House For Sale: $1

I personally had never heard of this before but there are historic homes that sell for $1 and it’s not an American pipedream either. Bankrate wrote up an article explaining the “‘demolition delay bylaw” (at least what it’s called in Norfolk, Mass.) where the existing homeowner wants to demolish a home that has historic value but the town wants to save it, somehow. Basically you buy the house and move it somewhere else! The sellers want it because then they don’t have to pay for the demolition.

(read full article…)

Year In Review 2005

When I started this blog on the last day in January this year, I never imagined blogging, which already had exploded with the likes of Xanga, would continue to grow as much as it has. I also didn’t think that personal finance blogs and the idea of revealing your finances to the world would be as popular as it has, as evidenced by NetWorthIQ’s popularity and the sheer number of blogs that have been started.

I’m thankful that all of you continue to read this blog for without you many of the exciting things of this part year would not have been possible. Who would’ve thought a company would want to send me some furniture to review? Or that a reporter from the New York Times would want to talk with me and even take my picture!

I look forward to what 2006 brings as there are some things in the works that are already rolling along that may prove to be the tipping point for personal finance blogs. (shhhh!)

Personal in Personal Finance

Part of the allure of reading a personal finance blog is reading about the personal experiences of other regular people struggling with the same issues you’re dealing with. This week, some of my favorite bloggers have been writing about their experiences:

consumerismcommentary, fivecentnickel, freemoneyfinance, allthingsfinancial

Best Value Home Renovations Revisited

Best Value RenovationsBack near the end of July of ‘05, I blogged about an article about the best home value renovations which revealed that the only even money proposition was the addition of a second bathroom. A recent report by the National Association of Realtors and Remodeling magazine revealed that some home renovations actually earned you a profit.

(read full article…)

Ten Real Estate Mistakes

Bankrate, one of the great free resources out there today, had one of its real estate related articles featured on the front page of Yahoo! Finance and it contains ten mistakes that you must know if you’re looking to buy a house. As you may or may not know, I went through the home buying process a little over half a year ago and struggled through the process learning as I went along. While I was lucky to avoid some of these mistakes, I didn’t avoid them all and this is a must-read for those of you looking for a home this spring.

(read full article…)

Best of 2005

Ahhh the clahhsic Best of 2005 post that you may or may not have been waiting for. Considering this blog was started on January 31st of this year, this really could be titled the Best Ever post and still be accurately titled. However, that is a bit presumptuous to say that what I consider the best is what you should consider the best but we’ll give it a shot anyway. Of the 433 posts written this year, here are the ones, categorized for your convenience, that I believe are worthy of re-reading:

Incredibly Detailed House Hunting Search

Financial Products:

  • Laddered CD/MMC Safe Invesment Plan
  • The Beauty of Mutual Funds
  • Vanguard Target Retirement Funds Explained
  • ETFs and Mutual Funds - Empowering Average Joe Trader
  • Emigrant Direct Account Opening Guide (and Review)
  • Introduction to I-Bonds and Treasury Direct
  • Taxes

  • Tax Relief 101 - Education Credits (Lifetime & Hope)
  • Tax Relief 101 - Deducting State Sales Tax (vs. State Income Tax)
  • Tax Relief 101 - Understanding Alternative Minimum Tax
  • Tax Relief 101 - Understanding Capital Gains and Losses
  • Tax Relief 101 - Retirement Savings Credit
  • Tax Breaks for Tree-Hugging Autos
  • Your Tax Return as a Subtle Financial Planner
  • Tax Advantaged Investing Strategies
  • Schnepper-Malagoli Charitable Tax Grab
  • Deducting Donations - IRS Tax Rules
  • Tax Credit for Energy Saving Home Improvements
  • Think About Your Tax Deductions
  • Retirement

  • 401k Front Loaded versus Incremental Contributions
  • IRAs Protected From Bankruptcy Creditors
  • 401(k) “Additional Company Match Contribution”
  • Retirement Planning: Rely Only On Yourself
  • New Retirement Option - Roth 401k Explained
  • Five Tips for your Retirement Account
  • Reviewing and Rebalancing Your Portfolio
  • Frugality:

  • Is a Hobby or Habit Hurting Your Savings?
  • Always Ask to have a Fee Refunded/Waived
  • How To Conserve Gas While Driving
  • Just Ask: 200 Cell Phone Minutes Free
  • Post Office Tips and Tricks
  • How To Buy Stamps Under Face Value
  • Understanding “Trimmables,” or, Purposeful Saving
  • Buying Auto Parts Yourself Saves On Repairs
  • Plan Meals And Save On Groceries
  • Jim Cramer-related:

  • Jim Cramer’s Mad Money
  • Jim Cramer’s 25 Rules of Investing (First Five Rules)
  • Jim Cramer’s Mad Money - Lightning Round Legit?
  • Jim Cramer’s 25 Rules of Investing (Rules 6 - 10)
  • Jim Cramer’s 25 Rules of Investing (Rules 11 - 15)
  • Jim Cramer’s 25 Rules of Investing (Rules 16 - 20)
  • Jim Cramer’s 25 Rules of Investing (Rules 21 - 25)
  • Free Jim Cramer’s Mad Money Recaps
  • Auto:

  • Purchasing a Used Car from a Dealership
  • Why Buy Your Tires at Costco
  • Guide to Buying a Car on Ebay
  • Car Insurance - Milestone at Age 25
  • Auto Insurance & The 25 Milestone
  • CarMax’s Friendly Buying Experience
  • SmartMoney Auto Insurance Tips
  • Nitrogen-Filled Tires & Better Gas Mileage?
  • Auto Insurance 25 Year Milestone Analysis Revised
  • Carnivals:

  • Carnival of Personal Finance #2
  • Carnival of Personal Finance #21
  • Carnival of Debt Reduction #7
  • Carnival of Debt Reduction #13
  • Festival of Frugality
  • Festival of Frugality #1
  • Personal Finance Blogger Spotlight Series:

  • Boston Gal’s Open Wallet
  • My Money Musings
  • Young and Broke
  • Sitting Pretty Financially
  • The Millionaire Blog
  • Health & Medical:

  • How Does A Flexible Spending Account Work?
  • Understanding COBRA Health Insurance
  • Finding Temporary Health/Medical Insurance
  • Ebay’s Health Insurance Plan
  • Others:

  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - It Saves Money
  • How Federal Funds Rate Affects You
  • Online Photo Developers Comparison
  • Is AAA Worth It?
  • Making Sense of Mail-Order DVD Services
  • PF Blogger’s Allowance Policies
  • Understanding Total Cost of Ownership
  • Costco’s Incredible Return Policy
  • Buying Counterfeit Merchandise
  • Don’t Save, Pay Off Debt!
  • Gift Card Consumer Protection Laws
  • My Past Jobs In College
  • Thanks for everything everyone!

    Direct Deposit Saves You Money

    A recent survey highlighted by CNN Money showed that only 59% of those aged 45-64 used direct deposits, compared to 72% of seniors (65+). The three reasons they listed, as to why they don’t use direct deposit, were they liked going to the bank to cash their check (21%), they don’t trust it (19%), and they preferred receiving a paper check (18%). There are a lot of reasons why everyone should be using direct deposit, especially now that all the kinks have been worked out.

    (read full article…)

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