linklings, getting caught up a bit edition

Feb 27, 2008

linklings, getting caught up a bit edition

Hi! If you're new here, welcome - I'm Steve, the author of brip blap! Take a look at my about page and check out a few posts. If you like what you read (and I hope you do!), please sign up for my RSS feed or sign up to get posts by email by clicking here. Send me an email directly - I would love to hear from you. Thanks for visiting!

I suddenly realized I haven’t done a roundup in a while and my feed reader was overflowing with starred items. So in order to catch up, I selected some of the more recent items. I have been consumed by politics recently, making it very difficult for me to concentrate on personal finance. I’m definitely destroying my resolution to avoid TV news - although it’s for a very specific topic, the US presidential campaign. I am dangerously close to starting a blog on that subject - someone, please stop me before I blog again. I’m still trying to avoid the crime stories and Britney updates. So with no further ado, here are the links.

photo credit: (Bill and Mavis) B&M Photography

What do I do when my 401k is losing money?

As I sit and watch my 401(k) investments drop and drop in value - so much that only my contributions are keeping the total flat - I have to read articles like glblguy’s to stay calm. I am going to keep doggedly contributing to my 401(k) but I sure do get the willies sometimes.

The Worst They Can Say Is “No.”

Mrs. Micah has a very simple tip that’s well worth hearing - particularly because it’s should be so simple but very, very difficult for most of us to actually DO.

Three Things that I Learned From the “Worst” Personal Finance Book

Uh oh - Lazy Man is touching the third rail of personal finance. Yes, he’s discussing Robert Kiyosaki, who is either (a) an inspirational visionary or (b) a pathetic snake-oil salesman, depending on who you ask.

check out the money matters for all ages e-book | plonkee money

I have a link to plonkee’s announcement of the Money Matters for All Ages e-book simply because I saw her post first. It is a pleasantly formatted e-book made up of a number of posts in a writing project, and the price is right (free) so go get your copy!

Iowahippiechick: You Can’t Quit Poverty…

Iowahippiechick draws some inspiration from Two and a Half Men. Yes, you read that right. But there IS a way to quit poverty: get richer.

How Can A Person Be ‘Debt Free’ with a 300K Mortgage?

Over at Canadian Dream, we are informed that the sky is, indeed, blue, and yes, mortgage debt is still debt and therefore someone with a mortgage is not “debt free.” I know I should not let things like this bother me, but I agree 100% - I get annoyed when people cheer about being debt-free and yet still have a mortgage. Please just say “consumer debt free” or “non-mortgage debt free” but try not to pretend you are free and clear. You aren’t.

Leaving My Job And Pursuing My Dreams Too…This Week! @ The Roundup

Yay SVB! She’s chasing the dream, man! Stickin’ it TO the Man! She’s quitting her day job and becoming a problogger (and by the way, I am officially declaring that term “overused”). Wish her good luck.

Left of Zen » Top 100 Inspirational Quotes

I’ll admit it. I’m a quote sucker. Here are 100 great ones…

Reasons Why Your HELOC Can Be Your Emergency Fund

Mike at Four Pillars says you don’t need a cash emergency fund. I can’t argue too much with his reasoning, although for me there is a LOT - and I mean a LOT - of psychological comfort in having a large cash emergency fund, so I’m not sure I’m ready to follow his advice. Food for thought, though.

Odds and ends:

By the way, if you were looking for the job jumper tips, that series is over. I may write more on that subject in the future but for now those 5 articles were it.

I started using the Flock browser - it’s built on top of Firefox so it has all the features you’re used to there, plus it has some amazing social web features. I’m really enjoying it and I highly recommend trying it out (I’m not an affiliate or anything, I just like it a lot).

I have also established a Twitter account and a StumbleUpon account, so feel free to “friend me” or whatever the verbiage is!

photo credit: Carla216

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Viewing 9 Comments

Mrs. Micah 02/27/2008 07:18 AM 1 point
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Thanks, Steve. Perhaps No is what I should be saying, too, as in "No new blog. No."

But then again, the election featured in my dream---mostly people discussing who they were going to vote for, no candidates or anything.

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http://mrsmicah.com

Curmudgeon 02/27/2008 08:44 AM 1 point
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Steve, regarding your 401K, surely you remember the dark days of late 2001 through early 2003. I recall continuing my contributions at the maximum rate during that time, only to see the balance barely budge as the stock market maintained its relentless fall. By the end of 2004, however, the balance had almost tripled as my investments during those bad times began to pay off.

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Glblgluy 02/27/2008 08:53 AM 1 point
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Well, I know you want me to say "No" to the new blog, but I say go for it. If you're passionate about it, write about it. I started one recently on saltwater fish aquariums (forgive me for the shameless plug) which is one of my hobbies. Gather Little by Little still gets the most of my focus, but I really enjoy writing over on the saltwater blog too.

I'd say start it and see where it goes! Thanks for including my article!

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http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com

FourPillars 02/27/2008 09:37 AM 1 point
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Hi Steve - no new blog for you!

Thanks for the link - In your situation as a consultant I agree that a cash emergency fund is a good thing - bigger is probably better.

Interestingly enough the Canuck government announced last night (undoubtedly in response to my post) the creation of a new non-taxable account similar to your Roth 401k which removes a big part of my argument for not having a cash emergency fund since there will be no on-going tax drag with this new account.

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http://www.four-pillars.ca

dawn 02/27/2008 12:42 PM 1 point
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I had never watched that silly television program before - but I found that episode to be quite fun! Thanks for the mention - I appreciate it bunches!

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http://iowahippiechick.blogspot.com

FFB 02/27/2008 01:46 PM 1 point
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Nice roundup! Just visited a few of the links. Thanks for pointing them out!

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http://www.freefrombroke.com/

Lazy Man and Money 02/27/2008 07:16 PM 1 point
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Hmmm, Flock. I remember checking it out a year or two ago. I didn't spend more than 5 minutes with it. It might be time for another spin.

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http://www.lazymanandmoney.com

FourPillars 02/28/2008 08:47 AM 1 point
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Thanks for the link - I think my previous comment got lost in the filter...

Mike

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http://www.four-pillars.ca

Ruth 02/29/2008 05:54 AM 1 point
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My vote is to continue your rational avoidance of most news. Yes, the presidential race will affect your pocketbook (and everyone else's), but getting yourself all worked up probably won't change anything. Enjoy your life! Ignore politics! Don't start a blog that will probably elicit lots of angry comments which will, in turn, make you angry. Really, you should enjoy your life!

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