The Carnival of Personal Finance #129 - World Currencies Edition

By Patrick on Dec 3, 2007 in Personal Finance

Hello everyone, and welcome to the 129th Edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance! This edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance contains 80 wonderful entries to help you learn about personal finance issues, investing, saving, budgeting, and many other great topics. This week’s theme - world currencies. I hope you enjoy this great list of articles, and fun trivia.

The United States Dollar was officially adopted on July 6, 1785 - 9 years after the American declaration of Independence, and 8 years before the British surrendered control of the colonies to the American population. Even with an official currency, silver Spanish coins were legal tender in the US from 1791-1857.*

Editor’s Choice Awards:

• Steve from Brip Blap presents Making Overseas Experience Count. I spent a good bit of time overseas while I was in the USAF and the experience has been invaluable to me. Steve writes, “Just because you spent time overseas in a non-business role doesn’t mean you have to gloss over it on your resume. These experiences can still be powerful resume-boosters if you present them in the right way.” I agree 100%.
• Rob from Two Wise Acres presents 5 Lessons Monopoly Can Teach Us About Real Estate Investing. Anyone can learn real estate investing principles from this classic game.
• Generation X Finance presents A Visual History of the Stock Market: 1996 - 2007. Does the current market situation concern you? Take a look at some historical charts, and you will see it’s all one big cycle.
• Pinyo from Moolanomy presents Using Pareto Principle to Improve Personal Finance. The 80/20 rule is a popular and tested business principle for focusing on the most important factors that deliver the most results. Pinyo uses this principle to provide more insight about his personal finances and spending habits.
• Kay from Don’t Mess With Taxes presents Are credit cards appropriate ‘toys’ for kids?. Wow, this article is an eye-opener. Many toys this holiday season include fake charge and debit cards. I never thought about toy companies making games with credit cards in them - conquering the next set of customers (victims?) before they can even ride a bike. I only add the word victims because children should not learn how to use a credit card from “Material Girl Barbie.”
• Mighty Bargain Hunter presents Invest in yourself by learning things of value, and says, “You can learn how to play Guitar Hero or you can learn how to play the guitar. The choice is yours!”
• Money Walks presents Homeless Guy on Roller Skates Inspires a New Name Brand. I couldn’t figure out how to categorize this entry, then I realized it should be an Editor’s Choice. It touches on career, economics, and self-fulfillment, and is an interesting read.
• paidtwice from I’ve Paid For This Twice Already… presents Budgeting and Time Management: Two Surprisingly Interrelated Skills. There are quite a few correlations between budgeting and time management, and I agree with the biggest difference - you can make more money, but you can’t make more time!
• The Baglady presents When Did the American Dream Become Debt? I wish more people felt this way. Consumerism and consumption is not a dream for me.

There are at least 26 countries that use the term “dollar” to represent their national currency. Some of these include the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Fiji.

Budgeting:

• Climbing Out of Debt presents Avoiding Holiday Overspending.
• Elizabeth from Suburban Wife’s Daily Dollar Diary presents Something Extra to be Thankful For, and says, “It hadn’t occurred to me how much a week’s worth of vacation from school and activities would save us in gasoline and benefit our monthly budget.”
• Grace from GRACEful Retirement presents Miscellaneous?, and says, “Grace wrestles with “what’s in a name” when it comes to budgeting”
• Chief Family Officer presents My 2008 Financial Goal: Pay Cash for a New Car.

The coin as a monetary unit was invented between 643 and 630 BC in Lydia. These first coins were made of electrum, a naturally occurring pale yellow mixture of gold and silver. However, because these coins were a mixture of gold and silver, their value was often hard to determine. As refining processes improved, pure gold and silver coins became more common.

Career:

• Money $ Liberty presents Know how your company makes money. Solid info for anyone looking to advance in their career.
• American Entrepreneurship presents Make Money on Your Lazy-Boy by Becoming an At Home Customer Service Agent.
• Golbguru from Money, Matter, and More Musings presents Lessons From My Job Hunting Expedition.

The Scottish pound is legal tender only in Scotland, and not the rest of the United Kingdom. They are, however, fungible (exact equivalent value) with the British Sterling Pound, and are accepted in most places in the UK on good faith. However, the Bank of Scotland produces the only One Pound Note in the UK, and it is sometimes refused as a form of payment in Wales and England. The rest of the UK uses One Pound Coins.

Credit:

• The Better Credit Blog presents, How to Remove a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy From Your Credit Report, and says, Removing a chapter 7 bankruptcy from your credit report can be a very painful process (as you would imagine), but it is possible to do if you follow these steps.
• The Truth About Credit Cards presents If You Want a Lower Interest Rate, Just Ask, and says, “Credit card issuers aren’t in the business of losing customers, and if they feel the threat of you leaving them, they’ll do whatever they can to keep you onboard.”
• Amanda from Me vs. Debt presents November Cashback Rewards: 2.8%, and says, “Using a two card approach I was able to get 2.8% cash back in credit card rewards. I think this is pretty good for low spenders like me.” That’s a pretty good return in my book.
• Jim from Blueprint for Financial Prosperity presents Credit Cards with 0% Interest on Purchases. Jim presents holiday Christmas shoppers with an excuse to SPEND MORE MONEY!!! After all, you won’t have to pay interest, right?
• Property Innovators presents Which is better - Great Credit or Money Savvy? Should you buy your next car with a traditional loan or a 0% credit card offer?

Australian notes are printed entirely out of polymer plastic. This helps with counterfeit prevention and ensures the bills last longer in hot, humid climates. The first Australian polymer notes were printed in1988, and were rolled into production to replace old notes in the following years. Mexico, Singapore, and Malaysia have also adopted polymer notes in some fashion.

Debt:

• 4EvaYoung presents Should You Get Rid Of High-Interest Debt Before You Start Saving? When it comes to debt elimination, it is often easier to face the problem by trying to dig yourself out of debt instead of facing your reasons why you are in debt to begin with. But taking the easy route can mean missing a vital opportunity to face your current causes of why you get yourself into these kind of predicaments to begin with.
• Gather Little by Little presents Financial Problems - It’s a Slow Fade.
• One Girl’s Quest… presents Getting serious about debt reduction.

Many coins have serrated ridges on the edges because long ago, coins had an intrinsic value based on their metallic content (usually gold, silver, or copper). Thieves would clip small portions of the metal from the coins, then melt that into a larger amount for later resale. The old coin weighed less than it was supposed to, and it’s value decreased. This started the first use of the phrase, “A dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to.” OK… I made that last part up.

Economy:

• Debt Free presents Collateralized Debt Obligations - What the Heck Are They, How Do They Affect You, and Why (The He…) Should You Care?
• plonkee money presents How do interest rates affect inflation?
• BEIT from Building Equity in Toronto presents A note on sub-prime debt and derivatives.

Some countries peg their currency against that of another country at a fixed exchange rate. This is called a currency board. Sometimes the countries issue their own currency at a 1:1 exchange rate, other times they use the actual bills and coins in place of their own currency. Some examples include Panama, Ecuador, and El Salvador which use the US Dollar as the basis for their currency, and many Arabian countries peg their currency to the dollar as world oil prices are measured in US dollars.

Frugality:

• Comp Gifts presents 5 “Cheap” Date Ideas to Keep Your Date and Money Happy. Five great and inexpensive date ideas - and if your prospective date doesn’t like these things, find someone else! (that’s my opinion, anyway! )
• Monroe on a budget presents Christmas cards on a budget. That reminds me… I need to get started on my Christmas card list. These tips may just help out!
• How I Will Be Rich presents How to Make Up For The Rising Price of Gas, and says, “Here are some tips that I’ve learned to offset the fact that gas prices keep going up.” Solid tips in my opinion.
• FMF from Free Money Finance presents The 10 Most-Hated Money Saving Tips. These are solid tips, but as mentioned, many people don’t like doing them!
• One Frugal Girl presents Clutter Free Christmas Gifts. I love this idea. I strongly dislike giving or receiving gifts that don’t have a practical use, or just take up space!
• Me, My Kid and Life presents Being Frugal in France: Buying Cheap Theatre, Opera and Dance Tickets.

Paper money has been used in China since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Medieval Islamic world adopted it around the same time 700-1200 AD, and it was not adopted in Europe until the mid-1600s.

Investing:

• The Dividend Guy shares his story The Metamorphosis From Mutual Fund Investor to Dividend Investor. Personally, I have made the step away from mutual funds and into index funds. My next step is learning to invest in individual stocks.
• MoneyNing from Personal Finance Blog with Money Ning presents What Should Individual Investors Do with All the Fear in the Stock Market Right Now, and says, “Advices catered for different types of investors!”
• Personal Development shares What Is The P/E Ratio And What The Price Earnings Ratio Means.
• Invest with Dax presents 8 Reasons Why the Dollar Will Continue to Fall.
• Mariam from Money Relations presents News flash: Buying what Buffett buys makes you money, and says, “Stating the obvious - investing in what Buffett buys makes you money but there’s now proof.”
• The Investor’s Journal presents How Much Should I Invest In The Stock Market? Many investing rules are too vague for anyone to go by. This article can show you what’s important when it comes to deciding how much money you should invest in the stock market.
• Fathersez presents Keeping accurate investment records and its impact on investment “luck”, and says, “For many people, keeping detailed records of investment activities is often considered a painful chore. With some thinking, simple and very effective systems can be set up for this record keeping. This is the story of my system.”
• BoozWatt shares How to Make Money Off Interest Free Credit Card Offers. This is an article about how to do credit card arbitrage - earn interest from 0% credit card offers.
• Free From Broke presents We Will Retire…Millionaires!!
• My Dollar Plan presents Roth 401k: What Is It?
• The Wild 1 from The Wild Investor presents Over 40% in under 6 months!, and relates how he made a 40% return in the stock market in 5 months.
• Stock Trading To Go presents Ultra ETFs Explained, Strategies Revealed.
• Dividends4Life presents The Most Important Financial Statement. Why cash flow is important when evaluating investments.
• The Best Stock Trading in the World presents Why A Guy Who Never Wants To Buy A Bank Is Thinking About Buying A Bank.
• Mrs. Micah presents Gold is only valuable because… This is more of an open ended question. The comments section is the “gold” of this article.
• George from Fat Pitch Financials presents Questions About Tender Offers, and says, “Learn the ins and outs of stock tender offers from this response to a list of questions from one of the readers of Fat Pitch Financials.

In Europe paper money was first introduced in Sweden in 1661. Sweden was rich in copper, which had a low value compared to other coins such as gold or silver. Because of this, extraordinarily large coins (often weighing several kilograms) had to be made. Because the coin was so big, it was more convenient to carry a note stating your possession of such a coin than to carry the coin itself.

Money Management:

• Silicon Valley Blogger from The Digerati Life presents 3 Great Money Lessons From My Old Man.
• Mr. B from Interesting Money presents Just In Case - How to Make Sure Your Spouse Knows Your Financial Passwords, and says, “Options for a contingency plan - if something happens to you, how can you ensure that your spouse (or loved ones) can access the necessary information?”
• I Will Change Your Life presents Banking Mistakes That Cost You Money. Solid tips for banking.
• KCLau’s Money Tips shares Top 21 List of Financial Software and Application for Efficient Money.
• Coddleshell presents Top 9 - Organizing your finances, and says, “I give 9 easy tips to save you time and get your finances in order.”
• Journey To Financial Freedom presents Do you know where you are now financially, and says, “This is an article that is talking about the financial self assessment that will let you know where you are financially. This is the most basic step for our giant financial goal. So let’s see how we can do it.”
• Monevator shares Taking stock: How to Set out Your Statement of Affairs.
• American Consumer News presents Gift Cards are the Worst Possible Present to Buy Someone This Christmas.
• Melissa from Queercents presents Unmarried Finances, and says, “Financial maturity is only for the grown ups! Don’t wait until you’re in your mid-thirties, look around, and discover that nothing in your life has forced you to get your finances in order so you might as well do it yourself.”
• My Wealth Builder presents Our Journey To Financial Freedom #9 - The Professionals We Used.
• Money Blue Book presents Get Organized and More Efficient By Going Paperless.
• NCN from No Credit Needed presents Making A Break With The Past - Changing Habits And Thinking Long Term About Personal Finances. Long title - great message.

Where’s George is a popular website used to track US currency locations. The serial numbers on US Dollars are entered into the website and the bill is stamped with a logo or written on to entice other people to participate. Owners then enter the serial number of the dollar and their zip code into the website, and the dollar’s location and travels can be tracked. This website has spawned several imitators in multiple countries including Canada, the UK, Russia, Norway, countries that use the Euro, Japan, South Africa, China, India, and others.

Real Estate:

• Searchlight Crusade presents Lender Paid Mortgage Insurance or Regular PMI? This is a great article about how to get PMI removed.
• Mr. Cheap from Quest for Four Pillars presents Real Estate Agents - The Other Side of the Coin.
• Everything Finance shares Mortgage Escrow: To Do Or Not To Do.
• Millionaire Mommy Next Door presents Considering a move? Would it be better to rent out or sell your house? This simple calculator gives a quick read on the economic viability of renting out, rather than selling your house.
• A Penny Closer presents Why I Bought My First House.
• Dan from Money Myths presents presents Buying a House From a Relative?, and says, “A few things you might not think about when buying a house from family.

One of the first forms of counterfeit money was a fourrée - a coin, that is made from a base metal core that has been plated with a precious metal to look like its solid metal counter part. The US Penny from 1982 and later is an example of a fourrée since it is zinc which has been plated with copper in a manner to deceive. These pennies are much cheaper to produce than pure copper pennies.

Saving:

• Junger from Online Savings Blog presents The Reality Of Saving For a Home.
• Living Almost Large presents Have I saved enough? Be sure to check out the calculator linked in this article.

Wikipedia lists 194 current official or de facto circulating currencies of the 192 United Nations member states, one UN observer state, three partially recognized sovereign states, six unrecognized countries, and 32 dependencies.

Taxes:

• David from My Two Dollars presents Tax Law Changes In Store For 2008.
• Building Millionaire Money Habits presents Reducing Your Taxes: Part 2 of 3 - Common, Everyday Tax Deductions.This post discusses some common, everyday expenses that can be itemized in order to reduce the taxes you have to pay.

The closest thing there ever was to a “world currency” was the Spanish Dollar, or Pieces of Eight. From the 17th-19th centuries, the Spanish dollar was accepted as legal tender throughout Spain, France, Italy, the US, all of Central and South America (excluding Brazil), Canada, most of the Pacific Island nations including the Philippines and Guam, and later in China and other Southeast Asian countries.

Other:

• Million Dollar Journey presents Ask the Readers: What is Your Tipping Policy? There are some great reader comments on this article.
• DR from The Dough Roller presents How to Earn a Second Income in Your ‘Second Life’, and says, “Second Life has already crowned its first real life millionaire. Here’s how people are making real money in the virtual world.”
• The Happy Rock presents The Cost Of Having Children. I’ll give you a hint - this is not an article about not having kids just so you can save money. This is a beautiful look at how priorities change in a good way.
• Smart Money Daily presents 3 Bizarre Banking Stories. Trillion dollar overdrafts, million dollar bills and houses sold with the dead owner still inside! Interesting!
• Broke Grad Student presents 9 Great Gift Ideas For A Broke College Student, and says, “9 great gifts that will put a smile on every broke grad student’s face. The list may surprise you.” If there was a category for humor, this one might go there.
• Dividend Money presents Practical Life Lessons From My Dog, and says, “An intriguing story outlining what my dog taught me about money, life, and personal finance.”
• Smarty from Growing Money presents House Cleaning - Turning Trash to Cash. This is a great way to clear the clutter and make some nice money - something I need to do a little more of!
• retirehappy from My Retirement Blog presents When Should You Start Taking Social Security Benefits?

Most “money” is based on a fiat currency, and has no intrinsic value - only the value of the backing from the government that issues it. The US Dollar for example is not pegged to anything other than the US government’s word. Though the US holds billions of dollars worth of gold reserves, the amount of printed money far exceeds the reserves.

Thanks for all the wonderful articles everyone! I’ve enjoyed learning and giving back to the on-line personal finance community.

If your article was not included in this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance, it is most likely because it had previously been entered into another carnival or did not meet some other entry guideline. Next week’s host is Money Smart Life. Be sure to check back!

*all facts sourced via Wikipedia.

Presenting The Carnival Of Personal Finance #125

Welcome to the 125th Carnival of Personal Finance. This week we have 74 articles for your reading pleasure and I have divided them up into a few categories. I could have made more of them, but then each of the other categories would have only had 1 post in each section. The ones that I could not fit into the categories I decided on are included in the General Money section. I picked out 5 of the articles that really struck a chord with me for one reason or another and listed them below under Editor’s Choice. Enjoy, and if you took part in this week’s Carnival, please be sure to promote it on your own site!

Diverting your money from a retirement fund to purchase a home would require much larger retirement contributions in the future to achieve the same nest egg. Lets use some real numbers to see what I mean (at The BagLady).

It goes without saying that credit cards aren’t for everyone - in fact, I think they should only be used by people who pay their balance off each month. If you fit that category, though, you should pay for as many things as you can with your card. Here’s why…(at Chief Family Officer).
I believe that if the parents are paying for the education, they have every right to set some ground rules. Unless the parents inherited the money themselves, they must be able to have some influence over what and how their hard-earned money gets spent (at Grad Money Matters).

Now that I’ve defined my goals, I need to work out next actions to be associated with pushing each one forward. That’ll require some brainstorming (at Plonkee).

This year is actually the first time I have really started work on planning for my future. As I have mentioned before, my old ways were to live for the now and worry about the future if I was around in the future.

I incorrectly thought that planning for the future meant that I could not have any fun now (at One Snarky Chica with Issues).
Notorious Practices of Payday Loan Companies (at ZooLaw Legal Blog).
Planning for your future (at CareOne Debt Management).
Those Folks Are Crazy (at Debt Sucks).
How To Buy On Ebay And Get the Best Deal (at Money Blue Book).
What a Weak Dollar Means for U.S. Shoppers (at The Authentic Bartender Blog).
Real Value Vs. Perceived Value (at Rather-Be-Shopping).
How To Get Insider Pricing (at How I Will Be Rich).
Change Our Car Buying Behaviors and Save Tons of Money (at MoneyNing).
Landlording and Screening Tenants (at Million Dollar Journey).
Real Estate: Know What Can Be Fixed and What Can’t, What’s Profitable and What Isn’t (at Searchlight Crusade).
Do you know who owns your mortgage? You probably don’t… (at WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo)
What to Do When You’re Short on Rent (at Money Under 30).
Billion Dollar House - Ultimate Luxury or Living Hell? (at Smart Money Daily).
Determining the Minimum Acceptable Bid for a HUD Home (at Two Wise Acres).
Can We Really Afford To ‘Move Up’? (at A Penny Closer).
Moving from one tax paradise to another one (at Stock Web).
Flexible spending account : which income earner should contribute? (at Index Town).
Ten Qualities a Good Money Manager Needs Most (at Watch My Money Maker).
How I Involve My Family in Investing (at The Dividend Guy Blog).
How to Build a CD Ladder (at Cash Money Life).
Does investing in socially responsible funds cost more and is it justified? (at Money Relations.)
Afraid Of Investing In The Stock Market? (at My Wealth Builder).
How Investing Changes Your View Of The World (at Queercents).
Dow Index Drops 362.14, 2.6% - Now What!? (at My Retirement Blog).
January Effect and October Effect, Are They Real? (at Moolanomy).
Timing (at Financial Reference).
Best Advice: Gary Belsky (at Free Money Finance).
Bernanke Cuts Another Quarter (at The Agonist).
The Scale of the Federal Deficit (at Exjackly).
Enough Wealth: Financial Armageddon (Again) (at Enough Wealth).
Things You Should Know About Percentage Traps (at Money, Matter, and More Musings).
Early Retirement – Illusion or Reality (at Smart Investing & Money Management).
HSA as a Retirement Account? (at I’ve Paid For This Twice Already…).
A Free Haircut is Always a “Super” Cut (at jlogged).
Get Yourself A Frugal Education (at Frugal Journey).
My Cheaper Alternative to Starbucks (at Single Guy Money).
Do You Get What You Pay For? (at Debt Dieter).
How to Make the Best Beer in the World for Under a Buck a Bottle (at Saving Advice).
Don’t Waste $$ On Your Next Hotel Room (at Life Lessons of a Military Wife).
Keep Yourself Safe by Creating a Winter Kit for Your Car (at FinanceIsPersonal)
1 Paycheck Away (at BasenjiMom).
The decision of having a housecleaning lady (at The Financial Blogger).
Your Relationship With Money (at Journey To Financial Freedom).
Are Pennies Beneath Us? (at Blunt Money).
Seven Wonders of the Personal Finance World (at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity).
Goosing Emergency Fund Earnings (at Advanced Personal Finance).
When you stretch and stretch and the ends don’t meet (at Wise Bread).
Consolidating NewlyWed’s Finances (at 2million My Journey to Financial Freedom).
Old Habits Sure Do Die Hard (at Gather Little By Little).
It hit me like a ton of bricks (at Being Frugal).
Budget Cuts:Medical Insurance (at Real World Finance)
Rule #18: Alone and Together (at My Open Wallet).
When Money Isn’t Everything (at College of Cash).
The High Cost of Eating Healthy in the US (at Philby’s Finance)
8 steps to a six figure career (at brip blap).
She Makes More Than Me (at Money and Such).
Achieving Financial Freedom is Simple, But Not Easy (at Dough Roller).
College Admission Consulting (at Ask Dong).
Do You Have a Financial Confidant? (at One Frugal Girl).
Why Are Some People So Ignorant About Money? (at Money Smart Life).
Prosper.com: 6 Months in and Still Exceeding Expectations (at Everyday Finance).
My Silicon Valley Job History (at Silicon Valley Blogger).
Great Thought on Personal Finance (at Frugal Dollar).
What is a Secured Credit Card ? (at Ask Mr Credit Card).
Check to see if the government is holding some of your money! (at The Happy Rock).
Marriage And Money (at My Good Cents).
Adoption on the Cheap (at Graceful Retirement).
Single Page List Of Monthly Expenses - No Credit Needed Notebook Pg 2 (at No Credit Needed).

That’s it for this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance! These ought to keep you busy enough until next week’s edition over at Million Dollar Journey. If you didn’t see your post included, it was either submitted after the cut off time or it was not relevant to the Carnival. For more information about the Carnival itself and how you can host a future edition, check out the Carnival of Personal Finance homepage.

Carnival of Personal Finance #124

Carnival of Personal Finance #124

Written by Flexo on October 29, 2007 | Carnivals

The Millionaire Mommy Next Door has posted the latest edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance, the “Trick or Treat Edition.” The concept this week is interactive. Mommy is looking for all readers to vote for their favorites in each category. The winners will receive one of five excellent prize selections.

Here are the Editor’s Picks, which include a number of new bloggers to me:

• Money vs. Time Off: Why We Don’t Take Vacations
• Follow the White Rabbit to Financial Freedom
• Work Once, Buy Forever
• Is Real Estate a Good Investment?
• Diversify to Avoid Investment Fraud
• Lifestyle and Spending Choices
• A Contingency Plan
• Stay at Home Parents Pay a Professional Price
• Why Personal Finance is Personal
• It’s That Time of the Year Again

Please check out all 92 submissions and vote for your favorites!

The 123rd Carnival of Personal Finance (The Boo! edition)

Welcome to the 123rd Carnival of Personal Finance (The Boo! edition). October is a scary month. Not only is it home to All Hallows’ Eve, it is also home to some of the scariest stock market crashes in our history. For this edition of the CoPF, I’ll trace the history of some of the largest single-day market plunges that occurred in the month of October. To comfort us during these frightening times, I’ve also included some beautiful photographs taken by a good friend of mine (and used by his express permission). The pictures will help remind us that while personal finance is important, there are some things in life that money just can’t buy. So with that, let’s get on with the carnival. Each submission is organized by category, and I’ll begin with my selection of the best articles of the week.
Editor’s Picks

My Impulse Buy Savings Plan (@ Caustic Musings): “One of my unspoken personal vows to myself this year (call it an early New Year’s resolution) was to stop buying so much crap on impulse.”

How China Could Crash the US Dollar on a Whim (@ Currency Trading): “This article will go beyond forex reserves and discuss several other facets of China’s economy. From US house prices to global commodity prices, from interest rates to inflation rates, we will explore how China could cripple the US economy, both willfully and unintentionally, if so desired.”

Use Halloween to Teach Kids Money Lessons (@ Grad Money Matters): “How can one thing mean two totally different things to different people? Take Halloween treats for example. Kids are delighted by it. Parents, not so much. Candies filled with high fructose corn syrup and food coloring, and kids that are hyper-active with so much sugar intake that they literally bounce off the walls. It’s every parent’s nightmare and the perfect scary ending to the Halloween holiday! But here’s a trick that will sound more like a treat – this unsavory situation can easily be turned into a money lesson for kids!”

36 Important Money Saving Tips (@ Frugal Journey): “Over the past year, I’ve written 100’s of money saving tips, on a wide range of topics. Today, I’ve gathered all my favorites into one source. Now, the best of the best, is available right at your fingertips.”

Change Your Child’s Genetics By Giving Up The BMW (@ The Happy Rock): “We recently talked about financially changing your family tree as financial motivation, but for those of us needed some more convincing here is evidence that our decisions about money go much deeper than just dollars and cents.”

Why The Rich Get Richer: An Entirely Different Perspective (@ The Digerati Life): “It’s an age old question: how do the rich get richer? Here are some reasons that may explain this economic phenomenon.”

List of money related forums and discussion boards (@ Might Bargain Hunter): “Discussion boards are a great resource and a good place to exchange ideas with like-minded people or, at least, people with interests similar to yours. Anyway, I hope you find this list of money-related forums useful; maybe you’ll find a new favorite.”

the myth of the parent that NEEDS to work (@ brip blap): “Many couples claim to be “forced” to work two jobs to make ends meet, but is it really “making ends meet” when you don’t live a frugal lifestyle?”

I’m Responsible For One Of The Worst Interviews Ever (@ A Penny Closer): “After a few months at my new job an old work acquaintance (let’s call him David) contacted me to see how I was doing. I explained that I liked the new position with this smaller company and he asked if I could get him an interview.” And that’s when the trouble began.

Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition

Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition

Mr Credit Card : Welcome to the Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition. Today’s event is a Q&A session with our leading presidential candidates. As the presidential candidates from both parties continue their campaign, the carnival of personal finance is pleased to announce that Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, Ex-Governor Guliani and Senator McCain have agreed to appear before personal finance bloggers for a question and answer session with regards to their policy platform. Please give our guest a round of applause.

Let us now begin.

Everyday Finance : I would like to direct this question to all of you. I am concerned about the weak dollar and how much it has depreciated against other currencies. The question I have is is the weak dollar driving US companies into the arms of foreigners? And are any of you concerned about this?

Senator McCain : We have to let the market forces determine the level of the US Dollar. But having said that, I am concerned about the dollar but I also think that once we get the war under control and our budget deficits under control, we will start to see a turnaround of the dollar.

Senator Clinton : In the 90’s, the United States had a strong dollar policy. Having said that, we were in a much better shape than the present. Right now, we have a massive deficit and an administration whose sole concern is the war and the dollar is suffering from this benign neglect.

Exjackly : This question is addressed to the two democrat candidates. I am a business owner and I am concerned about the democrats inclining to raise taxes. Since you took over congress, you have raised the minimum wage and it has affected many small businesses including mine. My business hires mainly students and simply cannot see why students should be benefiting from this bill!

Senator Clinton : As a society, those of us who are much better off cannot afford to overlook those at the bottom of the rung. But I would say that it is not just your business that will be affected, but even your competitors will be affected. I believe that in starting a business, all you need is momentum

Bewildement from the audience.

Mayor Guliani : As a republican, I really believe in letting the market forces determine what should be the appropriate wage. I fully understand the position of business owners like yourself. In fact, I can even show you how to live on minimum wage?.

Finance is Personal : The senate finance committee has recently questioned certain practices by credit card companies and as a result, we have practices like the universal default clause not being practiced anymore. I would like to ask all of you if you have any thoughts as to how we can change America to become a nation of savers rather than being a nation of debtors? Also, do you think will consumers warm up to credit freezes? since we have to pay for these services?

Senator McCain : All of us want Americans to be a nation of savers. Unfortunately, we are also a free country and that means that consumers should be able to choose whether to use credit and businesses are able to extend consumers credit. What I think is important is that perhaps we improve the means where consumers can get better educated on issues like how much credit is optimal?, or even how to fight back against debt collectors.

Senator Obama : I have to agree with Senator McCain on this issue. I think what the Senate Committee of Banking and Finance have done with regards to the credit card industry is very good. We have to ensure that credit card and finance companies provide more disclosure, eliminate fine prints and ensure they adhere to honest advertising. Consumers ultimately have to be responsible in how they use credit. When I was in college, I read brochures about tips for using credit cards. I can even tell you how we chose our credit card!

Home Finance Freedom : This question I have is this : Do anyone of you think that the mortgage tax deduction that we Americans have is distorting the housing market? Is this encouraging Americans to buys homes when they shouldn’t? Why should we get this tax break at all? This to me is an entitlement. In fact, because of the mortgage tax deductions, most Americans fall into what I call the debt free deception - housing myth. Most of us would be better off to pay off your mortgage and lose your tax deductions. For many people, buying is for suckers and why renting is the way to go.

Senator Clinton : The mortgage interest tax deduction has been around for a long time and the premise behind that is that we want to encourage home ownership among Americans. Home ownership is very much part of the American dream.

Mayor Guliani : Bear in mind that about 39% of Americans rent. Hence, I do not think the mortgage interest tax deduction distorts home prices.

Phil For Humanity : What are your thoughts on the recent sub-prime mess? What should regulators do to prevent such incidents again? Look at how Netbank has closed down. And what happens to property taxes of customers with bankrupt lenders?

Mayor Guliani : I honestly think in this situation, it is a new experience for every central bank and regulator. I’m pretty sure that regulators will look more closely at how banks mark to market their structured investments and also at sales practices by mortgage brokers. However, we have to let the market correct itself from any excesses. In fact, now may be the best time to purchase bank foreclosure properties.

Senator Obama : I can also show you a visual guide to finding HUD foreclosures

To laughter from the audience.

Flexo : One of the things that really alarm me is our budget deficit. Yes, we do have a war and I am really disappointed in Republicans who have not really kept an eye on spending. Yet, I am so concerned about the democrats love for social programs and the potential higher taxes that await us? This is probably a sweeping statement from me, but how would all of you respond to the huge budget deficit?

Senator McCain : I really think we have to go back to basics. I think the next administration and congress really need a budget you can stick to. And that means fiscal discipline. Yet there is the balancing act of making sure the economy grows.

Mayor Guliani : I always remember what my dad taught me about money, which is to never spend more than you earn. And I think we politicians have to get back to basics and all of you have to make us keep feeling guilty to spend money on anything. The budget deficit is simply unsustainable.

Senator Obama : I agree that we have to seriously figure out how to get out of debt?. The fiscal situation has gotten out of control. A big reason is obviously the war in Iraq. While we cannot rush a total troop withdrawal, we have to be extremely conscious about the fiscal situation.

Gather Little by Little : I would like to address this to the two Democrat Senators. Both of you mention about fiscal responsibility, but yet at the same time, both of you are proposing univeral health care. Who is going to pay for it? Wouldn’t that be already adding to our fiscal problems? Or is this an easy pitch to get elected?

Senator Clinton : The fact remains that 48 million Americans have no insurance and for such a great nation like ours, this is simply unacceptable. If the Canadians and Europeans can do it, shouldn’t we be able to provide health care for everyone?

Senator Obama : Our current system is broken and heath care inflation is running out of control. We have to make health care affordable again.

Mayor Guliani : I think we have to be very careful when we are talking about health care. There are no easy fix. But I suspect that every party has to accept certain changes to make our health care more affordable. I think incrememtal steps are needed in this area rather than a large sweeping move taking us into the unknown. It is also a question of uncovering the truths about needs and wants of the American people with regards to health care. I do not think we are willing to accept the sacrifices and consequences of a universal health care system.

Senator McCain : I’ll give you a few tips for getting low cost health insurance after this is over! But seriously, the proposals from the democrats fail to explore the shortcomings of the Universal system. Americans I think, do not have the patients to wait for their treatment as most patients in the Universal Health Care system do. Many of the 48 million also choose not to have insurance because costs are too high.

Senator Clinton : I question if is penny pinching really the road to wealth?. We also have to address the issue of fairness and equity of those who are less well off in our society.

Laughter from audience.

Free Money Finance : This is not a question, but just a comment and request. I am absolutely sick and tired of how partisan things get when a president nominates a supreme court judge. I get my fair share of strange interview questions, but the questions and scrutiny that a supreme court judge nominee has to go through is ridiculous.

Mrs Micah : This is another comment. But I am simply disillusioned by all politicians. Every campaign promise is never really fulfilled. They are just made to simply get votes. Even if you have the best intentions, the influence of lobbyist simply results in all of you selling and sucking your soul.

Chief Family Officer : Since President Bush passed his “no child left behind” scheme, I just wanted to get a perspective on how we are progressing as a nation. Where my family is, public schools are still not up to scratch. That is why we are sending our kids to private school. And man, you would believe what we’re giving up for private school and why.

Senator McCain : I think we are making progress on that front. Studies have shown that we are behind many countries, especially in the area of math. Progress will not be uniform across the board though.

My Wealth Builder : I’ve retired in my forties, but given the amount of student debt that students carry after the graduate, I think that early retirement may not be optional for twenty somethings. I question is how can we contain the inflation in education costs?

Money Walks : I would like to ask all of you how does your portfolio look like? An d what money lessons have you learned in your personal life?

Senator McCain : Firstly, in terms of attitude and metality, I thinkit is very important for us to understand why everybody should think like a CEO when it comes to their personal finance.

As far as investments goes, I have a money market account. Stop asking yourself do I need an emergency fund? Off course you do. You should start saving and let money build right away. I would not even waste my time day trading or any of that as I think that trading is for losers. Instead, I would learn how to pick an index fund with low initial investment.

Mayor Guliani : After what happened on 9/11, I would say that the first thing you have to do is to figure out how much life insurance do you need?

Once you have taken care of your emergency fund and your insurance (your back up plans), I would then educate myself as much as I can on personal finance and invest wisely. I recomend reading A weekend with Warren Buffet and other shareholders meeting adventure and lessons from Fire Finance top 100 pf blog list. Most important of all, be patient. Remember that the 1st Million is the hardest to make and that once you cross that hurdle, everything is much easier.

Always know in your mind the 25 mutual funds every investor should know. Somrtimes, the investments I don’t have is more important than what I have. As you get more affluent, consider a Roth IRA if you think you will be in the top tax bracket when you retire. Also consider hiring a financial advisor and do some advanced portfolio building

Senator Obama : If I had a personal finance time machine, I may do things a bit differently. With the internet and the explosion of different investmtent and money magazines, I would have educated myself a lot more when I was younger. But evolution of my online personal finance regimen has gone through a lot of changes. I now do all my banking online and enroll in various automatic bill payments.

Being Frugal when you are starting out in life after graduation is very important I think. You should always buy stuff you can afford. Do not follow the example of the US government! For example, I never have a car payment. However, you definitely want to be learning how to be a gazelle intense without going crazy. You also want to watch yourself and make sure you do not have the making of a cheapskate!

Senator Clinton : One of the most important things in my opinion is that you have to do the right things for yourself and your circumstances. Let me give you a few examples.

If you are in debt, you have to ask yourself if consolidating your debt is worth it? Only you can answer this question. Or if you have to file for bankruptcy, then learn to rebuild your credit score after bankruptcy. I even know people who sell coupons to pay for diapers! Bill even recently told me about the 3000 Mile Oil Change Myth. Even things like setting up a virgin prepaid cell phone or
prepaid electricity can save you money

Where you decide to live also has huge bearings on you finances. I can tell you it is definitely cheaper to live in Arkansas than in New York. If you are living in a high cost area, and moving is going to save you a ton of money, then consider doing it.

Communications and personal finance relationships is also very important. You have to be able to communicate your finances with your spouse or partner. This became very important for me since becoming the bread winner. Strive to become debt free and pass your personal finance tips to others. Remember, we all go through ups and downs and sometimes, you have to be looking at life from a stock market perspective!

Dough Roller : I would like to ask the four of you what are your favorite personal finance books? or at least what have you read in this arena?

Senator McCain : My favourites include 30 ways to use one hour to improve your finances by the The Simple Dollar, 5 things that can appreciate in value by Finandom.

Mayor Guliani : My favorites are free your inner spender, 10 tips for dealing with a lost wallet, and the tortured lives of Mr and Mrs Jones.

Senator Obama : My favorite personal finance book is 7 steps to a smooth car sale, how convertible bond arbitrage works (laughter). Yes, it’s true, I am really facinated by the financial markets. I also think that Benjamin Franklin is the original personal finance blogger.

Senator Clinton : My favorites include my son came across a pyramid scheme and is this really what we want to teach our kids?.

Mr Credit Card : We have finally come to the end of his fantastic Q&A. I would like to thank our guest who have taken their time to come here and answer questions from the personal finance bloggers, who along with being concerned with their own financial well-being, also care a lot about our nation’s finances. Thank you to everyone for participating. Thanks also to the Carnival of Personal Finance for organizing this event.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 8th, 2007 at 8:27 am and is filed under Carnivals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. The 121st Carnival of Personal Finance Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 8:58 am

   […] This week’s edition is hosted at Ask Mr Credit Card and included my controversial article Is pinching pennies really the road to wealth? Three really good reasons it’s not!. […]

2. mariam Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 10:02 am

   Loved the creativity in the round-up! I LOLed how you seguewayed into the post titles. Nicely done! Thanks for the mention

3. Money Matters » Blog Archive » Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 10:34 am

   […] Original post by Mr Credit Card […]

4. glblguy Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 11:12 am

   Very creative, can’t imagine how much time that took you! Thanks for hosting such a great carnival!

5. Dan at EverydayFinance Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 11:50 am

   Wow, this is a great edition. Unique and tons of work I’m sure. Thanks for giving me the poll position; this was a first! Great job!

   Dan at EverydayFinance

6. J at Home Finance Freedom Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 11:52 am

   Hello. Your theme is a very interesting idea although I noticed that you promoted Guliani from mayor to governor.

   Thank you for hosting my article, “The “Debt-Free” Deception: Housing Myths Part 8.”

7. The First Million Is The Hardest | Moolanomy Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 11:54 am

   […] This article was featured in the 121th Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by ASk Mr Credit Card. For more information please visit the Carnival of Personal Finance. Tags: compound interest, compounded growth, compounding, investing, million, millionaire, savingShare This […]

8. shawna Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 12:36 pm

   Cool carnival! Thanks for including my post!

9. Flexo Says:
   October 8th, 2007 at 1:13 pm

   Thanks for hosting! This is a very creating Carnival!

10. Flexo Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 1:13 pm

    Thanks for hosting! This is a very *creative* Carnival!

11. MillionDollarJourney Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 1:14 pm

    Great carnival. Thanks for putting in the extra effort and the link back.

12. Carnival of Personal Finance » Carnival of Personal Finance #121 Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 1:22 pm

    […] The Columbus Day Edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance has been published at Ask Mr. Credit Card’s Blog. Today’s Carnival takes the form of a discussion between the leading presidential candidates: McCain, Giuliani, Obama, and Clinton. […]

13. 2007 News Archive | Moolanomy Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 2:37 pm

    […] 10/08 - Please visit Ask Mr Credit Card for the 121th Carnival of Personal Finance. […]

14. rocket finance » Blog Archive » Carnival of Personal Finance #121 Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 2:49 pm

    […] The latest installment of the Carnival of Personal Finance is up at Ask Mr. Credit Card. Mr. CC gave the carnival an election flavor - even though we are over 12 months away from the presidential election. Doesn’t it feel like we should be voting this November? […]

15. Matt Wolfe Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 3:52 pm

    Thanks for hosting. I really like the creative way that you posted the carnival.

16. Exjackly Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 4:03 pm

    Carnivalof Personal Finance #121…

    Ask Mr Credit Card hosts the 12st Edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance this week. He does something a bit different, posing the carnival as a presidential debate, linking in personal finance blogs and posts throughout. Very creative and well…

17. The Financial Blogger Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 4:28 pm

    Great job!
    Very well done, thx for hosting!

18. Eric Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 5:25 pm

    Really enjoyed how you put this post together. That must have been a huge amount of work! Excellent job and thanks for including our post!

19. Patrick Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 5:47 pm

    Very nice job putting this carnival together. Had I know this week’s version would be a political one, I would have submitted the article I wrote about Hilary’s Baby Bonds being a bad idea!

20. Finance Spot » Archive » Late breaking news Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 6:07 pm

    […] Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition […]

21. Frugal Dollar Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 6:42 pm

    Wow- that was so great! Thanks for all your hard work and effort and many thanks for including my post!

22. FIRE Finance Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 9:22 pm

    This is such a creative and beautiful presentation! Thanks for all the hard work and mentioning our post. Keep up the great job!
    Cheers,
    FIRE Finance

23. Kay @ Don't Mess With Taxes Says:
    October 8th, 2007 at 11:35 pm

    Very inventive and informative! Thanks for hosting.

24. Brip Blap Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 1:36 am

    Interesting way to present the carnival! I’m glad Obama agrees with me about Ben Franklin - I was curious about his position on that. Thanks for the including me!

25. www.bestfinancialadvisor.info » Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 2:22 am

    […] Mr Credit Card wrote a fantastic post today on “Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition”Here’s ONLY a quick extractI would like to thank our guest who have taken their time to come here and answer questions from the personal finance bloggers, who along with being concerned with their own financial well-being, also care a lot about our nation’s … […]

26. Chief Family Officer Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 3:59 am

    Thanks for hosting such a fun carnival!

27. John Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 4:10 am

    WOW. Great post and highly creative.

28. The Digerati Life Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 7:14 am

    Very interesting as usual. I sense an interest in politics (just like the digerati spouse). Thanks for this great carnival!

29. » carnivals roundup brip blap: learning how to manage life, family, career, personal finance, productivity, self-improvement and health Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 9:52 am

    […] Ask Mr. Credit Card hosted the great big Carnival of Personal Finance #121. My post on Ben Franklin was included, and there were - as usual - a lot of great articles there. One Girl’s Quest post on If I Had a Personal Finance Time Machine has one really shocking number in it - I was thrown for a loop. JVW from The Good Life On A Budget has a good post on Is This Really What We Want To Teach Children? I hate to say it, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Monopoly is bad enough, but you can throw in TV, watching mommy and daddy use the credit card, and on and on. I came across this blog via Lazy Man and Money a few days ago, and I agree with his assessment - it’s an interesting blog, and worth checking out. […]

30. Thrifty Penny Says:
    October 9th, 2007 at 12:22 pm

    Very clever presentation!

31. I’ll be hosting the Carnival of Personal Finance next week at Mighty Bargain Hunter Says:
    October 10th, 2007 at 3:00 am

    […] The submission form is here. If you haven’t already caught this week’s carnival, it’s here. […]

32. Money Blue Book Says:
    October 10th, 2007 at 3:44 am

    I like the format! Lots of interesting articles to read.
    -Raymond

33. Carnival of Personal Finance » Carnival of Personal Finance #121 Editor’s Choice Says:
    October 10th, 2007 at 4:02 am

    […] Ask Mr. Credit Card followed up the 121st edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance with his picks for Editor’s Choice. […]

34. NCN Says:
    October 10th, 2007 at 1:25 pm

    Great job… but where’s my favorite libertarian, Ron Paul?
    NCN

35. Property Taxes, Finance and Ethics, The Private School Debate @ The Carnivals Says:
    October 10th, 2007 at 2:07 pm

    […] Property Taxes, Finance and Ethics, The Private School Debate @ The Carnivals By Silicon Valley Blogger I’ve got time for a quick roundup of great carnival articles. The Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition was held at Ask Mr. Credit Card and was nicely presented as a Q & A segment among our leading presidential candidates. From the animated dialogue by the candidates, these stories emerged: […]

36. carnivals this week : plonkee money Says:
    October 10th, 2007 at 8:34 pm

    […] I contributed ‘prepaid electricity and saving money‘ to the carnival of personal finance hosted in a spectacular political debate by ask mr credit card. Other great posts include: […]

37. Carnival Roundup: Week of October 8th at Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money Says:
    October 11th, 2007 at 10:02 am

    […] First up, the Carnival of Personal Finance #121 hosted by Ask Mr. Credit Card: […]

38. Link love for the Carnival of Personal Finance #121 | Money Relations - Finance and investment blog. Says:
    October 11th, 2007 at 11:50 am

    […] I recently participated in the Carnival of Personal Finance #121 - Columbus Day Edition hosted by Mr. Credit Card. He did a wonderfully creative job by linking all the posts in the form of a Q&A session for the US presidential candidates. My submitted post, The Tortured Lives of Mr and Mrs Jones, was named a favorite of “Ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani”. Poor Mr. Credit Card just probably had a hard time fitting the title in […]

39. The Carnival Review #6 : A Penny Closer Says:
    October 11th, 2007 at 4:32 pm

    […] Carnival of Personal Finance #121 was held by Ask Mr Credit Card. We are honored to have made editor’s choice this week with Eric’s article on choosing our credit card. […]

40. Carnivals And Festivals For The Week of October 8 2007. | My Two Dollars Says:
    October 12th, 2007 at 4:30 pm

    […] Carnival of Personal Finance #121 at Ask Mr. Credit Card, where my post “Moving Is Going To Save Us A Ton Of Money And Improve Our Quality Of Life.” was included. […]

41. The Dough Roller Roundup (Attending 15 Year College Reunion edition) | The Dough Roller Says:
    October 12th, 2007 at 8:13 pm

    […] Carnival of Personal Finance @ Ask Mr. Credit […]

42. Saturday LinkStuff Says:
    October 13th, 2007 at 3:55 am

    […] Mr. Credit Card hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance #121 and […]

43. Weekly Carnival Roundup — The Baglady Says:
    October 13th, 2007 at 7:14 am

    […] Carnival of Personal Finance #121 at Ask Mr. Credit Card – This carnival was written as a presidential candidate debate. It was very creatively hosted. I especially enjoyed Exjackly’s article on How to Live on Mininum Wage. I once saw a show by the same guy who documented eating McDonalds for 30 days and he tried to live on minimum wage with his girlfriend, and his conclusion was that it’s ridiculously hard. He even added his nephew into the experiment so that it seems he and his girlfriend has a child. It was kind of bizarre to watch. […]

44. The Financial Blogger | Financial Ramblings Says:
    October 13th, 2007 at 11:06 am

    […] It was another busy week over financial carnivals. Carnivals have definitely helped my blog grow over the past months. This week, Ask Mr. Credit did an amazing job hosting the Carnival of personal finance Columbus day edition, My Retirement Blog presented The Festival of Frugality, Business Pundit took care of the Carnival of the Capitalist while Moolanomy did a great job with the Carnival of debt reduction. Here’s my top three for this week: […]

45. Our New Puppy / Carnivals | How I Will Be Rich Says:
    October 13th, 2007 at 3:01 pm

    […] I also wanted to point out that this week we were featured in the Carnival or Personal Finance taking place over at Ask Mr. Credit Card. There are a ton of great posts from a ton of great blogs participating. Go check some of those out. […]

46. Millionaire Mommy Next Door Says:
    October 13th, 2007 at 6:30 pm

    Thanks for doing such a fabulous job of hosting! I’ve linked back to the carnival in my Grow Your Money, Grow Your Life (Weekly Roundup) at:
    http://millionairemommynextdoor.blogspot.com/2007/10/grow-your-money-grow-your-life-weekly_13.html

47. » Carnivals - Week of 10/08/07 @ fivecentnickel.com Says:
    October 14th, 2007 at 3:39 am

    […] The Carnival of Personal Finance included “Ten Tips for Dealing With a Lost Wallet.” […]

48. Links Sunday and Reminder For HP SD Card Reader Giveaway | Personal Finance Blog by Money Ning Says:
    October 14th, 2007 at 6:46 pm

    […] Carnival of Personal Finance […]

---