12/28/12

Rohit presents Roth IRA Conversion posted at The Money Mail.

Dividend Growth Investor presents Market Declines: An Opportunity to Acquire Quality Dividend Stocks posted at Dividend Growth Investor.

Brent presents Don't Forget To Set Some New Year's Money Resolutions posted at Save on Money.

Josh Thompson presents Cash Value Life Insurance posted at Becoming Your Own Bank.

Savvy Scot presents SALLTYE - Spend a Lot Less Than You Earn posted at The Savvy Scot.

Young presents How a Savings Account Keeps You Out of Debt posted at Young And Thrifty.

Girl Meets Debt presents Girl Meets Debt (No Longer in Financial Denial) posted at Girl Meets Debt.

Harry Campbell presents How Much Money Would it Take to Leave a Great Life? posted at Your Personal Finance Pro.

Andrea presents 7 Ways to Lose Money with Last-Minute Gift Shopping posted at Modest Money.

Teacher Man presents Last Minute Gift Ideas – A Financial Education posted at My University Money.

Steve presents The Proposed 2013 Tax Changes Are Only Weeks Away posted at 2011 Taxes.

Welcome, my friends, to a special Holiday edition of the Carnival of Money Pros! You are in for a real treat with the great financial insights offered by the submissions below. Enjoy!

Michelle @ Making Sense of Cents writes $975 in Weekly Extra Income and Life Updates - My spending this week was similar to my Life Update from last week. I don’t think I spent any money (at least none that I can think of) except for my OTHER dog this time. He is sick now, and it’s even worse. Since he is a French Bulldog runt, his nose is extremely closed (they have recommended laser nose surgery to open it up) and whenever he coughed he would go into a fit where he couldn’t breath for a little bit.

Lance @ Money Life and More writes Use Credit Card Rewards to Pay for Christmas! - The holidays can be a very expensive time of year depending on your gift giving tendencies and how much you celebrate the holiday festivities. Luckily I’m going to share a unique way to pay for your Christmas this year that is a bit out of the box.

James Petzke @ This Is Common Cents writes Oh Drat, My Computer is "Outdated" - Keeping up with technology used to cost me over a thousand dollars per year.

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey writes Smallest Balance or Highest Rate - Which Credit Card Should You Pay Off First? - This post addresses the question of whether or not paying off the credit card with the smallest balance or the credit card with the highest interest rate is the correct way to pay off your debt. Which method you ultimately choose is really more a matter of personal comfort level and that the really important issue is that you set a plan to pay off your credit cards, get started and stick to it.

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes Personal Capital Review – A One Stop Financial Center - Wouldn’t you love to see all of your investment account in one dashboard? Enter Personal Capital where you can connect all of your accounts. See more in our Personal Capital Review.

Mike @ The Financial Blogger writes Random Thoughts on How To Make More Money - What are viable options for making more money?

Green Panda @ Green Panda Treehouse writes Get through the holidays on a budget - How you can NOT go broke this holiday season.

Kyle James @ Rather-Be-Shopping.com writes Frugal Hack #1: The “Secret” Dish Network Programming Package - Save a bunch of money with this "secret" plan.

Levi Blackman @ Wealthnote.com writes 22 Things You Can Do Today to Become a Better Investor - A list of powerful investing wisdom that can make you a better investor starting now.

Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Fourteen days to go till payday - 14 days until payday is a long time, but at least I'm half way there! Read my take on this payment arrangement!

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Some Marry The Wrong Person Knowingly - Marriage is one of those subjects that requires certainty, and not a lot of potential. Despite this, some marry the wrong person knowingly.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Financial Year End Strategy - Have you started your financial year end strategy yet? I have and I explain why this is the perfect time to do so!

Kanwal @ Simply Investing writes Should You Buy Low and Sell High or Buy Low and Hold? - A reader asked: "When you buy dividend paying stocks do you usually hang on for ever or are you buying and selling stocks every few years.

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes How Living in a Small Town Affects Our Finances - I knew moving from a large city (population of 165,000) to a small town (population of 5,500) would have some sort of effect on our finances...I just wasn't....

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Help Your Children Buy a House Without Getting Into Trouble With the Taxman - Thinking about lending money to family to buy a house? How you structure the loan has a lot of tax consequences. Get the answers you need here.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Four Financial Changes For When You Have a Baby - If you're a regular reader, you're probably well aware that there is a baby about to enter my life.

Jason @ Work Save Live writes 6 Ways to Involve Your Children in Giving This Holiday Season - Children are born with giving hearts, and if they are taught at a young age that giving should be a part of their lives, they do so naturally and compassionately. Here are 6 ideas to get your children involved in giving this holiday season.

Ryan @ Early Retirement Investments writes Protect Your Business and Employees from Fire - How to protect your business and employees from fire. Read what I thinking!

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Optimizing Your Return on Savings (and Keeping it Simple) - Everyone wants to earn more money with the money that they already have. As a basic rule, investors want high returns in order to grow their wealth faster and easier. If earning more money were as easy as merely desiring it, everyone in the world would be a rich person. Instead, it is often quite difficult. It's hard to predict when a company may go under.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Buying Life Insurance For Your Kids - Buying life insurance for your kids is an important and very mature choice to make. While it's another expenses, you can rest easy that your family will be fine.

Jessica @ Mo' Money Mo' Houses writes Every Career Path is Different, and That's Okay - It's easy to look at your peers and question why they are a manager but you are still an assistant. Listen, every career path is different, and that's okay.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes How to Improve Your Finances - As the Holiday season approaches, many families are left wondering where all of their money went.

Derek Knight @ Freeat33 writes What Is Your Legacy Saying About You? - Are you doing one thing and saying something completely different? It's time to get honest with yourself. Have you wasted the last few years?

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes December 2012 Dividend Champion Watchlist Update - Every few months I like to update the watch list for my Dividend Investment Portfolio (last update was in October of 2012). As explained in great detail below, I apply various metrics to the Dividend Champion List (defined below) to weed through the list to create a watchlist that I’ll buy lots of over the next few months.

Roger Wohlner @ The Chicago Financial Planner writes Lousy 401(k) Plan? – Strategies to Make the Best of It - Like many financial advisors I generally suggest to most clients that they maximize their contributions to their company's retirement plan. But what if your organization's plan is lousy? Lousy could mean poor investment choices, high expenses, or low or no company contributions. Here are a few tips to help you make the best of a lackluster 401(k) plan.

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Hotel's "Broken Computer" Credit Card Scam - Someone tried to steal our credit card information a couple of hours ago. It was a pretty ingenious scam too. I'm hoping that you'll read this and share this story so that people won't fall for it like we almost did.

Mr. Money @ Smart on Money writes How to Avoid Paying 3 Common Fees - No one likes to pay extra money. However, there are a number of fees that you end up paying as you go through life. Indeed, it seems as though there are always new fees cropping up everywhere you turn, whether it’s an increase in ATM fees, or whether you discover that you can no longer check even one bag for free when you fly.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes Does Money Grow on Trees? - You hear it all of the time: money doesn’t grow on trees! Growing up, I heard my Mom use that phrase or a similar one to me multiple times.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes What are the Best Oil Mutual Funds? - Why buy oil stocks when you can but a plethora of oil companies? Read my take on the best oil mutual funds.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes How to Improve Your Budget - Everyone who has been budgeting for a while knows that the perfect technique with budgeting isn't developed over night. It's more of a process than people often like to admit. Sure, budgeting may sound simple when we talk about it, but it's much more complex. It's not merely a step 1, step 2, and step 3.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Legitimate Ways To Make Money At Home - Many people are always looking for legitimate ways to make money at home. As a result, there are a lot of scams out there that prey on people. Here are some great ways to legitimate ways to make money at home.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes I've Forgotten How To Buy Christmas Gifts For My Husband - After years of no-gift Christmases and going Christmas shopping for myself, I've forgotten how to buy gifts for my husband without him finding out.

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes Things to Do After Getting Married - In the past year, I’ve attended four different weddings. It was a busy and exciting year, yet as I reflect back on those union celebrations, I can’t help but think back to what my wife and I have done after saying, “I do.&

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Saying Goodbye to Your First Credit Card (the balance, anyways) - Maybe it's time for you to consider thinking about saying goodbye to your first credit card. Find out how it might affect you.

Sustainable Personal Finance writes How to Shop for Eco-friendly Appliances - New eco-friendly appliances, especially the big ones such as refrigerators and washing machines, are a serious commitment for homeowners.

Mandy @ Money Master Mom writes Are your finances an amazing race? - Everyone has good intentions when it comes to their cash, but man fail to plan adequately and a detour, speed bump, or road block send things out of control.

Steve @ 2012 Taxes writes Accounting For Your Business - Running a small business can be one of the most time consuming and stressful experiences in life.

Steve @ FastSwings writes How to Track Down Debtors Around the World - It is becoming less and less common for businesses to know their customers personally, especially if those customers live on a different continent.

BARBARA FRIEDBERG @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes AUTO INSURANCE 101 - Learn auto insurance basics; dedictibles, premiums, coverages and what it all means. Tips for cheap autoo insurance.

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes TFSA Explained - Find everything you need to know about the Tax Free Savings Account or TFSA

Rod @ ROD Blog writes Review of Chase Ink Plus Business Card - Chase Ink Plus business card is offering a $500 sign up bonus. Is it worth signing up for this card? What are the benefits, problems and the reward structure?

Bryan @ Gajizmo.com writes Largest Mutual Fund Companies By Assets - In previous years, mutual funds have seen huge outflows in net assets. In 2012, due to more stability in the stock market and solid returns, mutual funds have began to see growth in their assets under management. Investors can learn about the advantages of mutual fund companies and find the largest ones by assets managed.

Invest It Wisely writes How to Host a Christmas Party on a Budget - We usually host the annual family reunion in our home so we learned how keep control on spending while still enjoying it.

Christina @ MyLifeInsurance101 writes Overview of Life Insurance Coverage - It's the year-end and Americans are likely thinking about their families and how to protect them financially. This article focuses on the 3 most common types of life insurance - term, whole, and universal, and contrasts the pros and cons of the policies so consumers know what is available to them.

My Money Design writes Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Early or Look for a Better Return? - Should I pay off my mortgage early or look for other opportunities with a better rate of return? What about inflation or other investment goals?

Creating a Passive Income writes Passive Income: Let Someone Else Pay Your Mortgage - Learn how you can have someone else pay your mortgage for you! You can generate passive income through real estate.

Carmen @ MyBestCarInsurance101 writes What To Do After A Car Accident - With the holidays fast approaching, hopefully yours will be safe and accident free. For those of you that may experience a car accident now or in the future, here is a "what to do" to keep you financially protected and responsible.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Planning To Donate To Charity? Do It Before The IRS Deadline - Thinking of donating a little more to charity this year and hoping to get the tax deduction you're owed? Make sure you're aware of these IRS deadlines.

Harry Campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes How Much Money Would it Take to Leave a Great Life? - When I graduated college four years ago, I faced a tough job market with very few prospects. I had a couple interviews but I was only offered one position as a navigation/systems engineer in Palmdale, CA. Even though it was my only offer at the time, it was still a tough decision. I debated about taking the job because I had lived in SoCal all my life(never more than 10 minutes from the beach) and I can assure you that Palmdale was/is no Southern Cali! I really wanted to turn down the offer b

Matt @ Dividend Monk writes How to Invest with a Margin of Safety - An overview of conservative investing for solid returns by using a margin of safety.

Matt @ Stoic Insights writes Invest in your health with Quality Food - An extremely detailed article outlining the benefits and arguments of investing more in food now to save money later.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Can We Just Skip Gift Cards This Christmas? - I haven't done any of my holiday shopping at this point, but I'm going to declare a new theory of relative proportion at Your Smart Money Moves today.

Tax Deduction Blog writes How to Make Penalty-free Early Withdrawals from your IRA and 401(k) - Here are some ways in which you can get money (early withdrawal) from your 401(k) or your IRA before maturity and not incur any penalty.

Simple Finance Blog writes Variable Annuities and 401(k) Plan Combo: More Losses than Gains - Over the years, variable annuities have gained popularity. The reason, perhaps, is partly because it is marketed more aggressively by many financial institutions these days.

Aloysa @ My Broken Coin writes Love Skiing But Hate Spending? Go Nordic. - Utah. Dry summers. Cold winters. Snowy mountains. Expensive ski resorts. Utahns love their snow so much that they claim to have "The Best Snow on Earth." I can argue with this statement. To say something like this means you are way too arrogant to my liking.

My Wealth Desire writes Why the Rich getting richer and the Poor get poorer? Other Poor People Stay Poor - In America or in almost all of the countries, there is a wide gap between the rich and the poor people. The common observation from many economists is that the “the rich getting richer and the poor get poorer. In my previous article I discussed in detail the reasons why the rich getting richer. And now in this article I will elaborate the causes why the poor getting poorer or why poor people stay poor.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Options to Deal with Buyer's Remorse - Have you ever had buyer’s remorse? I like to live my life with no regrets—I am a true believer that every moment, both good and bad, has been integral to

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes What Causes Inflation? - Most of us consider inflation to be a general rise in prices. While this is a valid observation, the rise in prices is actually the effect. Higher prices don’t cause inflation. An increase in the money supply causes inflation.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes Which Accounting Method Should You Use for Your Small Business - The end of the year is coming up and my wife has a big accounting decision to make. This year, my wife started a music studio. Since it’s her first year of operation, she has to pick an accounting method to properly report the taxes owed from the business. Perhaps you’ve never given your choices much thought.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Watch your money this festive period - Many people use Christmas as an occasion when they 'let their hair down' and spend without cpntrol or responsibility. Don't forget to watch your money.

Andrea @ Modest Money writes 7 Ways to Lose Money with Last-Minute Gift Shopping - Last minute Christmas shopping is never fun, but on top of that you might be losing money by proscrastinating. Learn how.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes How to Make Money Sharing Your Christmas List - Modern technology has made our time the age of the Penny Hoarder. Only ten years ago, companies paid large chunks of change to one massive advertising agency to get the word out on products and build a brand.

Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy writes The Vagaries of Life - Soo my darlings, how do you strive to balance it all? Any particular coping mechanisms to slash through all of the objectives etched into your daily agenda?

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Adventures in Landlording - So Far, So Good - It's been a while since I talked about our rental income. Here is our most recent updates on our adventures in landlording.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes 4 Frugal Gift Ideas for Acquaintances - Today we will be talking about 4 Frugal Gift Ideas for Acquaintances and service providers. With the holiday upon it can be a challenge upon us to know what can be appropriate to gift to the people to help us all along.

CF @ The Outlier Model writes Recipe Idea: Mulled Apple Cider - It’s not the holidays without a warm cozy drink! One of my favourite drinks to curl up with is a nice, spicy apple cider. Check out our recipe!

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes Unconventional Investment Series: Investing in Wine - Unconventional Investment Series: Investing in Wine

Teacher Man @ My University Money writes Last Minute Gift Ideas – A Financial Education - So you’re down to the nitty gritty for Christmas gifts yet again. Last year you promised yourself it would never come to this again. No more last second stressful dashes to the mall to fight crowds of other anxiety-ridden zombies. Yet somehow December just flew by again this year...

Wealth Effect Blogger @ www.YourWealthEffect.com writes Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs and Enticing Yields - When you're hungry, the smell of bacon wrapped hot dogs cooking on the grill is almost irresistible much like the appeal of enticing yields for those hungry for income.

Jason @ Live Real Now writes Dreams - It’s hard to raise a family on a stablehand’s income. My wife's alternative was to own horses. This comes with a different set of problems.

Beating Broke writes Are You Waiting on Your Finances to Change? - Your finances aren’t going to change if you only wait on them to. If you want them to change, you’ve got to make a directed effort to change them.

KrantCents writes What Is a Progress Report and Why Is It Important? - A progress report is a report of work accomplished during a specific time period. Simple enough, but how often do you reflect on your progress? Although I monitor my progress and adjust my efforts often, I very rarely prepare a report. Just recording your progress is not enough to accomplish your goals either.

Investing Money writes Understanding a Roth IRA and its Advantages - A Roth IRA is a nice investment vehicle to use for retirement planning. Find out more about it.

What Your Boss Really Thinks writes Ask Your Boss: When a Boss Doesn't Deal With an Office Bully - "I am in a unique position. I am an onsite vendor working for a client. The job is going pretty well except for one thing: One of the members on our small team is very difficult to work with.

Ray @ Squirrelers writes Find Silver Coins in Circulation - Sometimes we can find a nice surprise in our change: silver coins! This post discusses how we can find coins much more valuable than face value, just by checking the dates

Tie the Money Knot writes Frugal Holiday Traditions for the Family Can be Fun - Holiday traditions can be a lot of fun, and they don't have to cost a lot of money either, as we explore in this post

Digital Personal Finance writes 12 Tips on Using Linkedin to Help Grow Your Career - Our careers are very important for our ability to save and build net worth. Along those lines, we should explore opportunities to develop professionally. One thing that can help is using Linkedin, and this post shares 12 tips on using it to your benefit

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes Hospital Stay - Last week I wrote about how my husband was changing companies and that the new company has expensive health insurance.

Gajizmo.com writes Best Home Insurance Coverage, Companies, Quotes and Rates - Finding the best insurance coverage is easy when you are willing to spend any amount finding it. Trying to find the best home insurance coverage and company with the lowest rates, is a different question. Learn how to do it!

Justin @ Young And Thrifty writes 7 Well Paying Jobs that Don’t Require a University Degree - If you are thinking about making a career change, or spooked by the cost of a university education for yourself or your child, there are well-paying jobs that don’t require university degree.

Free Money Finance writes Stacking Multiple Discounts to Rack Up Big Savings - A few weeks ago I noted how I save while shopping at outlet malls. The key: stacking multiple offers on top of each other to get substantial discounts. Well, our family recently had a big success doing this on a much larger scale and thought I'd share the details.

Investor Junkie writes Keep Your Financial Information Secure - While it’s practically impossible to guarantee that your financial information will never be stolen, you can reduce the chances that you will be a victim.

Girl Meets Debt writes Have Yourself a Very Merry and Not So Expensive Christmas - This holiday season, I have been surprisingly really good and resisted many spending temptations. I am going to share with you some tried and true tips I used to save money this year:

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Confessions of a Cheap-Ass Santa - I admit it. I am a cheap-ass Santa. Yet, I don't let it bother me. In fact, here are a few confessions of ways I've saved money on gifts this Christmas.

John S @ Frugal Rules writes First Steps to Investing in the Stock Market - Just starting to invest in the stock market can be a daunting task for many. But, with a few simple guidelines you can get started on the road to investing for your future.

The Happy Homeowner writes $1400+ of Travel for $520 - Want to travel but not sure the cost will fit in your budget? This post highlights my recent travel deals and shares tips for making a vacation your reality no matter how tight the budget may be!

Dividend Growth Investor writes Dividend Stocks I Purchased Over the Past Two Months - As I mentioned in my dividend retirement plan, I am an investor in the accumulation phase. I typically purchase somewhere between one to three investments each month.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Teaching Kids the Power of Giving This Holiday Season - Consider how often you get gifts from your family and friends that you don’t especially want knowing they spent more money than they can afford. This year, why not give (and receive) a better gift by telling them to donate to a charity in your name, and you’ll do the same for them?

Matt @ Living in Financial Excellence writes Living Beyond Rich: You Gotta Read This Book! - Living Beyond Rich isn’t just financial advice. It’s a personal story, full of heartfelt emotion and passion. It’s the true story of how one normal, everyday family got rid of $150,000 of consumer debt in a REALLY short period of time. Jen McDonough bares it all in the book, sharing her family’s most intimate financial details for the world to read – so that the world may learn from their mistakes and experiences.

Everything Finance Blog writes Start the New Year Right--Declutter and Make Money Selling Books & Electronics - If you would like to start the new year with some extra cash and an organized, de-cluttered home, why not sell or trade in some of your clutter old valuables.

Cash Flow Mantra writes The Check Is In the Mail - I am actually pleased to be saying, “The check is in the mail.” That’s because I am the one sending the check. And the recipient is the IRS.

Penny Thots writes Why I Am Not Worried about the Fiscal Cliff - Don’t get caught up in the hype that the news is selling you. They are trying to get a reaction out of you so you become emotionally tied to the news story and will watch anytime they mention “fiscal cliff”. We all know that the worst decisions are ones we make based on emotion. So why sell out now, based on how you feel?

Little House in the Valley writes Achieving Goals on a Continuum - What I’m realizing is that my goals are on a continuum. They aren’t simple one-step goals that I can achieve in 12-months. Instead, I have to evaluate the progress I’ve made and go from there making adjustments to eventually meet the entire goal.

Steve @ Grocery Alerts writes Would you pay for a $7 cup of coffee from Starbucks? - Has anyone tried the new Costa Rica Finca Palmilera coffee from Starbucks? I did and it was the most expensive coffee I ever drank at $7 for a Grande.

Andrew @ 101 Centavos writes Delta Airlines and the March of Folly - Corporations are not unknown for making dumb decisions and stupid moves. Some are patently obvious on their face, like the Netflix/Qwikster fiasco, some are revealed as idiotic only in retrospect (such as Decca Records deciding NOT to sign up the Beatles). Still other boneheaded moves just leave some of the outside watchers shaking their head, softly muttering under their breath, “They’ll be soooorry”

Bob @ ChristianPF writes 9 Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas That Might Actually Get Used - Let’s be honest, we have all received some homemade Christmas gifts that never saw the light of day again – sometimes they are well intentioned and so we might not care that our peppermint-scented ruler holder won’t get too much use.

Philip @ PT Money Personal Finance writes Hottest New Toys for Christmas This Year - What toys top the list as the "most wanted" this year? How do they stack up to the most wanted toys in the past 2 years? Here's everything you need to know.

Jefferson @ See Debt Run writes How to Stay Relevant in Your Career - In today's rapidly changing world, you need to make sure to remain relevant in your chosen industry. Get regular training, keep to date with technology, and choose a job that you can be passionate about.

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Financial Wrongs from the Past - I share an example of when a technicality cost my family over $40,000.

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes Protecting Your Kids from Child Identity Theft - We worry enough about our own identities and ID theft but we also need to be aware of how to protect our kids from identity theft as well.

Steve @ 2011 Taxes writes The Proposed 2013 Tax Changes Are Only Weeks Away - The powers that be are still trying to work out how they can forestall the fiscal cliff but everyone should be prepared for the consequences.

Mike @ The Financial Blogger writes Invest $198 and Make Thousands of Dollar A Case Study on How to Make Money With Aweber And Enjoy Your Subscription For Free - Is your newsletter working for you?

Pete @ Intelligent Speculator writes Could Apple And Google Finally Become Smart About Their Rivalry? - What if these giants worked together?

Mike @ Experiglot writes How Much Credit Card Debt Do You Have? - What to do if you're stuck in debt.
 

If you’d like to submit an article to a future Carnival of Money Pros or you’re interested in hosting- click here. Thanks again to everyone who participated this week!

 
Photo by oskay

I'm honored to host this week's Carnival of Money Pros (brought to you to by the Money Pros Team)! If you'd like to submit an article for an upcoming edition, do it here- Blogger Carnivals.

Now, get to reading...

SB @ One Cent at a Time writes 15 Ways you Can be Scammed via Craigslist - 100's of people are getting scammed on on Craigslist every day. This article talks about typical Craigslist scams and how to detect a scam. Protect yourself from being scammed on Craigslist.

Suba @ Wealth Informatics writes Early retirement strategy on one income : Can we still retire early with our income cut in half? - We want to retire by 40. The goal just got more challenging with me quitting my job, thus cutting our household income in half. Is it still possible for us to achieve this dream?

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes How to avoid being a dividend loser - Dividend losers focus on excuses that prevent them from achieving their goals of financial freedom. Dividend Winners on the other hand, focus on creating specific goals, and the steps to make them a reality.

Sani @ Well Kept Wallet writes 5 Tips for Living a Fun College Lifestyle and Staying out of Debt - Creatively managing resources is essential if you want to have more fun with shopping, socializing, and enjoying down time. Just as time management is a huge factor, so is budgeting the bill! You need to juggle resources to pay for the cost of living, books, student loans, and still have money left to kick back and rejuvenate doing something fun.

Andrew @ Student Finance Australia writes Save Mooney by Buying Clothes online - A blog about how you can save money by buying your clothes online.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Why I May Finally Buy A Smartphone - I am the last holdout. A few months ago, I explained why I’ve remained loyal to my old, outdated flip phone. Although more than half of all cell phones in use in the U.S.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes 5 Tips for Becoming a Landlord - Becoming a landlord can be a great experience, but challenging at times. You do your best diligence possible, but the inevitable will arise. Here are some tips from one landlord to another to help you become successful. 1.

BARBARA FRIEDBERG @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes HOW TO RENT AN APARTMENT - Before you rent an apartment, improve your credit, perpare your rental and job history. Look professional.

Your Boss @ What Your Boss Really Thinks writes Unsent Letters To My Employees: Four Months of Nothingness - Step-by-step outline on how to deal with difficult employees.

Jamie @ Financial Footsteps writes The Kindle Won't Save You Money - The Kindle won't save you very much money. See what it will save you!

Tim @ Fortune Fanatic writes Buying a Retirement Home - My parents are buying a retirement home. Here's what they are looking for a in a home to retire in.

Weasel @ Wealthy Weasel writes Why All Car Insurance Companies Can Save You Money - All car insurance companies can save you money. See why you should check your car insurance rates frequently.

TDB @ Tax Deduction Blog writes Should You Do Your Taxes Or Go With An Accountant? - When it is that time of the year when taxes have to be done, many are struck with a tough decision to be made every year, on how to go about getting them done. Should they do their taxes by themselves or should they consult an accountant? The answer depends on the situation of an...

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Billing guidance tips can help your business cut on energy costs - This article offers tips that can help you cut on energy costs; in your business and in your home.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes All You Need to Know about Bank Account Fees - Most people manage to go through life, managing their money, without racking up any bank account fees. However, it is very easy to incur fees on your current account, simply because you don't know the kinds of transactions and other things that banks charge for.

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes Would You Buy Your Life Insurance at Walmart? - Bloomberg reported earlier this month that MetLife, the largest life insurer in America, is going to be selling prepaid life insurance on the shelves of Walmart. The article explains the transaction and prices pretty simply:

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Which is Worse: Feeling Guilty About a Spending or Regretting Missing Out On An Experience? - Have you ever had all your friends talk about that one epic night they went out and you missed it? What would you pay in retrospect to have been there?

Rich @ Growing Money Smart writes What is Dollar Cost Averaging? - Dollar Cost Averaging is an investment strategy where you are investing static amounts of chunks of money spread out over time (instead of a lump sum purchase) in a given investment.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes 5 Inexpensive Ways to Amass Your Own Personal Library - Check out these five ways anyone can start collecting and creating their own library. It's easier than you think!

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Flexibility - The Key to a Working Budget - Sometimes the key to making a budget work is to play with the numbers a bit.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes Families Risk Tricks to Save Money on Treats - Some families are not handing out candy for Halloween as a way to save money. Find out why.

TRL @ The Retired Landlord writes How to Build Wealth Fast - Why the Rich Get Richer - Want to get ahead? Find out how the rich use their wealth to their advantage and how you can work your way up the economic ladder.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes When should you close a credit card? - Getting rid of a credit card affects more than just your credit limit. Find out what it means for your finances.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Taxes 101: 12 Different Taxes That Americans Pay - Today we will talk about 12 Different Taxes That Americans Pay. When we think of taxes people usually think about federal income taxes. It is because federal and state taxes some American looses 35 percent of their pay check to the income taxes.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes How To Start Building Your First Emergency Fund - Having a $1,000 emergency fund in place before you start to tackle your debt will help you from having to go back to your credit cards for a bailout. When a true emergency comes up, you should have a buffer of cash.

Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes A blizzard starts with one little snowflake - This month I was able to find an extra $200 that I would have normally frittered away on random stuff.SavingAdvice.com and Blogging Away Debt are currently doing a Snowflake debt reduction giveaway. The idea is to get their readers fired up and thinking about all of the ways they can add to their debt repayment plan.

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes What Types of Insurance Should a Small Business Owner Consider? - Key Man Insurance, Worker’s Compensation, Data Breach Insurance, Professional Indemnity Insurance

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Prepare Your Home for Winter Infographic - For those who must burn the midnight oil (quite literally), here’s an infographic that explains winterizing preparations:

Mr. Money @ Smart on Money writes 4 Savvy Tips for Better Organizing Your Financial Life - If you are ready to take charge of your financial life, streamlining it for better effect, here are 4 actions you can take:

Jason @ Work Save Live writes Short on Cash and Bills are Due...What Do You Do? - There’s only a Few Options When You’re Short on Cash and the Bills are Due It's one of the worst possible situations in personal finance - the bills are due and you're short on cash this month. You're probably scared, frustrated, and running out of options.

Peter @ Bible Money Matters writes The Three Fund Portfolio: A Simple Diversified Investing Strategy - If you want to have a simple, low cost investing strategy, there are other options. Some of them can be more cost effective as well. For example, what I’m going to talk about today, the three-fund portfolio. It’s a theory where you invest in the fundamental asset classes, stocks and bonds, and usually do so in total stock market index funds and bond funds.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes How to Create a Budget - Want to create a budget? Find out how to do it. It's not as hard as you may think.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Can My 401(k) Buy A Subway? - Ask any business owner what it is like to get a loan from a bank today and you'll quickly find out that unless you are willing to give your right arm and left

Robert @ My Multiple Incomes writes Focus on Your "Oldies, But Goodies" - Now that you’ve found your top content, you can look for ways to make it work even harder for you. With these “Oldies, But Goodies”, the hard work is already done. They probably rank high in search, provide value to the reader, and are all around good posts. But are they working hard for you? Or did you just work hard to create them? Here are some of my strategies for making these posts work hard for me:

Robert @ Entrepreneurship & Life writes Managing a Business on Vacation - I recently took a 10 day trip out of the country and had almost no email and internet access. Just because I was gone, however, doesn’t mean business took a break. Here are some tips on running your business while out of town.

Robert @ The College Investor writes Forget Mint for Money Management, Check Out Personal Capital - In my continued quest to move my finances to the cloud, I’ve found a free tool that really nails everything Mint does, PLUS investments. It’s called Personal Capital. And I’ve been using it for about a month now and LOVE it.

Drew @ Objective Wealth writes Think BIG About Money - Drew from Objective Wealth cuts the apron strings and reverses his mother's well know and used money mantra in order to start thinking BIG about money.

Ryan @ Early Retirement Investments writes Buy Real Estate or Invest in Real Estate? - Should you buy real estate or invest in real estate? Read my take on the options.

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes Shorting Mortgage Lenders - I was reading an article in Canadian Business about shorting mortgage lenders (the alternate lenders to be more specific). What I find the most interesting is how speculative mortgage interest and housing markets are. For the past 6 years, we’ve heard about a bubble crashing and yet no crash has happened yet. Many comparisons are made with the U.S.

IMB @ Investing Money writes How To Start Investing - Find out how you can start investing without knowing anything about investing.

JP @ My Family Finances writes How to Make a Bad Financial Situation Worse for Your Family - If you are in a difficult financial situation, these behaviors will make a bad situation worse.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes 5 Things to Look for In a Leader - Leadership. People in all areas use this word as if it were one of the most valuable traits a person can have. But what makes a good leader? You can't be born with leadership.

Beating Broke @ Beating Broke writes Money Management Tips for the College Student and Their Parents - Hopefully the tips below will provide both students and parents with a few ways to make college expenses slightly more manageable.

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes My New Frivolous Seasonal Expense... Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Grande Latte - My latest spending vice is pumpkin spice lattes. I'm struggling to get this cost under control, but I think I have it now!

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes When Numbers Lie: Vanity Metrics in Clothing and Finances - I am going to be unlike the stereotype and share with you the history of my waist size. Throughout high school I was a solid zero.

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes Optimizing Your Cash Flow - Find the best way to reinvest your passive income earnings. It's important to keep your money working to generate more income.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Is Buying a New Car Worth The Higher Costs? - Getting a new car may feel nice, but is it worth the higher cost? Find out now!

Bill @ Budgets Are Awesome writes Store Loyalty: Good or Bad? - Does store loyalty really help the consumer? I share my opinion on store loyalty programs and whether or not the savings are worth your participation.

Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy writes Discover Card Flogged Me with a Gold Angel - Read how my gold Angel is a good item to spend credit card money on!

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes Gaming budget-a clever idea to eliminate stupid mistakes - There's nothing more frustrating that blowing a whole lot of cash at an online casino because you were impatient, or didn't want to take the time to set yourself a budget and play within …

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes 5 Ideas for Online Passive Income Success - These online ideas will only supplement your main income source, but if you work hard enough, they can generate a decent amount of money.

Jon Rhodes @ Affiliate Marketing Help writes Saving Money by Making a Game of Shopping - This post shows you creative ways to save money on food.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Going on Vacation When in Debt? - Should you should go on a vacation when you are in debt? A question that we will answer at Finance Fox.

ETZ25 @ Entertainment Timez writes Why Establish A Dividend Money Stream For Entertainment? - This article explains why a dividend money stream for entertainment is good especially for kids and young adults, and even older adults.

Wealth Effect Blogger @ www.YourWealthEffect.com writes Are Low Interest Rates Essentially Just a Tax on the Wealthy? - Comparing how low interest rates have impacted both savers and borrower.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Using A Midwife - One Year Later - Part 1: - An update 1 year after using a midwife for the delivery of our son.

Sam @ Money Management Blog writes Don't Pay Mutual Fund Load Fees - Mutual fund load fees make brokers rich and their investors poorer. Learn how to avoid load fees when you buy funds.

Shawanda @ You Have More Than You Think writes How to Kick the Sh*t Out of Your Finances - If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or e-mail.

Infinite Banker @ Becoming Your Own Bank writes Dividend Paying Whole Life Insurance - Dividend paying whole life insurance is a whole life insurance policy that has cash value and pays dividends. These policies have many tax advantages, liquidity, growth, opportunity, and other advantages that many are unaware of.

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes The 4 Types of Items You Must Have in Your Budget - When you are making a budget there are 4 types of items you must include.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Callable Bonds - What They are and How They Work - In this article we give the definition callable bonds, the different types of call options, and differences between callable corporate and municipal bonds.

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes What I Want My Kids to Know About Money - My mom taught me many things as a child about making good financial decisions. They've stuck with me. Although my kids are young, I hope to do the same.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes How Is Chess like Life? - Chess is a two player board game played by millions of people at home, in clubs, online and tournaments. Chess strategy consists of setting and achieving long term positioning advantages while tactics concentrate on immediate maneuvers during a game.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes 5 Financial Mistakes Married Couples Should Avoid - Here are five mistakes that married couples make when dealing with financial matters.

MR @ Money Reasons writes My Portfolio Checkup Challenge - Portfolio Fee Creep - Is portfolio fee creep eating away at your portfolio profits and you don't even realize it? Perhaps it's time to calculate the bite your fees are biting?

Jason @ Live Real Now writes Car Dilemma - We have 2 drivers in the house and 3 vehicles to drive, and the highest insurance premium is on the vehicle getting driven the least. We haven’t decided what we are going to do, yet.

Young @ Young And Thrifty writes Why Is There No Competition For the TD E-Series? - Unlike my pal Young and several of my other favorite financial bloggers, I am a 100% advocate of passive investing. Its much easier then trying to guess!

Teacher Man @ My University Money writes Why Is The Canadian Student Loans Program Insane? - One of the closest friends has recently been put through the ringer by the Canadian Student Loans Centre, and although this is far from the only saga of incompetence I have heard in relation to that bureaucratic boondoggle this one takes the cake.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes A Comparison Between Lending Club and Prosper: Peer to Peer Lending - If you've been reading our blog in recent weeks you'll know we've covered peer to peer lending and two services in particular: Lending Club and Prosper.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Financially Preparing for a New Baby - A guide to some of the financial considerations you need to make as you are trying to prepare for your new baby financially, by getting your money in order.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes The Myth of Diversification - Discover the myth about diversification and my take on it.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes The 6 Most Common Financial Mistakes People Make - It’s often said that the good thing about making mistakes is the lessons you learn from them. But what if you don’t know what you’re doing is a mistake?

Corey @ 20s Finances writes How Does the Stock Market Work? - The stock market plays a part in everyone’s daily lives, yet Wall Street is still one of the most mystifying places on planet earth.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Professional Profiles: John, the Late-in-Life Med Student - Forget that John is my ex - instead consider that he's about to take a monumental career leap, leaving his long-time desk job to become a med student.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Balancing Debt Payoff and Living Life - If you are trying to pay off your debt, you will learn to balance debt payoff and enjoying life in the present.

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes UK Credit Rating and how it is affected by your Electoral Roll - A great tip on obtaining a good credit rating in the UK and how to start early on this process. Additionally some good resources to look at your UK credit rating.

John @ Married (with Debt) writes Is it Time to Buy or Sell Silver and Gold Bullion? - Last year I was buying and selling small amounts of silver and gold each month, but put that on hold after a large price drop in silver convinced me to focus every dollar on paying off debt.

Ken Faulkenberry @ Arbor Investment Planner writes Why Tactical Asset Allocation is Changing the Investment World - Tactical asset allocation is an active strategy that includes continual management of risk through portfolio rebalancing to a flexible asset allocation target based on value.

Ken Faulkenberry @ Arbor Investment Planner writes Why Tactical Asset Allocation is Changing the Investment World - Tactical asset allocation is an active strategy that includes continual management of risk through portfolio rebalancing to a flexible asset allocation target based on value.

Sean @ One Smart Dollar writes The Cost of Halloween Doesn't Need to be Scary - The average American will spend $80 this year on Halloween. This doesn't need to be the case if you find creative ways to cut down on the costs.

Sara @ Cultivating Wealth writes Is a High Deductible Health Plan for You? - It’s open enrollment season! You may have many benefits to choose from, but the one I get the most questions about is High Deductible Health Plans, or HDHPs.

Everything Finance @ Everything Finance Blog writes How to Pick Your Next Bank - The bottom line is to think about your entire picture before you decide who to bank with. Interest rates are fine but with rates this low, your time is far more valuable. Make sure you do business with a bank that offers great service, low fees and is convenient. Then worry about the interest rates they pay.

Michael @ Modest Money writes Why Is Talking About Money Hard? - When it comes to discussing issues revolving around money with parents or partners, the conversation can get awkward, or even aggressive, quickly. As a result, many people try to avoid bringing up money matters as much as possible. This is the wrong approach.

Grand Per Month @ Grand Per Month writes How to Make $1,000 per Month as a Web Designer - If you are good at coding and have a flair for creating websites, you have a great skill that few Americans possess. With more and more people starting websites and blogs who have little knowledge of designing a website, web designers are in demand. If you can prove yourself to a few customers, you will likely soon have more business than you can handle thanks to word of mouth referrals.

Jeff Rose @ Good Financial Cents writes How to Manage Money as a Couple - One of the most important tools of a successful relationship with your spouse is: Communication. You have to talk! Even more so when it pertains to money. A recent reader was interested in how my wife and I manage our finances. Great question!

Penny Thots @ Penny Thots writes Mortgage Rates Hit Historic Lows But Many Still Can't Refinance - Never before has a 30 year fixed mortgage been as low as it is right now. The current rate for a 30 year mortgage stands at 3.55% while a 15 year mortgage is 2.88%. With this record low, it’s a shame that so many are still not able to take advantage of this. Since housing prices appear to have bottomed out, rising a little more than 1% in July, many homeowners are still underwater.

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes How Much Do I Need to Save for College? - Saving for College has a College Cost and Savings Calculator, which is dead simple. You just put in a child's age and it tells you a number that you need to save. I put in $0 just now and it came up with a $602 number that I have to save each month. From there, you can adjust the scenarios just like I could with my Excel spreadsheet.

Matt @ Living in Financial Excellence writes Moving on a Dime: Save Money on Your Relocation - We originally figured with less stuff to move, we would save on what we paid the movers. But after we cleaned a lot of things out of the house, we realized we didn’t have that much left to move. At that point, we started thinking it wouldn’t be so bad to move ourselves. Complete crazy talk, but we went there anyway.

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Banned for Life from Bogleheads Forum - Based upon being banned from the Boglehead forum, their restrictive policies, and their lack of viewpoints against anything other than “The Boglehead way” it has inspired me to create a forum of my own.

Mich @ BeatingTheIndex writes Argent Energy Trust: Eagle Ford Shale Upside Beacons - Argent Energy Trust is the third member in the select cross border club of Canadian income trusts. It offers high yield & exposure to the Eagle Ford shale oil play in Texas.

Marie at Family Money Values @ Family Money Values writes Need a Loan? Make the Case to your Family Bank. - Bank like the wealthy folks do - in your own family bank. Help out family members while keeping the interest in your family's pockets.

J.P. @ Novel Investor writes 2013 IRA Contribution Limits Increased - The IRS has announced the inflation adjusted numbers for the 2013 IRA contribution limits. Most important was the bump in the maximum contribution.

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes 10 Frugal Ways to Save on Food - According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food is the third largest monthly expenditure families have after housing and transportation. With a little planning, you can save on food costs by trying some of these easy tips.

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes Is the Curtain Finally Coming Down on the Payroll Tax Cut? - The Payroll Tax Cut provided many people with extra money in their paychecks. But it looks like the sun is setting on this temporary tax cut in 2013.

Glen @ Credit Card Smarts writes Miles by Discover Card – Review - The Miles by Discover Card offer up easy to understand rewards where you can easily rack up miles for your everyday card use. See details in our Miles by Discover review.

Gen Y @ Gen Y Finance Journey writes How I'm Living Paycheck to Paycheck (Sort Of) - If you've checked out my portfolio or my goals, you may be a bit confused by this title. Clearly I'm not living in credit card debt, struggling to make payments each month, and I would be able to continue paying my bills for a year if I lost my job tomorrow. So how am I even sort of living paycheck to paycheck? Because I've earmarked roughly 40% of my take home pay for savings, and every month, the day after pay day, that money disappears from my checking account and is automatically transferred

John S @ Frugal Rules writes What Earnings Season and the iPad Mini Have in Common - Most publicly traded companies announce their earnings four times a year, which is known as Earnings Season. If you know what to look for it can provide a wealth of information the health and direction of the company.

FMF @ Free Money Finance writes How Much Should I Save Toward Retirement If I'm Starting Late? - I often get comments like "It's too late for me to do this" or something similar. Granted, it's usually better to start financial efforts sooner rather than later. But it's better to start now rather than put it off any longer. And while you'll need to make sacrifices if you start late, it's not hopeless.

Carrie @ PT Money Personal Finance writes Why Making More Money Is Crucial to Getting Out of Debt - Many people say you just need to cut back on spending in order to reduce debt, and while that works, the other option is to increase your income.

investeem @ Investeem writes Trading vs investing: What's the difference? - At the most basic level, both trading and investing involve an outlay of capital to make money grow. Stocks are bought and sold; profits are made or losses incurred. From similar starting points, the paths of trading and investing diverge in distinct patterns.

Jefferson @ See Debt Run writes Shortcuts to Financial Freedom - Paying off debt can seem long and boring, but there are no realistic shortcuts to financial freedom. It takes patience, and any get rich quick schemes, are just schemes.

Steven @ Grocery Alerts writes Tips for saving money on your Halloween party - October is here and many people are planning halloween parties. Depending on the size of your crowd, your party could get costly. Here are a few ways to plan a spooktacular halloween party on a budget.

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes Dividends versus Homemade Dividends - Relying on dividends in retirement from your nest egg is a superior strategy to selling off portions of your portfolio each year.

An added Halloween bonus- learn how to make your own Cylon Jack-O-Lantern (like the one pictured above) from the Evil Mad Scientist!