Carnival of Personal Finance 264th Edition

I love hosting Carnivals because it forces me to read a ton of different sites that I normally don’t check out.  This week’s Carnival of Personal Finance had over 60 accepted articles and I was happy to read each one! 

264th Edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance

Editor’s Pick

Adam from RabbitFunds presents Freedom Week: My Financial Declaration of Independence, and says, “I have altered the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, one of the most lasting and influential pieces of literature, to create a Financial Declaration of Independence.”

D4L from Dividends Value presents Finding Low Risk Dividend Stocks, and says, “A stock with a high yield doesn’t mean much if the dividend is cut or eliminated, and the stock price declines significantly. Sometimes it is desirable to accept higher risk for a higher yield. Other times we may be accepting higher risk and are not being adequately compensated for the additional risk. What can we do to help gauge the risk of an individual stock?”

Mike Piper from Oblivious Investor presents 3 Good Stocks to Buy Right Now, and says, “Is picking stocks as easy as it seems? What makes a stock a good investment?”

Kim Snider from Kimmunications from Kim Snider presents The role of luck in a financially secure retirement.

Money Management

Jason from One Money Design presents Money Lessons Learned: What Would You Teach Yourself About Money?, and says, “What would you teach yourself about money management if you could go back in time 10 years? I think we could all share some good lessons learned!”

Ace from Ace of Wealth presents Personal Finance is Not Always About Math, and says, “Numbers are absolute. They’re cold and predictable. But humans aren’t. You can’t treat personal finances like a math problem. Scribbling a bunch of equations on a piece of paper won’t give you a solution. Personal finance is so much more complicated than that because it’s personal.”

One Frugal Girl from One Frugal Girl presents Do Women Still Want to Marry for Money?“

FruGal from FruGal presents Tips for managing work expenses.

ElizabethG (Modern Gal) from Modern Gal presents Preparing for a Double-Dip Recession.

Donna Freedman from Surviving and Thriving presents 4 ways to think about money., and says, “Want to drop a bad habit or develop a good one? You need a plan. Or, rather, you need a list.”

Money

BWL from Christian Money presents A Big Money/Life Lesson From Sam Walton of Walmart, and says, “Recently I came across an article about Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. It was a very interesting read and I found some things I never knew…”

Investing

Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Highest Yielding Dividend Stocks of S&P 500 , and says, “Many novice investors get in the world of dividend investing because of the belief that it is possible to generate double digit current yields. They purchase these securities in pursuit of current income, only to see these distributions cut after a few months. The truth is that few companies can afford to pay high dividends, unless they are pass-through entities such as master limited partnerships or real estate investment trusts to name a few. “

Ramsay from High Dividend Stocks presents Dividend Income, and says, “Explanation of dividend income investing and the ways investors benefit from investing in dividend stocks.”

Squirrelers from Squirrelers.com presents Financial Freedom via Portfolio Income, and says, “You worked for your nest egg, so let it work for you through portfolio income”

PT from PT Money presents 5 Things to Know About Roth IRA Withdrawals, and says, “The rules for withdrawing from a Roth IRA are a bit tricky. Make sure you pay attention to the IRS rules to avoid taxes and penalties.”

Arjun from Investing Thesis presents 5 Canadian Portfolio Managers You Should Follow.

Neal Frankle from Wealth Pilgrim presents Best Investments for Retirement Income, and says, “If you’re looking for the best investments for retirement income, you’re not alone. With interest rates so low, lots of folks are asking themselves the same question.”

Clint from Accumulating Money presents How Often do Mutual Funds Compound or Dividend?, and says, “Thanks!”

Credit and Debt

MD from Studenomics presents Reader Q & A: Dealing With Credit Cards .

John Hunter from Curious Cat Investing and Economics Blog presents Personal Finance Basics: Avoid Debt, and says, “Debt is often toxic to personal financial success. The simple first step you can take to avoid the problems many face is to just not buy things until you save up for them.”

Craig Ford from Money Help For Christians presents How To Solve Credit Card Debt Problems, and says, “A guest for helping deal with credit card debt problems.”

Kevin from Financially Poor presents Bankruptcy Is Not A Sin.

Kristina from DINKS Finance presents The Worst Financial Decision of My Life, and says, “I have having an extremely bad car relationship right now, and we are about to break up!”

Reasonable from Richly Reasonable presents In the Credit Card Details, and says, “During my credit-card-research-bonanza last week I did the impossible: I actually read the fine print! Well, not really the fine print, the almost invisible print actually.”

Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents Retail Credit Cards: Pros, Cons & Alternatives, and says, “A look at store credit cards. Are they worth using? We also suggest alternatives to these cards.”

Chris from Stumble Forward presents Getting My First Credit Card: What You Should Know Before You Sign Up, and says, “What you should know about your first credit card before you sign on the dotted line.”

Tim Chen from NerdWallet Credit Card Watch presents 5 Reasons to Avoid Amex Blue Cash, and says, “The Amex Blue Cash is a card that everyone loves to love, with it’s enticing promise of 5% cash back. But there is a catch! So make sure you understand the fine print before you sign on the dotted line.”

Cecil Dellision from Clear Choice Credit Cards presents Phone Scam Is Trying to Get Your Credit Card Numbers.

Finance

Miss T from Prairie Eco-Thrifter presents Slush Your Way Out Of Being Over Budget.

Austin from Foreigner’s Finances presents Why Don’t Online Banks Accept International Wire Transfers?, and says, “This post tries to find a reason for online banks not accepting international wire transfers. “

pfstock from PFStock presents Annual Income and Net Worth, and says, “I have found that articles about annual income and net worth are great for providing traffic to your site.”

Jaime from Eventual Millionaire presents Compare Yourself to a Millionaire, and says, “:)”

Bret from Five Huge Money Pitfalls presents Hope to Prosper, and says, “A brief run-down of the five most important financial mistakes to avoid.”

Savings

Frugal Dad from Frugal Dad presents 8 Critical Steps Every Family Should Be Taking to Prepare for the Next Financial Crisis.

Sun from The Sun’s Financial Diary presents Just Say No To 401(k) Loans.

The Best Money Blog from The Best Money Blog presents How To Act Rich To Become Rich, and says, “It’s my first submission. I’ve been blogging for almost a month and just found out what blog carnivals are!”

Christian Treitler from MoneyObedience presents Spend now, save money later. Finance Theory versus Personal Finance Bloggers .

The Smarter Wallet from The Smarter Wallet presents Credit Union vs Bank: Why Credit Unions Are A Top Banking Choice, and says, “We compare banks to credit unions. We also discus why credit unions are favored by many banking customers.”

Jill from My Dollar Plan presents Are CDs Obsolete?, and says, “This is a timely article that looks at whether CDs are obsolete given the current low interest rates.”

Darren from MORE than Finances presents 529 Plans – A Powerful College Savings Tool And More, and says, “While the Coverdell ESA is a useful tool, there’s another tool that may be better – the 529 Plan. What are some of the similarities and differences between the two?”

Frugality

FMF from Free Money Finance presents The Costs of Working, and says, “There are significant costs associated with working — so much so that a second-income spouse can often quit working without a negative impact to the couple’s finances.”

Jeff from Sustainable Life Blog presents Saving Money Tip: Change Your Own Oil, and says, “Looking for a nice way to save $100 or more per year on your car? Give changing your own motor oil a try. It’s not as hard as you think, and it does not take that long. If you’re like me and don’t get many opportunities to work with your hands, it’s also a great time to do that. “

Jim from Wanderlust Journey presents Five Good Reasons to Stay at a Disney Resort.

Revanche from A Gai Shan Life presents Help! I’ve been brainwashed!, and says, “Who will win this struggle: me or Apple? Is it time to go cold turkey and banish the smartphone altogether?? That’d show ‘em who was boss. Until I get supremely lost sans map functions…”

Budgeting

Briana Ford from Go Banking Rates presents How Living on a Budget Can Make you Feel like a Million Bucks, and says, “Budgeting is no longer a dirty secret, but a way of life worthy of boasting and bragging about. Currently, being thrifty is all the rage and if done properly, living on a budget can actually make you feel like a million bucks.”

RJ Weiss from Gen Y Wealth presents The Mission Driven Budget, and says, “The problem I have with most annual budget spreadsheets, is the lack of big picture view. Yes, they tell you how much you spent on groceries in July, but what does that number really mean? How does knowing that number, improve your overall financial plan?”

Real Estate Posts

Miranda from Moolanomy presents Is It Better To Buy Or Rent? [Infographic].

Taxes

Ryan from Cash Money Life presents $250 Medicare Part D Donut Hole Check, and says, “the $250 Medicare Part D Donut Hole Check will be going out soon to seniors who qualify. Find out if you or someone you know will be receiving this benefit.”

Jason from Live Real, net presents The Tax Man Cometh, and says, “What do you do with a decade of unfiled tax returns?”

Dawn C. from Frugal for Life presents Increase the Paycheck with a Tax Calculator, and says, “Thank you for hosting this week’s onslaught of post! Dawn C.”

Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents How Does Consumer Debt Affect Your Taxes, and says, “Often times, dealing with the tax consequences of getting out of debt can land a consumer in more financial trouble than they were before they got rid of their debt. The tax consequences of getting out of debt depend largely on the type of debt relief program the consumer chooses. “

Miss Thrifty from Miss Thrifty presents Eight Thrifty Tips for a VAT-Free Shopping Basket, and says, “This is a post for UK readers – but a v. pertinent one! We’ve just found out that this sales tax is going up to 20%, so people here are keen to find ways around it…”

Other

J. Money from Budgets Are Sexy presents Do Not Give Me Money!!!, and says, “Gotta watch out for those scams! I am not stuck at a hotel, cash-less, and trying to get home ”

Paul Williams from Provident Planning presents How to Choose a Legal Guardian for Your Child, and says, “If you have children, you need to have a legal guardian listed in your will (and you need a will!). Here are some tips to help you choose a legal guardian for your child.”

Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog from Canadian Finance Blog presents Canada Day – A Look At Canadian Finance Blogs, and says, “A look at Canadian finance blogs. Whether new or around for years, covering a niche or a site that covers everything, these personal finance blogs are worth a look!”

Ryan from The Military Wallet presents Tips for an Easy PCS, and says, “Tips to make your summer move a smooth process, including how you can use the military moving system to your advantage to get your household goods shipped to your new location.”

a.b. from Modern Tightwad presents The Words I Hate to Say The Most, and says, “Dealing with unemployment, housing crisis, and other economic instabilities, more of us are having to utter the words we don’t like. These words effect our interpersonal relationships and feelings of self-worth.”

Ryan Ayres from The Financial Student presents Thoughts On Piracy and Illegal Filesharing, and says, “The RIAA lost a valuable opportunity when they shutdown Napster and the impact of file sharing isn’t nearly as bad as the industry often says. “