Friday Finance Findings for January 22nd

By the time you’re reading this I will be on my way to New York. I’m spending a few days there to party with the rest of the crew over at Bundle.com, which launched just this week. It should be fun since this will be my first time in Manhattan. It’s interesting that I’ve been to many of the great cities in Europe, but I’ve never made it to NYC which is right in my back yard, relatively speaking. Either way, while I’m doing that, make sure you go poke around over at the new Bundle site. There is some interesting data and you can learn a lot about your spending habits compared to others.

When I get back on Monday it will be time to really kick things into gear as I start my first full week as being completely self-employed. There are a lot of things I’m looking forward to spending more time on and I’m sure it will be just as exciting for all of you. So, stay tuned! Here are this week’s links.

Saving With Purpose: The College Savings Fund – Saving for the sake of saving isn’t good enough. You need to save with purpose. All of your money that you set aside for the future should have a specific goal tied to it. After all, if you don’t know what you’re saving for, what’s the point of saving?

2009 Federal Tax Brackets – It’s tax time again, and Ben  breaks down the 2009 tax brackets.

New Car Tax Deduction – Speaking of taxes, did you buy a new car last year? Good news. You may be entitled to a new car tax deduction. See if you qualify.

Financial Risks and The People You Trust – We all hold different levels of trust for certain people, but with whom do you trust your financial decisions? The results may be a little bit shocking.

Claiming Extended Warranty with Your Credit Card – We’ve heard for years that one of the main benefits of using a credit card over a debit card is the additional level of protection you get when buying something that goes bad. These warranties can be helpful, but have you ever had to use one? Would you even know how? Here’s the scoop.

Is Life Fair? – No, life isn’t fair. We can see this on a daily basis. But should it be fair? It’s a difficult question to answer, but at the end of the day it seems like there needs to be some inequality for things to work properly.

Actively Managed or Index Funds? – This discussion will never die. There are periods of time when actively managed funds to better, and history shows us that index funds fare better over time. But is one really better than the other?

Seven Things You Must Do to Prepare for An Emergency – Emergencies can and will happen. Just look at what’s going on in Haiti. Life is unpredictable, so the best you can do is prepare for an emergency before it happens.

Related posts:

1. Friday Finance Findings for April 22nd
2. Friday Finance Findings for January 14th
3. Friday Finance Findings for January 28th