Friday Finance Findings for March 25th

It’s been a busy week here, but not all for financial matters. Sure, I had to finish up some tax issues like most people, but our dishwasher finally gave out and had to be replaced. Isn’t owning a home so much fun? You just have to take the bad with the good. But on a more exciting front, I shipped off some of my home brewed beer to a couple of national competitions. For you beer fans, I entered my Russian imperial stout that I brewed about a year ago. It has aged wonderfully and I think it’s the best beer I’ve brewed so far, and probably one of the best beers in this style I’ve tasted before if I do say so myself. Judging gets underway this weekend for one competition and next month for the other, so I’m anxious to receive feedback since this is the first time I’ve had real beer judges sampling my brews.

If you’re curious about brewing your own beer be sure to check out the article I wrote for American Express Currency last month on the topic: Brewing to save money?

A First Look At Asset Allocation – You may have heard the term ‘asset allocation’ before, but what does it mean? Should you be worried about the asset allocation in your portfolio? Here’s a good first look.

7 Things To Do With Your Tax Refund – If you have a tax refund coming you may be wondering what the best use for it is. It’s obviously fun to spend it like found money, but there are some options that can actually pay off far more down the road.

Why everyone should want to be wealthy – I want to be wealthy, don’t you? It’s pretty common for people to say they want to have more money, but there’s a good reason for having this trait.

The 15 Most Profitable Movies of All-Time – I’ll have to admit, I don’t really watch movies. Maybe one or two a year and that’s it. Either way, movies are a big deal and if you’ve always wondered, here are the most profitable movies of all time.

Ideas to Trim (or Slash) Vacation Costs – Vacation season is right around the corner so it makes sense to begin planning now. The earlier you plan, the more money you can save, so here are a few good ideas.

Can You Make Money Off of March Madness? – If you are even remotely a sports fan you obviously know we’re in the thick of March Madness. But is there any money to be made or is it all just gambling?

5 Things You Should Have On Hand To Weather A Disaster – Having an emergency fund is a good start, but as you may have seen from Japan, a big emergency fund wouldn’t mean much in the heart of a major disaster. Instead, there are a number of items to keep on hand that could prove far more valuable than money during a disaster.

Where to Find the Cheapest International Call Rates – Do you make a lot of international calls? Then your traditional calling plan may not cut it. There are actually a number of ways you can really save on those international calling rates.

Even more great reads:

• 10 Ways To Make Money Writing Online.
• How Much Interest Are You Paying?
• Interactive Brokers Discount Brokerage Review
• Market Corrections: Do You Buy, Sell or Ignore?
• How Much Control Should The Government Have?
• How to Become An Independent Contractor
• What You Need to Know About the Standard Tax Deduction
• When Should I Take Social Security Benefits?
• Amazon Mom Review ‒ Free Amazon Prime As Well As Discounts
• Should You Rollover Your TSP Account Into an IRA?
• Nuances of Completing Your College Savings Application Correctly