A New Economic Reality

The Great Repression has created a new economic reality that may be tough to accept.  To me, many people are still in denial.  However, I think it's better to accept reality and move on. Here are some tough but likely current realities:

Many jobs lost during the great recession are gone forever.  Companies have figured out how to operate with fewer workers and they're not returning to past employment numbers.  Corporate profits are up and there are no plans to rehire for the lost jobs. 

Those with jobs are working longer and harder ... for the same pay.  The work doesn't go away, just the people.   It's called a productivity improvement :-)

The U.S. consumer is less important.   The U.S. used to be a consumer driven economy, making low unemployment an important goal.  However, the economy has recovered despite high employment.   Companies are making record profits.   It doesn't seem like anyone needs the U.S. consumer any more.

Social Security as we know it is gone.  The world's biggest Ponzi scheme will soon have to reinvent itself to survive.  For all those that think Social Security are a paid for benefit, think again.   Social security withholding is a tax and not a premium which means that nobody is guaranteed a payment.   Government pensions are probably not far behind for being restructured.

It appears the old days are gone and not returning  It's best to start preparing for the new future.

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

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Retiree Job Hunting Strategies

From my retirement in 2007 until late 2009, I had many more job rejections (5) than offers (1) .  Since late 2009  , I have been successful  in finding good part time jobs in retirement.  In fact, I have been too successful sometimes:-)   In hindsight, here are some job hunting strategies that worked:

Apply to companies that depend on skilled part time staff.    These companies won't have an issue with over qualified retiree applicants.  In fact, they are happy to have over qualified employees.  Also, these companies don't expect employees to have the same commitment as permanent full time staff.

Apply for jobs where a skill match is self evident.   Having an engineering degree and research career didn't help my application for a fast food job.  However, I'm sure the same experience helped me get a job in teach science and tutoring college prep exams.

Leverage connections.  This strategy continues to be true even for part time retiree jobs.  Two of my jobs resulted from contacts who offered me the job and another contact provided the connection to the hiring manager.  For reference, these were also the higher paying jobs.

These strategies have resulted in finding three seasonal part time jobs that I enjoy and a short term full time telecommuting job that will end by 2012. 

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

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #50

It's been almost five 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" which highlights posts from the same week in 2007-2010.


2007

Am I a Personal Finance Junkie?    - Here are five signs I may be one.

Why I Don't Buy Recommended Stocks From Articles   - I usually lose money,

Five Ways To Lose Money From Investing    - I try to avoid these five actions.


2008

Reflecting on One of My Favorite Sayings      -   Here are some "too good to be true" examples.


2009

Wasted Money    -  Late fees, fines and penalties.

Rediscovering my Early Interests     -  Retiring allowed me to enjoy these activities again.

Close Calls with Death  - Only five lives left :-)

2010

Eliminate Recurring Expenses to Save Money     -  For us, a good approach to reducing expenses has been to focus on costs that occur on a monthly basis.

Retirement Finances - What worked and what did not   -  Three things worked and two didn't.


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

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

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC  -  I usually don't make money.

Moments of Truth

This week will be have a couple of moment of truth events.  No, I don't mean the raising of the U.S. debt limit.  I fully expect an increase to occur despite all the political gridlock.   I never doubted for a moment that the politicians would raise the debt limit.  All the posturing is for show so that politicians can claim they had no choice but to raise the debt limit :-)
 
The first moment of truth will be for the American voters.  Have they learned from the Great Recession?  Will they believe that increasing debt continually can't have a good ending?   I don't know.  However, I suspect they are not ready for the austerity measures needed to change.  So they will accept the status quo of forever increasing debt.

The second moment of truth will be for be for the debt rating agencies.   Their mistake of giving CDOs a triple A rating was a major factor in the financial crisis.   Will the rating agencies reduce the grade of U.S. even if the debt limit is raised?   A downgrade would give politicians the motivation to change.  However, I expect the triple A rating to remain despite comments otherwise.
 
This week should be interesting.
 
For more on  New Beginnings, check back every Sunday for a new segment.
This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #49

It's been almost five 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" which highlights posts from the same week in 2007-2010.


2007

On Being a Landlord   - I would only want property that could be handled by a property management company and still make money.  Unfortunately, there aren't many properties that meet this criteria.

Home Maintenance Costs AND Planning For Them   -  Expect some major costs to maintain a home.

Did You Know?   - My conclusion is that the U.S. is falling behind fast.


2008

My Best Money Decisions     -  Here are my top five.

Five Retirement Risks      -   Unfortunately, retirement isn't risk free.


2009

The Obama Bait and Switch    -  I lost some readers over this article.  However, I still think President Obama is the master of bait and switch. The latest?  He ran as a Democrat, but lately he looking very ... well, Republican.

Article on Causes of Mortgage Foreclosure    -  A good reason for a 20% down payment.


2010

Protecting Near Term Fund Needs      -  Now, we're protecting near term and longer term expense needs.

Determining Failure Points for our Retirement Savings - A good reminder for me to do this exercise again with our financial advisor.

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

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

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Wealth Builder Carnival #44

Welcome to the forty-fourth 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, the posts are listed with a brief summary or comment by the submitter and organized them into seven categories: Earning, Insuring and Protecting, Investing, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Earning

Kyle Taylor presents 2012 Elections: How to Profit from Them posted at The Penny Hoarder, saying, "Whatever you’re feeling on politics is, there are plenty of ways to profit from the circus and small business owners have a unique opportunity."

Insuring and Protecting

John presents Want Better Healthcare at a Lower Price? New Primary Care Models Are Gaining Traction posted at Wallet Blog, saying, "There's a new trend growing in the healthcare industry that could help save you money: buying directly from physicians and removing insurance companies from the process. This model could help lower costs for both doctors and patients, and allow everyone to receive the standard care they need at an affordable price."

Investing

FlBlogger presents DRIP Investing posted at Dividend Stocks, saying, "Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIP) are excellent ways to invest slowly over time in individual stocks. You can invest a very small amount of money on a monthly basis and build large positions in quality stocks over time."

Mike Piper presents Should You Own Stocks in Retirement? posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, "Despite stocks' higher expected returns than bonds and CDs, they don't really allow you to spend much more during the early stages of retirement."

John Border presents Passive Investing Strategies posted at Stock Market Basics, saying, "Passive Investing strategies to help you avoid the costly mistakes done while stock picking and get better returns from the market."

Dividend Growth Investor presents Realty Income (O) Dividend Stock Analysis posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, "Realty Income Corporation (O) engages in the acquisition and ownership of commercial retail real estate properties in the United States. The company leases its retail properties primarily to regional and national retail chain store operators. Realty Income is a real estate investment trust widely known among its investors as the monthly dividend company. The company is a dividend achiever, which has increased its dividend for 16 years in a row by raising its monthly distributions several times per year."

Dividends4Life presents 12 Industrial Strength Dividend Stocks With Annual Dividend Growth posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, "The Industrials Sector is one of the largest sectors in my dividend growth database. Of the 209 stocks that I track, it currently is represented by 44 stocks (21%). This is not a sector I am in a position to buy often, but when the time is right, I plan on taking full advantage of the opportunity."

Jason Price presents How Long Should You Invest In The Stock Market? posted at One Money Design, saying, "What does the market's history tell us about how long we should invest in it?"

Living Frugally

Teacher Man presents Why I Automate My Finances posted at My University Money, saying, "Automating your finances will save you time and money, and it will also ensure your bills get paid the next time a postal strike comes around."

Annette Berlin presents 22 Crafty Ways To Reuse Magazines posted at Craft Stew, saying, "Before you throw out your old magazines, first consider
all the money-saving ways they can be reused."

The 2nd Wind presents Keeping Track of Every Penny posted at The 2nd Wind, saying, "Just as keeping track of every detail during a space shuttle flight, keeping track of every penny helps you stay on track financially. The habit-building process is simple to learn."

Nathan Richardson presents What Is A Good Credit Score To Buy A House posted at Deals & Tips, saying, "When buying a home, it's important life-changing decision that requires a good credit score to save money. Sometimes it makes since to wait until your improve your credit score."

David Leeman presents Best Ways to Save Money posted at Financial Freedom Advantage, saying, "The best ways to save money are sometimes also the easiest. These practical saving tips will help you keep more of your hard earned money."

Retiring

None

Saving

None

Taxes

None


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 © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Expect a Buying Opportunity Soon

Although the stock market hasn't declined much, I expect up to a 20% decline in July.  Given the state of the debt ceiling discussions, I believe all solutions will lead to the same outcome - disappointment.  As a result, there will be a steep decline in the stock market.

 After a 20% decline, I plan invest 10% of our retirement account back into stocks.  After that I will reinvest 15% for the next 10%.  Then I will reinvest 20% for each succeeding 10% drop.  So if the market drops 40%, we will be 45% back into the market.  Past 40%, I probably don't have the courage to continue to reinvest.

I will buy primarily good dividend paying stocks of strong companies, e.g. Dupont, Phillip Morris, Intel etc.

My hope is the decline will be short and deep followed by a recovery in 2012 as the government finally takes the right steps to regrow the economy.

Disclosure:  At time of publication, our trading accounts have a position in Phillip Morris.
 
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 © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Bad News Fatigue

I finally figured out why I feel so tired every day.   For the past 3.5 years, I feel like I've been hit by the same bad news over and over, again and again, with no end in sight.   Here are some of my major bad news fatigues:

Housing Crash Fatigue -  My house is worth less than what I paid for it. It's probably going down further.  Prices won't recover for years.  A home is a poor investment.  Don't use a home as retirement savings. 

Weak Recovery Fatigue - Be prepared for a weak, jobless recovery.  Full recovery is going to take 10 or more years. Unemployed for months and not taking a lower paying job.  Companies are making record profits and still not hiring. 

Financial Crisis Fatigue.  From underwater mortgages to six figure college debt, there are numerous examples of bad financial decisions that were exposed by the great recession.  The effects of the decisions will be impacting the economy for many years.

Yeah, I get it.   It's bad and getting worse.  I just wish I didn't have to hear about it constantly.  

Occasionally, there should be some good news.  For example, a company for which I do part time work has increased its revenue over 50%.   As a result, the company doubled its workforce with jobs pay twice minimum wage. 

Now that's the type of good news that would help break the fatigue.
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 © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Need My Summer Vacation

After two summers of job assignments requiring full time hours, I've concluded that I need to keep my summer commitments very low.   Last summer, I worked several part time jobs, including one that required over 30 hours per week.   I concluded that I didn't want to work jobs that had significant time commitments.
 
I forgot that conclusion when I took on a short term position with a non-profit.   Now that summer is upon us, I realize that I really need to have the entire summer relatively free, especially since that is when our daughter is off.
 
So next year,  I plan to maintain the hours on my perfect retirement jobs to no more that 12 hours each a week. This should not be an issue since only two jobs require about 10 hours a week and one requires 2 hours a week. In addition, I will remember to make my hours even lower in the summer. This should be easy since two of the jobs are at zero hours during the summer. Finally, I won't take any job that requires full time hours during the summer.
 
For more on  Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday  for a new segment.

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

 Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Ended Coin Roll Hunting Project

In March 2011, my six year old daughter and I started a coin roll hunting project to find silver coins.   After four months, we have stopped the effort since the project yielded very few silver coins.

We searched five boxes of half dollars (5000 coins) and one box of nickels (2000 coins).  The search yielded five silver half dollars (2 1964's, 1 1967 and 2 1968's).  We didn't find any silver nickels, but we did find a lot of old nickels.  The best nickel find was a nearly perfect 1938 Jefferson nickel.  My guess is that someone spent a coin obtained from a coin collection.

While I enjoyed the time with our daughter, I've decided the return on coin roll hunting isn't worth the effort.   Maybe our next step is to start a coin collection, and accept the silver coins as a bonus find.  Then it would feel like progress was being made.

I just wish I had thought of coin roll hunting when I was collecting coins in the sixties.  I probably would have filled many more of the old coin spaces in my coin collecting books.
 
For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #48

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" which highlights posts from the same week in 2007-2010.


2007

Estimating How Long One Will Live  - In 2007, the calculator estimated 73  for me.  Only 20 years remaining :-(.

Eight Random Facts About Super Saver  - Here are some non-financial facts about me.

Why Most People Get Returns Less Than The Market  - Loss aversion is my main reason. I need to learn to cut my losses sooner.

Lessons From My Dad - Fair Buyouts - A good clause to build into a partnership agreement.

2008

Avoiding Investing Mistakes I Made In 2002     -  The pain of 08  - 09 is causing me not to do #4. I've sold out of almost all my stock investments.
Emotional Stages During A Bear Market      -   It starts with Denial.


2009

Early Retirement Planning - Our Important Age Milestones   - Mine are 59-1/2, 70, and 70-1/2.   I would add 62 since I am now considering taking Social Security payments at that age. 
Possible Scenario - A Long Bear Market   - Maybe it is still a bear market :-(

Preparing our Child for Job Market Uncertainty - I'm sure my daughter will not work for one employer like I did for my entire career.

2010
Distribution of Expenses by Category - Retirement vs. Working     -  Here's how retirement changed how our annual expense as a proportion of the total budget.

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

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

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Repeal ObamaCare to Raise the Debt Limit

If I were in Congress, I would call President Obama's negotiation bluff that everything is on the table.   My position would be to only vote for an increase in the debt ceiling if Obamacare is repealed.   I'm sure the current analysis shows that Obamacare will now increase the deficit in the future.  I bet repealing Obamacare will save quite a bit of money :-)
 
That way the Democrats can keep their entitlements, the Republicans can avoid a tax increase, and the President can compromise to get a debt ceiling increase.  
 
I guess people in Congress play more golf than poker.   Otherwise, they would have figured out sooner to call Mr. Obama's bluff.
 
For more on Strategies and Plans, check back every Monday for a new segment.

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Still a Pessimist

At this point, I don't see any positive outcome for the stock market.  The market has priced in a increase in the debt ceiling.  However, I believe everyone will be disappointed when it happens.  After all, the spending issues won't be addressed, the deficits will continue rise and job growth will remain stalled.
 
I don't think there will be financial Armageddon but I think the economy and the stock market may be ugly for quite a while. 
 
Therefore, I continue to keep my short positions and plan to add more short positions next week.  I will also consider selling the remaining stock options that are due in 2012 and 2013.  I would prefer to reduce my income taxes by selling the options in 2012 or 2013, but I think the expected market decline will erase any tax savings from waiting.
 
For more on  Reflections and Musings, check back every Saturday for a new segment.

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Choosing Time Over Money

Yesterday, I was explaining to someone how I was OK with my full time job ending in three months. Although, I could have accepted a permanent position, I decided to decline the offer.   The person commented, "You must not need the money."

Although, I said, "Not really," I  realize today that was the wrong answer.  We can always use the money.  More money is always helpful.   The real answer is that I want the time more.

I way underestimated the time for the job.   I thought I could do the work in about 20 hours a week.  It has been taking me about 40 hours a week, requiring that I work several six to ten hour a days each week.  That is more time commitment than I want to do.  I'm missing too many of the summer activities with my family, especially with our six year old daughter.   I've even postponed a summer vacation until next year :-(

So at the end of this assignment, I'll go back into retirement.  For now, having additional free time is more important to me.   Hopefully, I can continue working with the organization, but in a reduced capacity which can be done in 10 hours or less a week.  

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every  Friday for a new segment.
This is not financial advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

© 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Change Needed in Education

At one time, graduation from high school enabled a person to get a good job that had advancement potential. For example, when I started working in eighties, I met engineers who did not have a degree from college.  They started working out of high school and learned their profession while working.
 
Nowadays, graduating from high school provides no guarantees of a good job.  In fact, graduating from college no longer provides guarantees of a good job either which is a significant problem.  To me, the solution is to make sure 90% of those graduating from high school should be able to get a good job.  Going to college should be an option, not a requirement, to get a good job.
 
What needs to change?   K-12 education should be focused on getting students to enter the workforce after graduating.  Here are some of my ideas:

• Complete foundation skills earlier.   Foundation math, reading and writing skills should be accelerated to completion by eighth grade.  This will enable high school to focus on teaching skills needed for employment.
• Teach employable skills.   High school curricula should include developing critical thinking skills, decision making skills and data analysis skills.    To me, many college graduates haven't developed these skills.  Also, high school curricula should include teach employable craft skills.
• Work as part of the education. Students can learn to work early in a good job and get paid for doing it.  This would help develop a good work ethic and show how skills learned in school are useful.

I think the k-12 education system needs to focus on a new end product, a person capable of working and making a positive contribution to society.   By teaching towards this desired outcome, I believe education can make changes for the better.
 
For more on Crossing Generations, check back every Thursday for a new segment.

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

 Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

Timeless Articles from the Archives #47

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" which highlights posts from the same week in 2007-2010.


2007

Less Than Half of Americans Have Job Satisfaction - This was the lowest percentage in 20 years.  I wonder how the Great Recession has affected job satisfaction.

I Won't Follow This Advice #4 - I don't like to pay for something I can get for free.

My Daughter's Currency - We've evolved to coupons which have some cash value.


2008

Riding A Bear Market    -  Bear markets offer shorting and buying opportunities.
Navigating Investments In Turbulent Times     -   Currently, I have sold most of our stock holding, contrary to what I wrote in this article :-)  Time will tell if I should have stayed invested or not.

Paid Volunteer Work - I consider all my paid jobs could be "paid volunteer" work, since I am compensated much less than my the job from which I retired.


2009

Early Retirement Strategy - Save, Invest and Repeat Often   - A simple and effective strategy.

Owning versus Renting a Home during Retirement  - Since a house ties up significant funds, I considered the benefits of renting after our daughter graduates from high school.


2010

Work for Love or Work for Money?    -  Here's my experience with both options. Working for love is fun but doesn't pay much.  Working for money pays more but is not as fun.

Taxes are Going Up - No Surprise   -  Just a matter of when, not if :-)


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

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

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

Copyright © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

The Wealth Builder Carnival #43

Welcome to the forty-third 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, the posts are listed with a brief summary or comment by the submitter and organized them into seven categories: Earning, Insuring and Protecting, Investing, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Earning

Mike Tye presents One word - Salesmen posted at Mikes Simple Blog, saying, "How I entered the world of sales.. and promptly left"

Teacher Man presents How a Great Summer Job Can Benefit You posted at My University Money, saying, "Starting out in the real world after school can be hard on its own. Throw in some debt and no job experience and it can be quite stressful. A great summer job can make you debt free!"

Odysseas presents How Much Does Watching TV Really Cost You? posted at Wallet Blog, saying, "Hey, I hope all is well! I think you and your readers will really enjoy my submission this week because I explain how much money people are wasting every year just by watching TV and what they could be doing with that money instead. Have a great weekend!"

Insuring and Protecting

NetBiz presents How To Prevent Identity Theft posted at Banks That Do Not Use Chexsystems, saying, "In the light of the several recent identity theft news stories, this is a roundup of what one should do to avoid falling prey to identity theft"

Colin Robertson presents How Do I Prove A Reported Insurance Claim Isn’t Mine? posted at The Truth About Insurance.com, saying, "“OK, Mrs. Thompson, your premium is going to be a very favorable…oh, wait a second…I am seeing an insurance claim you filed a few years back on your homeowners insurance. That’s going to significantly impact your premium.”"

Investing

Steve presents McDonalds Corp (MCD) Climbs to a 52 Week High posted at FastSwings.com - Steve Patterson, saying, "McDonalds continues to perform well with strong sales from abroad."

Dividends4Life presents 11 Dividend Stocks Trading at a Double-Digit Discount posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, "Everyone loves a sale! Well, maybe not everyone. When stocks go on sale it seems to depress a large number of market participants. However, for those of us that like buying stocks at a discount, the recent market pullback has finally provided a little relief."

Dividend Growth Investor presents Kinder Morgan Partners – One Company three ways to invest in it posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, "Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. owns and manages energy transportation and storage assets. This master limited partnership has consistently increased distributions since 1997. There are three ways to invest in the partnership."

Maxim Kazawy presents How to Examine a Mutual Fund's Fundamentals - Price to Earnings, Price to Book, Dividend Yield & Expense Ratio posted at Best Dividend Mutual Funds, saying, "Just like how analysts like to measure a company's stock via the price to earnings ratio, price to book ratio, earnings per share growth, Beta, market capitalization & volume, dividend mutual funds can also be measured in the same manner."

Alex Almendes presents Asset allocation posted at Financial Tips|Personal Money Management|Investment Guide, saying, "Asset allocation is the basis of most financial plan. It tells you what some of your money want to invest in different types of investments or assets such as stocks, bonds, etc. It also can describe of how much time you have to achieve your goals and whether or not to wait to see the value of your investment's change much between now and then."

David Leeman presents Target Date Funds - A Simple Investing Option posted at Financial Freedom Advantage, saying, "If financial freedom is your goal, but you don’t know how to invest, target date funds are a simple investing option that you may want to consider."

Maxim Kazawy presents Top 6 Companies with Consistent Dividend Growth posted at Best Dividend Stocks, saying, "Investing in the best dividend paying companies creates huge wealth over the long term thanks to compounding dividend returns. Some investors like to top it up a notch by investing in good companies with huge dividend growth rates, this is like turbo charging your Porsche Cayyene."

Mike Piper presents The Perfect Portfolio: Don’t Bother Trying posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, "It's easy to get caught up in attempts to perfect your portfolio. The problem is, it will never actually be perfect."

Living Frugally

Big Cajun Man presents Model Home Version 0.1 posted at Canadian Personal Finance Blog, saying, "Sometimes you need to spend money to protect your investment in your house, and to keep your bills down as well? Yup, sounds sort of opposites don't it."

The Amateur Financier presents What I Want To Pass Onto My Children posted at The Amateur Financier, saying, "A guide to the sorts of lessons I want to pass onto my children, teaching them how to use money in a way that benefits, rather than controls, their lives and actions."

Retiring

None

Saving

None

Taxes

jared h presents Tax Deductible Vacation Tips posted at RICH AS CHOCOLATE, saying, "Ways to make your next family vacation tax deductible."

Alex Peters presents Claiming Back Emergency Tax posted at EmergencyTax.Org, saying, "If you are on the wrong tax code you may be overpaying tax. This blog posts looks at how you can claim a tax refund if you are on an emergency tax code."

David de Souza presents Which Countries Pay The Most Tax posted at TaxFix Blog, saying, "Each country has different tax rates. This week we have created an infographic which shows visually which countries pay the most tax."


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 © 2011 Achievement Catalyst, LLC