Yakezie Carnival -The Fincon12 Edition

When the entire personal finance blogging community is in Fincon12 at Denver, it feels a bit awkward to be left out of the party. The same old job excuse which no body wants to listen to any more is the excuse for me this time as well, like Fincon 11. To become a successful blogger you got to attend those conferences.

While most of the bloggers are in Denver, you may read their recent blog posts in this awesome carnival. Hope you’ll get values out of these personal finance advices.

Greg @ Club Thrifty writes Separate Finances: A Recipe for Marital Disaster – Keeping separate finances in a marriage seems to be a trendy thing to do these days. Here is why that decision is a disaster waiting to happen.

James Petzke @ This Is Common Cents writes REIT’s: Hassle Free Real Estate Investing – REIT’s can be an easy way to enter the real estate market.

Lance @ Money Life & More writes Combat Lifestyle Inflation: Save Half of Every Raise for Retirement! – I decided I was going to be prepared for retirement after seeing all of the headlines in the news of people not having nearly enough money for retirement. Obviously you have to have enough money saved to cover your income needs while you’re retired. Something a lot of people don’t think of is the fact that the lower your income needs are the less money you have to save for retirement.

Mich @ BeatingTheIndex writes Marquee Energy: Michichi Results Impress – Marquee is an undervalued junior producer that recently disclosed strong well results at Michichi. Discover a resource play with one of the best capital efficiencies in the WCSB.

Roshawn Watson @ Watson Inc writes The Art of Doing Less – Should you be getting more bang for your buck, time, or other resource? Here’s how you can have a lot more with less by visualizing your future, determining your core contribution, and investing in yourself.

Roshawn Watson @ Watson Inc writes The Art of Doing Less – Should you be getting more bang for your buck, time, or other resource? Here is how you can have a lot more with less by visualizing your future, determining your core contribution, and investing in yourself.

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes Buying Dividend Stocks/ETF’s – Have you considered buying dividend paying investments? Find out why I chose to do it and how it can benefit you.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes The US Middle Class is Losing the Labor Competition with the Middle Class of the World – Find out how the US middle class is failing in comparison to the rest of the world.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Don’t Let Fear Sucker You Into Payment Protection – Financial institutions love to use fear in order to sucker people into signing up for products or service that you really don’t need.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Four Tips For College – Here are four tips to help navigate you through your college career and avoid college debt.

Ryan @ Early Retirement Investments writes An Introduction to Critical Illness Cover – Not familiar with Critical Illness Cover? Then read about this topic to find out!

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Four reasons for not automating our car and home insurance – Automating bills is a great time saver but it can also make us neglect information. Here are four reasons not to automate car and home insurance.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes The Rich Are Getting Richer – A recent study found that The Rich (the top 10 Percent incomes) increased their income by one-third from 1985 through 2010. The speed at which incomes increased for those earning more increased at a faster pace over the same time period.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes What’s The Difference Between an Authorized User and a Joint Account Holder? – After Lauren and I joined our finances, next up were the credit cards. Did we want to add her as an authorized user or as a joint account holder?

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes How Many Vacation Are Too Many Vacations? – I’ve been vacationing too much this year, and it’s showing, ready my views on too much vacationing!

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes How To Stop Being a Pushover – I wrote a guest post for Cordelia Calls it Quits early this year about quitting being a pushover.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Interest Rates Have Moved Higher: What That Means for Bond Investors – A look at how a large move higher in interest rates has affected bond investors in some of the major segments of the bond market.

TRL @ The Retired Landlord writes Biggest Mistake in Real Estate Investing – Do you want to avoid the most common mistake in real estate investing? Find out what it is so you can stay clear.

Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy writes The End of Summer Draws Near and a Financial Update – Take a look at my checkbook to see how I’m doing financially! Lurkers welcome!

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes How Living In Debt Can Put You Behind – Having a considerable amount of debt puts you at a huge disadvantage to achieving financial security. Find out why you should avoid debt.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes 5 Ways to Keep Expenses Low as an Entrepreneur – Read these 5 ways to keep expenses low as an entrepreneur, see if you are skipping any savings!

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Credit Cards – How and WHY You should Use Them – Find out why you should use credit cards and why you could be hurting your finances if you are avoiding them to control spending.

Ray @ Squirrelers writes Traveling and Location Independence are Overrated – I enjoy traveling and have done my fair share of it, but is it as important as some folks want to believe? Likewise, is “location independence” really practical?

Jason @ Work Save Live writes Why Are Credit Cards Bad? – Are Credit Cards Bad? For years of my life I swallowed that large Dave Ramsey pill. I’m not going to lie, I learned how to budget, build up an emergency fund, started saving for retirement, and we began slowly working our way out of debt.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made? – Are entrepreneurs born or made? There are so many college classes teaching entrepreneurship, I thought I would ask the question. See I grew up in an entrepreneur incubator! Both my parents had thriving businesses and did not have the benefit of any college classes in entrepreneurship.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes Starting a Budget – Budgeting is an important financial tool to accomplish what you want. Start prioritizing your spending and save up for what you really want to do, like travel.

L Bee @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes GUEST POST-Invest in what you understand. – This is great investing advice, and one that even Warren Buffett follows! – Invest in what you understand.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Some Tips on Tipping – A guide on how to tip in a way that will ensure good service and allow you to treat those who deserve tips pro

Shawanda @ You Have More Than You Think writes My Top 10 Most Favorite Frugal Things (An Update) – In early 2010, I shared My Top 10 Most Favorite Frugal Things. A lot has changed since then.

Rich @ Growing Money Smart writes Why Being Rich Is Not The Same As Being Upper Middle Class – Being rich or making more money than the average person doesn’t make you automatically “upper middle class”! See if you agree!

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes My Sincerest Apologies To Mark Zuckerberg – I’ve been kinda hard on Facebook recently and most of it has been unwarranted. Facebook has lost about half of it’s value since it’s IPO earlier this year, but who’s fault is that? The people that have been most affected by (and responsible for) this drop have no affiliation with the company.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Did Summer Keep You From Budgeting? – Find out how to balance enjoying yourself in the summer and sticking to your budget. I think you will find simplicity is key.

evan @ My Journey to Millions writes Refinance Roadblocks – Perfect credit, spotless payment record, and 12 years at the same job (proof of ability to pay,) and I never imagined it’d be so impossible to take advantage of the record low interest rates. But after 2 failed attempts to lower our rate on our mortgage I had to come up with a new plan.

Jason @ Live Real, Now writes Unlicensed Health “Insurance” – Really, the best way to judge if something is a scam is to go with your gut. Does it feel like a scam? Do you feel like you’re getting away with something? Does it sound too good to be true? To recap: health care/prescription discount plans = bad juju.

Beating Broke @ Beating Broke writes Motif Investing – If investing seems like a big confusing mess to you, you might want to check out Motif Investing. I like the idea, and having some knowledge behind the stock picking is always a good thing. I’m not sure that too many seasoned investors will be picking up the idea, simply because most of them know how to do their research, and usually have a set way they go about investing.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Social Freedom, I Am No Longer Bound By Social Norms – Social Freedom, I Am No Longer Bound By Social Norms! Find out how I now consider myself free form social norms, and why this is desirable!

John @ Married (with Debt) writes What’s Next? – Many of you have been asking what we will do with our money now that we are debt free minus the house. This is also something I’ve asked myself. In the short term, I plan on saving every penny to build up an emergency fund of three Thanks for reading the RSS version of What’s Next? which originally appeared at Married (with Debt) Please click through to comment if you enjoyed!

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Would You Boycott Chick-Fil-A? – Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy pissed off the left when he came out against same-sex marriage, but will a boycott of his restaurant change change anything?

IMB @ Investing Money writes Keeping Investment Fees Low – Find out why investment fees matter and how to evaluate which passive fund is better.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Maternity Leave in America – “We made a mistake on your paperwork,” the woman from the HR department at my work said in the most inanely chipper voice. My baby girl was a mere seven weeks old, and I hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in nearly two months, so her peppiness – just as much as her words –…

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes What are Credit Unions?? – Not for the Profit Cooperative Credit Unions are not for the Profit Cooperative serving groups or members who have something in common such as employment in a company, membership in an association or residence in a particular Geographic area. More than 82 millions of US citizens are members of Credit Unions.

Robert @ My Multiple Incomes writes August 2012 Multiple Income Stream Report – Like I mentioned above, you can see that August was a much more normal month for me and my sites. What I like about this report the most is that it really highlights multiple income streams. Check out how my income breaks down as a percentage by category:

Robert @ The College Investor writes Is Being a Millionaire That Big of a Deal? – It used to be that being a millionaire was a huge deal – I mean, you were considered rich. But now, is having a million dollars that big of a deal?

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes SMART Goals Across the Spectrum – I first read about the SMART goal setting process on a few other Yakezie personal finance blogs but I never really used this method for myself. Once I revised the goal spreadsheets for my e-book, I went ahead and tested it out helping me really focus on saving money

Mr. Money @ Smart on Money writes Why You Should Have Life Insurance Even If You Are Young and Healthy with No Dependents – The thing is, even if you’re young and healthy there may be quite a few good reasons for you to buy good term life insurance. It isn’t just for old people, you know!

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes I Do Not Feel Money Guilt – Stop whining if you refuse to do anything about your current situation. I do not feel guilty about having what I work to have. I do not feel money guilt.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Are You Ready to Invest in a Rental Property? – Invest in a rental property can be an excellent investment, you need to make sure that you enter into it with both eyes open and a clear idea of what could go wrong.

Aloysa @ My Broken Coin writes Work. Life. Balance. Hell. – Currently, I am really juggling things! Read about my struggles to keep everything in the air!

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes How Telecommuting Can Save You Money (and Help the Environment) – Today’s technology makes telecommuting much easier than it was in yesteryear. Companies recognize work life balance and a growing need to remove cars from the road.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes The Best Financial Move A Young Adult Can Make Get A J-O-B! – I just had a birthday last week which always gives you a chance to take stock on where you are and where you are going.

BARBARA FRIEDBERG @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes HOW TO GET A BIG PAY RAISE WITHOUT USING THE BRIEFCASE TECHNIQUE – A unique way to get a big pay raise in any economy.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Financially Limiting Your Partner – This is a difficult topic to cover. I’ve hesitated each time I have attempted to write this article over the last six months. Read why you may have to limit your partner!

Kanwal @ Simply Investing writes When It Comes to Investing, Should You Ignore the Media? – Should you ignore the media? By media I mean television, radio, magazines, newspapers and internet news, and financial analysts. When it comes to investing your hard earned money, the answer is “yes”! If you want to invest successfully you need to learn to ignore the media, there is just too much noise out there.

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes 11 Things You Should Do With Your Money – Ever think What should I do with my money? No? Is it more like Where did all my money go? Either way here is a list of 11 things you should do with

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes A Real-Life Story of Passive Income – Have you ever thought about how people are generating passive income? Is it all just a hoax or are there actually people sitting on the beach

Drew @ Objective Wealth writes ‘Emergency Fund Man’ To The Rescue! – A true life story on why having an emergency fund reveals much about the nature of personal finance, controlling your emotions and the need to practice what you preach.

MMD @ My Money Design writes Status Update – Being Fired Over Facebook Rants – Don’t sabotage your career and get fired over Facebook rants. Here are a few simple pieces of advice for keeping yourself in check with social media.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes A Perfect Alpine Getaway – If you’re looking to minimize your impact on the environment during your holiday, one possible option could be to consider spending some time in the idyllic Kitzbuhler Alps. Compare Niederau holidays to jetting off somewhere further afield and you might be pleasantly surprised at just how eco-friendly your entire stay could be.

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes Dividend Income – August 2012 – Like regular clock work, August provided me with another string of dividends. Aside from dividend increases or switching to higher yield investments, the only way to increase your dividends is to invest more money. Over the past 4 months, I was adding to my Computershare and CanStock accounts but this month, I added to one of my REIT holding; Cominar REIT (CUF.UN).

Cash Flow Mantra @ Cash Flow Mantra writes Satisfaction from a DIY Toilet Repair – After replacing all the hardware associated with a toilet tank, making 3 trips to Lowe’s and spending $36, I managed to stop the leak. Once I had everything together, it only took me about 20 minutes to replace all the pieces and put it back together. But figuring it all out and deciding what I needed to do did take a little bit of time. Nevertheless, it is a satisfying feeling knowing that it would have cost a minimum of $75 just to have a plumber come and look at the leak.

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes Buying Our First House: Other Costs – The house is pretty much move-in ready, but we need to get a couple of pieces of drywall for the garage, get a new cellphone, plumb the kitchen for an ice……

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes How to Buy Private Stock – Most people are aware that it’s possible to buy stock in various companies with the hope of it going up in value. However it’s not correct to say that all stock is the same. There are two types of stocks – public and private stocks. Public stocks are the ones most people are familiar with.

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes Frugal Living Made Easy – Frugal living is all about making informed and deliberate choices in how to spend money. In other words, frugality allows me to get more value for my hard earned dollar and who wouldn’t want that?

JP @ My Family Finances writes How Does the Average Family Deal with Increasing Gas Prices – As gas prices shoot into the sky, families seek ways to deal with painful trips to the pump.

Sean @ One Smart Dollar writes the Automatic Millionaire Book Review – One of the most popular personal finance books is The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. Here is my review on how this book can help you.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Top 10 Cheapest Activities to do with the Kids this Summer – Did you know that there are tons of cheap summer activities you can do with your family? With a little creativity, summer can be quite cheap!

PK @ Don’t Quit Your Day Job… writes Stop Buying Dividend Stocks! – There’s a real possibility that a lot of carefully laid dividend plans will come to an abrupt ending with the new year. Watch your portfolio, and read more about the dividend cliff.

Sicorra @ Tackling Our Debt writes My Adventures in Europe – Traveling between the UK and anywhere in Europe is quite cheap. You can either fly for next to nothing or take the train. Having discovered this I made a plan to…

Jessica @ Budget for Health writes Our Rainy Day Fund – Why have a rainy day fund? I’ll share my own reasons along with stories of friends who recently tapped into their fund.

J.P. @ Novel Investor writes How To Invest In Your 20s – Learning how to invest isn’t complicated. There are no hidden secrets to investing success. It’s just a common sense guide to good financial habits.

Dr. Dean @ The Millionaire Nurse writes Three Ways Exercising Can Make and Save You Money – Yes getting off your duff and getting all sweaty can save you money as well as your life. Here are three financial reasons to get started

J.P. @ Novel Investor writes How To Invest In Your 20s – Learning how to invest isn’t complicated. There are no hidden secrets to investing success. It’s just a common sense guide to good financial habits.

harry campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes AMEX Twitter Sync Promotion: How I Turned $180 at Best Buy Into $200 in Amazon Gift Certificates – After two years of churning credit cards for sign-up bonuses, I’ve amassed quite a collection of cards. I’m almost embarrassed by how many I now have, but one great benefit of having so many cards is the ongoing promotions. With some companies you might save a couple dollars here, or get a discount there, but one company stands above the rest when it comes down to promotions for current card members: American Express.

Will @ http://hackingthebank.com writes Combining Finances Before Marriage – “You shouldn’t combine your finances before marriage.” That’s the traditional finance advice. But how good is that advice? With 60% of couples now cohabitating before marriage, and so many marriages ending due to financial issues, maybe a trial of combined finances makes sense.

Jeremy @ Modest Money writes On The Road Again – Managing Your Finances On Your Travels – Life on the road can wipe out your life savings in what seems like no time at all. However, there are a few ways to reduce your costs so that you can travel for longer on less money, making your return that little bit easier.

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes August 2012 Month in Review: Money – Our spending was a bit looser in August, especially because we moved – but we managed to squeak by in the black!

Deacon @ Well Kept Wallet writes Sell Unused Items to Pay Off Debt – When you are trying to get out of debt selling items around the house can help out tremendously. There could be multiple items sitting in closets, cabinets or storage rooms that could be sold to help expedite paying off your debt. Here are some guidelines that I used when selling items to become debt-free.

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes Motif Investing Review – Looking for a new way to invest? How about investing in one particular subject area? Take a look at our Motif Investing review and see how you could be investing differently.

Jefferson @ See Debt Run writes The Cost of Pet Ownership – A glimpse into the world of pet ownership costs. Adding a furry friend to your family can be quite pricey, and if you are struggling, you might want to find a cheaper alternative.

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