Should five percent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
‘Cause I’m the tax man
Yeah, I’m the tax man

- The Beatles, “Taxman”

Well, it’s that time of year again – tax day! Hopefully you haven’t put it off until the last minute. If you have, you should probably be working on your taxes…not reading blogs

If you’re already finished, I’ve got a great set of links for you.

• Green Panda Treehouse has a great article on 5 Things to Do to Build Wealth in Your 20s. It’s an older post, but I just found out about it this week. Your early years are the best ones to make an impact on your finances, thanks to compound interest. And all 5 of his things are realistic.
• Gen X Finance put together a list of 20 Free Online Finance Courses. The best investment you can make is in yourself, and many of these classes are offered by colleges like MIT, Yale, Rutgers, Purdue, etc…. I plan on signing up for a few of these!
• LLama Money writes about Debt Motivation, and how we’re going about things backwards. Instead of going into debt for purchases, assuming we’ll be able to pay it off later, we should be saving first then indulging ourselves.
• Punch Debt in the Face (a site I just discovered this week) has an article asking What’s Your Favorite Dumb but Fun Expense? Mine? probably music and alcohol.
• Stetchy Dollar has some more tips for Converting a Super-Spender to a Frugal Saver. This is the second part of a two-part series.

And for the fun link, I’m going to keep it seasonal. The company behind Peeps, those marshallow chicks that we love to eat every spring, hosted a diorama contest. You can check out the Peeps on Parade 2009 Finalists here.

I hope you have a good week!

In addition to mowing the yard, planting new grass, and planting wildflowers, I’ve been doing some Financial Spring Cleaning as well. It’s a list of what I’ve been up to recently, but what is everyone else doing? Let’s take a look.

Living Almost Large writes about The Importance of Customer Service. This is something I can relate with, as I’ve suffered some poor customer service recently (more on that later this week).

Bargaineering has a Credit Score Q&A with Liz Weston. Liz is a great financial writer, and one of the few that targets the younger audience. You can never take your credit score too seriously, so make sure you check it out.

The Oblivious Investor has a good post warning: Don’t Let Your Ego Get in the Way. Sometimes, the things you think you know are even more deadly than the things you don’t. Make sure you recognize your limits.

The Checkbook Diaries has an article on the importance of Diversifying Your Financial Mind. The best investment you can make is in yourself. Make sure that learning is part of your financial road map.

And last, but not least, Christian PF has an intriguing article about how Money Doesn’t Solve Money Problems. If it did, you wouldn’t hear about professional athletes and lottery winners going broke.

And for the fun link this week…10 Commercials that are Exercises in WTF.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s roundup. And spend some time outside!

Divorced Dad Frugal Dad is a man of my own mold. Grilling out is my favorite thing in the world to do, and he made an awesome surf and turf meal at home for only $26! Not only do you save a lot by cooking at home, but it can be incredibly satisfying to make a quality meal for yourself.

Always the Planner has some intriguing thoughts about what it means to be Frugal vs. Cheap, and how it can be dangerous to take it too far. She also has a good sense of humor, as she didn’t get mad when I called her a “he” in the carnival earlier this week. Just goes to show that you shouldn’t make assumptions.

Your Money Relationship did some interesting homework on the average net worth of Americans. If you’re under 25, it’s $1475. If you’re between 25-34, it’s $8525. If you’re me, it’s probably negative right now, but is on the way back up.

The Digerati Life has a thoughtful post on financial gurus.  I’ve taken some cheap shots at Jim Cramer recently, so it’s only fair that I be fair and point out that financial experts are human too.

And last, but certainly not least, No Credit Needed has a list of Reasons We Fail To Stick to Our Budget. It’s a great article, full of some common budget miscues, as well as a list of hints and tips from readers via twitter. A helpful post, and a creative use of technology.

And for the fun link, I’m linked to an article on Cracked.com. (warning – some of their stuff may not look so great if people see you browsing it at work…it’s still safe for work, but some of their ads and such are risque).

They have a funny list of 6 Reasons the Economy is More Depressing than You Thought. They intentionally take things over the top, but it’s nice to laugh at things for a change.

That’s it for this week. I’ll end it by asking a question of you that I’ve been asking myself a lot recently.

What are you doing to achieve your goals?

- this blog post

Growing up, spring was my favorite season. The weather gets warmer, trees and plants come back to life, and school ends, giving you three responsibility-free months to look forward to.

Now that I’m older, it’s still my favorite season, even though I don’t have the summer off to look forward to. I still love the warmer weather, and it means I can begin landscaping in earnest (one of my favorite hobbies/chores).

I hope you’re enjoying the warm weather, and also the NCAA tournament. Hopefully your team is doing better than mine did.

Here are this week’s links:

No Credit Needed shares his thoughts on Debt Reduction and the Emergency Fund. This is one of those questions where there is no right answer. Some people say you should build an emergency fund before you pay down debt. Others think you should just pay down debt, because it makes the most sense financially. I split the difference, and try to start an emergency fund as I pay down debt, so I can avoid slipping backwards while still making progress.

Fine Tuned Finances has Five Ways to Maximize Your Career Opportunities in College. Unfortunately, getting your degree isn’t enough to stand out from the crowd and land a good job. You’ve got to look for ways to distinguish yourself while you’re still in school.

Shrinkage is Good has a fun article full of Financial Advice from 10 Fictional Billionaires. It’s very creative, and includes tips from the likes of Scrooge McDuck, Tony Stark, Thurston Howell the Third, and more.

My Supercharged Life gives three simple financial rules, and asks Have They Outlived Their Usefulness? I think they’re still relevant. People have just forgotten about them – much to their own detriment.

And in an article that combines one of my favorite authors with one of my favorite sites, Ramit Sethi has a post at Get Rich Slowly about the Psychology of Passive Barriers; Why Your Friends Don’t Save Money, Eat Healthier, or Clean Their Garages. It’s a great article that tries to change the way we think.

And for the fun link, one of my favorite web comics XKCD has finally tackled finances. In their latest, they tackle the AIG bonuses, but probably not in the way you think. He’s mad at the media, not AIG.

I agree with him. I think the real travesty here is how much time and effort are focused on the bonuses, when in reality there are much more important things that the media and politicians should be devoting their time to.

Not to mention it doesn’t make sense to get mad about $160 million in bonuses after we gave them $170 billion in bailout money. It’s like going to McDonald’s, and ordering a super sized Big Mac meal with a diet Coke. Yeah, you might save some calories, but it pales in comparison to what you’re going to be eating anyway.

Kyle at the Amateur Asset Allocator gives us tips on Choosing the best IRA for your needs: Traditional or Roth?

Jeff at Stretchy Dollar breaks down Needs and Wants, and how we can improve our finances and lives by prioritizing them.

The Online Investing AI Blog writes about how Tough Times are an Opportunity to Get Better at Managing Money.

The Financial Blogger thinks We are Nothing but Slaves in the Rat Race. And you know what? I agree with him. Something has got to change, folks. When did working to the bone to pay off your bills – if you’re lucky – become an acceptable way of life?

Are you wondering whether to put your hard earned money in boring index funds, or exciting actively managed funds? The Oblivious Investor has some words of advice for you. And they come from some of the brightest minds in charge of actively managed funds. The surprising answer? They all recommend index funds. If Charles Schwab himself recommends index funds, I’m going to believe him.

For the fun link, I’m going back to the Onion. According to their latest exclusive, a Rise in Rent has Forced Taco Bell to Take in a Roomate. Definitely a joke, but a good way to save money none the less.

Wall Street may be down, but you can still find ways to improve your bottom line. Here are some of my favorite links from this week:

The Frugal Duchess has 11 Awesome Tips for Cutting your Grocery Bills. We all spend too much on food. Follow her tips, and you can minimize the damage.

PF Firewall has a thought provoking article on The Correlation Between Aggressive Driving and Aggressive Spending. I got in a wreck once because I was angry, so I can understand how destructive an aggressive mindset can be, especially in finances.

The Online Investing AI Blog examines What are the Hidden Opportunities of a Down Economy? Even now, there are ways to get ahead…you just have to know where to look, and have the right mindset.

Monevator asks Can Quantitative Easing Prevent a Recession? I didn’t recognize the technical term, but it’s printing more money with the hope that it will jumpstart the economy. Monevator’s outlook? It’s like hitting a TV that is on the fritz. It may or may not fix it, and there’s no clear correlation between the action and result.

Scordo has a simple, but incredibly effective way to save money: pack your lunch. Too many people overlook this, but I save around $40-$50 a week by packing my own food.

And for the fun week, it’s the video behind my post about how Jon Stewart destroyed CNBC:

Here are this week’s links.

Shrinkage is Good explains How Banks Steal Almost $2 Billion A Year From Customers. Long story short? Overdraft fees. Don’t be one of the victims.

Wise Bread added a new tool this week to their already good site. It’s a list of the top financial blogs, ranked in categories such as popularity, subscribers, incoming links, and even Twitter followers. This is a great idea, both for readers and webmasters. The list contains 197 blogs, but still has some accuracy problems – they didn’t include Pimp Your Finances! Soon enough, maybe.

Wallet Pop writes about some of the Incredibly Pointless Stimulus Funding Requests that the state of Ohio has received from its residents. Some of the strangest include $200,000 to retrain wrestlers, $10,000 to facilitate the dreams of children online, $75,000 for a home based birdhouse business, and my personal favorite: $20 billion to a man explains that “as long as Uncle Sugar is passing out money, I thought why not stick it to those yet unborn suckers….”

The Truth of Credit has a great list of the Top 10 Worst Financial Habits. Nothing too shocking here, but the best advice tends to be simple, and they’re all easily avoidable.

And last but not least, Lazy Man and Money writes about Three Investing Lessons Learned the Hard Way. The lessons are 1) it hurts to lose money, 2) people want to sell when it’s time to buy, and 3) establish risk tolerance before investing. They’re all great tips. It’s too late to undo mistakes you made before the crash, but if you follow his tips, you might be able to avoid further damage or possibly prevent future mistakes.

And the fun link this week has nothing to do with money, because I think we already hear way too much about it as it is.

It’s too easy to think about all the things that are going wrong in life, rather than being happy with what we have. Sometimes, reading about the misfortunes of others can be a good way to put things in perspective.

I found a site recently that is perfect for that. It’s called F My Life. The premise behind it is that people send in funny stories about how bad their life is. It’s a bit off color at times, but it can be addictive. Here are some examples:

Today, while at work at my grocery store I sold a TON of eggs to a bunch of kids. We joked around that they were “going to bake a giant cake.” When I got home I found out someone had egged my house. FML.

Today, I was playing with my 2 year old sister. She was “making” me tea with her new tea set, and I would “drink” it. After awhile, she ran off and returned with actual water in the cup. I drank the water, which made her happy. Then I realized the only water she can reach is from the toilet. FML.

Today, I walked home from a guy’s dorm early in the morning, still wearing my dress and heels from the night before. I walked by a mother and her little daughter, who said “Mommy, why is she so dressed up so early in the morning?” and the mom replied “Because honey, she makes bad decisions. FML.

Check it out… it’s a great place to go next time you’re feeling down about yourself. It’s basically like a Fail Blog for life.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks links. Thanks for reading – I sincerely appreciate it!

Adam at Your Money Relationship asks, Are You ‘Living Within Your Means’ or ‘Below You Means’? It’s an interesting on take on what each means, and which he’d rather be.

Billshrink has a fun (and slightly sarcastic) article telling you to Stop Wasting Your Money on These 25 Things.

Mike at Oblivious Investor suggests that we Don’t Retire.  It takes a look at the idea that the nature of retirement could be changing, and it might not be for the worse.

The Happy Rock reminds us all that Living In Fear Is Not Productive! Younger people have felt less of an impact than others so far, but we have the most to lose by living in fear.  Don’t give in!

Patrice at Seek Wisdom, Find Wealth writes about how she Wants to Be a Nobody. It’s a good way to become and act wealthy.

Fined Tuned Finances shows how if you pay the minimum payments on credit cards, you could be paying them for 42 years.

And for the fun link, Fined Tuned Finances also found a hilarious video from Saturday Night Live about a new system for building wealth:

DDFD at Divorced Dad Frugal Dad has some great thoughts on Dreams, Hopes, and Ambitions.  In it, he asks, and attempts to answer: “What holds us back?”  It’s a good post on inspiration and motivation.

Jeff at The Stretchy Dollar asks, “Do You Have a Jobby?“  A jobby is something that you do outside of your regular job for income, and hopefully it’s something you enjoy as well.  It’s always a good idea to start alternative flows of income.

Monevator also writes about alternative income, but its different in that it’s about passive income.  He has a great post on “Why a little passive income from side projects is worth a lot more than you think“.

Johnny at Wise Bread has a humorous, tongue-in-cheek rant about what it takes to be rich.  You don’t need to use one of those amazing “get rich quick” products.  Instead, you just need to be honest with yourself, and spend less than you earn.  There are no short cuts on the path to wealth.

Doctor S at Finance Your Life welcomes A New Member to the Unemployed.  One of his friends was recently downgraded from part time to outright unemployment.  He tells us about his friend’s state of mind, as well as what his next move is going to be.

And for the fun link, I found something that is kind of related to Valentine’s Day.  The Binder Park zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan, launched a new program for romantics this year: Zoorotica.  It’s a special zoo tour for adults-only couples, and gives people an intimate look at the mating habits and patterns of animals. 

Sounds weird, but apparently it’s a hit.  The tickets have sold out, and the zoo had to start a waiting list to accommodate everyone who couldn’t get in.

Here are this week’s links:

Andrea at Creating Momentum has an article on the importance of Living on Less Before You Have To.  For those of you not familiar with her site, Andrea is trying to leave the corporate world and make a living as a self-employed writer.  It’s a really interesting transition to watch.

True Adventures in Money Hacking has some advice on Going Out Without Going Broke.  Everybody likes to go out and have fun, and the post has 9 tips on how to save some money while you do it.

JLP at All Financial Matters writes about how Obama has limited executive pay for companies receiving bailout money, and how some people think it will cause a flight of talent away from these companies.  JLP’s response?  The flight of talent argument really cracks him up.

Monevator has a great list of 10 Reasons to be Cheerful as an Investor.  Even in the midst of a recession, there are things to be optimistic about.  My favorite?  #10 – opportunities abound.

And last but not least, Bill Shrink has a list of the Top 5 Ways to Immediately Protect Yourself from Identity Theft.  You can never be too careful.

The fun link this week is about how technology influences our lives.  Not necessarily in the way you think though.  It’s not about a new gadget that will save us time, or some breakthrough in electronics that will improve the quality of our lives.  It’s a lot funnier than both of those.

In what’s believed to be the first use of a Mii in crimefighting, police in Japan used the Nintendo Wii (my favite gaming console) to create a “wanted” poster for the driver in a hit-and-run accident.  Here’s the mugshot they came up with:

Have you played against this man?

I hope you enjoyed this week’s roundup!

Either way, the best thing to do is improve your own situation.  Here are some links to do it.

Mike at The Oblivious Investor writes about his 30 Year Market Prediction.  Bottom line?  “It hasn’t looked this good for quite a while.”  For young investors, this isn’t a recession.  It’s an opportunity.

At Free Money Finance, It’s Budgeting Time of the Year.  It’s a ridiculously detailed post with everything you need to set a budget, including a comparison of tools you can use to do it.

Mara at Secrets for Money has a great article on Another Type of Wealth: Pay it Forward and Random Acts of Kindness.  I’ve always been a big believer in treating others – especially strangers – the way you’d like to be treated.  This article explains how it can actually be good for our health and our money.

In a sign of the times, Wallet Pop is reporting on how girl scouts are putting fewer cookies in each box as a result of rising costs.

Kevin at No Debt Plan has a no-frills article on how to Cut the Crap and Check Your Monthly Budget Commitments.  Setting a budget and cutting spending will require work and sacrifice, but its absolutely necessary if you want to get out of debt.

And the fun link is a comic strip, but it’s not laugh-out-loud funny.  It came as a shock to me that Dilbert was recently laid off from his job.  Now he’s coping with unemployment and financial stress.  It’s nice to see art reflecting life.  Hopefully things turn around for Dilbert – and the rest of the country – very quickly.

NCN at No Credit Needed explains 5 debt reduction methods.  It’s interesting to read about something other than the standard two approaches of paying off the smallest debt or highest interest debts first.

DDFD at Divorced Dad Frugal Dad explains how defensive entrepreneurism can be used as protection against financial setbacks.  Always good to make more money.

Audrey at Small Business Resource has Five Tips For First Time Entrepreneurs.  She gives an insightful look at things to remember when starting a business.

MoneyNing at PF Credit Cards has a list of 10 Easy Ways Credit Card Companies Make Money Off Us.  Credit card companies are normally out to get you.  Here are ten traps to watch out for.

Susan Kuhn has a guest post My Super-Charged Life about How to Become Remarkable in One Easy Lesson.  The idea is to be exceptional and purpose driven in everything we do.  Very inspirational.

And the fun link is about funny money.  On Flickr, Joe D! has a gallery full of hilarious pictures he’s drawn on paper currency.  Here’s one of his pictures, named “Mr. Peanut Washington”:

the resemblance is uncanny

I’d also like to thank everyone who submitted to, linked to, and commented on the Presidential edition of the Money Hacks Carnival I hosted earlier this week.

David at MoneyNing has a good article on the Two Things That Matter when it comes to wealth: increasing your income and decreasing your spending.  There are no secret formulas or magic rules.

MyWifeQuitHerJob.com has a good post on Dealing with People Who Doubt Your Business Ideas.  I just found out about this site recently, and really like it.  A husband and wife started their own home business, and it’s done well enough that the she could quit her day job.  Now they both blog about what you can do to make your business a success.

Jacques at The Smarter Wallet has some good ideas on Stopping Procastination by Knowing How Much It Can Cost.  It’s a way to stay motivated by assigning a cost for failing to achieve your goals.

JLP at All Financial Matters reminds us all to Stick to Your Guns when it comes to your 401K.  Pulling out your money may make you feel better now, but it’ll cost you in the long run.

J.D. at Get Rich Slowly has a great article on What it Takes to Suceed in 2009.  There’s no secrets here – it’s just patience and hard work.  Especially in the early stages of a business or idea, you’ll have to put in a lot of work and may not see any results.

And for the fun link, I’m going back to the Onion: Difficult to Tell if T.J. Maxx Hit Hard By Recession.  I got nothing against T.J. Maxx…I’ve shopped there before, and will again.  I just like the Onion and think it’s a funny article.

I hope you have a good (and warm) week.  Make sure to check back later this week.  I’m hosting the Money Hacks Carnival, and will be posting 40+ links for your enjoyment.

Free Money Finance is running a March Madness tournament for personal finance bloggers.  It’s a very cool concept.  64 blog posts go head to head, with the winner of each matchup advancing to the next round (just like the NCAA basketball tournament).  The top four posts get a donation made to the charity of their choice.  If the bracket isn’t already full, make sure to sign up.  It’s a good way to get some free publicity and maybe help out a good cause.

Andrea at Seven Figure Psychic warns readers of the Danger of Thinking (Only) Big.  I like the article, but only if you consider that it’s dangerous to think too big or too small.  The trick is finding the balance.  I realize that I’ve been focusing too much on the big picture in some areas of my life, so it was right up my alley.

MoneyNing has a list of 5 Surefire Ways to Stop Thinking Your Paycheck is Never Enough.  The easiest way to get ahead in life is simply to spend less than you earn.  Here are five tips to help you do it.

The Oblivious Investor recently posted his take on the food pyramid, but re-purposed for the finance world.  It’s a great summary of asset allocation.  Are you house rich, and have most of your net worth tied to real estate (even your own house)?  Do you have an adequate emergency fund?  Are you risking your portfolio by investing in the latest hot stocks?

And the fun link is back to just being fun, not finance related.  This week, It’s Copie d’Arte – Famous Paintings Redone with Lego Instead of People.  Great attention to detail.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks links!

Mike at Oblivious Investor ponders When to Panic and Stop Investing in Stocks, then decides that such a time doesn’t exist.

Josh at The Reformed Broker has some great advice on Rolling Over a 401K to an IRA.  If you’ve recently changed or lost your job, then you need to do something with your 401K.  Most people make the mistake of just leaving their 401K where it is and forgetting about it.

Meg at All Financial Matters discusses changes that the Credit Bureaus are making to their credit score formulas in 2009.  Your credit score greatly affects your life, so you should be aware of the changes, and how they affect you.

Doctor S at Finance Your Life has some advice for making your New Year’s resolutions, as well as a round up of some other resolution links.

 And for the funny link, a timeless source of knowledge: an old Calvin and Hobbes comic foreshadows the financial crisis.