Hi and Welcome to the 209th Carnival of Personal Finance.  I’m LAL, host of LivingAlmostLarge and a new blog called LAL musings! LAL Musings is where I write about life, love, and everything else not financial so please check it out.  I used to be a twenty-something DINK, but I recently had my 30th birthday, so I guess I should change my heading.  I started blogging because I really want to be financially independent one day.  I’m not typical because I enjoy the finer things in life and don’t mind spending on it.  I’m really not frugal nor do I deprive myself of things to save every penny.  Rather I save what I think necessary and spend the rest.  I hope you enjoy the carnival.

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

• Link back to this Carnival!
• 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)

…..I would be very grateful and it will help the carnival! But onto the 209th Carnival of Personal Finnace. I hope you think it’s fun because I had a blast posting it. Please come back again for a visit!

Editor’s Picks

These posts are my favorite of the carnival.  There were so many great selections, but these either struck a chord or made me laugh.

• Broke Grad from Broke Grad Student presents Average Student Loan Debt By State.  Very interesting graphic of student debt. I can’t believe either that Iowa has the highest student loan debt. I’m not surprised between the difference of CA and New England.  From personal experience we left CA owing nothing and came to New England owing $25k.
• Mr Credit Card from Ask Mr Credit Card presents Can Credit Card Companies Go After You If You Leave This Country.  I’ve heard of a lot of foreigners leaving to avoid debt. They know they are going back within say 3 years, and during that time run up charges they have no intention of paying.  I guess it’s not just an American trend to forgo personal responsibility.
• Peter from Bible Money Matters presents Watch TV Without Paying An Arm And A Leg For Cable TV, and says, “Watching Television doesn’t have to be expensive, and you don’t have to pay for Cable TV. Here’s a look at low cost or free ways to save on watching TV.”  Wow, great tip, but I like just channel surfing and my DH prefers the sports channels.  Maybe when everything goes to the internet we’ll switch.  Although it would be a nice reason to buy an Xbox.
• MoneyNing from Personal Finance Blog by MoneyNing presents How Not to Worry about Money, and says, “We all do it from time to time. How do you deal with worrying about money?”  I think about how much harder other people have it and then I feel better.  As long as I have my friends, family, and DH I’m living a wonderful life.
• Aryn from Sound Money Matters presents That Makes Me Stabby: Cash for Clunkers Program, and says, “Yet another program designed to sell cars, but this one is disguised as something else. That really ticks me off.”  I think that there is more than just fuel efficiency, but CA has smog emissions requirements for older cars.  Hopefully this incentivizes people to get not only more fuel efficient but cars that pollute less off the roads.  Besides the point, I don’t know anyone buying a new car right now.

Investing

Right now is a great time to be investing in the market both here and abroad.  These posts will give a reader great tips.

• Mr. ToughMoneyLove from Tough Money Love presents Selecting an Ideal Beginner Investment, and says, “The beginner investor needs to step off on the right foot. This post tells how.”  Mr. ToughMoneyLove suggests a guaranteed return for a first investment to not disappoint a newbie investor.  I personally think dealing with failure or the risk of failing is necessary for any investor to deal with even a newbie.
• Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents How To Trade Stocks, Profiles of Stock Traders.   SVB gives us the run down of different types of investors.  My DH trades individual stocks and I guess he’s a Software based trader.  For the most part it’s balanced with mutual funds and ETFs as part of our whole portfolio.
• Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Best International Dividend Stocks .   Interesting plays on international stocks.  I prefer ETFs or just index international funds because I think it takes a lot of time to follow international stocks.
• D4L from Dividends Value presents Warren Buffett’s Dividend Stocks, and says, “Some of my fellow dividend investors have accused Warren Buffett of being a closet dividend investor. I won’t quite go that far, but there is significant common ground between dividend and value investors. With that said, let’s take a close look at Mr. Buffett’s most recent 13-F filing with the SEC.”  I think Warren Buffet just likes to buy companies which are sound financially but suffering with the economy. Thus dovetailing with stocks that happen to be dividend producers.
• ElizabethG from Modern Gal presents Investing During Inflation: the Shrinking Dollar.  She makes suggestions for hedging your bets against the US dollar and inflation by using foreign currency and commodities.  I think that investing even in more stable foreign markets can also be beneficial instead of emerging markets.
• MoneySmartLife.com from Money Smart Life presents Technical Analysis Stock Charts.  MoneySmartLife explains how technical analysis of stocks works and the factors involved in evaluating stocks based on previous stock data.  I definitely don’t want to be a technical analysts.  Too many charts.
• SVB from The Smarter Wallet presents Trend Analysis For The US Dollar Index and Crude Oil Market.  Interesting analysis.  My DH actually has an ETF for oil called UCO as a hedge against inflation.
• DividendTree from Dividend Tree presents P&G’s Design Initiative Reaping Results, and says, “Innovation does not only mean high tech electronics gadgets or gizmos and software’s. Innovation is a mindset which can be applied to any domain. Among other, innovation can also used in simple product packaging and branding too.”  I noticed the renewed marketing and packaging, but hadn’t realized they were doing so well.
• Mark Wolfinger from Options for Rookies presents Philosophy of Options Trading. Part II, and says, “There’s a link to Part I in this post. But it’s a separate topic.”  Mark gives us the basic premise of sunk costs.  You’ve already lost your position in a stock that’s dropping, do you believe in the stock?  Or do you sell and take the losses and move into a new stock you’d rather be in?

Debt/Credit

With the ongoing economic problems, I’m sure many of us are either getting out of debt or being very careful to stay out of it.  Read these posts for tips to get out/stay out of debt.

• Debt Ninja from Punch Debt In The Face presents Am I going to Hell for using my credit cards?, and says, “Will you be joining me in the firey furnace?”  I guess I’ll be going to hell as well.  But like I always say credit cards are like guns or alcohol.  Some people can properly drink and others are alcoholics, thus should stay away from alcohol period.  And people kill people using guns, it’s not the guns.  So credit cards are not inherently evil, just how people use/abuse them.
• The Weakonomist from Weakonomics presents How Credit Card Companies Make Money, and says, “Think that by simply paying off your card every month your bank isn’t making money? Think again.”   Right all merchants who take CC pay a fee.  Well isn’t it their right to take CC?  If they don’t want to pay a fee, then they should be a cash only business.
• Julie Sherrier from Taking Charge presents Credit card pendulum swings, whacks editor.  Julie shares with us the new stricter credit card laws in place.  I haven’t gotten a new card in a few years, but I bet I wouldn’t qualify either.  Would you?  Would you go that far to get a credit card?  I doubt I would.
• LeaveDebtBehind.com from LeaveDebtBehind.com presents What to Do When You Can’t Even Pay the Minimum.  LeaveDebtBehind gives us a few tips about what to do if you can no longer keep up with debt repayments.  Don’t be afraid of the lender, it’s better to just tell them the truth because perhaps they will try and work with you.
• CreditCardAssist from CreditCardAssist.com presents Can You Manage More Than One Credit Card.  CreditCardAssist suggests keeping to one or two cards to keep it more manageable.  Personally I use one mastercard and one american express for Costco.  It also helps that I changed the closing date on my credit cards to end at the end of the month so I can pay everything mortgage, credit cards, utilities, etc at the first of the month.
• Brooke from Dollar Frugal presents How to Pay Off a Car Loan.   Brooke gives us 3 tips for paying off a car loan faster.  I think one possibility is to consider instead of paying off a car loan is selling the car and buying something without a loan.

Savings

The savings rate in the US is finally backup above -0.5%.  That means we are finally saving money as a country instead of overspending.

• Wojciech Kulicki from Fiscal Fizzle presents 24 Reasons (Excuses) You Haven’t Saved Any Money Yet.  Cute list of how difficult it can be to save money in today’s modern world.  I have to admit sometimes I feel like #12, I’m saving for retirement, why do I need to save more?
• Bob from Christian Financial Help presents How much is in your emergency fund?, and says, “According to a Money Magazine survey 37% of respondants have 6 months of expenses in their emergency funds – how do you compare? “   I believe we have 3-4 months of expenses.  I am trying to slowly build more but we’re also paying cash for a lot home repairs and tuition along the way.
• Andy from Saving to Invest presents High Yield Savings Accounts now a better deal than Money Market accounts, and says, “If you want to park some of your cash, then high yield saving accounts are a better deal right now than money market funds (which are offering a miserly 0.16% on average) and may even be more secure since bank deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. up to $250,000 per depositor, a limit recently extended to 2013.”  I recommend also checking credit unions.
• Jeff from StretchyDollar.com presents Making Saving Easier.  Summarizes 5 tips for making saving painless.  I save only a portion of everything extra and I don’t actually save what I “saved” from coupons.  Why?  Because I wouldn’t be buying the items if they weren’t on sale.
• PT Money from Prime Time Money presents 5 Ways to Save for College, and says, “The various paths to paying for college.”  PT Money summarizes different saving vehicles for college. Before saving for college, make sure you have retirement accounts fully funded and maxed out however.
• Rohit from eMoneyLog presents A complete guide to emergency funds, and says, “This is two part post which covers the the basics of an emergency fund and how to build one and avoid common pitfalls while managing your emergency fund.”  Nice roundup of what an emergency fund is.

Retirement

While the market woes have caused problems for those in retirement or close to it, now’s a great time for people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.  As long as you have a job though.

• Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents Company Going Bankrupt. What about my Pension?, and says, “If you are worried about the strength of your pension, here’s what you need to know. “  I know the PBGC will guarantee the pensions, but what happens if too many companies go bankrupt and the US Government can’t fund the PBGC?  Will there be cuts?
• Helen from Affince Financial Services presents Monte Carlo estimator for retirement planning, and says, “If you’ve ever wondered how your retirement savings would be affected by a bad year in the stock market, you need a retirement calculator that includes a Monte Carlo simulator. I’ve posted a program so you can estimate the probability that you’re not going to outlast your savings.”
• Green Panda from Green Panda Treehouse presents Roth or Traditional IRAS?, and says, “Having an individual retirement account (IRA) can help you get started with retirement. Retirement planning is usually one of the furthest things on the minds of college students and new graduates. However, it’s a lot easier than many people think.  Individual retirement accounts allow you to easily set aside money for your retirement with some tax benefits. “
• Single Guy Money from Single Guy Money presents Invest In Your Retirement.  Single Money Guy makes a few suggestions about investing in a 401k.  I think right now saving any money is a good thing, and retirement even better.
• Super Saver from My Wealth Builder presents Who’s to Blame for our Losses in Retirement Savings.  Mostly it’s our own personal responsibility to grow and nuture our wealth.  Who else can we remotely blame?

Personal Finance

These are posts which deal with general issues of personal finance.  They cover a wide array of issues.  Some are just funny.  Check them out.

• Don from Keep My Dollar presents Hidden Benefits of the recession, and says, “It’s funny how hard times make people act rational.”  Maybe, but what happens if the recession lengthen and more job cuts come?  Will debt go up because people can’t live on their savings any more?  I agree it is great that we saving and paying off debt.
• Mr. GoTo from Go To Retirement presents Create a Free Financial Plan, and says, “Having a financial plan is important. Getting help for free is a bonus. Here are some places to find it.”  Mr. GoTo reviews two different sites for creating a financial plan, Voyant and Simplifi.  I’ll be checking it out.
• Matthew Paulson from FineTunedFinances.com presents Financial Evaluation: Asking the Hard Questions.  Matthew suggests that everyone ask themselves how they would deal if dire circumstances arose.  Do you have a plan?  I think I do, except for college since I don’t have any kids.
• J. Money from Budgets are Sexy presents Do you need a “story” to be respected as a Blogger?, and says, “Every now and then I wonder how more credible I’d be if I had worked my way out of debt and/or struck it rich. But should that matter?”  I’d probably be more credible too if I had a cool story, I’m just normal, average, and boring!
• brokefamily from BrokeFamily.com presents How Warren Buffet and Sam Walton Can Make You Rich! Seriously!, and says, “Food for thought for ways billionaires think.”   Sure they live pretty normally, but even Warren Buffet flies in a private jet.  He says it’s a luxury he never thought he’d enjoy.  So another moral?  When you do have money it’s meant to be spent and enjoyed and not just horded for the future.
• Ray from Financial Highway presents Bad Credit Loans-Tips on How to Spot Scams, and says, “With tight credit and record level of unemployment loan scams are finding more and more victims, here are some tips that can help you spot loan frauds. ” Traditionally these scam artists targeted the elderly, but now they are looking for anyone interested in making a quick buck.
• Jason Unger from Automatic Finances presents How to Manage Your Personal Finances Online .  He summarizes for us a list of online tools used for personal finance management.  Thanks.
• mbhunter from Mighty Bargain Hunter presents How much is that gold jewelry worth?, and says, “Answer this before trying to sell your gold stuff.”  MBHunter gives us the heads up on valuing our gold.  I don’t own enough jewelry to consider this but if I had so much stuff I didn’t want, I would take anything since I don’t use it anyway.
• FMF from Free Money Finance presents Change You Can Believe In, and says, “Not a political piece. This is a story about finding change all over your house.”  I end up collecting my coins to pay for parking!
• Chance from Personal Finance Software Reviews presents iBank Review, and says, “A very thorough review of the personal finance software app iBank 3.”  Chance reviews the PF software for mac users.  Personally I despise macs and I hate using mine at work.  But it appears to be the same thing as Quicken or Money.
• Matt B from Financial Methods presents Six Simple Things you can Do Today To Improve Your Financial Health.  MattB says the most important step is paying off debt.  I think it’s creating a budget because without one it’d be impossible to pay off debt.
• Henry Stern, LUTCF, CBC from InsureBlog presents Sticks and Stones and HSA’s, and says, “Summary: Do you have a high deductible health plan (or are you considering one)? InsureBlog’s Henry Stern has some tips on what to watch out for, and discusses issues that some folks have with theirs.”  I think the real question is are people eschewing normal preventative care because of cost, or just stupid issues?

Housing

Supposedly the housing crisis is what drove our present economic crisis. I think it started way before our current housing bust.  Rather it probably started when we began living beyond our means and charging everything.

• FFB from Free From Broke presents Use The First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit Now!, and says, “New changes in in the way the first time home buyers tax credit works now afford some immediate benefits for buyers!”  I wonder if it won’t push some first time home buyers into homes they can’t afford just to get the credit?
• Debt Freedom Fighter from Discover Debt Freedom presents What are the Benefits of Refinancing My Home?.  Debt Freedom Fighter reviews for us the three reasons why people refinance.  I haven’t refinanced though I have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage.  It’s not worth the cost since I hope to move before our ARM adjusts.
• Rags from From Rags 2 Riches presents Advantages to Owning Your Own Home, and says, “Here are four advantages that owning your own house has over renting.”   One thing renting has over home ownership is you don’t have to pay to repair/maintain the home.
• Dan Melson from Searchlight Crusade presents The Sperm Donor Theory of Buyer’s Agents.  Dan talks about how important a Buyer’s agent is to protect yourself when buying a house.  I agree, I’ve liked both of my buyer’s agents, whom I found prior to even house hunting.
• Michael Rubin from Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck presents Where to Put Your Future House Down Payment Money Today, and says, “Michael answers readers questions about where they should put their savings earmarked for a home down-payment? Think: time horizon.”  Nice summary and explanation of why high interest and short time horizons are mutually exclusive.

Frugal

In these trying financial times we’re all trying to save a buck and squeeze every penny.  These posts will help you stretch every dollar.

• David R. Lampsen from Personal Finance Analyst presents It’s the Grocery Game… And I’m Actually Interested.  The grocery game is a good way to save money.  However, you can get a lot of the same data for free using the  Coupon Mom and Hot Coupon World forum to learn what are the best deals in your area for the week.
• Matthew Paulson from American Consumer News presents More Vacation for Less Money.  Sounds like a good plan, but I find it difficult to budget when on vacation. I have no issues staying within a budget for the plane tickets, hotel rooms, etc.  But once there I like to be a little more relaxed and unplanned.  I admit to doing tons of experience things when I travel.
• Kate Kashman from The Paycheck Chronicles presents The Freezer Menu, and says, “Use your freezer and pantry as tools to keep you way from the drive thru or carryout.”  Great tips, but honestly, I sometimes plan on having a meal out during the week as a break from cooking.  I enjoy cooking on the weekends when I have more time and am not as busy.  So to me, instead of eating out during the weekends, I do it for a break during the week.
• Madison from My Dollar Plan presents New Cash Back Program from Bing.   Do you shop a lot online?  If so check out this new rebate program.  Very cool.  Personally I’m too lazy to sign up and I honestly don’t shop much.
• DR from Doughroller presents Say Goodbye to Cable and Hello to Free Digital TV!, and says, “With the transition to free over the air digital TV, it’s now easy to get high definition TV and many cable shows without paying for cable. This article is a step by step guide to show you how.”  Thanks.
• Dan from Darwin’s Finance presents Going Out of Business Sales a Scam or Worthwhile?, and says, “This article highlights the dangers of thinking you’ll save money at the “Going out of Business” sales popping up all over and how to actually get the best deal. “  I try to avoid going out of business sales because I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in the “deal” mindset; much like people who use coupons.

Career

Right now we’re all wondering and worrying about our jobs.  Reading these posts could help lift your spirits.

• vh from Funny about Money presents Apply for a job halfway across the country?  VH questions whether she should try for a new position?  Does she want to move?  Is she interested in working 90 hours a week?  It’s a cheaper COLA and higher pay possibly.  In the end she decides to take a shot.
• Kevin from No Debt Plan presents How to Survive and Thrive During Layoffs.  He makes a lot of great suggestions for dealing with the uncertainty after a layoff.  One thing I’ve found is to just think about the positive going on in your life like good health, great friends, and that you have a job.
• Susan from Practicing Thrift presents 5 Tips for Evaluating Job Offers, and says, “Evaluate job offers wisely by considering more than salary.”   Right now I’d have to make the argument that it’s better to be employed at a lower salary than unemployed.  Unemployment can and does run out, so why risk it?
• Wealth Pilgrim from Wealth Pilgrim Should You Feel Guilty About Earning Less Money Than You Can?, and says, “Do you owe it to your family to maximize your income? What do you owe yourself? Where is the balance?”   I’ve asked this question myself “Do what you love or what makes $$$?”
• Kyle from Amateur Asset Allocator presents How To Create Passive Online Income, and says, “Introduction to creating passive income using niche mini sites”  Sounds like a great way to generate extra income.  Too bad I’m terrible at creating a website and I can barely manage my own fun personal blog.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed all these great posts in the carnival.