Friday Finance Findings for February 11th

It’s cold. I don’t know what else to say about the last week. Actual temperatures well below zero and wind chills as low as about -30 F the past few days. I know it doesn’t do any good to complain about the weather since we can’t just pick up and move, but at the same time I’ll be quick to say I will not miss this winter and hope spring comes early like the groundhog predicted.

I hope to have some news for you in the next few weeks about some new things I have going on, but in the meantime you can catch a radio interview I did with Chris Gaddis on his radio show archive. You’ll also notice some other personal finance bloggers in the mix, so a lot of great free MP3s to check out.

One last note before getting to the links, but as you may have noticed over the last couple of weeks the website seemed to be down almost as much as it was up and when it was up it was fairly slow. Well, as of today everything should finally be working on the new, and much faster server. But if you notice anything odd such as broken images or links or other odd behavior, please let me know.

The War on Debt: The Battle Begins at Home – It’s easy to place blame on why you’re in debt. Blame credit card companies, high interest rates, government policies, or any number of things. But if we want to take down debt once and for all it all starts at home.

how to take time off from work – In America we’re all workaholics and taking much time off from work is the exception and not the norm. It isn’t healthy and people really should take more time off without feeling guilty. Here’s how.

Identify A Flat Base Chart Pattern For Stock Trades – I used to do a lot of stock trading back in the day, and when you’re holding a stock for just a few hours or day, all you really care about are the charts. Here’s one chart to look for.

Are You a Victim of Lifestyle Inflation? – When you make more money, you tend to spend more money. That’s just human nature. Unfortunately, lifestyle inflation can get a little out of hand. It might be hard to believe, but there are people out there making $250,000 a year and living paycheck to paycheck. Don’t let lifestyle inflation catch up with you.

The Five Best Countries To Retire To – Thinking about retiring outside of your home country? Well, some places are better for retirees than others. Here are five of the best countries to retire to.

Buying a Vacation/Retirement Home - Speaking of retirement, what if you don’t want to permanently move somewhere? This is where buying a separate vacation or retirement home can come in handy. But here’s what to look out for.

A Primer on ETF Terminology –  ETFs are becoming more common every day, but if you’re used to strictly investing in funds there are a few terms you may not be familiar with. Here’s some of the most important ETF terminology to help you make better decisions.

Organizing Your Finances ‒ Farnoosh Torabi Interview – If you haven’t heard of Farnoosh Torabi, you have to check her out. She’s one of the best in personal finance there is, and Ben over at MSL interviewed her.

7 Money Traps to Avoid – There are plenty of pitfalls that can result in wasting money instead of getting the most out of it. Make sure you are avoiding the following 7 money traps.

More Weekly Links:

• How I Make Money From Blogging: My Top Income Sources
• How Much Work Is Do-It-Yourself Investing?
• States Without State Income Taxes
• IRS E-File Refund Schedule.
• Net 10 LG900G Review