Friday Finance Findings for May 11th

This week has just flown by after celebrating two birthdays and traveling all across the state. If the Problogger Top 5 group writing project hasn’t kept you busy enough with the hundreds of links from that I am providing just a few more to get you through the weekend.

An Introduction to Compound Interest Week – Lazy Man begins a series to explain the magic of compound interest. Definitely worth checking out since most of the assumptions you read about long-term growth or investing uses compounding interest.

Morningstar Cautions on Bond ETFs – Even though I love equity ETFs I don’t really care for bond ETFs. The Sun refers to a Morningstar article that covers the pros and cons of these investments to see if they are all they are cracked up to be.

Money Question: How Do You Handle Financial Disagreements – This week’s money question has to do with the arguments that money can cause in a relationship. I participated in this question and provided some relatively broad advice that I touched on during my 24 Reasons series, but there are some different perspectives worth checking out.

Five Reasons That Credit Cards Rock and Debit Cards Suck – I don’t quite agree 100% on all points but Nickel lays the cards on the table to explain why credit cards are superior.

Are Your Friend’s Investments Performing Better Than Yours? - I think this falls into the same category as not discussing your salary with co-workers. You are probably better off creating an investment plan that works for your goals and compare it to a benchmark.

Take a Defensive Driving Course to Lower Auto Insurance Costs – I was not aware of this but it could be worth checking into. Henry explains how you may be able to save a few bucks by proving you aren’t a threat to society on the road.

Top 5 Obsessions of a Personal Finance Blogger – The Silicon Valley Blogger spills the beans. Reality TV? Who knew!

The Wash Sale Rule – If you have a taxable investment account this is certainly something to be aware of. It is great to be able to take losses by watch out for instances where you are not allowed to. Free Money Finance shares some insight on the rule.

5 Ways to Earn Extra Cash in Your Spare Time – J.D. talks about some ways to earn money in your spare time. And to think that all this time I thought playing Xbox 360 all night was the way to riches. I better find a hobby that pays.