Carnival of Financial Camaraderie

This carnival is hosted every second week by My University Money and you can submit articles at Blogger Carnivals.

BUDGETING

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 The facts about Socially Responsible Investing – Socially responsible investors care more about the impact of their investments then the actual money that their investment will make.

Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes Your Fuel Economy Cheat Sheet – One of the most important influencing factors for gas mileage is the one that is completely different from automobile to automobile; the driver.

Matt @ Budget Snob writes What kind of Debt is the Worst? – We all know that carrying any kind of debt is not exactly a good thing but is there actually a wost kind of debt to carry?

Jack @ Money Saving Ethics writes 5 Things You Shouldn’t Look for in Your New Home – One of the most important aspects is to actually find the right house for you, something that can be exceedingly difficult for first-time buyers who do not have the experience of knowing exactly what they want.

Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes How to Figure Out your Credit Score – The average person has a very basic idea about their Credit Score. It is either great, good or bad. But what exactly does your Credit Score really mean?

Hadley @ Epic Finances writes An Excellent ETF fund: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation – If you are looking for a great vehicle to meet some of your financial goals, the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSEARCA: VIG) exchange traded fund (ETF) is definitely one you should consider.

Andrea @ So Over This writes The Movers Destroyed My Belongings! – My wife and I just went through the process of moving, twice within a 4 month span. We hired the same movers both times, and thought we had received good service the first time around.

Lily @ Paying Debt Down writes The Best Car Price Negotiation Tips – The average person absolutely dreads purchasing a new car for one simple reason; negotiating for the price. Successfully negotiating an excellent price on a new car entails some research, commitment, the right attitude and more than a little bit of patience.

Bob @ Dwindling Debt writes Can you Really Go Contract Free with your Smart Phone? – Today there are plenty of options that you can take advantage of once your current phone contract has expired.

Sam @ The New Business Blog writes Entrepreneur Tips on Using LinkedIn from the Pros – Here are several tips and some great advice that successful entrepreneurs use to get lots more eyes in front of your content.

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.

Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes Barbados Luxury on a Budget – Many people consider budget and luxury to be at opposing ends of a financial spectrum. This is not necessarily always the case.

Buck @ Buck Inspire writes Yelp For Food Help – We were .a little behind schedule so by the time we finished checking in to Las Vegas, it was already past midnight. Our food options were limited

Monica @ Monica On Money writes $25 Giveaway & I Still Want A Cheaper iPhone Plan – $100 Per Month For An iPhone Is Not Frugal! My 2 year long contract with AT&T FINALLY ended this week! So I am excited to find a new (cheaper) cell phone plan and start saving some money!

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Working at Home: Pros and Cons – Ever since I quit my job to work from home, people have asked me if it is as awesome as it sounds.

Barbara Friedberg @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes Diversification Strategy: How To Figure Out My Risk Tolerance – There are many risk tolerance quizzes online, all promising to tell you how much volatility you can tolerate. The truth is no one cares when their portfolio value increases. The only risk we worry about is the decline in value!

Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes Finding Alternatives for Buying a Big House – Tthere has been a recent movement lately in buying smaller homes. Some people have gotten even more creative and have built homes out of structures like caves, storage sheds, and even cars! It may seem unbelievable but it is true.

Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes Health Care Reform: A Single Moms Perspective on Obamacare – Obamacare does not exactly have everyone jumping for joy. Some are for it. Some are against it. And many do not even understand it.

Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes Are These 3 Things Preventing You From Becoming Debt Free? – The journey to paying off debt can often be a long one. Depending on the amount of debt you have it could take months, or even years, to pay it back. And, paying off debt comes with its fair share of struggles.

Graham @ Moneystepper writes Free Online Giveaways – Pros and Cons of Hosting Competitions – Free Online Giveaways – Pros and Cons of Hosting Competitions

Robert @ The College Investor writes Hewlett-Packard: Will The Turnaround Pay Off? – Turnarounds in the rapidly evolving technology sector are extremely challenging. We have already seen two giants, Nokia and BlackBerry, biting the dust. Even though HP is trying to address its problems, it has failed to show any strong signs of recovery amid fierce competition. It’s been two years since Meg Whitman began implementing her 5-year turnaround plan. Will her efforts pay off?

Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes Top 5 Tips for Traveling on a Budget – Whether you’re a student dreaming of a gap year abroad, a professional taking a sabbatical from your career or a newly retired couple wanting to explore, you don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy the adventure of a lifetime. Here are our top tips for those looking to travel the world on a tight budget.

Adam @ Money Bulldog writes Shopping with Kids: How Not to Let It Ruin Your Life and Budget – Dealing with kids during errands can be a difficult task sometimes but here are some ideas on how to manage through those days.

Jessica Moorhouse @ Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses writes For Love & Money Friday – Making a Budget as a Couple – Every Friday my husband and I get together to talk money, and this week we discuss budgets, specifically creating a joint budget for both of us to use to reach our mutual financial goals.

John @ Frugal Rules writes Reasons Why You Should Start Investing for the Long Run – Many people want to go for the quick buck when it comes to investing. However, a long term approach in generally best if you’re looking to build wealth and grow a decent retirement portfolio that will last.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Do You Know What Monthly House Payment You Can Afford? – If you are getting ready to purchase a new home, one of the very first questions you will be asked by your Loan Officer when you speak to them for the first time is: How much of a monthly house payment do you think you can afford?

Mr. CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes Budget smarts- eating right for a healthy life. – Eating well doesn’t have to break your budget nor does eating healthy mean you have to create meals with ingredients you just don’t understand. Learn some substitutions for common foods and how you too can eat well on less.

BUSINESS

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Five Insurance Policies Every Small Business Owner Needs – This is the weekend you finally decided it’s time to start your own business.

CAREER & EDUCATION

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes The New Job Search: Where to Find the Job of Your Dreams – Facing the unemployment dilemma? Maybe you’re just sick of your current job. No fear – here’s where online to find and apply for a new job.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes 7 Ways to Succeed in a Virtual Career Fair – A guide to ways you can succeed in virtual job careers, giving advice on finding them, preparing, attending, and following up on the jobs you look into.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes The Next Step: Is Graduate School Worth It? – More and more grads are looking for that edge that will land them a dream job. Asking “Is Graduate School Worth It?” is important in making your next move.

Krista @ 2 Copper Coins writes Lessons Learned Paying Cash for Grad School – The struggles and advantages surrounding paying for a graduate program month by month rather than taking out student loans.

Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes Stop Doing Work That You Hate – There’s nothing wrong with sales, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with having a job that pays that bills, but don’t you want more than that? Think about it… If you could have any job, what would you do?

Pauline @ Make Money Your Way writes Make money renting your car or vehicle – This post will show you on how to make money by renting your car or vehicle.

KK @ Student Debt Survivor writes Bachelor’s Degrees With the Best ROI – If someone else could manage you money for you, pay your bills and set up an allowance to keep you from over spending would you do it? Do you need a rep payee?

FINANCIAL ADVICE

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes 7 Life Lessons From The Very Wealthy – If you want to become wealthy, you need to learn life lessons from the very wealthy.

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes What Are You Gazelle Intense About? – Have you had or are you in a period of your like when you are making big sacrifices for your finances, or do you have a more relaxed or balanced approach?

Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes 5 Things you Need to Know about Financial Spread Betting – Here we will take a look at 5 points that you should be aware of, in relation to financial spread betting. Hopefully this will give you a greater knowledge of this practice, and maybe you will even invest to try and turn a profit. But before you do, read on.

saverspender @ Save. Spend. Splurge. writes The time I was a total money idiot in a relationship – I let a guy basically use my money for 6 years while he did jack squat and I worked 2 full-time jobs while going to school full-time.

Chuck @ The Tortoise Banker writes Protect Your ASSets and Income – Get Rich Once. Follow these important steps to assure you are prepared should the worst happen and can thrive under any circumstances

Justin @ Root of Good @ Root of Good writes $150,000 Income, $150 Income Tax – Justin at Root of Good reveals how his household made $150,000 and paid only $150 in income taxes through a combination of contributions to workplace savings plans and IRA’s. Tax efficient investing and tax loss harvesting also played a key role in keeping his income taxes at 0.1%.

Harry Campbell @ Your PF Pro writes I Finally Filled Up My Lending Club Roth IRA – It seems like years ago that I wrote my two part series on opening a Lending Club Roth IRA and how to invest it. It was actually only 5 months ago, but it marked my first major investment into peer to peer lending. I was convinced to make a larger investment because my experimental account of $500 was still above 10% returns after two years. That gave me the confidence to put $5,000 into my LC Roth IRA for 2013 with another $5k on the way next year(in 2014).

Harry Campbell @ The Four Hour Work Day writes What Motivates You to Work Hard? – I’ll be the first to admit that a big part of my motivation to work hard is money. It’s not that I love spending it or love having money, but I know that the harder I work now, the more likely I’ll be able to relax later. Early on in your career, your contributions to savings and retirement accounts make up a much larger percentage than when you’re older because you have less money saved up when you’re young. If my 401(k) is only worth 35k at age 25, I can increase the value by 50%

FRUGALITY

Micro @ Micro’s Missions writes Need Halloween costume ideas: 5 household items that can help – It’s a list of different household items and what Halloween costumes you can make. An example would be using a cardboard box to make yourself a robot.

Adam @ Money Rebound writes Is Downsizing to a Simpler Life Possible? – Using the unexpected economic changes to improve your life in many different aspects.

Richard Adams @ Frugality Magazine writes 5 Easy Ways To Save Money When Shopping Online – Follow these five sneaky tricks for saving money when shopping online.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Adopting Minimalist Principles to Save Money and Live Sustainability – Congratulations! You have just finished paying for a wedding, which means you just spent the equivalent of a home down payment or a year of college on a single day. Now that the wedding’s all taken care of, your major expenses are over, right?

Brock Kernin @ Clever Dude writes Are Appliance Protection Plans Worth The Cost? – Our appliance protection plan saved us $500 when our water heater broke down. But did it really save us in the long run?

INVESTING

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Questions that First Time Home Buyer Should Ask – You may have found yourself ready to buy your first home and may have even discovered your dream home.

Bargain Babe @ BargainBabe.com writes Jealousy: My Friend Has Her Dream Job, I Don’t – Jealousy: My Friend Has Her Dream Job, I Don’t offers tips on saving money every day.

Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes Trending Downward – I was reviewing my family’s medical expenses the other day and was happy to find that our medical expenses have been coming in lower this year.

Cindy @ MidLife Finance writes ‘Foolproof’ Numbers: Can You Trust Them? – The question you should be asking yourself is: ‘what can we comfortably afford?’ That’s what you want to borrow. Not a penny more. mortgage.

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Fantex: Buy a Share of Athlete Earnings – Elite professional athletes can make upwards of $25 million per year. Who wouldn’t like to share in that cash cow? Now you can. Fantex Holdings has announced that they will sell off 20% of the future earnings (on and off-field) of Texans running back Arian Foster. Fantex plans to make to making about $10.5 million from the IPO. Foster would pocket $10.5 million, with Fantex keeping $500,000 for its work.

Chad @ The Stock Market and I writes Know When to Fold ‘Em – A look at how the psychological factor of denial can influence decision making around your investments

SAVING

Matt Becker @ Mom and Dad Money writes What is Net Worth and Why is it Important? – The dominant message in our society says that income is the primary measure of wealth. This is silly talk. Income can certainly help you become wealthy, but true financial wealth is measured by your net worth. Let’s take a look at exactly what net worth is and why it’s so important to your financial goals.

Brian Fourman @ Luke1428 writes Dealing With My Daughter’s Big Milestone – My 12-yr. old daughter has been saving her own money for months for her first big purchase. Even though I knew it was coming, I wasn’t prepared when she popped the question. She surprised me though with an unexpected comment that made me real proud.

Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Cheap DIY Halloween costumes: How to Make Fairy Wings, Wand and Crown – This post will show you how to make cheap DIY halloween costumes: How to Make Fairy Wings, Wand and Crown

Leonard Carter @ The Wallet Doctor writes Cut Costs and Save Money on Car Insurance – This isn’t a guide on where to buy insurance and makes no recommendations regarding providers. What is discussed are practical ways you can reduce your premiums every year regardless of what car you drive.

OTHER

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes You Can Actually Make Money by Hoarding Real Pennies… – Whenever I research a post for this site, I usually have a lot of fun zooming around the Internet looking for the wackiest, strangest ways people can make money.

Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes Skin Care Tips For Teens – Noreen Young Cosmetics – Professional advice and skin care tips for teens as well as how to save money on cosmetic products from Noreen Young, professional make-up artist.

Daisy @ Suburban Finance writes Would You Have a Secret Bank Account From Your Spouse? – Hiding money from a spouse can be a practice that is considered bad, but sometimes hiding money from your husband or wife can be helpful.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Rethinking the United States ‘AAA’ Rating – Does the US still deserve a AAA credit rating?

Maria @ The Money Principle writes What’s your money mentality? – Whatever are your childhood experiences, they form your money mentality

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes The Importance of Family – Learn more about how career-minded people can place a huge importance on family.

Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes All Your Twin & Pregnancy Questions Answered! 🙂 – First of all, I feel like I have to keep saying thanks to all of you. It’s probably the hormones, but I’m feeling extra grateful for my online community. I may or may not have cried reading all of your sweet comments last week. Thank you for taking the time to write them.

SavingMentor @ How To Save Money writes Why You May Not Need An Emergency Fund – Emergency funds are almost always highly recommended by personal finance gurus and advocates of all types as one of the first financial priorities for any person no matter their financial situation.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Budgeting for Retirement Sooner Rather Than Later – Why budgeting for your eventual retirement needs to be done now instead of at a later date.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes How to Grocery Shop – If you are interested in learning how to cook, then you are going to need to know how to grocery shop. You might be thinking that grocery shopping is rather easy to do. The actual task of grocery shopping is easy, but I am going to show you how to grocery shop and make it worth your money.

Don @ Money Reasons writes Pros and Cons of Automation – Automation is great for business processes but very bad for workers.

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Better To Be Safe: Setting Up An Emergency Fund – It’s important to ensure that families are constantly working to purchase only what they need, while setting aside an emergency fund for all possibilities.

Rich @ Growing Money Smart writes Allowance Pay Rates For Kids – This is my take on allowance pay rates for kids and the rates that I currently pay my kids. Once the become teenagers, I may change the pay rate though, but for now, they are happy.

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes Aligning Financial Goals in a Relationship – Find out what your financial goals in a relationship should be and how to align them.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Never Buy Flea Market Computers – When I was 19 years old, I had just moved away to college. I earned a couple of thousand to cover what I wanted and I made a mistake…

Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes How Much Did the Great Recession Cost You? – Do you know how much the Great Recession cost you? A recent study calculates average family losses, including home value, lost wages, investments, and more.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes What is Your Wastefulness Pet Peeve? – Recently I held my annual Grandma Rie’s Money Camp for my two grandchildren. This year, I invited their other grandma along with one of her grandchildren (my grandchildren’s cousin).

ETZ25 @ Entertainment Timez writes A Dividend Stream For Entertainment – We decided to create a dividend stream for Entertainment Timez. The dividend stream will help fund the entertainment activities here!

FI Pilgrim @ FI Journey writes Get More Done: A Few Favorite Productivity Methods – We could all use some extra time in the day. Here is a list of a few of my favorite productivity methods that help me to get more done!