The Rapturous Carnival of MoneyPros

Welcome to the rapturous edition of the Carnival of MoneyPros.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes 5 Ways to Save Money on Braces – As someone who regularly gets to work with families to plan their finances and prepare for expenses like a child’s college education, I increasingly find…

Mr. Frenzy @ Frenzied Finances writes Freebies: 10 Ways to Get Free Stuff Online – Nothing’s better than free!  Especially from the convenience of our computers.  Read here for tips on where to find online freebies and get some free stuff!

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes The Minimalism-Personal Finance Connection – For years I didn’t want anything to do with minimalism.  I love my stuff and I had no intention of getting rid of it all.  Then I started down the rabbit hole.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes Quick and Easy House Sales which are Also Cost Effective – In my experience the selling of a property is never a straightforward one, and as time drags on with no completion it starts to cause stress.  This is not how it should be, as selling a property should be an exciting time in your life as it means that you are moving to somewhere new.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes How To Survive Office Politics – Everyone in an office environment is most likely to experience office politics in some form or the other.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes Steps to Get Out of Debt – Getting out of debt is only a matter of a few steps, but that doesn’t make it easy.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Freelance Budgeting: How to Budget Your Self-Published Book – The publishing industry must make room for self publishing!  What you need to categorize in order to put out and market your self-published book.

Rich @ Growing Money Smart writes The Power Of Realizing When You are Wrong, and Recovering – If you can master realizing when you are wrong, I think you can grow from it.  Even the most intelligent of us make mistakes, but believing you are always right hurts your prospects in life.

Jacob @ AllPersonalFinance writes Building a brand for a small business – taking the right steps – The brand is a concept which defines all the thoughts, images, impressions and, generally, everything people see and hear about your certain product or your company, as a whole.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Person-to-Person Loans – An overview of person-to-person loans which are also known as peer to peer or consumer loans.  How they work for both the borrower and lender.

Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes How to Know if a Bank is Safe – Bank safety is essential.  You should only trust you money with a bank or credit union that is insured by the FDIC or NCUA.  Learn how to verify deposits.

Brent @ PersonalFinance-Tips writes Worried about your Credit Score? 4 Ways to Make it Better – When looking to increase your credit score, there are a few easy steps to take.  Once you educate yourself about what makes a good credit score (or why you have a bad one), it will be easier to get on your way to working towards a respectable score.  When following these four tips, one can see their credit score rise drastically.

Dominique Brown @ YourFinancesSimplified writes Don’t Do As They Say? The Hidden Secret to Wealth – looking at all those rich people and wondering why they are rich and you are not.  Is there some secret to wealth that these rich people know and use?

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes Breaking Into Business When You’re Broke – A guide for helping you get into business when you have no money available to fund your business, including do-it-yourself, work from home, and crowdfunding.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes Essential Steps for Protecting Yourself in a Bankruptcy Proceeding – In this article are the steps to take to protect yourself in a bankruptcy proceeding.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Three simple ways for a business to save money in 2014 – Every other day seems to bring news of a price hike for one essential expense or another, and this means most people are looking to make savings without cutting corners.  Careful budgeting is even more important for a business than it is for household expenditure.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Young Gourd Finance: How to Diversify your Halloween Pumpkin Purchase – More of what your family sees in parking lots and markets is in the orange and green range.  Of course, I’m talking about the pumpkin!

IMB @ Investing Money writes Investing in ETFs for High Dividend Yields – ETFs are similar to mutual funds but offer several advantages.  Read here for more information on investing in ETFs and its rising relevance.

Mrs. Accountability @ Out of Debt Again writes Trimming Daily or Impulse Habits – Do you kick off the day with a $2 cup of Joe?  Or buy a $5 pack of cigarettes every day?  Do you grab a pack of gum at the grocery store…

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Medicare – Turning 65 – Medicare – Turning 65 is a post from: Broke Professionals if you enjoy it, please visit us and subscribe to the Feed.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes The Rough Patch: Loan Alternatives in Tricky Times – Times are tough now – it’s a good idea to look into loan alternatives, so what are your options?  Read here for tips on how to find loan alternatives.

Cindy @ MidLife Finance writes Helping Your Kid Through College – Another Approach – Don’t fund your children’s education until you’re sure that they’re taking it as seriously as you do.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Things To Remember When Setting Up Your Business – There are a few important things to remember when setting up your business. Some of the main ones are listed here to help you get started in setting up your business.

Minimalist @ Minimalist Finance writes How Sleeping Well Can Help Your Finances – Sleep is a very important aspect of our lives.  Whether or not we have a good night’s sleep can determine our performance at work, our cognitive ability, and even the choices we make about food.  Without a good night’s sleep, it’s difficult to focus and to stay motivated.

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Getting The Job: How to Boost Your Resume – Your resume is the key to unlock the door to opportunity.  In order to unlock the door you need the right key.

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes Home Financial Education Tips For Raising Kids – This is a list of 4 ways that I’m teaching my kids how to handle and manage money.  So far, it has been very successful.

Daisy @ Suburban Finance writes How to Choose the Right Budgeting Software for You – You have a lot of options nowadays when it comes to choosing a budgeting software that can help your family (small or large) make the most of its income.  There are free platforms like Mint that track and monitor your … Continue reading →How to Choose the Right Budgeting Software for You is a post from: Suburban Finance.

Bargain Babe @ BargainBabe.com writes Should I Reveal My Net Worth? – Should I Reveal My Net Worth? offers tips on saving money every day.

Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Personal Finance Blogger Hell-Never achieving my financial goals – There is a blog that I read from time to time and have read for the past year or so.  Each time I check out a post, I’m hoping and praying that things have begun to turn around for this blogger.  They never seem to.  About six months ago I began to notice something-they were still at the point where they had started when they had begun writing the blog a number of years ago.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Opening Prices for Twitter Shares Announced – After months of speculation the prices have been set for the opening selection of Twitter shares.  These have been announced as falling between $17 and $20 each.  Many experts have seen this as a smart and cautious move by the social networking site.

Cat Alford @ Budget Blonde writes How to Handle Winning the Lottery or Any Financial Windfall – There are right ways and wrong ways to handle winning the lottery or getting a huge inheritance check.  See the steps you should take if you’re the lucky one!

Crystal @ Married (with Debt) writes My Parents versus Me – I have come to realize, as I was wrapping up my mother’s estate, that my parents probably were not the best money managers.

Eva Baker @ TeensGotCents writes A New Spin On Gift Registries – Shopping With Sarah – Sarah has an inspired idea to share with all the girls (and the guys extra secure in their manliness).  See how gift registries can prepare you for life!

Tushar Mathur @ Everything Finance writes 5 Secrets of Successful Savers – Are you a saver or a spender?  You might think the preference to be a saver or spender is hard wired from the time you’re born, but there are actually…

Corey @ 20s Finances writes How to Retire With Rental Properties – Many people doubt the power of real estate, but I prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s possible to retire with rental properties.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Salary Guides: a useful tool for employees and employers – Salary guides are useful tools for both employees and employers; for now these are produced for ‘the professions’.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Can You Make Money Investing in Life Insurance? – I’ve recently heard quite a bit of chatter from “experts” that whole life insurance should be used as an investment vehicle.  We sent our Penny Hoarder team out to investigate….

ETZ25 @ Entertainment Timez writes Thoughts on a Dividend Stream For Entertainment – I hash out my plan of attack for the future dividend stream for entertainment.

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure – Did you know how easy it is to make extra cash by selling items you no longer use?  Simple ways to make this happen.

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes Anniversaries on a Budget – A few ideas on how to have an awesome yet moderately priced anniversary celebration.

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes 3 Steps for Maxing Out Your Roth IRA in Record Time – If you hope to one day retire you need to start saving now.  And a Roth IRA is a perfect place to stash those retirement savings.  The withdrawals you take from your Roth IRA during retirement are tax free since the money you are contributing has already been taxed.

Martin @ Studenomics writes Can You Reach Financial Freedom by 30? Hell Yeah! – Are you on the road to financial freedom?

Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life writes My Money Motivators – Exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly things which motivate me to earn and save more money!

Michael Kitces @ Nerd’s Eye View writes Using I Bonds To Hedge Inflation And Rising Rates In Your Portfolio – Just over 15 years ago, the US Treasury began to offer I Bonds – a unique form of bond that pays interest adjusted each year for inflation.  In the face of potential rising inflation, I Bonds may be especially appealing, though, as they provide a principal guarantee that ensures their value will not decline, even if/when/as rates rise!

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey writes Being Honest Almost Cost Me Money – How being honest almost costs me money

Daniel @ Make Money Make Cents writes Pay your Bills to Save Money? Yes, you can – By implementing these tips you will actually save money while paying your bills and also save yourself quite a bit of time and stress as well.

Oscar @ Money is the Root writes College Life: On-Campus Dorms versus Commuting from Home – Now is the time to go through the pros and cons of each option so you can decide what would work best for you.

Jay @ Daily Fuel Economy Tip writes Your Fuel Economy Cheat Sheet – One of the most important influencing factors for gas mileage is the one that is completely different from automobile to automobile; the driver.

Danielle @ Saving Without a Budget writes Are You Going to be Able to Retire Some Day? – According to financial services company HSBC, almost 20% of all Americans surveyed by them recently believe that they will never be able to retire and will keep working until the day they die.

Matt @ Budget Snob writes Rules to Protect your Passwords from being Hacked – Did you know that almost 75% of Americans have, at one point or another and a life, been the victims of an Internet crime?

Quizzle @ Quizzle Blog writes Credit Life Insurance – Why Term Life Insurance Is Better – Life insurance companies offer many different types of policies and riders for consumers.  Credit life insurance, for example, is used to protect and cover loan repayments in case a borrower dies before full repayment.  However, a traditional term life insurance offers all the advantages and more, with none of the disadvantages of credit life insurance.  Learn why term life insurance is almost always a better form of coverage.

Jack @ Money Saving Ethics writes 5 Things You Shouldn’t Look for in Your New Home – One of the most important aspects is to actually find the right house for you, something that can be exceedingly difficult for first-time buyers who do not have the experience of knowing exactly what they want.

Amy @ Money Mishaps writes Airline Fees That Might Actually Be Worth Paying For – While most people are loathe to pay anything extra when traveling by plane, especially considering that it is so darned expensive already, there are actually a few extras that might be worth paying for.

Lenny @ Best Money Saving Blog writes Create a 10 Year Plan for your Credit – One of the biggest mistakes that people make when it comes to their credit is that they do not fully consider the future.

Hadley @ Epic Finances writes Five Steps to Help you Understand the Bond Market – One of the hardest things to understand for newcomers to the holy trinity of investing (cash, stocks and bonds) are the basic rules and the relatively intricate nuances that all three hold.

Andrea @ So Over This writes Couponing in College – Some students may grudgingly accept a life of surviving on three hours of sleep, booze, and ramen noodles, but if you are willing to be a little more frugal than your peers, you can live comfortably on the budget of a college student.

“Rapturous, yes!”.  a rapturous expression by reallyboring, on Flickr.  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Lily @ Paying Debt Down writes The Best Car Price Negotiation Tips – The average person absolutely dreads purchasing a new car for one simple reason; negotiating for the price.  Successfully negotiating an excellent price on a new car entails some research, commitment, the right attitude and more than a little bit of patience.

Bob @ Dwindling Debt writes Can you Really Go Contract Free with your Smart Phone? – Today there are plenty of options that you can take advantage of once your current phone contract has expired.

Katie @ IRA Basics writes What Happens to Debt When You Die? – Now we do not want to sound morbid but it is a fact of life that none of us are getting any younger and one day we will meet our maker.  But what happens if we meet an untimely end while we have still got debts outstanding?

Sam @ The New Business Blog writes Online Marketing Tips for the Entrepreneur – We put together a list of some excellent online marketing tips that every entrepreneur can use to build client lists, attract visitors to their websites and increase profits.

Marissa @ Finance Triggers writes Cheap Places to Travel this Fall – With summer winding to an end, there is no better time to take advantage of cheap travel rates.  Hotels, airlines, and other players in the travel industry are feeling the post-Summer slump and are looking for ways to encourage travel.  Here are a few venues to explore when looking for some extra savings on your fall travels.

Marissa @ Thirty Six Months writes Things You Didn’t Know About Fall Fashion – Are you heading to the mall this fall?  Here are some very interesting facts about shopping habits this fall.

Buck @ Buck Inspire writes Missed Opportunities Are Not Losses Or Failures, Baby! – Last week in Las Vegas, I did more than just hotel hopping.  Late one night or early one morning, depending on how you look at it, I moseyed up to a blackjack table.  Since I am a high roller, the table minimum was five dollars.

Monica @ Monica On Money writes How To Negotiate Lower Prices On Anything – Sometimes asking for lower prices is not that easy and can even be a little intimidating.  Keep reading to learn how to negotiate lower prices on anything!

Holly @ Club Thrifty writes Being Unemployed Sucks: What I Learned – For those of you who may not know, I attempted a career in the insurance and financial sales industry…and failed miserably.  Although my intentions were good, I hated it.

Barbara Friedberg @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes 3 Simple Tips To Become A Successful Investor – Investing should be like watching grass grow or paint dry.  If you want excitement, take $1,000 and go to Las Vegas.

Larry @ KrantCents writes Why No One Cares What You Think about Investment Plan (and How to Stop Being so Freaking Boring) – Extreme retirement is a term used by financial gurus and is a technique used to catch up when you have started saving at a later time in your life.

Natalie @ Debt and the Girl writes Having the Poverty Mentality and How it Affects your Finances – It is basically the feeling you get of feeling poor even when your situation dictates otherwise.  It is a strange feeling and one that has been causing me some stress lately.  I do not know if anyone has ever had this feeling but it can be quite jarring.

Graham @ Moneystepper writes Real wages in the UK – how inflation is impacting your salary – Real wages in the UK – how inflation is impacting your salary

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Adopting Minimalist Principles to Save Money and Live Sustainability – Congratulations! You have just finished paying for a wedding, which means you just spent the equivalent of a home down payment or a year of college on a single day.  Now that the wedding’s all taken care of, your major expenses are over, right?

Alexa @ Defeat Our Debt writes Are These 3 Things Preventing You From Becoming Debt Free? – The journey to paying off debt can often be a long one. Depending on the amount of debt you have it could take months, or even years, to pay it back.  And, paying off debt comes with its fair share of struggles.

Jason @ The Money Makers writes Healthcare.gov: Is this failure a warning of what’s to come? – The official launch of online registration for government healthcare has been rife with disastrous glitches from the very beginning.

FI Pilgrim @ FI Journey writes Enhance The Flavor Of Your Elephant – Financial independence is a big goal to shoot for, so how do you keep the road fun and interesting?  Here are some ideas on how to enjoy your elephant.

Matt Becker @ Mom and Dad Money writes Make Your Money Grow Faster: Investing Better vs. Earning More – Whatever your particular financial goals, there is often a desire to find a way to make your money grow faster so that you can meet your goals along the timeline that fits your needs.  So what’s the best way to do it?  Well, I ran I little experiment comparing two options: investing better and earning more.  Let’s find out which one is more effective.

Robert @ The College Investor writes Honda Motor Corp is a High Reward, Low Beta Stock – For investors looking for such a stock, Honda Motor Corp. (NYSE: HMC) has proven itself to be a high reward, low risk asset.

Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes How to Use Evernote for Your Business – I love Evernote!  It has become a core tool in all of my business planning, tracking, note taking, and organization.  Here are some reasons Evernote is awesome and why you should use it.  Plus, it is 100% free for most users.

Robert @ Kids Ain’t Cheap writes The Choose Your Gadget Giveaway – It’s almost the holidays – can you believe it?  That’s why we’ve been covering things from Black Friday to holiday shopping. But what better way to make things easier for you, than giving away the gadget of your choice (up to $800)!

Robert @ Cult Of Money writes 4 Things You Need to Know About Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – Here’s a quick breakdown of the things you need to know about Fannie and Freddie.

Connie @ Savvy With Saving writes How I’m Side Hustlin’ – How I Made $400 of Extra Income In October

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes My Retirement Strategy for Tax-Free Income – I am maxing out my 401K, and maximizing tax efficiency of my investments.  The goal is to get a tax deduction today, then rollover the money in a Roth IRA when I retire, while paying a lower amount of taxes in the process.

kheinz / Pixabay

Justin @ Root of Good @ Root of Good writes Be Your Own Insurance Company – Justin at Root of Good explains how to take on a large number of small risks throughout one’s financial life in order to cut out wasteful spending on unnecessary insurance.

Adam @ Money Bulldog writes 4 of the Worst Investments You Could Make – Investments are indeed a big deal to most people, choosing the right ones early on can make a huge difference in your life.

Adam @ Money Rebound writes The Things Lying Around Your House That Are Worth Money – Making easy money by selling the cluttter in your house right now.

Adam @ The Cheapest Cars To Insure writes What are Insurance Groups? Insurance Groups Explained – There are a few more factors to consider when you’re applying for a car insurance, find out which ones you need to look out for!

Ben Luthi @ The Wealth Gospel writes Learn How to Juggle Your Finances – Learning how to deal with finances is like learning how to juggle. There are some tips here that can help you learn both

Jon Haver @ Pay My Student Loans writes Get Student Loans in Tough Times – The economy is tough. Loans are harder to get than they once were.  Major banks cut back on student loans in tough times.  But that doesn’t mean student loans are off the table.

Jerry @ AutoFoundry writes Should You Use a HELOC to Buy a Car? – Yes, you can use a home equity line of credit to buy your next car, but despite the low rate of interest, it’s not necessarily a good idea.

John @ Frugal Rules writes Putting Time On Your Side: How to Start Investing in Your 20s – A common excuse given by those in their 20s as to why they can’t invest is because they can’t afford to.  However, there are ways to get started investing when you’re young and doing so will do wonders for your wealth building and giving yourself more time to grow your retirement portfolio.

Christopher @ This That and The MBA writes Are You Losing Money By Living Abroad – Moving abroad for your retirement years can be an amazing experience.  However, to what extent do you consider how much this will affect your pension?  For many British expats the reality is that the impact can be quite significant.  In total, around £10.6 billion is lost from British pensions.

saverspender @ Save. Spend. Splurge. writes You can get more money if you are unemployed in France – You can get more money if you are unemployed in France

Dollar @ Easy Extra Dollar writes Best Ways To Make Money Online – Online working is an eye-catching job but there are certain scams in this job.  So people want the jobs in which there income safe and they got their income easily without any difficulty.  So following are the ways from which you can earn good and scam free money.

Claire @ ReadyForZero Blog writes Prevent Food Waste and Save Money With These Easy Tricks – Americans toss 40% of their groceries!  That means food wasted and money wasted.  This article shares some tips to help you prevent food spoilage and save money as a result!

J Rodriguez @ Modest Money writes How I Got Away With An Anniversary Under $200! – Its not always that we have money to spend on our loved ones during special occassions.  Being broke however doesn’t mean the end of expressing our heartfelt feelings to our loved… Here is how to wow her on a meager budget

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes Is FlexKom a Scam? – Is FlexKom setting you with success by limiting competition as a typical franchise does or are they just trying to encourage everyone and anyone to pay them money for a business opportunity that may not exist?

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Are You Prepared for an Emergency? – In the event of a much larger quake, it’s safe to say that services may not be available for many days which means we’d need enough supplies to get by for at least one week.  Below is a list of items that should be in a convenient location (not buried in the garage):

Adam Kamerer @ Stop Worrying About Money writes 5 Christmas Gift Ideas For Friends and Family Who Struggle With Money – No one likes seeing family or friends struggle under mountains of debt and other financial woes.  It is even worse when Christmas rolls around.

Pauline @ Make Money Your Way writes Side hustle series: Make money with weddings – Here are a few ideas of how you can make money with weddings.

Pauline @ Reach Financial Independence writes Managing a rental property from the distance – Do you own a rental property?  Here are a few tips to keep your cool while managing your rental.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes The Worst Financial Decisions I’ve Seen – Here are 6 decisions I have seen people close to me make, that turned out to be v-e-r-y wrong.

Kate @ On Better Terms writes 3 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Finances This Month – Figuring out your finances can seem overwhelming.  To overcome that, start simple with these 3 tips.

Michelle @ Diversified Finances writes How To Become A Full-Time Freelancer Part 1 – Now that I have finally switched to full-time freelancing, I have received many e-mails from others asking how they too can freelance full-time.

Jon @ Novel Investor writes Current Mortgage Rates: Compare Mortgage Rates Today – Whether you’re buying a house or refinancing, shopping for the best mortgage rates is important.  The reason is simple.  You’ll spend less money, both monthly and in total, with a lower mortgage rate.

Anton Ivanov @ Dreams Cash True writes Jemstep Review – A Leading Online Portfolio Manager – My Jemstep review looks at how this leading online portfolio manager service can help you create and maintain a great retirement portfolio.

Kylie Ofiu @ Aspiring Millionaire writes SHould you move for cheaper rent or is it better to stay – I am in the position where rents have dropped where I live, but we have moved 3 times in 12 months. Is it worth moving again for reduced rent?  I have 4 scenarios to choose from here.  What would you do?

vh @ Funny about Money writes Chase, UPS, and Credit Card Application Fraud – Apparently, fraudulent Chase credit card application emanated from collusion between bad apples at Chase & UPS..

Mr.CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes Tic Toc That’s The Sound Of Your Debt Clock – Debt isn’t all bad but recognizing that any money owed is debt and it’s a debt that needs to be paid back.

Jerry @ The Motive Blog writes How to Identify Predatory Auto Loans – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has been trying to eliminate predatory auto loans, but it seems like new tactics crop up as soon as old ones are stamped out.  Your best defense is knowing the signs of predatory lending in the automotive industry..

Edgar @ Degrees and Debt @ Degrees and Debt writes Jobs for college students on and off campus – The best jobs you can have while working your way through college, both on campus and off campus

Vanessa @ Vanessa’s Money writes The Great TFSA/IRA vs RRSP/401(k) Debate – I answer, once and for all, the great debate over which retirement vehicle is right for you!

Vanessa @ Vanessa’s Money writes Tassimo/Keurig Machines are an Incredible Rip-off – It boggles my mind that people still have Tassimo/Keurig machines.  I’ve done the math to show just how much more you’re paying for the (perceived) convenience of a one-cup serving coffee machine

Jacob @ Cash Cow Couple writes Optionshouse Review – Optionshouse has some dynamite pricing as an online brokerage, but the service is far from perfect. Come check out all the details in my review.

Vanessa @ Cash Cow Couple writes 25 Ways To Save Money on Groceries – Read this post if you want to dominate your monthly food bill.

Jefferson @ See Debt Run writes Why We Have Eight Different Savings Accounts And Are Considering Opening More – Savings accounts can serve as envelopes for you to hold your money when looking to meet your long term goals.

KK @ Student Debt Survivor writes Staying Frugal Once You’re Out of Debt – Is becoming debt-free a trigger for spending? What’s the point of staying frugal once you get out of debt?

Brock Kernin @ Clever Dude writes I Got a Raise! What Should I Do With It? – I was informed this week that I got a salary increase…what’s the smartest thing to do with it?