Weekend Reading: September 28, 2008

The first Presidential Debate was terrific.  Both Senator McCain and Senator Obama shared their thoughts about The Financial Crisis of 2008.  I was ecstatic when Obama clearly articulated other crises that also require our attention, but I also have to give McCain a credit for using the word GREED to explain our current dilemma.

10 Day Give

Before I start the weekend round up, I’d like to share with you are great initiative started by ChristianPF called 10 Day Give. Here’s a quote from the information page:

The 10 Day Give is a challenge that is designed to help us get our minds off of ourselves and start thinking about how we can help others. Starting on October 10th, 2008 we are going to give something to a different person, each day until October 19th, 2008. It doesn’t matter what the gift is, how much it costs, who it is given to, or how it is given. The point is to just to give — on purpose. We hope you decide to join us.

If you’re interested in joining the challenge, please visit 10 Day Give page and be sure to check out the video.

Great Articles

Here are some great articles from around the Personal Finance Blogosphere:

1. If You’re Not Using It, Get Rid of It: Ten Ways to Declutter and Put Cash in Your Pocket at The Simple Dollar – My house has a serious clutter problem, but to be fair I think we are doing a decent job considering there are seven of us living in the house
2. The American 419 Scam at Cash Money Life – The Financial Crisis is the result of a scam? You be the judge.
3. Leverage 101 – The Real Cause of the Financial Crisis at Saving To Invest – Too much leverage is one of the problems many financial institutions and even average Americans are facing right now.  This article does a great job of explaining how leverage can work for and against you.
4. Is Net Worth Really The Best Measure Of Wealth? at Amateur Asset Allocator – The author believes that net worth is a seriously flawed metric.  I am not sure if I agree fully with the assessment.
5. Buffett’s Goldman deal is great — for him at MSN Top Stocks — Don’t rush out to buy Goldman because Warren Buffett did it.  You won’t get all the extras that Buffett did, but what else would you expect from one of the greatest investors with $5 billion.
6. Are You a Millionaire in the Making? at The Dough Roller – Another terrific article from DR.  This is an easy to understand guide on how to become a millionaire.
7. How to sell your home fast in a buyer’s market at Gather Little By Little – With the current economic condition, I think this article will come in handy for many home sellers.
8. What Happens When A Bank Fails at My Two Dollars — I am sure a lot of people are asking this question right about now.
9. Practical Steps in This Economic Mess at Green Panda Treehouse — A lot of good ideas to help you weather the economic turmoil.

Carnivals

Lastly, please check out the Carnival of Personal Finance #171: Celebrate Fall Edition at Sound Money Matters.