Welcome to the 29th edition of the Carnival of Financial Independence, a selection of the best articles related to Financial Independence this week. Thanks to Pauline at Reach Financial Independence for giving us the opportunity to host the carnival again!
If you would like to be included next week, please submit your post via Blogger Carnivals. If you would like to host for a future edition, please contact Pauline at Reach Financial Independence.
The guidelines are:
- You can submit a post that was published during the last month
- The posts have to relate to reaching financial independence, and fit within the following categories: Savings and Simple living, Travel and Lifestyle, Wealth and Passive income, Real Estate and Investing, or Self employment.
- Submit by Wednesday night for the Saturday edition
- Please mention the carnival in your roundups if you have been featured!
Travel and Lifestyle
Matt @ Living in Financial Excellence writes I Spent A Lot of Money and It’s Okay – In the past 12 months, we have purchased new living room furniture, a new LCD TV, a new stainless steel french door refrigerator, an iPad, an SLR camera, a snow blower, and most recently a new (used) vehicle. Holy cow! That’s one heck of a spending binge! Or is it?
Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes How To Get Your Wedding Sponsored & Save Lots of Money – If you can’t afford your dream wedding, get your wedding sponsored! Here are a several tips on how to accomplish just that!
Tushar Mathur @ Everything Finance writes Dating on a Budget: 7 Cheap Date Ideas – When my husband and I were first married, we barely had enough money to pay our bills.
John @ Ourinsurancecanada.com writes Scary Facts About Canadians Travelling Without Travel Medical Insurance – Vacations are a time of relaxation and leisure, a time when we all want to forget our problems and jump right into new sites, sounds, and experiences. However, if you’re like most Canadians getting ready to go abroad, you’re forgetting to pack one crucial thing – travel medical insurance.
Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Frugal or Cheap: Using True Orange at a Restaurant? – Does using True Orange in water in lieu of ordering a drink at a restaurant count as cheap or just great frugal thinking?
Carmen @ Gajizmo writes How Much Car Can I Afford? – We want to prevent you from becoming the guy who drives around in a Benz, BMW or Escalade and then pulls up to a rent-controlled apartment. While that happens more often than you think all over the United States, it is critical that families not spend more than they can afford on a car. So, how do you determine how much car you can afford? Read our comprehensive guide to learn multiple strategies and considerations.
Arnel Ariate @ Money Soldiers writes 5 Ways to Save on an Engagement Ring – While spending on engagement rings may seem steep to many, luckily, there are some techniques to getting around the social faux pas. So if your wife-to-be is stressing you to spend all that on a ring, follow these tips.
Wealth and Passive Income
Pauline @ Making Money Your Way writes How I made $1,000s thanks to my mum – I explain how I made $1,000s thanks to my mum referring some work over to me, and how you should use your network to make more money
Kanwal @ Simply Investing writes What Can You Learn from Someone Who Has Returned 586,817%? – Since 1964 Warren Buffett has been able to increase the book value of shares in his company by 586,817%.
Jacob @ AllPersonalFinance writes Creating A Suitable Five Year Financial Plan – There is no skill more important than being able to manage your money. Regardless of your current financial state, you should know where your money is coming from and where it will be going over the next five years.
Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes The Costs (and Benefits) of Procrastination – Procrastination can both save you money and cost you money.
Jason Hull @ Hull Financial Planning writes How Do You Bridge the Gap Between Early Retirement and Age 59 1/2? – Without proper asset location planning, people can face a situation where they cannot access funds without paying a tax penalty. This could delay early retirement plans.
Barbara @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes How to Get Rich – 3 Tips to Create Wealth – How to Get Rich: Wealth Building Guide for the Financially Illiterate is a great start for those with money woes.
Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes Don’t Make this Costly Social Security Mistake – Retirees, eager to begin collecting their monthly Social Security check, start collecting it as soon as they possibly can after retiring. Doing that can be an extremely costly mistake.
SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Budgeting for the future: when do I need to write my Will? – At the end of your working life, you should be able to enjoy the fruits of your labours. By being disciplined and setting aside a little bit of money every month, you can ensure that retirement is what it should be – time for you to relax and to do all the things you’ve always wanted to do.
Minimalist @ Minimalist Finance writes Ways to Make Extra Money Quickly – While saving money is certainly an important aspect of good financial health, making extra money can be equally as valuable in building wealth, if not more so.
Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes How to Build Passive Income – The classic example of passive income is from Bruno, the bucket carrier. Every day, Bruno would get paid to carry buckets of water from the stream to the village. The pay was good, but Bruno thought there must be a better way.
Lindy @ Minting Nickels writes How to Get Free Money – These 17 Companies Will Give You $1,820.25 – Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Every year businesses give away thousands of dollars in free money and gift cards as a way of promoting their company, read more to find out to you to can get free money and cards.
Roger Wohlner @ The Chicago Financial Planner writes 5 Reasons to Consider a Solo 401(k) – As we move closer to the end of the year those of you who are self-employed should be thinking about starting a retirement plan for yourself if you don’t have one in place already. There are a number of options available; here are 5 reasons to consider opening a Solo 401(k).
PK @ Don’t Quit Your Day Job… writes What’s the Ideal Savings Rate for Retirement or Financial Independence? – With all of the competing variables when it comes to your retirement, there is one… I repeat, one… that gives oyu the most control. An exploration of the math behind increasing your savings rate!
Jon @ Novel Investor writes Are You Saving Enough For Retirement – Do you really know how much you need to save? My guess is you’re not saving enough for retirement. Follow these three steps to get on track.
Real Estate and Investing
Oscar @ Money Is The Root writes Why Copycat Investing may Not be as Smart as You Think – There are many investing trailblazers that you can look to for examples and advice, people who have performed their own research and due diligence in order to build an excellent portfolio.
IMB @ Investing Money writes Investing in Entertainment Stocks – The changes in the entertainment industry are dynamic and happening at warp speed. It’s a crazy industry! Read here for stock information on entertainment.
Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes Has The Stock Market Gone Parabolic? – As I watch the Stock Market rally continue to gallop upwards, I have to wonder when the next correction will occur. Since the gains this year almost seem parabolic, will we have dip soon?
Luke @ Learn Bonds writes How To Estimate The Real Rate Of Interest And Why It Matters – What steps to take when estimating the real rate of interest on your investments and why they are important for bond investors to understand.
Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes Nervous About Stocks? Here’s What You Can Do About It – Are you nervous about the stock market? The stock market has been near all-time highs for months and many people feel the markets are due for a correction.
Hank @ Money Q&A writes Hank Coleman Discusses Peer To Peer Lending Investments On Fox Business – I recently had the privilege of being on the Gerri Willis Show on Fox Business and discuss the value of peer to peer lending through services like Lending Club.
Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes How to Regain Confidence to Jump Back in the Stock Market – If you’ve lost confidence with investing in the stock market — either because you don’t trust the market, or your ability to play it correctly — there are ways you can jump back in.
Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes The Lowdown on Home Loan Modifications – What you need to know if you’re interested in mortgage or home loan modifications.
LaTisha @ Young Finances writes How Much Do We Save to Buy a House? – Let me start by saying that I have never purchased a house, so researching this post was a great exercise for me and it actually convinced me that I should not rush into renting and instead focusing on saving money to become a homeowner.
MR @ Money Reasons writes J.P. Morgan Forced To Take Bailout Money? – With recent attacks on JP Morgan, I was surprised what Barney Frank had to say on the matter! What do you think?
CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Chutes and Ladders: Investing Lessons From Famous Children’s Games – While kids’ games are very simple, they can actually have profound meaning in today’s financial world and what to do in investing.
Robert @ Cult Of Money writes How to Make Money From Property Investment – With the housing market starting to stabilize after years of fluctuation, there’s never been a better time to invest in property. Whether you’re hoping to get your foot on the ladder, looking to buy to rent or wanting to make a quick profit, there are plenty of ways to make money from property investment.
Jon Haver @ Pay My Student Loans writes Pay Off Student Loans or Invest? – If so, it may be wiser to pay a small, manageable amount on your loan and when the pay increase comes, apply the raise towards the balance of the loan. Some would consider this ludicrous but, think about it for a second.
John S @ Frugal Rules writes Investing in Real Estate with Limited Funds – Many think that they need a lot of money to be able to invest in real estate. While that certainly helps, there are a number of ways you can invest in real estate and not need tens of thousands of dollars to do so.
Grayson @ Debt Roundup writes Why Do We Fall For Ponzi Schemes? – My idea for this is to try and figure out why we, as humans, fall for Ponzi schemes. I have a ton of questions and can only think of a few things that can explain why people jump into such schemes.
Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Starting From Zero: Investing for Newbies – If you’ve just left school or university, and you’re about to embark on your first full time position, congratulations are in order. This is a big time in your life – not just in terms of your career but in terms of your finances too.
Maria @ The Money Principle writes 3 traps that business start-ups fall into – In this article three common traps for start up business are discussed: lack of research, insufficient funding and imprecise growth estimation.
Daniel @ Sweating The Big Stuff writes The Ups and Downs of Launching A Business – The first day of launching a business was quite eventful. In the end, we learned some important lessons, like always have a viable backup plan.
Self employment and Career
krantcents @ KrantCents writes Success Is What Is Accomplished! – So much has been written about success! How to be more effective, productive and successful usually starts with a list of ten (10), fifteen (15) or as many as twenty-five (25) traits, steps, or tips to become successful. With so many books, articles and stories, you would think there would be more successful people.
Corey @ 20s Finances writes Most Important Thing for Young Adults to Learn – Do you have a spending problem? Find out how to control your spending and why it’s important to change as a young adult.
GYF @ Gaming Your Finances writes Net Worth Update – An update on our path to financial independence.
Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Let us be honest! I do not want to work for someone else. I want to work for myself! – I’ve been unhappy with my job. Not because it’s a bad job-but, because I’ve worked the job for too long. I have put myself on a 2 1/2 year trajectory to get my debt paid and grow my business. I think this is manageable and it gives me a clear end game.
Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes How to Make Money From a Blog – Every day there are tens of thousands of websites and blogs created. Many of these sites were created by an owner hopeful of making money through their blog. While it is very possible to make money through a blog it’s also a lot hard work. Hard work that some just aren’t up for.
Amy @ Money Mishaps writes Why Diversification of your Portfolio is so Important – One of the basic investment tools that you will be using as a new investor is your portfolio. And diversifying your portfolio is one of the most important things to do with that portfolio is diversify it!
Monica @ Monica on Money writes 50 Ways To Become Debt Free – I am always looking for ways to reach my goal of financial independence. Here is what I did to become debt free.
Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes PayAnywhere.com – One of the best tools for an Offline or Online Business – Before paying anything read our review on payanywhere and how it can help your day to day business thrive and succeed
Michelle @ Diversified Finances writes Tips For Successful Freelancing Part 1 – When I tell people that I am switching to 100% freelancing, they tend to think that my life will be easy as cake and that I will basically be prancing around in my pajamas 24 hours a day.
Derrick @ Break Broke writes Debt tips for the baby boomers: Retire financially strong using them – As the baby boomers reach retirement, knowing exactly how to eliminate current debt can help you reach a successful retirement
GMM @ Grad Money Matters writes Are you a bad freelancer? – Freelancing is a topic that I have been covering a lot on the blog lately. Many bloggers have been increasing their freelancing services. So, what makes a good freelancer? What makes a bad freelancer?
Alexis @ FITnancials writes Handling More Than One Job – Handling more than one job is definitely a lot of work. It makes me really miss the days back in high school when I was working part-time a few hours a week.
Michelle @ Making Sense of Cents writes Do You Want To Be Self Employed? – I think one common misunderstanding is that self employed life would be easier. However, I think it’s the exact opposite of that. You will be taking on all types of roles and doing all types of tasks, which, especially in the beginning, will be very time consuming.
Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes 5 Starting Steps to Creating a Business Website – A guide to important factors to consider if you want to start a business website, covering domain name selection, webhost selection, and website creation.
Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes Should You Go To Grad School? – By not pursuing grad school, there’s no chance you’re going to find a job using your psychology or history degree. You’re admitting that the last four years were a colossal waste of time the minute you start applying for jobs at Walmart and the post office.
Mr. Frenzy @ Frenzied Finances writes LinkedIn: How and Why You Should Use It – LinkedIn is a social networking site that focuses on business connections and is a way for people to be available for new opportunities. Read here for tips!
Harry Campbell @ Your PF Pro writes Moven Review: a New Kind of Mobile Money Service – If you’re like most young professionals, everything is on your phone these days. In fact, you don’t even have to be that young to master a smartphone: my mom explained to me the other day how to use the Starbucks mobile app. But whether you’re paying for coffee with your phone or using Tinder to online speed date, it seems like more and more businesses are turning to smartphone apps in order to reach us(and our wallets). I know that the first thing I check every morning is my phone and
Buck @ Buck Inspire writes Stay At Home Mom: Toughest Job Around? – For the next week and a half, yours truly will be tested, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Mrs. Buck is headed for a business trip so I’ll be left holding down the fort and more importantly taking care of Baby Buck all on my own.
Saving and Simple Living
Daisy @ Suburban Finance writes How to STOP Spending Money – Ever wonder how to stop spending money? It’s not a mystery. It’s actually easy to curb your spending.
Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Our Budget – Then and Now – I started saving our budget info on my flash drive in April 2007, right before we bought our first home. Here’s a fun look at our budget – then and now.
SavingMentor @ How To Save Money writes Money Saving Tips: Bring Your Own Oil For An Oil Change – Most people think the only reason to buy their own engine oil for their vehicle would be if they wanted to change the oil themselves to avoid paying someone else to do it. The truth is most garages and dealerships will allow you to bring your own oil if you simply ask.
Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes My Scariest Money Mistake and What I Learned from It – Here is the full financial blow: the timeshare cost about $5,000, an amount which we had to finance and a very high interest rate. After making payments for less than a year we decided it will be better to use a zero percent offer from one of our credit cards to pay off the balance. On top of that, this year is the fourth year in which we had to pay a maintenance fee. In 2007 this fee was less than $500 and it has gone up each year to be about 750 this year…who knows what it will look like in
Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Five Celebrities That Know How To Save Money – Most of the media generated stories about celebrities consist of shock and awe showing situations resembling the Titanic sinking into the ocean.
Jefferson @ See Debt Run writes What to Do When You Lose Your Dad – When we unexpectedly lose a loved one, there are so many decisions to be made. In a time of unexpected mourning, how do we know what to do?
Brian @ Luke1428 writes The Secret Weapon to Contentment – Most people don’t realize contentment can be learned. Here are some suggestions for practicing the art of contentment.
Bargain Babe @ BargainBabe.com writes DIY Cheap Car Repairs: I Saved $400! – I share tips to perform cheap car repairs to save big bucks!
Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes How to Save 10%+ on Your Grocery Bill Without Cutting a Single Coupon – If you’re someone who won’t use coupons or you’re somebody who uses coupons, but wants to save even more, I’ve got an unconventional way to cut the grocery bill.
Katie @ IRA Basics writes Benefits of a Budget – Budget. It is a dreaded word, not one that instills ideas of grandeur and immense fun. It is also a word that is often neglected, an idea that most of us would rather not think about.
Shannon Ryan n @ The Heavy Purse writes Part 3: How To Talk to Kids about Money, ages 12-18 – Shannon shares five important money lessons for teens that will help them make smart money choices when they are on their own.
Mr.CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes How to kung fu your way out of money manipulation – When you struggle to say no because you fear confrontation people might just take advantage of you. Find out how one single father deals with his daugher wanting to buy everything and how his ex manipulates him into doing things around her house for free.
Mrs. Accountability @ Out of Debt Again writes How To Save Money on Burial and Funeral – Donate Your Body to Science – I don’t know anyone that likes to talk about dying. But you know, it’s a fact of life that we are all going to die one day
Thank you for reading, have a great weekend!
