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From the monthly archives:

November 2009

Free Financial IQ Quizes

November 30, 2009

financial iqFree Finance Quizes:

Its always a good idea to take the time to test your knowledge to find out where you are with financial education and what you still need to learn.

I plan to continue adding to this list.

What other quizes have you tried and found useful?

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How to Find Sustainable Happiness

November 30, 2009

So many of these above things are harder to come by in my financially frugal lifestyle: shopping, travel, TIME for anything fun. So, I need to find ways to find happiness without them. This is a core-shifting change for me.

As an excerpt from a posting on the PositivityBlog states, it is possible to attain positive emotions, which in turn can help with finding happiness through the things that bring you joy.

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Is It Possible to Make Money On Your Website or Blog?

November 28, 2009

Beyond my current income source and knowledge (web User Interface Design, Content Management, SEO and Online Ads), I admit that I do not have all the knowledge and expertise to make money online. In the end, I’m tempted to believe that its nearly impossible to make any sort of significant income from ads on your blog or website. Or if you do, it can be at the expense of solid design and usability, which I’m personally not okay with.

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Despite the Economic Future, I’m Still Thankful

November 26, 2009

Its everywhere you turn, on every newspaper, on countless blogs, in every book store. The drastic changes that have happened to our financial system and our economy can be pointed at many reasons including excessive debt by consumers and government, greed, separation of the wealthy and poor, and the dollar not being tied to gold back in the ’70s. Whatever the reasons, its more imperative now than ever for every person in the US to take control of their own future, to get more educated and make sure they are making active decisions, intentional decisions, not just following along the patterns of the societal norm.

It won’t necessarily be doomsday if you do not wake up as I have. However, your financial education is a key factor in ensuring the strength of your family and your future, certainly your 401k and your government aren’t anything to rely on.

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Review of Free Credit Score Analysis Tool: Credit.com

November 24, 2009

Though Credit.com doesn’t offer as much detail or tools as CreditKarma.com, it did give me a higher overall score, which I found interesting. It ranked me as A to A- for all categories, where as on CreditKarma.com I had D in a few different categories such as length of open debt.

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Review of Free Credit Score Analysis Tool: Credit Karma

November 23, 2009

What I found most interesting was the section called “Report Card”. It ranks certain criteria that is used to determine your credit score from A through F. It was very helpful for me, because I realized something critical in the way I have been managing credit cards and how I will manage them moving forward.

I have to admit, I was one of the typical college students that fell prey to the open 3 or 4 credit cards during the freshman orientation. I didn’t spend a lot on these cards, but when I wised up, I took the advice of someone that I should close any cards that I’m not using as that negatively affects my credit. So, I’ve been doing that over the years. When I don’t want a card any more, I close it. WRONG!

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Review of SmartyPig Online Savings Account and Budget Tracker

November 22, 2009

Launched in the US in March of 2008, SmartyPig is a very unique tool that combines budgeting for savings tools with online interest-bearing savings accounts. Not only can you start saving, but you can also open up your savings accounts on social tools such as Facebook and others for your family and friends to contribute to as well as watch what percentage you are towards your goal. It is a partnership with DataVision, Inc. and West Bank in Iowa and the founders are Mike Ferrari and Jon Gaskell.

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Review of FiLife: Your Financial Lifeline

November 21, 2009

FiLife, a partnership with the Wall Street Journal, provides an amazing tool for community interaction. From questions posted to the community via Twitter, reviews, comments, a blog and the option to become a writer in your area of expertise, it offers an wonderful and engaging opportunity for people to connect and share information around finance and money matters.

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Simple Approach to Change: Assess, Aquire and Apply

November 20, 2009

I’ve been starting to document where I’m at in this process with different topics, and it has helped me to gain focus on what I want to do next. Right now, a lot of my “Apply” phase is going to be geared around small, simple, but progressive HABIT changes. Making sure that I am monitoring my budgeting, setting up my financial accounts and contributing, even a very small amount to them.

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Review of Free Online Money Management Tool: moneyStrands

November 19, 2009

Last in my series of online budgeting evaluations, moneyStrands, provided by Strands Labs, Inc. (developed social recommendation and personalization technologies), combines a modern approach to personal finance with widget style designs, and a personalize virtual spokesperson, Monica. Its a secure and free online tool, and auto-imports your accounts.

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