Friday Finance Findings for September 12th

As many of you may have noticed, I completely dropped the ball last week and never got a weekly link post published. I was swamped with work, and wasn’t feeling that great, so it just slipped through the cracks. But, don’t worry, I have plenty of links to share this week.  And I won’t waste any of your time, so let’s get right to it.

How to Get Your Free Credit Report -There are plenty of companies willing to give you access to your credit report, but there is only one way that makes it incredibly easy, and even more importantly, free.

Do Netflix and Blockbuster Really Offer a Frugal DVD Rental Service? -As with most things, the real answer is: “it depends.” I know our Netflix subscription saves us a ton of money. My wife watches 3-4 movies a week, and we live so far out in the country, the nearest blockbuster is over 20 miles away.

How To Determine Expenses Associated With a Job Change -I see a lot of people get excited and jump into a new job opportunity, only to later realize that not everything was as good as it seemed, and there were a lot of other “costs” associated with the move. Make sure you take into account everything that a job change will bring.

Using Skype to Save on Long Distance – If you currently make a lot of long distance calls, it might be worthwhile to consider something like Skype. Personally, I only have a cell phone and no land line, so this isn’t an issue, but I can see how it could save some people a lot of money.

Building a Home Entertainment Center: The TV -Are you thinking about upgrading your home entertainment system? If so, it probably involves the upgrade of your current TV. It’s easy to go overboard and buy more than you need, so here is a good primer to help you make the most of your TV purchase.

Is Small-Cap Making a Comeback? -Looking for a place to put your money in the market that won’t make you cry yourself to sleep at night? It looks like small-cap stocks might be making a comeback. While most aren’t in the positive for the year, most indicies are showing a much better performance compared to the broad market.

Holy Dismal Science, Batman! -Are you a Batman fan? If so, you’ll really get a kick out of this post by Brip Blap that illustrates how Batman can help us deal with an uncertain economic future.

Your Home Pays You Back with Reverse Mortgages – I actually just gave a seminar yesterday on retirement income planning, and reverse mortgages was one of the topics. These are becoming more popular, so it’s a good idea to become versed in them in the event someone in your family is considering one. You can help them make the right decision.

Roth IRA Conversion Strategy to Avoid Taxes – The 2010 conversion date is rapidly approaching, and more people are gearing up to take advantage of converting retirement assets into a Roth. Even so,you want to make sure you’re doing it right and taking advantage of the conversion properly so you can minimize your tax burden.

How To Include A Baby In Your Financial Plans – This is another timely topic for me since we have a baby on the way. Here are some good tips for how to begin working the new addition to the family into your financial plan.

14 Effective Strategies To Leverage A Weak Stock Market – The stock market sucks right now, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose money. There are opportunities to be had in both up and down markets, so here are 14 strategies to help you make the most of the current economic climate.

Calculating Average Daily Balance With Free Spreadsheet – Here is a useful spreadsheet by NCN that allows you to easily calculate the average daily balance. This can be very helpful when looking at the impact of interest on your purchase, or to compare two different credit cards.

Five Reasons to Keep Some Cash – I just wrote about one reason it can be helpful to carry some cash on you, and the Mighty Bargain Hunter provides a few more reasons to keep cash on you.

How to Save Over $2,000 on Home Energy Costs – Who isn’t trying to save money on energy costs these days? Well, if you’re still looking for ways to save, here are a number of things to check. Maybe you can find a few hundred dollars in savings.

Related posts:

1. Friday Finance Findings for February 12th
2. Friday Finance Findings for September 10th
3. Friday Finance Findings for September 3rd
4. Friday Finance Findings for May 14th
5. Friday Finance Findings for July 9th