloysa presents Where Not To Go Cheap posted at My Broken Coin, saying, “Even the most frugal have a breaking point. Quality is more important for certain items than finding a great deal. Find out what this personal finance blogger refuses to go cheap on.”

Mike Piper presents When to Use a Financial Advisor posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, “Given that investing is (for the most part) fairly simple, under what circumstances does it make sense to use a financial advisor?”

Financing a Home

misst presents Rent to Own Homes | Prairie Eco-Thrifter posted at Prairie Eco-Thrifter, saying, “The right move for a homeowner with a buyer who can’t get a mortgage might just be a rent-to-own agreement. The seller is able to move and has income coming in, while the buyer gets a place to live and a chance to become a homeowner.”

Jason P. presents Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Early? posted at One Money Design, saying, “Lot’s of arguments against doing so, but this make sense financially and for peace of mind.”

B.B. presents Making an Offer on a House posted at Beating Broke, saying, “In my opinion, buying a house is a lot more complicated than it really should be. Making an offer on a house plays it’s part in that complication.”

Financing Education

Hank presents Top Ten Money Questions People Always Ask posted at Money Q&A, saying, “Find out the most popular financial questions that are on people’s minds today.”

Income

BIFS presents October 2011 Blog Statistics and Income Update posted at Budgeting In the Fun Stuff, saying, “It has been a heck of a month! Long story short, I now have more than 90 client sites for my advertising business and had a record month.”

Jonathan from Debt Loans presents Six Steps to Self-Employment: Starting a Home Based Business posted at Frugal Living, saying, “If you’ve been considering leaving the rat race in order to work from home, starting a home based business may be one of the top items on your mind these days. If this idea sounds appealing to you, chances are that one of the first questions you find yourself asking is, “How do I get started?” The following six steps may help to point you in the right direction.”

The Financial Blogger presents October Monthly Income Report Or How I Make $218.15 an hour posted at The Financial Blogger, saying, “The income from the last month.”

Kevin presents When Can You Talk About How Much You Make? posted at Invest It Wisely, saying, “Could there be times when it’s a good idea to tell someone how much you make? Some situations are straightforward, while some can be tricky.”

MoneyCone presents Confessions of a Lazy Blogger posted at Money Cone, saying, “If you are a blogger, you’ll find this post curiously entertaining; if you are reader, you’ll get a behind the scene sneak peak at what keeps a blogger awake at night!”

Jim Tolley (aka Kidgas) presents Hondurans Know How to Hustle posted at Cash Flow Mantra, saying, “There is no real social safety net in Honduras so everyone must figure out some way to put food on the table. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well mainly out of this necessity.”

Investing

Investor Junkie presents Are Those Long Term Capital Gains, or Short Term Gains? posted at Investor Junkie, saying, “How long you have been holding an investment matters. If you haven’t held it long enough, you could end up paying more in capital gains taxes. As you prepare your portfolio for the end of the year, don’t forget to consider the length of time you have had a stock.”

Intelligent Speculator presents Choosing Between An Annuity And A Dividend Portfolio posted at Intelligent Speculator, saying, “We look at these two investment options.”

DGB presents What is Your Investing Horror Story posted at The Dividend Guy Blog, saying, “Do you have an investing story?”

Dividends For The Long Run presents Understanding Return on Equity posted at Dividends For The Long Run, saying, “Return on equity is often mentioned but rarely understood. I show how it can be used to determine a company’s profitability when compared to competitors.”

My Journey presents No Research Reasons Why I Like Mature Dividend Paying Stocks posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “While most people don’t talk about it in this manner anymore, when you buy a share of a company you are buying into the business. If I am to buy into any business I want to know revenue, profit, and how I am going to share in those amounts.”

Lazy Man and Money presents Prosper Looking for a P2P Rate of Return Industry Standardization posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, “The P2P industry needs to have an industry standard. This way Joe Average Investor won’t just default to mutual fund rather than getting scared off by all the ugly math.”

Kanwal Sarai presents Why I Started Investing On My Own posted at Simply Investing Blog, saying, “Here’s my story on how I went from being dependant on others to independent, from losing money to making money.”

Mittoo presents Battle 1: Our investments, or potential lack there of? posted at Its Raining…Pennies!, saying, “I raise an issue that many young couples will encounter. How to save and invest as a couple/family when each person has their own views on how to invest.”

Janet Russell presents The illusion of superior professional mutual fund manager performance posted at Personal Investment Management, saying, “If investment mutual fund managers were truly skilled at beating the market, then you would expect mutual fund manager performance prowess to persist over time. The effort to find those few supposedly superior money managers willing to sell their services sufficiently cheaply is a costly, time consuming, and futile, “Where’s Waldo?,” searching exercise for the individual investor.”

Glen Craig presents What is DRIP Investing and How Can it Grow Your Wealth? posted at Free From Broke, saying, “We hear how dividends can grow your wealth. One way this is done is through a dividend reinvestment plan. But what is a DRIP and how exactly can it grow your wealth?”

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.”

Ken Faulkenberry presents 6 Fundamental Principles of Investing posted at AAAMP Blog, saying, “If you can embrace these fundamental principles of investing you will be miles ahead in meeting your goals and providing the kind of retirement you desire.”

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 15 Dividend Stocks With A 15% Yield In 15 Years posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, “Who wouldn’t like to earn a safe 15% on their original investment? Normally double-digit returns are the fodder of con artists or associated with extraordinarily risky investments. In either of these cases, the person is usually left holding despair in one hand and an empty wallet in the other. However, I have discovered that you can actually enjoy high yields with minimal risk…”

Managing Credit and Debt

Peter presents Should You Reveal Your Debt To Family And Friends? posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, “If you want to take concrete steps to get out of debt, take the time to determine how much debt you have, make an action plan to pay it off, and tell at least one person you love and trust how much you owe and how you plan to pay it off.”

Mr. Money Smarts presents Bank Of America Drops Plans For New $5 Debit Usage Fee After Other Banks Do The Same posted at Smart On Money, saying, “While the big banks aren’t charging the new fees at this juncture, my guess is that they’ll find a way to institute new fees somewhere at some point soon. My suggestion is to just take your money and vote with your feet – by taking your money to a better bank.”

Sustainable PF presents Credit Card Jargon Buster posted at Sustainable Personal Finance, saying, “Applying for a credit card can be a fairly simply process, but what does all the jargon mean? This guide deciphers the top 10 most common credit card terms.”

J.R. Weber presents Chase Slate 0% APR No Fee Balance Transfer Credit Card Offer posted at Smart Balance Transfers, saying, “Many consumers balk at the idea of paying a 3% balance transfer fee in order to obtain 0% rates. This often results in higher long term interest expenses. A no fee card like Slate removes the hurdle that prevents consumers from utilizing low rate cards.”

Melissa Batai presents Debt Free Journey, Update #2 posted at Mom’s Plans, saying, “We did many different activities this week to find money to snowflake on our debt, and the result was that we were able to snowflake $369 this week! In the two weeks since we have gotten gazelle intense, we have “found” $701.56 to snowflake!”

Super Saver presents Good Debt Myth Debunked posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “Home mortgages and student loans are no longer viewed as good debt. Now they are just debt, as they always should have been.”

Marie presents What is A Chapter 7 Bankruptcy? posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “While it may seem ideal to wipe away all of one’s debts and start fresh, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is not a perfect solution for many people.”

David J presents Top 5 Checking Account Returns posted at CardViews Blog, saying, “With an increasing number of bank fees, it’s time to look elsewhere for our banking needs. But what banks and credit unions should we look to for our checking needs? Who provides the greatest return on our money? Let’s find out.”

Marjorie presents How can stay at home parents get credit cards? posted at CardHub.com, saying, “Prior to October 1, individuals were able to apply for credit cards using their household income; however, this is no longer the case. If you are a stay-at-home parent, it’s understandable if you’re now concerned about your ability to build credit under your own name. Luckily, this is neither what the new rule regarding individual income was intended to bring about, nor its ultimate effect.”

John presents Secured Credit Cards: The Expected, The Surprising & The Best For Your Needs posted at Wallet Blog, saying, “Think all secured credit cards are the same? It’s ok, you can admit it. Interestingly though, our most recent study helps reveal some important differences between secured credit card issuers.”

Marjorie presents Charge-off Guide posted at CardHub.com, saying, “I explain what a charge-off on your debt is as well as how it can affect you and your credit.”

Miscellaneous

Jonathan presents Four Tips for Saving on Transportation Costs posted at Wallet Watcher, saying, “Driving a car has never been cheap, but it seems especially bad for drivers who have to foot the entire cost of petrol, maintenance, registration, and other costs all by themselves. For people who have places to go but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg to maintain a car, there are several great alternatives to traveling alone in your car:”

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?”

YFS presents Is Raising a Dog Like Raising a Child? posted at YourFinancesSimplified, saying, “YFS answers the age old question. Will getting a pet prepare me for a child?”

Joe Plemon presents Three Ways to Minimize Your Vehicle Depreciation Expenses posted at Personal Finance By The Book, saying, “All cars will depreciate. The challenge is to keep that depreciation at a minimum. This post tells how.”

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.”

Kyle Taylor presents Weird Business #10: “Selling Manure Online” posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, “This week’s weird business feature is not only weird, it’s a little bit gross. Like – selling poop on the internet – gross. Hold your nose though, because your going to love this one…”

Retirement Planning

Jeremy presents Are Annuities A Good Investment? posted at Personal Finance Whiz, saying, “I’ve seen a lot of popular financial advisers and finance bloggers preach the evils of this vehicle. For some people, that advise is solid. But for others, annuities might actually be useful. So are annuities a good investment?”

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.”

FMF presents The 10 Hardest Retirement Decisions posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “10 decisions you must make in order to have a great retirement.”

Walter Binkle presents Large Cap Mutual Funds posted at Mutual Funds, saying, “Retirees 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.”

Consumer Boomer presents Social Security Benefits Increase for 2012 posted at Consumer Boomer, saying, “The Social Security announced changes for 2012 that will affect Social Security beneficiaries and retired persons receiving a retirement income. Here’s a look at those changes.”

Risk Management and Insurance

Echo presents 11 Steps To Financial Freedom – Review Your Insurance Coverage posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “The rule of thumb for life insurance is to get enough to pay off your debt, plus cover 10 times your income if you have kids under 10 years old, and five times your income if you have kids over 10.”

FMF presents Financial Strategy #8: Planning Your Legacy posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “Balancing insurance costs and needs at the end of your life is a tricky path to follow.”

Savings

Will presents Bank Transfer Day Is A Win-Win-Win posted at Former Banker, saying, “Bank Transfer Day will probably not have the tidal wave effect most people have anticipated”

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.”

SB presents Get Into Debt Now, Before Time Runs Out posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “I encourage you to read this article and try to find the intention and the true meaning. By the comments received so far, readers have different opinion. The article is about frugality vs spending.”

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.”

J.B. presents Saving Money At The Gym posted at My University Money, saying, “So what do you really need when it comes to getting in shape, and where can you cut financial corners without feeling guilty?”

Taxes

Jim R. presents Track and Value Your Donations for Tax Deductions posted at Free By 50, saying, “Intuit has a free tool on its TurboTax.com site called It’s Deductible that you can use to track and value the charitable donations you make. If you make a fair amount of charity donations in a year then such a tool can be helpful.”

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.”

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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