The Best Personal Finance Articles of 2010

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Career Ladder

The end of the year – it’s a time to look back and remember all that’s happened. It’s also a time to reflect on the best of the best for the year.  I thought it would be fun to put out a call to those in the personal finance community and ask for their best article of the year.  These are articles that either the author thought was their best work or perhaps the readers responded strongly to.  I think as you read through these you’ll find a lot of gems, great information, interesting stories, and even a little controversy.  Enjoy!

The following are the best of personal finance articles in 2010:
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Busting Common Investing Myths – A Tweetup With Motley Fool’s Tom Gardner and ShareBuilder’s Dan Greenshields

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Understanding stock selection

A little while back I had the pleasure of attending a Tweetup at the NYC ING Direct Cafe hosted by Sharebuilder‘s president Dan Greenshields with special guest speaker Tom Gardner, CEO of The Motley Fool.

For those wondering what a Tweetup is, it’s basically an organized meeting of sorts over the social site Twitter.  The meeting was held at the ING Cafe and people from all over could follow along and participate via Twitter.

The premise of the Tweetup was to help investors bust common investing myths and take the complexities out of investing.

I tried to takes notes as best I could so I could pass them along to you.  Keep in my I’m paraphrasing here and some of the words are mine, but I think you’ll get the general ideas of what was being said.

To start, Tom Gardner talked about four basic investing rules we should all follow (this is just part of his full list of rules):
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Amazon Smart Money and Inc Magazine Deals and Links

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So I’m looking on Amazon to check out what the Black Friday deals are all about there. One of our TV’s is getting a bit aged and we were thinking of replacing it.  Well, besides TV’s I found a couple of great magazine deals.  I’m considering getting them and thought I’d share them with you:
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What’s With The Celebrity PrePaid Debit Cards and Links

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So we have prepaid debit cards from Russell Simmons, RushCard, and now one is coming from the Kardashian sisters. Russell Simmons built up a hip-hop empire but the Kardashian sisters?!?  Wasn’t Kim’s initial claim to fame a “straight-to-DVD-movie” a la her friend Paris Hilton?  Are people really going to get this card?  Do people, or kids, really care?

I don’t know. Maybe I would be more apt to get some kind of heavy metal card.  The Metallica Black Card would have promise.  Or a better black card could be the Spinal Tap Card (“this card goes to 11!”).  Maybe an iron Iron Maiden Card (it could have some awesome album art).  How about a Guns N Roses Appetite for Credit Card?

Or better yet, we can have some famous investors cards. Maybe the Peter Lynch Invest in What You Know card?  The card analyzes your spending and invests in companies of stores you frequent.  Of course we would need the Warren Buffet card, which would invest in well-known companies that have great valuations.

What do you think would make a great endorsement card?
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Charge Cards Are Not Credit Cards – Understanding the Difference

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People often assume a charge card is just another way to say credit card but that is not the case. A charge card is a completely different entity than a credit card.  If you have never used a charge card, you should know what sets them apart from the regular plastic credit cards you may already have in your wallets.

What Is a Charge Card?

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What To Do With Your Money In Your 20s, 30s, And 40s – Ideas From Generation Earn

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Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back

Most of us don’t move through life in pre-determined stages, but there are still some generalizations we can make about money and age. These ideas for what to do with your money in your 20s, 30s, and 40s come from my new book, Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, which was just published by Ten Speed Press.

In your 20′s:

Invest in your career. Your career is the one place where it makes sense to splurge.  This might mean investing in the services of a career coach, or taking a leadership development class.  It could mean something as seemingly superficial as working with a personal shopper to make sure your wardrobe helps you look and feel good at work.  Or perhaps purchasing some guide books about your chosen field.  Investing in your career now, when you have time, can pay off hugely later.
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I’m Sick Of Hearing It’s For The Kids

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Child Holding Change

Ever run across someone that gives their children everything?

All the latest clothes, electronic gadgets, extracurricular activities, lavish weddings, education, you name it they have it.  And then you find out the parents are struggling to keep their heads above water financially.  Not “we’re just getting by.”  No.  I mean one month they don’t pay cable, another month they miss the electric bill; the rent gets paid late; always something and always “it’s for the kids!”

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A Tornado of Great Articles to Read

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So yesterday I’m outside with my son doing some lawn work. Dark clouds gather and I hear some thunder so we pack up our stuff and head inside.  About ten minutes later a pretty big thunderstorm rolls through.  No big deal.  About an hour later we hear there’s been a possible tornado in NYC (we’re a couple of towns over from the border).  Wha?!?  I had class so I had to drive into Queens.  Trees down everywhere!  Huge branches all over the place.  Streets closed off with trees blocking the way.  Highways are useless in certain areas.  Trains aren’t running and thousands are stranded.  If my class were about an hour earlier I could have been in the thick of it.

You never know what is going to happen tomorrow.

We can plan and plan but the future is an unknown.  Do what you can to minimize the unknown and make sure to live life now!

On to some great personal finance articles I found:

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Financial Krav Maga: Personal Finance Self Defense for the Modern Era

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Krav Maga on the Beach

In East Asia, you probably know about the ninja and samurai. In Israel, there are soldiers trained in Krav Maga.  For those of you who don’t know, Krav Maga is a martial art developed in Israel.  It does not have the long tradition of respect, personal growth, and honor that come to mind when you think of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu.  It was developed for one purpose, to survive.
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Upromise $100,000 College Dream Sweepstakes – and Links

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Upromise Sweepstakes

Save for College the Smart Way!From now until August 31st, 2010, Upromise has a sweepstakes going where ten lucky people will each get $10,000! This is part of their 3rd annual $100,000 Upromise College Dream Sweepstakes.  In order to enter you need to join Upromise and download their TurboSaver, an online savings reminder tool.
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