Carnival of Personal Finance No. 177

Welcome to the 177th edition of Carnival of Personal Finance!

There are a total of 85 submissions to this edition of CoPF, covering a wide range of topics from money management, investing to frugality, savings and budgeting to economy and career. Among them, here are my 5 picks that I want to share with everybody first:

• Health Care Plans: 10 Tips on Choosing the Right Option by Andy from Saving to Invest.  It’s the open enrollment time of the year. In this post, Andy explains the options you have when choosing a health care plan. Understand all these options so you can maximize your health coverage at the lowest possible cost.
• Now May be a Good Time to Quit Your Job by Shadox from Money and Such. In this tough economic environment, how do you find the balance between your career and your family? Shadox uses a real example to show that while keeping your job is important, the best move you can take when you can’t retain your life goals at the same time is Move On.
• How to Pick Stocks in Five Steps by Jon from The Money Mythos. Is stock picking a losing game? Some, including William J. Bernstein, may say just that, but if you still want to know what needs to be considered when selecting stocks to invest, then read Jon’s post because it outlines some very basic steps.
• Being poor is a state of mind by Seb from Pinching Copper. You own a house, you drive a car, and you can put hot meals on the table. Are you poor? Are you not? Seb looks at “being poor” from a different angle and says we should all appreciate what we have. Indeed.
• How To Tell An Email Is A Financial Scam by BTG from Bridging The Gaap. I believe everybody who has an email address is getting a lot of scam emails these days. I always delete them right away without even clicking it. However, if you are new to this, this post shows you can identify scan emails that want nothing but your personal information.

Before bringing up the rest of the carnival, there are something else I want to share with you. As you may know, I recently took a month-long trip to China and visited a few cities. I have posted some pictures here on this blog. Now I’d like to take this opportunity to again take you quickly to the four cities, Lanzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, and show you what’s unique to each of them. Hope you will enjoy. Maybe some day you decide to visit China as well

Money Management

Lanzhou Calabash Carving, a unique artwork of Lanzhou

How do you tell your overindulged children that the money train has left the station?  Mary from Simply Forties discusses ways Talk to Your Kids About Money.

TStrump from The Strump – Financial Blog presents Lines of Credit – Creative Ways to Use Them.

Ben from Money Smart Life knows How to Find a Doctor, Accountant, or Plumber You Can Trust in a New City.

HIB from Happiness is Better talks about 10 Ways to Become Financially Independent.

Chief Family Officer from Chief Family Officer argues why Your best financial investment may be your good health (but you should also practice sound money management).

Money Answer Guy from Money Answer Guy has An Affordable Family Entertainment Budget for Tougher Times.

Ron from The Wisdom Journal notices The Return of Layaway.

My Journey from My Journey to Millions discusses one’s personality and personal finance and concludes that To Know Thyself is the Only Way to Overcome You.

Jeff from Minding My Own Business talks about Manage Money – Outsource Your Money Handling Tasks.

Chica from One Snarky Chica With Issues goes through the Steps you can take to make sure you are not paying too much at the grocery store.

Jim from Blueprint for Financial Prosperity lists 50 Financial Skills Every Person Needs To Know.

That One Caveman from One Caveman’s Financial Journey admits I Was Wrong; Net Worth Doesn’t Matter.

Tisha Tolar from American Consumer News wants to know What’s the Deal with Repossession?

The Financial Blogger from The Financial Blogger thinks he knows The Root Of Our Financial Crisis Education. Is it financial education?

TCT from The Credit Toolbox suggests this way to Repair Bad Credit: Pay Yourself First!

Aryn from Sound Money Matters sees the Ghosts of Financial Decisions Past this Halloween.

Pfincome from Passive Family Income shares 25 Ways to Save Money on Utility Bills.

Investing

Handwrite of Qianlong Emperor, Suzhou Lion Forest Garden, one of Suzhou’s main attractions

The Dividend Guy from The Dividend Guy says “I invest according to an investing code that guides the decisions I make” and he shares his strategy in My Main Investment Objective: To Generate a Reliable, Growing Stream of Income from Stocks.

Richard Epley from Blue Jeans Millionaire explains Yield, Safety or Liquidity.

Randy from Fiscal Zen wonders Is Intel (INTC) Stock A Bargain?

R from Retired At 47 shares Making Lemonade out of a Stock Market Full of Lemons.

Clint from Accumulating Money looks at The Self-Directed 401k and its Essential Factors.

D4L from Dividends4Life asks What To Do With A Dividend Freeze?

Dan Ray from Taking Charge was surprised that Randolph and Mortimer Duke: They’re back in business.

Todd from Harvesting Dollars questions Are DFA Mutual Funds Worth it?

Ye from Value Investing and Entrepreneurship tells you about Share Buybacks – Pros and Cons.

ABC from ABCs of Investing explains Stock Market Indexes.

Is the current market drop good, bad or irrelevant? Four Pillars from Four Pillars gives his take.

Frugality

Skyscrapers around Shanghai Pudong Lujiazui, the financial district of Shanghai

Cap from StopBuyingCrap.com has 10 Simple Ways to Feel Rich Without Materialistic Means, such as a brand new sports car, a tropical vacation, or a well furnished house. Check out what they are.

Richard from Student Scrooge presents Tipping: On The Take-Out.

Phil from Phil’s Blog shares their “Scary” Dining Out Expenses, then tells you how to spend less when dining out.

Junger from Online Savings Blog offers 4 Tips for Shopping at Thrift Stores (Or How Not to Spend Like Sarah Palin).

“Cheap eats is good, free eats is better!” Marc from Good To Grow knows how to get 7 Days of Free Food.

FMF from Free Money Finance asks Can You Pay for a Costco Membership by Saving on Gas Alone? Yes, or No?

F.F. from Feminist Finance shows How To Care For Your Clothes Part 2: Handwashing.

David G. Mitchell from Saving Advice tells you why you should Give Up Your Cell Phone! Five Reasons You’ll Save Money. Will you?

Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck from Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck says you can Pay less for the same because “There’s another (lower) price for everything.”

Ironman from Political Calculations wants to know How Much Should You Pay to Save Time?

Career

Brand new Beijing subway station (tracks are sealed off by glass walls), part of the Olympic constructions

Shawna from Bumblefucked has some Money making ideas for teens.

Sara Aase from Cash on the Barrelhead reviews a book and urges Do You Want What it Takes to be a Millionaire Today: Career First.

Mary from American Small Business News presents 5 Business Travel Tips.

Tina Minchella from The Copyeditor’s Desk presents Editing…in This Economy.

Want to try a new career in your pajamas? Stacey Doyle from The Smarter Wallet will show you How To Work From Home And Start A Home Business.

Kyle from Amateur Asset Allocator has a bad news: “I Was Laid Off Yesterday.”

Economy

Lisa Spinelli from Greener Pastures has a educational series on Economic Indicators to help you understand the market.”

RC from Think Your Way To Wealth asks Do We Really Need a Second Stimulus Check or New Stimulus Package?

Madison from My Dollar Plan wants you to have Your 9 Step Economic Action Plan.

Dan from Everyday Finance thinks McCain’s an Idiot, Obama’s an Idiot…and More Idiots in the Making.

Debt

Can’t stay on track to get out of debt? Christopher Holdheide from Stumble Forward offers 5 Tips To Help You Stay Locked In Your Debt Plan.

Debt Freedom Fighter from Discover debt Freedom wonders Can a Debt Reduction Company Really Eliminate my Debt?

Grey from Frugal Fu presents What if I convince myself this is a crisis?, and says, “An article about adjusting our attitudes on debt.”

Debbie from Destroy Debt looks at the coming election from a different angle: I’m In Debt – Who Should I Vote For?

Savings

Remember the “Dollar a Day” challenge? J. Money from Budgets are Sexy has an super easy way to save some dollars.

Penelope Pince from Pecuniarities says It Saves to Be Nice Part 1: It’s Business But It’s Also Personal.

Curt from PennyJobs.com wants you to know that Saving Money Will Once Again Be Rewarded.

BloggingBanks from Blogging Banks lists Best CD ( Certificate of Deposits) Rates. Time to lock in a good rate?

Ryan Suenaga from Uncommon Cents presents Are We Finally Getting it in America?

PT from Prime Time Money conducts an Interview with Robin Nakamura, Senior VP of eBusiness at First National Bank of Omaha.

Need a new car? SGM from SingleGuyMoney has 5 Tips For Negotiating Your Next Car Purchase.

Credit

Beware the Phantom Credit Check When Opening a Bank Account Nickel from FiveCentNickel warns.

Anna from On a Quest To Be Debt Free says Pay Credit Minimum is one way to Avoid Disaster.

The Frugalisa from The Frugalista Files discusses Movement for credit card forgiveness. Really?

Beating Broke from Beating Broke tells you want to do if you Want a Better Credit Score? Pay on Time.

Real Estate

David from My Two Dollars shows why Buying A Vacation Home But Renting A Primary Home makes sense.

Smarty from Growing Money presents Philadelphia Tenant Saga – Part 3.

Budgeting

Matt from One Million and Beyond presents How I Budget.

Jennifer from Finding Financial Peace has what she calls A Surprising (But Essential) Budgeting Tool.

Finance

Ever wonder where your tax dollars and insurance premiums go? Henry Stern from InsureBlog explains it in Easy Come, Easy Go.

Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life discusses How The State of The Economy Has Affected My Financial Goals.

Other

The election isn’t here yet, but Mr. ToughMoneyLove from Tough Money Love says you can Plan Your Wealth Preservation Options in a Post-Election Economy now.

Consumer Headaches? VH from Funny about Money show 15 ways to get help.

MBHunter from Mighty Bargain Hunter notices Magazine shipping charge squeeze on eBay, though nobody wants to lose money on sales.

ls Poor the new affluence? LAL from LivingAlmostLarge wants to know.

Ashley from Wide Open Wallet presents Should you care how your parents spend their money?

Tanesha Morgan from Personal Financwe Analyst discusses McDonalds Monopoly and A Cash Windfall.

Randall from Credit Withdrawal wants to know Can They Fire Me For Being Sick?

Next week’s Carnival of Personal Fiance will be hosted at The Digerati Life. Be sure to submit your article. Again, thanks for your participation!

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