Best of Money Carnival #146

Welcome to the Best of Money Carnival #146. This week we had 559 submissions! Yes, you read that right – 559! 

I almost had a coronary when I logged on. Eventually, I figured out that most of the submissions were old and were from the “blog carnival submission form.” I knew there were some kind of problems there; I guess a lot of submissions were collected and then sent out in one huge chunk. If you want to submit to the next carnival, here’s an alternative way to submit. Hopefully, I didn’t remove any legitimate submissions, but I had to eliminate some posts because I really couldn’t go through 559 emails.

Here are the 10 articles I enjoyed most this week. There are quite a few freedom and retirement related articles this time. I’m a bit biased because recently I have been thinking really hard about the next phase of my life. 2012 will probably be the year that I Go It Alone.

#1. Why We Seek Security Versus Freedom @ Watson Inc. Many of us cling to the job we dislike rather than taking a risk with uncertain future. There is nothing wrong with that, each of us needs to make his/her own path through life.

“ The challenge is not to demonize traditional employment but rather to have an honest discussion of the perils of focusing on job security instead of financial freedom. Here are three reasons why we seek job security instead of freedom.”

#2. Couples Strategy for building wealth and saving money @ Cult of Money. It is extremely important to work as a team when it comes to personal finance. Two heads are much better than one in this game.

“ Do you want to effectively double your income or more without any extra work? Do you want to effectively cut your expenses in half while still having all the material benefits you have now? Do you want to go to grad school without loans even if you don’t have a scholarship? All these benefits can be yours with a careful application of Couples Strategy.”

#3. Would You Buy an Engagement Ring at a Pawn Shop? @ Sustainable Personal Finance. I’m ok with it. J

“Do you risk getting your sweetheart pawn shop jewellery to save a few bucks?”

#4. When can you retire on dividends? @ Dividend Growth Investor. Dividend income is an important part of my early retirement strategy along with rental properties and part time work.

“The goal of every dividend investor is to one day accumulate a portfolio of income producing stocks, which would throw off a large amount of dividends every month. The goal of living off dividends is achievable, but it takes capital, time, skill or luck in order to get to the magic point. The magic point is where the dividend income exceeds the expenses of the dividend investor.”

#5. Top 10 Dream Retirement Locations on the Cheap @ Free Money Wisdom. It’s always fun to dream of great and cheap retirement locations around the world.

“Retiring in a tropical paradise doesn’t have to cost much. Check out these top ten retirement locations that will leave your wallet alone.”

#6. Embrace Free @ Master the Art of Saving. I love free stuff and will take free over paid any day.

“One of the best ways to save money is to take advantage of free stuff. It sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes our perception is a bit skewed when it comes to this notion. Why do we sometimes perceive something that’s free to be of lesser quality than what we pay money for?”

#7. A Tax on ALL Sinners @ Money Infant. I don’t have any problem with sin tax. These things cause social problems and if sales suffer from high tax, that’s not a bad thing.

“A sin tax a regressive tax that is levied on items considered to be vices such as alcohol, tobacco and gambling. These taxes can also be called a sumptuary tax.”

#8. Working Two Jobs At Once – Making Twice As Much @ Money Reasons. Working two jobs at the same time sounds very stressful to me, but it’s probably worth the pay if it does not drag on too long.

“My buddy worked two jobs last year at the same time and made twice as much money as he could have normally made by working only one job. Read his story!”

#9. Using Dividends For Passive Income In Retirement @ Dividend Ninja. I can’t get enough of dividend income and I think everyone should have some in their portfolio.

“written by Hank Coleman My father-in-law was a bank executive for over thirty years at a large regional bank in the United States, and he amassed quite a bit of his company’s stock through options over his career. Now, in addition to his pension, he also has quarterly dividends that support him in retirement. That is the beauty of dividends. They are truly a passive income stream.”

#10. Does Fear Control Your Life? @ Work Save Live. Closing out with another inspiration post on changing your career path.

“What’s Holding You Back? Why are you scared to take risk the risk of following a new career path, pursuing a dream job, starting a website or blog and sharing your story? Why are you scared to test your limits and challenge the things that you think you’re capable of?”

Have a great week!

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