Carnival of Financial Planning

For weekend reading, here is a useful list of articles on a variety of money topics for the Carnival of Financial Planning.

If you run a blog and you would like to participate in the next carnival, submit a post at Blogger Carnivals.

BUDGETING AND ECONOMICS

Mr.CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes How We Saved $146.90 By Reading The Paper – It’s not everyday reading the paper can score you some money back in your pocket. Being aware of store policies and understanding them as a consumer may work to your advantage like it did for us.

Justin @ The Frugal Path writes Living Below Your Means: There’s no way around it – If you want to achieve wealth or be able to retire with dignity there is one truth that must be obeyed. You must live below your means.

Lance @ Money Life and More writes Brookstone: Who Buys This Stuff Anyway? – Brookstone has a ton of awesome stuff. However, the awesome stuff is… very unique and normally not super useful or practical. Oh yeah… it is normally outrageously expensive too! How expensive and impractical? Let’s take a look!

MR @ Money Reasons writes Is A Millionaire Promise Wrong? – Is my millionaire promise an impossible one? Read about my millionaire promise that I made as a child and how I'm trying to become a millionaire by a certain age range.

Robert @ Beat The 9 to 5 writes Our Tribe is Growing! What Do We Call Ourselves? – irst, I want to thank you for trusting me. Trusting me with your inbox. Supporting me with my journey. I’m honored by the fact that there are already over 100 subscribers to this site vision. Now, I wanted to share a little more about what I want us to do as a tribe. We’re in this together, and you’ve committed you sharing your journey with me!

John @ Card Hub writes Ask The Experts: If I Could Make One Policy Change to Fix the Federal Deficit, I Would… – One of the most pressing issues facing our nation these days is the federal government’s massive budget deficit. There are plenty of proposed solutions out there – both practical and inane – coming from a variety of sources. But evaluating the efficacy of a potential remedy, of course, necessitates making a proper diagnosis first.

CAREER AND INCOME

Buck Inspire @ Buck Inspire writes My First Taste Of Haterade – I’ve always stayed below the radar and not ruffled feathers. Recently I’m coming off the sidelines and getting into the game. Not surprisingly, I also encountered my first taste of Haterade.

Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes Selling Our House Update – Many of you know that my family is selling our home and moving because I found a new job. It's been almost two months since the house was listed, and I must admit that it feels like our house will never sell.

Michelle @ Making Sense of Cents writes Financial Goals and Increased Income – Many Changes – Recently, I have been receiving many questions about how our financial goals have changed since we now are making more income than we used to make. Even Jordann made a post last week titled How to Spend Your Extra Income. We definitely need to adjust our financial goals. This is mainly because of all of the side hustles that I am doing, especially since how last month I made nearly $8,000 in extra income.

Robert @ The College Investor writes How To Improve Your Credit Score and Why You Should Care – If you aren’t already making timely and full payments, paying down your debt, and obtaining your free yearly copy of your credit report, here are five reasons you should invest in your credit score.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes 5 New Websites That Save You Big Bucks – Today I will be taking about 5 New Websites That Save You Big Bucks. The internet is an amazing tool and we can peruse just about everything. Need a job hit the monster or a career builder, wanna sell the old couch post an ad or create ad in Facebook.

Nick @ A Young Pro writes What I Learned from a Lost Purse – Recently my wife lost her purse at a local store. Read this article to discover the wonderful lessons I learned from that lost purse.

DEBT AND CREDIT

John S @ Frugal Rules writes The Cost of a Bad Credit Score – A credit score can be used to determine many things from rates on loans to eligibility for certain jobs. By protecting your credit score you can help yourself potentially save a good amount of money over time.

Alexis @ FITnancials writes I Want a Credit Card – But I Have No Credit – I want a credit card. Yes, I just said that! I’ve been on the hunt for one, and I’ve even applied for some, but I’ve gotten denied. I have no credit (I’m 19, my car loan isn’t in my name, and I have no other credit cards), so it is hard for me to find a card to get approved for.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes 5 Things to Remember When Buying a Car – Check out these 5 things to remember when buying a car.

Brent @ PersonalFinance-Tips writes Prevent Credit Card Electronic Theft – The rise of online commerce has improved our lives in a number of ways. Today, you have the choice to use your credit card to order millions of types of products from online stores. Sites like Amazon.com and Ebay.com are doing billions of dollars worth of business every year, and still growing at a very impressive rate.

IMB @ Investing Money writes Tips for Real Estate Investing in India – So you are all geared up to purchase the house of your dreams, accrued all your savings, inquired the financial institutions about all the lending criteria and the term for which you will be taking up the loan. But, this is not all.

Kevin @ Passiveincometoretire writes The Hidden Costs Of Home Refinancing – Mortgage refinancing costs and fees will be different depending on the homeowners financial situation and the type of loan they want. With interest rates so low right now, many homeowners can benefit from getting a mortgage refinanced into a new loan with better interest rates, terms, or conditions.

Jon Haver @ Pay My Student Loans writes Next 4 Years – Obama Student Loan Forgiveness – For many Americans, paying for and living under the weight of student loans has become a way of life. The next four years are starting to look a lot more hopeful thanks to President Obama’s “Pay As You Earn” proposal and Representative Hansen Clarke’s proposed Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012.

Grayson @ Debt Roundup writes How Debt Started My Quest Toward Financial Literacy – Some start being financially responsible before they get into debt. I decided to do it a little different. After getting into debt, I decided that I needed to gain some financial literacy.

INVESTING AND SAVING

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes Six Dividend Paying Stocks I Purchased for my IRA – I purchased six dividend stocks in an IRA. By making this IRA contribution, I was able to reduce my tax due by more than half. The amount I put in that IRA produced an instant tax savings that was equivalent to over one third of its value in taxes.

Jules Wilson @ Faithful With a Few writes Wilson Household On the Mend..$250.00 Later – We were so grateful that we had the extra money which is something we wouldn’t have had in the past. I never would have dreamed having a sick household could cost so much.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes The Letter My Wife Will Get If I Don’t Check Gmail For 6 Months – If I pass away, this is the message I would have gmail send my wife after 6 months.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes There’s a Pot of Gold Waiting for You in New Mexico… – …all you have to do is find it! That’s right, Penny Hoarders! Three years ago, a multimillionaire named Forest Fenn buried a chest (weighing over 40 pounds!) that is filled with a multi-million dollar treasure. It’s filled with gold coins, diamonds, emeralds and other gems, and it’s yours for the taking.

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey @ My Personal Finance Journey writes Which Short-Term Bond Mutual Fund Should You Use For Your Fixed Income Asset Allocation in Taxable and Tax-Sheltered Accounts? – Which Short-Term Bond Mutual Fund Should You Use For Your Fixed Income Asset Allocation in Taxable and Tax-Sheltered Accounts?

Sam @ Simplefinancialfreedom writes What does Obamacare Mean for Your Health Coverage – ObamaCare will bring a range of services and benefits to your health care plan. Some of the benefits can already be seen, while others will roll out in 2014.

DJ Wetzel @ Money for College Project writes Payoff Student Loans with a Business Mindset – Student loans can mount quickly, and paying them off can seem a daunting task. Approaching your student loans as you would a business investment helps to reframe your thinking about student loans, and strategize efficient ways to pay them off sooner.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes My Online Addiction – The title might be a little flamboyant, but I do love the online world. I hate errands, wasting any time, and saving money, so I do everything I can online.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes You Can Avoid Living Paycheck to Paycheck – Here are your best steps to avoid living paycheck to paycheck and to move forward.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Roger’s Rants: Switch to the Metric System, Already! – This article represents the first one where I take a step away from a strict personal finance issue to wail, rave, and generally, well, rant about subjects that

Pete @ Intelligent Speculator writes Are You Ready For The Next Market Crash? – We look at the potential of another market crash.

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes A Very Leaky Bucket – Ever have one of those weeks months where you feel your wallet is a bucket with a really big hole in it? I’m not talking about a small leak, more like a full on deluge, kinda like this: Yeah. That’s happening for me, right now. Ha. Here are all of the things I have to The post A Very Leaky Bucket appeared first on L Bee and the Moneytree.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Why Aren’t Gold Bonds Plunging Along With The Stocks? – With the price of gold and gold mining equities in free fall, surely investors could expect a decent spread widening in gold bonds, right? Not quite.

Rich @ Growing Money Smart writes Growing Money is More Than Math – Growing Money is more than math, read all of the other reasons to take into consideration on your journey to wealth.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Finding and Pursuing Work You are Passionate About – The key to a good work life is finding and pursuing work you are passionate about

harry campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes What is Bitcoin and Should You Invest in it? – If you’re like me, you’ve probably sent a peer to peer payment before. Whether its the monthly rent, or gambling debts owed to a friend, sending money through Paypal or similar services is pretty easy(and free!). Bitcoin essentially does the same thing but with its own currency. Yes that’s right, Bitcoin has its own currency that can be used to pay for merchandise/services all across the web.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE

Michael Kitces @ Nerd’s Eye View writes Why Cancelling An Existing Whole Life Or Universal Life Policy May Be A Bad Idea – Normally, most people who don’t need life insurance simply cancel the coverage. But in today’s low return environment, the reality is that an existing life insurance policy can actually provide a remarkably appealing fixed return if held until death, which means even if you wouldn’t buy the coverage today, it may make a lot of sense to keep what you’ve already got!

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Would Batman need Life Insurance? – Batman doesn't; but whether you need life insurance and how much you should check carefully.

REAL ESTATE AND PROPERTY

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Happy Birthday: Budgeting Your Child’s Birthday Party – Child's birthday coming up? It doesn't have to break your finances. Read here for tips on successfully budgeting your child's next birthday party.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Our House Is Back On The Market – After taking the winter off, our home is back on the market – and this time, we’re being more aggressive with the list price and Realtor’s fees.

RETIREMENT AND TAXATION

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Is It Bad to Get a Large Tax Refund? – It all begs the question: is it good to have a large tax refund?

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes The Government Will Tell You What To Do With Your 401(k)? – Find out how the Government Accountability Office is making your 401(k) options confusing and putting a damper on your personal finances through regulations!

MMD @ My Money Design writes When Can I Retire – It All Depends On How Badly You Want To! – The answer to When can I retire is not something that comes with age. Depending on how well you plan and prepare, it could be a lot sooner than you think!