Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 6/7/07

• My Money and My Life has a break even goal for the summer. Good luck!
• The Credit and Credit Card Blog talks about the pitfalls of revolving debt.
• Consumerism Commentary talks about saving for your kids instead of yourself.
• Personal Investing Advice has some tips on saving for the future.
• All Financial Matters created a directory of past posts. Very useful!
• The Dough Roller teaches his kids to use Quicken.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 6/6/07

• We're In Debt reminds you to make sure your spouse knows about the finances.
• Clever Dude talks about setting up house without breaking the bank (or getting divorced).
• The Dough Roller bashes one of Kiyosaki's Yahoo articles. (Kiyo is dangerous!)
• $1 Million to My Name has a series on retirement mistakes. Part IV covers IRAs and 401ks.
• Advanced Personal Finance talks about why you might want to wait to convert to a Roth IRA.
• Ask Uncle Bill has a list of 10 Financial Mistakes to avoid.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 6/4/07

• Broke Ass Student reminds you not to sacrifice tomorrow for today.
• Grad Money Matters lists 5 budgeting blunders to avoid.
• My Two Dollars asks if your family could live on one income.
• Frugal Law Student rehashes some pratical advice for young people.
• $1 Million to my name - Part V in the retirement saving pitfalls series - Buying too much house.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 6/1/07

• Plonkee talks about what to do with a windfall.
• $1 Million to my Name - Part IV in the retirement saving pitfalls series - going into credit card debt.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/30/07

• Zen Habits gives 10 tips to simplify your budget.
• Ask Mr. Credit Card asks how much do you need to feel rich?
• Life, Lived talks about ways her family saves money.
• The Frugalist gives 21 reasons why it's good to be frugal but not cheap. (I call myself a cheap-a$$ but according to this I'm just frugal. Whew!)
• Mint gives a list of 20 mistakes to avoid during credit repair.
• $1 Million to my Name - Part III in his retirement saving pitfalls series - relying on an inheritance.
• My Financial Awareness talks about things to consider when establishing an emergency fund.
• Mad Money Analyst talks about why starting to save for retirement now is important.
• Advice and Rants gives suggestons on how to join forces with your friends to be frugal.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/29/07

• Advanced Personal Finance talks about some of the financial mistakes that he's made. (I made more than one of those mistakes myself.)
• Frugal Law Student has a crazy-long-list of financial resources. (Seriously, if you can't find it there it may not exist.)
• $1 Million to my Name talks about the magic of compounding.
• A financial revolution does a good comparison of ETFs and Mutual Funds.
• $1 Million to my Name - Part II in his retirement saving pitfalls series - waiting to get started.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/28/07

• Money Smart Life gives suggestions about how to use credit cards to simplify your finances.
• Rock Your Stock lists his picks for the top 5 investment books of all time.
• The Digerati Life lists 12 cheap ways to stay healthy. (your health is your most valuable asset - protect it)
• The Money Mythos thinks people need more than index funds for investments. (I'm not sure this is the case for most people but you can make your own decision)
• Money, Matter and More posts an open letter to high school graduates.
• Blunt Money lists 10 common financial mistakes.
• No Credit Needed gives 10 ideas for creating a budget.
• Young Professional Finance Blog talks about financial education - or the lack thereof.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/27/07

• Accumulating Money talks about in-service 401k rollovers.
• Boston Gal posts about how to keep your investment advisor from robbing you blind.
• The Simple Dollar tells us how to get past the need for keeping up with the Jones’.
• How I Save Money talks about how to simplify your budget.
• Not Made of Money talks about some store brand products his family uses to save money.
• Bankruptcy Law Network talks about borrowing money from a 401k to pay for debt.
• Fil-Am Personal Finance had a good post illustrating the benefits of starting saving early.
• Financial Jungle talks about closet index funds. (This is a really important think to look at wth all of your funds. Holding overlap can really mess with your asset allocation and cause you to get off track for your goals.)
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/23/07

• Zen Habits lists 6 free alternatives to MS Money and Quicken.
• Young and Broke talks about financial planning for 20-somethings.
• Q&A on Vanguard’s new fee structure.
• Cash Money Life talks about the advantages of debit cards.
• Mighty Bargain Hunter talks about the disadvantages of debit cards.
• Money, Matter and More thinks there should be a credit card qualifying test.
• $1 Million to my Name - Part I in his retirement savings blunders series - pre-paying your mortgage.
• My Debt Relief Plan talks about how getting organized can help with your debt.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/18/07

• Accumulating Money talks about the drawbacks of active investing.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/17/07

• Vanguard talks about why you should get kids investing in a Roth early. My grandfather did this for me and it’s one of the single best things he’s ever done for me. If you need help motivating them, consider offering a ‘matching’ program of some sort. Most people like free money.
• Bankruptcy Law Network points out some sneaky credit card tricks to look out for.
• Wealth Building World wonders if paying off your mortgage early is actually costing you money.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/12/07

• Debt Regret posted about 7 net worth killers.

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 5/2/07

• Free Money Finance talks about how to NOT sabotage your investment plan.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 4/27/07

• The Frugalist gives 10 alternatives to credit cards for those who don’t want/can’t get one.
• Make Your Nut talks about the benefits of shopping at an ethnic market.
• MSN Money talks about 4 keys to good credit.
• We're in Debt talks about why renting to own is bad.
  

Payday Loan Victims

I read the following post about payday loan victims on All Financial Matters and I have the following comments to his views:

I agree! One thing I talk a lot about a lot in my Personal Finance 101 class series is that YOU are the only person who cares about your money and YOU are the only person who is responsible for the decisions you make regarding your money. Way too many people these days blame others when realistically the problem was caused because the person was uneducated and did nothing to change that situation. Education, or lack thereof, is a personal choice but again, it's typically blamed on others.

Personal responsibility is something that is definitely missing from today's society and I see it everywhere from the cashier at CVS to my co-workers.

The only advantage is that for those of us who are responsible, we stand out above the crowd and more doors open for us.

So what it comes down to is: take responsibility for your mistakes. Admit that you made bad choices, figure out how to change things going forward, and move on with your life. It'll take time and effort and, probably, sacrifice, but it'll be worth it in the long run.

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 4/26/07

• Vanguard announces changes to its fee policies.
• Bargain-Value lists 13 mistakes they made with money.
• Frugal Journey talks about the things they get at the Dollar Store.

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 4/24/07

• Free Money Finance reminds us not to count on an inheritance to fix us for life.
• Willster’s Financial Blog talks about pre-paid cell phone plans. I plan on doing this when my current contract is up. I get VOIP for $30/year from yahoo so there’s no reason I can’t use that for most of my calls since I usually have my laptop with me.
• CFO talks about how to stick to a budget while using credit cards.
• Principled Discovery talks about what our junk mail says about the financial future of the country.
• Accumulating Money talks about the evils of payday loans.
  

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 4/23/07

• Credit Card Blog lists 10 reasons why everyone needs a credit card.
• Debt Consolidation News talks about how to get a pre-nup signed. I know it’s a touchy subject for a lot of people but I’m personally in favor of pre-nups. People argue that it means you’re assuming the marriage will fail but IMO, all you’re doing is being realistic. There is a chance that the marriage will end and if you address that in advance it probably means you have great communication which will probably help your marriage last.
• Blueprint for Financial Prosperity has a great post on why it may make sense to NOT roll over a 401k to an IRA. I agree with him and I get asked this question all the time in my classes. There are times when it makes sense to leave your money in a 401k. Typically they are when you have access to investments that would otherwise be closed to you.
• Free Money Finance talks about asset allocation.
• Enhanced Life talks about the excuses people make for not saving.
• Life of a Resident Alien gives 22 tips on how to build an emergency fund.
• An Engineering Approach to Money talks about why it’s good to fund your Roth early.
• 3 Debt Consolidation talks about different debt consolidation methods.
• Canadian Financial stuff talks about how even our northern neighbors hate payday loans.
• Queercents talks about developing a spending plan.

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 4/20/07

• Ask Mr. Credit Card talks about how to choose a consumer credit counseling service.
• All Financial Matters has great advice for college grads.
• We’re in Debt lists 7 warning signs you’re spending too much.
• Free Money Finance talks about ways to earn extra money.
• My Two Dollars talks about the financial benefits of doing what you love.
• Mint talks about how to jump start your credit when you’re young.
• Your Credit Score Secrets outlines 5 steps to fix your credit score.
• Laws of Finance reminds us of an often overlooked budget item.

Personal Finance 101 Posts of the Day 4/19/07

• Ask Mr. Credit Card talks about how to increase cash flow for debt relief.
• The Consumerist talks about why financial planners are bad.