Weekend Reading: Frosty Edition

Last weekend, I went on a trip with my girlfriend to a B&B out in the countryside over the Halloween weekend to celebrate our 6^th anniversary together. The B&B was located on a hill amongst the mountains, with a nice view of the country side. It snowed gently over the night, and we woke up in the morning to a beautiful scene of frosted trees and ground. It almost looked like something right out of the Chronicles of Narnia. It looked a bit like the photo here, though the snow was somewhat lighter.

Here’s what was posted at Invest It Wisely over the last week:

• What Will You Be Voting For? — This post discusses the recent US elections, as well as my thoughts on them.
• When Using a Rewards Card Will Cost You — This is a guest post by Kevin Fleming that talks about the potential pitfalls of using rewards cards.
• The Skinny on Credit Cards: A Book Review — I recently read The Skinny on Credit Cards: How to Master the Credit Card Game; this is my review. I recommend this book for anyone just getting started out with credit cards or with debt.

Giveaways

Squirrelers is hosting a giveaway, and yours truly is helping to sponsor! As part of the giveaway, he will also be donating to charity. I think that’s a pretty great thing to do. If you want to have a shot at winning some great prizes, then be sure to head on over and enter!

Weekend Reading

Here are some interesting articles that I’ve read over the last week. Although the weekend is already over, I hope that you enjoy these reads, as I did.

Why I choose to pay down the mortgage faster instead of investing (Beating The Index)

Mich tells us why he prefers to pay down his mortgage more rapidly, instead of using that extra money to invest.

Beware of Men Counting Pennies (Aloysa’s Kitchen Sink)

I enjoyed this post, which talks about cheap dates and the drawbacks (for women) of being with a cheap man!

Can Jealousy Be Good? (Get Happy Life)

Get Happy Life explores jealously and looks at the good sides as well as the bad sides. I love the photo at the beginning of the post.

Charter doesn’t protect property rights (Larry MacDonald)

Did you know that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not recognize property rights? Given that property rights are a crucial cornerstone to a prosperous, free, and liberal society, this is something that should be corrected.

Gotta love failures (Andrew Hallam)

Check out Andrew kicking some ass. This guy inspires me every single day, and I am not even exaggerating one bit. Be sure to look around his blog and read more about his investing and life philosophy.

How To Attack The Fiat Currency Fractional Reserve Banking Conspiracy (Run to Gold)

Do you believe that lizard men from Mars are in control of the U.S. finance and banking industry? I don’t really believe in that, either, but I got a kick out of this post. Trace from Run to Gold makes the case for voluntary personal austerity and removing yourself out of the rat race. Somehow this reminds me a bit of Early Retirement Extreme, although Trace has a much more conspiratorial bent. 🙂

How To Get Rid Of A $13.728 Trillion Dollar Debt (Buy Like Buffett)

Mark gives his suggestions and ideas on how to get rid of the massive debt overhang facing the U.S. government.

Wedding Tips! (Everyday Tips and Thoughts)

Kris over at Everyday Tips and Thoughts wrote this thoughtful and interesting article that hits home for me, as I wonder how on earth we will afford a wedding especially after just purchasing a place together. I have as yet to leave a comment on the article itself… sorry Kris! I have not forgotten about you. 🙂

What Happens When the Glass Is Too Big? (Balance Junkie)

Balance Junkie asks if our growth is really sustainable, or if the ongoing socialism of the money supply, as well as the privatization of profits and the socialization of losses, are leading us down a path of growth destruction. She brings up McMansions as an example, which are clearly a result of misguided government policies and central bank intervention into the price of money, as well as a whole pyramid of fraud and distortions that have built themselves on top of this illegitimate foundation.

What’s Really Happening In The Economy and World Markets (The Wise Buck)

Mike describes his view of the economy, and how he sees things playing out as a result of the unwinding of toxic assets.

Economics

• Economic Recessions, Banking Reform, and the Future of Capitalism (Jesus Huerta de Soto)
• Is Inflation Over Emphasized? (DIY Investor)

Health

• Just How Long Did Grok Live, Really? (Mark’s Daily Apple)

Investing

• 401k part 2 – Traditional VS ROTH 401k (retireby40.org)
• 5 Roth Conversion Myths (Personal Finance By The Book)
• Book Review & Interview with Jonathan Spall of How to Profit in Gold (Investing Thesis)
• Dividends Vs. Share Repurchases (Dividend Monk)
• What Is A Stock? (Canadian Finance Blog)

Miscellaneous

• 4 Wheelin With Babci (Sauerkraut) (First Gen American)
• How to deal with a micromanager (Frugal Zeitgeist)
• Quitting Your Job? Be Smart About It (Personal Dividends)
• Rockin Out (Mises Economics Blog)
• VIDEO: Bonobo ape sex and communication (CBC)

Personal Finance

• 4 Devastating Affects Of Keeping Up With The Joneses (Bible Money Matters)
• An Against the Grain Approach to Prioritizing Your Savings (Free From Broke)
• Do You Save Instead of Paying Debt? (Watson Inc)
• Facing Foreclosure? Avoid These Scams (Wealth Pilgrim)
• GOOD DEBT (Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance)
• How I Feel About Money Today – 11.06.10 (Faithful With A Few)
• Personal Finance Starts With Accounting! (The Passive Income Earner)
• Places That I Will Never Spend My Money (Green Panda Treehouse)
• Thanksgiving Dinner on a Budget: Menu Plan and Ingredient List (The Saved Quarter)

Politics

• John Carmack (founder of Id software) on Government (John Carmack)
• Waste, Waste Everywhere, and Not a Program to Cut (The Biz of Life)

Technology

• Android Crushing iPhone – Open Source For the Win (Singularity Hub)
• Chatterbot Fools Judge Into Thinking It’s Human at Competition (Singularity Hub)
• Google Street View Is Recording the Entire World (Singularity Hub)
• Juan Enriquez shares mindboggling science (TED)
• New Augmented Reality Software Removes Objects From Video Feeds In Realtime (Singularity Hub)

My roundup includes sites that mentioned Invest It Wisely over the past week; thanks for including me, and please let me know if I forgot to mention you!

Video of the week

Thanks to The Daily Capitalist for sharing this.
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend.