TotallyMoney Carnival #44: Thanksgiving Edition

This Turkey is DONE!

Welcome to the Totally Money Carnival #44: Thanksgiving 2011 Edition!

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season in the United States and I think all of us need it badly this year. The economy is still struggling, unemployment is holding steady at 9%, and the Occupy Movement is out protesting. It’s time to reflect and give thanks to all we have here in the United States.

Our standard of living is higher than many countries and we still have very good lives here. There are still many opportunities even with the sluggish economy and high unemployment. Most of us are safe and warm in our homes and even if we have less money this year, we are still getting by. Life is much more difficult in many parts of the world. Thanks goodness I live in the US!

We have a great Carnival today with variety of posts covering Investment, Career, Real Estate, Gift Giving, and more. Enjoy the posts while getting ready for the big Thanksgiving Holiday!

Don’t forget to submit your post to the Totally Money Carnival through Canadian Finance Blog.

Editor’s choices

• FMF presents Five Ways to Give Gifts People Want posted at Free Money Finance. Here’s how to give people gifts they want. Many of us “have everything we want” or “don’t want anything.” Here are some tips on gifts giving to these people this holiday season.

• MR at Money Reasons presents Roth IRA Unusual Benefits – Don’t ignore or pass on one of the greatest governmental investment instruments for the middle classes! This truly is a gift from the government! If you don’t have a Roth IRA account, you really need to open one ASAP.

•  Squirrelers presents College or Entrepreneurship? With college costs increasing, and barriers to online entrepreneurship perceived to be low, there has been more talk about whether or not college is really the automatic way to go. This post discusses the wisdom (or lack thereof) of such approaches. College might not be the right move for every kid these days, but it’s still the best bet in town. A kid with a degree from a college will most like do better than a kid with just a high school diploma. Of course, there are exceptiosn to the rule, but I would still rather my kid have a degree than not.

• YFS presents How to buy a foreclosure posted at YourFinancesSimplified. YFS specifies why most foreclosures are selling at a discount and provides steps to buying a foreclosure. It’s a great time to invest in a property. The interest rates are low and the price is very reasonable.

• Glen Craig presents The Three Best Financial Moves You Can Make for Your Child posted at Free From Broke. You have the power to start your children off on a road to financial freedom. See the three best financial moves you can make for your child. Great tips on how you can help your children. I think opening a Roth IRA for the kid is a great idea and I’ll do it as soon as he earns some money.

• SB presents Personal Finance, the basic principle posted at One Cent at a Time. We read articles on saving money, investing, and frugal living every day. These are important, no doubt, but it’s also important to remind oneself on the basic pillars of personal finance. What are they and what do they constitute? SB explains the 6 different aspects of personal finance. The basics are easy to understand, but difficult to do. See what they are at One Cent at a Time.

Investment

• Neo presents How to Use REIT Investments in Your Portfolio to Build Wealth posted at NetWorthProtect.com. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) are income producing assets and typically pay dividends on a monthly or quarterly basis. Learn why REITs should play an important role in your investment portfolio.

•  Kevin McKee presents Why You Should Buy Junk Silver posted at Thousandaire. I just bought $2500 of junk silver. Find out why you’re going to want precious metals in your house.

Economy

• Eric J. Niasll presents How Can Consumer Confidence Surveys Be Taken As Seriously As They Are? posted at DollarVersity. One of the biggest economic indicators is controlled by surveying random people. The question is, do these people even have an understanding of the economy?
• Paul Vachon presents Finance for Dummies – CPI posted at The Frugal Toad. The Consumer Price Index is a measure of the average change in the price of a basket of consumer goods and services. 1982-1984 is used as the base and equals 100. There are different versions of the CPI, for instance CPI-U includes food and energy.
• Odysseas presents What’s the Connection Between Unions and Your Wallet? posted at Wallet Blog. Unions are inextricably tied to the U.S. economy. They have served an important purpose, ensuring that there is a balance of power between management and labor. But what if things have gone too far? Could unions actually be costing Americans jobs by forcing companies to outsource? And, if so, what’s the solution?

Frugality

• Corey presents Does Cheap Perfume Exist? posted at 20′s Finances. Find out more about my cheap and natural alternative to perfume!
• Philip presents 30 Christmas Gifts Ideas Under $25 posted at PT Money Personal Finance. I’m a big fan of the consumable gifts that don’t add to the endless junk we Americans have, so I’ve included many in this list.
• Kyle Taylor presents 7 (More) Weird Things in Your Trash Worth Cash posted at The Penny Hoarder. In February 2011 we published our original list of “7 Wacky Things in Your Trash Worth Cash.” We thought it was high time we gave the list an update. Here are 7 things we missed the first time…
• Amanda presents Create Memories with 6 Inexpensive Experience Gifts posted at My Dollar Plan. Give a gift that will remain in the minds of loved ones longer than a shirt in their wardrobe. Give the gift of experience.
• Echo presents Air Miles Travel: Redeeming For Flights posted at Boomer & Echo. I’ve been looking into the Air Miles travel program to see if redeeming for flights was a better option. Since we have a goal to travel to Ireland in the next few years, we might be better off hoarding Air Miles to save for our dream vacation.
  Retirement
• Corey presents Shooting for the Stars posted at Passive Income to Retire. The beginning of my journey to blog full-time starts somewhere. I share my secrets of how I hope to be able to quit my day job and work 3 days a week.

Money Management

• Michael presents When a Confirmation Number is All You Have posted at Begging To Retire.
  Remarks: Avoid making a five digit mistake and make sure the next time someone gives you a confirmation number, you keep it.
• Money Beagle presents We’re Thinking About Buying A Camper posted at Money Beagle. Could be a big change to our assets and finances!
• Daniel presents What Do You Like About Money? What Do You Hate About It? posted at Sweating the Big Stuff. I’ve been asking bloggers and friends for their thoughts on money. I just asked two simple questions. Find out what the responses were.

Career

• Miranda @ Financial Highway presents 4 Creative Business Ideas posted at Financial Highway. Do you want to start your own business and make a little extra money? It can seem daunting at first, since there are so many others out there trying to get something started. Here are 4 creative business ideas that can help you get started.
• Darwin presents 6 Shocking Reasons Companies Announce HUGE Layoffs Years in Advance posted at Darwin’s Money. Have you ever wondered by companies make HUGE layoff announcements years in advance? Here are the 6 shocking reasons why.

Others

• Aloysa presents Why Doesn’t the Occupy Movement Go Home? posted at My Broken Coin. The movement is becoming violent, unsanitary and down plain criminal. Find out all the reasons why I don’t like the Occupy movement.
• Hank presents The Top Ten Personal Finance Books posted at Money Q & A. Whether you are looking for a great present for a loved one this holiday season or just want to learn more about taking control of your finances, any of these ten personal finance books listed below are a great choice.
• Roshawn Watson presents Your Do over Guide: What Would You Do Differently? posted at Watson Inc. While I have nothing against contentment, if given the opportunity, I would change several things not because I hate my life but to get the most out of it. If you could press rewind on your life, what would you do differently?
• Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey presents $201.40 Giveaway – Community and Charity 10% Monthly Blog Income Give Back #2 – November 2011 posted at My Personal Finance Journey. This post describes the latest Blog Income Giveaway at My Personal Finance Journey. The winner will choose one charity to which Jacob will donate 10% of his blog income (deadline November 30th).
• Andrew presents Having the Right Tools posted at 101 Centavos. Having the right tools is important when it comes to any major project. Whether that’s working on budgeting or cutting through bolts.

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