I am out to LA this weekend to watch the World Baseball Classic Finals. Last night we caught the game between South Korea and Venezuela, and it was a blast! The game was a blow out – the Venezuela team was never able to put anything together. But we had a great time chanting along with the South Korean fans and banging thunder sticks. Tonight we get to see the USA team take on Japan, with the winner advancing to play South Korea in the championship game on Monday. What a great weekend for baseball!
AIG Bonus scandal. I’m not surprised to see these huge bonuses given out to people at AIG (or Bank of America and other companies that received bail out money). I understand the argument that the companies need to keep their main talent, but let’s be honest, some of these bonuses are over the top in light of recent economic events. It’s not like many other companies have the money to sign workers away from their current company anyway. It’s good to see Congress step up and take action, but I’m not sure they went about it the right way.
Submit your best thrift tip to win $100 savings bond. BringBackThriftWeek.org is sponsoring a contest looking for the best story or piece of thrift advice from the earlier generations. Submit your thrifty tip at their website and you might just win a $100 savings bond! The deadline for this contest is tax day, April 15th, 2009.
ING Direct adds a new feature. ING Direct recently added a new tool to their website – a comparison tool to see how your savings and debt stack up against your peers. It’s a good way to see how well you are “keeping up with the Joneses” – or not! You can read more about it here: ING Compare Me – See how you’re doing against your peers.
Lynnae from Being Frugal featured in RedBook. The April edition of RedBook has a feature about getting out of debt and the first person they interviewed is Lynnae from Being Frugal. You can purchase the magazine at your local store, or see it here online. Great job, Lynnae!
Recommended personal finance articles
Swap Your Home And Take A Vacation For Free. David lists a few resources for swapping your home with someone else for a vacation. That was a major part of the plot line in the movie, The Holiday, which wasn’t half bad.
20 Free Online Finance Courses – Take Money Classes From the Comfort of Your Home. Some great free resources.
7 Things To Know About a SEP IRA. Good information if you are self-employed or have a SEP IRA through an employer.
Would You Quit Your Job for a Whole New Career? This is an interesting question, and something I’m sure more people are thinking about in light of the recent economic situation out country faces.
Is Your State Prepaid Tuition 529 Plan Really Safe? Some states have run out of money for their prepaid 529 plans, which really sucks for those who bought into them.
Medical Billing Errors. TIE over at The Finance Buff found a $680 error on a medical bill, and was able to track down the source of the error.
7 Keys To Financial Security. Some great tips for securing your financial future.
Mission Accomplished: Our Shiny New Mortgage. JD and his wife saved $250 per month by refinancing their mortgage. What an awesome savings!
This week’s carnivals:
- Money Hacks Carnival- March Madness Baby! was hosted at Good Financial Cents.
- March Edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival- Part 1 was held at Systems Overload.
- Carnival of Net Worth #14 was held at Llama Money.
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The bonuses are obscene. Not just now, but also originally. The disastrous consequences we suffer from today are not independent of the entitlement cleptocracy mentality of those that looted companies. They are a result of the behavior such looters engage in and the failure of government to regulate systemic risk to the economy. Some people are unethical and immoral. So you are going to have such people loot when they can. There looting would have just been restricted to bankrupting companies if regulators had prohibited behaviors from huge political donors that endangered the economy.