Yakezie Carnival: Happy Cinco de Mayo

Well here are the best from around the web for this very warm cinco de mayo.

Hope you enjoyed the weekend, enjoy the reading.

Christopher @ This That and the MBA writes Building My Credit History: An Update – I started out with no credit history..and decided to go with a secured credit card to help build my credit. Come see how I have made out so far and read my original post!

SB @ One Cent at a Time writes How Much Debt Is Too Much Debt – Most people have some kind of debt. It might be a mortgage, an auto loan, a student loan, or even a credit card balance. Having debt isn’t a bad thing as long as you are taking steps to pay it off. It’s having too much debt that can cause an unhealthy financial life.

AxeMan @ Axe Debt writes Ways to Cut Expenses – Cutting your expenses can be a great way to get out of debt fast. It is amazing to see how much goes out every month to pay for our lifestyle. Even if you don’t live extravagantly it can be easy to overspend and not even realize that you are doing it.

Deacon @ Well Kept Wallet writes Save Money With A Refillable K Cup for Your Keurig – I drink coffee almost every day and it can be an expensive habit. If you own a Keurig, which is a single cup coffee maker, then you know how pricey it can be for just one cup of coffee. I was at a Starbucks yesterday and a 12 pack of Pikes Place K-cups was $11.95 which comes out to about $1 per cup of coffee.

Michelle @ Making Sense of Cents writes Should I Pay Off My House Early? – Pros and Cons – Should we pay off our house early? What about the next house? Don’t worry guys, we haven’t bought our next house just yet. We’re keeping our current one for at least another 12 months. However, we have been thinking about whether we should pay off our current house quickly (we have been debating whether we want to rent it out or not – if we decide to sell then we of course wouldn’t pay off the current house quickly) and even whether or not we should pay off our next house quickly as we

Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance writes So Excited about Referrals! – Why am I more excited about account credits than real income?

Lance @ Money Life and More writes Buying a Home: Is a Small Down Payment Actually a Big Deal? – When you don’t have a large down payment of at least 20% and you’re trying to buy a house, FHA loans are one option that has been popular in the last few years due to the low minimum down payment of 3.5%. Unfortunately, these mortgages have a ton of fees and they’ve recently drastically increased.

Andrew @ 101 Centavos writes Seven Storefront Retail Ideas to Plow Your Inheritance Into – What to do and what not to do with a windfall inheritance. Don’t open a foofy gift shop, for one.

Arnel Ariate @ Money Soldiers writes 5 Steps to Get on Top of Your Monthly Bills – Here are 5 steps to help you get on top of your monthly bills. Getting on top of your bills is an absolute priority, and with these simple steps you can enjoy greater financial freedom faster.

Lauren @ L Bee and the Money Tree writes Is it FOMO? Or just me being afraid people will like me less? – Oh, you know FOMO? Fear of Missing Out? I thought it was ruling my life and my wallet lately, because even though I have been whining about my full financial plate this month, I still kept saying yes to each and every invitation thrown my way.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes Why Stock Market Investing Isn’t Gambling? – If you are looking to be entertained, gambling online will probably be better than stock investing. You can click here to experience an online casino site, and get the chance to win, or lose, big money.

LaTisha @ Young Finances writes Car Leasing for Businesses – Business owners have started to consider car leasing as a new financial vehicle. This is because auto leasing is going to save them thousands of dollars.

Brent @ PersonalFinance-Tips writes How to Know Your Tax Benefits: – A tax benefit refers to a number of economic bonuses. It consists of “tax-reduction”, “tax deferring” and “tax free” investments. This benefit offer “retirement schemes” and also provides “incentive savings”.

Tushar @ Earn More and Save writes Save Money: Combat To Disaster with Help of Online Backup Apps: – Many of the people are using their computer for running their small to medium size business. Large business has a lot of computer for the proper functioning of their work.

Michelle @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Are you growing your best life? – For the purpose of this post I want to take this a step further and ask are you doing the things that you need to do to grow your best life? I would argue that most people aren’t putting enough time into creating the life that they would like to live because it may feel overwhelming.

R.J. Weiss @ The Insurance Protection Blog writes What parts make up a homeowners insurance policy? – Understanding what’s covered and what’s not when it comes to home insurance.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Barbell Strategy – What it is and How it Works – A barbell strategy are simply another way to try and deal with interest rate and reinvestment rate risk. Here’s how barbell strategies work in bonds.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Have You Heard of Kickstarter Yet? Hubby is a Fan! – Have you heard of the site, Kickstarter? It is used to get creative projects funded. Projects like board games.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Don’t Panic: Controlling Your Fear During Financial Emergencies – Financial issues weighing you down? It happens. Here are tips on how to keep your calm and control your fear in these financial emergencies.

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes How College Students Can Save Money – While paying off student loans and college tuition continue to be financial burdens on most college students, saving money seems to be almost impossible in today’s world of temptations.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes 5 Ways to Make Money before you Start University – Going off to university is expensive; if you make money and set up a ‘university nest egg’ before you start you will find it much less financially stressful.

Jester @ The Ultimate Juggle writes Spring Cleaning: How to get rid of clutter – It is quite amazing how quickly clutter can grow around the home. Those old, unwanted things just seem to multiply, taking up the already limited living space you have. That’s the problem when clutter builds up. When it comes to getting out that feather duster, the simple task of cleaning becomes torturous.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes 10 Mistakes to Avoid Right Out of College – Just graduated from college? Congratulations! Now the real battle starts. Read here for tips on avoiding these common money mistakes post-graduation.

Steven @ MyDividendStocks writes Passive Income the American Dream – People always chase after the American Dream. They dream of sleeping in every day, pursuing their favorite hobbies and work when they want. They dream of going to the mailbox every day and receiving a check for not working at a job in years.

Jacob @ AllPersonalFinance writes Understanding Exchange Rates – More people are becoming interested in foreign exchange trading. However even though many people are considering foreign exchange trading they do not have the education necessary for successful trades. Forex trading is an entirely different type of trading than traditional stock market trading.

MR @ Money Reasons writes How Much Money Is a Lot of Money? – Money has changed meaning to me as I grow older. Read some of my funny history around how I viewed money, and what a lot of money is to me today.

Mel @ Mel’s Money writes Ten Year Retirement Plan – Steps You Should Take – A ten step guide to make sure that when you’re getting over the hill, you’ll be taking plenty of cash with you!

Ryan @ Cash Money Life writes Are Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) Going Away? – With the coming changes to healthcare laws, will your Health Savings Account vanish? Will your premiums rise? Here’s what you need to know.

Mike @ Personal Finance Journey writes How to Pay Off Multiple Payday Loans – Easy ideas and solutions on paying off multiple pay day loans when you find yourself in a bind.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes First Quarter Business and Personal Finance Goals Update – it’s been 3 months since I set my 2013 goals. Here’s how I’m doing so far.

Mr. Frenzy @ Frenzied Finances writes Getting Creative: How to Reuse Items to Save Money – There are many items you can reuse for similar or even different purposes around the house. It’s a great money saver. Here are tips on how to reuse items.

Abbie @ Finance Junkie writes Fool- Proof Plan To REbuilding Your Credit Rating – If you want to sort out your credit rating for the better, use this guide, it is a simple explanation that anybody can understand!

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes Is Your Retirement Plan Full Of Swiss Cheese – Last year, I did a piece on retirement planning assumptions.

Hank @ Money Q&A writes This Week’s Podcast with Adam Shepard the author of “One Year Lived” – Adam Shepard shows us in his new book, “One Year Lived” that you do not have to give up on your bucket list and your dreams. I talked to him on our podcast, Your Money Your Choices, this week about bucket lists.

John @ All Things Finance writes Teaching Your Teenager About Credit Cards – Teaching your child financial responsibility is one of the most important tools you brace them with. Unfortunately we can’t rely on them learning any financial skills in school so it’s our responsibilities as parents to prepare our kids the best we can.

Kevin @ 20smoney.com writes Cheapest College Towns to Live In – College towns can be the greatest places to live in since the rents can be inexpensive. To describe them in a few words would be lifestyle and value.

John @ Fearless Men writes Minimum Balance Nightmare: Why It Pays to Overpay [Infographic] – Credit card debt is racking up in many households, and people want to be set free from it. It can kill a man’s present–and future. Don’t get sucked into the cycle of only paying the minimum balance-that’s a nightmare. It pays to overpay, and the below infographic will tell you why.

Matt Becker @ Mom and Dad Money writes Insurance is Awesome – Insurance might not be sexy, but it’s pretty damn useful.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes Preparing for Next Year’s Taxes – For most of us, income taxes are a major annoyance, but the overall stress or frustration is usually unnecessary.

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Ebay Surprise: Making Extra Money with Other People’s Stuff – I love spending money. I would eagerly waste my hard-earned money on clothes, bag, shoes, makeup and more. After years of this unfortunate habit, I reached a point where I couldn’t deal with the guilt. I could’ve saved enough for a house by now — or at least a nice condo.

krantcents @ KrantCents writes 10 Things You Don’t Know – 10Things You Don’t KnowThings You Don’t Know, Math, Soft Skills, Food, Personal Finance, Love, Women, Men, Mind, Animals, Future, Self -Assessment

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes Understanding Risk Tolerance – In order to be a successful investor and meet your long-term goals, you need to understand your risk tolerance so that you stay invested in the market.

Marvin @ Brick By Brick Investing writes Investing Is War – A detailed correlation between Sun Tzu’s timeless writing “The Art of War” and stock investing.

SBB @ Simple Budget Blog writes Pink Slips: Budgeting While Unemployed – Stuck in a rut? Unemployment can be tricky, but we can help. Read here for helpful tips on how to budget your way through a period of unemployment.

Sam @ Simplefinancialfreedom writes Reverse Mortgage FAQ – The HECM or home equity corporation mortgage is actually an FHA reverse mortgage. It is used to withdraw on the equity of your home.

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes Is Now The Right Time to Buy A Home? – Today i will be talking about Is Now The Right Time to Buy A Home? According to the media now is the perfect time to buy a house. Housing prices may be free from the laws of gravity but they are not free from the laws of economics.

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes How to Reap High Happiness ROI – Many of us have learned over the years that physical things do not make us happy.

BARBARA FRIEDBERG @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes 3 EASY JOBS TO GET WHILE IN COLLEGE – Make money in college. 3 high paying jobs for college students.

CAPI @ Creating a Passive Income writes Changing Mindsets: Switching from Short-Term to Long-Term Thinking for Finances – Regulating your finances isn’t a short-term game. It’s important to be sure you have money down the road. Here’s tips on switching to long-term thinking.

Jon Haver @ Pay My Student Loans writes Help Students Save Money In College – Going to college can be expensive, as any college student (and their parents) can tell you. In addition to the cost of tuition and books, there are also the additional expenses of living away from home. Since most college students are on a strict budget, any tool that can be used to help students save money in college is useful. ReadyForZero has created an online tool for managing finances that will help students and/or their parents keep track of expenses and save money at the same time.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes Freelancers: Making Sure You Don’t Owe Uncle Sam In 2013 – If you do freelance work – or any type of second job – it can be tough to pay the right amount of income taxes. A worksheet on your W-4 can fix that.

Evan @ My Journey to Millions writes Thinking About All the Jobs I Have Had Throughout My Life – It is funny to think about, but I literally always worked. Sure, there were times when I was out of work, but there hasn’t been a time since I was about 14 or 15 that I didn’t have or was looking for a job.

JP @ My Family Finances writes US vs. UK banking: what’s the difference? – For the past few centuries, banking has made looking after money incredibly convenient, no matter what country each banking institution is in.

Little House @ Little House in the Valley writes Spring Budgeting Tips – Now’s a great time to check your goals, tweak your budget, and get serious about the rest of the year. Easier said than done, right?

Arnel Ariate @ Money Soldiers writes 4 Factors to Consider Before Starting a New Business – Don’t think about the negatives when you’re starting a new business, just stay realistic. To maximize your success and minimize your risks, start thinking about profits, taxes and what it takes to get started.

Jason @ Live Real Now writes Multiracial Skinhead Love Triangle – I have this friend. He bought a couple of cars. He’s got some issues with money, partially revolving around a need to keep his assets below a certain threshold. So he put the cars in his girlfriend’s name. I know, it’s slightly crooked, but that makes the story more fun.

Jason @ Live Real Now writes Multiracial Skinhead Love Triangle – I have this friend. He bought a couple of cars. He’s got some issues with money, partially revolving around a need to keep his assets below a certain threshold. So he put the cars in his girlfriend’s name. I know, it’s slightly crooked, but that makes the story more fun.

Roger the Amateur Financier @ The Amateur Financier writes 8 Ways to Save Money While Saving the Earth – A list of methods to cut down your environmental impact while also saving money, including methods of reducing, reusing, and recycling in your life.

Gary @ Gajizmo writes How To Make Money At Home – Saving money and living below your means is fundamental to financial independence, but more importantly, families need to find ways to grow their income. Whether it is building a business or starting a venture from home, this article can help you get started by giving examples of the best ways to make money from home or online.

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes How’s Your Life? A Healthy Exercise for Creating a New One – It has been said that how you see your life is how your life will be. If all you see are problems, your view of life will be negative and problematic. If you see challenges, your life will be full of amazing opportunities to make changes and create a better life for yourself.

MMD @ My Money Design writes Another Reason Why You Need Emergency Money – For Stupid Car Repairs – If you think having $1,000 of emergency money is going to cut it, think again! This week I’ve spent more than I ever anticipated on stupid car repairs.

MMD @ IRA vs 401k Central writes Is a Self Directed 401k Plan Right for You? – What do you do if you’re self employed or you want more than what your employer’s retirement plan offers? You apply for a self directed 401k.

Tony @ We Only Do This Once writes How I Quit My Day Job – Well, I did it. I gave notice to my employer. 60 more days, and I am leaving my job. Here’s how I did it.

Matt @ Living in Financial Excellence writes Save1.com: Save Lives While You Save Money – Usually I just set money aside and wait until I see what I’m looking for on sale. But I found a website that lets me find deals on products and save even more money at the same time.

Kevin @ Passiveincometoretire writes Making Money from Tax Liens – 1. You can make a decent amount of money from tax liens if you are willing to do all the leg work to get it. Here are a few tips to get you started. 2. Make a list of all the courthouses in your area. Write down the address, phone number, website and contact information.

IMB @ Investing Money writes How to Execute a Winning Trade – Have some stocks you’re looking to trade? You want to be able to execute a winning trade to get the most out of your stocks. Read here for tips on trading.

DJ @ Money for College Project writes How to Create Your Own Scholarship – A radical change in the traditional scholarship method. Much like bootstrapping your own business, we show you how to build your college scholarship portfolio from the ground up using corporate sponsors.

John S @ Frugal Rules writes Great Last Minute Mother’s Day Gifts That Will Make Mom Happy – If you did not know already, Mother’s Day is a few short days away. Give some thought into the gift you’ll be buying your Mom and remember that pricey does not mean priceless.

Grayson @ Debt RoundUp writes How A Door-to-Door Salesman Caused Me to Bite – Here comes a true story about how a door-to-door salesman was able to pitch me into a sale. It was the first and the last time that has ever happened! I let an alarm system salesman get the upper hand during a conversation in my driveway as I built a dog house. I needed what he sold, but I didn’t research the deal well enough. I ended up paying for it in the end. Take a gander at how a door-to-door salesman got me to bite on his pitch.

Mr.CBB @ Canadian Budget Binder writes Junk to Funk: Some Woman Down The Road Left Me With Hardwood – It’s not everyday I come across a money maker in the streets for free but when I do see it I jump on it. Often a simple DIY project can yield you savings in your budget or profits to your bank account if you can sell it. Watch me turn junk into funk and save!

Sean @ One Smart Dollar writes 5 Popular Craigslist Scams to Watch Out For – Craigslist can be a great place to buy and sell items however it also comes with risks. Here are some of the biggest Craigslist scams to watch out for.

Nick @ A Young Pro writes How to Advance in Your New Career as a Gen Y Employee – So you are a Gen Y employee starting a new career? Learn how to follow the 20/80 rule to get your career of to a great start and rise through the ranks.

Jon @ Novel Investor writes Stock Split, Reverse Split, & Your Shares – You here about companies announcing a stock split or reverse split all the time. What is it and how does that split affect your shares?

Dividend Growth Investor @ Dividend Growth Investor writes Twenty Dividend Stocks I Recently Purchased for my Dividend Portfolio – I had an old 401 (k) with Fidelity, which was eligible for a rollover. In early April I cashed out the index funds in it, and rolled the money over into an IRA. After that I decided to equally allocate the money in twenty individual dividend stocks.

KK @ Student Debt Survivor writes Spending Without Spouse Approval – There have been a lot of posts in the personal finance blogosphere recently about whether you should merge your finances together when you get married. But what about discussing large purchases with your partner? Should you spend without spouse “approval?”

Michael Kitces @ Nerd’s Eye View writes Is Capital Loss Harvesting Overvalued? – Capital loss harvesting has long been a staple of investment tax strategy – so much that the Internal Revenue Code has special “wash sale” rules to ensure that the technique is not overly abused. But the reality is that harvesting losses just defers taxes – it doesn’t avoid them entirely – and as a result, the benefit of the strategy is far less than most realize, and often outweighed by the risks!

harry campbell @ Your PF Pro writes Writing Off Moving Costs During Tax Time – The IRS provides a lot of deductions for hard working Americans like us but a lot of people are unaware of them or maybe scared of an audit. I say bring it on, as long as you have the receipts and proof to back it all up, you should take advantage of every deduction available out there. The ‘moving expenses’ deduction is one of the more valuable ones since it’s above the line, meaning you don’t have to itemize to take advantage of it.

DPF @ Digital Personal Finance writes People Track Expenses, So How About Tracking Nutrition? – Sometimes, we can take best practices from one area of life, and apply it to another. Within that context, tracking expenses can lead us to good habits that can help us with our health!

Jon Rhodes @ Affiliate Help writes Best Of The Best – Top 5 Pieces Of Advice For A New Blogger – Here are the best pieces of advice for a new blogger, boiled down from a huge collection.

JC @ P writes Stock Valuation Method – Discounted Cash Flow – Continuing with my stock valuation series, I look at the Discounted Cash Flow method. If you’re not sure what it is, how to use it, or just want a useful spreadsheet to calculate it for you, stop on by.

Jules Wilson @ Faithful With a Few writes Why We Want To Start A Giving Account – A giving account is a great way to set aside money in order to be a blessing to someone else. Make sure you have this in place, so you can respond when there is a need.

PK @ Don’t Quit Your Day Job… writes Crude Oil Price Return Calculator – Brent and West Texas Intermediate – I built a calculator which determines the price return (or inflation adjusted price return) of WTI and Brent Crude Oil over an arbitrary time frame (using daily prices!). This data goes back roughly thirty years.

Jules Wilson @ Fat Guy,Skinny Wallet writes This Is Why We Are Fat #2 – Eating While Driving – Why do we get fat? Unfortunately, there isn’t just one reason. Each time I see a behavior that makes us obese (whether funny or serious) I’ll highlight it here.

Philip @ PT Money writes Pros and Cons of the 15 vs 30 Year Mortgage – If you’re looking to buy a home or refinance there are a few things to consider when deciding on a 15 or 30 year mortgage.

Marie at Family Money Values @ Family Money Values writes What is Leadership? – What is leadership? What kind of leadership does a legacy family need?

Jessica Moorhouse @ Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses writes Rich Dad, Poor Dad’s Robert Kiyosaki & a TV Giveaway! – Robert Kiyosaki is famous for his books all about personal finance and becoming rich, but is he the real deal or just a good salesman?

Jason Hull @ Hull Financial Planning writes Get a Massage Before Doing Your Budget – Stress can keep you from reaching your financial goals. This article explains why and how to avoid stress when doing financial planning.

SB @ One Cent at a Time writes All About Car Tires and How it Relates to your Money – Car tires play a very vital role and are a very valuable safety feature on a vehicle. Learn how to save money on car tires, how to increase the tire life and what precautions you must take while purchasing new ones.