Here we go with the first round of Free Money Finance March Money Madness (to follow all the action click on my March Money Madness category link http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/march_madness/index.html 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 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 -- you will help determine the winner! Criteria for the best article is somewhat subjective, but you can use these factors as a guide: 1) practicality of the post 2) how interesting/provocative/unique it is, 3) the "personal-ness" of it and 4) its impact on net worth.
Here are today's games:
GAME 15
- Creative ways to help a charity without spending any money (Creative) - "I can't afford to give to charity". How many of us have used this statement? I am willing to bet quite a few of us. But we don't need money to help, and I am not talking about the usual ways to give - volunteering, giving blood, donating used goods. We can do better than that. This post talks about 16 creative ways to help a charity without spending money, with minimal effort and absolutely no changes to your current lifestyle.
VERSUS
- Is a House Cleaning Service Worth It? (Cleaning) - Is hiring a house cleaning service worth the cost? Some would say it's an extravagant expense. But in some ways, it could help you make money. See our experience in hiring a cleaning service and whether it's a service for you.
GAME 16
- Account Hierarchy Paradox - Should Paying Off Debt, Saving for Retirement, Having an Emergency Fund, or Securing Health Insurance Be Your Highest Priority? (Paradox) - Deciding how to prioritize new money as it comes in is especially important, as well as significantly difficult. This decision process becomes even more cumbersome when a person has large amounts of consumer debt, which is becoming more and more prevalent in today's society. This post takes a look at the prioritization decision process and tries to obtain an answer to how one should prioritize 1) paying off debt, 2) saving for retirement, 3) health insurance, and 4) accumulating an emergency fund.
VERSUS
- Are Safe Withdrawal Rates Really Safe? (Safe) - An epic 8000 word expose that puts the multi-year controversy behind safe withdrawal rates to rest once and for all. This subject is arguably the most important topic in retirement planning, and the analysis in this post earned top rankings in Google and praise from pension managers and top researchers alike (see comments!). Discover what ugly truths lurk behind the infamous “4% Rule” and how it might effect your financial security...
game 15 : creative
game 16 : safe
All very good articles this time. Shame anyone has to lose.
Posted by: jim | February 20, 2012 at 01:58 PM
Creative
Safe
Posted by: Evan | February 20, 2012 at 02:01 PM
15: Creative
16: Safe
Posted by: Todd Tresidder | February 20, 2012 at 02:07 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey | February 20, 2012 at 03:51 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: Becca | February 20, 2012 at 04:01 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: sb | February 20, 2012 at 05:23 PM
Cleaning
Paradox
Posted by: Glen Craig | February 20, 2012 at 05:43 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: Madeline | February 20, 2012 at 05:44 PM
Cleaning
Paradox
Posted by: Miranda | February 20, 2012 at 05:44 PM
Creative
Safe
:)
Posted by: Jaime Tardy | February 20, 2012 at 06:10 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: WInformatics | February 20, 2012 at 06:49 PM
Cleaning
Paradox
Posted by: Tom Drake | February 20, 2012 at 07:10 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: Tato | February 20, 2012 at 07:36 PM
15. Creative
16. Safe
Posted by: Eva Gregory | February 20, 2012 at 08:28 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: Bad_Brad | February 20, 2012 at 08:41 PM
Cleaning
Paradox
Posted by: David Leonhardt | February 20, 2012 at 08:47 PM
Creative
Safe
Posted by: Jake | February 20, 2012 at 08:49 PM
Cleaning
Safe
Posted by: george | February 20, 2012 at 08:58 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: Crystal | February 20, 2012 at 09:04 PM
Creative
Safe
Posted by: Pat | February 20, 2012 at 09:18 PM
Creative
Paradox
Posted by: Roshawn @ Watson Inc | February 20, 2012 at 11:15 PM
Safe
Posted by: Jon | February 21, 2012 at 06:12 AM
Game 16: Todd Tresidder's article is very accurate and above all meaningful!!
All the best.
Fab, greetings from Italy.
Posted by: Fab | February 21, 2012 at 06:39 AM
15: Creative
16: Safe
Posted by: Yann V | February 21, 2012 at 06:41 AM
Safe
Posted by: Kim | February 21, 2012 at 06:43 AM
15. Creative
16. Safe
Posted by: NKLee | February 21, 2012 at 06:58 AM
16 safe
Posted by: Sally Z | February 21, 2012 at 07:18 AM
Safe. Good article.
Posted by: joe | February 21, 2012 at 07:21 AM
Cleaning
Safe
Posted by: Cindy | February 21, 2012 at 07:26 AM
safe
Posted by: Ken LaVoie | February 21, 2012 at 07:40 AM
GAME 16 : SAFE
Posted by: Howard Spiegel | February 21, 2012 at 07:41 AM
Game 16: Safe. Important new analysis here.
Posted by: TERRY DIFILIPPO | February 21, 2012 at 07:45 AM
Game 16: SAFE and SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS HERE
Posted by: SHEKHAR MOHITE | February 21, 2012 at 08:00 AM
Always well thought out and meaningful.
Game 16 Safe
Posted by: Rich Rogers | February 21, 2012 at 08:01 AM
Creative
Safe
Posted by: JimL | February 21, 2012 at 08:03 AM
Game 16 - Todd is one of the very few who I really look to for financial wisdom
Safe
Posted by: tris | February 21, 2012 at 08:07 AM
16 safe
Posted by: Jeff | February 21, 2012 at 08:08 AM
16 safe
Believe it or not, I have spent 10 years of my life exploring the implications of the finding (in 2002!) that the Old School SWR studies get the numbers wrong and how it is that this error went either undiscovered or undiscussed or uncorrected for so many years (causing so much human misery for so many retirees in the process). People will be discussing this article for many years to come.
Rob
Posted by: Rob Bennett | February 21, 2012 at 08:20 AM
Creative
Safe
Posted by: Joel Zieve | February 21, 2012 at 08:24 AM
Game 16 Safe
Posted by: jimmm | February 21, 2012 at 08:28 AM
safe
Posted by: Ben | February 21, 2012 at 09:01 AM
Creative
Safe
Posted by: zd | February 21, 2012 at 09:03 AM
Game 16: "Safe"
Posted by: Larry Weber | February 21, 2012 at 09:04 AM
Safe
Posted by: tw | February 21, 2012 at 09:05 AM
15. Creative
16. Safe
Safe is the best article I have ever read about making sense of withdrawl rates and the over-reliance on the 4% Rule.
Posted by: Vane | February 21, 2012 at 09:08 AM
game 15 : Cleaning
game 16 : Safe
Not even a contest
Posted by: rmw | February 21, 2012 at 09:14 AM
Cleaning
Safe
Posted by: AI | February 21, 2012 at 09:19 AM
game 16: safe
Posted by: DJ | February 21, 2012 at 09:52 AM
Creative
Safe
Posted by: Jeffrey | February 21, 2012 at 09:56 AM
Game 16: Safe
Posted by: Daniel Joloba | February 21, 2012 at 10:01 AM