Free Money Finance March Madness, Round 1, Posts 49-56

Here we go with the first round of Free Money Finance March Madness (if you wonder what's going on in these posts, see my article announcing March Madness and/or click on my March Madness category link and scroll down to read all the posts involved in this subject.) I've listed each "game" (one post versus another) in segments along with the wording provided by the author when the post was submitted. I've also listed a keyword(s) after each post title to make it easy to vote (as a made-up example, you can just comment: Game 1 - Saving; Game 2 - Investing, etc.) Be sure to comment which one you like the best out of each set of two. Here we go:

GAME 25

• Go Open a Roth IRA Right Now! (IRA) - 115 comments can't be wrong! This article explains how opening a Roth IRA really only takes fifteen minutes and walks the reader through the extremely simple process. The hardest part is actually getting started!

VERSUS

• Why I Collect Pennies: 6 Reasons for Loving Petty Cash (Pennies) - Even my children laugh when I make a big deal about finding a penny on the rug or under a cushion. But my petty cash pursuit is driven by high-finance dreams and lofty personal goals.

GAME 26

• Lessons Learned from Diet Books: How to Think Like a Rich Person (Lessons) - Some people are rich, and some people are thin: what are they doing right? Using a best-selling diet book as inspiration, this post lays out 8 personality traits that can make it difficult for you to manage your finances, and suggests ways to combat these self-defeating traits. There are many ways in which dieting and saving money are analogous but I think these 8 points really get at the heart of why many people have trouble succeeding in each area.

VERSUS

• Ready to be Rewarded for your Good Credit? (Credit) - The way your credit score is calculated is about to undergo some serious changes. How will these modifications help or hurt your FICO score?

GAME 27

• Rule #16: Who Do You Think You Are? (Rule) - This was one of my most popular "rules" (it even got me a marriage proposal from one of the commenters!) The post offers practical and philosophical advice about how our spending habits are influenced by our shifting sense of identity and community. It even comes with special bonus Venn diagrams starring me as the black dot in the middle.

VERSUS

• A Penny Saved is Worth More Than a Penny Earned (Penny) - One of the most important financial concepts that people can learn is that a dollar saved is more valuable than a dollar earned. This is because money saved has already been earned, taxed, and has the potential to grow through compound interest. New earnings are at a disadvantage because they must be worked for again, are taxed, and because the time value of money and inflation work against future earnings.

GAME 28

• 10 Things That Bring Success in Personal Finance - #7 Automatic Savings and Bill Payment (Things) - Are you looking for an easy and efficient way of SAVING MORE MONEY?  How about PAYING BILLS?  This post details how you can simplify your finances by making your savings and bill payment transfers automatic.

VERSUS

• Exactly How To Pay Off Debt, Mortgages, Or Credit Cards Early (Debt) - Breaking down this somewhat 'complex' topic into 5 "do's" and 3 "dont's".  An easy-to-follow debt reduction plan.

Comments

IRA
Lessons
Rule
Debt

[Beth]

Game 25 - IRA
Game 26 - Credit
Game 27 - Penny
Game 28 - Things

[No Debt Plan]

Game 25 - IRA
Game 26 - Lessons
Game 27 - Penny
Game 28 - Things

[Melissa]

Game 25 - IRA
Game 26 - Lessons
Game 27 - Penny
Game 28 - Debt

[Super Saver]

25 IRA
26 Lessons
27 Rule
28 Things

[CBaker]

Game 25 - IRA
Game 26 - Lessons
Game 27 - Penny
Game 28 - Things

[paidtwice]

IRA
Lessons
Penny
Things

[Tim]

Game 25 - IRA
Game 26 - Lessons
Game 27 - Penny
Game 28 - Debt

[Ken]

25. IRA
26. Credit
27. Penny
28. Debt

[Susannah]

25: pennies
26: credit
27: rules
28: things

[PT]

25.IRA
26.Lessons
27.Penny
28.Things

[Matt]

1. Pennies
2. Credit
3. Rule
4. Things

[Lily]

25 - Pennies
26 - Lessons
27 - Penny
28 - Debt

[Miramaxa]

25- IRA
26- Lessons
27- Rule
28- Things

[Jeffrey]

Game 25: IRA
Game 26: Credit
Game 27: Penny
Game 28: Things

[StanL]

25 - Pennies
26 - Lessons
27 - Penny
28 - Debt

[ClipClop]

25. IRA
26. Credit
27. Penny
28. Debt

[ShonT]

25. IRA
26. Credit
27. Penny
28. Debt

[Andy]

25: IRA
26: Lessons
27: Penny
28: Things

[B]

IRA
Lessons
Penny
Things

[TT]

pennies
lessons
penny
things

[n/a]

IRA
Lessons
Penny
Debt

[Madame X]

25- IRA
26- Lessons (ok, it's my own post!)
27- RUle (likewise!)
28- Debt

[Nadine T.]

Game 25 - Pennies
Game 26 - Lessons
Game 27 - Penny
Game 28 - Things

[Mark]

25- IRA
26- Credit
27- Penny
28- Debt

[Eric]

25: IRA
26: Credit
27: Penny
28: Things

[Patrick]

25: IRA
26: Lessons
27: Penny
28: Things

[FMF]

Voting is over for this round. Winners are:

25 - IRA
26 - Lessons
27 - Penny
28 - Things

[Helen]

25. IRA
26. Lessons
27. Penny
28. Debt

[Rete]

Pennies
Lessons
Rule
Things

[mint tea]

25. IRA
26. Lessons
27. Rule
28. Debt

[Escape Brooklyn]

25: Pennies
26: Lessons
27: Rule
28: Debt