Weekly Roundup: Chamber of Commerce & My First Bentley

So two weeks ago I joined the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and got a little taste of what the small business world was like - lots of networking. Last week I went to a new member breakfast at a nice breakfast place called Eggspectation, met some nice folks, and heard what the Chamber was all about. Honestly, since my “business” doesn’t really require much networking in the traditional sense (I’m not really looking for anything), I was just there to eat some food and meet some new folks doing their own thing. What was funny was trying to explain to them exactly what it is that I do and I tried to spin it like I did SEO work (I do, I just do it for myself and only myself) but I think most of that was lost on people. Regardless I thought it was interesting to see the “other world,” if only for a short time. As I left the place, there was a Bentley GTC parked outside… good omen? Perhaps.

(I just wanted to write “my first Bentley” for kicks but I didn’t get a Bentley nor was that the first I’d ever seen - though it’s the first I’ve seen in this area)

• Flexo apparently didn’t have much to do this week since he compiled a list of credit cards offering 0% on purchases.
• JLP shares with us a journal entry from waaaaaay back in time.
• FMF explains how your free checking might not be free.
• Since the dude does have four kids, it makes sense he’s looking at 529 plans.
• MBH shares with us some really good tricks on how to find good housing deals.
• Lazy Man talks about international investing and asset allocation.
• Should you lease or buy a car? If you still haven’t decided, here’s ten reasons why you should buy new.
• Ben wonders why people ignore easy money.
• SVB shares 7 surefire ways to address a stock market fall.
• At GenX Finance explains how a long commute could cost you your life.
• Looking for a state to retire in? My Retirement Blog has seven great retirement tax haven states.
• Overcoming Foreclosure lists some alternatives to foreclosure, but no guarantees on how pretty those alternatives are.
• Preparation is key and something part of that is understanding a process before you need it. At Home Insurance Guide, I recommend understanding your insurance company’s claims process before you actually go through with it. It could save you some headache and some money.

Photo by smenzel.