This week I’m hosting the Carnival of Financial Planning. Please take a look at some of the great submissions from this week in personal finance. I’ve highlighted my favorite articles in the Editor’s Picks Section.
I also wanted to update everyone on FinCon 2014 in New Orleans: I’ll be attending my first FinCon! For those who don’t know, FinCon is a financial bloggers conference held every fall at a different location around the country. I wasn’t able to go last year due to a triple birthday party in Vegas but this year I couldn’t say no to New Orleans! I’ve always wanted to go to NOLA and I actually thought about holding my bachelor party there but flights ended up being too expensive.
At least this time around, all my flights and meals will be tax-deductible 🙂 To be honest, I’m more excited about meeting all the people I interact with online in person and seeing what they’re like in real life. Networking is a big part of being a blogger and we’ll be doing a lot of networking at this conference(translation: we’ll be at the bar drinking a lot).
I look forward to seeing everyone there and if you’re on the fence, sign up for the Barlcay Arrival Card and use it to knock $440 off the cost of your trip, that’s what I’m doing!
EDITOR’S PICKS
Pauline @ Savvy Scot writes Savvy Shopping: How to Save Money on Quality Items – We all want to get the best buy for our money. No one wants to be stuck with cheap stuff, because that’s all they can afford. The trick to saving money on quality items is to buy them secondhand or at close-out prices.
Jacob @ Cash Cow Couple writes Barclay Rewards – Barclay offers a great travel rewards bonus for cardholders
Glen @ Glennalicious.org writes How To Start A Blog – Entrepreneurship is the life blood of America’s economy and many of us long for the day to be self-employed. If you’ve ever thought about starting a blog, why not check out this step-by-step guide? Starting a blog and making money online isn’t easy and no one can promise you’ll be successful, but it is cheap and there are low barriers to entry. Learn how to start one here.
Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes What is Credit Card Churning? – You’ve been asking me, “What is Credit Card Churning?” so here are all the details including tips on whether or not it’s for you.
BUDGETING AND ECONOMICS
Stefanie @ Debt BLAG writes #FML Finance – There are two ways to react to F-word-My-Life moments in finance: wallow, which leads to stewing in self-pity and crippling inaction or respond strongly, emotionally, knee-jerk response, which rarely leads to good decision-making
Amy @ Money Mishaps writes When talking about Debt, do the numbers matter? In a word, maybe… – Most of the words that characterize debt are relative, to say the least. Big, crushing, manageable and others give a relative idea about the amount of debt that an individual has but the question remains; what, exactly, constitutes a lot of debt?
Jason @ The Money Makers writes Zimmerman Wins Lottery: A Prank, but What Are the Real Odds of Winning? – Satirical reports regarding George Zimmerman have been misconstrued as factual by several media outlets, which have led to the belief that the man who killed Trayvon Martin is now a multimillionaire due to a lucky lottery ticket.
Monica @ Monica On Money writes Free Valentine’s Day Gifts, #7 Is My Favorite – Looking for frugal Valentine’s Day gifts? Did you forget to budget for Valentine’s Day this month?
Jessica @ Budget for Health writes I canceled my gym membership – After 2 years at a gym I love I decided to cancel my membership and set up a new game plan to stay fit after having our baby girl January 2014.
Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes Money Saving Tips For College Students – Most students have experienced the difficulty of saving money from over the summer at their summer jobs. Usually the amount of money parents give them is just right for their needs and other school-related things and when there is something left, it is not enough for the personal purchases the students want to make.
CAREER AND INCOME
Gretchen @ Retired by 40! writes Why Do I Support A Valentine’s Day Splurge? – Sometimes, spending money is worth it!
Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Internships and Other ‘Experiences’ – I’m working on a project to get more grad students to do internships or have other career-developing experiences. How have you benefited from such experiences?
Alexa @ Single Moms Income writes How to Start a Side Business in One Hour Per Day – If you have been wanting to start a side business but feel like you do not have enough time, you probably do.
DEBT AND CREDIT
Lily @ Paying Debt Down writes What are the best deals at your local Dollar Store? – Dollar stores are popping up like mushrooms all over the country and while they certainly are an excellent place to find good deals on a number of different things, they also happen to sell quite a bit of junk.
Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes How to Get Rid of Debt on Your Own – There is no easy way to get rid of debt. You have several options, each come with their own set of pros and cons. Here is how to get rid of debt on your own.
Josh @ Modest Money writes How Important Is It To Have A Credit Card? – Many of us may take credit cards for granted. Learn just how important it is to have a credit card. Also read about who shouldn’t have a credit card.
Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Strategies for Paying Down Debt and Saving for Retirement – Obviously, having little to no debt frees up money needed to save, but both can be done simultaneously.
INVESTING AND SAVING
Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes How To Become A Stock Market Millionaire – Do you want to become a stock market millionaire? I have outlined the entire process of becoming a stock market millionaire in this post.
Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes Seven Painless Ways To Save Money – People find it hard to save money. Here are 7 painless ways to do it.
Mrs. Accountability @ Out of Debt Again writes Just Because It’s a Business Expense Doesn’t Mean You Should Buy It – Some people who go into business for themselves do everything right from the start.
Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Cheap and Easy Home Security – A raccoon or some other nighttime creature scared the bejeezus out of me a couple of weeks ago.
Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes What Holds You Back from Your Financial Goals? – If personal finance truly is simple, then why do so many struggle to meet financial goals? What is holding us back and preventing us from making progress?
Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Fun Olympic Facts for Friday – A short list of some interesting and fun facts related to the Olympics and the Sochi Olympics in particular, to start the games off right.
IMB @ Investing Money writes Investing in Cloud Storage Stocks – Cloud storage can be compared to storage boxes – it is also a potential money maker! Read here for information on investing in cloud storage stocks.
Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Lifestyle Check List: New Year, New Me – As expected with the tradition of New Year, many of us have set ourselves resolutions, all of which are designed to help improve our lives in some way. Most commonly we look at more aesthetic ways to better ourselves, we diet, exercise, clear out the wardrobe, and try to cut down on alcohol and cigarettes.
JP @ My Family Finances writes Scam Prevention Tips for Seniors – Unfortunately, there are people out there who try to scam senior citizens out of money.
Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes An Interview With Jeff Rose of Good Financial Cents! – Finally got up my second video interview! This is an interview with Jeff Rose of Good Financial Cents, he shares about his super cool part time job plus…
Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes Understanding Budgeting Loans – If you are considered low-income and have a financial emergency, you may be able to borrow money from the government.
Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes 50 Tips to Improve Your Financial Health in 2014 – Part Five – We have 10 more tips that will help you to clean up your financial act this year and help you to meet all of your financial goals.
Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes Career changes that don’t involve getting a college degree or other big money investments – Let’s face it, whenever you hear somebody talking about making a career change it usually involves going back to school or making another large investment in time and money.
Katie @ IRA Basics writes The Secret of Saving for Your First Deposit – Are you ready to become a homeowner and do not fancy a no-deposit home loan? Then the biggest obstacle standing in your way is the first deposit or down payment.
Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes How to Budget for Unexpected Expenses – This winter has been brutal. Extremely brutal. And I am not just talking about the extreme cold, but the record snowfall as well. Let’s just say that I have spent more time indoors in the last 2 months, than I have in all of 2012-2013 combined.
writing2reality @ Write Your Own Reality writes It Ain’t Just Money – Goals for 2014 – After a successful year of passive income in 2013, I put together my 2014 goals for passive income and a bonus blogging traffic goal!
RISK MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE
Bryan @ MCI123 writes How To Compare Car Insurance – To find the best car insurance, consumers must learn it isn’t all about price. There are many factors that affect your rates and if you aren’t picking your policy wisely or adding the wrong types of coverage, naturally, your premiums will be high. In this guide, we discuss the different types of coverage available and list the most common kinds of discounts to help you compare quotes.
REAL ESTATE AND PROPERTY
Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes How to Save a Million Dollars Working Part-Time – So, here s the deal. All of that money-making crap you see on TV about no money down real estate, making millions with candle-stick stock trading, and free money from the government is essentially worthless.
Maria @ The Money Principle writes Tips for first time buyers – Last week I wrote about UK housing issues following a meeting to which I was invited. A panel of experts spoke about housing with particular focus on the problems facing first time buyers. The panel was chaired by Sarah Smith from Channel 4 TV. Read more for great tips.
Kurt Fischer @ Money Counselor writes My Mother Never Warned Me That She’d Die Someday – My mother named me Executor of her will and designated me her Attorney-in-Fact if she became incapacitated, which she did. I should have prepared better.
RETIREMENT AND TAXATION
Oscar @ Money is the Root writes Should you be using Mint, the free online personal finance service? – One of the main points that we constantly try to make here on our blog is that everyone should have (and use) a budget to keep their spending in line and adequately fund their emergency, retirement and other savings accounts.
Sam @ The New Business Blog writes Top 5 Mobile Signature Apps – While digital signatures have existed for a while, it is only in the last decade that they have become accepted worldwide as a legal alternative to the standard hand written signature.
Gabe @ Accounting 101 writes Tax Preparation Help – Tax season is just around the corner, so make sure to file your return properly.
Track All Your Accounts With Personal Capital

Steve @ 2014 Taxes writes 3 Reasons Why Doing Your Taxes Early Is Beneficial – There is one thing in life that almost everyone hates equally. You probably already guessed it as well since the answer is taxation.
Thanks for including my piece on my issues related to my mother’s recent passing. That was a tough one to write.
Thanks for mentioning my post!
Shoot man, I don’t even get pingbacks from stupid WordPress most of the time. Thanks for the shout out here. We’re travel hacking partners in crime now!
Haha yes we are 🙂 Someone’s gotta pay for my 2 week European honeymoon.
Cheers intended for including our bit on our concerns linked to our mother’s recent moving. That was a difficult one to write.