The Wealth Builder Carnival #54

Welcome to the fifty-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 into seven categories: Earning, Insuring and Protecting, Investing, Living Frugally, Retiring, Saving and Taxes.

And now onto the Carnival:

Earning

Robert presents Creative Ways To Get Financing For Your Start-Up posted at Entrepreneurship Life, saying, "Some creative ways to find and earn money."

Mike Piper presents Thoughts on Becoming a Financial Advisor posted at The Oblivious Investor, saying, "What's it like being a new financial advisor? Do you have to spend a lot of your time doing sales work?"

Investor Junkie presents Could Your Business Handle Another Recession? posted at Investor Junkie, saying, "It doesn’t hurt to be ready for the next economic setback. It’s always a good idea to shore up your business finances, and be prepared for whatever might come your way. So, as you try to avoid falling into panic, here are some things to consider:"

Lazy Man and Money presents What Do You Want to Do With Your Life? posted at Lazy Man and Money, saying, "Recently, I've been bombarded with this question by several different sources. I'm not the type to believe in signs, but I'm starting to wonder if someone is trying to tell me something. Each time the question has come about in the context of what do you want your career to be?"

Robert presents Maximizing Income Equals Minimizing Expenses posted at Comments for My Multiple Incomes, saying, "Making money is not enough, you need to save money as well!"

Insuring and Protecting

Jay Speaks presents How To Claim Disability Living Allowance posted at Disability Living Allowance, saying, "This weeks post outlines how to claim disability living allowance, either online or by telephone."

Investing

Billy Hart presents What are the FTSE 100, the DAX and the CAC 40? European Stock Market Indexes, Investing Basics posted at inMessment - Life Investments | Stocks | ETFs | Money, saying, "Recently I did a post on the Major US Stock Market Indexes. Many investing sites also list major market indexes for foreign markets. For the European markets it seems that there are three big favorites, the FTSE 100, the DAX and the CAC 40."

Dividend Growth Investor presents Four important dates for dividend investors posted at Dividend Growth Investor, saying, "The most exciting press release is the one that discusses how a dividend increase has been approved. Understanding the dates mentioned in those press releases is essential for investors, as it will determine the timing of the distribution."

misst presents How to Invest for the Long Term posted at Prairie Eco-Thrifter, saying, "There are several investing ratios that you can use to get you to the portfolio that you’d like. Some ratios are better than others if you are investing for the long term."

Jim Tolley (aka Kidgas) presents A Quest for Increasing Stock Dividends posted at Cash Flow Mantra, saying, "Over the next year, I would like to get the majority of my portfolio invested in stocks that pay dividends and increase my quarterly dividend income to $1000. Ultimately, the plan would be able to live off dividends while leaving the principal intact."

Dividends4Life presents 19 Stocks Avoiding A November Freeze With Increased Dividends posted at Dividend Growth Stocks, saying, "For a dividend investor, there is not much worse than a stock that cuts or eliminates its dividend. Suddenly, the reason you purchased the stock no longer exists. Many dividend investors, myself included, have a hard and fast rule to immediately sell any stock held as income investment if it cuts its dividend"

Jon Elder presents Index Funds, Yay or Nay? posted at Free Money Wisdom, saying, "An index fund will typically outperform most other types of stock investments, including the top actively managed funds. Only 20% of actively managed funds out-perform these top index funds."

Living Frugally

Linda Rodriguez presents What is the difference between fair credit and poor credit? posted at Credit Cards for Fair Credit, saying, "The difference between fair and poor credit is significant, but is frequently determined by each individual lender."

DJ presents Save Money on Sports Equipment posted at The Family Wallet, saying, "Here are some ideas you may want to use to save money on the equipment your children want for their favorite sport."

Peter presents 2 Years Without Credit Cards: Do I Regret It? posted at Bible Money Matters, saying, "You might not be ready to cut up your credit cards like we were. But let me tell you, two years of being credit card free has been nothing short of wonderful."

Jonathan from Debt Loans presents Holiday Helps: How to Plan a Budget-Friendly Getaway posted at Frugal Living, saying, "Holidays can be very expensive, and sometimes people end up getting into debt by taking one they can’t really afford. Even if your holiday isn’t elaborate, you can plan for a nice time on a budget. Take time to prepare, try to stick to your budget, and you’ll have every chance of enjoying a great time without the guilt of having spent more than you should."

Jonathan from Debt Loans presents Keeping Warm on a Budget posted at Money Mum, saying, "If you live in a place where the weather gets chilly, you know that keeping warm can be a challenge if you’re trying to stick with a budget. There are plenty of easy, inexpensive ways to fend off the cold and save money, so consider some of these ideas the next time you need to warm up:"

Tim @ Faith and Finance presents 4 Money Myths – Tips Against Breaking the Bank posted at Faith and Finance, saying, "Before you start shopping around, spending your entire grocery budget on great bargains, or buying paint and wallpaper from the clearance aisle to ‘Do It Yourself’, discover why these 4 money myths should be debunked once and for all."

Jonathan from Debt Loans presents Saving on Energy Costs: Windows and Lighting posted at Wallet Watcher, saying, "Windows and lighting occupy an interesting place in energy costs and your home. The former can add value to your home as well as allow you to save, while the latter can be cost-effective and still provide decent savings. The rest is up to you, with regard to far you want to take each item in your home."

Jason P. presents Easy Crockpot Meals: Save Time and Money posted at One Money Design, saying, "Looking to save some extra money? Consider using a crockpot to make things easier and to help watch your spending."

Retiring

Josh Powell presents Don’t Panic If the Economy’s Struggling posted at 401k Calculator, saying, "It can be tempting to make changes to your investments when you see your 401K declining. Just remember not to panic and make a decision you will regret."

Saving

David Leeman presents The Importance of Saving Money posted at Financial Freedom Advantage, saying, "Why save money? Too many people are spending money today that they haven't even earned. Good personal money managers realize they need to save today's earnings for expenses they will have in the future."

Jason P. presents Savings Account or 529 Plan? posted at Comments for Childrens Savings Accounts HQ, saying, "Understand the advantages of saving for college by using a 529 plan as opposed to a savings account."

Taxes

Emily Everet presents How Your Company Benefits Are Taxed posted at P11d, saying, "If you receive benefits or gifts from your company they will usually need to be taxed. This post outlines what you need to know and how much you will be taxed."

Mark Roberts presents Explaining the Standard Deduction posted at Tax Brackets, saying, "Your standard deduction reduces the amount of your income that is taxed. This blog post explains the standard deduction, how much it is and when you can't claim."

Gemma Flannery presents 3 Things You Should Know About Emergency Tax Codes posted at Tax Codes, saying, "You may be put on an emergency tax code if your employer doesn't know which tax code to place you on. This blog posts highlight 3 things you should know about the emergency tax code."

Mr. Money Smarts presents Looking For A Job? Don’t Forget The Tax Deductions! posted at Smart On Money, saying, "If you’ve spent some time and effort — and money — on your job search this year, you might be eligible for a few tax breaks. Indeed, many of the expenses that you are likely to incur during a job search are tax-deductible."

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