linklings, getting caught up a bit edition

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