linklings, march madness edition

What?  March Madness? It’s only January!  No -  I’m talking about Free Money Finance’s March Madness round 1.  My article, Spend Less than You Earn – the Wrong Way to Think, is battling it out - jump over to FMF and vote in the comments (just say “Game 12:  Wrong” in the comments to vote for me).   The winner of the tournament gets a donation made in their name to the charity of their choice.  My charity is the Russian Children’s Welfare Society – help me help them.

Links from The Money Writers and others:

Where You Shop Could Hurt Your Credit Score and Credit Limits: If you shop at the same place as people with bad credit, your credit score might be hurt – unbelievably stupid logic by the credit card companies.

6 Free E-File Options: It’s that time again – the dreaded “T” word.

Teach Your Children About Money: Lessons Your Kids Should Learn: Kids can’t start learning about money too early – I’m already putting some effort into teaching my son about how money works by letting him pay when we go to the store, and seeing how the change comes back.

Vampire Power Sucking Money From Your Wallet: Buffy? No, a different kind of vampire power. I try to be vigilant about leaving things plugged in but somehow every morning I see a computer left on, or a DVD player, or a cell phone charger dangling from an outlet… not good, for the environment OR my electric bill.

No Hype – The Straight Goods on Investing Your Money: Book Review and Giveaway: I still believe now is a good time to invest, so it’s worth entering giveaways for books on investing if you’re just starting out (although this book might be a little advanced for beginners).

Economic Stimulus Package – What Does It Mean To You?: I was excited about parts of the package and appalled by others – which is par for the course, I suppose. I am nervous about how easy it’s become to toss about 12-digit spending bills these days.

How Worried Are You About Being Laid-Off?: Me? Not at all, since I already am, for all intents and purposes. But I know a lot of people are, and I’m pessimistic that I’ll be returning to my “real” line of work anytime soon.

New Jersey Bill to Require Personal Finance 101 for High School Seniors: I guess falls in the “better late than never” category, but it’s hard to believe this hasn’t been there for the last 30 years (or more).

Ino.com takes a look at Jim Cramer‘s “top 5 picks to get you through recessionary times.” It’s not pretty.

A Recession Is The Worst Time To Start A Location Independent Business. Right? Wrong.: I’ve written about a location independent life a few times, and if I were going to do it, now wouldn’t be a bad time – neither Bubelah nor I are working and the kids are still not school-age. It’s something we consider when we’re snowed in and shuddering with cabin fever late at night, at least!

What’s Your Resume Worth?: Good question. Mine is updated but I do worry about the format.

Tags: career, children, investing, life, linklings, money, saving