This is a guest post by The Skilled Investor – A great source for Personal Finance, Investment Management, and Financial Planning Articles.
Welcome to the November 20, 2009 Edition #116 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!
Featured
I do not normally feature any submissions. However, this one, which was submitted to the Miscellaneous category, deserves to be featured. The title alone warrants that accolade:
Sustainable Life Blog presents The High Cost of Being a Moron posted at Sustainable Life Blog, saying, "Perfect example of how a small mistake can cost you big bucks when selling a car."
Budgeting
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."
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."
Economics
Emily Simmons presents How to Make a Budget That Works posted at Be In Health Now, saying, "A budget is the foundation on which financial freedom is built. Learn the basics here."
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
David Carlson presents Eight Reasons Why Its Hard To Get Rich posted at Dual Income No Kids, saying, "This post describes eight different reasons people do not become rich. When you take these eight reasons into consideration, you can overcome the various roadblocks that prevent people from becoming wealthy."
Roshawn Watson presents Are Wealthy People Dishonest? posted at Watson Inc, saying, "Are the wealthy dishonest? While it is certainly a fair question, it is also a polarizing one. The typical dichotomy is that there are some who feel like there is absolutely no way for honest people to get ahead financially while the wealthy often feel maligned for their prosperity."
James Carter-Truman presents 4 “Must Have” Precious Metals Investment Tips posted at Buy Gold Secrets, saying, "James Carter-Truman is an expert about gold and he writes to share his knowledge about Gold investment"
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."
Amanda L. Grossman presents The Lazy Person's Guide to Financial Success posted at Frugal Confessions, saying, "This article is all about simplicity and automation in personal finances. Set a plan, automate that plan with specific amounts of time for each step detailed in the article, and leave it! Let compound interest and automatic withdrawals take your finances to the next level."
jim presents Conduct a Financial Fire Drill posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
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.
Finavigation presents The Right Mindset for Financial Success posted at Finavigation, saying, "For many people, the main thing holding them back from achieving the things they want in life is the way they think. People who are able to build wealth and accomplish the goals they set for themselves continuously think about the world differently than people who are complacent and find themselves stagnant instead of accelerating toward the life they want."
Financing a Home
Joe Manausa, MBA presents How The Cap And Trade Bill Affects Real Estate posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, "I believe that if the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 is enacted, new home construction costs will go up, and home affordability will decline. It appears as if a “national building code” will be created, thus usurping some of the rights of State’s to control building quality as they see fit."
Evolution Of Wealth presents Return On Equity Is Always Zero posted at Evolution of Wealth, saying, "Do you ever wonder what the return on your home equity is? Not your house but the equity that everyone tells you to build up. Well it's zero."
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?"
Brandon Laughridge presents 8000 Tax Credit Extended and Expanded posted at Mortgage Loan Place, saying, "Learn what the new tax credit terms mean for you as a first time home buyer or repeat home buyer."
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
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Open Enrollment Health Insurance Options posted at Cash Money Life, saying, "what you need to know about the common health insurance options available from most employers during the open enrollment season."
Jeff Rose presents What’s the Best Health Savings Plan For You? posted at Jeff Rose.
Patrick @ Military Money presents Open Enrollment Window Open for Some posted at Military Finance Network, saying, "Open enrollment is the only time of the year that many people are able to make changes to their health insurance elections. Make sure you take advantage of this time to select the best health care option for your needs."
Income
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."
MoneyNing presents Take Some Time to Make More Money posted at Money Ning, saying, "While savings is important, taking some time to make money is still critical."
nissim ziv presents Informational Interview Questions: Examples| Request for Informational Interview: Tips posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, "Informational interview is not a job interview. The purpose of this meeting is to find out more about jobs and careers rather than getting a job. It is a meeting in which a career seeker asks for advice about a certain career that interests him."
Investing
Jeff Rose presents Good to Know Rules and Limits for the Traditional IRA posted at Jeff Rose, saying, "As good as the Roth is, the Traditional IRA still has its place."
Brian Terry presents Are You Ready To Buy Gold Bars? posted at Buy Gold Secrets.
Darwin presents 2009 Stock Market Returns YTD from Around the World – Shocking! posted at Darwin's Finance, saying, "This comprehensive analysis of global stock market returns shows some emerging markets in triple digits year to date and surprisingly, the US is toward the bottom of the heap even following its meteoric rise from the March lows."
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Scottrade Review: Top Brokerage For Small Investors posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "Reviewing an outstanding online broker. Scottrade is great for new investors."
ABC presents Top Down Investment Approach posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, "An explanation of the "top down" investment method."
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."
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."
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!"
FMF presents Portfolio Recommendation Beats S&P 500 by 9.4% posted at Free Money Finance, saying, "Suggestions on a market-beating portfolio."
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."
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."
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."
ABC presents More Exciting Facts About Stock Indexes posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, "Some interesting facts about stock indexes."
Super Saver presents Asset Allocation Investing Based on Time posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, "Here's a strategy that diversifies risk by time."
Steve Patterson presents Gold: Don’t Fight the Trend posted at FastSwings.com - Steve Patterson, saying, "Inflation is also a concern for traders who are predicting a rise in consumer costs as the dollar continues to fall."
Manshu presents S&P 500 ETF List posted at OneMint, saying, "A list of ETFs that track the S&P 500."
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."
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."
ABC presents “Bottoms Up” Investment Method posted at ABCs of Investing, saying, "A short description of "bottom's up" investing style."
April presents The Roth IRA Made Easy posted at Get Rich Slowly, saying, "Starting a Roth IRA is one of the easiest — and best — steps you can take to save for retirement! A great guide on what they are, the rules that govern them, and how you can start one today."
Zach Scheidt presents China Drug Research Company Reports Stellar Earnings posted at ZachStocks, saying, "Wuxi PharmaTech Inc. (WX) reported strong third quarter earnings. The China drug research and manufacturing company is investing heavily to drive future growth and should see significant earnings appreciation."
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 presents Living in the Fast Lane posted at Minting Pennies - Personal Finance, Investing, and Microfinance, saying, "How adequate planning and preparation can lead to successful investing."
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."
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."
Dividends4Life presents 9 Dividend Stocks Sending More Cash To Shareholders posted at Dividends Value, saying, "Looking for the perfect dividend stock? In an utopian world, the perfect dividend stock would be one that is both high-yield and provide a high dividend growth rate. Its share price would appreciate with its increasing dividend. All of this would be driven by increasing earnings and cash flow."
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."
Steve Alexander presents Magic Formula Stocks in Forbes Top 200 Small Companies 2009 posted at MagicDiligence - Optimizing Joel Greenblatts Value Stock Strategy, saying, "Every year, Forbes creates a list of the top 200 best small companies in America. Which current Magic Formula stocks are part of the list, and which ones have been a part of MFI in 2009?"
Managing Debt
The Smarter Wallet presents Use Secured Credit Cards To Develop Your Credit History posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "On using secured credit cards to establish credit history."
Miscellaneous
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."
Peak Personal Finance presents 5 Financial Rules for Women posted at Peak Personal Finance, saying, "Good advice for women, and men too!"
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."
Dorian Wales presents A Temple Restaurant and a Clearing House for Tickets – Two Observations of New York City posted at The Personal Financier, saying, "New York City is my favorite destination in the world. Any opportunity to visit again, whether on business or pleasure is a joy. With each visit a new light is shed on some other aspect of the city. I'd like to share two such spotlights with you." (Editor's note: Dorian is right about Peter Luger. Best steakhouse around.)
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."
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."
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."
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Netflix Review - Online DVD Rentals posted at Cash Money Life, saying, "Netflix is a great way to save money on movie rentals, especially with the $8.99 unlimited plan that comes with unlimited DVD rentals and unlimited video streaming. Check it out with a free trial if you've never used it."
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."
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."
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"
Risk Management and Insurance
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."
Evolution Of Wealth presents Do You And Your Child a Favor posted at Evolution of Wealth, saying, "Do you depend on your child? That's what life insurance is for, to protect those that depend on you. What about the people you depend on?"
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."
Savings
The Smarter Wallet presents HSBC Direct Review: Top Savings Account posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "Reviewing an online savings account"
KCLau presents Are You Rich in Internal Assets? posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "pay attention to the internal assets"
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."
KCLau presents Caring for the Elderly posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "Problems faced by the elderly"
Taxes
Jeff Rose presents How to Qualify For a Tax Deduction on Your Traditional IRA Contribution posted at Jeff Rose.
Jacqulyn Richey presents First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended posted at Las Vegas Real Estate News, saying, "A breakdown of the extension of the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. Now current homeowner may qualify for a credit under the new bill."
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."
Mike Piper presents Tax Diversification: Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, "Sometimes the best answer to "Roth IRA or Traditional IRA?" is "a little bit of both.""
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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