In case you missed it, I was a guest on the popular Personal Finance Hour hosted by Jim from Bargaineering and J.D. Roth over at Get Rich Slowly. Each Monday they spend an hour discussing a finance topic, chat with listeners, and take calls to answer questions. This week the topic was retirement. Given my background in retirement planning it was a good fit to have me on and discuss some of the common retirement planning mistakes and considerations for both the young and old alike.

While you may have missed the live show you can still play the episode at any time. You can find it on the Blog Talk Radio site, iTunes, or even use the embedded widget found on this page. Some of the highlights from the show talked about the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to saving for retirement. I say the biggest mistake is simply not saving enough. People often underestimate how much they really need to save or wait too long to start saving. It’s one of those things where time can either be your greatest asset or your biggest enemy. Use the time you have wisely and save appropriately and you’ll be in good shape. Let time slip away and you can’t get it back and it’s very hard to catch up.

So, if you’re interested in retirement planning this is a good episode to listen to. And of course, be sure to tune in every Monday as there are always good topics up for discussion on the Personal Finance Hour.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Check Our Yesterday’s Personal Finance Hour on Retirement

Have you been looking for a discount online broker? Look no further than TradeKing. I’ve written about them in the past because they offer some of the lowest commissions in the industry and back it with fantastic customer service and trading interface. The rules are pretty simple. You just have to create a new account, fund it with $2,500 or more, and then place a trade. You’ll then receive a $50 credit in your account. It’s that easy.

Sure, it’s an easy way to get $50, but is it worth the trouble to sign up with TradeKing? I’d say that if you are looking to occasionally purchase individual stocks or trade options then you can’t do much better than TradeKing. I’ve had a number of brokerage accounts at TD Ameritrade, Schwab, Zecco, and TradeKing, but in terms of pricing and the online interface I really enjoy TradeKing. But don’t just take my word for it. You’re basically being given the opportunity to try them out for $50. If you place a trade or two and find out it isn’t for you it’s easy enough to transfer your funds elsewhere. Open your TradeKing account today and receive a $50 bonus! Offer ends on October 31st, so act fast.

Here are some highlights that make TradeKing stand out:

Fair and Simple Pricing Structure

No matter how big or small your account or how often you trade, we charge just $4.95 per trade plus 65 cents per option contract. Even for Broker-assisted trades. There are no account minimums and no hidden fees. And no, we’re not pulling your leg.

Superior Customer Service

When you call TradeKing, you don’t have to navigate an endless system of phone menus. You can talk to a real live Broker, with short wait times, any time. You can even contact a Broker instantly using our online chat feature, if you’d rather type than talk. Rest assured, whatever service you need on your account, we make it easy for you to get it.

Innovative Trading Tools That are Free to All Clients

When you open an account, you’ll get access to our Profit + Loss Calculator, Probability Calculator, Technical Analysis Tool, Scanning Tools that work for your individual options and complete option strategies, and more. And best of all, unlike some of the other guys, we don’t charge you any fees to use them – no matter the size of your account.

User-friendly Trading Platform with Advanced Orders

Our trading interface is extremely intuitive and easy to use. Even ordering advanced option strategies like butterflies and condors is as simple as clicking a few checkboxes. And for you serious option traders, we offer a full complement of advanced orders – including trailing stops, contingent orders, one-cancels-other, one-triggers-other and GTC on spreads. What’s not to love about that?

An Expansive Learning Center

We empower investors to make more intelligent trading decisions by providing an ever-growing wealth of knowledge. You’ll get access to resources like the online Options Playbook – featuring, 40 different option strategies for any market conditions and all levels of expertise, live events such as webinars, The Options Guy Blog, overviews of how to best use our suite of trading tools, podcasts, market insights from industry experts, and much more.

An Innovative Online Trader Network

For many of our clients, this is the most fun feature on TradeKing.com. You can create your own profile and choose to share your trading activity using our ‘certified trade’ feature. See what others are trading and the rationale behind them and see how their trades are actually performing. You can connect with other traders, share your thoughts and learn new tricks for a changing market.

Open your TradeKing account today and receive a $50 bonus!

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

TradeKing $50 Bonus for New Accounts – Through October 31st

Do you like this site? Are you on Facebook? Well, now you can have a little bit of both. I have set up a Facebook Fan page for Generation X Finance. I actually set up a fan page a long time ago but at the time I messed up and created it as a local business fan page and it was not set up how I wanted it. Now, everything should be set up properly and I can begin using it to interact with you as readers and hopefully generate some interesting discussion.

There are a couple of reasons for doing this and some added value for you. For one, a lot of people don’t necessarily subscribe to RSS feeds yet spend a lot of time on social networking sites. By becoming a fan of the site you’ll actually get an update on your Facebook wall when I’ve made a new post. Not only that, but Facebook is very interactive. Sure, you can leave a comment on a post here and carry on a bit of a discussion, but it’s fairly linear. With the fan page anyone will be able to generate and start discussions, either about a recent post or any topic that comes up. And with so many users on Facebook it’s easy to get a conversation started, share links with your other Facebook friends, and we can all benefit by learning more about money.

So, go ahead and become a fan. It just takes one click. I’ll be popping in and out of the site to welcome everyone, ask you questions, and hopefully learn more about everyone.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Become a Fan of Generation X Finance on Facebook

In case you didn’t know, I’m also a writer over at About.com. I handle the Financial Planning section and spend a lot of time talking about some of the same financial issues I discuss here. It is a lot of fun and there is an About.com site that covers almost every topic under the sun. Even so, About.com is looking for even more writers to cover some of the niche topics on their site. If you are a freelance writer that has knowledge in one of these available topics you could also be a contributing writer for About.com!

The About.com Contributing Writers program was created to help us cover topics that may not be broad enough for a full GuideSite. Contributing Writers work alongside our Guides, covering specific subtopics that fall within the larger topic areas of our GuideSites. They are responsible for producing a certain amount of content (articles or blog posts) per month on that subtopic. They are not responsible for managing or maintaining a full GuideSite.

About.com is currently evaluating candidates to write on the following topics:

• Playing and Coaching (About Football http://football.about.com)
• Antique Furniture (About Antiques http://antiques.about.com)
• Legal Issues (About Single Parents http://singleparents.about.com)
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Scene (About Manhattan http://manhattan.about.com)
• At-Risk Teens (About Teens http://parentingteens.about.com)
• XML (About HTML / Web Design http://webdesign.about.com)
• South Africa Travel (About Africa Travel http://goafrica.about.com)
• Feminism in the 1960s and 1970s (About Women’s History http://womenshistory.about.com)
• Algebra (About Math http://math.about.com)
• Medical/Surgical Information for Patients (About Back and Neck Pain http://backandneck.about.com)

If you are interested in applying for one of these positions or learning more, please email your RESUME and a WRITING SAMPLE — both IN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL — to contributingwriters@about.com.  Please put the topic you’re applying for in the subject line.  Keep introductions concise.

So, if you think you have what it takes and would like a little extra freelance work, here’s your chance.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

About.com is Looking for Freelance Writers – Learn How to Apply

Microsoft Money Customers:  Transition to Quicken!

As you may have heard last month, Microsoft is winding down it’s Money platform. I know a lot of you use MS Money and have been happy with it for a long time. Unfortunately, going forward there are not going to be any additional updates. Your software will still continue to work, but as technology changes and new features become available, Money is going to be left in the cold.

For those of you who are thinking about making the switch to Quicken, I have some good news. Quicken is offering a great discount for Money users making the switch. Until July 31 they are offering good deals on their whole line of products. Not only that, they are sweetening the deal by adding additional free software to the purchase, in some cases giving away nearly $200 worth of additional software. I’m a Quicken user myself and find it very easy to use so I have no problem recommending them.

Right now Quicken is able to import up to 10,000 transactions from MS Money, and they are currently working to make this even more inclusive. It’s worth a shot if you’re looking for some new software. Even if you aren’t ready to buy it, you can start by getting a feel for Quicken for free by using Quicken Online. If you think it’s something that will work for you, you’re free to upgrade to a more robust version.

Discount and bonus software offer ends July 31st.

Buy Deluxe and SAVE up to $20, plus get:

• FREE Shipping
• FREE bonus software (valued at $79)
  • Willmaker Plus 2009

Buy Premier and SAVE $30, plus get:

• FREE Shipping
• FREE bonus software (valued at $128)
  • Willmaker Plus 2009
  • Educated Investor WealthBuilder

Buy Home & Business and SAVE $30, plus get:

• FREE Shipping
• FREE bonus software (valued at $189)
  • Willmaker Plus 2009
  • Quicken Legal Business Pro

Buy Rental Property Manager and SAVE $50, plus get:

• FREE Shipping
• FREE bonus software (valued at $189)
  • Willmaker Plus 2009
  • Quicken Legal Business Pro

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Microsoft Money Users Can Switch to Quicken With Big Discounts and Free Software

Even though the contest ended Monday morning, I’m a little behind in getting all of the entries gathered. There was a lot of interest so it’s taking some time to make sure all the valid entries get accounted for.

Later this weekend I’ll be contacting the winners directly. If your winning entry was from the newsletter signup, you’ll receive an email from me. If you win via a Twitter entry, I’ll send you a direct message on Twitter.

After the winners are selected I will post the results here. So, thanks again for all of the entries. I look forward to sending out all of the prizes.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Stay Tuned for the iPod Touch Giveaway Winners

Sign Up by May 31st to Get Your $25 Bonus

Have you been thinking about setting up a 529 plan but just never get around to it? It’s OK, there are a lot of different financial issues competing for our attention, and college savings is often put a little further down the priority list than others. Even so, if you plan on providing some financial assistance to your child when it comes to college, the earlier you start, the better off you’ll be.

And there’s no better time than right now since the Ohio 529 Plan is going to give you $25 dollars just for opening an account with a $25 deposit. You can do the math, but that’s a 100% return on your money, no strings attached. I don’t know about you, but if someone offers me $25 for doing almost nothing, I’d take them up on that offer. This offer comes at a great time for me since we just had a baby about two months ago. Nothing like getting started early. That’s a solid 18 years of compound interest!

Don’t have a child? No problem. You are allowed to change the beneficiaries on the account. This means you could open one under your name and then reassign the beneficiary when you do have a child. Or if you go back to school yourself, you can use the funds. 529 plans are quite flexible.

Why Choose the Ohio 529 Plan?

Morningstar rates Ohio’s 529 plan as “Top 5″ college savings plan in the nation. Morningstar named Ohio’s CollegeAdvantage 529 direct plan as one of the top five college savings plans in the nation in a report that was released April 23, 2009. In reviewing the Ohio direct plan Morningstar stated that “the strong investment options, low costs, and good flexibility make this plan tough to beat for Ohio residents.”

What makes the Ohio plan so affordable are the investment choices — namely the Vanguard lineup of 5 different equity funds. As you probably know, Vanguard has some of the lowest fees in the industry, and the Ohio 529 plan is one of the few opportunities to invest with them in a 529 plan. The other benefits of the Ohio plan include:

• No enrollment fee
• No maintenance fees
• Only a $25 initial investment required
• Open to all residents whether living in Ohio or not
• Can name anyone as a beneficiary and update them later

If you already have a 529 plan elsewhere, you can usually transfer assets from one plan to another. So you could enroll in the Ohio plan to get your bonus and then transfer those funds to your current plan if you want to keep things consolidated.

How to Claim Your $25 Bonus

1. Open your College Advantage 529 plan with at least an initial $25.

2. Enter the following referral code: 2483246

3. In about 7-10 business days after the account is opened, you’ll receive a $25 credit.

4. The deadline for this promotion is May 31, 2009. The account must be open and funded on or before this date to qualify.

Even better, once signed up you can also earn $25 for referring friends and family! If you have more than one child, would like to open another account under your spouse’s name, or have friends and family that could benefit from this as well, you will receive a bonus just for referring them.

For instance, let’s say you have two children and would like to open an account for each. If you open the first account, you get the $25 bonus. If you use that account’s promotion code to open the second child’s account, the first account gets a $25 bonus for the referral, plus the second account also gets the $25 bonus for signing up. That’s $75 free dollars! So, what are you waiting for? Go make some money and get those college savings plans off to a great start.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Special Offer: Ohio College Advantage 529 Plan $25 Free Bonus

In case you missed the announcement over on Wise Bread, there’s a new blog network and I’m proud to be a part of it. You’ll see the Money Tips badge on this site and others who participate. There are a lot of great blogs in the group and I’m sure you’ll find it as useful as I do

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to the Money Tips Network. We’re a new network that includes 13 of the most trusted personal finance blogs in the world.

Our Mission

Money Tips Network exists to provide you with honest and helpful money tips from the best personal finance blogs.

Real life money management tips for the people, by the people.

You know who we are. You know our struggles getting out of debt, what we did last weekend, and how we sometimes break our own frugality rules to treat ourselves. You trust us to share openly and honestly. We hold this trust to be sacred, and we’re always looking out for you.

Trust goes both ways — our readers trust us and we trust our readers.

We give you credit for being smart. We challenge the idea that finance is too complicated for people to understand. Money Tips Network bloggers love actionable, easy to follow tips that empower you to be your own financial consultant.

We know a preachy, one-size fits all philosophy doesn’t work in the real world. It’s your wallet, your life.  We want you to read our advice, throw in your thoughts and comments, and then apply it based on your own family’s needs.

Like you, the Money Tips Network bloggers come from vast and varied personal experiences.  But we share a common belief:

You can lead a better life by practicing smart money management. And we’re here to help.

Money Tips Network Members

MTN blogs collectively reach more than 5 million visitors a month and over 200,000 subscribers.  These blogs represent the best of what the personal finance blogosphere has to offer.

1. Bargaineering - Written by Jim Wang, Bargaineering is a blog that chronicles his personal finance life. Jim is co-host of the Personal Finance Hour podcast with JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly.
2. Consumerism Commentary – Created in 2003 by Flexo, Consumerism Commentary has been honored by Kiplinger as a must-read blog and named as one of Yahoo’s “Ten Money Blogs Everyone Should Read”.  Flexo runs the original (and still the best) PF blog aggregator pfblogs.org, and recently started the Consumerism Commentary Podcast.
3. Five Cent Nickel – Written by a man who has been meticulously recording his finances since 1997 (stored in Quicken), Five Cent Nickel is one of the oldest and most respected blogs around.
4. Free Money Finance – This site is about one simple thing: growing your net worth.  The 5 Principles of Free Money Finance is a PF blog classic. Business Week says Free Money Finance “offers an inspiring mix of timeless investing wisdom and money-making ideas”.
5. Generation X Finance – Jeremy Vohwinkle is the blogger behind Gen X Finance, a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, and the editor of About.com’s Financial Planning section.
6. Get Rich Slowly – Get Rich Slowly, recently named “most inspiring money blog” by Money magazine, is devoted to sensible personal finance.  JD Roth is the other half of  the Personal Finance Hour podcast.
7. No Credit Needed – NCN started this blog in 2005 to track his debt reduction efforts, and has since been inspiring others in their debt reduction efforts. In addition to the blog, check out the No Credit Needed Network and the No Credit Needed Podcast.
8. Squawkfox - Making frugal living sexy, delicious, and fun. “Fox” has a new book coming out in 3 weeks! 397 Ways to Save Money will help you spend smarter and live well on less.
9. Stop Buying Crap – Despite the title, Cap doesn’t preach being cheap.  Stop Buying Crap is about understanding your unlimited wants and how you may fulfill it with your limited resources.
10. The Digerati Life – You can always count on Silicon Valley Blogger (SVB) to churn out practical, comprehensive, and helpful advice about personal finance and small business.
11. The Frugal Duchess – Miami Herald columnist Sharon Harvey Rosenberg offers a fun, frugal and fashionable way to save money & live well.
12. The Simple Dollar – Trent Hamm is arguably the most respected personal finance blogger today. There’s a great new article on The Simple Dollar everyday, and Trent’s book reviews are legendary.  Get a copy of his recently published book, 365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money, that helps you save money every day of the year.
13. Wise Bread – That’s us!  A community dedicated to helping each other live large on a small budget.

What Now?

As of right now, you can visit the Money Tips Network homepage.  It aggregates the latest posts from MTN blogs and has profiles of members.  You can also subscribe to the Money Tips Network feed via RSS or email.  Be sure to check out each of the individual blogs and browse their invaluable archives.

If you’re a money blogger, check out the Bloggers Corner of the Wise Bread forums.  That’s where PF bloggers ask questions, swap stories, and share best practices all day long.  Come hang out with us.

We’ve got a slew of ideas to roll out in the coming months including guest posts on Wise Bread from MTN bloggers, roundups that gather the best financial advice, and product reviews to help make smart choices.  It all adds up to more of the best money tips for you so stay tuned!

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Announcing the New Money Tips Network

There are a number of financial management programs out there, but Quicken has been one of the leaders for years. I’ve been using Quicken for about three years and just recently upgraded to the 2009 edition. It’s really nice, and if you’re looking for a comprehensive financial management program it’s hard to beat.

Luckily, Quicken has decided to extend their sale until the end of May. Now, you can grab any of the products for up to 33% off. Of course, you can always get started with the FREE online version and if you find that you like what it does and could use a few more features, upgrade to one of the other versions.

Quicken Features

• Perfect for users who want to manage finances online or on their computer.
• Want to know what you have to spend? See where your money is right now.
• Bring your online accounts — bank & credit cards — together in one place.
• Get bill reminders via text messages or e-mail.
• Make online banking even better — connect to your bank, credit card, 401(k)s, or brokerage accounts with a single password.
• Never miss a bill — stay on top of when bills are due.
• Get suggested spending limits and set savings goals based on the day-to-day information you enter — and then check your progress through the month.
• Accurately track and categorize expenses for simpler tax preparation.

Current Quicken Discounts

• Quicken Online – FREE
• Quicken Deluxe 2009 – $39.99 (Save $20)
• Quicken Premier 2009 – $59.99 (Save $30)
• Quicken Home and Business 2009 – $69.99 (Save $30)
• Quicken Rental Property Manager 2009 – $99.99 (Save $50)

Act Before May 31

This discount only lasts until the end of May, so be sure to act fast if you want the savings. At the very least, give the free version a trial run to see if this type of software would be useful to you. You can’t beat being able to try before you buy.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

Get Your Quicken 2009 Discount Before May 31st – 33% Off

Did you know that this week is America Saves Week? America Saves Week is still relatively new with this being just the third year, but it drives home an important issue. As a whole, Americans typically don’t save enough money. Whether it’s saving for retirement, saving for college, or just putting money into an emergency fund, it’s usually not enough.

Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a bit of a catch-22 for this year’s America Saves Week. We’re in the midst of a recession and our economy relies on people spending money. While saving is good, it’s also not doing much to help get us out of these difficult times. Nevertheless, saving money is important.

America Saves states their purpose:

The personal savings rate is near zero, most Americans are not saving adequately for retirement, and most lower-income households do not have adequate emergency savings for unexpected expenditures like a car repair.  But with more societal encouragement and support, more Americans will be persuaded to build wealth, not debt.

During America Saves Week, individuals will be encouraged and assisted to assess their savings progress and take action to advance this progress.  This encouragement and assistance will be provided by organizations and professionals with an interest in improving the financial security of individuals and families.

What You Can Do

You can make a difference this week. If you’re already a saver, let this week serve as a reminder and check up on your savings. Make sure you’re taking advantage of any match money or tax benefits by saving in a retirement plan. If you’re working on building up an emergency fund, make sure you’re getting a good interest rate. Check out FNBO Direct if you want to help your money earn more than average. And if you’re already doing everything you can, take the time to help others. Educate friends and family about the importance of saving and how they can get started.

If you’re looking to get started saving and don’t know where to turn, the America Saves Week has some resources to help you along. I’d first take a look at the savings quiz to see some interesting statistics about saving. Make sure you also take a look at the collection of savings tips. From saving money on food to entertainment, they have plenty of suggestions to help you find ways to save money.

At the very least, you should create an automatic savings plan. If saving for retirement, make automatic contributions with each paycheck in either a 401(k) or IRA. If creating an emergency fund, do the same thing and make automatic contributions into a savings account. When you make saving automatic, you’ll soon realize you don’t even miss the money.

For more, be sure to check out the America Saves site.

About the Author: Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.

America Saves Week: February 22 – March 1, 2009