Carnival of Personal Finance – Independence Celebration 2012 Edition

In two days from now, we’re going to celebrate the 4th of July. That’s our opportunity in the USA to take in how precious (and fragile) our freedom is. It’s also an opportunity to think about all the sacrifices others made (and make ) in order for us to continue enjoying that freedom.

So first and foremost, to all those who have served and are serving our Nation, thank you. A most sincere thank you.

One of the freedoms that we often take for granted is the freedom to exchange ideas. There aren’t that many places in the world where you can really speak your mind like you can here. And the blogosphere has taken that idea to a level our Founding Fathers could have never fathomed. Let’s celebrate that freedom by enjoying this Independence Celebration Edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance!

Editor’s Picks

All the submission were wonderful of course but the following handful really stood out. Enjoy these stories that celebrate our personal and National freedom!

Darwin from Darwin’s Money presents Supreme Court: No Overtime for Pharma Sales Reps. WHAAAAAAH., and says, “Think you deserve overtime for your white collar job? Well, here’s what the Supreme Court said about a bunch of whining 6-figure professionals that want overtime for golfing.”

Elizabeth from Women’s Money Week presents Discover More Time: Find An Hour Each Day, and says, “How to find an additional hour each day.”

Mike from The Financial Blogger presents Single Income Household, The Best Kept Secret for Happiness, and says, “Can you survive off just one income in one household? Yes. In fact it’s a secret to happiness.”

Mike from Experiglot presents How You Can Plan an Amazing Camping Trip, and says, “Time to figure out how to plan that summer camping trip.”

Philip from PT Money Personal Finance presents Get Help with Medical Bills: Avoid the Medical Debt Monster, and says, “Offers ideas for being proactive in dealing with medical bills so that you aren’t saddled with excessive debt.”

Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents How to Avoid Money Problems in Your Marriage, and says, “I’ve seen countless marriages ruined all because money got in the way. Either there wasn’t enough of it. Or there was too much of it. One spouse didn’t like how the other was spending it. The other spouse didn’t like to disclose what they were actually spending their money on.”

Michelle from See Debt Run presents My Expensive Vice That Went Up In Flames, and says, “My story of quitting smoking and why I stay on the straight and narrow to this day.”

Tax

I don’t normally think of taxation as a way to express freedom – unless the post helps reduce those taxes as much as possible. Here is one that does just that.

Adam Hagerman from The Simple Tax presents Standard Mileage Rate For 2012, and says, “Looking for the 2012 mileage rates for business purposes, medical expenses or charity work? Click on through to find out!”

Money Management

In the USA, you have the freedom to make your life whatever you want it to be – if you are willing to do the work. Here are several posts to help you scale up your financial freedom by making good choices about money.

J.P. from Novel Investor presents How To Find A Financial Advisor, and says, “Let’s face it, not everyone is equipped, comfortable or willing to do their finances themselves. If that’s the case, it’s a good idea to find a financial advisor to help you along the way.”

Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents Financial Freedom Starts with a Low House Payment, and says, “We talk about getting financial freedom but we don’t always do what’s needed to get there. One big factor is having a low house payment. See why.”

Ray from Squirrelers presents 10 Ways to Make Extra Money, and says, “There are many ways to make extra money, some involve moonlighting while others are more creative. This post explores 10 such possiblities to bring in extra cash.”

FMF from Free Money Finance presents Making More Versus Spending Less, and says, “Between making more or spending less the BEST option is doing both — getting your expenses under control by cutting the fat PLUS earnings some additional income.”

Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents Delayed Gratification: A Strategy to Curb Overspending and Secure a Sound Financial Future, and says, “Over-spending has become a way of life, cheered on by financial institutions and credit card companies, who want us to spend up big so they can earn ever more interest, at our expense. Let’s look at something that can help turn this around. It’s called the concept of delayed gratification.”

TTMK from Tie the Money Knot presents Revisiting the 4% Rule for Retirement, and says, “The 4% rule is often discussed in terms of retirement planning. However, is this really a good rate of withdrawal? This post explores this topic, discussing factors to keep in mind when planning on how much to save and withdraw for retirement.”

Peter from Bible Money Matters presents What Is a Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? How Does It Work?, and says, “Our family knows in advance this year that we’ll be having thousands of dollars in bills due to the birth of our first child, and for us using the FSA is a great deal. Yes it’s a pain keeping track of all the costs, but the hundreds of dollars in savings we’ll enjoy are worth it.”

Liana from Card Hub Blog presents Prepaid Cards Report – 2012, and says, “Whatever the scenario – alternative checking account, financial education tool (child’s allowance), or even alternative check cashing tool- prepaid cards are rapidly gaining attention. If this is an option you or someone you know has been considering, then you should research it carefully – here’s a breakdown of the pertinent information.

Emma-Lou Montgomery from TotallyMoney presents The financial benefits of getting married, and says, “An article outlining the tax savings that can be made if you are a married couple”

Paula @ Afford Anything from Afford Anything presents Myth: The Rich Don’t Care About Money, and says, “In this post, I counter the stereotype that “the rich” are wasteful spenders.”

Nicole from Nicole and Maggie: Grumpy Rumblings of the Half Tenured presents Kids and money and class and ramblings about allowances, and says, “Nicole and Maggie ramble about how socioeconomic class affects what and how we learn about money. Insightful comments make the point that even high socioeconomic status kids can learn how to budget if their parents talk to them about money

Real Estate

Property has always been one of the best ways to create wealth and financial freedom. Let’s get to it.

BARBARA FRIEDBERG from Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance presents SHOULD YOU INVEST IN REAL ESTATE NOW?, and says, “Real estate investing is not for everyone. If you aren’t up to the challenges of managing rental real estate or don’t have the cash, learn other ways to add real estate to your portfolio. ”

Eric J. Nisall from DollarVersity presents Being A Homeowner Doesn’t Give You Absolute Freedom, and says, “Even if you buy your very own home, you can’t do anything you want to it any time you want. You still need to get others’ permission in many cases, especially for big things.”

SB from One Cent at a Time presents How to Shop for Mortgage Loan, and says, “If you are shopping for a home loan, it is only natural that you want to find a low interest rate mortgage loan. The surest ways to find the best deal are to Be a prepared borrower and to Shop around. Read more to explore.”

Saving

A wise man once said that it’s better to save than to earn. Indeed, saving is your key to freedom. How many of these ideas are you taking advantage of?

Green Panda from Green Panda Treehouse presents Enjoy Your Summer and Keep Your Money Too!, and says, “How you can save money this summer and have fun.”

Martin from Studenomics presents How You Can Finally Get in Shape Without Going Broke, and says, “The only post you need to read to get in shape on any sized budget.”

Justin from Money Saving Ethics presents The Case of the Shopaholic, and says, “How to determine whether or not you are a shopaholic”

Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance presents Using Your Phone to Shop Smarter, and says, “Last weekend, I went to a local computer specialty store to research a few items that I need to buy. I was surprised by how helpful my phone was in researching not only price, but other factors that went into my purchase decisions as well.”

Clint from Accumulating Money presents How Bankers Gamble with Your Money: 5 Ways to Protect Yourself, and says, “It would be great if banks existed solely for the purpose of storing our money and helping us out with loans, investments, or other financial instruments when we need them. Unfortunately, banks are out to turn a profit – often at the expense of the very people they are supposed to be serving.”

PK from Don’t Quit Your Day Job… presents How Much Do You Save as a Percentage of Your Salary?, and says, “An interesting discussing about the amount people save (net of taxes).”

CCS from Credit Card Smarts presents How to Choose the Best Credit Card Rewards Program for You, and says, “There are some great credit card rewards programs out there. But how do you pick which is best for you. See what to consider when you look for a rewards program.

CAREER

What’s stopping you from having the career you really want? Use the posts below to reach your goals faster.

MD from Start Freelancing Now presents My First Experience With Selling Stuff, and says, “The first time I ever sold something and how it can help you.”

Tim from Faith and Finance presents A Quick Guide to Online Colleges, and says, “I’ve taken dozens of online courses at multiple schools. I’ve save over $10,000 by taking online courses, finished college early, and maintained a full time job while getting an MBA in less than one year. Here’s my take on online colleges.”

Investing

Like money management, investing wisely can create a great deal of freedom. Here are the posts that can help you do just that.

Div Guy from The Dividend Guy Blog presents How Long Do You Hold Your Stocks?, and says, “What’s your take on holding stocks?”

Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents How long does it take to manage a dividend portfolio?, and says, “Many investors express concerns about the amount of time it would take to keep current on all events in diversified dividend portfolio. In this article I explain how dividend investors can achieve adequate portfolio diversification, while also having a life.

Pierre from Intelligent Speculator presents How To Avoid Losing Sleep Over Market Crashes, and says, “Time to deal with those market swings that are bound to occur.”

Karl Marrion from WiseStockBuyer presents Where should I invest my 401k?, and says, “Your 401k is likely to be one of the most important investments of your life, so it’s very important to make sure you have a balanced 401k that meets suits your risk tolerance and meets your needs.”

D4L from Dividend Growth Stocks presents 9 High-Yield Dividend Achievers With 25 Years of Increases, and says, “Unlike the more recognized Dividend Aristocrats list, The Broad Dividend Achievers™ Index is not limited to only stocks included in the S&P 500 Index. Thus it also includes small cap stocks. This week, I screened my dividend growth stocks database for Dividend Achievers with a yield greater than 4% and have increased their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. ”

Adam Williams from Rabbit Funds presents Permanent Life Insurance Series: Challenging Pre-conceptions, and says, “Buy term and invest the difference is one of the most common pieces of financial advice out there. It is promoted in books, on TV, on the radio and just about every place where you might find financial information. But is it really the best thing for everyone to do?”

John from Wallet Blog presents How Old is Too Old for Hands-On Financial Management?, and says, “Is it necessarily a good idea to continue managing your finances without professional assistance as you move into retirement? Are there better ways to secure your future finances than a 401(k)? What are we missing?