{"id":3286,"date":"2008-12-28T22:36:31","date_gmt":"2008-12-29T04:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sequence-inc.com\/fraudfiles\/?p=3286"},"modified":"2008-12-29T08:25:37","modified_gmt":"2008-12-29T14:25:37","slug":"carnival-of-personal-finance-185-cheesehead-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/carnival-of-personal-finance-185-cheesehead-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Carnival of Personal Finance #185: Cheesehead Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the last <\/strong>Carnival of Personal Finance for 2008, The Cheesehead Edition.\u00a0 I’m located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I send greetings from fellow Cheeseheads. We’ve had an interesting winter so far, with record-level snowfalls<\/a> in December, followed by record high temperatures on Saturday<\/a>, and now back to freezing temperatures. Hopefully this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance can warm some hearts…<\/p>\n

If you have an interest in fraud and scams, this blog is the place to be. I regularly rip on those perpetrating fraud against unsuspecting consumers. I recommend subscribing to my feed<\/a>… And if you like shorter takes on things, you can follow me on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

This week’s <\/strong>Editors Picks:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Her Every Cent Counts is contemplating hiring a professional to do her taxes this year. Check out what she found out… <\/a>(And as a CPA, I can say that she should hire a tax preparer based on her situation. Avoid large “chain” tax preparers, and don’t look for the cheapest local tax preparer either.)<\/p>\n

Debt reduction and consolidation are big business, especially for scammers. There are many sketchy companies offering these services, and consumers need to learn more about their options<\/a> before they pay anyone to help them.<\/p>\n

If you’re prospering right now, do you feel guilty? Should you have to fake it<\/a> and pretend you’re in dire straits just because so many other consumers are?<\/p>\n

Lottery tickets are a complete waste of money<\/a>. And they won’t get you rich.<\/p>\n

Discount shopping can be fun… so long as you don’t get lured into the traps<\/a> retailers set for you.<\/p>\n

In the treacherous world of <\/strong>Credit:<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you thought you had credit scores all figured out, think again! Our friends at FICO are changing how they calculate credit scores<\/a>, and Yielding Wealth has the details.<\/p>\n

Refinancing a mortgage at 4.25%? That’s about the lowest anyone could ever hope to get.\u00a0 See how Uncommon Cents is getting this done<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The hated <\/strong>Taxes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Confused about capital gains? Saving to Invest details some of the more important points<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Time is running out, but you can probably still make a few wise tax moves<\/a> before the end of 2008. Hurry!<\/p>\n

And if that wasn’t enough, here are even more tips for getting your tax house in order <\/a>before the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Plenty of taxpayers are subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax<\/a>, and it’s not just the rich anymore.<\/p>\n

The wonderful world of <\/strong>Real Estate:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can investing in real estate be better than saving money? Monogamoney suggests that it might be<\/a>, and uses real life examples to demonstrate.<\/p>\n

Foreclosures in your neighborhood? Think about the positives<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Zillow.com can help you compare the change in value of your real estate<\/a> to other regions.<\/p>\n

You’re selling your real estate, and you want a top producer to list it, right? Wrong. Searchlight Crusade explains why that top producer is probably not the best choice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Being a landlord isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be. Learn from the mistakes of others<\/a> before you go down the road of rental properties.<\/p>\n

Investing (if you’re still up to it!):<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deposit Accounts details some of the pros and cons to putting your money in a Certificate of Deposit<\/a> while the stock market is still topsy turvy.<\/p>\n

When did you last look at your 401(k) account value? Think Your Way to\u00a0 Wealth is avoiding looking at his account, and here’s why<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you live in New Hampshire and have children, you might want to check out the new Fidelity college savings plan available there<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bernie Madoff might not be the only person running a huge Ponzi scheme. Maybe our stock market is the biggest Ponzi of them all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learn some investment lingo from David at\u00a0 Investing School, who is talking about conditional orders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also on the educational front, you can learn about investing in commodities<\/a>, complements of Moolanomy.<\/p>\n

Dollar cost averaging<\/a> can help you reduce investment risk and build your holdings.<\/p>\n

Employers have been cutting or eliminating their 401(k) matching funds. Does this mean you should stop your retirement contributions<\/a>? Probably not!<\/p>\n

Since when is buying a nobility title like “Baron” considered an investment<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Dividends4Life is offering some insight into hot stocks for 2009<\/a>. Where will you put your money? And whose advice do you trust?<\/p>\n

If you’re like most consumers, your retirement funds are ailing. MoneyNing offers some excellent tips for rebuilding your funds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An interesting investment strategy: Watching crude oil prices<\/a> and tying your investment decisions to them.<\/p>\n

We could all do more <\/strong>Saving:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blueprint For Financial Prosperity walks us through some options for saving for college<\/a>. Costs are rising fast, and the earlier you start, the better chance you’ll be ready when your child is.<\/p>\n

Dreaded <\/strong>Debt:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thinking about using a debt reduction firm to help you manage your debts? Destroy Debt details how you can create your own debt reduction plan<\/a>, rather than risk getting mixed up with one of the many dishonest debt help companies.<\/p>\n

Considering debt consolidation? There are a few ways of going about it<\/a>, and Discover Debt Freedom has the details.<\/p>\n

The Smarter Wallet offers some ideas for quickly reducing your debt load<\/a>, especially if the holidays\u00a0 have put some stress on your credit cards.<\/p>\n

Accumulating Money offers some insight into the benefits of refinancing your debt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Refinancing your mortgage? Learn about the yield spread premium<\/a> and how you can use it to your advantage.<\/p>\n

An option arm mortgage can be risky and expensive. Get the details at Stumble Forward<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Budgeting and <\/strong>Money Management, more popular by the day:<\/strong><\/p>\n

American Consumer news discusses a few the stupid money choices many consumers make<\/a>.\u00a0 Change these, and you’re well on your way to a better financial situation.<\/p>\n

Simple is often better. Three things can help you simplify your finances<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Giving the gift of cash to loved ones? Use these ideas to jazz up the present<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My Wealth Builder is hoping to live another 50 years on retirement savings after retiring in his 40’s. Here are a few strategies that anyone contemplating retirement <\/a>should use.<\/p>\n

What do you do if you don’t have health insurance? Take some simple steps to help reduce costs and minimize your exposure to health-related financial ruin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stock Trading To Go offers some basic tips for consumers<\/a> working toward financial freedom.<\/p>\n

Frugal can be fun:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dan at Everyday Finance gives\u00a0 us insight into how he saved $250 a year on his cable and internet bill<\/a>, just by being polite and persistent.<\/p>\n

Has the recession changed the way you give gifts? Maybe it’s time to get back to the good old days when life’s necessities<\/a> were often given as gifts.<\/p>\n

Are you “cut out” for couponing?<\/a> If you are, then you may wish to check out these 12 popular websites for coupons and discounts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Miscellaneous money matters:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr. ToughMoneyLove is softening up a little..<\/a>. and telling us that by practicing gratitude, we can get into a better money mood!<\/p>\n

If you’re self-employed, the state of the economy might have you in a panic. Check out these practical tips for business survival<\/a>.<\/p>\n

New to the world of personal finance? Amateur Asset Allocator defines three basic principles of personal finance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have you lost your job or been laid off? Digerati Life has ten key points<\/a> for you to consider as you regroup and look for a new job.<\/p>\n

The new year is almost here. Have you made your resolutions? Money-related resolutions are always popular<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The good news in this time of economic turmoil? Neighbors are helping one another<\/a> to avoid losing their homes.<\/p>\n

Thanks for participating and reading.<\/strong> The Carnival of Personal Finance will be back\u00a0 in 2009!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the last Carnival of Personal Finance for 2008, The Cheesehead Edition.\u00a0 I’m located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I send greetings from fellow Cheeseheads. We’ve had an interesting winter so far, with record-level snowfalls in December, followed by record […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing-blogging"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Z0e-R0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3286\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sequenceinc.com\/fraudfiles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}