Friday Finance Findings for October 9th

Wow, where have the past few weeks gone? It has been a busy around here lately. As I may have mentioned in one of the last roundups we were in the process of trying to buy a new house. Amazingly enough, we’ve already been living in the new place for three weeks! Of course, we still aren’t completely unpacked, so it still doesn’t quite feel like home. Give it another week or so and we should have all the boxes put away.

In addition to buying this new house we’re still wondering what to do with the old house. We didn’t sell the old house first, and in fact, we haven’t even put it on the market yet. Selling right now in the current market conditions would almost certainly result in a loss. If we can wait six months or a year there’s a good chance we could break even or maybe eek out a small gain. But, that also means making an additional mortgage payment during that time, so that idea isn’t all that attractive either. One option to consider is renting it out. While we wouldn’t be able to rent it out for enough to cover the full mortgage payment, we would also receive the tax benefits and deductions for having a rental, so if you take that into consideration it could be a viable option. Lots to think about and you can be sure that no matter what we decide to do it will provide some good topics to discuss here on the site.

Oh, and I’m not sure if I mentioned it before, but last weekend I was down in Orlando, Florida at IZEAfest with a few other personal finance bloggers. I got to spend some quality time with Jim from bargaineering.com, Ben from moneysmartlife.com, SVB from thedigeratilife.com, and Cap from stopbuyingcrap.com. Of course  there were a few hundred other people in attendance as well, but it was really fun hanging out with some of the other bloggers I link to regularly. Hopefully there will be more events in the future we can attend and hopefully meet even more of the bloggers you love to read.

The Top 5 Money Mistakes College Students Make – I put together a list of the top five money mistakes that many college students make over at About.com. Without much surprise, many of them have to do with debt.

Credit Cards: To Close Or Not To Close – Conventional wisdom suggests that you should leave old credit cards open even once paid off, but is that always the case? As with many things, there isn’t a simple answer. Here, Frugal Dad takes a closer look at the options.

Lending Club Update ‒ September 2009 – Lazy Man has been having success with Lending Club and he is one of the reasons I signed up for them myself. I have also seen great results with Lending Club this year and it’s great to be able to help others while also earning decent interest on my investment.

Trick or Treat: Creating a Frugal Halloween – It’s that time of year again, so how can you make this halloween frugal? There are a lot of things you can do and Frugal Trader gives us some great tips.

Bond Investing Basics – I like bonds. No, they don’t compare to stocks if you’re looking for significant returns, but they play a vital role in creating a diversified portfolio. If done right, bonds can actually help you beat the market over time. Here are some basics to get you started with bonds.

Measuring Job Satisfaction: How To Be Happy With Your Job – Are you happy with your job? As a whole, most of us aren’t all that happy with our jobs. People always say you should do what you love, but in the real world there are also bills to be paid and we often settle for something less. Here’s how you can measure your own job satisfaction and become happy with your job.

Solo 401k Retirement Plan for the Self-Employed – If you’re self-employed you may not have the benefit of a nice pension or 401(k) with a company match. That being said, there are still a few options available to you that can help get your retirement on track. A Solor 401(k) is one of those plans.

Capital One Online Savings Account $25 Bonus – Want some free money? How does $25 sound for opening an online savings account? Get the details from Sun.

How to Avoid Work While on Vacation – We are a nation of workaholics. Even when we do take some time away from the job we’re often still glued to our laptops and Blackberries, never truly getting away from the job. A vacation isn’t a vacation unless you can totally disconnect from your work. Steve over at Brip Blap has some tips to help you take a true vacation.

4 Estate Planning Documents You Need Today – Most of us are slackers when it comes to estate planning. Even though it is an important part of your financial plan, nobody wants to think about death and they will put it off. Often until it’s too late. Here are a few documents that everyone needs today.

Top 10 Consumer Complaints And How to Protect Yourself – I’m sure you have complained about something in the past, but what are the top complaints for consumers? Patrick has compiled a list of the biggest offenders, and I’m sure you won’t be shocked to see some of them on the list.