Welcome to the Carnival of 20-Something Finances, Brazil-Carnival Style!  Have a great time reading all the wonderful articles!
Editor’s Picks
#1 – Silicon Valley Blogger presents Force Yourself To Save! 15 Painless Ways To Pay Yourself First posted at The Digerati Life.
#2 – Child Free Life presents Words of Wisdom Lending and Giving posted at Childfreelife’s Weblog.
#3 - mbhunter presents Pearls of financial wisdom for graduates posted at Mighty Bargain Hunter, saying, “Some of my favorites from a recent group writing project on finances at graduation.”
Income and Investment
The Shark Investor presents The Five Essential Elements Of Automated Income Generators posted at The Shark Investor, saying, “What does it take to generate automated income”
KCLau presents Ride on the Oil Palm Industry Boom posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “LEading to oil palm investment, an insight into what Country Heights Grower Scheme is all about”
Raag Vamdatt presents New Ebook Launched: “Investing In Gold - Everything You Should Know” :: RaagVamdatt.com :: Financial Planning demystified posted at RaagVamdatt.com, saying, “The eBook has a good introduction to Gold investing - information that young people can use to invest in gold, which should be a central, stabilizing part of every person’s portfolio.”
Chris presents 9 Surefire Strategies NOT to Retire Early posted at nomad4ever.
Lane Wright presents Three Forex Trading Strategies posted at Awesome Forex Alerts.
Sally Thompson presents 10 Forex Trading Myths That Just Won?t Die posted at Currency Trading.net.
LIVING OFF DIVIDENDS presents $2,811 In Passive Income For April 2008 posted at LIVING OFF DIVIDENDS & PASSIVE INCOME.
terry dean presents Low Margin Products vs. High Margin Products posted at David Bullock - Innovation And Thought Log.
Aussie Investor presents Investing In The Stock Market To Grow Your Wealth posted at Money Management Personal Finance Blog, saying, “One of the best ways to build your personal wealth is by investing in the stock market (just look at Warren Buffett). This post contains some tips on how to get started with your stock investing endeavors.”
Saving and Spending
Faron Benoit presents 15 Cheap Romantic Date Ideas posted at Financial Learn, saying, “Who says romance has to be expensive”
Nick Simard presents Are You Afraid of Bankers? posted at RBC p2p.
Ybother presents 10 Ways To Get The Best Price For Your Car posted at www.ZhouWenhan.com, saying, “I just sold my car, a Mitsubishi Mirage vintage 2000 with 90K miles on it. It was a good deal for me and the buyer. I got it for a good price so I let it off at a good price too. I know my car is reliable but I was thinking of how I could make sure that my car is in peak condition when buyers came to test drive. This is the list I came up that I think might help you get a higher price for your car.”
Brice Hogan presents How to Radically Save Money posted at Financialzip.com.
Jim presents Net Worth By Age Is Meaningless posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Livingalmostlarge presents 12 Necessities or Wants? posted at LivingAlmostLarge, saying, “What is necessary and what is not?”
Helen Anderson presents 8 Tips for Saving Money and Your Life at Personal Finance Blog, Budgeting, Debt @ Bankaholic posted at Bankaholic.
Christine Talley presents Cheap Hair Products « Chicago: cheap! posted at Chicago: cheap!, saying, “My stylist just told me how to get salon quality from the drug store. I’m sharing his tip in a short blurb.”
Saver (on behalf of Spender) presents The Dull Assignment posted at She’s a Saver, He’s a Spender.
Sam presents NEW !! How to Sell My House and Get the Most Money. Buyers, Selling, Real Estate Agents, Making the Sale. ! Surfer Sam posted at Surfer Sam and Friends.
sarah presents How to dine at fancy-schmancy restaurants on the CHEAP posted at SARAHSPY.
Steve Faber presents - How Much House Can I Afford? How to Find the The Right Answer For You posted at DebtBlog.
Shaheen Lakhan presents Should Doctors be Paid by Drug Companies for Research? posted at GNIF Brain Blogger, saying, “Though the Research Ethics Boards exists to protect research subjects in clinical trials by providing guidelines, sometimes healthcare companies and doctors find a way around them. Is money that big a draw that a doctor could go against his own ethics?”
Christine Talley presents But, I Need a Car! « Chicago: cheap! posted at Chicago: cheap!, saying, “A comparison between Zipcar and I-GO car sharing’s cheapest options.”
Debt, Credit and Interest Rates
imarketing4s presents How To Best Use Your Debt Consolidation Opportunities posted at Free Debt Consolidation: Qualified Financial Management.
Jose DeJesus MD presents How to Prevent Identity Theft posted at Physician Entrepreneur.
Andrea Smith presents Is Debt Consolidation Fixing Your Problem? | LoanHunt.com posted at LoanHunt.com.
Jose DeJesus MD presents Check Your Credit Score posted at Physician Entrepreneur.
Joy Harrison presents Reduce your debt load: 9 proven techniques posted at Money Sense, saying, “If you are constantly dealing with the pressures of mounting debt, it’s time to start looking for some solutions fast. Your goal… get out of debt as soon as possible. Here are 9 proven techniques to get you started.”
Steve Faber presents - Top Debt Consolidation Loans – How to Get the Best Debt Consolidation Loan posted at DebtBlog, saying, “To hear the radio and TV ads tell it, a debt consolidation loan is a financial cure all. That’s not the case at all. One of these loans may be part of solid financial strategy, but that’s definitely not the always the case. If you do decide to get one, here’s what to look for.”
J. Savings presents Is it time to lock in our Home Equity Line rate? I’m Stuck! posted at Budgets are Sexy., saying, “Can anyone time the market and know WHEN to lock in a good rate? I spill the details here…and ask for help!”
Michael Bass presents The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act posted at Debt Prison, saying, “I decided to create this article to assist readers in understanding the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by highlighting the most relevant sections in an easy to understand format.”
Joy Harrison presents Cash-out refinance loan? is it a good choice for extra cash? posted at Money Sense, saying, “Many times home owners look into refinancing, second mortgages, and home equity lines of credit, but there is also the lesser known option of a cash-out refinance. Learn the pros and cons of each.”
Andrew Heath presents How I Came to Peace with My Credit Card Debt posted at Andy, saying, “When credit card debt becomes overwhelming, you can still have a peaceful and happy life. Happiness is not easy, but it is something we can choose.”
J. Savings presents Wanna know what it feels like to have ZERO credit card debt? posted at Budgets are Sexy., saying, “Having recently squashed my own credit card debt down to Zero (hooray), I offer up the 4 steps which helped get me there ”
Jeremy presents FICO discounts credit monitoring by 25 percent posted at blogs.creditcards.com.
Mr Credit Card presents Finances vs. Credit Part 1 of 4: Smart Financial Decisions That Hurt Your Credit Score posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.
Heather Johnson presents Clearing Out Cancelled Credit Cards posted at SayEducate.
Family
Tyler McKinna presents Life Insurance Is Critical When You Have Dependants posted at Dividend Money, saying, “An article on the importance of life insurance when you have kids and how to calculate your life insurance needs.”
Bill D presents 13 Lucky Tips to Save on Life Insurance posted at The Wealth Hunter.
KCLau presents Personal Asset Inventory Template posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “On why one should write a will. What personal assests inventory and what items should be included under it.”
David Weliver presents Should You Take Financial Help from Your Parents? posted at Money Under 30.
Business
Jose DeJesus MD presents Business Startup - Testing Your Idea and Yourself posted at Physician Entrepreneur.
Jose DeJesus MD presents Become a Successful Entrepreneur posted at Physician Entrepreneur.
Mark Butler presents Why Everyone Should Experience a Sales Job posted at The Butler Project, saying, “An experience with commission-based sales can open your opportunities for earning and entrepreneurship like few other things.”
Realm of Prosperity presents Practicing Business Strategies: Reducing Expenses posted at Realm of Prosperity.
Personal
Dorian Wales presents The Importance of Learning to Let Go posted at The Personal Financier, saying, “Trying to keep every option viable is very costly both mentally and physically. Learning to let go is essential to moving forward”
Ralph Jean-Paul presents How to Assert Yourself Effectively posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, “Being a good communicator, straightforward, and assertive are now essential for business success. Learn best way to give ultimatums, present your ideas clearly, and tell someone they are wrong.”
Alvaro Fernandez presents Why Smart Brains Make Stupid Decisions posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, “We just secured an interview with Ori Brafman, co-author of Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior (Doubleday Business, 2008), to discuss our Dark Side (well, he calls it “different hidden forces” and “psychological undercurrents”).”
Patrick Schwerdtfeger presents Are you capable of success? posted at Tactical Execution, saying, “The first step in financial success is a belief system that supports the achievement of that objective.”
Dereck presents How to become what you want to become, in about two days posted at I Will Not Die.
Jim presents Your Pen Holder and Personal Finances posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
That concludes the Carnival of 20-Something Finances Brazil-Style!  Submit your best articles to the next carnival using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Technorati tags: twenty something finances, blog carnival.

Photo Credits:  Fernando Stankuns , Halans, Ludmila Tavares, irvinepmichaelca  

Don’t forget to contribute to the upcoming Carnival of 20Something Finances!  I know you all have wonderful stories to go into the carnival this time, so be sure to submit them.  I have a wonderful theme brewing on the backburner, so look for it next Monday!

I can’t even begin to talk about how excited I am to have joined the Wealth, Money and Life Network.  There were several wonderful submissions to this first carnival, but here are the editor’s picks:

Sombreros - The Heads of WML - Emergency Fund Articles                                     Photo Credit:  Fabalv

1.  Living off Dividends wrote about How the Federal Reserve Helped the Rich Become Super Rich.  The video is not only enlightening, it’s a little scary!

2.  Are There Cracks in Your Foundation? was an excellent article over at Dividends for Life.  I thought he really did a good job explaining what your priorities should be.

3.  Mark at Just Personal Finance (at the LocoMono site) wrote about Defining Your Emergency Fund.  Each person will decide for themselves what their emergency fund should look like and be used for.

4.  SFGal at Her Every Cent Counts wrote about her rent increase and how she doesn’t know if she even has enough for a down payment, let alone breaking into her emergency fund.  I hope she doesn’t break into her emergency fund for her down payment.                                                                                                             

5.  At How I Save Money, LuluGal wrote about all the ins and outs of an emergency fund and how you should go about doing it.  My favorite part?  She said to “forget your money!”  It’s funny, but it works!

6.  Saving Diva went through all the reasons why she needs a better emergency fund at Saving For Home.  I never thought about how much more important it is for our single people to have emergency funds as they have fewer streams of income.  Good point!

7.  Last but not least, I wrote about emergency fund etiquette.  Don’t bring up your emergency fund at work.  Believe me.

 Beer - About What’s Leftover After the Work - Wealth

1.  The Dividend Growth Investor tells us about Asset Allocation for April.  Check there for some tips for May.

2.  At the Money Gardener, MG wrote Why All the Fuss Over Dividends?  I think there is plenty of room to fuss about a free $5 per day!  I would fuss about even a free $1 per day!

3.  Leon at Sox First talked about how gold is stacking up.  Read the article to see how relative value is stacking gold now.

4.  Wenchypoo says to buy now that prices are low at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.  According to CNBC, things are only getting worse from here.

5.  At Michael Emilio’s blog, he writes a very in-depth article about condo-hotels.  Very informative and makes me want to invest!

6.  Jason at Best Premium Card wrote about Exclusive American Express Golf Benefits.

Photo Credit: The Adventures of Kristin & Adam

7.  FIRE Finance had an excellent article about Vanguard’s new Managed Payout Funds (MPFs).  This is a new development and I already love Vanguard, so I will have to check this out.

Chichen Itza - The Money-Shot!                                                                                           Photo Credit: kyle simourd 

1.  Wenchypoo told us about the Three Little Words that Limit Severe Consequences at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.  This article scared me because it affects my retirement.

2.  Erica gives us some great money hacks for eBay and Craigslist at her site.  She saved a bunch of money on her purse - what are some things you could save some money on?

3.  Never Spend More Than 70% of Your Income was written at Moneymonk.  The rest should be saved - what if I save much more than 30%?

4.  Christine at Me, My Kid and Life wrote about how she and her daughter eat for 10 Euro per day.  I am amazed at this, but then again, this is around $20, right?

5.  Christine at Me, My Kid and Life also wrote about some research that she has been doing to monetize her blog.  I need to take the time to read this, because I haven’t even been covering my hosting fees lately.  That’s right, I’m paying to blog to you.  But it keeps me honest. 

6.  Money Blue Book has an awesome article by Ray about how to use low-interest balance transfers to payoff credit card debt.  This is the simplest, quickest way to pay off the evil credit card debt.

7. Youngsaver submitted Frugality: Dating and Money at Save to the Future.  He features some really great ideas about what a man can do to be honest and still have great dates! 

8. How to Save Money by Making Credit Card Payments More Real and Tangible was written by Dorian over at The Personal Financier.  These are great tips to get rid of that credit card debt.

9.  Ralph at Enginero wrote about the Economic Stimulus and which stores are running which deals.  This is a good topic if you didn’t already have other plans for your stimulus check.

Flags - Symbols of Life In-Country

1.  Compiled at Empowerment 4 Life is a bunch of articles that Anthony wrote for Ezine.  He has great articles that have to do with many aspects of your financial life.  He’s also giving away prizes, so go check it out!

2.  Mark busts the housing myth at Investing Lessons.  This makes me feel a little better about having to sell my house in a few years.

3.  Ana at Debt-Free Revolution explained some safety tips from her experiences as a pizza driver.  A very thoughtful article.

4.  I laughed a lot at Tim’s article on people’s horrid driving habits at Internet Business and Personal Success.  We really do only have control over ourselves, so stop wasting your energy!

Photo Credit: Esparta

5.  Gary over at 2 Million Dollar Bills wrote about his dreams and how he plans to acheive them.  A good idea to follow…

Contributors:  Thanks so much for making this a wonderful last-minute carnival!

Readers:  Please take a moment to read all these wonderful articles!