2013-10-13



Welcome to the latest edition of the Financial Carnival for Young Adults. Below you’ll find some of the best personal finance articles of the last couple weeks. If you’d like to participate in future editions, please submit your article here. Enjoy!

Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes Ted Talks and Ignite – Influence Your Community – Spark an idea – but make it quick! Ignite is a shorter version of the TED talk and is a great way to share ideas and influence your community!

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes 5 Ways to Earn Money on the Side – You’re busy. I get it. You want to earn extra money but don’t have enough time to dig through a pile of ideas to find the perfect one. Luckily, choosing a side job doesn’t have to be hard. You can and should do something you enjoy to bring in money on the side.

SavingMentor @ How To Save Money writes Do You Really Care Who I Am? – There’s nothing really all that interesting about me. There. I said it. I’m just a normal guy working as a software developer who lives in a small city, makes a normal middle class income, had a pretty privileged upbringing, and who has a passion for not wasting money when I don’t have to. Spending all kinds of money on ridiculous things that add real value to your life is A-OK with me, that’s why I’m all about spending as little money as possible on your day to day living expenses.

Jacob @ AllPersonalFinance writes How to Solve a Cash Flow Crisis and Prevent Your Business from Flat Lining – Cash is the life blood of any business and once the cash flow dries up, not even CPR will be able to bring it back to life. It has been estimated that around 90 percent of small business fail because of cash flow problems and even profitable companies can end up filing for bankruptcy… Read more on my take on how to solve this common snafu.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes 6 Reasons Your Stuff is Worth Less Than You Think – My Aunt and Uncle, now in their nineties, loved their things. They tend to cherish their possessions, but should they?

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes 6 Investment Strategies to Generate Retirement Income – A guide to methods to generate retirement income with the money that you save during your life, covering things like regular withdrawals, interest, and annuities.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Why You Should NOT Calculate Retirement Income off based on Income – When calculating how much you need in retirement, you should not use your current income. Find out what you should use to be prepared.

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes The Financial Benefits of Sharing a House – How sharing a house or apartment can benefit you financially and save money for bills rates and repayments.

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes How Much Money Can You Save By Breastfeeding? – Babies are expensive – breastfeeding can save money. Read my personal analysis and see how much I saved this way.

Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes The Government Shutdown and The Extreme Importantance of Emergency Funds – If you’ve been reading my blog for a few years, you might know that I was a United States park ranger before I moved to Grenada. I was an interpretive ranger, which meant that I worked at numerous sites around Richmond, Virginia creating history programs and giving battlefield tours. It was really awesome.

Mr. Frenzy @ Frenzied Finances writes Moving Out: When You’re Ready to Buy a Home – Home-owning can quickly turn into a nightmare when not prepared. There are several factors to consider when deciding when you’re ready to buy a home.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes 4 Financial Steps To Take As You Prepare For Baby – So, you have decided that you want to have a baby. There is nothing more exiting in seeing your new baby born first time however before you get ahead of yourself taking care of some of the financial matters before you conceive can make the entire pregnancy and the months after go more smoothing.

Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes What Happens if the Government Shuts Down? – What happens if the government shuts down due to the current debt ceiling crisis? The government must pass a budget and spending bill by September 30th.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Income Investing – Looking Beyond Stocks and Bonds – In this 4th article in our series on income investing, we explore opportunities for income investors outside of stocks and bonds.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes Saving Money and Saving the Environment – Regardless of whether you feel that the global warming phenomenon is real or made up, you cannot argue that we throw away and waste a lot of stuff.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Should I Pay Off The Mortgage? – One of the more difficult questions that I get from both younger and older people alike is whether or not it is a good idea to pay off their mortgage.

IMB @ Investing Money writes Investing for Q4 2013 – Unsure what your next move is in investing? It’s always safe to look at history. Read here for information.

Mrs. Accountability @ Out of Debt Again writes 6 Common Mistakes to Avoid with Annuities – Annuities are one of the most popular investments made by investors under 44 years of age.

Don @ Money Reasons writes Was the Removal of the Uptick Rule Stupid? – The “Uptick Rule” was removed back in 2007 after a pilot study said that no manipulations occurred.This is what the pilot study found “The general consensus from these analyses and the roundtable was that the Commission should remove price test restrictions because they modestly reduce liquidity and do not appear necessary to prevent manipulation.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Advice for Small Business – Sort out your Business Energy – Most small and medium businesses are failing to manage their business energy costs. Business energy includes gas and electricity. The business energy market is not the same as the consumer market – prices are higher for businesses and contracts longer.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes 7 Steps For Financial Success To Build A Solid Future – Achieving financial success is a great part of the American dream, but it’s not easy to do if you aren’t focused on the goal. Real financial security doesn’t come about by accident. These careful steps for financial success will help you build a solid financial future.

Daisy @ Suburban Finance writes Buying Your First Home – Home buying advice for buyers to follow for a successful purchase of a home.

Tushar Mathur @ Everything Finance writes Ideas for Cheap Halloween Costumes – Whether you’re thinking of putting together a cheap Halloween costume for your company potluck or needs some ideas for Halloween costumes for your children

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes What You Need to Know About Flood Insurance – Do you need flood insurance? It could be a saver if you’re in an area prone to floods. Here is some information to make that determination.

Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes 7 Money “Things” I’m Thankful For – Lately I’ve been bummed/stressed/anxious about money. That’s because we just finished up our first month living on only one income. My wife is/was a teacher, which means she can be paid over twelve months for work done over nine.

Bargain Babe @ BargainBabe.com writes Is Living at Home After College Better Than Paying Rent? – Is Living at Home After College Better Than Paying Rent? offers tips on saving money every day.

ETZ25 @ Entertainment Timez writes Starting Up A Roth IRA For Kids – My son now has earned income and we are starting up a Roth IRA for him to participate in. Read why are are starting a Roth IRA for Kids!

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes Budgeting an Irregular Income – How We Make It Work – Budgeting an irregular income doesn’t have to be as complicated as it seems. Here are some tips for keeping it easy for you and your family.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees: What to Do When You Need More Cash – It’s a horrible feeling when you’re short on cash but still have the household bills to pay. You’re probably starting to worry about how you are going to afford them, as skipping payments could cause irreparable damage to your credit rating. Unfortunately, money doesn’t grow on trees – but there are a few things you can do to get more cash and make it through your monthly bill cycle.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes How Being A Credit Card Delinquent Saved Me Thousands of Dollars! – This is his personal story about (Lyle at the blog: The Joy of Simple) battle with credit cards and what he has learned.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes The Best Ways to Start Investing While Still in College – It is never too late to start investing so you may as well start while in college; still have to do it right.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes How to Get Ready (Financially) For a Baby – Now that you got the good news and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your bundle of joy, you will soon realize that the nine month long period is never enough to be fully ready for a baby.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Mortgage Hunters: How to Find an Affordable Mortgage – Are you looking for ways to secure an affordable mortgage? It may seem daunting, but it is actually quite attainable, so long as you know where to start.

Brent @ PersonalFinance-Tips writes Smart Spending: Four Ways to Stay out of Debt – Americans are in more debt than ever these days. While some of it is unavoidable due to the recent recession, some of it could have been avoided with smart spending.

Jim @ Save College Money writes All Colleges Are Not The Same – At one time in the past, all you needed to do to get a decent job was get a college degree from practically any college… but not anymore! Now the college you go to matters more than you think!

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes The Importance of Knowing Your Net Worth – Most people may not necessarily know what their net worth is. Your net worth is the difference between the value of what you own and what you owe.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Balancing Act – Why Reconciling Your Bank Accounts is so Important – Balancing your bank accounts is an important part of your budget. Don’t believe us? Read here to learn why it can help you.

Minimalist @ Minimalist Finance writes Ways You Are Wasting Your Money on Your Phone – While we all try to be good with money, it’s not always easy to consistently save when and where we are wanting to save. We end up splurging on things that we don’t need, or wasting our money unknowingly.

Lindy @ Minting Nickels writes How to Get Back on Track… (Infographic) – Have you been given the yellow card in the game called, “Life?” Maybe this will jog your memory, that yellow card is a financial crisis, most likely puttin

Mr.CBB @ canadianbudgetbinder writes Thanksgiving: Being Thankful On A Budget – Thanksgiving doesn’t have to break the budget if you plan in advance. There are ways to save money in your budget so you can have a lovely meal and celebrate with your family and friends on a day we should all give thanks for what we appreciate in life

Sam @ Grad Money Matters writes How to become a writer – Writing in the online world seems to be a hot topic right now. Many bloggers seem to be writing for other websites, and if you like to write then it can be a fun and relatively easy way to make money.

Michelle @ Diversified Finances writes Tips for New Bloggers – Blogging is something that I don’t think that you can exactly “teach.” Learning as I went is what worked for me. However, there are some things that new bloggers can learn in order to improve their blogging skills.

Alexis @ FITnancials writes Extra Money Ideas Part 1 – Lately, I haven’t been working a whole lot. It’s definitely a big difference as to when I was accepting all the shifts I could take and was working well over 40 hours per week. I’ve been making extra money in several little ways, and they are working for now. I am glad that I get to enjoy my summer though and get to do a lot of small travel getaways!

Michelle @ Making Sense of Cents writes How to Pay Off Student Loans Fast – In July of this year, I finished paying off around $40,000 in student loan debt. This still does not seem real to me. I honestly thought that I would be paying this forever. The minimum payments scared me as well.

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Awesome Sign-Up Bonus Ratio with Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard – Finally a credit card with a high sign-up bonus and a low minimum spending requirement! We just signed up and are expecting over $450 in rewards for $1000 in spending.

Karen @ MakintheBacon writes The Ongoing Battle: Nerd vs Geek – I’m quite nerdy and a bit of a geek. Much to my surprise, there is also some differences between the two.

Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes The Boom in Posh Pawnbrokers – If you watch any TV at all you have probably at least glanced at some of the myriad Pawn reality shows that have become so popular as of late. Cash poor but asset rich Americans are turning to pawn brokers for short-term loans, something that has been dubbed “high-class pawn brokering.”

Oscar @ Money is the Root writes Why You Should Buy A House Before 2014 – If purchasing a new home is something that you are planning to do in the next year, making that purchase during the last quarter of 2013 might just be an excellent idea.

Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes Avoid these Fuel Saving Devices that simply Don’t Work – Many of the devices on the market today lay claim to some overlooked factor that car manufacturers or gas producers do not want you to know about, something that is usually small and which should they claim to have figured out how to exploit.

Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes Buying a Home? These Tips will make it Easier – Even though it is a bigger dream than ever before, home ownership is still a dream for many Americans.

Matt @ Budget Snob writes Guard Your Retirement Income with these Comprehensive Tips – One sad fact that all people nearing or already in retirement have to deal with today is that income during retirement is lower than it has ever been in the last 60 years.

Amy @ Money Mishaps writes Are you Throwing Money Away? If You do These 3 Things, Yes – Science magazine just published a study that found that, if you are poor and also mismanage your money, it is possible that you might be able to make good financial decisions but more than likely you have trapped yourself into a vicious circle and cannot.

Justin @ Digit Fox writes A Collection of Some of the Best Apps for your Smart Phone – There are apps for grocery lists, games, calendars, notes, news and practically anything else you can think of. (Seriously, there is an app for practically everything!) Here are our favorites.

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 is often neglected, an idea that most of us would rather not think about.

Marissa @ Finance Triggers writes Saving Money on Gluten Free Products – Gluten is wreaking havoc on diets these days. Most people think that this is a new trendy diet, and while it is not really a new ailment, but one that has been plaguing people for years.

Monica @ Monica On Money writes Government Shutdown: Everyone Needs An Emergency Fund – At this point, we all know about the Government Shutdown and how much it affects us directly and indirectly. But for now, on the positive side, this is a reminder to reflect on our own personal finances.

Larry @ KrantCents writes Options to Leave Room for in Your Web Design – When putting together the design elements for your eCommerce store, you need to make sure that you leave room for certain options for payments, formatting, and the like.

Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes How to Write a Blog Post in Twenty Minutes – As a freelance blogger one of your big income factors is your speed. If you charge $20 for a blog post and it takes you an hour to complete it you’ll only make $20 an hour. If you can complete two or more blog posts in an hour you’ll easily be able to make $40 an hour or more.

Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes 5 Drastic Ways to Free Up Money for Debt Repayment – It could take months of years to pay back your debts. If you’re serious about eliminating your debt you may need to make some drastic changes.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes What Would You Do With a Financial Windfall? – As a freelance writer, I occasionally end up with what might be considered a windfall. A large project might fall in my lap, or a rush job that I can charge a premium for.

Alice @ OnBetterTerms writes Organize a Jewelry Swap Instead of Buying New – Learn about how you can organize a jewelry swap and get access to more jewelry for no penny!

Justin @ Root of Good @ Root of Good writes A Simple Way to Retire 15 Years Earlier – Justin at Root of Good illustrates the huge impact of lower spending and higher savings. By increasing savings from 10% of income to 30% of income, aspiring early retirees can knock 15 years off their retirement date.

JC @ Passive-Income-Pursuit writes Income Update – September 2013 – Budgeting is such a vital part of being successful with personal finance, especially if you have a habit of overspending. I managed to save over 84% of my after tax income this past month. How did you do?

Brian @ Luke1428 writes 4 Reasons Your Budget Isn’t Working – Budget success doesn’t happen overnight. When my wife and I first started trying to budget, we found these four things wrecked our plan every month.

DPF @ Digital Personal Finance writes 3 Questions to Ask When Aiming for Financial Independence – Many of us hope to reach financial freedom one day. Along the way, we need to be asking the right questions.

Robert @ The College Investor writes Thinking of Investing in Gold? Here’s what you Need to Know – Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy are but a few examples of how severe an economic crisis can be, and stabilization remains a faraway reality. These generalized examples of financial ruin are a lot closer than many of us may imagine. The world indeed operates as an open economic system, and the interrelatedness of economies places each and every one of us in a position of profit or loss. As major currencies such as the Euro or the dollar lose value, so the price of gold increases.

Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes Manage Debt Before It Manages You – It is important to keep debt at reasonable and manageable levels or we could end up incurring high interest rate charges. Even worse having barely enough money to pay the minimum payments on our credit cards.

Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes Balancing Blogging, Work, and Life – Blogging takes a lot of work, and often, at the beginning, it comes with very little reward. Often lately, I’ve gotten frustrated with just how much work I put into my blog, something that for the time being (until I put more effort into making money into it) has been a lot of effort for very little (monetary) reward.

Robert @ Kids Ain’t Cheap writes Raising a Saver – Growing up, I didn’t have much in terms of financial role models. My mom used to say blanket statements like ”debt is bad” and ”always pay your credit card balance in full” but she never explained details about money. Details about how to manage my money, how to allocate savings or even encouraging me to save.

Dollar @ Easy Extra Dollar writes Five Ways To Make Extra Money Online – One of the most current examples of this type of service is oDesk. oDesk is a service that allows freelancer access to potential employers and the facility to direct payments and track contracted freelancers’ progression creating the desired outcome as indicated by their employers. If you would like to make money online using oDesk you have to first create a profile that outlines your current capability and skills.Test jobs must be accomplished to allow you to be familiarized with their interf

Stuart Laing @ Daily Money Bucket writes The Dangers Of Buying A New Car – Buying a new car carries several financial disadvantages including greater depreciation and finance costs. Here’s how to avoid these financial dangers.

Brock Kernin @ Clever dude writes Government Shutdown: Congress Fails Americans, Embarrasses Itself – The US Government recently shutdown, and showed just how little they know about the middle class.

Karen @ MakintheBacon writes I Refuse to Be a Slave to Technology – Phones are getting bigger and people are upgrading them more often than they should

John @ Frugal Rules writes OptionsXpress Review: An Online Brokerage Worth Looking At – 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.

Chuck @ The Tortoise Banker writes Protect Your ASSets and Income – Generating meaningful wealth is tough enough, doing it more than once is enough to break anyone. Follow these important tips to assure you put a buffer between the world and your income and assets.

Brett Chatz @ Modest Money writes Investment Options for Beginners – For most people, life revolves around living from one paycheck to the next. Only a handful of folks have mastered the art of saving and investing effectively. As you delve deeper into the markets, so you will learn to ascertain which investments are more likely to yield profits than others.

Pauline @ Make Money Your Way writes Making money because people know you – Anne from Unique Gifter who will talk about making money thanks to her friends and neighbors.

Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Budgeting lite, a budget for the budget haters – Are you a budget hater? Try this Budgeting lite an approach to budgeting is a no budget approach.

Mr.CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes Kids: Healthy Lunches and a Happy Budget – Packing a lunch for the kids doesn’t have to be painful for your or your child or costly in the budget. If you plan well, talk to your child and have them participate in the lunch making process you may just have a happy child, happy budget and empty lunch box.

Ray @ Squirrelers writes 3 Ways to Go Green and Save on Transportation – Going green generally refers to being good to the environment, but it also can mean saving some green! Here are 3 such ways to do this with transportation.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes How to Know It’s Time to Quit Your Job – The time to quit your job is when your financial needs and personal needs match up. If you can’t deal with quitting your job financially, then you might need to stick it out for a few more months until you find the right money solution.

Paul @ The Frugal Toad writes What You Need to Know About Reverse Mortgages – Reverse mortgages are becoming more popular as the baby boomer generation ages and gets into retirement. There are some restrictions on reverse mortgages, so the target market is much smaller than a traditional mortgage offering. While these special loans are growing, there are some particular pros and cons that should be considered before applying for a reverse mortgage.

Jerry @ Repaid.org writes New Target for Debt Relief Companies: Recent College Grads – Debt relief companies have begun to shift the focus of their business toward an emerging market: student loan relief.

Jon @ Novel Investor writes Best Investment Tools You Can Use Free – The best investment tools should help simplify things. These free investing tools will help you learn, research, and manage your investments.

Matt Becker @ Mom and Dad Money writes Buying a Car: Sealing the Deal – This is the final installment of my series on buying a car. In this post we’ll go over the final steps in the car-buying process to make sure you get exactly the car you want at the absolute best price possible.

Harry Campbell @ Your PF Pro writes How Not to Negotiate a Job Offer – “I’ve dropped some hints here and there, but now it’s official. I got a new job and I’ll be going back to work on November 1st. After it’s all said and done, I will have taken a 3 month hiatus from work in order to recharge, build up some of my online businesses and just live life. It’s been a great few months but now it’s time to get back to work so that I can start paying off my fiancee’s rapidly accumulating debt. ”

Harry Campbell @ The Four Hour Work Day writes “Build Side Income When You Have a Day Job “ – For those of us that work full time, the nice thing about a day job is the stability. At most companies, you clock out after 8-9 hours and call it a day. I would never work more than 40 hours a week if I wasn’t getting paid for it but that’s just me. And even though I bitch and complain about my old cubicle job all the time, there are much worse jobs on this planet that pay a lot less and require you to work a lot harder. How hard is it to sit behind a desk for 8 hours and browse the int

KK @ Student Debt Survivor writes Pay to Pee? – Have you ever been in an establishment that had a bathroom attendant? Did you feel like you had to pay to pee?

Money Soldiers @ Money Soldiers writes Tips for Working in Trade Finance – Trade finance is essentially the financing of importing and exporting services and goods. The best candidates for careers in trade finance will need to have a very strong understanding of how international trade works.

Anton Ivanov @ Dreams Cash True writes The Best Savings Accounts for 2013 – The best high yield savings and money market accounts for 2013. Complete with a list of things to look for when shopping for the best savings accounts.

Bryce @ Save and Conquer writes Things I Would Tell a Young Investor – The following advice makes up much of the financial wisdom picked up over the years. I wish someone had shared this wisdom with me when I started my career. I’d probably be retired by now.

Photo courtesy of cod_gabriel

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