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…)

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!)

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:

• Flexo of ConsumerismCommentary reveals his retirement investment holding allocations and asks that you throw stones.
• JLP of AllThingsFinancial discusses a nice offer he received from TaxCut and his experiences with the product.
• FMF of Free Money Finance lists Bankrate’s list of ten tips to a prosperous retirement and then gives you his own take on those ten tips.
• And finally, FiveCentNickel found out that letting a life insurance policy expire via an expiring credit card didn’t actually work.

consumerismcommentary, fivecentnickel, freemoneyfinance, allthingsfinancial

Back 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…)

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…)

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!

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…)