Articles by Bob

Bargaineering articles traded places with Five Cent Nickel to host the 84th Carnival of Personal Finance. This will be the last one to appear on this site. The number of posts relating to this subject seems to be simply overwhelming and uncontrollable for bargaineering articles.

 This one should be interesting. We know what the known bloggers have to say. The new and unknown ones would be interesting to watch out. the blogs are broken into three sections for better representation of views. Check this out at 84th Carnival of Personal Finance

If you well realize that Index funds are not risk free and that you should do your research thoroughly before investing your dollars, then Index funds may be a sensible thing to look at. Its clearly not without risk and just like any other investment, can pose some dangers, if you are not cautious. 

That said, you should definitely  consider other options and not rely solely on Index funds. Put your eggs in different baskets… remember? To get information on this, read Don’t Just Buy Index Funds. Although not a very detailed article, you should get an idea of the Index funds scenario here.  

I saw a recent post on how to know if you have too much money. Check it out at Five Signs You Have Too Much Money.  Its a fun article but if you read between lines, there is a pointed message to the overspenders of this world. Its good to spend, but do this understanding your limits.

I started reading it to pass time, but slowly got engrossed. I could soon identify some people around me with these examples. In some cases, it also made me look inward and take stock of my personal expenses. Time and again, such articles get you thinking and in effect, help you mend your own ways. This ones a good read for those seeking some timely lessons in life!

For the interested, “Women and Money” author Suze Orman is making news with a new relationship. No I do not mean a personal one…..Suze Orman is now partnering with TD Ameritrade. She will be promoting their account and providing the save yourself plan to subscribers. You can get the details here at Suze Orman Teams Up With TD Ameritrade.

I have been watching her call-in show for sometime, although not religiously. I am not so sure how well people relate to this show but I guess the information is handy. You definitely get a tip or two when it comes to personal finance, don’t you? I think it would be interesting to know how many people have actually benefitted from this advice practically. Its good to hear it from some one who is an authority on the subject but implementation is the key, remember?   Check the article at Suze Orman Teams Up With TD Ameritrade

Have you ever thought of credit card arbitrage? I mean balance transfers here.

I used to wonder how to make sure that I am gaining money through balance transfers and not making the credit card company rich instead. And most importantly, I wanted to know which cards would provide the best balance transfer options in my given situation. I found some answers to my query at Best Credit Cards for 0% Balance Transfers.

This article provides quite a few interesting  tips to follow while selecting a card from an  arbitrage perspective. Things like avoiding fees and interest and checking that these cards do not charge you any annual fees. Worth a read….check it out.

How many times before have you heard of a paypal account getting compromised by an intruder? And how many of these have been able to get their money back? Not many. Often touted as an easy way to process payments, we tend to forgive the fact that it can be hacked into and result in a big loss of money.

Well, there is good news in the pipeline. Paypal is now concerned about this issue and is introducing secure ID tags. I liked this concept of  security. Heard about HSBC doing a similar stuff for its online customers sometime back. Assurance from paypal that my money is safe, adds to the convenience that it already provides. Read more

All this while I have been reading about credit cards and the menace they can cause. Higher debts that is. 

Most advisors have been preaching about monitoring your expenses closely. I too have been watching my pocket and trying to implement some of those tips myself. And to be honest, I did manage to keep a few expenses under control….but the temptation to swipe my card is a difficult thing to resist; some thing that requires a high amount of disipline!

More on that later. Here is a question. How many of you think you know all the facts about credit cards and are equipped to use them wisely? Well, for starters, I stumbled across  few things I was fascinated to know about credit cards, in general, and a few other things that confirmed that credit card companies are getting richer due to my inability to resist the temptation to swipe it. Take a look at this article and you can judge for yourself…all about credit cards! Read this and let me know your opinion.

Any view on personal finance and the potential to creating assets MUST begin with understanding what areas one needs to focus on. Without this, one can only run around aimlessly like a headless chicken.

Wealth constitutes two major components -  Income and expenses. Wealth increases by achieving the following objectives:

1. Increase your income and/or
2. Decrease your expenses

 Agreed that we are all aware of this. But frankly, how many of us have been actually been able to achieve the above objectives consistently for prolonged periods of time? Well, not many.

Notice that I used “and/or” expression after the first objective? Do you know why?

The answer is very simple, yet it is useless when someone else tells you. Take minute and try to interpret the meaning in your context. Once you understand this, you will be able to analyze your own position fairly.

I will be back shortly with the answer…

I have been reading quite a few articles on saving for retirement, asset creation, retiring early and so forth. I found many of these articles to be useful to a person who is already aware of his financial position. Howevere, a beginer, who is already confused, and seeks a solution through these articles, may find himself even more confused if he is not directed properly. How many times have you heard more than one view on a particular article from your peer group itself? Now imagine these posts being read by people across the world with different mindsets, cultures, and most importantly, different financial positions. Confusing, right?

Well, I am going to try and make it easy by sharing my bit on the fundamentals. We will look at what constitutes asset creation and how does one decide what fits his or her personal situation. In my next post I will talk about these constituents. I will also try to guide you to other useful material to aid your decision making process.

To begin with, take a look at the personal finance blog for some tips on improving your financial life rightaway…..and wait for my next post