Let’s start this week with a recurring question -Does It Pay to Pay Off My Mortgage Early? Scott on Money addresses this question, offering discussion on what you should consider in making this decision.
The Time Management Ninja offered up a great list of 50 Things You’re Putting Off That You’ll Regret Later. Some of the list may seem obvious, but it’s a great list, and the theme for me was that these things just pile up, and by adopting a “just do it” approach you’ll have a heavy burden lifted off your shoulders.
This week Jeff Rose spoke to a group of college seniors at his alma mater, and was a bit taken aback when of the 50 or so in the room none raised his hand when asked if he knew what a Roth IRA was. To me, this raises new and troubling questions. Jeff’s response? Let’s Start a Movement (Roth IRA Style) And what a movement it will be. If I can quote Jeff – “On March 27, 2012, we’re going to have over 50 bloggers talk about why the Roth IRA is important, why they love it, and why every young investor needs to know more about it. ” 50? The movement is over 123 as I write this. The Roth can be a great tool to manage your lifetime tax bill, stay tuned and be part of the movement.
As the Roth conversation continues, Neal Frankle explains Roth IRA Recharacterization – What Your CPA Doesn’t Know. If Roth isn’t universally known, then the ability to convert from the traditional IRA to a Roth is even more obscure, and the concept of being able to reverse this through a recharacterization even less so. While we might forgive these CPAs, but we can also educate ourselves and potentially save a nice bit of money.
At Fabulously Broke, The Financial Blogger guest posted Early Retirement Extreme Idea or Reality? TFB has really worked out the numbers and is planning on retiring at 55. A nice goal. I wonder how many had a similar goal but the decade that just past changed their plans a bit. That would make an interesting research project.
I don’t usually include the major online papers in these roundups, but today, I’ll make an exception. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich wrote Saving the Street From Itself, a reaction to the news that Greg Smith left Goldman Sachs and wrote a letter to the Times explaining his departure. After 12 years of raking in the big bucks he was sickened by how GS treated its customers. Without going into further detail, these two pieces are good reading and the Reich article has a comment of mine in the “NYT picks” tab, just one of a dozen chosen of the near 100 comments.
I guest posted at Best Rates In this week about how I am Taking Advantage of a Cash-Back Deal. There are some deals that are bit fringe, but I still had the urge to write about it, and was due to guest post elsewhere. A bit crazy, but the bucks add up fast on this one.
And to wrap it up, at My Money Blog – The Ethics of Credit Card Rewards and Bonuses. There are those who are concerned that signing up for a store card to get 10% off that day, but soon after, canceling, are being unethical. I can’t tell someone else how to feel, but I draw the line elsewhere. Doing so will hurt your credit score, but not your relationship with The Big Guy(tm).
Today’s roundup is named for the fact that J2’s basketball team made it to the finals, winning today’s game with the score above, and final game later today. Great to watch the kid’s get this far.