Welcome back readers, I’m hosting the 12th Finance Fiesta today.  My name is LAL and I’m excited to be hosting the Finance Fiesta again.  Please look around and explore the site, it’s been revamped quite a bit since last time.  Also check out the Finance Fiesta webpage and look around. They are always looking for new hosts.  Also check out the 73rd Carnival of Money Stories hosted here earlier in the week.

Fellow Participants great job on posts but please do one of the following:

• Subscribe to my blog via RSS or E-mail
• Submit this Carnival to a social media site like StumbleUpon or Digg it or Technorati (see buttons at end of the post)
• Link back to this Carnival!

…..I would be very grateful! But onto 12th Finance Fiesta!  This edition will be based on the baseball.  I’m not a huge fan but I did watch Fever Pitch and I have finally seen a few baseball games. And I get what the World Series is finally!  Yeah, I didn’t grow up watching any sports so this whole obession thing is above me, but it is interesting.  I hope you think it’s fun because I had a blast posting it. Please come back again for a visit!

World Series Champions - Editor’s Picks

Last year winning the World Series were the Red Sox.  Looks like they have officially broken the “curse of the Bambino” and it wasn’t just a fluke.  I love Fever Pitch so I thought it was fun to watch.  But anyway these posts are the best of the carnival and I encourage you to check them out.

• Nadege asks us the question if we are wishing for financial success or working towards it in Are your financial goals merely financial wishes? posted at fabulous finances. I think I’m in between being completely serious and wishful.
• Megan tells us why cleaning her apartment is profitable and frugal in Decluttering – Calming and Profitable? posted at Counting My Pennies. I love decluttering and will review and giveaway “It’s All Too Much” soon.
• Jim writes about the first deadly sin of personal finance in 7 Deadly Sins of Personal Finance: Skipping Emergency Funds posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. I have to agree that not having an EF is a receipe for trouble.
• Frugal Zeitgeist talks about her experience evaluating resumes in How to blow a job application in five easy steps posted at Frugal Zeitgeist.   I can’t believe her list is real.

Enemy - Credit and Debt

Life wouldn’t be fun if we didn’t have a bad guy.  The bad guys are of course the Yankees, the “Evil Empire”.  I’m not sure exactly how bad they are but they did win a lot of world series.  So like debt, the Yankees are who we are “supposed” to be rooting against, the big corporation, I think.

• MBB explains how to make money from Credit Card arbitage in How To Make Money From Balance Transfer Credit Cards posted at Money Blue Book Personal Finance Blog. He also explains how to use 0% balance transfer credit cards to pay off debt.
• Tejvan Pettinger asks the question Who is to Blame for Credit Crunch? posted at Economics Essays. Perhaps everyone is?
• Dorian Wales discusses risk associated with debt in The Guardian: “Toxic Debt Can Damage Your Wealth” posted at The Personal Financier. 
• GrrlScientist reviews a book in High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families posted at Living the Scientific Life. I talked about this book as well in Financial Instability. I read the book as well and agree it does resonate with much of our current financial life.
• Mr Credit Card answers another FAQ about credit cards in What to Do When Your Credit Card Debt Has Been Charged Off? posted at Ask Mr Credit Card. Excellent advice for how to handle old credit card charges.
• Imarketing4s talks about consolidating debt in Free Debt Consolidation: Get Relief From Debt For Free posted at Free Debt Consolidation: Qualified Financial Management.
• David 7 tips to increasing your credit score in Your Credit Score and How to Improve It posted at Physician Entrepreneur.
• Ariel Ozick tells everyone has wasted money in 3 Dumb Ways to Waste Your Money posted at Fiscal Liberty.  Personally I never have had bank fees, credit card fees, and I do use coupons.  But I think coupons actually can hurt more than help.

Infield – Frugality

I guess I see the infield in baseball as frugality.  Why?  Because you have to watch your everyday expenses and budget.  These guys work hard daily to prevent the opposing team from getting on base.  There are tons of little infield hits and they have to stop them.  Like stopping tiny leaks in spending to balance a budget.

• Aryn debates if paying to “rent” books is worth it in Are Book Rental Sites Better than the Library? posted at Sound Money Matters. Personally I love libraries and only use them unless I get free books.
• Chris Johnston asks the question is it frugal to buy a hybrid in The Great Fuel Cost Debate-Keep Your Gas Guzzler or Buy a Hybrid posted at Making Sense with Common Cents.  Unfortunately it’s more frugal for me to keep my car, darn it! 
• James gives us reasons frugality can help a relationship in Three Ways Being Frugal Helps Your Relationship posted at capitalcouplesfinance.com. So spenders should marry spenders then…:P
• Tanesha Morgan gives us tips for getting bang for your buck when travelling internationally in Cheap International Flights: Getting More for Your Dollar posted at Personal Finance Analyst. The weakness of the dollar is why we’re vacationing in the US this year, as I’m sure many others are doing the same.
• Faron Benoit talks about dating on the cheap in 10 Cheap Date Night Ideas posted at Financial Learn. I think he excluded cheap daytime activities like hiking or biking, which can be fun and are good for your health.
• Jesse Moran gives us 3 tips to save energy and our pocketbooks in How to decrease your electric bill by 5 – 20% posted at CompGifts – The Frugal Way of Living.  Try them out if you want to be green.
• Kristen gets us organized for the upcoming holiday season in Holiday Planning Made Easy For the Unorganized posted at Frugality In the Making.  Gee I rather like my idea of no gifts only cards better, it’s cheaper. 

Outfield – Savings: short, long, retirement, etc

I guess I see the outfielders as the savers of the game.  They save runs from scoring by chasing the fly balls down.  So these posts are related to savings either short or long term or even retirement.

• Sandy Naidu tells his us take on Emergency Fund Savings – Emergency Fund Tips posted at Future Nest Egg. He gives reasons why people don’t have emergency funds but should have EF.
• Mr. Banker helps us transfer money between banks easier in ABA Routing Codes to Link Online Accounts Together posted at Best Interest Rate Banks. I still find it takes 3-4 days to tranfser money between HSBC and BofA.
• Tool makes a list for choosing an online savings account in How to Compare Online Savings Accounts posted at Savings Toolbox. I picked HSBC because it had ATMs around the world.
• Silicon Valley Blogger tells why she uses ING in How ING Direct Checking and Savings Accounts Save Me Money posted at The Digerati Life. Cool points, but I still keep my BofA account because of the ATMs though I have an online HSBC account.
• Rothira answers the FAQ can children contribute to Roth IRAs in Roth IRA for Teenagers posted at Roth IRA Explained. I don’t recall earning that much at age 12, but maybe my kids will.
• Kevin succeeds funding his Emergency Fund inGoal Completed: We’ve Funded 3 Months of Emergency Expenses | No Debt Plan posted at No Debt Plan. Congratulations Kevin!
• Prince of Thrift asks whether benefits are important in a job hunt in Making 401(k)’s Part of Your Job Hunt posted at Becoming & Staying Debt Free.  I say yes, but there are other benefits more important than a 401k Match, like medical, vision, dental insurance, or paid time off and sick leave.
• Amy writes humorously about the The Beauty of Savings posted at My Daily Dollars.  She makes great points about untangling wants from needs.

Management - Income and Investments

So I picked the commissioner to represent the “management” of the MLB.  That’s Bud Selig talking.  I guess I see management as representing the choices you make regarding your career or how much income you are generating.  Also management decides how much they want to invest in their team to try and capture a World Series.  Much like investing for your retirement.  So these posts deals with careers choices and investment choices.

• VH tells us about the birth of his business in New Business Enterprise Gets under Way posted at Funny about Money. Looks like he’s on his way to success!
• The Baglady tells us about her family’s move to recession proof jobs in Should You Move To A Recession Proof Job Sector? — The Baglady posted at The Baglady.
• Samir gives us hints on monetizing our blogs in Blog Ads by PerfomancingAds posted at Samir Bharadwaj dot Com. If you are interested in monetizing your blog check out this post.
• The Shark Investor discusses how to make money online in How To Trade Domain Names And Websites posted at The Shark Investor. I am a blogger hoping to make enough to pay for webhosting, so I guess I’m not a true entreprenuer.
• Zachary Scheidt explains how to manage risk when trading individual stocks in Managing Risk in a Dynamic Market posted at ZachStocks. Great tips to read if you are thinking about trading individual stocks.
• StockResearch presents a guest post by Ian Campbell, a leading Canadian Business Valuation Consultant, in Who is to Blame for Bad Investment Results? posted at StockResearchPortalBlog.  Sometimes I wonder why we don’t take more responsibility for learning personal finance? 
• Timothy Lutts suggests a single stock investment in A Booming Chinese Investment posted at The Iconoclast Investor.   Just be ready to lose money when investing in single stocks, they can drop fast.

Miscellaneous – Fans

Well the posts that just don’t seem to fit into a neat category I decided to stand alone.  Like fans these are a broad spectrum of posts.  They cover everything.  There is no stereotypical baseball I’ve learned. It can be your grandmother to your teacher to a nerdy coworker.  So enjoy.

• Mbhunter asks us all the question if we’re on track for our financial goals in Are you working feverishly to meet your financial goals? posted at Mighty Bargain Hunter. Not really, I think I’m more on cruise control.
• Elyse Andrews discusses marriage as means to gain health insurance In sickness and health (insurance) posted at The Iconoclast Investor. Considering DH and I married for a green card, which is similar I can’t say I disagree with couples who marry for it. Expediancy happens.
• J. Money talks about finding extra money in his pocket in I just found a strange, yet oddly alluring Dollar in my pocket. posted at Budgets are Sexy.. Very neat.
• Michael discuess reverse mortgages in Inside the Reverse Mortgage: Is It Right for You? posted at Small Business Blog.  I think more people will be using such a product due to lack of retirement savings.

Well that’s the end of this week’s Carnival, I hope you had a great time looking over all these submissions.  Thanks to all participants!  It has been a busy week!  See you again soon!