Spring Has Sprung – Carnival of Personal Finance #199

I thought it would be nice to have a pleasant, non-investing-related theme today since normally this blog is all about investing – more specifically it’s a learn to invest blog for learning the basics of investing.  If this is your first time here then feel free to poke around – all the articles are nice and short!

Back to the “spring” theme – one of my favorite parts of spring is seeing all the bulbs spring up into beautiful flowers.  Here are the editor’s picks for this carnival – the “tulips of the carnival”:

• Moolanomy put together an excellent guide to college savings.
• No Debt Plan lists 7 reasons you are still unemployed. Some very good tips if you are looking for a job.
• Darwin’s Finances did a very good explanation of how to lock in profits from employee stock options.
• Erica Biz wonders why so few of us save for retirement.
• Credit Tool Box tells Dave Ramsey to go to hell.
• Fabulously Broke in the City says that forgetting about Earth hour is no big deal. It’s what you do the rest of the year that matters.
• Growing Money has learned the hard way 5 myths about owning a rental property.
• Search Light Crusade rental fraud, landlord fraud and prospective tenant scams. An interesting scam to watch out for.
• Consumerism Commentary has the number 1 frugality tip – don’t be a woman!

I like daffodils because they are one of the first big spring flowers to appear.

• Dough Roller did a book review on “Debt cured by Kevin Trudeau” Hint – don’t waste your time reading it (the book – not the post).
• The Strump explains why executive pay is so high.
• Triaging My Way to Financial Success has written the complete corporate bond investment guide.
• Million Dollar Journey wrote about the purpose of money.
• Four Pillars had some thoughts about the car companies and their problems.
• Being Frugal wrote about how to get out of debt.
• Pimp Your Finances did a very interesting interview with Ramit Sethi. The “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” dude.
• Bargaineering did a comprehensive post called how to budget.
• Bible Money Matters wonders if in-store credit card offers getting more aggressive. Sounds like this store is going overboard.
• Financial Highway explains what bonds are.
• Squawkfox has 8 keywords that will set your resume on fire.
• Punch Debt in the Face says that working at McDonalds is ok.
• The Strump considers 5 issues when purchasing a condo.
• Dividends Value put together an interesting history on Raul Alvarez. If you don’t know the name then find out – hint, you’ve probably eaten some of his food.

Robins are one of the traditional “first signs of spring”.

• Frugal Dad asks should parents pay off their kids credit card debt?
• Canadian Dream wonders if saving too much is a good idea. A bit of balance is always a good thing.
• Budgets are Sexy wants to know how many paychecks are you away from $hittown? A very good argument for having an emergency fund of some sort.
• Free Money Finance has a 7 word magic weapon to use when negotiation – I need to try this one.
• My Journey to Millions says don’t bother chasing higher interest rates. It just isn’t worth it for most people.
• Bizzia suggests 3 stocks that will benefit from the recession.
• Steve Schoenly says that private schools are hurting America. Hmmm…this writer seems familiar…
• Wealth Pilgrim suggests that you need a wall between you and your investments.
• Amateur Asset Allocator analyzes when should you sell a losing mutual fund. Pretty timely advice.
• The Intelligent Speculator is thinking about investing in Citibank. But not for long.
• The Skilled Investor tells us that most individual investors are poor investment portfolio managers.
• Cash Money Life hates doing taxes!!
• Happiness is better gives 5 reasons why you shouldn’t have a store front.
• My Life ROI analyzes subscription length. He says to consider lifetime subscriptions.

Ahh…the good ol’ flooded basement.  I don’t really associate this with spring since our basement floods every time it rains – regardless of the season!

• Savings Not Shoes wonders if being too frugal was making her fat. Apparently free food isn’t that healthy.
• My Two Dollars says that hybrid cars are about doing the right thing.
• Riscario Insider has 3 lessons from a popcorn farm.
• Weakonomics explains how the government prints money.
• My Dollar Plan has come up with 12 ways to generate more income.
• Total Candor answers the question should I put my house in a revocable trust?
• One Caveman reflects on 4 months without cable.
• Prime Time Money shows how to open a Roth IRA for the first time.
• Tough Money Love has tax prep tips for procrastinators.
• Go To Retirement says that low cost investments perform as well as high cost investments.
• Mr. Credit Card asks can your spouse handle your credit accounts?
• Bad Money Advice says you might already be prepared for inflation.
• Good Financial Cents answers 10 questions about college savings plans (529).
• Consumer Boomer says that the government should have let GM go bankrupt.
• Finance for Physicians covers car insurance.
• Behaviour Gap talks about the simplicity premium. You pay for financial advice in order to keep things simple for yourself.
• My Findependance Day says to understand what you invest in!
• Studenomics suggests some ways to ensure your hobbies don’t become too expensive.
• Dividend Growth Investor says use DRIPs for faster compounding of dividends.
• Funny About Money wrote about being laid off.

Mountain river in the spring.  Athabascan river on a nice spring day near Jasper, Alberta.

• Our Financial Planner explains dollar cost averaging.
• Momma’s Blog asks why couponing has to be so complicated.
• Plink Plink says to plan for the future now and live for the moment later.
• The Financial Blogger reports that Primerica is not for sale anymore. It was bought by Buffett!!
• Christian Financial Help says that money alone won’t solve money problems.
• Free From Broke explains why he is selling his house before buying another.
• Sound Money Matters says if you have money to spare, donate to charity.
• Money Under 30 explains what to do when you owe taxes and can’t pay.
• Get Money Energy has 8 ways to prosper regardless of the economy.
• Counting My Pennies has the plight of the 20 somethings.
• Young Cash Cow has some suggestions on dealing with customer service.
• The Dividend Guy Blog suggest you should hold some cash in your investment portfolio.
• Chief Family Officer has some suggestions for the latest tax cut money.
• Rate Nerd write about how to protect children from identity theft.
• The Might Bargain Hunter debates debt reduction vs retirement savings.
• Family Balance Sheet ponders living on half their budget.
• Suburban Dollar counts up 3 simple ways to automatically increase your savings.
• Spiffy Links says it makes sense to pay off a zero interest loan.
• Thornton Wealth Management says that FreeCreditReport.com is not free.
• Money Beagle saved some money with 1 click.
• Automatic Finances has 3 ways the rich manage money better than you do.
• Destroy Debt answers some questions about debt collectors.

These dainty snowdrops are usually among the first signs of color in the spring.

• The Digerati Life has some suggestions for preventing identity theft.
• The Smarter Wallet talks about S&P 500 Index and oil market trends.
• My Money Minute says his taxes are done using TurboTax.
• The Happy Rock informs us that the penny is being retired.
• M is for Money – first time home buyers.
• Six bubbles has making decisions, risk aversion and rationality utils.
• Stretchy Dollar talks about financial independence.
• Personal Finance Analyst has suggestions for cutting your cable bill.
• My Wealth Builder says to keep track of your charitable donations.
• Think Your Way to Wealth wants you to protect your greatest asset – your ability to earn income.
• Man vs Debt figures out the real price of spending while in debt.
• Sun Financial has some last minute tax deals.
• Financial Methods has 5 ways to force yourself to save.
• Blue Jeans Millionaire tells us about individual development accounts.
• The Canadian Finance Blog shows how to improve your credit score.

Finally, we have the pretty crocus – they don’t last long but they make a big impression.

• Wallet Pop reviews the The Redneck Bank.
• Fine Tuned Finances says that insurance-fraud related arson cases are skyrocketing.
• Dollar Frugal saved money by getting an old router to work again.
• Switch to Riches suggests that zero balance credit card can help with your debt.
• Buy My Stock Picks advises that stocks are a buy in 2009.
• The Inside Guide Today says that you might procrastinate on taxes because of your city.
• Passive Family Income talks about managing your retirement savings.
• Fiscal Fizzle tells us how to handle a pay cut.
• Greener Pastures does her passive income review for April.
• Credit Card Assist has 4 steps to protecting your money from identity theft.
• No Load Index Mutual funds says to buy index funds directly.
• 401k Planning says that savvy credit card use can enhance savings.
• Independend Beginnings says you should track your finances on the computer.
• Harvesting Dollars says to create a budget before college for after college.
• Bill Eater has 5 tips for keeping down your tax bill.
• Debt Consolidation talks about loans.
• American Consumer News has noticed that his junk mail pile is higher.
• Discover Debt Freedom shows how to create a credit card repayment plan.

Photo credits: robin,wet basement, snowdrops