Welcome to the March 18, 2009 edition of Kids and Money. There were a lot of good posts. There were a lot of "spammy" posts, too, which I deleted. Remember, folks, I approve 99% of the posts here, but this week I probably weeded out 30-40 percent. That's way too much.


So, please, let's keep this focused on Kids and Money. Not Kids OR Money. But Kids AND Money and how the two are inter-related. Okay?

KCLau presents Learn Money Tips playing iMafia posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "About iMafia, an application for iPhone. How it is connected to real life in terms of personal finance and how to play the game."

jim presents Teaching Kids About Money: Tessy and Tab Money Manager Kit posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

nickel presents Visualize Your Savings Goals posted at fivecentnickel.com.

The Smarter Wallet presents Blu-Ray DVD Player Review: Pros and Cons posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "Are blu-ray players worth the money? Should you get one for your family?"

Concerning Kids presents Raising A Street Smart Kid posted at Concerning Kids.

Save Money presents Frugal Frauds Revealed posted at How I Save Money.net.

Julie Guarnizo presents Teaching Money Management Habits to Children posted at Beef Up Your Piggy, saying, "As a mother of two small children, teaching life lessons about money and personal finance is crucial is raising children."

David presents The Safety of Your Accounts posted at Personal Finance Ology, saying, "With the uncertainty in the banking industry, learn where the safest places for your money are!"

Nate Desmond presents 12 Ways to Waste Money in College posted at Debt-free Scholar.

Steve Patterson presents ISMagazine.com - Blog - ATM Skimming Leads to 1 Billion in Losses for Consumers posted at ISMagazine.com, saying, "Great story about ATM safety and something to present to your bank to make sure their ATMs are safe."

Debbie Ducker presents Your Children and Grandchildren Must Learn to Save Money posted at Ducker Promotion Ezine, saying, "Teach your children how to save money at an early age and you will save them a lifetime of heartache."

Justin Hall presents How to Find a Job posted at Justin Hall.

Patricia Turner presents The Ultimate Guide to Ponzi Schemes: Oldest and Biggest Scams, Madoff and More posted at Bankling.

Stephanie presents The Wii Fund posted at Stop the Ride!, saying, "Teaching the kids to save."

jim presents Deducting Miles for Charitable Volunteering posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Matt Sherberg presents Choosing the Best Debt Solution posted at Debt, saying, "When you have mountains of debt piling up and you have debt collectors waiting at your doorstep, it is time to get off the couch and find a debt solution that will work for you. The right debt solution can help you reduce your debt."

Jeff Rose presents 29 Good Reads About Kids And Money posted at Jeff Rose.

Savings Toolbox presents The UnTruths About Saving For College posted at Savings Toolbox.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents College Advantage: Ohio 529 Savings Plan Offers $25 Cash Bonus posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "529 plan for your kids!"

The Smarter Wallet presents Budget Your Money and Control Your Spending Using This Simple System posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "Thanks!"

Sam presents NEW !! Job Interview Tips and Questions. Get the Job You Want. Job Interview Tips and Skills. ! Surfer Sam posted at Surfer Sam and Friends.

Concerning Kids presents How To Handle A School Yard Bully posted at Concerning Kids.

Dating321 presents Breaking Up Tips posted at Free Dating Advice, saying, "Breaking up is difficult to do, but it is important you go about in a mature and respectful way."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Kids and Money using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: kids and money, blog carnival.

Money isn't everything. It's the only thing. Wait. That's only for football.

Enjoy life. Spend time with your family.

The Bernard Madoff scandal is making the news again today. I haven't written much about financial scandals, rip-offs, and white collar crime, so now's as good a time as any, I suppose, to fill you in on a few things.

First off, let's just say that Bernie Madoff is a jerk. He took people's money in an elaborate Ponzi scheme and made off with BILLIONS. Gone are the days when MILLIONS of dollars ripped off will make the news circuit!

Madoff simply needs to be tried, sentenced, and forgetten about. "Investors" - you will NEVER get your money back.

IT'S GONE.

I put "investors" in quotes because a lot of those folks weren't investors. They were rich dreamers who wanted even more money than they already had.

They had an "In" to a supposedly too-good-to-be-true financial "system."

NEWSFLASH

If it's "too good to be true," it's too good to be true! Run - don't walk - away from stuff like this.

For as long as man has lived, there have been schemes concocted by shrewd, yet immoral and dispicable, people that seek to separate YOU from your MONEY.

The most famous, of course, was made famous by Italian immigrant, Charles Ponzi. He promised "investors" a 50 percent return on their money in a matter of days and he made good on his promise.

For a while.

He took new investor money and returned it, plus the 50 percent, to the gullible folks who gave Ponzi their money first. The last suckers got the shaft.

Of course, Ponzi went to jail and died poor. Just like Madoff ought to.

There are some lessons to be learned here.

1. The aforementioned, "If it's too good to be true" lesson. 
2. Invest like Warren Buffett - if you don't understand a "business," don't invest in it. Ponzi had no business other than taking people's money for himself.
3. If you hear about a scheme on a golf course, get in your golf cart and go home. Secure your money. Make sure your pockets weren't picked.
4. If it sounds like an "insider's secret," treat it as such. Insider trading is illegal for many reasons.
5. Invest in YOUR own business. Nobody else gives a damn about you or your financial plight. 

One last thing: There are legal Ponzi schemes, the most notable of which is Social Security. Yes, you read that right. It's a government-enacted program that is exactly a Ponzi scheme.

The reason that Social Security will go broke is that there are fewer and fewer "new investors" and the old investors want their guaranteed returns.

I'm not making any moral judgements here. In fact, I support Social Security. In its original fomulation, it was to be used as a social safety net that had more new investors than old. As long as that was the case, the system was sound and good.

But now that the demographics have turned upside down (many more collecting nowadays, not as many contributing, relatively speaking), the system is in peril.

Stay tuned for my solution to the Social Securty nightmare in a coming post. And don't get me started on Medicare! It's in a much more precarious state than Social Security ever will be, but you don't hear much about it.

Money isn't everything. It's the only thing. Wait. That's only for football.
Enjoy life. Spend time with your family.

That's my "bold" prediction. The basis for this? The increased FDIC insurance on bank deposits of $250,000 laspes on that date, as if everything will be fine by then.

Don't count on it! There's a lot more downside to this economy, I'm afraid. But now might be a great time to get your ducks in a row and be ready for the upturn. It will happen just as things look their worst.

Money isn't everything. It's the only thing. Wait. That's only for football.
Enjoy life. Spend time with your family.

Welcome to the March 2, 2009 edition of Kids and Money. It's been a while since our last carnival, so this is a BIG ONE. I've tried to put the submissions into logical blocks for easier reading.

Earning

Tisha Tolar presents Work at Home Discipline: Find Some posted at Empowering Mom.

jim presents Ten Recession-Busting Money Tips for Young Professionals posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Pinyo presents Where To Sell Used Books And Textbooks posted at Moolanomy.


Spending

Matthew Paulson presents 8 Money Saving Ideas for Family Fun Night posted at American Consumer News.

Gary R. presents Traditional vs. Rustic Camp Sites posted at Camping Tips, saying, "An increasing number of campgrounds are offering visitors the choice of both traditional and rustic campsites."

Madison presents Money Saving Tips for Kids on Valentine’s Day posted at Kids and Money.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Lower Your Car Insurance Rates! How To Cut Insurance Premiums In Half posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "If you've got kids, driving safely and carefully is a must. And doing so will most likely lower your car insurance rates as well." 

Barry presents Tug Of War Between Retailers And Frugal Consumers posted at Associate Money. 

Annette Berlin presents Printable Toys For Pre-Teens posted at Craft Stew, saying, "Older children get tired of toys fast. Rather than spending a small fortune to keep them constantly satisfied, let them create their own playthings from cardstock and a printer." 

jim presents How to Strong Arm Your Way to a Better Deal posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. 

Savings Toolbox presents Tips to Save On your Summer Getaway posted at Savings Toolbox.


Saving

Deposit Accounts presents Savings Accounts for Children posted at Deposit Accounts. 

Mr. Banker presents High Interest Money Market Accounts (MMA) posted at Best Interest Rate Banks. 

Brian McKay presents CD Rates posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, "Finding a decent rate on a certificate of deposit account these days isn’t an easy thing to do. CD rates have been coming down so fast recently the average 12 month CD rate is nearing just 2.00%." 


Investing 

retirehappy presents Warren Buffett’s Metric Says BUY! posted at My Retirement Blog. 

The Shark Investor presents Strategies For Raising Funds: Borrow Your Way To Wealth posted at The Shark Investor, saying, "How and when to use loans for investing" 

Carrie presents Learning About Investing as a Child posted at Less is More. 

RJ presents The Case for Investing in Index Funds posted at Our Financial Planner, saying, "No matter the age and experience, index funds can be your greatest friend. Thank you for hosting." 

Kelly Sonora presents 25 Forex-Related Twitter Accounts Worth Following posted at Best Forex Brokers. 

PicktheBrain presents The First Investment a Beginner Should Make posted at Beginner Investing. 


Money Management 

Len Penzo presents Using a Ledger to Teach Kids Money Management posted at Len Penzo . Com, saying, "Even kids as young as 6-years old can learn personal finance management skills via this simple bookkeeping plan." 

Lisa Mitchell presents Teaching Your Children About Money posted at Let's Talk Babies. 

Jacquelyn presents The Wise Parent & Child Money Guide posted at WParent.com - Wise Parenting Guide, saying, "Give your child an introduction to the subject of money by reading this article together. This will give your child a general idea about money." 


Credit

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Best Cash Back Credit Cards: Your Rewards For Spending posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "Thank you!" 

jim presents Best Student Credit Cards posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. 

Finance Tips 101 presents Drowning In Debt? Bad Credit Loans May Need To Be Considered! posted at Finance Tips 101. 

Finance Tips 101 presents The Pros And Cons Of Personal Loans posted at Finance Tips 101. 

Finance Tips 101 presents Answers About Home Equity Loans posted at Finance Tips 101.

DebtLite presents What Are the Root Causes of Debt? posted at Debt Advice. 

Astrid Lee presents Suze Orman posted at World Healing, saying, "Article on advice by Suze Orman, the popular TV adviser on personal finance and about how get out of debt. Article also contains video show where she talks about how to determine how much to give to charities..." 

Finance Tips 101 presents Cash Back, Award Points, and Gas Cards posted at Finance Tips 101. 


College

Madison presents Midwestern Disaster Area Tax Impacts posted at Tax Gab, saying, "Expanded college tax credits for those affected by the storms last year." 

Finance Tips 101 presents Scholarship And Grant Information For Interested High School Graduates posted at Finance Tips 101. 

The Smarter Wallet presents Student Loan Programs To Pay For My College Tuition Costs posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "Thanks!" 

Madison presents Ohio 529 College Advantage $25 Sign Up Bonus posted at My Dollar Plan. 

OnlineCollege presents Choosing a College: A Simple Guide for Undergraduates posted at Universities and Colleges. 


Preparing for Baby

jim presents Preparing Financially for a Baby posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. 

Concerning Kids presents Choosing The Right Pediatrician For Your Baby posted at Concerning Kids. 

Madison presents Our Family is Expanding… Financial Resources for Babies posted at My Dollar Plan. 

Pregnant Woman presents Identical Triplets - Three Bundles Of Joy posted at Pregnancy, saying, "Triplets occur in one of every eight thousand live births" 


The Stimulus 

The Smarter Wallet presents Will The Obama Economic Stimulus Check and 2009 Stimulus Plan Save The Economy? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, "How will your family be affected by the stimulus bill?" 

Brian McKay presents What's in the Stimulus Bill for You? posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, "We have listed all the benefits for individuals in President Obama's stimulus bill that was just passed." 

Ella Moss presents New Economy, or Buy American, Stupid! « Zodiac Times posted at Zodiac Times, saying, "So, the new stimulus package is passed, hopes are up, markets are down, and recession deepens. Everyone is blaming the housing market, unscrupulous bankers and inept previous administration. But very few seem to understand the true roots of our woes, and how deep our economic problems go." 


Miscellaneous 

KCLau presents Money Tips Group Writing Project posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "Calling out for contributors to an e-book about personal finance." 

nickel presents Should You Pay Your Kids for Good Grades? posted at fivecentnickel.com. 

Money Tipper presents Bring Proof of Age When Flying With Young Children posted at Money Tipper. 

Concerning Kids presents Tips And Idea To Help Child Proof Your Home posted at Concerning Kids. 

Finance Tips 101 presents Alarming Identity Theft Statistics Are Cause For Concern posted at Finance Tips 101. 

Relax presents The happy way to spend money posted at The Wise Curve, saying, "we are happier when we spend money to gain experience than buying material goods" 

jim presents Total Cost of Owning A Dog posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. 

Concerning Kids presents Helping Your Healthy Child Stay Fit For Life posted at Concerning Kids.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Kids and Money using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: kids and money, blog carnival.

Here are some key things you can do to save quite a bit of money with a small investment (and we all know investing in the stock market right now requires an iron stomach and lots of Tums).

You can more than double your $1,500 investment by taking these steps. And this is in the first year. The savings pile up over the life of your house.

Plus, saving energy also saves our planet.

1. Insulate your attic
2. Seal ducts
3. Use a programmable thermostat
4. Seal cracks
5. Wrap your water heater (this one used to be in vogue, then it went out of fashion. Now, it's back "in")
6. Get your furnace serviced
   

Get green by saving green.

CNNMoney.com -- Knock $4,000 Off Your Utility Bill

Bankrate has a nifty credit card calculator. With all the news about the financial markets, I hope this is a nice break from all that. 

This reinforces the idea that credit card debt should be either paid off in full each cycle (preferable since you'll never have to pay interest) or paid off in as little time as possible. Paying the minimums will take you virtually forever (since the balance declines a little each month, causing the minimum to decline just a touch each month, causing you to decelerate your principal pay down each month).

Bankrate.com credit card calculator -- How much will the minimum credit card payment cost me?

From BloggingStocks:

The IMF has predicted that total write-downs driven by the mortgage crisis will hit over $1 trillion. Only about half of that has hit the markets so far.

Well, there is an end in sight, but it surely will mean the loss of trillions in equity for investors in the affected banks. I'll reiterate my call for perseverance, as the survivors will emerge from this wiser, richer, and much better-positioned to not only weather a future storm but also control their markets in a much more powerful way (read: Oligopoly-power).

The cooperation that is occurring amongst the bigger banks will also contribute to collusive powers that only make them stronger and you'll see these companies move in lock-step for a time. Eventually, there will be innovations in banking and some will break from the pack, but that will take at least 5 years. Probably more like 10.

But rest-assured, your deposits at any of these banks are safe. The government cannot -- and will not -- allow the FDIC and other insurers to fail.

JUST

WON'T

HAPPEN

So, please, hunker down. Hope for the best. Plan for the worst. Odds are, you'll end up somewhere in between in the short- to intermediate-term, but you'll get to the best sooner than the rest. And that's not a bad place to be.

Money isn't everything. Enjoy life. Spend time with your family.

Nifty little chart to see how your tax bill will fare under McCain or Obama -- 

TaxProf Blog: Calculate Your Obama Tax Cut

Prime Time Money is one of the best personal finance blogs around. About two months ago, I ran across a blog post called 10 Ways to Simplify Your Finances which really hit home with me. I've talked about automating your finances before, but this came at the problem from a different angle: Rather than starting out simple, as I suggest, you start thinking off in terms of where you are and where you want to go.

Over time, each of us accumulates accounts we don't need. Why not just get rid of the ones you don't use any more? Except for credit cards, none of your other accounts matter in terms of FICO scores, so that bank account you have $1.62 -- take it out and close the account. Simple as that.

These really are great ways to simplify your finances.

Prime Time Money tagged me with the challenge to "Find one step you can take to make your financial system better or more organized."



Being the philosopher I am, I turn to Confucius,  who is rumored to have said (did I tell you I'm a skeptic, a cynic, and sarcastic?)

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

My single step was buying a little software program in the late 80s (I was still a kid! Really, I was) called Managing Your Money which led me to the inspiration and contributor to the software, Andrew Tobias. I found out that Tobias was a personal finance author (what are those? You mean there were experts before blogging?); one of his books was humorously called "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need."



In this book, I can truly say that I learned at least 95 percent of what I know today about personal finance, investing, banking, and saving money. I also learned 100 percent of what I know about wine (which is still very little, by the way).



Tobias is an advocate of index fund investing, buying in bulk (he provides the ROI calculations, too), yet only investing money that you can truly afford to lose.



And he's lost a lot! He's lost his shirt in Broadway and off-Broadway plays, futures and options, commodities of all sorts, real estate, collectibles, and limited partnerships in oil and gas. You name it, he's invested in it, and he's lost money in it.



He goes through the various ways he's lost money to illustrate the idea that you just cannot win in the investing game by going for broke and paying tons of fees. The experts in commodities, for example, will always clean your clock. These speculative "investments" are zero sum games: One guy wins, you lose.



Contrast this with the stock market, where one man's gain isn't necessarily another man's loss. We can all win; or, in other words, a rising sea lifts all boats. The stock market, even though it's sucky now (financial term for "underperforming"), is your best bet for long-term growth of your money.



I still follow Andrew Tobias. Though he talks a lot of politics on his site, the focus still is on financial planning, frugality, and investing. He's funny, witty, and smart.



So that was my first step:



Finding somebody to follow.



Many choose "gurus" like Dave Ramsey, Jim Cramer, or Ric Edelman. I found Andrew Tobias. It's been a great find!



Now, whom shall I tag?



brip blap

Frugal Dad

How to Make 7 Million in 7 Years™

Quest For Four Pillars

Generation X Finance



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From Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics: Don't Save Too Much

The logic was simple: An academic's salary rises steadily over time, as do outside opportunities (like writing popular books!). The right reason to save is so you can even out your consumption. When times are good, you should save, and when times are bad, borrow. Most likely I would never be that poor again, which meant I should be borrowing, not saving. I didn't follow the advice as fully as I should have, partly because my wife insisted we save - she is not quite as good an economist as Milton Friedman.

Do you agree? It makes some sense to me. Love the last line!

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First in a series of 40 quotes from famous fund managers, sports stars, comedians, and other noteworthy folks.

The smartest advice I ever got - Stocks build wealth - with no work (1) - CNNMoney.com

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I'm thinking this is a sign of the times, as $@%^*(#), the artist formerly known and now currently known as Prince, would say.

FDIC shutters two more regional banks - Jul. 26, 2008

The economy stinks. If you own stocks, you wish you didn't. Money doesn't stretch as far as it used to. A gallon of gas is over $4, gold is at $1000, and oil is at $150.



WaMu (WM) has lost 92 percent of its value. IndyMac was taken over by the FDIC. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have all but been taken under receivership by the federal government.

Layoffs are only going to get worse. More banks will fail. You may lose your livelihood.

I hope you've been paying attention.

You have an emergency fund. You have cash in the bank. Are you concerned that your cash will vanish, just like the equity in your home and in your stock portfolio?



DON'T.



That's right. Don't. I'll say it again, to make it crystal clear:

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANY CASH YOU HAVE IN A BANK

Why not, you ask? Because if you have $100,000 or less in a given institution that is FDIC-insured, your money is guaranteed.



Don't make matters worse by trying to pull your money out of your bank. Putting your money under your mattress makes no sense at all!!!



I repeat: Do not exacerbate the situation by withdrawing your money from your bank.



The Great Depression turned from a bad day in the stock market to a total economic meltdown partly because there was a run on the banks. The federal government made the situation even worse by not providing the liquidity the market needed. In fact, it tightened credit.



Right now, if the government had to, it would turn on the (figurative) printing presses. Money creation is not a problem, and it is my belief that the Fed, the controllers of the supply of money, will create the money necessary to keep us out of a depression.



The Federal Reserve may say it's concerned about inflation, but it's deathly fearful of the opposite possibility, a deflation. One only needs to compare the 1930s to the 1970s to determine which is worse.

I even think that there's a possibility that the worst is over. But it may take a year or two of economic doldrums to see an upturn; in short, we may be in this current situation for a couple of years. I don't think this will be a prolonged downturn (i.e., Great Depression).

However, it will be painful. It's time to tighten the belt and go on a diet, literally and figuratively. Cut out all unnecessary spending: Movies, soda, magazine subscriptions. Put some money in the bank. If you have a home equity line of credit, I'd suggest pulling out enough to keep yourself awash in cash for 6 months. The interest you pay will be trivial, especially if you lose your income.

Get rid of junk. Sell what you no longer need. Downsize. Clear clutter. Simplify.

Work on earning extra money.

Earn more than you spend.

Prepare your own meals. Buy local. Buy 87 octane gas. Drive sparingly. Shop at secondhand stores. 

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

If you don't absolutely need it, don't buy it.

I'm dead serious about all of this. The banks will be fine as long as people don't turn into a mob. You will be fine if you've prepared for this.

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Once in a while I come across another author's post that is so good that I have to share it with you. This is just that occasion.



Recently featured on MSN's MoneyBlog, Frugal Dad presents 75 Tips to Survive a Down Economy. These are absolutely outstanding tips and tricks to get your spending down in a down economy.



Try just a few of these at first; you'll soon be addicted to saving money. Don't go nuts though. Using the same towel for 3 months in a row is really gross. I did that in high school and wondered why I never got a date.



It probably wasn't the towel, but I can believe that.





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Prime Time Money had a guest post recently that talked about preparing for winter heating and electricity bills now, rather than later. It was a great post. I was astonished that somebody paid almost as much for energy last year as I did (if you recall, I spent more than any of my neighbors, according to PG&E).



I encourage you to read the article now and prepare today for what inevitably will be an expensive winter.



Original post -- Prime Time Money



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Welcome Stepcase Lifehack readers! I'm flattered that Money Hacks has been featured as one of 80 How-To Sites Worth Bookmarking; in fact, it was in the top 10 for "Hack Your Wallet and What’s In It" -- amongst such esteemed sites as

• Frugal Hacks 
• WiseBread 
• Get Rich Slowly 
• The Simple Dollar 

and -- GET THIS --

• The Motley Fool

Wow, I'm terribly flattered to be included in the same breath as any one of these sites!

This is an excellent list, too, not just because my humble site is mentioned, but because it's chock-full of great sites about all sorts of topics.

It may behoove you to open every single one of the 80 links and not only bookmark them, but add their RSS feeds to whatever feedreader you use (check out Google Reader, a free Google product).

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I just wanted to let you know that I've built two new sites, a corporate web site for my computer consulting business, Computer Monkeys (established in 1996), and a companion blog, the Computer Monkeys Blog.

If you're "into" buying, building, securing, maintaining, fixing, or getting the most out of your computer, please take a look at both sites; I'm sure you'll find some useful information there.

Thanks for your consideration. Happy July 4!

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Here's an interesting story from one of my favorite sites, Freakonomics:

When I was a first-year assistant professor at the University of Chicago, my friend and department chair, Jose Scheinkman, relayed the advice Milton Friedman had given him 20 years earlier, “Don’t save too much.”

What do you think?



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Welcome to the May 30, 2008 edition of Kids & Money. As you'll note from this past post, you'll know that I extended this carnival from May 23 to May 30. Now, due to the way I've structured this, I will be calling this the "May 30" post even though I just published it today (June 6). As you know, I published links and commentary on the 7 best posts that were submitted to this edition in their own posts.

Next week's carnival should be back on track for June 20.

Entrepreneur
Heather Allen presents The DebtFree Playbook Blog posted at The DebtFree Playbook Blog, saying, "The children's guide to getting the marketing mix right for their entrepreneurial project."
Heather always brings us insightful ways to teach kids about money, business, and entrepreneurship.


Investing
Barb A. Ryan presents 10 - Independent Investment Counselors and Financial Advisors posted at Pasadena Financial Planner.
Independent investment counselors and financial advisers are always best to get objective advice. Remember that you're paying an adviser one way of the other: Either through fees for selling you investment vehicles or through a consulting fee. You most likely will get better performance from the adviser who isn't tied to a family of funds.

Walter W. Fouse presents Vanguard Index Mutual Funds Versus Vanguard Managed Funds posted at Best No Load Funds.
Vanguard has long been known as the low-cost leader in the mutual fund industry. While most mutual funds cannot beat the S&P 500 year in and year out, some manage funds do more often than not. If you do your homework, you can consistently find funds that beat the market. However, if you want to 'set it and forget it' go with index funds.

Larry Russell presents The Top 25 Low Cost Best US Money Market Funds posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog.
Money market funds have fallen out of favor recently with the drop in short-term interest rates. Actually, they've been out of favor for quite some time because short-term rates have been at or near historic lows for what seems like a decade now. I hope this isn't signaling a Japan-like economy for years to come.


College
Michael presents College Life: Is it Better to Live On-Campus or Off-Campus? posted at Michael Emilio, saying, "It's often a hard choice for college kids - stay in dorms or live off campus either alone or with parents."
It all depends on why you're there. College means different things to different people. It also depends on your personality.

Mark Montgomery presents How Good are Advanced Placement (AP) Courses? Are They Worth Taking? posted at Great College Advice, saying, "Helping your kids choose the right high school courses is both important and difficult. How do you know if a course is any good? This post provides tips and questions to ask to ensure that any course--but especially AP courses--are as good as advertised."
AP courses weren't nearly so sought-after when I was applying to colleges. Now, if you don't take them, you don't get the GPA needed to get into the most popular schools. This is a good starting point.

David Cassell presents Masters Or Doctorate - Which One? posted at selectcoursesblog.com.
I wish I had asked myself that question 20 years ago...


Credit
Mag Herrera presents What I like about Credit Cards posted at Life. Money. Development., saying, "A balanced review of credit cards' nature and usage."
Too often in the Personal Finance blogs and sites I keep up with, credit cards are lambasted and debt is to be avoided at all costs. However, I agree with Mag on this one: Credit cards are tools that allow you to buy things now and pay for them later. If you get a low-interest card, by all means use it, but use it sparingly. Don't get yourself into debt that you cannot get out of.

Raymond presents Build Your Own Capital One Lab Credit Card posted at Money Blue Book.
What an innovative product! Personalization is the future of "plastic" and Cap One is at the forefront. This program allows you to customize some of the rewards, too. Pretty cool.

Jeremy Zongker presents How to Stop Debt Collector Harrassment posted at Destroy Debt.
Hey, lots of us have been here. There are laws to protect you. One great way to keep these guys off your back in the first place is to pay your bills. Another way is to use a Grand Central telephone number.

Raymond presents How To Make Money From Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at Money Blue Book.
This is one of the most thoughtful balance-transfer posts I have ever seen. It's worth a read.

Jeremy Zongker presents What NOT to do when a bill collector calls (by a former bill collector) posted at Thoughts from a Former Bill Collector.
Again, some of us have been down this road. I hope you never have to, but if you do, take this advice to heart.

Raymond presents Debt Reduction With Low Interest Balance Transfers posted at Money Blue Book.
Another great article!


Miscellaneous
James DeLelys presents WORDSBlog » MONEY ONLINE posted at Author James DeLelys.
Hey, we're all looking to make a little extra. Affiliate programs are great ways to do that.

Brice Hogan presents Micropayments Make Cents posted at Financialzip.com.
This is a proven strategy for whittling away your debt.

Dollar Frugal presents Volunteerism posted at Dollar Frugal.
Teaching our kids about charity will undoubtedly make them more caring individuals.

Tracee Sioux presents Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me: Empowering Girls: Tooth Fairy Inflation posted at So Sioux Me, saying, "Even the tooth fairy is facing inflation."
No kidding!

Raymond presents Work From Home With Paid Online Surveys posted at Money Blue Book.

Dollar Frugal presents Save Water - 3 Minute Showers posted at Dollar Frugal.

Dollar Frugal presents Snacks at Lunch? posted at Dollar Frugal.
Schools found out they could be profit centers at the expense of their customers. Sad.

Michael Snyder presents 10 Powerful Secrets For How To Build A Great Marriage posted at Shattered Paradigm.


Conclusion
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