linklings, mid-week edition

I’ve decided to shift the link roundups to Wednesdays and stop posting on Saturdays. Traffic drops off significantly during the weekend and I tend to put off working on the blog Friday and Saturday nights.

I have been attempting to pull together about 15 different mini-projects, ranging from the personal (getting termite monitoring underway) to the professional (completing multiple SOX projects at work) to the “future professional (setting up an LLC). So far, not going well.  I have been tripping myself up constantly by trying to jump from one to the next, rather than completing one and moving on to the next.  One of the takeaways from Getting Things Done (a book I didn’t care for that much so I won’t even put an affiliate link here) that I did like was the idea of “context” to-do lists:  instead of categories like “home projects” and “business”, you should have categories like “things I can do on the phone” and “things I can do while sitting at the computer”, etc.  I liked that idea except for the “at the computer” category – it’s so easy with multiple tabs, etc. to jump to the next task “just for a second.”  I need a British nanny to whack my hand every time I’m trying to complete a form online, then suddenly remember I need to check for a nearby oil change shop.

So for more click-away-from-what-you’re-doing fun, some links:

Robert Kiyosaki is Off his Rocker (Again) – Is The 401(k) Really the Biggest Scam Ever?:  I don’t know if the 401(k) is the biggest scam ever; Madoff might have topped it, for example.  I do think that a 401(k) is only worth investing in up to the point of an employer’s matching program.  Past that, I think you are better off investing in an IRA, where you aren’t limited to an arbitrary set of funds.  If your employer doesn’t match, it is a bit of a scam, designed to funnel workers’ savings into a narrow range of funds selected by the fund administrator, who may not be totally impartial.  Gasp.

How to be a Millionaire… Not!:  Statistics can be manipulated, quite cynically.  I suspect that you have to rely on the author’s honesty more than you’d like to in many cases, particularly with a book meant to sell a certain worldview.

• Cash vs. Debit Cards
• How To Save Money on Gift Wrap
• Taxable Investing: Where To Get Started?
• How to Set Awesome New Years Resolutions
• Free Savings Account For Your Savings Goals: SmartyPig Review
• Financial Pet Peeves
• The Greatest Detriment to Building Wealth

I’d also like to mention Akemi’s new ebook over at Yes-To-Me: “Lightworker’s Guide to Self-Employment”. It’s a nice resource on becoming self-employed, and since she’s recently done it herself she’s filled the book with some very practical advice. It’s generously priced, as well…free.  Akemi’s more focused on the spiritual aspect of things than I would be, but I try to keep my mind open and she offers a lot of good advice in the practical sense, as well.