I just wanted to throw a quick reminder out there that I’ll be on the 401(k) Coach’s blog talk radio show today at 1 p.m EST hosted by Dean Voelker. Dean is an Accredited Asset Management Specialist based out of South Bend, IN, which is just a few miles from where I live. You can find him over at HelpMy401k.us. His radio show has featured some great personal finance names in the past, many of which you’re probably familiar with. People such as Jonathan Chevreau of the Financial Post, Eric Tyson who is the author of Personal Finance for Dummies, and Laura Rowley who writes a column for Yahoo Finance. In a few weeks Dean will also be having Trent from The Simple Dollar on the show.

So, if you have a a few minutes to spare on Tuesday I urge you to tune in. We’ll be talking about my site, retirement, personal finance, and much more. And if you can’t make it when it airs at 1 p.m. the show is always recorded and available on the show’s page to listen to at your convenience. Or you can simply use the player below and begin streaming automatically.

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.

Join Me on the 401(k) Coach Radio Show Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Have you ever wondered how your spending and saving habits stack up against others? Sure, we all have a general idea based on what our friends and family might be doing, but what about out there in the real world as a whole? Are you spending more or less than others in your city?  Is your location that much more expensive to live in compared to other areas of the country? And does having a child really change how much you end up spending or cut back on how much you can save?

These are the questions that Bundle can answer. This is the site I’ve been working with for the past few months behind closed doors. I’m one of the community editors. I think this new site has a lot of potential and it’s simply just a lot of fun to play with. For the first time, a site has compiled spending data for everyone across all areas of the country. Now, you can pull up your own city’s spending data and compare yourself to the average, or you can compare two locations or two different demographics. It tracks data for most locations right down to the stores people spend their money.

I know it’s a little hard to visualize by me just explaining it, so here’s a video that does a much better job.

More About Bundle

Bundle is still in the very early stages so there are still a lot of interesting features that will be added in the coming months. But what I like about it so far is just the ability to compare myself with others in my area and see how I fit in. I’ve learned a few interesting facts already. For instance, I spend about 75% less on eating out than everyone else in my area, and the entire country for that matter. I’ve also learned that married couples in their 30s with children have an average of just $250 put away for their child’s college education!  It’s amazing what you can learn about your neighbors by sifting through the data.

But for a little more background, here’s a snippet from bundle’s about page:

Fortunately, nobody’s making decisions in a vacuum. We’ve all wondered what our co-workers make, and how in the world our constantly broke friend can afford those three-week vacations. That’s okay. Wanting to know how people like you spend and save isn’t simply voyeurism – it’s the first step to getting ahead, and the answers can be quite an education. It’s why we created Everybody’s Money, the most comprehensive collection of free spending and savings data on the web. (Geeks, dig in! For more info, check out our FAQ.)

So, if you want to find out if you’re the only one in your neighborhood with a grocery bill in the stratosphere, it’s in there. And if you want to find a better way, we’ve got ideas from experts, as well as people who are just like us (which is to say, ahem, not experts). We’ve also enlisted some top-notch advisors, including leading behavioral economist Dan Ariely (who can explain why our financial decisions can be so irrational) and Sheryl Garrett, founder of the Garrett Planning Network and a leader in helping make objective financial advice accessible to all people.

Anyway, I hope to see you there. I’ll be on the site moderating and creating content throughout the week and you may see my face pop up on occasion. But feel free to head on over and take a look, dig into some data, and share it with your friends. I’m sure it will get even better as the site begins to grow, so here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor.

So, go check it out!

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.

Introducing Bundle – The Number One Source for How People Spend and Save Money

A lot of interesting stuff comes across my desk each day and this is something that grabbed my attention. There is a new personal finance reality series that will be hitting the airwaves later this year. Specific details are still under wraps, but they are still casting for upcoming episodes. This is where you may come in. The basic premise of the show is to highlight individuals, couples, or families that have a specific financial problem. Then, they will be matched up with some financial experts that will help them through their problems and make changes to improve their finances.

Think you might be an interesting story for the show? Here’s your chance to share it. Below is the information the casting company sent over. If you’re interested, go ahead and fill out everything they are requesting and shoot them an email. You’ll never know if you don’t try, right?

REALITY SERIES SEEKING EVERYDAY PEOPLE WHO NEED GUIDANCE WITH THEIR FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS. NO MATTER YOUR AGE, ETHNICITY, OR ECONOMIC STATUS, WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORY.

A large consumer financial institution is seeking individuals and families that NEED some help planning for their future to star in a brand new series that will take the confusion out of finance! We will be casting across the country. Casting has started so read below and then shoot us an email at:

investorcasting@gmail.com

MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR:

• NAME
• LOCATION
• CONTACT INFORMATION
• AND A RECENT PHOTO OF YOU/YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

(Must be over 18)

We are looking for all types of stories, financial situations, both good and bad.

Some of the stories and scenarios we would like to feature:

• Early Retirement Planner
• First-time Home Buyer / Seller
• Newlyweds / Couple Getting Married
• Parents Planning for Child’s Future
• Divorced Singles
• Laid-off Professionals
• Cross Cultural Investors
• Job Change / Pay cut
• Pre-retirement Couple (late 40s)
• Non-savvy Investor
• Savvy Investor
• Late Retirement Planning

I can’t wait to hear more about the show. It could be interesting to see real world people with real problems getting professional help. And if you’re a reader and lucky enough to be chosen, make sure you let me know! I’d love to hear about it and see how things turn out.

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.

Do You Have a Financial Problem? You Could Receive Professional Help and Become a Reality TV Star in the Process

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.

This offer has expired (effective 11/30/09).

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: $i = rand(0, 2);
if ($i == 0) {
echo "2483246";
} elseif ($i == 1) {
echo "2483254";
} elseif ($i == 2) {
echo "2483534";
}
?>

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