A Cinco de Mayo 2013 Roundup

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day which is on September 16. It was first celebrated as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War,and today the date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. Just saying.

Earlier this week I wrote about the Frontline Report, The Retirement Gamble. My friend and fellow blogger Roger Wohlner, The Chicago Financial Planner, also wrote about this program at My Thoughts on PBS Frontline The Retirement Gamble. My opinion and Roger’s a re close but not identical. Check out his article for his take on this program. The Investor Junkie also offered his view at Are Retirement Accounts Flawed? If nothing else, a PBS show like this will get people’s attention. I hope it’s for the better. An unintended consequence would be for people who are too lazy to even check their fund expenses decide that they won’t bother depositing. Or that those with a good company match will lose that match in a misguided effort to avoid high fees.

Sometimes Len Penzo offers a quirky article not quite related to finance. This week is was 100 Words On: Why It’s Not Poor Etiquette to Put Ketchup on a Hot Dog. As I commented to Len,”Fortunately, we live in the US, the land of choice. You are free to do some pretty awful things, and ketchup on the hot dog is one of them. In the not-so-free countries, you’d be handcuffed and taken away for this offense.” To me it’s not a matter of etiquette, it’s a matter of not being gross.

At Budgets are Sexy, J Money tell us the Things I’d Tell My 20 Year Old Self… If only we could go back in time and change one or two things. A few good stock picks, perhaps? This article left me thinking, I’ll have to get back to you.

In contrast to Paula’s If Everyone Jumped Off a Cliff article a few weeks back, Kyle at Amateur Asset Allocator asked If Everybody Indexed, Would It Stop Working? An interesting thought and Kyle offered a great discussion and analysis of the effect that indexers have on the market. More than that, he slipped in the phrase raison d’être, which raises the quality of most articles, save for those advocating ketchup.

I never tire of the great mortgage debate, and guest posting at PT Money was Emily Guy Birken with Pros and Cons of the 15 vs 30 Year Mortgage. There’s no right or wrong answer, in my opinion. I’m in favor of the 30 year, but if there were just one right choice Emily made a strong case for the 15. That’s one of the great things about the PF Blogging community, we’re opinionated but open to new ideas. Check out Emily’s article and the comments it’s been getting.

At My Financial Independence Journey, a look at What’s your financial independence (retirement) number? It’s a great question, with no two people having the same answer. (Not quite true, I’m sure there’s overlap) I am sure that each person’s situation is unique and they come to their conclusion their own way.  In this case the comments are as revealing as the article itself. Have you thought about your number, the amount that you need to save to afford to retire?