Carnival of Retirement – the 59th Edition

Welcome to the 59th edition of the Carnival of Retirement. This week we have a great assortment of retirement articles for you to go through. Sign up at Blogger Carnivals if you want to be included next time. You can also sign up to host the Carnival if you have a blog. Enjoy!

Michael Kitces @ Nerd’s Eye View writes Is Variable Annuity Tax Deferral Worth Paying For Again? – As tax rates rise, the value of tax deferral increases. At the same time, a new generation of ultra-low-cost variable annuities is emerging. Which together raises the question – is it time to seriously consider variable annuities once again as a pure tax-deferred investment vehicle?

Kurt Fischer @ Money Counselor writes IRA Contribution Limits – 2012 is over but you can still contribute to your 2012 IRA until April 15. And Uncle Sam’s letting you save more in an IRA in 2013.

Lance @ Money Life and More writes Why We Decided Against Buying a Beach Front Condo – My fiancee (sounds weird… still getting used to it) and I have been looking into buying a beautiful beach front condo for the last few weeks. As you can tell from the title, we’ve come to a decision and have decided not to buy a beach front condo.

Robert @ My Multiple Incomes writes How I Come Up With Topics To Write About – There are plenty of motivating factors and ways to come up with a topic, so here are some of my favorite strategies.

Robert @ Entrepreneurship Life writes Form W9 and 1099 For Indepedent Contractors – Whether you hired someone to work on your website or provide an outsourced service to a customer, it is important to track and report outsourced costs appropriately.

Roger Wohlner @ The Chicago Financial Planner writes The Ameriprise 401(k) Lawsuit – What Does it Mean to You? – A lawsuit brought by a group of current and former employees of financial services firm Ameriprise has been allowed to proceed. The main issue is that Ameriprise offered a number of its proprietary mutual funds as options in the plan; these funds were allegedly expensive compared to other non-proprietary options that could have been utilized. Further it is alleged that these funds paid revenue sharing and other fees to Ameriprise and several of its subsidiaries.

Jeff Rose @ Good Financial Cents writes How A Cushy Job Can Be Your Ticket To Financial Freedom – Are you bored with your job? Are you tired of what you do on a day to day basis? If your current job pays decently well and you are so good at your job that you have a decent amount of free time to relax, why not put that free time towards your own financial independence?

Marvin @ Brick By Brick Investing writes Selling Option – How To Sell Covered Calls – Details of a low risk and conservative option strategy that is used to produce additional income for your portfolio.

Michael @ Financial Ramblings writes Investing in a Down Market – How do you react to a down market? Do you rebalance? Sit tight? Run for the hills? Or do you double down?

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes You’re So Vain—You Probably Think This Post Is About You – Is it being vain to spend so much money on making yourself look or feel better? Where should the line be drawn? What if these little (or large) changes make somebody feel more confident, is that a bad thing?

Jen @ PF Carny writes Steps to Determine If You Are Ready to Open Your Own Business – If you are working for “the man” at a 9 to 5 job, you may dream of nothing more than venturing out on your own and being your own boss. This is the true American dream, and in this age of the Internet, it has become a reality for many people.

Mary Rhodes @ Fine Tune Finances writes 4 dumb reasons why people take a loan out – Loans if you’re responsible can be really beneficial to your finances, however there are times when getting a loan is probably not the smartest thing you can do.

Thomas @ Finance Inspired writes Business Loans Explained…. – With the global economic crisis causing high unemployment around the world, have you ever thought about starting your own business? If so, you may need some capital, this article can help.

John @ WILD about Finance writes Are Big Companies TOO Big to care? – Small shops and independents are going out of business at an alarming rate, so with a future of ‘big businesses’ looking like the future, we ask do they really care?

Savvy Scot @ The Savvy Scot writes Your Site Gets Hacked – HOW DO YOU FIX IT?! – SavvyScot shares his experience of having his blog compromised and outlines the steps to fix a malicious hack. It’s not easy, but here is a guide for reference!

William @ Quote Me A Price writes The Inner Workings of Structured Settlements – Structured settlements – payments set up over a period of time – have become a staple of modern life. From the lucky lottery winner, to victors of lawsuits and injury claims, structured settlements are all around us. What you need to know is exactly how these settlements and payouts work.

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes Life Insurance May Be Taxable – The life insurance industry and to a larger extent new agents therein are quick to proclaim that life insurance death benefits are always 100% tax free… this is just plain wrong. There are very real, and not completely uncommon, situations where a life insurance death benefit can be taxable.

TTMK @ Tie the Money Knot writes A Very Good Reason to Save Money – Saving money is something we do for a variety of reasons, many of them aspirational. That being said, there are a few reasons why it’s not only necessary, but truly critical to do so for retirement needs

Doctor Stock @ Invest in the Markets writes Best Tips for Financial Security – Financial security doesn’t come from a magical formula… but here’s some tips to get you on your way!

Barbara Friedberg @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes HOW TO FIND THE BEST LOAN-WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A LENDER – How to find lender. Cut borrowing costs.

Bryan @ Gajizmo writes House Poor – How Much Home Can I Afford? – Don’t be “house poor” – it’s a common mistake and one of the simplest things people do to avoid destroying their personal finances. A mortgage is probably an American family’s largest monthly expense, and it likely won’t be paid off anytime soon, so purchasing a home you can afford and still have money left over to invest is essential to your ability to build wealth and a retirement nest egg.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Can You Base a Business Idea on Your Hobby? – Everyone has at least one hobby they do when they’re feeling bored or want to take their mind off other things such as work. However, did you know that you could be able to turn almost any hobby or special skill you have into a job or perhaps a business? This infographic will show you.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes How To Avoid Your Own Personal Financial Cliff – How to be prepared for all kinds of eventualities even if the going is good for you at the moment and there is a big wad of cash in your bank account.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes Pros and Cons of Self Employment – Find out if self employment is right for you. There are positives and negatives to each.

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes Creativity Can Make You Debt-Free – Easy unique and out of the box ways to get rid of debt. We give easy workable tips on how to pay off debt creatively.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Roth vs. Traditional IRA: Have The Rules Changed? – While the Roth IRA rules haven’t changed, the permanent tax changes should make us think about what we think is common knowledge.

MMD @ IRA vs 401k Central writes Taking Full Advantage of Your 401k Employer Match and Getting Free Money! – Not participating enough to get the full 401k employer match is like leaving money on the table. And why would you want to pass up FREE money?

MMD @ My Money Design writes How to Invest a Million Dollars and Why You’ll Need to Know How Someday – If you think you know how to invest a million dollars by putting it in stocks and bonds, you could be doing yourself a big disservice. Here’s another way..

Edgar @ Degrees and Debt writes Who Doesn’t Like Freebies? – Collection of ways to get freebies!

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Alternative Ways to Save on Auto Insurance – Car insurance is a necessary expense for most Canadians, unless you’re living in the downtown core of a major Canadian city. But having a car and paying insurance on it doesn’t have to be expensive. By carefully choosing your coverage, shopping around, comparing your options, you can find relatively adequate coverage at a reasonable cost.

Joshua Thompson @ Becoming Your Own Bank writes How Credit Cards Paid Me to Go On Vacation – Learn how using credit cards the smart way can pay you back and not be a burden.

John @ Fearless Men writes 5 Shopping Strategies for Online Savings – Shopping online has been the craze the past few years. Every retail store better have an online presence if they want to keep up with their competitors. But what do we, the shoppers, need to know so we don’t get scammed into spending our heard earned money?

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Life’s Priorities – Take a New Look Regularly – I’ve been writing here for almost 3 years and have found a common thread in my money posts – I seem to change my financial priorities every few months, lol.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Investing Money: How Much is Enough? – Experts often advise to invest 10-20% of your income. Find out how much you should invest and how it affects your future.

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Become a Guinea Pig in the Name of Passive Income – Unlike lab rats, which are unscrupulously enlisted, human participation is coerced through financial incentive. Find out if it is worth it.

Jessica @ Budget for Health writes Parable of the Rich Fool – The Parable of the Rich Fool is a story many of us can relate to. It’s easy to let money rule and define our lives instead of being good stewards with it.

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes Insanely High Rates? How to Switch to a Better Credit Card – Don;t be tricked into paying insanely high credit card interest rates. There are ways around this mess. Let’s find out what they are!

Jennifer Lynn @ Broke-Ass Mommy writes How spendy was your weekend? – Compare how spendy your weekend was versus mine!

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Another View of the Simple Retirement Plan – Planning for retirement doesn’t take a rocket scientist. It just takes commitment and utilizing the tools that are available to everyone.

Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes How to Stay One Paycheck Ahead of the Game – Stop living paycheck to paycheck. Use this approach to break this habit.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes The All Weather Portfolio – How Ray Dalio’s Strategy Works – The all-weather portfolio is an investment philosophy developed by Ray Dalio and the name of fund offered by his hedge fund Bridgewater. Here’s how it works.

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes Is the Color of Your Signage Sending the Wrong Signal? – The post Is the Color of Your Signage Sending the Wrong Signal? appeared first on Earn More And Save.O

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes How Much Do You REALLY Pay in Taxes? – I worked on a special project last month. As we went through the month, tracking our spending, doing our budget, I added in a special category for taxes

Kyle @ My University Money writes More Money for Beer and Textbooks – If you are about to begin your post-secondary journey, are currently trying to navigate those bumpy waters, or know someone that is, More Money for Beer and Textbooks is the cure for massive student debt, credit card bills that grow larger by the month, and the stress that accompanies financial worries.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes Say No to Gym Memberships: How to Get a Great Workout for Free – Can’t afford gym memberships. Here are a few ideas to get a great workout for free, from building your own equipment to workout tips

Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes My Student Loans are like Godzilla-trying to ruin my life! – I have some student loans. Enough that up until a few years ago I would lose sleep over it because I couldn’t wrap my head around two things: how could I have been so oblivious and stupid!? The other was: how am I going to get out of this mess? My loans were like Godzilla

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Why I Want to Help Others Live Debt Free – People live with debt like it’s no big deal. I write so that others can know how and why to live debt free.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Are You Saving Enough For Retirement In Your 401k? Probably Not!! – There are a few rules of thumb that you can look at to find out how much money you need to save in your 401k for retirement, but we are simply not saving enough for retirement.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes The Truth About Tax Deductions – Now that tax season is upon us, many look for ways to reduce their taxes (hopefully most of you took advantage of some deductions before the end of the year).

Wealth Effect Blogger @ Your Wealth Effect writes 8 Investment Lessons from the Recent Grammy Awards – If you read too many personal finance blogs you start to see investment lessons in random places such as the recent Grammy Awards.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes 3 Step Easy Debt Reduction Diet – Find out simple ways to reduce your debt. Start with stop looking for an easy way out.

Jason @ Work Save Live writes The One Car Family – How We Make it Work – In this day and age, where 3 car garages seem to be the norm, how is it possible that a family of two adults, a toddler, and two dogs make it with just one car?

CF @ The Outlier Model writes Choosing NOT to participate in my employee stock plan – Sometimes, taking advantage of employee benefits isn’t to your best advantage…at the time. I chose not to enroll in my employee stock plan until it fits within my budget.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes 6 Mental Money Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them – A guide to the mistakes that we make with money, and some suggestions on how they can be avoided to maximize our level of money in the future.

MR @ Money Reasons writes My Roth IRA Has An Annual Growth Rate of 52.75 % Since Inception! – I was recently in my brokerage account and decided to check my balance, well while I was in my account I decided to check to see how my Roth IRA had performed since inception,and I was surprised when it was over 50%!

Rich @ Growing Money Smart writes Focusing on Learning The Stock Market – This is my declaration of my intent to Learning The Stock Market.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes My Cup of Tea and the Big Picture – I am a micromanager and a workaholic – but rather than increasing my efficiency at work, these attributes are keeping me from seeing the big picture.

John @ Married (with Debt) writes Married… and Almost Out of Debt – When my husband and I tied the knot, we were $55k in debt. By the end of our newlywed phase, it was nearly $200k. Here’s how we got out of debt… almost.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Make Your Own Diet-Meal Program to Save Money – Today I will talk on how to make your own diet-meal program to save money. Now that is February how are your resolutions going? I know many people still wanna lose weight and save money. But sometimes it’s impossible to do both at the same time.

Dave @ Excess Return writes Vertical Bull Spread For Income – Using Puts – A vertical bull spread is an income-generating options strategy suitable for when investors are bullish and expect underlying shares to rise substantially in the near term. A vertical bull spread typically involves a long-short paired trade, using either puts or calls, at out-of-the-money strike prices with the same expiry date.

Myscha @ Financial Highway writes 21 Cheap Business Ideas – Many people are tempted to try earning a living outside of traditional employment but are daunted by thoughts of franchise fees, employee salaries or overwhelming equipment costs prior to making any income from a venture. Here are twenty-one cheap business ideas for enthusiastic individuals with limited funds.

John S @ Frugal Rules writes 4 Reasons Why Having an Investment Plan Will Save Your Butt – Investing in the stock market can be difficult for many, especially if they have no plan in place. An investment plan can help guide your investing decisions so you’re working smarter and not harder, which will in turn help your long term investing approach.

Jules Wilson @ Faithful With a Few writes 10 Ideas For a Home Business – Home Business Ideas can oftentimes lead to scams. Here’s how you can use your own skills, knowledge, and experience to earn money from home!

Timothy Mobley @ Timothy Mobley’s Blog writes The Big Question When to Claim Social Security – When faced with the decision of when to claim social security, it is important to consider all factors carefully as choosing the right Social Security election may be the most important decision of your retirement.

Charles @ Wallet Hub writes Second Mortgages Guide – You may need to leverage the equity in your home and explore a second mortgage, a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC). It’s important to understand the basics of each type of loan, review your financial picture and determine which product is the right option for you.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Should I Rent The House Or Sell It? – One the tough questions that faces many newly married couples is what to do with the real estate properties they own when they get married.

Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes The Safe Withdrawal Rate: Can You Trust It? – The safe withdrawal rate is a reasonable convention for planning purposes. But it’s important to remember that it’s just a convention, and it is not perfect.

Jules Wilson @ Fat Guy,Skinny Wallet writes Lessons Learned from New Insurance Cards – Were your Health Insurance Cards Stolen? If so, read this post to find out exactly what you need to do and what you have to be careful of!

Maria @ The Money Principle writes Dealing with debt: frugality is not the answer – When coping with financial trouble many people resort to frugality; here I argue that increasing one’s income and not simply frugality is the answer.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Penny Stocks Could Cost You a Pretty Penny – Okay so the title is designed to catch your eye. But if you are thinking about investing in penny stocks it is worth realizing you could lose a lot of money in doing so.

Jon @ Novel Investor writes The Evolution Of Index Investing – What once was a simple comparison tool, the market index has evolved into the complex index investing strategy we have today.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Should You Pay off Your Mortgage Early? – The dream of many homeowners is to let out an exhalation of breath and cheer at the same time they send the last check into the mortgage company well before their 15 or 30 year loan ends.

Sean @ One Smart Dollar writes Can You Afford Early Retirement? – If early retirement is a goal of your then you need to sit down and come up with a solid plan to assure you have enough money saved up.

Kanwal @ Simply Investing writes Don’t Have Any Money To Start Investing? – I sometimes hear from folks that they would like to start investing but don’t have any money right now. It’s true that it takes money to make money, however you might be able to invest in dividend stocks without requiring any new money.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Giving: Does It Always Have to Be about the Money? – Giving doesn’t always have to be about the money. You can still provide financial relief to others even when you don’t hand over the cash.

Mrs. PoP @ Planting Our Pennies writes An Addition To Our Edible Equity – After meeting with our new financial planner, Mrs. PoP figures out that some of the PoP’s retirement equity is a bit more accessible (ie. edible!) than previously assumed.

Passive Income Earner @ The Passive Income Earner writes Facts and Benefits of The Foreign Exchange Market – The foreign exchange market, being a good example of globalizing trends, works as a form of exchange for Forex trading that refers to the decentralized trading of global currencies across the globe. In Fx trading, transactions require a trader to purchase a specific amount of a particular currency by paying in an amount of another specified currency.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes I Could have Used these Free Online Dating Sites in My Early Twenties – Whether you are in a small town, a large city, or somewhere in between, meeting people is hard to do.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes Rental Property Investing Tips – I love rental property! Where else can you leverage your investment for thirty (30) years at a low interest rate and have someone else pay for it? Real estate and rental property are not risk-free; however it is one way to accumulate wealth! It starts with savings and how you invest your money.

Lynn @ Wallet Blog writes A Recipe for Savings: How to Cut Costs By Baking Your Own Bread – While it would take less time to run to the store, for just one thing,inevitably it ends up in $30 spent from my pocketbook. But doing your own baking can save you on tha – Turns out, it’s pretty inexpensive to bake your own bread.

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes Barack Obama Is a Genius – We Should Raise The Minimum Wage – In the State of Union Address on Tuesday, President Barack Obama revealed a master plan that will guide our country over the next 4 years and – hopefully – leave a lasting legacy.

Lazy Man @ Lazy Man and Money writes No, Your MLM Health Product Does Not “Work” – I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I create Lazymandium, a mix of garlic, tumeric, cacao, and chili powder, and sell it via MLM at a price of 30 pills for $50, it doesn’t “work.” I’m simply using known psychology to exploit you and make your wallet a little lighter.

Jason @ Live Real Now writes How Much Is Too Much? – My name is Jason, and I’m a workaholic. The idea of shutting down my business hurts, but the idea of losing my wife and kids hurts more. I don’t know how painful winding some of this down will be, but rest assured, I’ll be sharing the progress here.

Shredding Debt @ Shredding Debt writes Paying Off Over $200,000 in Debt in the First Four Months – Last fall, there was absolutely no room in the budget. There was the constant risk of being cash flow negative from month to month. It was time to do something drastic, because bankruptcy is not an option for me. I feel morally obligated to pay everyone what I owe. I borrow money knowing the risks and that it has to be paid back.

Jason Hull @ Hull Financial Planning writes Longevity Insurance for the Long Haul – This article explains the difference between longevity insurance and a deferred annuity and why you might be interested in longevity insurance.

Everything Finance @ Everything Finance Blog writes How I Made Over $1,000 By Knowing My Rights – I want to share with you two stories of how being proactive and knowing your rights could help save–and even make– you free money.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Paying Down Debt with Windfalls and Good Fortune – So far, 2013 has been a year of good fortune for me so far (knock on wood, right?) I’ve had a couple of unexpected jobs pop up that have allowed me to pay down some of the credit card debt I racked up last year and I’m really close to a salary increase of monumental proportions (I’ll have more information on that in the next 3 weeks). I’m feeling a little, dare I say, lucky.

FMF @ Free Money Finance writes We Bought Property #2 – I’ve been busy on the shopping front and have purchased two 4-unit buildings.Since we closed on this property at the end of December, there are still a lot of things in flux. But here are some highlights to give you a flavor for the set-up. As promised, I will update you as time goes on and new developments occur.

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey @ My Personal Finance Journey writes How Do You Analyze Individual Stocks? – From the reader mailbag: One reader asked about how Jacob analyzes individual stocks and also what his thoughts were on the specific stock, MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (AMEX symbol: MGT). Find his in-depth analysis in this post and insights into whether or not this type of investment is appropriate for your retirement portfolio.

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes Watch Out for Senior Fraud and Scams – Seniors are often targets for financial fraud. Take a look at some of the more common types of senior fraud and scams that are being used.

Steve @ Grocery Alerts writes Save Money with these 9 Under-Practiced Food Hacks – Already appalled at the rising food costs that we saw in 2012? 2013 promises to bring higher receipt totals still. I can help you keep a significant portion of that in your pocket – where it belongs – with these 9 under-practiced food hacks.

Michael Kitces @ Nerd’s Eye View writes Gender-Based Pricing Coming Soon To Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance – Changes will be implemented soon to long-term care (LTC) insurance – the introduction of gender-based pricing in the coming months means rates will soon rise by 20% – 40% for women!