A Carnival of Financial Camaraderie

Want to trump fear and make your finances grow? I’ve gathered insights from some of the best minds on budgeting, business, and investing. Check out this burgeoning list of free money wisdom.

This “carnival” of financial camaraderie is hosted every second week by My University Money and you can submit articles at Blogger Carnivals or Blog Carnival HQ.

BUDGETING

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Budgeting Is a Waste of Time – Do you believe that everyone should budget or are there certain financial scenarios (fixed, high savings rate) under which budgeting is unnecessary?

Oscar @ Money is the Root writes Need to binge shop? Your local dollar store has bargains, but maybe not all of them – Many people love their local dollar store because it is usually filled with great deals and, like the name, you can get most of them for 1 dollar. Surprisingly however it is not exactly the cheapest place on all items and there are better places for bargains out there.

Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes Want to make smarter money decisions? Use these tips from Economist Noreena Hertz – Noreena Hertz advises people in power, including presidents, prime ministers and CEOs, about international debt and globalization. She also wants to help people like you and I make better financial decisions.

Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes Hypermiling – 5 Tactics to Reduce Gas Consumption – With gas prices averaging $4 around the country, the average person is always looking for a new way to save money on gas and get the most mileage out of every tank. Many today are trying something new called hypermiling, a driving technique that many believe squeezes every last mile out of every gallon of gas.

Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes Boost your Productivity with these 8 Excellent Tips – Why is it that some people seem to be able to get an amazing amount of tasks done in the same time that other people get practically nothing accomplished?

Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes Boost your Productivity with these 8 Excellent Tips – Why is it that some people seem to be able to get an amazing amount of tasks done in the same time that other people get practically nothing accomplished?

Jack @ Money Saving Ethics writes Holiday Travel Tips 2013 – If you are planning to travel this holiday season? If so, you definitely should start making plans as early as possible because, as most of us know, traveling during the holidays can be expensive, tiring and stressful.

Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes You can embrace Digital Marketing even on a Small Business Budget – While digital marketing definitely has its merits many small business owners are hesitant to use it simply because of the time that they believe it takes to make it work.

Andrea @ So Over This writes Movers Destroyed My Belongings – Saga Continues – You may remember that I wrote a post a few months back about my recent move to a new home, and some issues I experienced with the destructive moving company I hired.

Bob @ Dwindling Debt writes What’s the Secret to Early Retirement? – When you ask most people about retiring at 65, many of them will tell you that it is impossible because they simply do not have the financial means to do so.

Lily @ Paying Debt Down writes Money Saving Holiday Shopping Tips 2013 – Did you go so far over budget on your holiday spending last year that you didn not pay off your bills until the Fourth of July? If yes, then this post is definitely for you.

Katie @ IRA Basics writes Benefits of a Budget – Budget. It is a dreaded word, not one that instills ideas of grandeur and immense fun. It is also a word that’s often neglected, an idea that most of us would rather not think about.

Sam @ The New Business Blog writes How to Build a Brand People will Adore – Many people outside of marketing think of a brand as sort of this false cover that is given to a product or service in order to con them into buying something that they do not actually want or, even worse, do not need.

Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes The Joys of Freelancing – One of the things that I really enjoy doing is mentoring freelancers. I work in the start-up world, and freelancers are a big part of that. I get to see the ups and downs of that world every day. It is fascinating to see how people price their time, and creative abilities.

Aaron @ Aaron Hung writes Looking for investment advice on Twitter? These new Tools will help – Ask your average investor and all of them will admit freely to one thing; they would love to be able to see into the future. These days a growing number are convinced that they actually can do that by monitoring microblog website Twitter.

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Social Framing – In Social Theory, framing refers to the schema or interpretations of collective anecdotes and stereotypes that individuals rely on to interpret events, meaning its totally normal to lock your car door when you see people that do not look like you.

Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes Resolution #2 – Digital Organization and Putting Systems in Place – You know when you do not check your email for a few days and then you start to dread it because you just know you are going to have like 100 messages in your inbox? That is how I was feeling yesterday.

Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes Joy is Separate from Circumstance – One day when I was teaching one of my classes, I had a student that was in a very good mood. He had a smile from ear to ear and his head bobbed up and down as if he was singing a song to himself.

Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes 7 Ideas for Saving Money on Food – If you want to speed up the debt payment process you need to make budget cuts. Here are seven ideas to save money on food.

Graham @ Moneystepper writes FTSE 100 diversification – performance of the top 10 consitutents – FTSE 100 diversification – can you diversify your portfolio by buying the ten largest companies in the FTSE 100? Historical performance suggests not!

Jason @ The Money Makers writes Monica Wright Gets Engaged: How Much Ring is Too Much? – If you are a true basketball fan, then you have already heard of the recent engagement of NBA star Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the WNBA star Monica Wright of the Minnesota Lynx.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Would You Use an Alternative Currency? – One of the first rules of investing is that you need to have a degree of diversity in your assets. That way, if something goes wrong with one asset class, you will have another asset available to pick up the slack. But how does that work if most of your assets are denominated in a specific currency?

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Would You Use an Alternative Currency? – One of the first rules of investing is that you need to have a degree of diversity in your assets. That way, if something goes wrong with one asset class, you will have another asset available to pick up the slack. But how does that work if most of your assets are denominated in a specific currency?

FI Pilgrim @ FI Journey writes Would You Become Self Employed For Less Money? – I work at a great company, in a job I enjoy. So why would I consider taking less money to become self employed? Read on, good citizen.

Jacob @ Cash Cow Couple writes Optionshouse Platform – A quick look at how you can buy and sell stocks or ETFs hassle free.

Pauline @ Savvy Scot writes New year financial boot camp: utilities and bill check-up – We have New year financial boot camp. I review my utility bills once a year to make sure I get the best deal. If you don’t, once your introductory offer ends, you are usually sent back to the rack rate, and zero discount.

 

BUSINESS

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Book Review – Getting Things Done – A review of the book Getting Things Done by David Allen, a guide to productivity and increasing organization of offices and other work spaces for increased work

David @ Financial Nerd writes Trends in Interest Rates in 2014 – Interest Rates will likely not change much during 2014.

Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes Marketing Your Small Business through Generating Referral and Repeat Business – Relationship building is possibly the most effective way to market a small business these days. This is part one in a two part series that will give you a ton of ideas about how to market your small business through generating word-of-mouth and referral.

Gabe @ CPA Tax Guy writes Accountant Tips for Taxes – If you’re looking to find ways to save money on taxes before the upcoming IRS filing, come read and learn.

 

CAREER & EDUCATION

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Navigating the World of Job Auction Sites – Looking for a career change and considering job auction sites? Read here for the good and bad of these job auction sites like Elance and oDesk.

Mrs. Accountability @ Out of Debt Again writes I Never Wanted to Be an Entrepreneur But I’ve Changed My Mind – Ten years ago I thought I’d always work a regular job. In fact, I had definite thoughts about entrepreneurship – I was certain it wasn’t for me.

Hadley @ Epic Finances writes Why did the Founder of Barnes & Noble suddenly sell so much of his own stock? – Recently the founder of one of the world’s biggest of booksellers, Barnes & Noble, who happens to also be the largest shareholder of the struggling company’s stock, decided to sell nearly $28 million worth of those stocks for what was described as “tax planning purposes.”

Dollar @ Easy Extra Dollar writes Avoiding Scam Online Job – While looking for a job online can make the technique much simpler and faster, there is a hidden danger involved in going about finding a job in this manner. Each day, limitless job seekers are sucked in to risky online job scams.

 

FINANCIAL ADVICE

Ben Luthi @ The Wealth Gospel writes Why You Shouldn’t Buy Life Insurance – There are several reasons why we’re told we shouldn’t buy life insurance. But are they valid? Or is there more to it?

Jerry @ Evergreen Finance writes Which Cars Have the Worst Depreciation? – Depreciation is a problem with all new vehicles, but the worst offenders lose 80-plus percent of their value in the first five years!

Glen @ Glennalicious.org writes How To Sue Your Landlord – Do you think your tenant’s rights have been violated? Or maybe your landlord has breached the terms of your lease? From uninhabitable living conditions to your landlord ignoring your requests for repairs, can you sue your landlord? If so, this guide will teach you how to do prepare for court.

Justin @ Edward Antrobus writes Is that awesome Review a Fake? – Word of mouth marketing is the best. Someone a hearing about how great a product or service was from a friend, family member or colleague was much more likely to purchase that product or service because someone they actually knew told them how great it was.

Mark Ross @ Money Saving Dude writes 10 Steps To Improve Your Finances This Year – It’s a new year and if improving your finances is part of your New Year’s resolution, then these steps are a must follow for you to achieve your goal before 2014 ends.

Jon Haver @ Pay My Student Loans writes Easiest Eight grants to get to help pay off student loans – A grant differs from a loan in one basic way: it’s free money given to you because you fall into a certain category, have earned it through work, or someone wants to support you in your work.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Mega Millions–What Should Those Winners Do? – If I ever win a large lottery jackpot, like the final jackpot number in this megamillion lottery – which was $636 million, here is what I believe I would do.

 

FRUGALITY

Dee @ Color Me Frugal writes Why I’m Keeping My Crappy Car – It’s crappy and my in-laws hate it, but I’m keeping it! Find out why. I encourage you to take some time to think about whether you should be keeping YOUR crappy car too!

Matt @ Budget Snob writes Don’t Worry about your Credit Score being affected by These 5 Things – There are quite a few things that can help a person’s credit score as well as hurt it but not everything is either “positive” or “negative” when it comes to your credit score.

Monica @ Monica On Money writes How My PT Cruiser Saved Me $27,600 – I bought a PT Cruiser in 2004 for $17,5000 and still have it today. Some people think that’s crazy.

 

INVESTING

Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes 2013 Challenges Revisited – As the year is drawing to a close, I thought I would look back on my challenges for 2013.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Why Renting Items Is A Waste Of Money – Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of ads on television for renting computers, televisions and furniture. At first, renting these items might sound like a good idea – you get an item you need without needing the full amount to purchase the item. But, there are many downfalls to renting these things. Here are 3 reasons why renting items is a waste of money.

Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes Planning My Budget Friendly Nursery – Here’s my idea for a budget friendly nursery, which I’m ready to decorate (asap!) in case the twins come early. The “theme” is very us! I hope you like it!

Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes Want to Be a More Confident Investor? Educate Yourself – Investing seems difficult to beginner investors. But it doesn’t have to be. Use these tips to start your financial education so you can begin investing.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Getting Started: 10 Steps To Make Before Retirement – As appealing as retirement sounds, it’s something you have to prepare for! Sounds intimidating? Don’t worry – we can break it down for you in 10 steps.

Dominique Brown @ YourFinancesSimplified writes What is a Traditional IRA? – A traditional IRA is yet another way to save money for your golden years. Is it right for you?

Jack @ eMoneyLog writes What impact the recession had on retirement for baby boomers? – The dip in the economy that started in late 2007 had a tremendous impact on financials of many. However one of the worst impacted were baby boomers population who were close to retirement. Depending on how they had invested their money they may have seen a significant loss in their portfolio. Let’s take a look at the impact recession had on retirement choices available to baby boomers.

Mark Wang @ The Money Mail writes Five Questions That Must Be Answered When Taking Out a Mortgage – We all have question in our mind when we are going for our first home purchase and many of these questions revolve around the use of mortgages. Which type of mortgage should I go for? Are there any prepayment penalties? What will my monthly payment be? In this article lets discuss some of the keys questions your should ask before taking out a mortgage. Most of these questions are also applicable if you are going for refinancing.

Lisa @ Secrets2Save writes Importance of saving early for retirement – Often we delay saving for retirement when we first land a job. This can be a very big mistake. In this article lets us take a few examples and try to understand why it is important to save for retirement from the get go. We will compare two cases where someone starts saving early vs someone who starts late and see who comes out ahead and why?

Marvin @ Brick By Brick Investing writes 7 Reasons Why I Am Not A Financial Advisor – A detailed list of reasons why I chose not to become a financial advisor at this point in my life.

Marissa @ Finance Triggers writes How to spot a good mortgage broker from a bad one – How can you decide if a mortgage broker is a good one or a bad one? The best way is to learn the answers to these questions.

Larry @ KrantCents writes Technology Has Made Me Lazy or More Productive! – Technology has made me lazy! I used to do basic arithmetic in my head. I could count out change without the cash register telling me what change I needed to make. I could spell without using spell check.

John @ Frugal Rules writes Motif Investing Review: A Unique Approach to Investing – Investing in the stock market is vital to building wealth and with the variety of options available of where to invest it can be confusing. Choosing a good brokerage that has good offering and low fees can be a great way to help grow your retirement portfolio and get your investing on the right foot.

Pauline @ Make Money Your Way writes Why you should consider real estate investing in 2014 – Real estate investments haven’t performed so well over the last couple years, as the bursting of the housing bubble really hurt the market and impacted many lives in a negative way.

Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Update on the U.S. Stock Market – This is a guest post from Troy who will share his thoughts on the current U.S. stock market. Here’s what’s been going on in the 2nd half of 2013 and what he thinks will happen in the first half of 2014.

Paul @ The Frugal Toad @ The Frugal Toad writes The Importance of Diversification in Your Portfolio – All investors are trying to maximize their returns. That is the whole point of investing. While the concept of investing can be confusing for some, most understand that there is risk involved. Diversification can be the key to keep your risk lower. When you create a diversified portfolio, you can help deal with correlation.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Retire Before 65? – The more I think about working for another 24 years, the more I think, can I retire before 65? The answer is yes, with some changes to my current, and possibly future, lifestyle.

JC @ Passive-Income-Pursuit writes 3M (MMM) Dividend Stock Analysis – After 3M’s board announced a 35% increase in the dividend, I figured it was as good a time as any to see how the valuation is. Lots to like about this wonderful company but how’s the relative price?

Jim @ Critical Financial writes 7 Reasons Texas Is The Nation’s Leader In Business AND Population Growth – Both the population and the economy of the state of Texas have been growing much faster than the US economy in general.

 

SAVING

Mr.CBB @ canadian budget binder writes Should Computer Pricing Errors Be Honoured? – We’ve talked about pricing errors before here at Canadian Budget Binder which is essentially either a glitch in the system, human error or simply a price not being changed properly.

 

OTHER

IMB @ Investing Money writes The Fascinating World of Bitcoin – Bitcoin, started in 2009, is taking the world by storm. What is it? Who owns it? How do I buy and sell Bitcoins? Learn here!

Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes The Freedom of Living Debt Free – For some debtors, living debt free is a far-fetched dream but for some others it is reality.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes How to Make $750 a Month Selling Used Books – You can make a nice side hustle by buying books on Ebay and then selling the same used books to buyback companies. Here’s how I do it…

Mr. Frenzy @ Frenzied Finances writes Battle of the Brands: Name Brands VS Generic Brands – It’s hard to break away from a name brand you know works – but have you ever tried generic brands? It could save you a whole lot of money!

Lindy @ Minting Nickels writes Saving Money Can Be Easy With LTD! – One of the toughest times to save money can be during the holidays.

Minimalist @ Minimalist Finance writes Start Off the Year Right with Your Investments – Start Off the Year Right with Your Investments has been published on Minimalist FinanceAs 2013 comes to an end, there are a few things that you an do financially to ensure that you start the new year with a solid financial footing. Last week, we posted some ideas of some strong financial new year’s resolutions to make.

Jacob @ AllPersonalFinance writes Saving money with bioclean glass – your questions answered – Yes there is such a thing as low-maintenance self-cleaning glass and yes, it does really work, but how does it work, are they any different from your standard double-glazing and can you save money?

Moneycone @ Money Cone writes What should you do if you shopped at Target between Nov 27 and Dec 15 – Steps to take if you think your credit card information might have been compromised in Target’s data breach.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Short-Term Bonds vs. Money Market – A look at short term bonds vs. money market funds and which is best for investors in the current environment.

Tushar Mathur @ Everything Finance writes 3 Lessons Monopoly Can Teach Us About Finance – I realized something: monopoly can teach us a great deal about finance. In fact, you can really learn a lot of money lessons in just a short amount of time.

Cindy @ MidLife Finance writes The Best Gift For Those You Love – What if you could give them the best present in the world…and not spend much, if anything?

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes How To Avoid Debt – If you want to reach financial independence or financial freedom, you need to know how to avoid debt. Any debt that you get yourself into only furthers you from your goals.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes 3 Ways to Free Up Additional Cash to Invest in the New Year – If you are feeling guilty over the amount of money you’ve splurged this Christmas, it’s not surprising you might be looking at January to be the month when you start cutting back.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes How To Organize Your 2014 Budget – Even though exercise and diet remain the top two New Year’s resolutions that most Americans have, the next few days might provide you with some

Bargain Babe @ BargainBabe.com writes How Much Did You Spend on Christmas? – How much did you spend on CHristmas gifts – it can be scary to find out!

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes Sometimes the holidays suck – Psst. I’m going to let you in on a secret…sometimes the Holidays suck. It is a week before Thanksgiving as I write this post and I must admit that I’m feeling kind of disinterested in the whole holiday thing this year. Maybe it’s the weirdly warm weather, or the lack of snow…

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Party Smart: How to Budget Your Holiday Parties – Planning a holiday party? ‘Tis the season! Read here for the smartest and least expensive ways to keep down your holiday party costs.

Brent @ PersonalFinance-Tips writes Three Things You Should Double Check on Your Next Paycheck – A paycheck is a vitally important document. Your paycheck is not just a list of the money you’ve earned in any given time frame. It is also verification that your employer has paid into social security on your behalf.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Annual Review 2013: Looking Forward – As part of my annual review, these are my words and goals for 2014.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Broken Stuff is Just Broken Stuff – Before I start, just wanted to let everyone know that I’m in a better overall mood. Generally perky and back to normal.

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes How to make FREE online money! – Did you know anyone can spend some time and make free money and rewards online? Have you tried it out for some extra money?

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes 3 Common Financial New Year’s Resolutions – The New Year trailing right behind many people are already making their New Year’s Resolutions. And financial goals are usually high on the New Year’s resolutions list.

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Finance Tips: Think Practical For Your Money – Living practical with money doesn’t mean that people have to cut out all entertainment, splurges on wants every now and then, and other fun events.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes How Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Can Affect Your Future – By filing for Chapter 13, you can regain power of your financial status by acquiring a payment plan that fits nicely into your budget.

Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes $1,000 Challenge – Transportation and Utilities – My mom continues on her quest to save $500 from our monthly budget following the principles in The $1,000 Challenge by Brian J. O’Connor.

Matt Becker @ Mom and Dad Money writes When Good Habits Go Bad: A Christmas Story – Good or bad, our past experiences are powerful learning tools. But they are not exact blueprints for how to live our lives today. Even good habits need to be checked from time to time. So as your life changes, take stock of your new situation and how your current habits align with your new goals. If they still work, then great! Keep it up. But don’t be afraid to make changes.