Yakezie carnival – Bringing you awesome since 2010

There is many, many personal finance experts and bloggers around the web. Today, I have the honour of sharing them with your through the Yakezie carnival. The Yakezie Carnival is brought to you to by the network of personal finance bloggers of the Yakezie. If you want to submit your article, feel free to do so over at Blogger Carnivals.

 

 

Investing

IMB @ Investing Money writes Investing in Robotics-2nd Installment – It’s here and growing rapidly. It’s the new robotics revolution. Read here to learn how it affects the job industry, the economy and you in this new age.

Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes 5 Reasons Why Dividend Stocks May Be Better Than Bonds – Bonds can be an important part of an investment portfolio, but there are times when dividend stocks are a better option for many investors. Learn why here.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes How Do I Start Investing With Only $100? – This is my response to a reader that asks “how do start investing with only $100”.

Moneycone @ Money Cone writes My Best Financial Move Of 2013 – Year 2013 was a record year for the stock market. The S&P 500 returned 32.39% last year, including dividends. 2013 was an unusual year for my 401K.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes My Thoughts On High Yield Bonds – High yield bonds have been referred to as “junk bonds,” but that is not the case. They can be a savvy investment for investors who understand the risks.

PK @ Don’t Quit Your Day Job… writes How to Bury Your Fears and Actually Get Started Investing! – Investing: you should think less, and start today. Too many investors shoot themselves in the foot (feet?) with ridiculous strategies that… even if they worked… would be inappropriate for beginners. Join the market and ride the wave.

Dominique Brown @ YourFinancesSimplified writes Bitcoin Price Collapse: Early Warning Sign Or Opportunity? – Is Bitcoin here to stay, was this merely some profit taking by investors before the Christmas holiday, or is this more of an indication of its true value?

Hadley @ Epic Finances writes Should you keep your Mutual Funds? – If you own a lot of mutual funds this next bit of news is not going to exactly make your day. The fact is, the vast majority of them underperform the average return of the stock market.

Oscar @ Money is the Root writes These 10 Mutual Funds have Outdone College Costs over the last 10 Years – Even if you might have paid a hefty commission upfront (and of course taxes along the way) the following 10 mutual funds that we’re going to show you have outpaced the average rise in public college tuition costs over the last 10 years.

Irfan @ Being Investor writes Warren Buffett Investing Quotes – He’s called the oracle of Omaha and has established himself as the greatest investor of all time. He has always been sharing his investing secrets though many forums notably through Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder letters.

Marvin @ Brick By Brick Investing writes Tax Free Municipal Bonds – A detailed description of tax free municipal bonds and how to implement them into your investment portfolio.

Brian Fourman @ Luke1428 writes This One Stock Chart Could Make or Break You Over the Next 20 Years – All stocks and markets have charts that track their historical performance. An investor can learn a great deal about the health of the market by doing some basic technical analysis.

Erastus @ Saving Advice writes Alternative Investments to the Stock Market – If you’re thinking of investing your money, not only consider investing in the stock market as the only option, but also consider; Real Estate, Private Equity, Certificate of Deposit, Peer to Peer, Lending, Fine Art, Hedge Funds, Venture Capital and Commodities as other alternatives.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Would You Use an Alternative Currency? – One of the first rules of investing is that you need to have a degree of diversity in your assets. That way, if something goes wrong with one asset class, you will have another asset available to pick up the slack. But how does that work if most of your assets are denominated in a specific currency?

Gary @ Gajizmo writes Largest Mutual Funds – Planning on investing in the stock market this year? Interested in learning about the largest mutual fund companies in the industry? Here is a list of top mutual funds by assets.

 

Saving

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Getting Specific with Savings Goals for the Year Ahead – We’ve talked before about the idea of setting goals so you can save what you want to save (and ideally more besides). But there is a big difference between setting goals and setting specific goals that are packed with detail.

Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes January Financial Housekeeping – The holidays are over, and now could be a great time to tighten your financial belt. Here are some tips for financial housekeeping that can work right now!

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes When Should I Start Saving for My Childs College Years? – Ways that you can start saving money for your childrens college education. Have you started saving yet?

Brent @ PersonalFinance-Tips writes A Joint Bank Account or Separate Finances? – One of the trickiest decisions you must make when your relationship becomes serious is how you will approach your finances as a couple. Are you going to pool finances, split bills or are you going to keep everything separate? Read our free guide to tackling the tricky issue of handling finances as a loved – up couple in these tough economic times.

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes Online Bank Accounts? Watch out for These Three Hidden Fees – Having an online current account is a wonderful way to store money, save money and pay monthly bills without having to leave the home. However, one should be very cautious about online bank accounts that promise ‘free’ banking or free checking.

Jacob @ AllPersonalFinance writes Rich kids: making your pocket money go further – Pocket money is serious business for children. Whilst adults can earn a real salary, use credit cards, have mortgages and take out loans from business loan companies such as everline.com or utilise the dubious payday loans available.

Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes 10 Cheap Ideas For Keeping Young Kids Entertained – Any parent of toddler to preschool aged kids knows that keeping kids this age entertained requires constant attention. And, I prefer to spend a little money so I can save myself from playing hide and seek for hours on end.

Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes January Financial Housekeeping – Now is the time where we all experience a financial hangover. We have had all too many gingerbread lattes and peppermint chocolate bark.

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes How to Start Saving Money (Even if you’re always broke) – Each month our debt was growing, so how could I save 10% of nothing or $50 we didn’t have? I couldn’t, so I had to come up with another solution to be able to save money even though we were beyond broke.

Mark Ross @ Money Saving Dude writes Why You’re Having Trouble Saving Money And How You Can Fix It – Any one can have trouble saving his or her money. If you know that you have a problem saving your hard-earned money, then you should read this and find the right solution to your problem.

 

Real Estate

Marissa @ Finance Triggers writes The Perks of Living in the Suburbs – More and more people are moving are looking to move out of the city core, find out The Perks of Living in the Suburbs.

 

Loans/Debt

Minimalist @ Minimalist Finance writes How to Help a Loved One Build Up Credit – If you’ve ever gone to get a car loan or a mortgage, you’ll know that credit is very important. Not only does good credit actually grant you the loan, as most companies won’t lend to you without solid credit, but it will also allow you a lower interest rate on a loan.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes What to Consider When Choosing a Credit Card – Credit card offers are thrown at you from every direction. It’s important to choose your card carefully to avoid problems later.

Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes CareOne Debt Relief Review – If you are looking to get out of debt a debt relief service is a viable options. Here is our CareOne Debt Relief Review.

Matt @ Budget Snob writes The Good news about your Credit Score – Whether it is the interest you pay on your mortgage, your ability to get a car loan or being able to get a credit card with an excellent APR, your credit score, and making sure that it is a good one, is vital.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes 8 Strategies for Eliminating Debt – A short guide to strategies for eliminating debt, enabling people to pay their debts off more efficiently and without spending as much money.

Kurt Fischer @ Money Counselor writes The Rolling Jubilee Gives the Gift of Forgiven Debt – A project of Strike Debt!, The Rolling Jubilee uses donations to buy batches of past due medical debt, then “abolishes” it.

Dee @ Color Me Frugal writes 6 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Getting Student Loans – Student loans can be a necessary evil when it comes to getting an education, but they do not come without certain dangers! Here are the top 6 things I wish I would have known before getting student loans.

May @ Messy Money writes The Worst Financial Advice Ever? – Is suggesting that you give Uncle Sam an interest free loan the worst advice ever? Maybe, but for someone who does not have the discipline to save any other way, it might be their only chance.

Jon Haver @ Pay My Student Loans writes Should Parents Pay for College – Before signing any checks or agreements, parents should consider their own futures. Retirement may seem far away, but resist the urge to take funds out of your long-term savings.

Financial Planning

Monica @ Monica On Money writes How To Take Charge Of Your Money – Do you remember your New Year’s Resolution? Was it to Get Out Of Debt? Or Save More Money?

Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes It’s time to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses – More than likely you have heard the phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” more than a few times in your life. What it refers to is the phenomenon of using your neighbors as a standard for which to compare your own life and material goods.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes How Do You Handle Rough Times? – We’ve all had a really bad day…heck, weeks or months can stink too. It could be anything – money problems, relationship problems, illness, etc.

Katie @ IRA Basics writes Benefits of a Budget – Budget. It is a dreaded word, not one that instills ideas of grandeur and immense fun. It is also a word that’s often neglected, an idea that most of us would rather not think about.

Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes Why You Should Start Buying Your Christmas Presents in January – I know, I know! We don’t really want to think about gift giving so soon. Heck, some of us may even have charges from this past Christmas sitting on our credit cards right now. And there is no way that we want to think about spending money on stuff for a holiday that is 11 months away.

Larry @ KrantCents writes How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions and Much More! – Keeping your New Year’s Resolutions is easy! If it is so easy, why do so many people break them every year?

Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes 5 Financial Mistakes You Should Never Make Twice – Everyone makes mistakes at times. The key is to never repeat them. If you’re looking into ways to create a brighter financial future for yourself and your family, read on. Here are 5 financial mistakes you should never make twice.

Adam @ Money Rebound writes How on earth do celebrities go bankrupt? – Reasons why even the biggest celebrities get into huge financial messes.

Andrea @ So Over This writes A New Year Brings New Beginnings – It is officially 2014, and with that comes a sobering hangover from the holiday binge spending! Sure we read the how-to tips on saving money during the holidays, but do we actually follow them?

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Forget the Past and Focus on the Financial Future – You can’t go back in time to correct your financial mistakes — at least not until the time machine is invented. Time to focus on your financial future.

Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes Prepare yourself for Small Business Success in 2014 – as a small business owner, preparing yourself for success is something that should never stop. The thing is, there’s really not much of a difference between the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

JC @ Passive-Income-Pursuit writes 2013 Goals – Full Year Checkup – One year ends and another begins. That’s a perfect time for review of the previous year. I set a lot of goals for 2013 and while some were huge successes there were still some failures. Overall I’m very happy with the way the year turned out.

TTMK @ Tie the Money Knot writes Pay for a Cleaning Service or Do it Yourself? – Dividing up housework in a way that both people are happy with is important in a relationship. Along those lines, would you spend money to get housework done?

Jerry @ Repaid.org writes Time to Remake Your New Year’s Resolutions – Here we are, three weeks into the New Year–have you fudged on all of them yet, or maybe just one or two?

Justin @ Root of Good writes Budgeting For Home Repairs: Lessons Learned Running A Billion Dollar Project – Running a billion dollar project taught me how to properly account for long term replacement costs when the stakes are huge. I apply the same methods used on big projects to estimating the replacement costs on my house for components like the roof, air conditioner, and major appliances.

PFC @ PF Carny writes The Starter Emergency Fund – Sure most people would agree that keeping money set aside in case of emergency is a wise idea. But not everybody has the money or interest needed to have a fully funded emergency fund.

Jen @ Prepping Is Sexy writes Is Prepping Right For You? – Deciding whether or not to be a prepper isn’t always an easy decision for most people, especially with all the negative media attention it gets. It’s so much easier to go about your daily life and pretend nothing bad can never happen.

Alice @ Hurricanes, Panties & Dollars writes The pterodactyl retirement plan – An interesting conversation, a plan to trap a pterodactyl and waking back up in the real world. Plus a fun, catchy video and perhaps a little talk about retirement.

Jack @ Money Saving Ethics writes Quick and Easy Solutions to your Money Resolutions – If you are keen on starting off 2014 with some financial resolutions, the first thing that you should do is set up some systems to help you do them faster and easier.

Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Filling up your days in early retirement – I talked about relationships in early retirement, and now I will share to you how I filled up my days but none of it is an obligation, which is the best part about it!

Pauline @ Savvy Scot writes New year financial bootcamp: save on leisure and entertainment – Now let’s talk about on how to save on leisure and entertainment. You will realize that a lot of it is passive entertainment, like the premium TV you rarely watch or the magazine you never open.

 

Taxes

Steven J Fromm @ Philadelphia Estate and Tax Attorney Blog writes The Biggest (Tax) Loser: Misguided Gifts of Real Estate By Uninformed Do It Yourselfers, Realtors & Attorneys – With no regard to the income tax implications, many times elderly people get the idea that the transfer of real estate to children during their lifetime is a good idea.

Steve @ 2009 Tax to 2014 Tax writes On What Day Will I Be Able To File My Taxes For 2014? – The IRS has set the date to open up their filing season, for year 2014, on January 31st.

Amy @ Money Mishaps writes Little-known Facts about Social Security Benefits – Many Americans truly have no idea how Social Security works besides the very basic information.

writing2reality @ Write Your Own Reality writes 2013 Lending Club Tax Guide – A brief summary of what to expect when you receive your 2013 Lending Club tax forms based on the tax guide released by Lending Club.

Gabe @ Taxes 101 writes CPA advice – Here are some tips and ideas to save money on taxes before April 15.

 

Earning more

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Live By Example: 10 Public Figures Who Overcame Great Financial Problems – From rags to riches – it’s not always a fantasy. Here’s ten famous figures who overcame their financial problems in life – can you be one of them?

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Blog Statistics Update December 2013 – January 2014 – Traffic and earnings reports for the last month.

Dollar @ Easy Extra Dollar writes Different Pages for Different Opportunities – Affiliate Marketing is a pretty good way to start out. Basically, you sell other companies products from your website/blog and those companies pay you a commission of the sale. No muss, no fuss. You don’t handle orders, returns or any of those headaches.

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Starting an Online Business for Fun and Profit – Have you ever thought of starting an online business? If so, there are plenty of benefits for doing so. Read this post for a few of them.

Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes Why it’s a better time than ever to start your own business – There are few things that are more American than someone starting their own business. When you take a look at some of the success stories here in the United States like Mark Cuban, Sam Walton and Bill Gates, it’s easy to see what an excellent idea and a good bit of hard work can accomplish.

Bob @ Dwindling Debt writes Social Security and Part-time Income. What you should know – These days more Americans than ever before are going to be working past the traditional age of retirement. A recent Wells Fargo study of 1000 middle-class Americans showed that nearly 34% of them believe that they’re going to have to work until they reach the tender age of 80 years old.

Jacob @ Cash Cow Couple writes Discover Cash Rewards – If you are looking to save a little money on purchases, take a look at this option.

Sam @ The New Business Blog writes The Secret to Hiring Excellent Talent – Here is a newsflash that many entrepreneurs might not want to hear; it is almost impossible to build a successful business or start up by yourself. Also, it is not the best idea to hire a group of friends or family to help you as usually this ends and family problems and ended friendships.

Pauline @ Make Money Your Way writes Make money with cleaning services – We continues with our series about how to make money with side hustles or small business ideas that do not requires a lot of money down. And today I will share how to make money with cleaning services.

 

Spending less

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes How to Find Great Deals on Vacation and Travel – Most people think that travel is unaffordable and that they lack sufficient knowledge to find bargains. Due to that, they miss out on exciting opportunities of travel and the benefits it brings.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Five Ways to Keep Your Energy Bills Down this Winter – Close the curtains, block the drafts and optimise your radiators; these are some of the ways to keep your energy bills down this winter.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Three Common Budgeting Mistakes to Avoid – Working on a household budget? Read here for three common budgeting mistakes made by people like you.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Saving Money On Your Trip Back To College – When I was in college, the trip back to college cost me a decent amount of money since I lived on the opposite side of the state. But, over the years and trips back and forth, I found a few ways to help me save money, which allowed me more money for late night pizza!

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes How To Save Money – Do you want to learn how to save money? Are you struggling to get by and just want simple steps that will teach you how to save money? I will teach you how to save money.

Tushar Mathur @ Everything Finance writes Ways to Save Money When You Bring Your Baby Home – Preparing to bring your baby home is an exciting and overwhelming experience, especially if it’s your first! Here’s how to save money along the way.

Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes Saving More Does Not Always Mean Spending Less – When people think of saving money, they automatically assume they have to stop spending but saving more does not always mean spending less.

Mr.CBB @ canadian budget binder writes How to handle when your spouse spends too much money – Money can easily become an issue in a marriage when one spouse spends more than the couple earns.

Cindy @ MidLife Finance writes Cruising For The Best Price – Wonderful cruises at rock-bottom prices are possible for you, too — especially when using a few helpful approaches to find the best deals.

Lily @ Paying Debt Down writes Top 2014 Money-Saving Tips – With 2013 coming to a close many people are looking towards 2014 and finally becoming financially independent. The fact is however that while 34% of us set financial goals, only 8% of us actually reach them, at least according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology that was done by the University of Scranton.

Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes I Loved Having a Vacation Budget – I loved having a vacation budget! I saved up $1,500 for this getaway. We ended up spending just around that even with a lot of nice meals and a massage!

Dee @ Color Me Frugal writes I Was Flushing Money Down the Toilet- Literally – Little leaks in your financial plumbing can have a big ripple effect! Find out about one of our recent “leaks.” Could there be a similar leak in YOUR financial plumbing?

John @ Frugal Rules writes I’m On a Mission to Save Money – Making a large purchase, like a house, requires many to save as much as they can. While it may be difficult to spend a significant amount of money with one purchase, you’re well served to save as much as you can for it.

Jason @ The Money Makers writes Tootsie – Does Beauty Have to be Expensive? – Many remember Dustin Hoffman dressed in drag in the classic film Tootsie, a movie that he now says made him realize how many women he’s missed out on meeting in life simply because he judged them by their looks.

Justin @ Edward Antrobus writes Insuring Your First Home – Are you looking to buy your first home in the near future? If so, then congratulations are certainly in order! Being a first-time home owner can be an extremely rewarding experience.

Aaron @ Aaron Hung writes Gift Cards – What’s not to like? – Many people have a negative opinion about Gift Cards. They call them the lazy option and say that they are much too impersonal or that they will just be put aside and forgotten in the sock drawer.

Mario @ Debt BLAG writes How I’ll save $600 by switching from Verizon to T-mobile; or How I left a T-mobile store with MORE money than I came in with without wearing a ski m – The story of how I took advantage of a T-mobile promotion which paid me to switch from Verizon, and will me save over $50 per month

Mark @ Debt, Dividends, & Diversions writes The Case for Buying a New Refrigerator – In this post, we collect power usage data and perform a cost analysis to determine if you can make a financial case for replacing your old refrigerator.

Charles @ Getting A Rich Life writes Why Do You Choose Material Items Over Your Loved Ones? – The average indebted American chooses to spend more than they earn. They have chosen an indebted lifestyle over precious time with family.

Harry Campbell @ Your PF Pro writes My Costly Wedding Mistakes (and How You Can Avoid Them) – “If you’re like that poor young woman in the photo that went viral a few weeks ago, you’re probably glad “engagement season” will be over soon. Don’t get me wrong: getting engaged is fun and exciting time in someone’s life. ”

Harry Campbell @ The Four Hour Work Day writes What’s Wrong With the Bare Minimum? – Going above and beyond the call of duty has never been one of my strong suits. In fact, there aren’t many things that come to mind that I’ve ever really over-achieved at. But I think I’ve done pretty well for myself with this attitude of not wanting to be the best, but also not wanting to be just average. I like being a little bit ahead of the curve but never too far out of sight.

Gary @ MCI123 writes Car Insurance Coverage – Not sure what types of car insurance coverage are available? Maybe you don’t know the difference between liability, comprehensive, collision, GAP, PIP, and full coverage? Check out our 3,000+ word guide on almost every aspect of your auto insurance policy and learn how to protect yourself properly.

 

Fun

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Freaky Friday: Home Design By a Feline – Humorous and somewhat true, here’s what a house might look like if designed by our furry felines

 

Other

Bargain Babe @ BargainBabe.com writes 12 household uses for borax – 12 household uses for borax for cleaning, pest control, managing your garden, and more!

Hank @ Money Q&A writes How To Beat The Airlines During Flight Delays – Nothing is worse on a vacation than a cancelled flight or really long flight delays. Here are a few great tips to beat the airport flight delays.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Living and working in Canadian, American, and Australian mining towns: what are they like? – Canada and the US are home to a number of mining towns and communities. They always have been, since the days of the first pioneers. But modern day mining towns are a far cry away from the Wild West image of hard drinking men, bar room brawls, boom and bust.

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes Reflections On an Indebted Life – I’ve spent a lot of years being in debt. Basically, I’ve been in debt since I left home for college at 17 years old. The thing is, while I was a hard worker but I didn’t have the type of financial education that is shared through generations of wealth building.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes How Much Time Do You Really Waste? – As the age old adage says, ‘time is money and money is time’. If you consider this for a moment, time is really the great equalizer in life.

Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes An Interview with PT Money – My first ever video interview features Philip Taylor of PT Money. PT and I talk about how he got started and his best money advice for teens today.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes If You’re a Professional, Why Are You Broke? – There was a story making the rounds last year about doctors filing for bankruptcy.

David @ Financial Nerd writes Where the Global Economic Center of Gravity is Moving and Why? – Where will the world economy center be in 2025?

Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes EPA states that there was a new Car and Truck Efficiency Record for 2012 – The good news is that, at least here in the United States, fuel economy and efficiency are definitely on the rise while CO2 emissions are on the decline.

Alice @ Drop the Cookies! writes Tracking Weight Loss Successfully – Scales are shifty buggers and there are many other valid and accurate ways to measure your weight loss success. Use as many of these as you can to keep yourself motivated, focused and on track to successful weight loss.

Jerry @ Motive Finance writes What Cars Do the Wealthy Drive? – Bentleys and Ferraris? Not so much. The millioinaires next door rarely drive cars in excess of 30% of their income.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Post Holiday Lifestyle Detox – Sure, I had fun during the holidays, and I’ve very much enjoyed seeing my family and friends, but I am in need of a major detox – of everything.