Carnival of Everything Money

I am so excited to host my very first carnival! It was great to read through my fellow bloggers' thoughts and ideas. I discovered some new folks and overall had a great time setting this up.


I hope even more people will participate in the future. And don't forget to check back in a week, when I'll have yet another carnival up on the site!


Please take some time to peruse the stories offered up for your reading pleasure:




Editor's picks



FFB had a terrific, thought-provoking post asking Should The Government Use The Stimulus To Bailout Madoff Ponzi Victims?. He debates the pros and the cons of this idea. Even if you think you already know the answer, read it anyway. It's up over at Free From Broke and it may just give you some food for thought.



While I'm not a terribly religious person, I found Matthew Paulson's piece, Personal Finance Tips from the Bible to be a really unique viewpoint. There are some great excerpts that show just how far back PF advice goes! Check it out over at Fine-Tuned Finances.



Len Penzo takes a strange -- but fascinating look at What It Really Feels Like To Be A Millionaire. He compares how much big purchases would cost for the average person, if we had the buying power of, say, a baseball star. Go take a look at Len Penzo . Com.




In a short, but insightful commentary piece, PF Credit Cards points out that Credit Cards are Evil Just as Knives are Sharp. When people complain about credit cards being evil or money-sucking, they need to remember that they chose to get the cards and to run up a debt they could not immediately pay off, and so are at the very least, enabling said money-sucking card companies to continue. This post is up over at PF Credit Cards.




Frugality


RB offers one of the most basic -- and timeless -- piece of personal finance advice: Want to Cut Costs? Learn to Do Without. As he points out, "One of the best ways to save is to learn how to do without those expenses that you just don't need." Check out the full piece, posted at his truthfully-named blog Recessions Blow.



Kathryn points out that, despite being so careful with money these days, many of us are wasting money without even realizing it. Check out her list of Top Ways to Waste Money on Your Home posted at Out of Debt - Christian Finances and Debt Help.



Revanche has a thought-provoking piece about her own family's way of doing weddings, in an aptly named piece, Weddings. After these items, she also lists some wedding-related posts in the PF blogosphere. Check out her thoughts over at the uniquely named A Gai Shan Life.




Savings


KCLau wonders, "Are we doing the right things when it comes to managing our finances? Ask yourself five questions to know if you’re on the right track." He explores this question in 5 Ways To Take Charge Of Our Finances posted at KCLau's Money Tips



JC asks the all-important question Are you paying too much for your rent? Check out his own experience in negotiating lower rent, and the useful links over at this blog 6Bubbles - Grad School, Money, Life.



Jim over at Bargaineering offers a useful look at the top checking and savings accounts online. Check out Best Savings Account.




Credit



Fabulously Broke tells us how she got $25 from her credit card -- no strings attached! Check out How now brown cow? posted at Fabulously "Broke" ...in the City



Mr. CC discusses how your credit score is affected by making payments, over time, on medical debt. It's not a common question, but the answer was very useful, nonetheless! Check out Doctor Bills And Your Credit Score over at Ask Mr Credit Card's Blog.


Consolidator presents a pretty even-handed look at debt consolidation in, Are Debt Consolidation Loans Good For The Long Term?. There is a decent case here for the loans... In very specific circumstances. Check it out over at Debt Consolidation Loans For Beginners.





Investing


Investing School provides a great reference for those of us who are newbs at options trading. Beginning with Options Trading. "Options can be an amazingly easy way to protect yourself and reduce risk. However, it can also be very dangerous if misused." Very true! And so the explanation of options-trading terminology is very helpful to folks like me. Go take a peek at Investing School.



Silicon Valley Blogger presents Best Online Stock Brokers For Cheap Stock Trades. A lot of you will probably be happy to get these useful links, so get yourself over to The Digerati Life.



Frank Vertin explores ways to avoid high fees on index funds. Read up on wh you should Just Buy Index Funds Directly posted at Low Cost Index Fund.



The Smarter Wallet offers some advice that most of us can use: Investing In The Stock Market? Rules To Help You Sleep At Night. If you're an anxious investor, go check it out at The Smarter Wallet.



On a slightly more optimistic front, comes Steve Patterson's US Indexes Are Clearly in the Green. He foresees an imminent rally, as he explains over at FastSwings.



Mark Foo goes to the guru in Value Investing: 15 Nuggets Of Wisdom From The World’s Greatest Investor - Warren Buffett. In it, he expands on these quotes and explains them in context of investing strategy. It's thought provoking and interesting. (Plus, you can use it to cite Warren Buffett at parties and sound erudite!) Check this piece out, over at The Big Dreamer.



Walter W. Fouse has a thorough overview of no-load mutual funds in 7 Ways to Pick the Best Noload Mutual Funds and ETFs. This piece is so complete, it links to seven other articles explaining things such as low management expenses and other no-load fund topics. Check it out at his website about no-load mutual funds, named (you guessed it!) Top No Load Mutual Funds.


ifvat gives this useful advice: "Knowing your risk tolerance will help you establish an investment style and help you feel confident when you and your broker make investment decisions." So check out the piece The Beginner's Guide to Stock Market Investing Risk Tolerance on ifvat.





Stocks


Larry Russell gets frank: "Many investors ignore or are unaware of the opportunity costs of their sub-optimal investment behaviors." He explores the opportunity costs of this in Most Individual Investors Are Poor Personal Portfolio Managers posted at Personal Investment Management.



eTrades offers up a great overview of penny stocks Basic Guidelines On Investing In Penny Stock That Matters. This is posted over at eTrades.





Taxes


John Howshall offers some advice for What To Do With Your 2009 Tax Refund. He lists several options and, always important in my book, reminds people why refunds aren't a good thing. It's up at John's Investing Tips.



Peter asks When Will We See An Increase In Our Paychecks Due To The Stimulus Package? This is surely a question many of you are asking, so check it out over at Bible Money Matters.




Other


Dough Roller presents 10 Tips to Declutter Your Finances. In this piece, DR takes a personal finance spin on Leo Babauta's Power of Less. DR says, "In his new book, Leo Babauta, describes 'the fine art of limiting yourself to the essential . . . in business and in life.'" Check it out over at The Dough Roller. "



Bank Savings Review discusses the banks that have already paid back TARP funds. I guess some of the bailout money was a good investment after all? Read more in Four Banks Give Back TARP Already posted at Bank Savings Review.



Miss M has been doing a terrific and informative series for first-time homebuyers. This particular piece, The First Time Home Buyer – During Escrow, is part of that. Check it -- and the rest of the series -- over at M is for Money



The David offers "Tips for exceeding expectations at your first job - or any job for that matter" in 26 Tips for Surviving Your First Job. Check it out at Pimp Your Finances.



ChristianPF gives us "A few reasons why 2009 is a great year for first time home buyers." Take a look at the post, First time home owner? This is a great year for it!, up at Christian Personal Finance Blog.



Michael asks How Much Car Insurance Do You Need?. While this post doesn't hold any hard and fast answers (really, it's too individual of a subject for that sort of thing) it does have some very useful information and good questions to ask yourself. Check it out over at Vital Motion.