Canadian Finance Blog

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:00 AM PDT

Welcome to the 34th edition of the Totally Money Blog Carnival! Lots of awesome submissions this week. If you want to get your post in for the next edition, submit here before Sunday evening.

I wanted to mention that the voting is in full swing for the Plutus Awards, where Canadian Finance Blog is up against some great blogs in four categories this year. Voting will end on September 21st, with the winners being announced at the Financial Blogger Conference. So please head over and vote!

Editor’s Picks

Boomer presents Saving Real Estate Fees: Is It Worth It? posted at Boomer & Echo, saying, “Do you think it's better to use a realtor when buying or selling a property or would you rather keep the commission and negotiate for yourself?”

Money Cone presents Following Buffett Blindly Can Be Injurious To Your Wealth posted at Money Cone, saying, “An individual investor is not in the same boat as Mr. Buffett. It is hard to predict in which direction BofA's stock price will swing, but either way, Buffett will make money, not so for the individual investor who follows Buffett blindly.”

Eric J. Nisall presents 4 First Date Tips For Singles On A Budget posted at DollarVersity, saying, “You may be single and “ready to mingle” but your wallet may not be ready. Fortunately, there are ways around spending tons of money when searching for love.”

Mike Piper presents You Call This an Efficient Market? posted at Oblivious Investor, saying, “Is the extreme volatility of the stock market a sign that it’s not an efficient market?”

Briana presents 7 Jobs for Retired People posted at Stupid Cents, saying, “Working in retirement can be fulfilling. Here are 7 jobs for retired people that you can pursue if you’d like to work during the next chapter in your life.”

Budgeting

Jason Price presents Set Up a Budget if You Don't Have an Emergency Fund posted at One Money Design, saying, “Did you know most people don’t have $1000 in an emergency fund? Set up a budget if you want to get your savings started!”

Everything Finance presents Budgeting Tips for Couples posted at Everything Finance, saying, “The days where your biggest decision as a couple was what movie you were going to watch are over. Now, you are taking a new step as partners – perhaps you have recently moved in together, or are considering starting a family.”

Jon the Saver presents Percentage of Income to Save Each Month posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, “What percentage of your earnings should you save each month?”

Careers

Jonathan presents How to Become a Freelance Writer posted at Blogging Your Passion, saying, “More and more people are becoming interested in freelance writing and these are a few things every freelance writer needs to know before starting.”

FMF presents Six Secrets of Salary Negotiation posted at Free Money Finance, saying, “How to handle the salary issue during the interviewing phase of a job search.”

Briana Myricks presents Businesses to Start in College posted at Studenomics, saying, “Several businesses you can start on a college campus.”

Teacher Man presents What To Do With A Liberal Arts Degree? posted at My University Money, saying, “Is a B.A. a Good Idea? Teacher Man himself has one, and he asks the question to the readers.”

Dr. Dean presents Compensation for Nurses: Hourly Wages Verses Salaried posted at The Millionaire Nurse Blog, saying, “In most occupations, you know the difference between salary and hourly but in the medical field, nothing is as black and white. Learn what you need to know about nursing wages here.”

Shawanda Greene presents How Ex-Cons, Illegals, and People With Bad Credit Find Jobs posted at You Have More Than You Think, saying, “How to make money if you have a criminal past, you’re an illegal immigrant, or you have bad credit. What the article tries to get at is there are no excuses for not earning money.”

Credit

Tim Chen presents Credit Cards With No Annual Fee: List of The Best No Fee Credit Cards posted at NerdWallet Blog – Credit Card Watch, saying, “There are two big reasons to choose a credit card with no annual fee, even when more attractive sounding cards with low annual fees are available.”

Nathan Richardson presents What is the Average Credit Score? posted at Complex Search, saying, “Credit scores are one of the most important factors determining whether or not a consumer will be approved for a loan or line of credit.”

Debt

Staff presents 5 Tips to Help Pay Off Student Loans Faster posted at Deliver Away Debt, saying, “Whatever the situation, the graduate has many options for repaying the loan while enjoying the new ventures life affords.”

Finance

Paul Vachon presents How to Save for College posted at The Frugal Toad, saying, “Financing college can be a daunting task for most people. This article discusses how to finance a college education.”

Flexo presents U.S. Will Sue Major Banks Over Mortgages posted at Consumerism Commentary, saying, “It’s not getting easier for US banks as the federal government is now taking their turn at a lawsuit.”

Glen Craig presents The Best Online Discount Brokerages for Cheap Trades posted at Free From Broke, saying, “What are the best online discount brokerages for cheap trades? Take a look at some of the best places for you to trade stocks that won’t break your bank, especially for the beginning investor.”

Barb Friedberg presents HOW WELL ARE MY INVESTMENTS PERFORMING? posted at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance, saying, “Learn how to measure your investment progress. It’s not just a matter of the raw percentage up or down!”

Frugality

Melissa presents 10 Ways to Buy Organic Foods on a Budget posted at Mom’s Plans, saying, “Here are the strategies that we use to eat nutritious, organic food without breaking the bank.”

Bob presents Ways to Save Money: 6 Practical Tips posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “Many of us live life in excess whether we realize it or not. It is so easy to live in a wasteful way when you are surrounded by a culture that does the same. This is a look at 6 tips to help you and I save more money!”

Sally presents Homemade Beauty Treats posted at Wallet Watcher, saying, “We all deserve a treat now and again but as a Mum, you're probably the one to miss out in that department if money is a bit tight. Rather than forgoing beauty treats altogether, why not try making your own? In most cases you won't need anything fancy and you'll probably find that you've got a lot of the ingredients at home already. Here are some ideas that you can try out next time you've got some 'me' time in the bathroom.”

Money Mum presents The Basics of Giving Haircuts From Home posted at Money Mum, saying, “While you may not consider yourself a beautician, giving basic haircuts from home can actually be quite manageable. You can save a substantial amount of money by skipping out on pricey salons, especially if you have several children who need haircuts.”

Matt presents Vacation Toys for Cheapskates posted at Living In Financial Excellence, saying, “You don't have to buy an RV or boat or vacation home. How about renting them!”

Philip Taylor presents Complete Guide to Mobile Phone Coupons posted at PT Money Personal Finance, saying, “Mobile coupons save you money by giving you a discount on your purchases. However there are things that you can do to increase your savings.”

John presents Eliminate Back-to-School Spending Stress with the Right Rewards Card posted at Wallet Blog, saying, “If you looked at your child's back-to-school checklist and wondered how in the world you'd pay for everything on it, don't worry, you're not alone. So here’s one way to help you save a little this year.”

Karen Bryan presents Minimuse Ryanair Charges & Fees posted at Help Me To Save, saying, “How to avoid as many Ryanair fees and charges as possible.”

Money Management

Jim Yih presents Be cautious of Advisors who abuse Deferred Sales Charges (DSC) posted at Retire Happy Blog, saying, “Read this story about a real experience with an advisor that is selling funds using Deferred Sales Charges (DSC) in a very controversial way.”

Evan presents What Happens if I am Late on a Car Insurance Payment? posted at My Journey to Millions, saying, “Whether you make monthly, semi-annual, bi-annual, or annual payments for your car insurance, you could suffer severe consequences if your payment is even one day late.”

Roger, the Amateur Financier presents Book Review – The 4 Hour Workweek – Expanded and Updated posted at The Amateur Financier, saying, “A review of the updated version of one of more interesting books about personal finance to come out in recent years, and how it could help you.”

Neal Frankle presents Beneficiary Forms -How To File Them Out Correctly posted at Wealth Pilgrim, saying, “Your beneficiary forms are one of the building blocks of your estate plan. You might understand all the IRA beneficiary rules but if you make a mistake filing out your forms, you're in for a world of hurt. And this goes for your other money as well. Your non-retirement accounts (called "non-qualified" accounts) are also included in this conversation.”

Real Estate

Jeremy presents How To Pay Off Your Mortgage in 5 Years posted at Personal Finance Whiz, saying, “I went a little math-nerd over the weekend to see what it would really take to pay off my mortgage in 5 years. As crazy as that sounds it is actually possible.”

SB presents Home Ownership, Should I Buy Or Should I Rent, A Calculation posted at One Cent at a Time, saying, “The mystery of home buying vs renting can be solved easily by calculating your expected cost vs expected save. See how it can be done. Factor in emotional factor in to the decision as well.”

Spending

Jason presents The Unfrugal Meal posted at Live Real, Now, saying, “Tuesday, after a long day of hands-on, interactive museum-going, we took the kids to a Japanese steakhouse. Teppanyaki, where they cook the food at the table, complete with fire, spatula spinning, and airborne food.”

Janet presents 6 Weird Things You Can Buy with Your Credit Card posted at Credit, Eh, saying, “You can buy just about anything with a credit card — assuming the limit is high enough. Here are some of the strange items that have been available to buy with your credit card.”

Jennifer Chauhan presents Together or Separate: Why splitting the bill is not advantageous posted at Mother Miser, saying, “A reflection on how social niceties often create awkward situations when sharing a meal or splitting the bill with friends or colleagues. I argue that there is no financial advantage to splitting the bill.”

Crystal presents A Splurge May Turn into Lifestyle Inflation posted at Budgeting In The Fun Stuff, saying, “When you start to make more, the general gut reaction is that now you can spend more. You have the money, have worked hard, why not splurge? Well those little splurges can lead to a complete change in lifestyle.”

Joe Morgan presents 7 Things People Spend More Money on Than They Should (and Tips to Stop Doing it). posted at Simple Debt-Free Finance, saying, “Saving money is always a good thing and with the recent recession, more people are casting an eye on their expenses in the hopes of cutting back. It's not just a good idea during recession. If more people became more watchful of their spending, then the country as a whole would be in a much better place financially. Here are 7 things that many people spend too much on, as well as some tips for cutting back on that spending.”

heartland frugalista presents How to Afford a Doula (Birth Assistant) posted at Heartland Living on a Budget, saying, “Do you need a doula, or birth assistant? If you decide you do, this post will tell you how to make it affordable.”

Taxes

Chloe Simpson presents Make IRS Pay Your Moving Expenses posted at Tax Bracket Blog, saying, “If you are moving because of a new job you could get the IRS to pay your moving expenses.”

Mike presents More Taxes On The Rich Will Solve So Many Problems! posted at My Political Diary, saying, “What has America become that we have to consider CUTTING funding for health insurance for the elderly instead of RAISING taxes for the rich? Clearly, corporate America OWNS Washington.”

Money Spending Mommy presents Tax Tips for Freelancers posted at Money Spending Mommy, saying, “If you play your cards right, you can minimize your tax liability, and you might even get some money back from the government. Here are some tips for staying organized and getting all of the deductions you qualify for.”

Tim Fraticelli presents Should Churches Use Taxpayer Money? posted at Faith and Finance, saying, “A thought provoking read that asks whether or not churches should use taxpayer money for outreaches. It’s a thin line that I think shouldn’t be crossed – but you might think differently!”

Other

Miss T. presents Globalization: Is It Bad for the Environment? posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter, saying, “Reconciling globalization and environmental hazards poses us with a great challenge. We need to put our focus on how mass production is conducted. It is not impossible to look into solutions on how to minimize the effect of globalization to the environment. What will make it impossible is our lack of trying.”

Squirrelers presents How Much Would You Have to be Paid to Work at the Japanese Nuclear Plant? posted at Squirrelers, saying, “We all like money, right? Well, as much as we like making money, there are some cases where we have to think twice. The post explores the limits of what we would do to make money, balanced with civic duty.”

Dough Roller presents In Six Weeks, I Will Own My First US Passport posted at Dough Roller, saying, “In what was long overdue, I decided to obtain my first passport. The process which can sometimes be convoluted, was actually lightning fast.”

Will presents The End of an Era? Apple CEO Steve Jobs Steps Down posted at Money Mastered, saying, “When Steve Jobs came back to Apple, it was close to bankruptcy. When he stepped down, he left it with a market capitalization of over $350 billion. What will happen after him?”

Totally Money Blog Carnival #34 originally appeared on Canadian Finance Blog on September 5, 2011.