Carnival of Personal Finance #167 - Highlights from the Beijing 2008 Olympics

With the 2008 Olympics Closing Ceremony playing on the TV while I’m putting this carnival together, I figured highlighting some of the best moments from the 2008 Beijing Games would be appropriate. For those of you who haven’t been watching, now you’ll understand what everyone else has been talking about the past two weeks.

Who is Broke Grad Student?

When I started this blog, I was a grad student with $22,000 in student loans to pay back. Now that I’ve finished my thesis and graduated, I’m a guy with a master’s degree and $22,000 in student loans to pay back. This blog documents the lessons I’ve learned, mistakes I’ve made, and everything in between as I pay back my student debt.

One of my ultimate goals is to pass on my knowledge to current and future college students, which is why I formed the College Money Network with a few other young and excellent PF bloggers. It’s also why we are throwing a huge Back To School Giveaway, encouraging college students to set a financial goal for the school year and others to share their financial advice for current college students.

Enough about me, now back to the carnival…

Gold Medals (Editor’s Picks)

Photo by M@rcopako

Michael Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals won at a single Olympics after winning eight golds at the 2008 Olympic Games. However, it was no walk in the park as he somehow managed to win his 7th gold by a mere 0.01 seconds, the time it takes lightning to strike the ground.

• Student Scrooge covers what factors to consider when opening an online savings account in Is Interest Rate All That Matters?
• Consumerism Commentary shares some timely nuggets of wisdom that every college student, not just freshmen, should read in Financial Tips for Students Entering College.
• Alpha Consumer provides a snapshot of four different bloggers at different stages and answers the question, “How Much Do Bloggers Make?“
• The Financial Blogger covers some Famous and Not so Famous Songs and How They Relate to Finance. Bonus points for creativity, but only enough to offset points lost for questionable taste in music (i.e. Nickelback).
• My Dollar Plan has accomplished her goal of Leaving the Workforce at 29, but now she’s faced with another big question, “Where Do I Go From Here?”

College Finances

Colleges all over are starting up classes again, so I thought it’d be a good idea to create a section with articles that focus on college-related finances. Here you’ll find articles that cover important issues such as financial aid, medical benefits, and how to handle the cost of a college education.

• Introduction to Financial Aid
• Solutions to Educational Debt Slavery
• Pay attention to college kids’ medical benefit statements
• Saving Money for College - Education Savings Accounts and 529 Plans
• Best Credit Cards for College Students - Charge Wisely & Build Your Credit History
• 10 Reasons Not to Pay for Your Kids College

Frugality

Photo by thor_matt83

Usian Bolt struck three times at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Not only did he win gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and, with teammates, in the 4×100 meters relay, he set world records in every event and made it look easy. He’s also the first man to win all three events at a single Olympics since Carl Lewis in 1984.

Much like the world’s fastest man could have trimmed some time from his record breaking run by not letting up in celebration near the end, you could trim some expenses from your budget by following a few of these frugal tips.

• Frugal but Regret It?
• Lowering power costs with smart meters
• The 13 Most Disgusting Ways to Save Money in 2008! (NSFW)
• How to Cut Back on Discretionary Spending
• How to save money on food when traveling
• How To Save Money On Prescriptions.
• Ah, for the love of laptop computers!

Saving

Saving money is always easier said than done, so it helps to have some encouragement. Read about how others are saving money to get inspired to start saving more of your own.

• Want To Be A Millionaire? Follow the YAWN Philosophy
• Started An Automatic Savings Plan With HSBC Direct
• The Silly Savings Game I Play
• How to Protect Your Money If Banks Being To Fail
• How To Reach Your Financial Dreams In A Flash
• Considering Retirement? Think How Much Then When

Budgeting

Are you having trouble staying within your budget? You aren’t the only one. Check out the following articles to find out how other people handle their budgeting.

• A healthy budget
• Why Don’t We Save More Than We Do?
• My Wife is Spending Too Much Money and She Knows It

Money Management

Photo by kk+

The Redeem Team lived up to its name by recapturing the gold in men’s basketball. The United States defeated Spain 118-107 in the gold medal game, but Spain put up a good fight, cutting the United States lead to 2 at one point during the last quarter.

The United States has always had the most talented basketball players, but in the past few years, other countries have shown that the sum is greater than its parts by defeating the United States with less talented teams. Similarly, someone with more money may not make the most of it because they manage it poorly. Avoid this by reading the following articles filled with tips, ideas, stories, and advice on how to manage your money.

• Feathering the Nest
• How One Man Turned in All Around
• What Are My Options For Retirement?
• We just became members of the Pay it Forward club! (holler)
• Using Your Health Savings Account as a “Super Roth” Investment Vehicle
• How Would You Grade Your Money Management Skills?
• The Truth About Passive Income
• Looking to Buy a Computer? Buying What You Need Rather Than What You Want
• Why Does The Checking System Suck?
• Car Buying For Your Teen
• Four Financial Moves to Prepare for a Recession
• Crumbs Count: Why It Is Important To Track Expenses
• Automated Tithing: A New Way To Give

Finance

Finance is one of those issues that everybody has to deal with, but nobody wants to talk about. Fortunately, there are plenty of the people who blog about finance almost everyday. Browse through the following articles to see what they have to say.

• What is a Financial Advisor?
• Caution: FDIC Misinformation is Rampant
• 10 Ways to Prepare for a Depression
• Stay Focused, Stay Balanced, Stay Healthy: Part One
• The A to Z of good personal finance (Part 2)
• What is Your Number?
• Goofy Retirement
• What to Do With My 401k After I Quit
• Riches do not equal Prosperity
• Galapagos Personal Finance Challenge Wrap-Up
• Having Money and Keeping It Are Two Different Things

Real Estate

Photo by matt.hintsa

Beijing National Stadium, or the Bird’s Nest, cost approximately $423 million to build, and 2 workers died during its construction. The stadium hosted the main track and field competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics and the opening and closing ceremonies.

• New Jersey 2007 Homestead Rebate Deadline - August 15th Extended
• Mortgage Fees You Should Not Pay

Economy

Have you been worried about the housing meltdown, rising fuel prices, and declining consumer confidence? Then the articles in this section are for you.

• Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.
• Why Is The Dollar Falling?
• The Economics of Minimum Wage

Investing

Photo by Jonas in China

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their second consecutive gold medal in beach volleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. They have won 108 matches in a row on international and domestic tours, which has some people calling them “the greatest beach volleyball team of all time”.

I think every investor’s dream is to invest in something as successful and reliable as Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are on the sand. Whether you’re just a beginner or a seasoned veteran, every investor will find some useful information in these great articles.

• 5 Ways to Track Your Stocks
• My Top 5 Stocks
• Beginners Guide To Saving for Retirement
• Making intelligent 401(k) investment decisions
• Best Mutual Fund of 2008
• Extreme Risk Aversion Paradoxically Leads to Another Huge Risk
• A Rundown of Self Employed Retirement Options
• When Inflation Attacks, Gold is not the Defensive Weapon of Choice
• Asset LOCATION Is Key To Building Wealth
• Is $1,000,000 enough to retire on? Is $2,000,000 enough to retire on?

Credit

Credit cards can be a touchy subject. Some people swear by them while others refuse to touch them. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution. If you don’t like credit cards, you can just skip this section. If you do, then keep reading.

• Paying Bills with a Credit Card
• Credit Report Versus Credit Score
• 0% Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers
• FreeCreditReport.com is NOT free!
• Are Frequent Flyer Credit Cards a Good Deal?
• Best Gas Rewards Cards

Debt

Most of us have been in debt at one point or another, so we all share a common goal — getting out of it. Check out the following articles for stories, ideas, and insights about debt.

• Why I Bought A New Truck
• 10 Ways to Bury Yourself in Debt
• Tuesday Tirade: Store Cards
• ‘That’s So Raven’ teaches valuable credit card lesson
• Ways To Consolidate Your Debt

Career

Photo by bludgeoner86

Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson finished 1-2 in the women’s all-around gymnastics competition. Nastia’s gold marks the third time that an American woman has won the Olympic all-around title. It’s also the fourth time in Olympic history that two athletes from the same country have taken first and second place in the women’s all-around.

• Paris Hilton Works Harder Than You Do
• My Post-Military Employment History

Other

Sometimes things don’t fit into a particular category, so we just throw them into a section called “Other”. This is that category.

• Wallet - Neat or Messy?
• Money Isn’t Everything
• Would Being Rich Change Your Life?
• If Time is Money, Why is Customer Service so Horrible?
• How to Find a Good Auto Mechanic

Next week the Carnival of Personal Finance makes at stop at One Caveman’s Financial Journey, so be sure to submit your articles.

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to my RSS feed or via email for free updates.