Dollar Matters: Carnival of Personal Finance #288

Today, Financial Highway’s Dollar Matters is pleased to host the 288th Carnival of Personal Finance. As we approach Christmas, and the end of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on your finances, and what you can do to improve them. These posts from around the personal finance blogosphere can help you get ahead in your finances. Enjoy your holidays, and enjoy these posts:

Editor’s Picks

Most of these are about looking toward the future. You should be prepared for what’s coming, good or bad.

• Christian Personal Finance offers an awesome Financial Checklist for 2011 that can help you get your money organized for the coming year.
• Budgets Are Sexy shares his most recent career move in I Got Fired. Are you prepared for something like that?
• Soldier of Finance encourages you: Don’t Let the Blue Falcon Get You Down. Watch the video and/or read the accompanying transcript. You’ll get a little pep talk and learn new Army vocabulary.
• Green Panda Treehouse describes How To Not Lose Your Pants On Your First Mortgage. I especially like the recommendation that you shouldn’t treat it as your best investment. Good recommendations even for those who are beyond the first mortgage.
• Modern Gal asks Are You Prepared for Inflation? A look at this financial risk that many people are unprepared for.
• Rabbit Funds writes, Dear Santa, I want a fully funded 401k please. This is a great reminder that now is a good time to get a tax deduction for retirement plan contributions, as well as planning for the future.

Budgeting

• Prairie EcoThrifter encourages you to take a hard look at Budgets and Your Shoes.
• Sustainable Life Blog shares information about the Most Expensive Month (EVAR).
• Go Banking Rates runs the numbers and finds that the 12 Days of Christmas Will Cost You an Extra $9,421.19 This Year.
• Canadian Finance Blog provides the interesting Mint.com in Canada — An Interview with Aaron Patzer with some insight into Mint’s Canadian launch.

Career

• FruGal knows how to party up — and use it to your advantage. Read How to use the party season to help you career.
• Bucksome Boomer shares the Secrets to Avoiding Work at Home Job Scams. I love working from home, but I always have to be on the alert.
• Passive Income Now wants to know: Do You Want To Own Your Own Franchise? Offers helpful information that may prompt you to think twice.
• Live Real, Now tells you how to Anchor Price Your Salary.

Credit

• Wealth Pilgrim shows you How To Protect Yourself When Your Spouse Has Bad Credit.
• Card Hub offers a Bad Credit Guide. Learn what to do about your less than perfect credit.
• Money Thinking points out that Kids Do Stupid Things in College. This is something I know firsthand.
• Smart Balance Transfers gives you a primer on How Balance Transfers Work. Helpful information if you are looking for interest savings.
• Ask Credit Cards has a little fun with 7 of the Geekiest Credit Cards Ever Made.
• Nerd Wallet explains the New Citibank ThankYou Rewards Cards: Premier vs. Preferred.

Debt

• Debt Tips shares 5 Creative Ways To Avoid Building Up A Lot of debt During The Holidays.
• Growing Money describes two different approaches to student debt in Leverage Student Loans Effectively.
• Surviving and Thriving gets into the holiday spirit with We wish you a debt free Christmas.
• Cents to Share explains How I’m Paying Off A 15K Student Loan in Less Than Year. Debt reduction picks up the pace!
• Prepaid Cards 123 reminds you that Its All About The Terms And Conditions.
• Grumpy rumblings of the untenured offers a warning in Financing a wedding dress: A cautionary tale from FIL.

Finance

• The Penny Hoarder tells you all about his awesome job in I Get Paid to Buy Beer.
• Buy Like Buffet shares 5 Steps To Feel Richer in 2011. A great way to get a good start in the new year.

Frugality

• The Smarter Wallet knows How To Get Discounts When Buying Online. Helpful for the online shopper.
• Promo Code Center points out that you don’t need cash to help others. You can Donate Time Instead of Money.
• FIRE Finance shares a number of Creative Gift Ideas for Holiday Cards.
• Living Richly on a Budget tells you how to Control Your Spending This Holiday and Lead a Debt-Free Life Ahead.

Investing

• The Digerati Life has insight on Stock Broker Fraud & When To Fire Your Broker For Bad Advice.
• Oblivious Investor offers a history lesson with Stock Mountain Charts. Learn how to read them — and what you can learn from 85 years of stock market history.
• Boomer & Echo points out that Perfect Asset Allocation Doesn’t Exist, and that you need to pay attention to what’s going on.
• The Dividend Guy knows Why Companies Pay Dividends And Why Some Others Should Do The Same.
• Dividends Value provides you with a list of The 2011 Divided Aristocrats.
• Dividend Stocks gives you the rundown on what’s happening right now with Qualified Dividends.
• Gen Y Wealth asks, Can You Work Until You Die? Maybe you can’t, so perhaps you should consider investing in a retirment account — just in case.
• Personal Cents shows you Another Way to Look at the Stock Market.
• Dividend Investor offers some investing ideas: Ten Dividend Stocks with High Returns on Equity.
• Money Obedience looks at all the Bubbles, bubbles everywhere — especially in emerging markets.
• Leveraged ETF recommends BRIC ETF Funds – Invest in Growth. Emerging economies may be the way to go, but make sure you know what you are doing.
• Money Smart Life provides a Scottrade Review for those considering their discount broker options.
• Do Not Wait warns: Do Not Wait for Your Employer’s Pension Plan. You really do need to consider relying on yourself.
• Studenomics offers answers in Online Savings Accounts Rates Suck – What Can I Do?
• The Wealthcare Revolution offers a great tutorial for technical traders: Understanding Monte Carlo Simulation.
• Hope to Prosper teaches Lessons from the Iraqi Dinar Scam. Watch out when following investment tips. Do your research first, and beware of scams.
• Financially Poor explains How Penning Options Work And a Few Tips that can help you get started investing with this inexpensive stocks.

Money Management

• Free Money Finance explores The Gap between what you earn and what you spend, and how a bigger gap means more wealth.
• Net Worth Journey forces you to consider: What Does That Gift Really Cost?
• The Financial Blogger knows Why Passive Income Is So Important.
• Money Help for Christians explains why Cosigning a Loan might be dangerous to your finances.
• Blogging for Change offers insights regarding What to do when everyone’s asking for money.
• Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance offers advice on how to Have the Best Holiday Ever in Part 4 of a series.
• Good Financial Cents presents the 6 Best Web Apps for Personal Finance to Manage Your Money. Great tools to help you improve your finances.
• Aloysa’s Kitchen Sink considers the time-honored couple question: Separate or Joint? Mine or Yours? Do you know if you are ready to combine finances?
• Might Bargain Hunter asks, Should you ever spend like there’s no tomorrow? Of course, even if you think there’s no tomorrow you might find that tomorrow comes after all.
• Musings of an Abstract Aucklander is up front about her money situation in 20 financial milestones for your 20s -how I stack up.
• Dough Roller tackles a very important Christmas issue with Comparison of Real and Fake Christmas Trees.
• Squirrelers shares a plan for Dividing an Inheritance with Siblings. It’s all about trying to avoid a family feud.

Real Estate

• Yes, I Am Cheap shares a story about Dealing with My Tenant from Hell.
• Money Under 30 tells you how to Sell Your House! How to Beat the Market, Find a Buyer, and Fetch More for Your Home.

Reviews

• PT Money gives you an idea of The Best Small Business Credit Cards.
• Accumulating Money shares insight on the book How to Be the Family CFO.
• Free From Broke reviews the PerkStreet Free Online Checking Account.
• Investing Thesis offers A Review of Smarter Than the Street: Invest and Make Money in Any Market and Interview with Gary Kaminsky.
• Credit Card Offers IQ provides insight with its Citi mtvU Platinum Select Card Review.
• CreditCardForum shares a Jet Blue Credit Card Review.

Saving

• Magical Penny ponders, Is Saving Money At Christmas Being Cheap? What do you think?
• My Dollar Plan offers 6 More Ways to Cut Holiday Spending and save you money.

Taxes

• Consumerism Commentary reports on the latest tax news in Congress Passes Tax Hike Prevention Act.
• Chicago Financial Planner tells you all about Using Investment Losses to your advantage as the year draws to a close.
• Bargaineering offers helpful insight on The Standard Deduction.
• Darwin’s Money explains why the Energy Tax Credit 2011 is Not What It Used to Be.
• My Wealth Builder has a list of Year End Tax Activities that can help you reduce your tax liability.
• Provident Planning explains The Hobby Loss Rule: What It Is and Why You Don’t Want to Break It.

Other

• The Financial Student shares the Rules of Retail. Hint: Don’t try to return something you puked on.
• Intelligent Speculator tells you why Facebook’s Zuckerberg is no villain.
• Credit, Eh looks at both sides of the story in Fed Proposal Pounds Visa and MasterCard. Will the cap on interchange mean lower prices for you? Or will credit issuers find new ways to increase revenue?
• Money Cactus writes about How to Make Money by Being Different.
• Consumer Boomer explains the Reasons You Should NOT Buy Life Insurance Through Your Employer.
• My Personal Finance Journey teaches you about Regulation 60 in the Life Insurance Industry.

Thanks for tuning in! Next week the Carnival of Personal Finance will be hosted at Blonde & Balanced. Get your submissions in using the handy form.

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