Friday Finance Findings For February 1st

Is it February already? I don’t know where the time goes, but I’m more than happy to get through this winter. There is a winter storm at the moment, and they are expecting 12-18 inches before all said and done. That only means my back is going to be really sore by Monday when I have to shovel a good 200 feet or so of our driveway. In other news, as I mentioned last week, the site redesign is underway and I hope the final touches will be ready for implementation this weekend. But either way, here are the great articles from the past week.

Examine the Roots of Overspending – If you have trouble keeping your spending under control, you can help overcome this habit by understanding what makes overspending so easy to do.

Your Financial Football Team – In case you haven’t heard, there is a football game this Sunday. I’m pulling for the New York Football Giants. I don’t think Lazy Man would agree.

Increase Your After-Tax Investment Returns With These Deductions – While most people do a majority of their investing in tax-deferred accounts, there are plenty who have taxable investments as well. Ben has some great deductions to keep in mind to help you maximize your returns.

Negotiate Anything With These 4 Tips – The art of negotiation is not used as much as it should be. Virtually everything can be negotiated, and for large purchases, doing it properly can save you a lot of money.

On Child-Men, Growing Up, and Finances – Are you part of Generation Y? Are you single? Some may consider you a child-man. I have never heard of this before, but it is some very interesting reading.

Beat the Average Investor’s Returns With a Simple Portfolio – Investing isn’t rocket science, and a very simple portfolio can yield results that outperform what most people really achieve.

Recently Opened Mutual Funds: Any Interesting Ones? – The Sun provides a little insight as to why funds choose to close and reopen, and also highlights some of the funds that recently opened to find out if any are worth looking into.

Most Financial Journalists Don’t Know Much About the Topic They Write On – I’ll let you be the judge after you read the article and the following comments. A lot of good points are made.

Job Jumper Tip #2 – Be a Discerning Networker – Job jumping is a common trait among Generation X. It seems as if people are always looking for the greener pasture. If this is you, brip blap has some great tips to help you along the way.

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About the Author: Jeremy Vohwinkle is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor® and spent a few years working as a financial planner. Today, he helps people make the most of their money by writing about personal finance here and About.com. Jeremy is also Coach at Adaptu and a regular contributor for other publications such as Intuit, and American Express. Be sure to follow Jeremy on Twitter or Google+.