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 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 1
- Personal Finance Lessons From the Trading Pit (Pit) - There are lessons everyone can learn about personal finance from traders. Here are the few things I learned in the trading pit that have had the biggest influence on how I think about and manage my money.
VERSUS
- Secrets on NCAA Championship Game tickets (Tickets) - Tickets to see the March Madness Championship basketball game are super cheap when compared to other major sport championship games. Buy Final Four and March Madness championship game tickets from fans from the losing teams and save lots of money.
GAME 2
- Student Loans Are Good For You (Loans) - There is a lot of worry about the growing amount of student loan debt. I fear student loans are getting a bad reputation. Student loans, used in moderation of course, should instead be viewed as a great helping hand to get you into a good paying career sooner rather than later.
VERSUS
- Self Employment: One Year Later (Employment) - Discover what it's like to leave the safe confines of the corporate world to become a full-time personal finance blogger and deal with things like individual health insurance, income fluctuations, and supporting a stay-at-home wife and two kids. In this post I share the sometimes scary details of my first year of self-employment.
Tickets
Loans (although I followed the link from Employment to PT Money's post on individual health insurance and really liked it, but that wasn't one of the choices)
Posted by: Evan | February 06, 2012 at 01:50 PM
Game 1: Pit
Game 2: Loans
Posted by: SB | February 06, 2012 at 02:00 PM
Pit & Loans
Posted by: Lars | February 06, 2012 at 02:04 PM
1: pit
2: loans
Posted by: Aat | February 06, 2012 at 02:08 PM
Pit & Loans
Posted by: SS | February 06, 2012 at 02:10 PM
game 1: pit
game 2: employment
Posted by: asr | February 06, 2012 at 02:20 PM
game 1 : pit
game 2 : loans
Posted by: jim | February 06, 2012 at 02:30 PM
Tickets, Loans
Posted by: SF | February 06, 2012 at 02:39 PM
game 1: pit
game 2: employment
Posted by: Nick | February 06, 2012 at 03:03 PM
Pit
Employment
Posted by: Josh | February 06, 2012 at 03:35 PM
Tickets
Employment
Posted by: Paul | February 06, 2012 at 03:42 PM
Tickets
Loans
Posted by: Cindy Bilbao | February 06, 2012 at 03:54 PM
Tickets
Loans
Posted by: Ryan | February 06, 2012 at 04:00 PM
Pits and loans
Posted by: Tom | February 06, 2012 at 04:08 PM
tickets
employment
Posted by: Joe | February 06, 2012 at 04:21 PM
Pit
Employment
Posted by: JP | February 06, 2012 at 05:25 PM
Game 1 - PIT
Game 2 - Self Employment
Posted by: Michael Pruser | February 06, 2012 at 05:59 PM
Game1: pits
Game2: employment
Posted by: A Facebook User | February 06, 2012 at 06:01 PM
Tickets
Employment
Posted by: Baron | February 06, 2012 at 06:18 PM
Tickets
Employment
Posted by: Ptmoney | February 06, 2012 at 06:18 PM
Pit
Employment
Posted by: Jason @ MyMoneyMinute | February 06, 2012 at 06:22 PM
Game 1:Pit
Game 2:Employment
Posted by: Ryan | February 06, 2012 at 06:39 PM
Pit
Loans
Posted by: AN | February 06, 2012 at 06:41 PM
Tickets
Employment
Posted by: Kyle | February 06, 2012 at 08:06 PM
Pit
Employment
Posted by: Glen Craig | February 06, 2012 at 08:20 PM
Pit
Employment
Posted by: jeff Rose | February 06, 2012 at 08:37 PM
Pit
Loans
Posted by: SB | February 06, 2012 at 08:58 PM
Game 1 - PIT
Game 2 - Self Employment
Posted by: Ryan | February 06, 2012 at 10:41 PM
Game 1: Pit
Game 2: Employment
Posted by: Leigh | February 06, 2012 at 10:50 PM
Pit
Employment
Posted by: Tom Drake | February 06, 2012 at 11:25 PM
Game 1 - Pit
Game 2 - Employment
Posted by: Julie | February 06, 2012 at 11:31 PM
1: Pit
2: Employment
Posted by: American Debt Project | February 07, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Pit
Employment
Posted by: Peter | February 07, 2012 at 12:34 AM
Pit and loans
Posted by: Jackie | February 07, 2012 at 06:45 AM
Pit and loans
Posted by: Jennifer | February 07, 2012 at 07:06 AM
Pit & Loans
Posted by: MMD | February 07, 2012 at 08:21 AM
Game 1: Pit.
Game 2: Employment, of course!
Posted by: Nords | February 07, 2012 at 09:24 AM
I like this series :)
1)pit
2)employment
Posted by: Christy | February 07, 2012 at 09:32 AM
Tickets & Loans
Posted by: Derek | February 07, 2012 at 11:33 AM
1) Tickets
2) Loans
Posted by: Jake | February 07, 2012 at 11:36 AM
tickets
employment
Posted by: Bryce | February 07, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Pit and employment. Oh PTmoney make Suze beg on her knees!
Posted by: Luis | February 07, 2012 at 01:29 PM
Tickets and loans
Posted by: Chad | February 07, 2012 at 02:36 PM
Tickets
Loans
Posted by: Derrick | February 07, 2012 at 04:20 PM
Pit and Employment
Posted by: Jonathan | February 07, 2012 at 05:27 PM
Game 1: Pit
Game 2: Employment
Posted by: Bad_Brad | February 07, 2012 at 05:41 PM
Pit & Loans
Posted by: Mara | February 07, 2012 at 08:08 PM
Tickets
Loans
Posted by: Shelby | February 07, 2012 at 08:51 PM
Tickets
Employment
Posted by: Spencer | February 07, 2012 at 10:00 PM
Loans employment
Posted by: Fred | February 07, 2012 at 11:19 PM