Welcome to Squirrelers and to the Global Stock Markets edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance!
I’m glad to be hosting this 331st edition of the carnival, and have had the opportunity to read a lot excellent posts this week. I’ve selected 4 as Editor’s Picks, but there were a number of them that came close.
This week’s theme is global stock markets. There are a number of major world stock markets in which monumental amounts of money are regularly invested. This edition will highlight some of the major international indices
Anyway, lots of good reading below, so I hope you enjoy!
Editor’s Picks
Paula @ Afford Anything from Afford Anything shared Stop Crying That There Are No Jobs. Create One., an interesting post on perspectives and mindset and illustrate opportunity. The context of the post was journalism, but could be applied in other venues.
Nicole from Nicole and Maggie: Grumpy Rumblings of the Untenured posted Getting an additional job to pay off debt is actually worth more than the salary…, a simple yet insightful post on how the interest from the debt you are paying off with your second job is an increase in your marginal wage.
Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents The New American Family: Flexibility and Unconventional Lifestyles to Make Ends Meet, a post convering an aspect of family finances that’s not often discussed: the stay-at-home dad. This post shares the working mother’s perspective of it, including her finding out that some hard to believe, outdated sterotypes apparently still exist in 2011.
retirebyforty from Retire By 40 presents Is Lifestyle Inflation Unavoidable?, covering the topic of lifestyle inflation and keeping it under control. Clearly, discipline can provide significant long-term benefits.
Budgeting
S&P 500 (USA) – Started in 1957, this index tracks a basket of 500 large-capitalization stocks which are actively traded in the U.S.
Money Beagle from Money Beagle presents Do You Have The Money Habits Of A Two Year Old?, and says, “Sometimes we don’t grow up as much as we think we do!”
Career
Russell 2000 (USA) – Index based on 2000 small-cap U.S. stocks. This index has often served as a benchmark for small-cap mutual fund performance
Kay Lynn Akers from Bucksome Boomer presents Don’t Be Dumb, Build Your Business the Smart Way, and says, “Ask yourself these questions before moving forward with a business idea.”
Dan Meyers from Your Life, Their Life presents ALERT: 5 things formal schooling doesn’t teach us, and says, “You need to unlearn some things you were taught in school to succeed in business and life.”
Control Your Cash from Control Your Cash presents Getting fired never felt so good, part 2, and says, “Part II of a man who got fired, and it was the best thing that ever happened to him.”
J.B from My University Money presents Talking to Professors – Its Easier Than You Think, and says, “Professors are a great resource and can give you many leads to the industry outside of school. Take advantage!”
Mike from The Finanacial Blogger presents What Everybody Ought to Know About Starting a Business, and says, “A few things you should know before starting any business.”
MD from Studenomics presents How My Friend Landed a Dream Job on Facebook & How You Can Do it, and says, “Did you know you can find work on Facebook?”
MD from Passive Income Now presents 5 Methods of Online Income You Should’ve Started Yesterday, and says, “Are you doing any of the following?”
krantcents from krantcents presents Personal Best, and says, “A coach or mentor can help you achieve your personal best.
Lahesha Williams from Career Help for Christians presents 6 Steps To Reinvent Your Career, and says, “How does one start over, or find a niche without having to go back to college for years to become competitive again? Short of becoming your own “preneur”, there are plenty of opportunities to work for another “preneur” as a consultant, or freelancer. Following are some tips in getting a fresh start.”
Credit
Dow Jones Industrial Average (USA) – Started in 1896 by Charles Dow, the DJIA started by tracking 12 industrial firms. Now, it includes 30 large, publicly traded companies across industries. Longest tenured company: General Electric, since 1907.
Philip from PT Money Personal Finance presents What Everybody Ought to Know about New Debit Card Fees, and says, “”
Meg from CreditDonkey presents What Happens to Credit Card Debt When You Die, and says, “The last thing we want to happen is to leave our loved ones not knowing what needs to happen if we were to pass away.”
Eric J. Nisall from DollarVersity presents Is a resurgence in cash usage upon us?, and says, “Gas prices and credit card reform have had a major impact on the way we do business. Is this the beginning of a return to paper-dominated payment practices?”
Debt
Wilshire 5000 (USA) – A U.S. index that originally had 5000 stocks, but now actually has over 6000 (this number changes). Largest market value index globally.
Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents presents What to Watch For With Debt Settlement Companies, and says, “Here’s a closer look at debt settlement companies and some things you need to watch out for.”
Sean Smarty from Grow Money presents Benefits of Paying Off Your Mortgage Early
Economy
S&P/TSX 60 (Canada) – 60 large company stocks traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Darwin from Darwin’s Money presents Better Off Unemployed Than Working, and says, “Amazingly, even highly paid workers can be better off unemployed than working due to certain common circumstances. Here’s a real-life example.
Pete from IPersonalFinances presents “Greed is neither good nor bad. It is a symptom of an underlying problem.”, and says, “With all the blame and anger about Wall Street, this is one of a series of articles about taking responsbility about our finances individually and on a whole as our collective actions create this economy or stagnation there of.”
Flexo from Consumerism Commentary presents Incomes Decreased More After Recession Than During Recession, and says, “Begs the question … are we really out of the recession?”
Finance
Brazil Bovespa Stock Index (Brazil) – index of select stocks traded on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange
Tyler Wright from Debt Reckoning presents The Benefits of a Mortgage Sinking Fund, and says, “Rather than make extra payments on his mortgage, Tyler is piling up cash until the balance of his savings and his mortgage are equal, and then writing one check to become mortgage debt free.”
Neal Frankle from Wealth Pilgrim presents Financial Inspiration and Motivation — Free of Charge, and says, “At sundown tonight Yom Kippur will begin. It’s a Jewish Holiday that I personally get a lot of inspiration and motivation from. It’s really a great gift and it is my secret way to get clarity on my own definition of success. In case you aren’t familiar, Yom Kippur is structured to encourage Jews to look inside ourselves and search for ways to be better human beings. People who observe the holiday fast. We don’t eat or drink for 25 hours.”
Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey from My Personal Finance Journey presents Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme?, and says, “Recently, Rick Perry labeled the Social Security program in the United States as a Ponzi scheme. This post takes a look at what characteristics Ponzi schemes have in an attempt to determine whether or not Perry’s claims are supported.”
Briana from Stupid Cents presents You Don’t Have to be Rich to Pay Off Debt, and says, “There is an assumption that you have to be rich to pay off debt, and that’s not the case. Many people have worked diligently to pay off their debt.”
Frugality
FTSE 100 (UK) – Index of the 100 most highly capitalized companies on the London Stock Exchange. Started in 1984, and commonly referred to as the “footsie”.
Fanny from Living Richly on a Budget presents 10 Frugal Tips for Flying, and says, “If you’re unprepared, you can end up paying an arm and a leg for certain things. But with a little foresight and preparation, you can come out ahead.”
Beating Broke from Beating Broke presents Flossing with Chest Hair, and says, “While you can certainly have worse addictions, even an addiction to saving can be a bad thing at times.”
Amanda from My Dollar Plan presents New Walmart Price Match: What They Will and Won’t Match, and says, “Walmart has a new price match policy that is bound to turn some heads…find out the details here!”
Money Thinker from Money Thinking presents Five Fall Fix-It’s, and says, “Fall is coming, and Money Thinker shares five things that you should thing about fixing during this time of year. ”
MoneyWalks from Money Walks presents How Do I Save on Bills That I Can’t Just Eliminate?, and says, “Money Walks shares some simple ways to cut the costs on basic bills.”
Jason from One Money Design presents Free Fun Things to Do, and says, “A number of free fun things to do without spending any money!”
Mark Patterson from Go To Retirement presents You Have Alternatives to Big Banks and Their Fees, and says, “Don’t let inertia or procrastination keep you locked into the big banks. They don’t want you anyway.”
Investing
CAC 40 (France) – Started in 1987, this French index represents 40 select companies on the Euronext Paris
PKamp3 from Don’t Quit Your Day Job… presents The Roth IRA and Why (Most of) You Need One Yesterday, and says, “An article about the old PF standby, the Roth IRA. The best part is the little detail buried at the bottom of my article – you can shield more money from taxes than the equivalent traditional IRA. Sneaky!”
Sustainable PF from Sustainable Personal Finance presents Put Your Money Where Your Values Are: Green Investing, and says,You really can invest in a sustainable manner. Do your homework, and it is possible for you to find green investments that are better for the environment, while boosting your portfolio.”
Corey from 20′s Finances presents Best Investment Advice, and says, “I share a secret from my child that details the worst investment I made ever. Make sure that you don’t make the same mistake as me.”
Chris Holdheide from Stumble Forward presents Where Is The Best Place To Invest Your Money Right Now, and says, “Learn about a unique way I’m investing my money today.”
D4L from Dividend Growth Stocks presents How To Know When To Sell A Dividend Stock, and says, “When stock prices start dropping, our primal instinct of flight kicks in and we want to sell. In many cases that is the time to be buying. As a long-term buy-and-hold investor, most of my evaluation efforts are aimed at determining when to buy a stock. However, sometimes selling a stock is the right thing to do, and we need to be adept at identifying those times.”
Matt Bell from Matt About Money presents Getting Help With Your Investments, and says, “Investing is arguably the most challenging of all personal finance topics, and investing well is especially tough in tough economic times. In times like these, having an investment pro at the helm of your investments can help. Here’s how to find a good one.”
DFTLR from Dividends For The Long Run presents How To Read A Cash Flow Statement, and says, ” The consolidated financial statements are where the results of all of a company’s business efforts are brought together and put on display in the form of a corporate income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. Today I will provide an overview of the cash flow statement and what useful information an investor can learn from reading it.
Hank from Money Q & A presents Young Investors Hold Too Much Cash in Their Portfolios, and says, “Far too many young investors have too much of their portfolio in cash. Find out how much is too much.”
Barbara Friedberg from BARBARA FRIEDBERG PERSONAL FINANCE presents What should I invest in?, and says, “Read about how I answered this question from the woman at the doctor’s. Tips and resources for the confused investor.”
Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Five Metrics of Successful Dividend Companies, and says, “Everybody likes winners. Looking at the history of the most successful dividend stocks, I have been able to identify several traits, which have been strong predictors of performance.”
IS from Intelligent Speculator presents 5 Dividend Stocks Too Good To Be True?, and says, “Are these stocks too good?”
Div Guy from The Dividend Guy Blog presents Would You Invest Everything in a 6% Distribution Portfolio?, and says, “What do you think?”
Money Management
DAX (Germany) – Index of 30 blue chip German stocks trading on the Frankfort Stock Exchange
Bret from Hope to Prosper presents Money Fail: The Payment Mentality, and says, “The advertising industry has done a fantastic job of convincing everyone that payments are the new currency.”
Craig Ford from Money Help For Christians presents Why Every Missionary Needs A Kindle Or A Nook, and says, “Learn the value of having a Nook or Kindle if you live overseas.”
N.W. Journey from Net Worth Journey presents Please Talk about Money–It’s Important, and says, “Money discussions are important in all areas of life.
Peter from Bible Money Matters presents Why I Have Life Insurance and Why You Probably Should Too, and says, “A little while back I finally gave in and bought enough life insurance to cover my income if I were to pass prematurely. You may want to consider it as well.”
Dr. Dean from The Millionaire Nurse Blog presents Choosing the Right College: A Potential $100+K Mistake?, and says, “Making sure you make the right college decision based on the cost.”
Jo Robinson from TotallyMoney presents Why you should start saving for Christmas now
FMF from Free Money Finance presents Stop Telling Yourself These Three Financial Lies, and says, “Most of us rationalize why we can’t get our finances together right now. Many Americans prolong these excuses during their entire working careers. Here are three lies you must stop telling yourself in order to build a solid financial foundation.”
Roshawn Watson from Watson Inc presents Parasite of Wealth, and says, “I have been noticing a disturbing trend for some time now. People will go broke trying to look rich.”
Jim Yih from Retire Happy Blog presents Do you have a money mentor?, and says, “A money mentor is someone in your life who is good at money and willing to share their knowledge with others.”
Other
IBEX (Spain) – Index of the 35 most liquid funds in Spain’s Bolsa de Madrid
Shaun from Money Cactus presents How to Find More Time and Be Super Productive, and says, “Productivity is something that we could all probably be better at, but finding the time to do the things that you aren’t doing can actually make the biggest difference to your finances in the end.”
Boomer from Boomer & Echo presents Will The Gifts You Give End Up At The Thrift Store?, and says, “From now on, any gifts I consider giving will have to pass more than just the price test. They will have to pass my garage sale test: “What is the likelihood that this item will end up on a garage sale
Junior Boomer from Consumer Boomer presents Early Retirement Lifestyle, and says, “Here are some valuable questions you need to ask yourself as you plan to achieve an early retirement.
vh from Funny about Money presents Excellent Paypal Tool, and says, “Here’s an easy way to calculate what a Paypal deposit will cost you…or how much to charge a customer to get an amount that will cover your overhead and preserve your profit.”
Green Panda from Green Panda Treehouse presents Which Smartphone is the Best for You? Let’s Compare New Smartphones., and says, “Do you have a smartphone?”
Jason from Childrens Savings Accounts HQ presents Best Children’s Savings Accounts, and says, “Looking for the best children’s savings accounts? This article provides short reviews of several different options to teach your kids about saving money.”
Tom Drake from Canadian Finance Blog presents Have You Considered Wedding Insurance?, and says, “You can purchase wedding insurance that will insure your marriage. What do you need to know about wedding insurance and do you really need it?”
Gen Y Capitalist from Gen Y Capitalist presents Flaws in Net Worth as a Tracking Tool, and says, “The article discusses the flaws in using net worth as a progress tracking tool.”
Real Estate
Nikkei 225 (Japan) – Index of 225 Japanese stocks, traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Calculations date back to 1949. Analogous to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (US).
Mittoo from It’s Raining…Pennies presents Short-term Accommodations, and says, “Analyzing my task of finding short term accommodations for the next 6 months. Comparing the costs of a furnished vs unfurnished apartment vs a in home suite.
Saving
Hang Seng (Hong Kong) – Index of selected top companies trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Divided into 4 subindexes: Commerce and Industry, Finance, Properties, and Utilities
Colin Williams from humble savers presents Five Ways to Save – Getting through College, and says, “Written by Colin Williams with a lot of help from his daughter, who is 12,000 miles away trying to ‘financially’ survive college in London. A learning experience for her and her parents!”
Big Cajun Man from THE Canadian Personal Finance Site presents Seniors and Debt, and says, “One of my goals is to retire with no debt (not sure whether I can pull it off, but it is a goal), however TD Economics posted a disturbing report on Canada’s Aging Household Debt Burden which suggests my dream may be harder than I think it will be (or maybe I just won’t ever retire, thus making the goal always achievable).”
Bryan from Pinch that Penny! presents What Is an Emergency Fund?, or Analogies to Fairy Tales, Part the First, and says, “In this post, I describe what an emergency fund is by comparing it to a house of bricks as owned by one of the three little pigs. I also use words like “totes” and “eated.”"
Taxes
S&P/ASX 200 (Australia) – Started in 2000, this index consists of select stocks traded on the Australian Stock Exchange
Mr. Money from Smart on Money presents 2012 Federal Income Tax Brackets: Official IRS Marginal Tax Rates, and says, “So while the tax rates are seeing only slight changes this year due to inflation, next year could be shaping up for another battle. Buckle your safety belts, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!”
