Welcome to the 38th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance and also welcome to Canadian Capitalist. For readers new to the Carnival, it highlights blog entries that focus on personal finance topics.
Without further ado, here are the highlights:
I will Follow: Multiple Mentality’s TIAA-CREF retirement account follows him wherever he goes.
I Want my Baby Berks: Growth in Value is trying to morph his reckless growth-investing tendencies into a more stable, long-term value strategy by buying baby Berkshire (NYSE: BRK.b) shares.
Teaching Kids About Money: raising4boys.com points to a study that suggests some good topics to discuss with your kids, including how and why your family saves as well as the difference between wants and needs.
Online Bank Contact and Routing Information: fivecentnickel.com has pulled together customer service contact information, ABA routing numbers, etc. for various online savings banks.
Market Forecasting is Like Fly-fishing: Frugal Wisdom suggests that we should take market forecasts with a (big) pinch of salt.
How to Hire a Tax Professional? beancounterblog.com presents resources and ideas on where to find free help for your taxes and where to find tax professionals.
College Savings Series Part II: Chief Family Officer discusses the pros and cons of a Coverdell ESA in the second part of a series on education savings accounts.
RRSP or Mortgage Then? Canadian Financial Stuff discusses whether retirement savings or debt reduction is more important.
Why I said no to an engagement ring: In The Almighty Dollar, a recently married woman (congratulations!), describes society’s lofty expectations for the engagement ring and the incredible pressure she faced from her decision not to get one.
Money, Marriage, and Children: Musing Money talks about his personal situation.
Poverty to Prosperity: Free Money Finance offers his view of how to go from one extreme to the other financially.
Insuring Mrs. Cleaver: InsureBlog explores what happens when a stay-at-home spouse is disabled and offers a solution.
Roth IRA vs. Traditional IRA: Money and Investing lists the benefits of each type of IRA and says that sometimes it is good to have both.
Saving Money by Considering Cash Flow: Frugal Underground highly recommends having short term savings for those times when paying in advance can save you a bundle.
Title Insurance, or Fifty Ways to Lose Your Money: Searchlight Crusade warns people of the number of ways they can get into trouble if they talk themselves out of title insurance.
Comparison Shopping for Auto Insurance: Mighty Bargain Hunter discusses when to shop around for auto insurance.
Over-Withholding: Sitting Pretty discusses the pros and cons of a tax refund.
P.T. Barnum is Alive and Well Somewhere in the Pacific Rim: OneManBandwidth tells the humorous story of some Japanese who spent $1.27 million paying for fake $1 million bills.
Budgeting Tip – Give Every Dollar a J-O-B: You Need a Budget covers the importance of actively making sure your dollars are doing what you want them to do – not what they want to do.
Forget April–February Is the Cruellest Month: Funny Munny says that despite its abbreviated length, February is the least favourite month not just for him but for his wallet as well.
Retire Rich: Journey To Financial Freedom crunches some numbers to figure out how much is needed for retirement.
Be Average or How I Learned To Quit Worrying And Love Bear Markets: Ask Uncle Bill says that in long term investing, bad times can be good times.
Tip On Getting Long-Term Disability Insurance: Sound Money Tips offers some statistics that will give you good reason to consider getting long-term disability insurance if you don’t currently have it.
Certified Mail: How Saving $4.25 can Turn Out to be Very Expensive: Roth & Company Tax Updates illustrates how thrift can be costly when you mail your tax returns with a sad story from Iowa.
Money Myth – Refinancing A Mortgage: Personal Finance Advice points out that when you refinance your mortgage to get a better interest rate and pay less on a monthly basis, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you saved money.
Are you Saving too much? Kirby on Finance responds to the misconception that American’s save too little and ask the question, “Are you saving too much?”
Cash Only Experiment: No Credit Needed is trying to go “cash only” this month and this post tracks his progress.
Investment Strategy: International Investing: The Net Worth Blog lists the reasons why he invests in emerging market stocks.
Investing in the Spin-offs: Old Niu’s Blog says that corporate spin-offs creates unique profit opportunities for investors and shows how understanding the various internal and market drivers work put you in a place to profit from these opportunities.
Can I get in on an IPO? Million Dollar Goal discusses the chances an average investor has of getting in on an IPO.
Inflation and Stock Market Returns: The Real Returns shows how taxes and inflation take a big bite out of stock market returns.
How Much Is Your Personal Data Worth? Blueprint for Financial Prosperity shows us how to find out how much it costs to buy your address, social security number and even your military record (if you have one).
How Many Stocks in a Portfolio: Investing Guide debates how many stocks a person should have in a portfolio.
Stop Over Saving! Just Another Money Blog brings up the point about balancing current enjoyment (spending) and possible future enjoyment (saving).
Phew! That’s it! Next week, tune in to Personal Finance Advice for more personal finance ideas.
