It was a week just like any week. I got up, ate breakfast, showered, went to work, came home, ate dinner, slept. I played with the kids, watched a couple of movies, got a cold and took out the trash. I read a lot of blogs, but didn’t “star” many articles for my link roundup.

But it was also an exceptional week, with a lot of history being made. I have a few areas of science and history I’m really “into.” Astronomy and 20th century Russian history are two of my favorites but almost nothing surpasses my historical interest in presidential history and politics. I am continually fascinated by the campaigns, the (so far) men who held the posts and the times that shaped them (and that they helped shape).

Now my attention (and the rest of the country) will again swing back to the economy and the wars, but also to “minding our own shops.” My focus on writing seems to have returned the second the election was over (and I’m not the only one) and I’m excited to see what new challenges and opportunities will await us in the “Obama years.”

On to the links from The Money Writers and others.

• Another ETF Research Tool:If you’re into ETFs this is an interesting little tool for research.
• 2009 Roth 401k and Roth IRA Limits: I’m not eligible for a 401k but I might start contributing to my Roth IRA again next year; I haven’t decided. Between my (regular) 401k and my (regular) IRAs, as well as Bubelah’s Roth and regular IRAs I think we may have enough money in the market – it may be time to start investing in some other area.
• Would You Leave Your Job During The Crisis?: “Can this crisis actually be a turning point for some of us?” asks SVB. I sure hope so.
• Blaming Parents for Financial Problems: Having parents who gave you bad habits is far more dangerous than having parents who were simply poor. That having been said, all of the information you’d ever need to learn about personal finance and wealthbuilding is available to everyone on the internet for free, so don’t use the past as an excuse.
• Teaching Kids about Money – Oprah Again: And if your parents can’t teach you, you know who can: Oprah!
• Eight Financial Questions for Success in a Bad Economy: Like I said, success is possible in a bad economy and failure is possible in a good economy. Don’t assume that your success (or failure) is solely dependent on external events.
• Our Early Retirement Plan: Motivation, Numbers & Tools, and Conclusion (Part 5): A whole series on the ifs, hows, whats and whens of early retirement (see the links to earlier parts of the series at the top of this post)
• Generation X Finance on the Radio, Two Year Anniversary, and More: Congrats!
• Coaching The Freedom Of Self-Employment: Tom Volkar: This is a great interview of Tom by Akemi, and certainly gave me some food for thought.
• Why We’re Broke and How To Fix It: Through Hunter’s blog I wandered over to IttyBiz, a site I used to read, then stopped, and now I’ll follow it for a while again.
• The Myth of Self Discipline: I couldn’t agree more. When I don’t have self-discipline, it’s not because my self-discipline bone is broken, it’s because I haven’t turned it on. It’s always there; it’s just a question of whether you WANT to use it or not.

photo credit: mricon