This week, the roundup is a day late, but not a bit short of excellent writing as I am offering the best reading from my fellow Money Mavens this week. One more week until our tax return is due, heading to the 2010 finish line.
At Wealth Pilgrim, Neal Frankle posted Need To Borrow Money? 5 Tips to Keep You Safe. Some excellent advice from my friend Neal, but the line I’ll remember most? “Relax.” I’d say that more mistakes are made in haste than after stopping and thinking on the subject for a time. Rush into any deal you don’t understand and you are far more likely to regret it. “Act in Haste, Repent at Leisure” as the saying goes.
Craig Ford asked What Role Does Education Play in the Eradication of Poverty? Before you dismiss the question as self-evident, consider that Craig is a missionary in Papa New Guinea, where the per capita GDP was just $1358 as of 2010. I’d say this gives Craig a unique vantage point, and an interesting article.
At Monevator, we discover why The UK consumer is on the brink. Pretty resilient till now, the signs are starting to appear. The recent VAT increase certainly didn’t help the cause.
Len Penzo thinks there’s 12 Good Reasons Why You Should (and Should Not) Pay Off Your Mortgage Early. The deck is a bit stacked, 8 reasons to not pay early, but truth is, I agree with Len’s reasoning. If you are not getting your company’s match on your 401(k), you are turning down a far higher return than paying your mortgage will save you. Check out Len’s post for the other reasons to not pay along with 4 good reasons to pay early. Me? I’m paying at just the rate needed to end the mortgage the month our daughter goes off to college. In the end, we will have had a loan against the house for 21 years.
Tom at Canadian Finance Blog hosted Jim Yih’s 10 Things To Know About Tax Planning.Jim lists 10 tax related articles from his Retire Happy blog. Great for when you just can’t get enough tax reading.
And to wrap up this week, at the Military Wallet, Ryan shared his thoughts on How to Know When the Time is Right to Get a Master’s Degree. Ryan offers some great guidance on this topic. I waited 3 years after I graduated and went for my masters part time, 2 classes per semester for 3 years. I was still single, and have to say, I don’t have any regrets, for me that timing was perfect.
Have a great week.
Joe