Links to Carnivals from November 23 - 29, 2010

Here are the links to the Carnivals in which My Wealth Builder participated from November 23 - 29, 2010:

The Wealth Builder Carnival #16

Carnival of Financial Planning #167

For some interesting articles from the blogosphere, check out these Carnivals and give the hosts some recognition for their hard work.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Wealth Builder Carnival #17

Welcome to seventeenth edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to collect articles from the blogosphere on building, preserving and keeping enough wealth for a comfortable retirement. For reference, I have tried to keep the carnival content tightly focused on wealth building and did not include submissions that were off topic.

For reading convenience, I have listed the posts with brief summaries, often by the author, and organized them into seven categories: Earning, Investing, Insuring and Protecting, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Insuring and Protecting

Protecting Your Wealth – Insure Against the Risk of Financial Disaster - "Insurance is an excellent way to protect against major negative events and the potential resulting financial disaster"

Investing

Higher Tax Rates And Performance Of Dividend Payers Versus Non Payers - "Tax rates in the U.S. are set to increase if Congress fails to act before year end. Higher taxes on dividends does not necessarily translate into the stocks of dividend payers underperforming the non payers. Allianz reviewed tax rates from 1972 to the present, identified nine distinct time 'regimes', and found dividend-paying stocks outperformed nondividend-paying stocks in all but one period: 1987 (see chart in article.)"

23 Dividend Stocks Paying More Cash - "When selecting income investments, the three most important questions to answer are : 1.) Is the investment increasing its dividend each year, 2.) Is the increase likely to continue into the future and 3.) Are you being compensated for the risk you are taking? When you answer yes to all three of the questions, you just might have found an excellent income investment."

The Dark Side of Real Estate Investing - "We often hear great success stories from successful real estate investors. However, we seldom hear from those individuals who failed as real estate investors and lost money as well. Real Estate investing can be a great way to create wealth, however, it can be a sure fire way to lose a lot of money fast! Find out some of the mistakes that differentiate the super successful investors from the not-so-lucky investors."

The Warren Buffetts Next Door - "Can you really beat the market simply by taking the time and effort to educate yourself on investing? A new book says you can -- and uses ten people who have done just that as support."

Discussing the investment case for Kinross Gold (K:TSX) with Bruce Campbell of Campbell & Lee Investment Management - "While many have argued that gold will continue to outperform going forward, there are equally as many who argue against an investment in gold , including the Oracle of Omaha. While there are valid points on either side of the argument it is you who has to judge on which side of the debate you fall. Having said that, if you happen to fall on the side that calls for an investment in gold, you’ll likely enjoy the following interview."

Choosing the Best CD for You - "A certificate of deposit can be a low risk part of any portfolio."

Living Frugally

10 Inexpensive Christmas Gifts Under $10 - "These inexpensive gifts would make great stocking stuffers."

How To Teach Your Kids To Budget - "How would you teach your kids how to budget? Do you think it's important?"

Retiring

When Should You Start Receiving Social Security Benefits? - "Choosing to delay receiving Social Security Benefits can increase the amount you receive. These tips can help you maximize your Social Security Benefits."

Saving

Health Savings Account Contribution Limits & Benefits - "Here are some considerations you should take into account before setting up a Health Savings Account. Is this tax-advantaged account worth having?"

Taxes

2010 Tax Brackets: What Is My Tax Bracket? - "Details about the current and historic U.S. federal income tax brackets."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: the wealth builder carnival, blog carnival.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, earning, insuring, investing, living, retiring, saving, tax, or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Making Progress an Hour at a Time

Over the past month, I've been trying to make progress against several large projects. The problem is that each project needs about 20 to 30 hours to complete and I usually don't have the motivation to do the project continuously for several days. My solution has been to work on the project each day for about an hour. My rationale is that I can work on anything for an hour.

This strategy has helped me make significant progress against a some of my projects. Here are the types of projects in which I found the strategy worked best.

Work is naturally spread out over time. The leaves in our yard fall over a two month period. I used to prefer waiting a week or two before starting to rake the leaves. That way I could minimize the number of times I needed to work on an area. This year, I decided to work on the leaves for about an hour each day. Often that meant working on only a limited section of the yard each time. However, by doing this, raking leaves never seemed to be a daunting task and noticeable progress was made each day.

Minimal set time. Several of our gardening projects require nearly zero set up time to do the work: trimming, fertilizing, weeding, and ground cover edging. I can work on these projects an hour at a time, fill up a garbage can, and make noticeable progress.

Reducing clutter in my home office and filing important records also falls into this category.

Annual routine tasks. Rather than wait until tax time to gather records and record the information, I've been taking about 1/2 hour a week to file records and put the information in a spreadsheet. While I will still need about 5-10 hours to complete my tax return, I won't need to spend 25-30 hours preparing.

Of course, this approach won't work for all my projects, especially those that require significant set up or clean up time. For example, when home or yard maintenance projects require an extension ladder, multiple tools, significant clean up or an additional helper, I prefer to work several hours at a time to minimize the proportion of preparation time.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Composting All of our Leaves

Typically, we rake up 45 to 50 bags of leaves every fall. In most years, we put the bags of leaves out with our garbage. Last year, we decided to compost about half the leaves and saved some bags. However,since I wasn't composting correctly,barely any of the leaves had broken down by September of this year. After checking the Internet, I realized my mistake was trying to compost 100% leaves. A proper compost needed a higher level nitrogen source which grass clippings can provide at approximately at a 1:2-3 ratio of grass:leaves. Once I corrected the ratios, I was able to reduce about 20 bags of leaves to a small compost pile of 1/2 cubic yard (about the volume of two 45 gallon leaf bags).

Based on this experience, I believe we will be able to compost all of our leaves this year. We have started a compost pile with 1/3 of the collected leaves and grass clippings from October mowings. Since the internal temperature of the pile has reached 130 degrees, the composting process has already started. We have stored the remaining 2/3 of the leaves and will either add them as the compost pile reduces or save them for the spring when there are more grass clipping.

Hopefully, this process will work and enable us to compost all of our leaves on a annual basis.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial or gardening advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Inflation's Back

Secret Walmart Survey Shows Inflation Already Here at CNBC.com reports that a pricing survey shows an annualized inflation rate of 4% for the goods evaluated. This survey is probably no surprise to the average American who purchases these items.

After absorbing increases the past two years, it seems more manufacturers are willing to pass along raw material cost increases to consumers. I've already seen price increases for several items I regularly purchase.


Interestingly, the CPI index and bond interest rates still show little to no sign of inflation. Hopefully, the return of inflation seen at Walmart will soon be reflected in those areas soon.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.


Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Memories of Stuffing

When I was a child, I loved eating stuffing but it always seemed to run out too soon. Since my mom cooked stuffing by putting it inside a turkey, my solution was to ask for a bigger turkey. My parents humored me and kept getting a bigger turkey each year. One year they bought a 23 pound turkey and it barely fit into our oven. We ate turkey leftovers for quite a long time that year :-)

It wasn't until I in college that I realized that stuffing could also be prepared without putting into the turkey. Thus, the amount of stuffing was no longer limited by the size of the turkey. Large amounts of stuffing could be baked alongside the turkey to ensure I had sufficient stuffing for several days after Thanksgiving.

Finally, after starting my first job, a friend invited me to spend Thanksgiving with his family since I wasn't able to go home. They had one of the best stuffings I ever ate. The secret ingredient was sausage, and sausage stuffings are still my favorite.

Stuffing continues to be one of my favorite foods and I look forward to enjoying stuffing as part of the Thanksgiving meal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial or Thanksgiving menu advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #15

It's been over four years since I started My Wealth Builder. As I think about topics to write , I often remember, "I've written about that before," and decide to find a new topic. However, since many principles of personal finance are timeless, I want to include them in a recent post on My Wealth Builder. Therefore, I have started a series called "Timeless Articles from the Archives" that will highlight posts from the same week in 2006-2009.

2006

How Much to Save for Your Child's College Education - For us, our calculated value is about $10,000 per year.

Developing My Will to Avoid Debt - Here is the mind hack I use.

Paying Off a Home Mortgage Earlier - This was my analysis of the reduction time versus the increase in monthly payment.

Adoptions – Tax Credits and Income Exclusions - Adoption can expensive and tax credits can help reduce the cost.

My Top Ten Financial Reasons to Be Thankful - From Thanksgiving 2006.

2007

Capitalizing On The Internet Revolution - The agricultural, the industrial and now the Internet Revolution.

Avoiding Wash Sales While Taking Losses For Stock Investments - The IRS won't let investors buy stock within 30 days of selling the same stock for a loss. Here's how I avoid the issue.

Giving Thanks To My Parents - I'm glad I able to say "thanks" to my parents.

Our Journey To Financial Freedom #8 - My Personal Finance Mind Tricks - The eighth in the financial freedom series.

2008

Inflation or Deflation - What's Next? - I decided to buy TIPS as a hedge against inflation

2009

What We Learned from the Financial Crisis - The financial crisis of 2008 to 2009 has helped us clarify our thinking on our retirement investments.

Not Aging Gracefully - Getting old definitely isn't for wimps :-)

I Believe these Events are Inevitable - Out of four predictions, one has happened and the other three are still possible.

Why I Don't Shop on Black Friday - Nor will I shop on Thanksgiving day in 2010.

To me, the content of these posts are still relevant today and were worth reading again.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investing, tax, parenting or saving advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Links to Carnivals from November 16 - 22, 2010

Here are the links to the Carnivals in which My Wealth Builder participated from November 16 - 22, 2010:

The Wealth Builder Carnival #15

Carnival of Financial Planning #166

Carnival of Wealth #13

For some interesting articles from the blogosphere, check out these Carnivals and give the hosts some recognition for their hard work.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Wealth Builder Carnival #16

Welcome to sixteenth edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to collect articles from the blogosphere on building, preserving and keeping enough wealth for a comfortable retirement. For reference, I have tried to keep the carnival content tightly focused on wealth building and did not include submissions that were off topic.

For reading convenience, I have listed the posts with brief summaries, often by the author, and organized them into seven categories: Earning, Investing, Insuring and Protecting, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Earning

The Problem with Corporate Sales Training - "Why every sales person should be themselves and throw away their boring scripts. It is time to change"

Career Insurance: Insuring Your Most Valuable Asset -"As with anything valuable, you need to take steps to protect your career. That's why financial websites recommend life, health, and disability insurance -- to protect/replace the value of your career in case you die, get sick, or are physically unable to work. Having some form of these insurances is generally wise for almost every worker. But there's another form of insurance that's equally essential. This insurance is free, but it will take some work and planning. I call it "Career Insurance". This Career Insurance is not a product you can buy, but a series of actions you can proactively take to minimize the chance that your career will take a major hit."

Should You Take on Personal Debt to Fund Your Business? - "While tapping into ones personal assets may seem like the quickest and best way to fund your business, there may be many potential nightmares down the road."

Insuring and Protecting

Tools - FireSafe Your Personal Finance Documents! - "It's a nice idea to keep our important personal finance stuff in such a way that we can grab hold of it and leave at a moment's notice. In case we cannot do so, it'd be great to have a back-up at a safe place with an easy access in case of natural calamities or unforeseen disasters ...."

The 12 Cyber-Scams of Christmas - "Why give others potential access to your wealth when you don't have to?"

7 little-known facts everyone should learn before buying car insurance - "Here are 7 little-known facts that could save you money in purchasing your car insurance."

The Question to Ask when Choosing Term Life Insurance: What Are You Protecting? - "We recently began working with a financial planner, and as part of our complete financial planning, looked at term life insurance options. I’m putting this article about term life insurance under “Building Wealth” and “Master Your Money” but it can easily fall under the “Retirement Planning” and “Wealth/Life Balance” categories."

5 Credit Card Protections You Might Have - "Many of our credit card companies offer us protections and if don’t know about it we might just be missing out."

Investing

How to Buy ETFs - "To buy and sell ETFs, you first need a brokerage account."

Discussing Investing In Income Producing Assets Like Bonds And Dividend Stocks with Benoit Poliquin, CFA of Pallas Athena - "Discussing income investing using preferred shares and dividend stocks."

13 Dividend Stocks Providing A Growing Income - "How much money will you need for retirement? This a very difficult question to answer. There are many factors and assumptions that go into estimating the income that will be needed in retirement. However, one certainty is that if you only invest in fixed income instruments, you will need more than if your investments provide you a growing income."

International Bond ETFs and Funds: Should You Own Them? - "Does it make sense for U.S. investors to own international bond ETFs or funds?"

How to Use the Dividend Growth Rate to Select Income Stocks - "Collecting dividend payments from stocks is an excellent way to help prepare for retirement as well as supplement your current income. Savvy investors have been buying up the top dividend stocks for years, slowly building a solid and long lasting income stream. So how do these successful investors know which dividend paying stocks to pick? It is surely not by chasing the highest yields."

Forex Trading 101: Major Currency Pairs, Most Traded Currencies, & More -"While not the way to invest for retirement, Forex trading can be a way to invest for the high-risk portion of your portfolio. This is a brief intro to Forex trading."

How to Invest - "A blog post that offers suggestions on how to find sound investments that accrue interest over the rate of inflation."

Living Frugally

Top 8 Most Wanted Gifts This Christmas And How To Get Them At a Discount -"A nice round up of the top 8 Christmas gifts for 2010 and how to get them at a discount."

Stop! You're Poisoning Yourself - "If we don’t curb our spending on the toys rather than the 'value-adds' we will come to financial ruin."

5 Credit Card Spending Tips for the Holidays -"These five tips can help people who tend to accidentally overspend while shopping avoid racking up credit card debt during the holidays."

12 Inexpensive Christmas Gifts Under $20 - "Some great, inexpensive Christmas gift ideas!"

Black Friday 2010 Deals: Walmart - "Walmart has posted it’s Black Friday 2010 Ads and circular! There are so many items that have deep discounts! I have posted the full Walmart Black Friday circular so you can develop your shopping strategy!"

Retiring

Tax Efficient Investing For Retirement - "Investing for retirement with an eye on tax efficiency."

Choosing Between an IRA and a Roth IRA - "Getting the best investment return and the best tax outcome for your retirement account requires knowing how to fund your traditional IRA and your Roth IRA."

Saving

What that dollar in your pocket isn’t worth - "Measuring yesterday’s devalued dollar against today’s is one thing. Measuring it against gold is something different."

Building Wealth on $1 Per Day - New Calculations - "Here's one reason to start saving early and often."

Taxes

4 Things Everyone Should Know About Inheritance Tax - "Guide to inheritance tax, how it works and what tax allowances you can claim"

Flexible and Health Savings Account Changes for 2011 – Over the Counter Medicine Reimbursement - "Do you use a flexible spending or health savings account? If so you need to know about how over-the-counter drugs are being treated in your plan next year."


That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: the wealth builder carnival, blog carnival.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, earning, insuring, investing, living, retiring, saving, tax, or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Using Covered Calls

When the stock market is volatile, I like to sell covered calls as part of my trading strategy. For reference, selling a call obligates me to sell the underlying stock at a specific (strike) price. The buyer of the call purchases the right to buy the underlying security at a specific (strike) price. When a call is covered, the seller owns the underlying stock.

Covered calls provide me the following benefits:

A premium over the sale price. For example, if a stock is at $55, I can sell a $60 call for a $1 premium. If the stock is at $60 or higher at the call expiration date, I will receive $60 for the stock. Total sales price equals $60 strike price plus $1 premium or $61.

Earnings during a sideways trend. Using the same example, if the stock is under $60 on the expiration date, I keep the stock and the $1 premium for the call. Thus, I earned $1 while waiting for the stock to reach $60.

Insurance against a decline. For example, if a stock is at $55, I can sell a $45 call for $10.50. If the stock closes above $45, the totals sales price will be $55.50 ($45 strike price plus $10.50 call premium). If the stock falls below $45, I keep the stock and the $10.50 premium.

To get these benefits, there is an opportunity cost for using covered calls. I forgo any gains above the strike price since I am obligated to sell at the strike price. For example, if I sell a $60 call and the stock advances to $80, I am still obligated to sell at $60 and, therefore, do not get the $20 gain above $60.

Hence, I prefer to use covered calls at short term highs when a stock is in a sideways trading channel. Thus, when the stock pulls back, I keep the call premium, wait for the stock to rally, and start the cycle again.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial or investing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Deficit Panel Reduction Recommendations

A CNBC.com article, Presidential Panel Releases Deficit-Reduction Proposals, provides a good summary of the preliminary recommendation from the bipartisan panel on deficit reduction. A final report is due on December 1, 2010.

Overall, I like the total package recommended. The recommendation has three major areas of focus:

Spending cuts. The proposal puts a cap on government spending at 21% of GDP, down from the current 24% of GDP. This includes reducing the 2012 budget to 2010 spending levels, lower defense and non-defense spending by $100 billion each by 2015, freeze government employee salaries for three years and reduce the federal workforce by 10%. Automatic cut would take place if Congress exceeds spending caps.

Tax code overhaul. The proposal eliminates $1.1 trillion of exemptions and deductions, such as the mortgage interest deduction. In addition, it will simplify and lower the tax rates paid by individuals and lower the tax rate paid by corporations.

Reduce health care costs. The proposal would reduce payments under Medicare and Medicaid, increase co-pays, and cap awards under malpractice suits.

The proposal also makes recommendations to ensure the long term viability of Social Security, but would be covered outside of the deficit reduction program.

The part I like best is the proposal to limit government spending at 21% of GDP. The limit will cause government to focus on being choiceful about spending and eliminating ineffective programs. Another positive point is that the limit will also cause government to put more effort on growing the economy since a higher GDP is the only way to increase the amount of funds available for spending.

I will be very interested in the debate and comments in the coming months.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial or policy advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Retirement Mistakes to Avoid

Six Retirement Mistakes to Avoid by Cindy Pearlman at CNBC.com summarizes six mistakes to avoid based on interviews with financial analysts. Here is the list:

1. Not utilizing tax advantaged savings options. Savers get tax breaks for using IRAs and 401Ks to save for retirement, including deductions for contributions and tax free earnings.



2. Not utilizing catch-up provisions for those 50 and older. For those at least 50, an extra $1000 can be contributed to an IRA and an extra $5,500 can be contributed to a 401K.



3. Withdrawing or borrowing from your retirement plan. The article notes that this money can never be replaced. In addition, taxes and penalties may need to be paid.



4. Underestimating how long you’re going to live. The U.S. average life expectancy is 77.9 years. Some financial planners are using life expectancies of 90 for men and 95 for women as an assumption for calculations.



5. Overestimating returns. The new rate is 6-7%.



6. Failing to make a retirement budget. People aren't realistic in estimating retirement living expenses, especially with respect to health care costs.

Overall, I thought this was a good list. In our case, we've been able to avoid making these mistakes. Based on our experience, I would add three other mistakes to avoid.

1. Not contributing up to the maximum 401K employer match. Whatever an employer matches is free extra money.



2. Not learning to live below one's means while working. While working we saved 20% of our income. As a result, we didn't need our full income to cover retirement living expenses which made the transition easier.



3. Having major debt. When retired, we only had mortgage debt. In our second year of retirement, we paid off the mortgage and significantly reduced our living expenses which enabled us to remain in retirement in spite of the decline of the stock market and the recession.

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Saturday for a new segment.list

This is not financial or retirement advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Declining Financial Skills May Indicate Other Health Problems

Money Woes Can Be Early Clue to Alzheimer’s reports how significantly declining skills can sometimes indicate more serious mental capacity issues. The article shares how previously competent people start making serious financial mistakes long before others realize there is a health problem. Unfortunately, the issue is often missed because one spouse handles most of the financial transactions.

In our family, we try avoid the situation of one spouse handling most of the financial matters. We split up the financial responsibilities in a way such that there is a natural check and balance. My spouse pays the bills and handles the statements from our bank and investment accounts. I manage the investment accounts and fund the checking account from which bills are paid. In addition, we have hired a financial advisor who we trust to help us should one or both of us become unable to handle our finances. If one spouse is having an issue, the other spouse should be aware of the problem fairly early.

Hopefully, we will not need much assistance in handling our families finances in the future. However, if an issue should arise, I expect we will be able to identify before it becomes a major problem.

For more on Crossing Generations , check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #14

It's been over four years since I started My Wealth Builder. As I think about topics to write , I often remember, "I've written about that before," and decide to find a new topic. However, since many principles of personal finance are timeless, I want to include them in a recent post on My Wealth Builder. Therefore, I have started a series called "Timeless Articles from the Archives" that will highlight posts from the same week in 2006-2009.

2007

Inexpensive Fall Activities With Our Three Year Old- Here are some low cost ideas we have done.

Our Journey To Financial Freedom #7 - How Luck Played A Role - The seventh in the financial freedom series.

2008

Procrastination has Saved Us Money - Sometimes delaying a purchase has saved us money.

Stocks - Is it Time to Buy or Sell? - It depend on whether I have enough cash for near term expenses.

Financial Lessons from my Parents' Generation Re-Learned - My parent's financial principles still apply today.

Retiring Early in Turbulent Times - In hindsight, here's what worked, what didn't work, and what I wish I had done.

2009

A Bubble is Coming - The bond bubble came, I profited, and it still hasn't burst.

How Tracking Net Worth can be Misleading - Here's why I think money saved is a better measure for retirement readiness.


To me, the content of these posts are still relevant today and were worth reading again.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investing, career, parenting or saving advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Links to Carnivals from November 9 - 15, 2010

Here are the links to the Carnivals in which My Wealth Builder participated from November 9 - 15, 2010:

The Wealth Builder Carnival #14

Carnival of Financial Planning #165

Baby Boomers Blog Carnival #65

For some interesting articles from the blogosphere, check out these Carnivals and give the hosts some recognition for their hard work.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Wealth Builder Carnival #15

Welcome to fifteenth edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to collect articles from the blogosphere on building, preserving and keeping enough wealth for a comfortable retirement. For reference, I have tried to keep the carnival content tightly focused on wealth building and did not include submissions that were off topic.

For reading convenience, I have listed the posts with brief summaries by the authors and organized them into seven categories: Earning, Investing, Insuring and Protecting, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Earning

Creating Passive Income on the Side - "Stop trading hours for dollars. Focus instead on creating passive income on the side. Consider niche content websites, or engage in other side gigging that generate residual income on auto pilot. Passive income streams can be established in pretty much any profession or discipline."

Insuring and Protecting

Book Review & Interview with Jonathan Spall of How to Profit in Gold -"The book lends itself more to be a manual or handbook of the way gold trades and the factors that affect its price. If that enthuses you, check it out. "

Investing

What Are Good Investments For Your Retirement - "Retirement planning is something to start early and adjust as you near retirement age."

16 Dividend Stocks Delivering What?s Important - "In the southern U.S. where I live, there has been some controversy over harvesting forests of hardwoods and reseeding them with pines. Growing hardwoods is very similar to investing in dividend stocks. What you plant or invest in today will not yield much for years to come. That is not to say progress is not seen. It is just slow and deliberate."

Buying Fixed Immediate Annuities - "Tips on shopping for a fixed immediate annuity for investors in or nearing retirement."

Four Ways to Get Your Feet Wet With Investing - "If you're not sure how to get started investing, we look at some simple ways to get your feet wet."

10 Tips For Buying a Rental Property - "While by no means a passive investment, if you’re up to the challenge, residential rental property ownership can provide not just additional short- and long-term income, but tax benefits as well."

Relative vs absolute performance: The dangers of going down the relative performance wormhole (part I) Blog Spotlight - " To be a successful investor, don’t be distracted by the smoke and mirrors of 'outperformance.'"

Living Frugally

Frugal Holiday Traditions to Introduce in Your Family - "Here are some great frugal traditions you can start with your family!"

Mistakes With Coupons Clip Into Your Savings - "This is why I don't use coupons--besides, I learned a BETTER way to shop!"

Saving Money by Managing It - "Here are some tips to help get you on your way to better money management."

Making the Most of Your Credit Card Overseas - "There are a number of reasons why a credit card makes a great addition on a trip to a foreign country, but there are a few guidelines to follow before venturing overseas."

4 Things You Shouldn't Pay For -"In order to save myself some money I asked myself, what do I pay for that I shouldn’t be? "

Christmas Gift Ideas Under $25 - "A huge list of unique Christmas gift ideas under $25, perfect for a more frugal Christmas."

Budgeting Tips for Couples - "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."

Personal Finance Starts With Accounting! - "Without appropriate accounting, it's challenging to improve your finances. Accounting is how you gather analytics for your finance."

Tips and Advice on How To Dispute An Erroneous Charge - "How to dispute erroneous charges on your credit card."

Retiring

Planning To Roll Over Your 401K To A Rollover IRA? - "Discussion on 401k rollovers and rollover IRAs."

Saving

High Yield Savings Account Offers - "Here is my list of some of the top paying online savings account offers."

An Against the Grain Approach to Prioritizing Your Savings -"Before we can start thinking about the future we need to make sure our present finances are taken care of."

Taxes

Opportunity to Pay Zero Federal Income Tax in 2010 - "The child tax credit, making work pay credit and saver's credit may reduce our federal income tax to zero in 2010."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: the wealth builder carnival, blog carnival.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, earning, insuring, investing, living, retiring, saving, tax, or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

How to Buy Low and Sell High

With the current volatility in the market, it seems that there is opportunity to exercise some market timing. However, the perennial question is how and when. How to Play a Market Rally in The Wall Street Journal offers two ways to execute buy low and sell high strategies.

Market advance/decline - For this strategy, the investor sells 10% of his equities whenever the market rises 20%. When the market falls 10%, the investor would use 20% of his cash to buy equities. This strategy would have returned 14% from December 24, 1998 to November 11, 2010. A buy and hold strategy in the S&P was flat during the same period.

Stock market capitalization/GDP ratio - For this strategy, the investor sells 10% of his equities whenever the the ratio of stock market capitalization to GDP is above 115%. When the ratio is below 75%, the investor would buy equities using 20% of his cash. This strategy would have returned 36.5% from December 24, 1998 to November 11, 2010. A buy and hold strategy in the S&P was flat during the same period.

Data for market advances and declines are easy to find. I was unable to find any current information for the stock market capitalization/GDP ratio after a brief Internet search. For now, I expect the stock market to continue being choppy with multiple advances and decliens. Therefore, I will try the first strategy as a way to do more disciplined buying and selling of the equity positions in our retirement savings accounts.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial or investing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Indivdual Investors Too Bullish?

Historically, individual investor bullishness is a contrarian indicator that signals a stock market peak.

According American Association of Individual Investors survey for the week ending November 10, 2010, the percentage of investors who think the market will rise in the next six months has reached 57.6%. This is the highest percentage of bulls since January 2007. In addition, The Wall Street Journal has reported in 'Dumb Money' Returns to Stocks that $8.4 billion has flowed into equity funds since early September with $2 billion coming from individual investors.

Overall, I don't agree with the $2 billion being significant since $162 billion was taken out of equity funds from January 2009 to August 2010. So it doesn't appear the retail investor has returned to the market yet even though 56.7% are bullish. However, institutional investors may still react the retail investor indicator and I will be prepared for a possible correction in the next few weeks.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial or investing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Thinking About 2011

Since retiring in our forties in 2007, each year has been a test of whether we had saved enough for retirement. Our retirement accounts declined significantly in 2008, bottomed in 2009, and 2010 has been a seesaw recovery that is on the upside at the moment. For now, our retirement savings are still sufficient. However, I expect 2011 will continue to test our ability to stay in early retirement.

If the stock market should advance, our early retirement will be sustainable for another year. A return of 8-10% in our retirement portfolio is a level I would consider a comfortable confirmation. This could be achieved by either a 10% return in my company stock or a 10% overall return in the market. Both of these outcomes are possible given that the third year of a presidential term is typically the best year for the stock market with the S&P averaging +21.7% since 1933 and the Dow averaging +24.7% since 1945.

If the stock market should decline, I want to avoid my big mistake of 2008 of staying invested. This time, I plan to cash out a significant portion of our managed accounts if they should drop over 5%. In anticipation of occurs for an extended period. While I don't expect to make money during a market fall, I hope to mitigate the losses by being in cash and shorting some stocks.

At this point, I believe the President and Congress will begin taking the necessary steps to accelerate the economic recovery leading to a rise in the stock market. However, I am also prepared to be disappointed.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial or investing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Making Roth IRA and After Tax 457 Plan Contributions in Retirement

Although retired, we still plan to make contributions to our retirement savings accounts. In 2010, I earned enough money at my part time jobs to make the maximum contributions to my Roth IRA and a spousal Roth IRA. Also, I am able to make additional after tax contributions to a public employee retirement (457) plan.

Here are the reasons for contributing:

Tax benefits - Earnings and withdrawals from a Roth IRA are tax free. Given a choice between saving in a Roth IRA or taxable savings account, the decision is an easy one. Earnings in the 457 plan are tax free, but will be taxed when withdrawn.

Fund reallocation - We have the funds needed to make the maximum contributions. The money will be taken from our long term savings which are currently in taxable accounts.

Fund availability - After tax contributions to a Roth IRA or a public employee retirement plan can be withdrawn at any time without paying taxes or penalties. Thus, we have the flexibility to use the funds should the need arise.

Our plan is to make our 2010 Roth IRA contribution in 2011 by April 15. The additional after tax contribution to my employee retirement plan will be made before the end of 2010.

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial, saving or retirement advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Impressive Progress in Kindergarten

Our daughter just passed her 5oth day of kindergarten. I'm amazed at how much her skills have advanced in those fifty days. Here are some of the major progress areas:

Reading - Over the summer, our daughter learned how to read some simple books, e.g. Bob books, which were mostly three letter words. She can now read some higher level books with ease. She can sound out many new words. I was surprised one day when she asked me about an entry on my calendar that she had read on her own.

Writing - Her ability to write letters and numbers correctly has improved significantly. She recognizes the proper use of upper and lower case letters.

Spelling - She is able to sound out many words and identify the consonants. She is still learning the proper vowels to use with each syllable.

Overall, my spouse, who has many teachers in her family, deserves a lot of the credit. She has spent a lot of time and effort working with our daughter on practicing these skills. My daughter deserves the rest of the credit for focusing on doing the work. I get a little bit of credit for emphasizing the importance of thinking to discover answers.

Next quarter, she will begin working on math and I look forward to observing the progress she makes in the subject.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial, education or parenting advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #13

It's been over four years since I started My Wealth Builder. As I think about topics to write , I often remember, "I've written about that before," and decide to find a new topic. However, since many principles of personal finance are timeless, I want to include them in a recent post on My Wealth Builder. Therefore, I have started a series called "Timeless Articles from the Archives" that will highlight posts from the same week in 2006-2009.

2006

Speed Up Debt Elimination with Just $5 per Day - Here’s how much impact $5 a day (~$150/month) can have on debt reduction.

Five Ways to Be Frugal While Building Wealth - For me, being frugal means cutting back on the unnecessary items and saving money on those that I need.

Protecting Your Wealth – Insure Against the Risk of Financial Disaster - Insurance is an excellent way to protect against major negative events and the potential resulting financial disaster.

2007

Lifestyle Inflation Choices - Here are some of the choices we made.

Taking Courses To Explore Retirement Opportunities - Here are the courses that I took in 2007 and how I saw them applying to retirement.

Protection For IRAs From Creditors - There is unlimited protection for IRA rollovers from qualified retirement plans and up to one million dollars for contributory IRAs.

Personal Finance Lessons For Our Daughter - Here are the first two lessons I wanted to give my daughter who was three at the time.

Our Journey To Financial Freedom #6 - Staying The Course - The sixth in the financial freedom series.

2008

Exceptions that Avoid Penalties for Early Retirement Plan Distributions - If an early withdrawal is needed from a retirement plan, check if one of the exceptions to the 10% can be applied.

2009

Opportunity to Pay Zero Federal Income Tax in 2010 - The child tax credit, making work pay credit and saver's credit may reduce our federal income tax to zero in 2010.


To me, the content of these posts are still relevant today and were worth reading again.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, debt reduction, liifestyle, parenting or tax advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Links to Carnivals from November 1 - 8, 2010

Here are the links to the Carnivals in which My Wealth Builder participated from November 1 - 8, 2010:

The Wealth Builder Carnival #13

Carnival of Financial Planning #164

Festival of Frugality #254

Baby Boomers Blog Carnival #64

Carnival of Personal Finance #282

For some interesting articles from the blogosphere, check out these Carnivals and give the hosts some recognition for their hard work.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Wealth Builder Carnival #14

Welcome to fourteenth edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to collect articles from the blogosphere on building, preserving and keeping enough wealth for a comfortable retirement. For reference, I have tried to keep the carnival content tightly focused on wealth building and did not include submissions that were off topic.

For reading convenience, I have listed the posts with brief summaries by the authors and organized them into seven categories: Earning, Investing, Insuring and Protecting, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Earning

Asked For and Got a Raise - "After a year, I decided to ask for a raise at one of my part-jobs."

Insuring and Protecting

Health Insurance: A Strategy for Year-End Savings - "You can save money by getting strategic about your year-end health-care spending."

Investing

16 Dividend Stocks Growing Future Yield -"In the southern U.S. where I live, there has been some controversy over harvesting forests of hardwoods and reseeding them with pines. Growing hardwoods is very similar to investing in dividend stocks. What you plant or invest in today will not yield much for years to come. That is not to say progress is not seen. It is just slow and deliberate."

How to Buy and Sell Physical Gold and Silver, Part 1 - "Ever want to know the specifics of how to buy physical gold and silver? This interview with a gold/silver expert will give you all the details!"

High Yield ETFs – An Alternative to Dividend Paying Stocks? -"There are many financial tools that can be used by the average investor to generate dividend income. From high yield REITs and CanRoys to blue chip companies who are members of the dividend aristocrats, the opportunities seem to be endless. Another option for income investors seeking to quickly build a diversified portfolio are high yield ETFs."

How To Buy Stocks At The Prices You Want - "Some interesting ideas on buying stocks."

The Passive Income Earner: Which Canadian Bank should you own? - "Building wealth through dividend investing to retire."

Living Frugally

10 ways to save money this Christmas -"Is this the time to start preparing for Christmas to save yourself some money?"

How to Pull the Plug on Your Best Friend, Save Energy, and Still Have Stored Meat -"By pulling the plug on your best friend, I’m referring to your freezer. You can pull the plug completely, or at least drastically downsize the freezer spacer you need, drastically downsizing your electric bills."

Buying a New Cellphone: An Obsession - "Buying a new cellphone can be expensive, but there is a way to upgrade without paying any money..."

Cars Under $1000: How to Find Them -"If you are getting out of debt or simply looking for a car for your kids, it might be best to find a car for less than $1000. Here are tips for finding one that isn't a lemon."

Retiring

15 Financial Failings That Will Prevent An Early Retirement! - "For those of us who want to retire comfortably and do so while we still have the energy to enjoy our free time, personal vices must be kept to a minimum. Eliminate or at least put off indulging in bad habits that will cost you money in both the short and long term, and you will reach your goal of a relaxing retirement that much sooner ..."

Saving

401(k) or IRA? What to Do If Your 401(k) Stinks - "If your 401k has high fees and expensive funds, should you contribute to it or to an IRA?"

Taxes

Applying For Tax Credits -"Information on what tax credits are and how to apply for them."

What Everybody Ought To Know About Capital Gains Tax - "Guide to what Capital Gains Tax is and how it works"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: the wealth builder carnival, blog carnival.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, earning, insuring, investing, living, retiring, saving, tax, or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Trying Trailing Stops

Until now, I haven't used stop loss orders to sell out of a stock when it declines. Over the past two years, the lack of stop loss orders has caused some of my stock to lose their gains and become losses. In a recent investment seminar, the presenter shared how he use trailing stop orders to limit losses and protect gains when the market declines.

While I realize that stop orders can increase trading costs, I am going to experiment with using trailing stop orders for some of our equity positions. For reference, a stop order is a fixed price below the current price at which a stock will be sold. A trailing stop is a fixed difference under the current price at which the stock will be sold. An additional feature of a trailing stop is that it will constantly adjust the sell price as the stock rises, but is a fixed price if the stock begins to decline.

First, I plan to apply trailing stops to stocks which have returns of 20% or more. That way, I can let the stocks continue to advance but protect the gains if the stock or the market should decline. Second, I will apply trailing stops to the new stock purchases that I will be making. This will limit losses if my decision to purchase was not correct.

For the rest of the year, I will track my results and compare them to what would have happened if I hadn't used trailing stops.

For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

This is not financial or investing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Going Bullish

After evaluating the market results of October and the past week, I've turned very bullish for the near term. We currently have 37% of our savings in cash, money market funds and short term CDs. During November, I plan to move at least 7% into stock investments and may go as high as 20%. The remaining 17% will remain in cash or other short term cash equivalents and is equivalent to 4-5 years of living expenses which we have decided to maintain on a going basis. In addition, we will not sell any current equity holdings, with the exception of my company stock which I am consciously trying to reduce.

Here are the reasons that I've become firmly bullish for now:

Low interest rates will continue. The Fed has committed to keep interest low with QE2. Low interest rates are good for business and will eventually be good for the stock market.

Weak dollar. The low interest rates will keep the dollar weak. Thus, dollar denominated earnings of multinational corporations will increase. In addition, a weak dollar will make U.S. exports more attractive.

Great earnings reports. Many business continue to report excellent earnings and promising forecasts. In some cases, the past quarter was the best every quarter in the history of the company, e.g. Intel. Also, many businesses are operating with a lean staff. As the economy improves, businesses will need to hire.

Midterm election results. With the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, their is a belief that the Bush tax cuts will be extended and government spending will be reduced. Whether or not this occurs is still to be seen. However, for now, perception seems to be reality.

For now, I believe the stock market rally still has a way to go and I plan to participate by increasing our equity exposure.

For more on New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.

This is not financial or investing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Cautious Exuberance

Since 9/30/2010, our retirement savings accounts have gained 10%. Most of that gain (8%) has been due to a rise of my company stock. While I am happy about the gain, I am concerned about how quickly it has happened. My company's stock could easily decline by the same amount before the end of the year and eliminate the gain.

Since over 40% of our savings is in some form of company stock, I definitely want to protect the gain. Last month, I developed a plan to reduce our exposure to company stock which has already been implemented. However, if the stock market continues to rise , we may need to accelerate one part of the plan.

At this point, I would like to avoid executing any stock options until 2011 for tax planning reasons. However, if my company stock continues to increase, I would also like to lock in some of the gains. To manage the tradeoff, I am considering selling in-the-money naked calls. This would protect the gain and allow us to wait until 2011 to execute the options. The downside is that a call would cap the maximum gain that could be achieved.

Next week, I will check with my financial advisor on other ideas that could help with the tradeoff.

For more on Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

This is not financial or investing advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Retiring Early is Still Possible

One result of the recent recession are the numerous articles about the end of retirements we've come to expect. With battered 401K plans, underfunded pensions, and low savings accounts, it is understandable that many may consider retirement a lost dream. Therefore, I found it refreshing to read Early Retirement Is Still an Option for Many by Joe Mont.

The trap some fall into is to work towards an absolute savings amount, or trying to support an expensive lifestyle. This can result in never being able to retire. According to the article, the secret to retiring early is to decide on a satisfying lifestyle, determine the cost, and save enough to support it with a 3% withdrawal rate. This can help avoid approaching a 5% withdrawal rate which would likely be unsustainable.

Overall, I agree with the article's premise that early retirement is still achievable. Specifically, I can attest the benefit of targeting for a 3% withdrawal rate in early retirement. While maintaining our pre-retirement lifestyle, we were able to take early retirement in October 2007 at a withdrawal rate of 2.5%. The decline in the stock market increased our withdrawal rate to 4% by March 2009, which was still manageable short term. The combination of a recovering stock market and paying off our mortgage has enabled us to currently get back to under a 3% withdrawal which should enable us to maintain our early retirement.

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial, saving or retirement advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Tyranny of a Calendar

My six year old daughter already uses a calendar. In it, she records her school activities that change by day, weekly play dates, and various extracurricular activities. She has a packed schedule and she is only in kindergarten. At six, her life is almost more scheduled than mine ever was.

I recall my childhood and early adulthood being much more relaxed. Classes and after school activities had fixed regular schedules. Playing with friends was mostly ad hoc. I had so few formal appointments that I could remember all of them. Even in college, I managed to live without a calendar. I didn't keep an official calendar until my mid-thirties when I became a manager and the number of work meetings exceeded my capacity to remember all them.

When I retired, I tried to return to the luxury of a no-calendar life. That lasted about nine months before I downloaded an Excel calendar template to keep track of my numerous classes, part time jobs and family activities. Three years after I took early retirement, I am still using a calendar with most days having at least two committed events.

Over the next few months, I will consciously try to get back to a more unscheduled life. My target is no more that 5 scheduled activities in a week and no more than two in a day. While I don't think I'll be able to eliminate using a calendar, life should become much more relaxed.

For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

This is not financial or retirement advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #12

It's been over four years since I started My Wealth Builder. As I think about topics to write , I often remember, "I've written about that before," and decide to find a new topic. However, since many principles of personal finance are timeless, I want to include them in a recent post on My Wealth Builder. Therefore, I have started a series called "Timeless Articles from the Archives" that will highlight posts from the same week in 2006-2009.

2006

Investing 101 - Managing Risk Successfully - To successfully build wealth, one needs to understand the concept of risk and manage it well. Here are my working definitions for risk and how I manage risk.

Six Steps to Creating Personal Wealth - Here are the six steps I used.

2007

How Much is Enough Money? - For us, it was 20 times the expenses for our current lifestyle.

Afraid Of Investing In The Stock Market? - Here's how I get over my fear.

A Safe Car for a New Driver - My plans for a new teenage driver in our family.

Our Journey To Financial Freedom #5 - Setting Goals, Developing Plans and Tracking Progress - The fifth in the financial freedom series.

2008

What I Look for in an Interview - Here were three of my criteria when I was a hiring manager.

Working for Perks - An idea for retirees who are interested in working.

2009

Dollar Cost Averaging Helps Retirement Plans Recover - Contributing during the market decline helped retirement plans recover.

How Bear Markets Can Help Grow Savings - A silver lining to the recent bear market for those just starting to invest.

Reducing Clutter - Shed and Shred Approach - A great idea that has taken longer than expected.

To me, the content of these posts are still relevant today and were worth reading again.

For more on The Practice of Personal Finance, check back every Wednesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, investing, career, parenting or saving advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Links to Carnivals from October 26 to November 1, 2010

Here are the links to the Carnivals in which My Wealth Builder participated from October 26 to November 1, 2010:

The Wealth Builder Carnival #12

Carnival of Financial Planning #163

Carnival of Money Stories

Tax Carnival #76

For some interesting articles from the blogosphere, check out these Carnivals and give the hosts some recognition for their hard work.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financia, taxl or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Wealth Builder Carnival #13

Welcome to thirteenth edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to collect articles from the blogosphere on building, preserving and keeping enough wealth for a comfortable retirement. For reference, I have tried to keep the carnival content tightly focused on wealth building and did not include submissions that were off topic.

For reading convenience, I have listed the posts with brief summaries by the authors and organized them into seven categories: Earning, Investing, Insuring and Protecting, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Earning

Generalists, Specialists, and Purple Squirrels - "The debate is over: employees that do a lot of little things well trump specialists. Better start learning new tricks or else..."

Living Like a Millionaire on Pennies a Day - "It isn’t the money, the job, or one’s personal situation that keeps people from living a more exciting life. It’s the fear of making a change."

How to Become Wealthy - "There are three keys to becoming wealthy: growing your income, saving as much as possible, and getting a good return on your investments. This posts tells how you can use these three to become rich over time."

Work From Home Jobs: How To Find Legitimate Opportunities - "Some thoughts and ideas for getting that 2nd income through work at home jobs."

Insuring and Protecting

Direct Deposit to Bank Account - Handle With Care! - "First of all let's try this pop quiz: Can anyone take out money from your bank account without your permission? You must be thinking ""How on earth can that can be?"" The next thought might be ""Are these folks crazy?"" Ahh...m, please read on to find out the truth!""

Investing

Buying Stocks After the Mid-Term Elections - "I've decided hold off making any large equity purchases until after the November 2, 2010 midterm elections."

19 Dividend Stocks Heating Up Their Yields - "Dividends from a quality, well-diversified portfolio are much more predictable than capital gains and best of all, they are passive. You don’t have to do anything, they just show up in your brokerage account each quarter. Inflation? Not to worry, the good companies routinely raise their dividends well in excess of the inflation rate."

Low-Risk Investment Planning - "Instead of setting expensive goals and using high-risk investments to attempt to meet them, what if we started with low-risk investments and set goals based on modest returns?"

Investing In Nostalgia: 5 To Know With Making Money from the Memories of Your Youth - "Do you have any toys or collections that you can dust off from your childhood? They could be worth quite a bit of money!"

What does Dividend Yield Mean and How do I Calculate it? - "There are plenty of financial ratios that can be used by investors to help determine the value of a stock. Sometimes these calculations can tell us when it is time to buy a stock, while other times they signal it is time to sell a position."

Discussing the outlook for Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) with Howard J. Atkinson, President of Horizons ETFs - "Discussing the outlook for Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) with Howard J. Atkinson, President of Horizons ETFs"

Here’s Why You Can’t Invest in a Hedge Fund - "Want to invest in a hedge fund? Many people would love to, but here are the barriers holding most of us back - and maybe that's a good thing when you read why."

Living Frugally

Changes to FSA Plans - "In general, a flexible spending account allows one to contribute deposit pre-tax dollars into the account to pay for medical expenses, or to pay for dependent care. The ability to use pre-tax money to pay for expenses is a good benefit that can save you money."

8 new cars you can buy (and own) without going broke - "When deciding which car to buy, it helps to know which new cars are likely to cost less over the course of five years. Here's how."

In Barter Nation, Old Forms of Commerce Are New Again -"Instead of buying, for example, consumers are engaging in new and increasingly sophisticated renting and borrowing systems."

Best Financial Software to Track Your Expenses -"Never lose sight of your expenses, track your expenses today with the Best Financial Software."

Retiring

SIMPLE IRA – Rules, Contribution Limits, & Benefits - "The SIMPLE IRA is a retirement plan for small companies. Let's take a look at how it works, its rules, contribution limits, benefits, and more."

401k Advice – Stop Passing Up Free Money! - "Many people struggle with retirement planning, often paying thousands of dollars in fees in order to get sound advice. However, a recent study has shown that many of these people are neglecting the easiest way to get free money for their retirement."

Saving

Should You Enroll in Biweekly Mortgage Payments? - "Bi-weekly mortgage payments can save a lot of money on interest payments and reduce the amount of time it takes to repay your mortgage, but it isn't without its risks."

Taxes

Charitable Donations and your Taxes - "It’s that time of year again, the time of year where we all get ready for the holidays. Charitable giving is at its highest prior to the holiday season, our generosity kind of overflows to everyone that we can give to at times. Now, I bet you’ve heard you can write off some of your donations on your taxes. It’s true! But there..."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Wealth Builder Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: the wealth builder carnival, blog carnival.

For more on Ideas You Can Use, check back every Tuesday for a new segment.

This is not financial, earning, insuring, investing, living, retiring, saving, tax, or wealth building advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2010 Achievement Catalyst, LLC