2008 was an amazing year for me on many levels – personally, professionally, and as a blogger. In many ways, my website and small business contributed to my personal and professional growth as it gave me an outlet to research and communicate my situation and ideas.
Cash Money Life, Military Finance Network, and my other online enterprises also amazed me with their growth in 2008. I have a lot to be thankful for and want to thank everyone who read Cash Money Life and my other sites in 2008, and send a special thanks to people who participated by leaving comments or linking to one of my articles. This site would be nothing but a loose collection of articles without the support of readers and fellow bloggers.
Here are some of the most helpful and entertaining articles from Cash Money Life in 2008.
Personal Finance
Above all, I consider Cash Money Life to be a personal finance blog – though I also believe personal finance covers a lot of territory. Here are a few of my favorite “catch all” articles from 2008. The remainder of the articles will be broken down into other subcategories to make it easier for readers to find an article by topic. You can also search my archives by topic if there is a category you are interested in.
- 10 Personal Finance Essentials.
- How to Become A Millionaire. A 5 part series.
- How Much Should You Tip? Divide by Six.
- Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps.
- Personal Finance Kaizen. Continuous improvement for your personal finances.
Career
2008 was a big year for me on a professional level. Earlier in the year I grew frustrated with my job situation and I used my website to help me organize my thoughts regarding making the decision to look for a new job. I wrote several articles about job searching, interviewing, salary negotiation, and accepting a job offer.
Here are a few of my favorite career articles from 2008.
- How Do You Know When it is Time to Change Jobs?.
- 10 Signs It’s Time For a New Job.
- Job Searching While Employed.
- How to Dress For an Interview.
- How to Do a Phone Interview.
- Salary Negotiation Tactics – Reader Question.
- How to Evaluate a Job Offer.
- How to Resign Gracefully.
- The Exit Interview.
- Improve Your Career With Sales and Marketing Skills.
- Professional Licenses and Certifications Can Increase Your Marketability and Salary.
- Unemployment Benefits – How to File and Other Frequently Asked Questions.
Investing
Investing is one of the best ways you can provide for the “future you.” Even though the stock market took a nose dive at the end of 2008, that doesn’t mean you should stay away. In fact, investing now may be a good time to buy equities at value prices – provided you are investing for a long period of time.
- Where Should You Invest First – 401(k) or IRA?.
- Deciding What to Do With Your 401(k) When You Change Jobs.
- Pros and Cons of Dollar Cost Averaging.
- Dollar Cost Averaging vs. Value Averaging.
- Invest As Much As You Can Now, So You Will Have Options Later.
- Now May Be a Good Time to INCREASE Investment Contributions.
Credit and Debt
Like it or not, credit and debt often play an important role in our financial lives – especially as lenders tighten their purse strings. Lending levels were down 55% in the US in 2008, and until the economy rights itself, which could be a long process, credit may remain tight. That means your credit score takes on added value if you need a loan. Here are some solid reference articles regarding credit and debt:
- How is Your Credit Score Determined?.
- How to Improve Your Credit Score.
- Think Twice Before Canceling Credit Cards.
- Hard Credit Check vs. Soft Credit Check.
- Your Credit Score is About to Become More Valuable.
- Anyone Can Apply For a Business Credit Card.
Frugal Living
Just as our natural resources are limited, so are our financial resources. These articles can help you save money now and in the future.
- How to Save Money on Gas.
- Check Engine Light On? Get it Diagnosed Free.
- Big Ticket Items, Is it Better to Rent or Buy?.
- Best Gas Credit Cards: Rewards and Cash Back.
Making Money & Small Business
Making money and small business topics are categories I plan on focusing on more in 2009. With our economy in the dumps, I think it is important for people to look at other ways to increase their income and give themselves more financial security.
- Why Alternative Income Streams Are Part of My Long Term Plans.
- Self-Employed Retirement Plans. This is a multi-part series covering SEP IRAs, Solo 401k plans, SIMPLE Plan and Keogh Plan.
- Two Financial Goals – Less Debt, More Income.
- How I Earned $4,100 Without Working – The Beauty of Passive Income.
P2P Lending
Peer to Peer (P2P) lending is a relatively new way to make at receive loans in the US. Because this is such a new lending process, there have been a lot of changes in this nascent industry. Here is some information to get you started with P2P lending.
- What is Peer to Peer Lending?.
- Are Person to Person Loans Guaranteed?.
- Is Person to Person Lending Safe?.
- Lending Club Review.
Cell Phones and Computers
These are daily tools in most people’s lives. Here are some tips on how to save a lot of money on your cell phone contracts and/or new computer purchases.
Cell phones:
- Cancel Your Cell Phone Contract Without Paying Fees.
- I Transferred My Cell Phone Contract Yesterday and Didn’t Spend a Dime.
- 15 Ways to Save Money On Your Cell Phone Bill.
Computers:
- Save Money with Refurbished Electronics.
- 9 Tips to Save Money on Your Next Computer.
- Do You Really Need a New Computer? Frugal Tips to Extend Your Computer’s Life.
- Save Big on Back to School Computers.
- MacBook Vs. PC: Why I Chose PC.
- How to Get the Best Deal on a New Dell Computer.
Fun Money
Here are a few of my favorite “fun” articles from 2008:
Thanks to everyone who helped make Cash Money Life a success in 2008. Here’s to an even better 2009 to you and yours! 
I won’t be writing a weekly roundup article this week. Here are this week’s carnivals:
- Carnival of Personal Finance #185: Cheesehead Edition was hosted at The Fraud Files.
- Carnival of Twenty Something Finances was hosted at The Insight Writer.
