photo credit: [ Tâm N ]
For most people, their 2009 tax return is due this Thursday, April 15. Unless they file for an extension, or unless they live in one of the states hit by heavy rain and declared disaster areas by the President. That said, the writing doesn’t stop, not for floods, nor taxes. This week is no different.
First up, Paul at Fiscal Geek feels that Real Men Pay With Cash. Really? I know he meant this a bit tongue in cheek, but there’s a growing movement aka the “debt is evil” crowd who have taken this to an extreme. For me, the key is not charging more than you’ll be able to pay in full at month’s end. No interest charges.
In a different spin on credit cards, Jeremy guest posts at Canadian Fiance Blog with 5 Ways to Make Your Credit Card Work For You.
Staying on the theme of debt, Brad, the Enemy of Debt offers some great advice on teaching your children about money, Children and Money: A Basic Plan To Teach Financial Responsibility. Brad really though this out, savings, spending, charity, motivation, he’s thought about it and using his method to educate his own children.
Green Panda Treehouse shares 4 Financial Lessons I Learned From My Family And Friends. It’s one thing to learn in school or from books, but there’s another aspect to lesson learned from those close to us. Whether we learn from others’ mistakes, what to avoid or their successes to emulate, the key is to learn where and when we can.
Len Penzo warns us to Beware The Four Horsemen of Personal Finance. When I started to read Len’s post, I had to stop to take a peak at the meaning of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Len’s take on the four potential budget killers makes an interesting read. Nothing magic, just things many of us spend our money on, but should really avoid.
Craig at Money Help For Christians answers an ongoing question from his readers, Kid’s Roth IRA | Can Teens and Kids Open A Roth? Turns out they can, so long as they have legitimate earned income. This can come from many sources, but not for normal kid chores. I read this article and am going to plan to open a Roth for my Daughter. She’s 11 and has already booked a number of weeks Mothers’ Helping. She likes taking care of younger kids, and it’s a great way to put some money away for her now. Note: so long as she has that earned income, it’s ok if I gift her some extra money to put into the Roth, it’s not like I’m going to expect her to save the money she earned for the next 50 years.
Wealth Pilgrim’s Neal Frankle tells us How To Generate Income During Retirement. Not a laundry list of ideas, just four solid thoughts on keeping the money coming in.
Mike, The Oblivious Investor suggests Asset Allocation for Retirement Portfolios. Never too soon to start thinking about this. We spend a lifetime earning money and saving it, but once we are retired, we still need a plan, and the day after we retire, it’s a bit late. Mike gives us some good advice on post retirement allocating.
Another great week of reading. 4 days to go……
Joe
Thanks for the mention Joe!