Welcome to the Universe Edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance. In this weeks edition I’m going to be covering one of my favorite topics, The Universe, as well showing off some of the best personal finance articles around. On top of that I’ll be giving you some cool little tidbits about the universe and some amazing pictures.
Editors Picks (Andromeda Galaxy)
Above is a picture of the Andromeda Galaxy one of my personal favorites. This galaxy is 2.5 million light years from earth and is the nearest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way. This galaxy is thought to be very similar to the Milky Way. On top of that this galaxy is supposedly on a collision course with the Milky Way.
Shaun from Money Cactus presents The Worlds Simplest Retirement Plan, This plan is very simple and easy to follow which I might add is very important to running a retirement plan successfully.
Money Thinker from Money Thinking presents Think a Stock Market Crash doesn’t Affect You? Think Again!, What a great article, I’m feeling the effects of this right since I’m in the middle of buying a house and hoping my interest rates don’t jump up before I close.
Meghan from Credit Donkey presents How to Dispute Credit Card Charges, I had to do this a few years ago when I noticed an extra charge on my credit card. The credit card company told me I needed to have it just in case I lost my job. I informed them that I did not authorize it and wanted the charges dropped, and with a half hour of haggling I finally did get them dropped.
Flexo from Consumerism Commentary presents How to Hedge Against Gasoline Price Increases, I never thought about hedging my gas prices by buying stock in gas companies but I kind of already do this since I have a Marathon Gas Card and get a 5% cash back reward.
Philip Taylor from PT Money Personal Finance presents Benefits of a 15 Year Mortgage, I agree with this article so much, in fact one of my friends just bought a home and got it under a 15 year loan and is saving a ton.
Hank from Money Q&A presents My Next Home Is Going To Be A Hotel & Save Money, This is such a weird idea to live in a hotel but when you add the cost up it’s actually cheaper than owning a home.
Budgeting (The Spiral Galaxy)
The Spiral Galaxy also known as Bode’s Galaxy is another huge galaxy located 11.8 million light years away from earth. This galaxy is one of the brighter galaxies in the sky and is also about the size of the Milky Way.
Green Panda from Green Panda Treehouse presents Can College Students Really Save Money?, and says, “How YOU can save money in college.”
Fanny from Living Richly on a Budget presents 3 Personal Budget Worksheets, and says, “It’s important to live on a budget and not overspend these days. The best way to do this is to use a personal budget worksheet that you refer to every month.”
Nicole from Grumpy Rumblings presents Living on one salary?, and says, “If you think your partner is going to lose his or her job, should you start living one salary now? Or is that over-reacting to something that might not happen? What do you think?”
Suba from Broke Professionals presents Celebrating anniversaries on a budget, and says, “Here are 8 ways to celebrate your anniversary on a budget”
Career ( Alpha Centauri)
The picture above might look like a bunch dots on a page but what you are actually looking at is a picture of next closest star system to Earth, Alpha Centauri. This star can be seen from the southern hemisphere is located 5 light years away. If we were to travel to this star using are current means of space travel it would take around a 100,000 years to get there.
Money Beagle from Money Beagle presents 1 Step To Getting A Better Performance Review, and says, “If you do only one thing this year to prepare for your review, do this!”
Mike from The Financial Blogger presents What I Would Do If I Started Blogging Today, and says, “The most important piece a new blogger can read.”
FMF from Free Money Finance presents Another Example of Getting a Job through Volunteering, and says, “I got my last job through volunteering and now my son has one because he volunteered as well. I guess giving back does pay!”
Ben from Money Smart Life presents 10 Ways to Get Ahead at Work, and says, “Ten ways to advance your career and get ahead at work.”
Clint from Accumulating Money presents Bolster Your Income with a Side Business; But Don’t Forget to Protect Your Assets, and says, “If you are one of those looking to increase your net-worth by pursuing a business, then you owe it to yourself and your assets to exercise some due diligence.”
Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents Should You Start Your Own Business?, and says, “Many dream of the day when they run their own business. But are you suited for it. Should you start your own business? Some some considerations in starting your own business.”
Credit (The North American Nebula)
This is a picture of the North American Nebula which is located around 200 light years from earth. Nebulas are nothing more than gases and dust, and are the building blocks for stars and other plants. In fact are own sun was made this way.
Jeremy from Taking Charge presents Data breach déjà vu.
Ryan from Deliver Away Debt presents Perkstreet Financial Review, and says, “Who is Perkstreet Financial and what exactly are they offering?”
Nathan Richardson from ComplexSearch presents Credit Score Scams: What to Avoid, and says, “Today advertises are rule the air, print and online space for credit scores. Find out if your company you’re doing business with is a scam”
Michal from Credit Card Offers IQ presents 4 Things Students Should Look for In A Credit Card, and says, “This article will help students on their search for a solid student credit card.”
Jason from One Money Design presents 5 Biggest Credit Card Traps & How To Avoid Them, and says, “The 5 biggest credit card traps you need to watch out for which may cause you to go into debt or pay a lot in fees.”
Marjorie from CardHub.com presents Wells Fargo’s Elimination of Debit Card Rewards Fits Predicted Durbin Amendment Fallout, and says, “With the October 1 implementation of the Federal Reserve’s 24 cent cap on debit card interchange fees fast approaching, Wells Fargo recently became yet another issuer to make fundamental changes to its debit card offerings in anticipation of industry-wide revenue losses.”
Debt (The Black Hole Galaxy)
Above is a picture of what a black hole galaxy would look like. Black holes are incredibly powerful, in fact they are so strong that nothing can escape them even light itself.
Adam from Rabbit Funds presents Why do I have to wait until I’m in trouble to clean up my finances?, and says, “So why do we as individuals and even huge governments let things get so far out of control before we make corrections? Why don’t we guard ourselves against deviating from our course?”
Janet from Credit, Eh presents Debt Pay Down Strategies: Consolidation, and says, “Without a plan, your efforts to pay off debt can fall flat, and it can take quite a long time to realize your goal of getting rid of debt. One of the strategies that you can employ to pay off your debt is loan consolidation.”
Jay Fleischman from Money Health Central presents Getting Out Of Debt? Forget The Fountain Of Youth., and says, “Paying your way out of debt puts your retirement at risk.”
Finance
Jen from Master the Art of Saving presents South Park, Slippers and a Very Naughty Puppy, and says, “Puppies are expensive little creatures. Yeah, I know everybody told me that, it just doesn’t seem to register until you really know all the possible expenses they’ll bring. How much have we spent over the last year on our furry little bundle?”
Economy ( The Sombrero Galaxy)
The Sombrero Galaxy is a spiral galaxy located 28 million light years from Earth. In fact almost all spiral galaxies look like this.
SB from One Cent At A Time presents What If American Stores Stop Buying Chinese Imports?, and says, “This is a blog about an imaginary scenario when top US departmental stores stop buying cheap Chinese imports. In short term impact will be devastating but in longer term will benefit America”
Mike from Experiglot presents I Just Quit My Job, and says, “A really fascinating piece on quitting your job in this economy.”
Justin from Money Is The Root presents Pay TV Industry on the Decline?
Dough Roller from The Dough Roller presents U.S. Deficit Sets Record (Again), and says, “It’s becoming somewhat of a joke that the US deficit is ever increasing but sooner or later, this is gonna catch up to us.”
Frugality (Kepler’s Supernova)
Your looking at a picture of a distant star that went supernova, or in simple terms exploded. Only the biggest stars in the universe which are hundreds of times bigger than are own sun will ever do this. In fact if we were only a few hundred light years form this supernova it would be bright enough to outshine the entire galaxy. On top of that it would emit more energy than are own sun puts out in it entire life span.
Nelson from Canadian Finance Blog presents You Realize Books Are Free, Right?, and says, “Use the library to rent books for free, or at least close to free. Libraries allow you to reserve your books online and check them out automatically.”
John from Wallet Blog presents Eliminate Back-to-School Spending Stress with the Right Rewards Card, and says, “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. Here’s one way to help you save a little this year, though!”
Ramsay from Moneyedup presents How To Buy A Diamond On A Budget, and says, “Most professionals will suggest that cut is most important as it takes the right depth and number of facets cut in the right way to make the stone really sparkle and shine. ”
Briana Myricks from Stupid Cents presents 7 Ways to Be a More Frugal Family, and says, “Your family can be more frugal making these changes.”
Barb Friedberg from Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance presents HOW I SAVED $3000 BY LIVING WITH THE ‘RENTS, and says, “Read about how a short sale home purchase turned into a 5 week stint living with the folks. Ultimately, we saved big bucks and profited personally as well.”
Betty Kincaid from Control Your Cash presents Retard of the Week, and says, “Sallie’s Niece, a walking financial casualty, shares her genius with her enabling readers.”
Investing (The Milky Way)
The picture above is what we might think the Milky Way might look like. We don’t know exactly because we are inside of it, but by looking at other similar galaxies we have a pretty good idea. In the picture above we can also get a good idea of how big are solar system is compared to the rest of the galaxy.
IS from Intelligent Speculator presents Keeping A Long Term Perspective, and says, “Are you thinking of the long term?”
DSO from Dividend Stocks presents US Stocks On Sale, and says, “Earlier this year, it was getting difficult to find good dividend paying stocks at a reasonable price. Markets had been climbing higher and higher, reaching peak levels back in March and April.”
Div Guy from The Dividend Guy Blog presents Top Free US Stock Screener, and says, “Are you enjoying these?”
D4L from Dividend Growth Stocks presents 5 Dividend Stocks With Yields In The Sweet Spot, and says, “Are you from another planet? That’s the look I got several weeks ago when I admitted to a group of colleagues that I had not been following the daily gyrations of the stock market. Investing in dividend growth stocks is about strategically selecting appropriate times to buy, but not timing the market.”
RJ Weiss from Gen Y Wealth presents Asset Allocation Example, and says, “As a CFP® and blogger, I do practice what I preach. Here’s an overview of my asset allocation. ”
Mike Piper from Oblivious Investor presents Withdrawal Rates and Early Retirement, and says, “People often suggest withdrawing no more than 4% of your portfolio value per year during retirement. How can that advice be applied when spending needs are likely to change over time?”
Junior Boomer from Consumer Boomer presents Is It Time To Short Gold, and says, “Here’s some great advice about investing during this time of uncertainty in the market.”
Ryan from Outlaw Finance presents Top 5 Common Investing Mistakes, and says, “Putting your money to work for you is a great way to save for retirement, pay for college, and increase your overall wealth. The trick is to avoid investing mistakes – which almost always lead to a loss of money.”
Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Dividend Stocks – The safest investment in the world, and says, “how can investors maintain their sanity, generate returns and live off their portfolios in such uncertain world?
md from Passive Income Now presents Why Investing Isn’t Such a Hot Idea, and says, “It’s not always a good idea to be investing money.”
Sean from Grow Money presents Is Cash Value Life Insurance Really a Good Investment?, and says, “”
Jim Yih from Retire Happy Blog presents Strategies to deal with market volatility, and says, “Market volatility is fun when they go up and not fun when they come down. Investing is tougher when markets are down so these investment strategies can help. ”
Money Management (Mars)
I would have to say Mars is one of the coolest plants. I thinks it’s because we can find so much in common with it versus Earth. It supposedly has polar ice caps and at one time may have had water on the surface of it. Some scientist believe that their is water beneath the surface however we may never know for sure unless we go there ourselves.
Frugal from Totally Money presents Pets: To Insure Or Not?
Neo from NetWorthProtect.com presents 5 key planning steps to ensure financial freedom, and says, “5 part series focus on planning for financial freedom”
Suba from Wealth Informatics presents Are we saving too much for retirement, and says, “Are we saving too much for retirement? Is that even possible? How much is too much? A case study on how much is required for retirement for a couple.”
Dan Meyers from Your Life, Their Life presents How I paid off $50,000 of debt in two years, and says, “Two years after I graduated from college, I found myself unhappy in my job and broke. I had amassed over $50,000 in debt! This is how I fought through the debt and paid it all off.”
Stephanie Taylor Christensen from Wellness On Less presents Create a Will On Your Lunch Hour.
p>Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents Advice About Financial Goals and Saving For Retirement, and says, “Here’s some great advice regarding your financial goals and saving for retirement.”
Savings
Jill from My Dollar Plan presents Financial Advice for Pro Athletes, and says, “Anyone making a lot of money at a young age needs to read this article!”
The Happy Homeowner from The Happy Homeowner presents 10 Steps Towards Financial Security
ElizabethG (Modern Gal) from Modern Gal presents Decision Fatigue and Financial Management
Real Estate (How Big Is The Universe?)
The true size of the universe is unknown. The only way for us to judge how big the universe is by using light as our gauge. Since light travels at a speed of 186,000 miles per second we can make assumptions as to how far something is away from us. The furthest galaxies are around 12 billion light years away from us, however their may be more but the light from those galaxies may have not still reach us yet.
MoneyWalks from Money Walks presents 4 Foolproof Tips for Renters, and says, “”
MD from Studenomics presents What’s The Best Time & Way to Buy a Home?, and says, “A must-read for soon to be home owners.”
Others (The Red Giant)
In the picture above the yellow dot shows what the sun looks like now but in about 5 billion years from now will be nearing the end of its life and will turn into a huge red giant. In fact it will get so big that it will engulf the inner orbits of Earth, Venus, and Mercury.
Echo from Boomer & Echo presents Good Customer Service: Finish What You Start, and says, “Have you ever had a problem resolved after taking your frustrations to Twitter or other social media sites?”
Squirrelers from Squirrelers presents A Day in the City Well Worth the Investment, and says, “This is a story about a day in the city with a child, which was worth the investment due to the learnings about generosity.”
Bret from Hope to Prosper presents Dreams and Reflections on a Peacful Saturday Morning, and says, “During these quiet times I rise above the daily activity to get some of my big-picture ideas. This is a time when it is practical to look ahead and safe to dream.”
Grace from Graceful Retirement presents Mothers, Daughters & Money
Final Thoughts…
I hope everyone enjoyed this weeks carnival. If you get a chance don’t forget follow me on Twitter, sign up for my RSS, and send some link love. Finally, feel free to share your comments and questions below.
Cheers!
