Weekly Roundup – Bailouts and Debates Edition

This has been an incredibly interesting week. The American economy is not doing so well, the Presidential candidates had a nice little debate on Friday, the stock market was very volatile, a couple banks failed, and congress is squabbling over the details of a $700 billion economic bail out. Let’s hope next week is a little more calm!

We can all learn from Paul Newman. Paul Newman passed on this weekend, and I think we can all learn a little bit from the way he lived. He gave his all in his acting, directing , and producing career (which spanned several decades), then he became a professional race car driver, finishing as high as 5th in a Daytona endurance race, and he started Newman’s Own, a food company that donates 100% of its profits (over $200 million since inception) to charitable causes. To top it all off, he had a great family life. I don’t think there is anyone out there who could say he lived life at half speed. Time has a great write up about his life.

Recommended personal finance articles:

creating your first budget. Creating a budget can be an exercise in patience. But it is well worth it! Find out what you need to know to create your first budget.

hazard pay. My military travels took me to many places that qualified for hazard pay – and a few times I was closer to the action than I would have liked. At the time, it was my duty and I went without question. Now that I am no longer bound to military service (and now that I am married), I have no desire to expose myself to those situations.

buying green power.We don’t have the option of buying green power where we are, but I would certainly consider it if we did. I still haven’t figured out why the US hasn’t adopted more sources of green energy.

Should People Be Reimbursed for the Cost of Evacuating?. We’ve reached the point where too many people want handouts.

How To Use Safe Deposit Boxes. My wife and I really need to get one of these!

Practical Steps in This Economic Mess. There is a lot of turmoil in our economy right now, and this article has some great tips for how to weather the storm.

Sneaky ‘daylighters’ risk firing by working extra jobs. CNN ran a feature about people who secretly work a second day job while they work their normal job. Examples included real estate agents, graphic designers, and more. Strangely, they didn’t mention bloggers…

10 free household budget spreadsheets. Here are some great resources if you are looking to build a budget, but don’t want (or don’t know how) to create your own spreadsheet.

Need extra income? Here are some ideas. I’m always looking for extra income. Strangely, look under sofa cushions missed this list…

Restore Your Fico Score – Part One. Solid tips for raising your FICO credit score.

The Alternatives Of 9 To 5. Great tips for working a non-traditional job, or ways to increase income if you are willing to take on additional work.

and a few articles to really pay attention to this week:

Protect Yourself From These Classic Investment Scams. Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, and more… There will always be someone looking for a way to part you from your hard earned money.

Pros and Cons of Money Merge Accounts. Money merge accounts often get a bad rap as being a scam, or for their high prices and multi-level marketing compensation schemes. So are they really a good deal? Rean this article to find out more information.

Scam of the Moment: Credit Card Shaving. This is a new one for me, but something to look out for.

This week’s carnivals: