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Money Saving Links: 5/30/08
05.30.08 | Savings Links | 1 Comment | by junger

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I just got back from my trip to California (which was awesome!) so I apologize for the lack of posts — we'll be back on track next week.

Money and Values hosted the 153rd Carnival of Personal Finance, which included Automate Your Finances, Feel Comfortable.

Here are a couple of great links from that roundup.

Using the web to save money - Money & Fitness Blog

Using the web to save moneyThere is no doubt in my mind that I have saved hundreds and thousands of dollars by making purchases on websites rather than in Best Buy, Target, or any number of stores. I have used a number of different websites that have helped me over time and I thought it would be a good article to write about for those money savers out there.

To Stimulate Or Not To Stimulate? - The Happy Rock

So it looks like there is potential for the stimulus checks to infuse economy with a little money, but there is plenty of debt as to whether our government borrowing money to give to people to spend will do anything to truly stimulate the US economy.

Plan Ahead: 6 Steps to Secure Your Financial Future - My Dollar Plan

Ever since I can remember I’ve been a planner. Planning ahead has allowed us many rewards that we otherwise wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity for.
Money Saving Links: 5/16/08
05.16.08 | Savings Links | 0 Comments | by junger

This week's Carnival of Personal Finance is up at Money Under 30, which includes my meme-starter What Would You Do For $1 Million?

A couple of the highlights from the carnival:

Using Google Apps to Track Spending and Budget - Don't Feed the Alligators

My wife and I are big fans of Google Apps, a suite of office type applications that run in a web browser and provide such services as Calendar, Spreadsheet, Document, RSS Reader, Email, and more …

Another great use for a Google spreadsheet is a budget. I can view and reorganize our monthly budget from anywhere. At the end of the month, I simply copy last month’s budget to a new sheet, and then make some minor modifications, if necessary, to prepare the spending plan for the coming month.

How To Deal With the Demise of ‘Floating Check’ Times - American Consumer News

While it is no longer safe to rely on floating time, there are some ways you can help protect yourself and still pay your bills on time while living check to check.

Direct Deposit Your Paycheck
Write Yourself a Check
Bank Online
Request New Payment Dates
Use Email Alerts

Best Online Discount Brokers - Blueprint for Financial Prosperity

I started with all the Premium and Discount brokers from Smart Money 2007 Brokerage Ratings page and then removed anyone with commissions greater than $10. That left me with E*Trade, Banc of America, TD Ameritrade, WellsTrade, Scottrade, Firstrade, WallStreet*E, SogoInvest, TradeKing and then I added Zecco, simply because they offer $0 trades, and Sharebuilder, because they offer a unique discount purchasing program. I removed Banc of America, WellsTrade, and TD Ameritrade because they’re affiliated with larger banks, I wanted standalone brokers.
Money Saving Links: 5/9/2008
05.09.08 | Savings Links | 2 Comments | by junger

This week's Carnival of Personal Finance was hosted by Alpha Consumer, and featured my question on which gas rebate credit card is best.

Coincidentally, Money Smart Life actually submitted his answer to my question to the same carnival!

Best Gas Credit Cards to Save You Money at the Pump:

We finished it up with this review of how you can save money on gas with the following rewards cards:

* Discover Open Road
* American Express Blue Cash
* Chase Freedom Visa
* Chase BP Visa

Some of my favorites from the carnival:

Finding Great Deals on the Internet and How to Avoid Buying Things You Don't Need - Think Your Way to Wealth

One of the great things about the internet is that everything is right at your fingertips. Instead of going to a mall or a bunch of different stores and shopping around for hours, you can search the internet, and in a matter of minutes, find a half-dozen places offering what you are looking for and comparison shop to find the best deal.

Going Green to Keep More Green in Your Pocket - Accumulating Money

When you manage your financial affairs in the virtual world, you are helping to reduce the greenhouse effect that is threatening the global environment. You can enjoy a savings of as much as $150-$200 per year on checks, stamps and even late fees when you pay your bills and do your banking online.

Make Saving Automatic - Broke Grad Student

So how do I avoid spending the money that I want to save? I make the saving automatic.

By setting up portions of my paycheck to automatically go into my retirement and savings accounts, I almost don’t even realize that the money is missing.

Laddering CDs at ING Direct - Blueprint for Financial Prosperity

Looks like ING Direct, which I lauded in my post about laddering your emergency fund, has now made it even easier to ladder you CDs by letting you open multiple CDs at multiple maturities all on one page.
Money Saving Links: 4/23/08
04.23.08 | Savings Links | 3 Comments | by junger

I have to apologize for the lack of posts recently — I've been out of town and away from my computer for a few days! We'll be back on track this week.

A quick roundup of from the 148th Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted by Gather Little by Little.

How Money Challenges Prevent You From Building The Life You Love - The Digerati Life

Money can bring you a lot and get you far, but it can never buy one of the most important things in life. You can’t buy love. You can buy a lot of imitations — but never the real thing! So don’t waste money, years, or even moments trying.

Netflix vs. Redbox: Which is the better DVD rental service? - Money & Fitness Blog

Is the money that you are saving going to Redbox worth it? Is the hassle worth it? Or you going to watch enough movies to make it feel like you are getting your $13.99 worth with Netflix? With Redbox becoming more and more available, I would try both out.

$4,000 Now, Nothing Later: the Beauty of the Roth IRA - Uncommon Cents

I wrote a $4,000 check this week. That hurt, but it’ll end up helping in the end. You see, the $4,000 was bound for my Roth IRA–my 2007 contribution.

There are very few investment accounts I think of more highly than the Roth IRA.

The Financial Generation Gap - Working for Rachel

Even in the generally youth-friendly blogosphere, I sometimes see people asking questions like, "Why do young people have such a tough time managing their money?" They assume the answers have to do with too much personal spending and not enough self-control. People who urge 22-year-olds to max out their 401(k)s are also operating on some of the same false assumptions.
Money Savings Links: 4/11/08
04.11.08 | Savings Links | 0 Comments | by junger

This week's Carnival of Personal Finance is up at Money Ning. It includes Why an iPhone is a Worthy Investment.

Here are a couple of the highlights that'll save (and make) you money.

Saving for Specific Goals at ING - Handling Finances

Once you’ve entered all your information and started an account at ING, it’s extremely simple to create additional separate accounts for various purposes. You just pick which type of account (checking or savings — I only use savings) and give the account a name.

Save to Retirement Fund or Emergency Fund? - My Retirement Blog

If you’re just starting out, you may be put to the decision of whether you should fund your retirement accounts or fund your emergency fund. In order to answer this question, you need to have a grasp of your total financial picture and you can do so by asking yourself the a few questions.

Readers' Choice: The Best High-Yield Online Savings Banks - Five Cent Nickel

I frequently receive e-mails asking which online savings account is the best. With that in mind, I asked FiveCentNickel readers to list their favorite online savings banks. Even though the interest rate landscape is constantly changing, I thought that it would be worth compiling the results into a handy list of the best online savings accounts.

Objective Personal Finance Answers Are Hard to Find - The Skilled Investor's PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG

Very often, people do not have access to disinterested and reasonably priced advice and information. Financial advisors are expensive, whether or not you pay them directly. No advisor can work without compensation. If you do not pay your advisor directly, then the industry will. When the industry pays your advisor, your best interests may quickly fly out the window.
Money Saving Links: 3/21/08
03.21.08 | Savings Links | 0 Comments | by junger

Being Frugal hosted this week's Carnival of Personal Finance — here are some money saving links for you from it:

Banks are Tightening Credit - What it Means for You - BankerGirl

From the perspective of a casual observer, what’s going on in our economy is really interesting - we’re seeing unprecedented lending standards result in unprecedented charge-offs. No one knows how bad it’s going to get, but everyone I visited with over the course event agreed that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better.

So, how is this going to impact the average bank customer? Here are my best guesses on how the next couple of years are going to shape up for bank customers.

Pros vs Joes: Are Professional Athletes Better Than You With Money? - My Family's Money

An eighteen year old good at hitting a baseball can see more money come his way for signing a piece of paper than most Americans can make in their entire lifetime (source). But are athletes good at managing money of that magnitude? Can they cope with copious amounts of capital? Should they shutter when success sends them seductive spoils?

You Can't Time The Market So Try Dollar Cost Averaging Instead - Plan Your Escape

"Buy low, sell high" is often one of the first things you'll hear when you're learning about investing. The problem with this is that it's tough to know what "low" and "high" actually are even when they are staring you in the face. When markets seem like they are down, like they are today, it can seem risky to make a large investment in case the markets keep going down. One way you can help limit your risk while entering into a falling market is through Dollar Cost Averaging.
Money Saving Links: 3/16/08
03.16.08 | Savings Links | 0 Comments | by junger

This week's Carnival of Personal Finance is up at Quest for Four Pillars.

Prevent Identity Theft - Military Finance Network

Identity theft is a serious crime that can destroy your finances and ruin your life. Identity theft can ruin your credit score, destroy your ability to take out a loan, or even get you arrested for crimes you did not commit.

There are three methods to protect against identity theft and the damages it can do to your finances and your freedom

ING Electric Orange Check Experiment - The Happy Rock

I have been using the ING Electric Orange checking account for almost a year now and I have been very pleased. One downfall to being able to earn 2.25% on your checking account balance is that they don’t offer a regular paper check book, but you can fill out an electronic check form and they will mail out a check for you.

MMA Rates are Falling, What are You Going to Do? - Dividends4Life

Let me state the obvious: Since year-end, money market rates have been in a free fall. At the end of the year my best money market account (MMA) was earning 5.11% APY. That same account still has my highest rate, but it is now earning a measly 3.75%. So what's a guy to do? Here are a couple of actions that I have taken

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