Sorry to write about the rentals again today. It’s just consuming all my attention and I’m having a hard time thinking about anything else. We decided to put our rental home and 4-plex up for sale to take advantage of the HOT real estate market. I know we’d have to pay tax on the gain, but I didn’t realize just how much tax we’d have to pay. A Big T
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Should One Calculate Projected Forward 12 Month Dividends?
I saw a post by a blogger named Write2Reality who wrote about calculating/projecting his forward 12 month dividends that got me thinking whether this is useful data for most. Despite not agreeing with W2R I would recommend checking out his blog; an engaging blogger with great content (a rarity today). Is Calculating a Projected Forward 12
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Carnival of Money Pros Looking Forwards to Spring
I’m tired of snow! I’ll be glad when Spring finally start to kick in and make everything green again!
This week I’m keeping the intro short because this was another carnival save edition. Lately, I’ve been saving more and more of the Money Pros carnivals this way. I think I know what the problems is, but I’m going to wait an see.
Enjoy this week’s submissions:
Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Should You Ever Borrow On A 401(k)? – For some of you a dreaded financial question may stare you in the mirror at some point in your life.
Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes I’m Earning Money, Now What? – I got a call yesterday that made me smile. A friend of mine explained that they are now earning more than they need to pay their bills, and they wanted my ad!
Maria @ The Money Principle writes Three kitchen appliances that will help you slash your food budget – Cutting down your food budget is about inventiveness and ingenuity. Sometimes it is also about technology as with these three kitchen appliances.
Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes How to Turn Your Furniture Into a Money-Making Investment – Have you ever made a profit on a piece of used furniture you’ve purchased? We’ve got a few tips on how to make money buying and selling used furniture….
JP @ My Family Finances writes Lower Rates Means Saving More Money – In a down economy all we hear about are all the negative effects of low interest rates, including; dilapidated bond yields, a sluggish stock market, and low interest earning bank accounts.
Hank @ Money Q&A writes Why I Don’t Mind Losing Money As A Landlord – It is a renter’s market. But, I don’t mind losing money as a landlord every month. Being a landlord beats losing a ton of money selling an upside down house.
SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Paying Yourself: How to Take Care of Your Own Expenses in a Budget – Don’t complete your weekly budget without paying yourself as well. Here are some suggestions on how to do this and what you should pay yourself for.
Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes 5 Cheap Ways To Be Fashionable This Spring – This change in season (and the end of my No Shopping Challenge) has me thinking about transitioning my wardrobe into Spring without spending a ton of money. The following are 5 inexpensive ways to transition into a Spring look while using your current wardrobe.
Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Important Factors of Choosing The Right Insurance – There are important factors when it comes to choosing the right insurance for you. You should only pay for the type of coverage you need. Read for tips!
IMB @ Investing Money writes Growth Stocks for 2014 – It’s March 2014, and we’re searching for growth opportunities in stocks thoroughly! Read here for growth stocks finds in this new year.
Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes How to Pick the Best Summer Camp for Your Children – Summer camp is more than just tents and bonfires. Here are a few tips on how to pick the summer program right for your child.
CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Career Aptitude: Choosing the Right Career For You – A career is something you’ll spend years of your life working with, so it’s important to choose wisely. Read here for helpful hints!
Dominique Brown @ YourFinancesSimplified writes Your Financial Relationships: Why It’s Important to Have the Money Talk – Today we’re starting a new series here on Your Finances Simplified called Your Financial Relationships, and we’ll be focusing on your financial relationships, specifically the one with your significant other.
Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes Buying Local versus Shopping Online Overseas – Should you support local business or save your money by shopping online? Do you know how each decision can impact you or your local economy?
Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes 5 Out of the Norm Ways to Save Money – We are always looking for ways to save money. Here are a handful of ways to save money that you might have overlooked that can save you big!
Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Is It Time To Take A Sabbatical? – The corporate treadmill is pushing people to the point of breaking.
Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes How to Deal When You Are Just Treading Water – We have all times in our debt payoff process where we are just treading water. An emergency drains your savings and you have to replenish it. Your employer cuts back your hours and you can’t afford much more than your basic bills.
Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes 8 Ways to Make Your Paycheck Last Until the Next Payday – Learn how to make your paycheck last until the next payday
Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Some of My Favorite Posts These Past Five Years – A listing of 25 of the best posts from this blog over the past five years, done to highlight some of the best subjects covered and material published.
Irfan @ All New Trends writes How To Choose A Finance Advisor – Finance advisor is very essential these days due to the complexities that are surrounded in the modern lifestyle where it gets very tough to handle and manage our own finances.
Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Why Don’t More People Do Their Own Taxes? – Understanding tax basics is part of being a responsible citizen, so why don’t more people prepare their own returns when they have simple financial situations?
Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes How to Survive Losing Your Job – Losing your job can be a very difficult and stressful event. Whether you were terminated from your job, your position was deemed redundant, or your company closed down, you will still be affected the same way.
Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes How to Buy a Used Vehicle Safely – There are many advantages attached to purchasing a second hand vehicle over a new one, the most important one being the greatly reduced price.
Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes Do a lot of people Cheat on their Taxes? Actually, No! – The annual taxpayer survey from the IRS Oversight Board recently found that a whopping 86% of Americans think cheating on taxes isn’t right.
Jack @ Money Saving Ethics writes If you have Variable Annuities, you Need to Know This – As more and more baby boomers search for solutions to fund their retirement, the number that are investing in variable annuities is swelling fast. Right now, nearly $2 trillion is already invested in them.
Amy @ Money Mishaps writes More Disclosure on Fees coming for 401(k) Retirement Plans – The Labor Department recently proposed a new rule that would make it easier for employers and employees to locate the exact fees that are attached to their 401(k) retirement plans.
Hadley @ Epic Finances writes Why are so many people Investing in ETFs? – Over the last few years there has been a great proliferation in ETFs, both in the number and type that are being offered to investors.
Andrea @ So Over This writes I’ve Been Overpaying My Taxes! – As a personal finance blogger I’m almost too ashamed to admit that I’ve been overpaying on my taxes the past two years, and almost did so again this year.
Lily @ Paying Debt Down writes A Few Reasons that Investors like ETFs – In recent years, ETFs have become much more popular and are actually gaining against some other, more mature mutual funds. The reasons for that gain in popularity are explained below.
Bob @ Dwindling Debt writes Skip the flashy gadgets and Save Instead – The difference between starting a savings program when you’re in your 20s versus doing the same when you’re in your 30s or even 40s represents a huge difference in what you will have in your retirement and savings accounts when it’s time to retire.
Katie @ IRA Basics writes The Secret of Saving for Your First Deposit – Are you ready to become a homeowner and do not fancy a no-deposit home loan? Then the biggest obstacle standing in your way is the first deposit or down payment.
Sam @ The New Business Blog writes House passes Flood Insurance Bill – Since your home, and its related expenses, are certainly a very big part of your personal finance picture, today’s blog definitely falls under the category of ‘important to know.’
Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes More than a Blueprint: Four Key Points to Consider to Enhance the Quality of Your Business Plan – Part of my day to day job is helping advise start-ups or potential entrepreneurs on the metrics of their business plan, and model.
Aaron @ Aaron Hung writes How to Get the Best Deal for a New Car – Purchasing a new car is a big deal, and it is always good to have some tricks under your belt.
Monica @ Monica On Money writes How To Live On One Paycheck – Living on one paycheck is a thought that many dual income households do not think about.
Marissa @ Finance Triggers writes Quirky tips for conserving cash – Here are a few quirky tips for saving some cash. Read on to find out how you do not have to turn your life inside out to gain control of your finances.
Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes Do You Get Upset When You Can’t Save? – Personal finance bloggers are an interesting lot. I like to think that we are a little more financially savvy than the average bear. This can have its drawbacks too.
Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes 3 Tips for Eating More Sustainably and Saving Money – One of the hang-ups that many people have about changing their habits to live more sustainably is that there is sometimes a financial cost.
Jen Perkins @ Master the Art of Saving writes How to Start Saving Money (Even if you’re always broke) – Each month our debt was growing, so how could I save 10% of nothing or $50 we didn’t have? Everybody has to start somewhere; otherwise they will never start at all. Small changes over time can make a big difference, so if you’re not ready to make dramatic changes to your finances…at least start with baby steps.
PFC @ PF Carny writes Does Couponing Really Save Money? – Depending on how you do it and how into it you get, it can be either bad or good. Does couponing really save you money? It can, but it can also cost you money at the same time.
Jen @ Prepping Is Sexy writes Food Insurance: Keeping Your Family Fed – I can’t be the only one noticing the skyrocketing prices everywhere. Products, both food and non-food items just keep getting more expensive. So what can you do? How can you ensure that your family will be able to eat if this continues?
Alice @ Hurricanes, Panties & Dollars writes The pterodactyl retirement plan – An interesting conversation, a plan to trap a pterodactyl and waking back up in the real world. Plus a fun, catchy video and perhaps a little talk about retirement.
Justin @ Root of Good writes Will My Kids Be Okay If I Retire Early? – Is it possible to retire early to a life of leisure while raising kids that understand hard work and success? Of course! Find out why retiring early won’t screw up your kids.
Mario @ Adventures in Frugal writes The mysterious case of the missing $1,200 and my new side hustle? – I find a volunteer position I really like, help a man put together his first budget, and talk him through how to make it better by tracking his spending
Jon @ Increase Credit Limit writes Boosting Credit Score – f your credit score is low, you should not panic, because there are things that you can do to boost your score. However, you will need to put in some work in order to help the score.
Andrew Pohl @ Finance with Reason writes Should I Invest in Penny Stocks? – Making millions overnight is a fun thought, but when it comes to investing, buying profitable companies puts the odds in your favor while penny stocks don’t.
Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes How You Can Successfully Pay Off Debt – Instead of completely subjecting myself to a life of bare existence, I’ve been able to make a few alterations that shaved off a couple hundred dollars a month in bills:
Harry Campbell @ Your PF Pro writes Using a Credit Card to Buy Fee Free Stocks with Loyal3 – “It’s easier than ever to invest your money in stocks these days. Not only are companies battling it out when it comes to lower fees and expense ratios but lately we’ve even seen a rash of companies that are allowing individual investors to buy and sell stocks with zero trading fees. Obviously there are hidden costs behind the scenes like bid/ask spreads and buy/sell ratios but even those expenses have gone down as trading technology has gotten better and faster in the last decade. ”
Mr. 4HWD @ The Four Hour Work Day writes Are 25 Year Service Anniversaries a Thing of the Past? – “This past week at my corporate job, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of employment for one of my co-workers. At my last job, you would get a nice pat on the back and get to pick out an overpriced prize from the company catalog for major service anniversaries. Nothing says indentured servitude like being able to pick out your own DVD player after 25 years of employment(notice I said DVD player, not Blu-Ray player).
What’s the Difference Between Being Rich and Wealthy?
I remember this question being asked in one of my introductory economics classes when I was in college. Being that everyone was 18 to 20 years old no one had a good answer. I won’t pretend the answer changed my life because to be honest I didn’t even think about it until recently. The answer
The post What’s the Difference Between Being Rich and Wealthy?
Financial Setbacks Can Strengthen Your Finances
I just read an article from Fidelity – Lessons from the financial crisis, and it made some interest points. It’s been five years since the Global Financial Crisis and the stock market has come a long way since then. The average 401(k) balance for pre-retirees at Fidelity nearly doubled from $93,000 to $165,200. Most of us have learned valuable lessons from th
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April 2014 Net Worth Update
I selfishly come back to this site a day or two after a new month to update and share my net worth growth (or loss). Why is it selfish? I don’t think readers other than the few who, have taken a vested interest in my success, get a whole lot out of these net worth
The post April 2014 Net Worth Update
March 2014 Goals and Financial Update
Oh man, can you believe it’s April? 2014 is already a quarter over! March was really busy for me again and April will be even more crazy. We decided to sell our rental home and 4 plex so I have been busy dealing with that. Our tenant just finished moving out of the rental home so I need to get it ready to sell. That will be a lot of work and I’m a bit stresse
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Don’t Sell Your Stocks Before It’s time
Ahh, last week on one sad day the over all change in my entire stock portfolio was down 2 percent! While 2 percent might not seem like a lot, it is once you consider that the average gain in an investment account is expected to be 9 percent for the year. After such a horrible […]
The post Don’t Sell Your Stocks Before It’s time
The Difficulties Of Working With Freelancers
As I mentioned in a recent post, I started a serious babies website, and while the initial reaction has been great, I want to take it up a notch. Through Facebook sharing only, we manage to get about 300 visitors to each new image. It’s great, and the parents of the baby do a great […]
The Difficulties Of Working With Freelancers
3 Steps to Getting Your Spouse on Board with Your Goals
The following article is from Mike, our staff writer. We all have things we want to accomplish but sometimes the daily grind of life gets in the way and we find ourselves going through the motions rather than deliberately working towards our goals. Even more frustrating is when you and your spouse aren’t focused on the same goals. Rather than working tog
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