Carnival of Personal Finance #355: April Fool’s Edition

Admittedly, we’re a day late (and now, in Canada, a penny short, thanks to the penny being banned), but here we are with the Carnival of Personal Finance #355, the April Fool’s Edition.

I am fairly sure the links submitted are not the old “switcheroo” type of posts (say the opposite of what you think and then say April Fools!), but I will group the posts by some of my favourite April Fool jokes over the years.

Editor’s Choice

As an editor I get to pick a few posts as the pick of the week (for the Carnival of Personal Finance) , you should check them out:

• Sustainable PF from Sustainable Personal Finance presents Nobody Cares what You Think, and says, “There are all sorts of reasons why people spend too much money. They might be trying to impress people. They might be overcompensating for something. They might not be very good at math. There are a thousand psychological reasons to explain why many people aren’t good with their money. But we don’t care about any of that because I can sum up why a lot of people suck at money in one sentence.”. I like one sentence sums up, especially when they are curt.
• Jefferson from See Debt Run presents Ain’t Too Proud to Use a Big Bird Spoon, and says, “Our cabinets are filled with a variety of bowls, glasses, and silverware collected over the years. While getting matching a set would be nice, it isnt a need.”. Matching plates and forks and such? That is for the RICH FOLK, not for we poor folk, trying to get out of debt. My plates will match when I don’t have debt.
• Nicole from Nicole and Maggie: Grumpy Rumblings presents Fie on the residents of [state]., and says, “Nicole and Maggie discuss getting a credit card hacked. Check out the comments for more stories and suggestions on how to avoid getting haxxored.”. Call me a sucker for a good, “… don’t get burned like I did…”, story.
• Jim Yih from Retire Happy Blog presents Active investing or passive investing – Which is better?, and says, “The debate between active investing and passive investing has been around for quite some time. The historical data suggests there is a clear winner. Who is it?” I love a good Passive vs. Active Investing discussion, because no one is ever completely right (or wrong).

The Spaghetti Crop Failure (Frugality & Real Estate)

Look that one up on Youtube, I believe it was the BBC that spoof’ed their TV viewers with a story that the Swiss spaghetti crop had failed, and the prices were going to go up (and they showed the spaghetti trees that were having problems). A classic bit of English humor:

• Teacherman from Canadian Finance Blog presents Can Anyone Really Deny The Real Estate Bubble Any Longer?, and says, “Canada is in the middle of a large real estate bubble. Looking at Vancouver and Toronto, can anyone really deny the real estate bubble any longer?” I see no bubble here in Ottawa, but my front lawn has a large dome in it?!?!
• Donna Freedman from Frugal Cool presents Earn $37k a year by hosting travelers, and says, “Renting the spare room through sites like Airbnb and Roomorama do more than just bring in extra cash — they acquaint you from people from around the country, and the world.” Let foreigners live in my house? Why not just let my mother move in?
• Young from Youngandthrifty presents Coupon Codes and Promo Codes and Why They are so Awesome, and says, “I’m not sure if many of you readers were around when I wrote my beloved post: Ode to Promo Codes but I thought of that post the other day and thought I would elaborate on why I love coupon codes and promo codes.” Awesome? Maybe you should get out a bit more?

Fake Snow Storm Warning (Credit & Debt)

It’s funnier in a place like Arizona to have a fake weather story, which predicts a Snowstorm (a snowstorm in Ottawa on April 1st isn’t really that big a joke, happens all the time), but I would guess folks in Hawaii might think it was a funny joke too (snow on April 1):

• Peter from Bible Money Matters presents What Comprises Your Credit Score, and says, “Before they take a look at your score, you should get to know your credit score. Here’s a breakdown of what comprises your credit score. Use this to target the most weighted elements of credit scores, especially if you struggle with a certain area.” Snips and snails and puppy dog tails?
• Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance presents How to Rule 0% Financing, and says, “I recently wrote a post discussing whether it is best to get a new or used car. One astute commenter got me thinking about car loans, and zero percent financing in general. If you do it the right way, you can rule 0% financing to come out on top.” Zero percent usually means a higher price, don’t it?

The Taco Liberty Bell (Money Management & Budgeting)

Yes, Taco Bell had a good one about how they had bought the rights to the Liberty Bell and they were going to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell, now that is a good one:

• eemusings from Musings of an Abstract Aucklander presents Personal finance topics I’m so over, and says, “Can we please put these three topics to rest?” Only Three Topics?
• Rob from Dough Roller presents 5 Ways To Automate Your Finances, and says, “By automating our finances we can spend less time managing our money and more time doing things we really want to do. ” I hired a robot accountant, does that count?
• SB from One Cent At A Time presents Bad Financial Habits That You Might Be Not Aware Of, and says, “There are a number of bad financial habits and ways of doing things that can result in financial ruin. This article is written to warn you off before you reach that depressing pit called “bankruptcy.
• Green Panda from Green Panda Treehouse presents Get Rich by Having No Car Loan, and says, “How to not finance a car.”
• Pierre from Intelligent Speculator presents The One Reason You Are Not Saving Enough, and says, “Why your savings aren’t where you want them to be.”
• To quote Supertramp, Crisis, what Crisis?

Tax Deadline Moved to September 1st ( Finance & Taxes)

Now that might be funny too, if you made up a story about how the IRS or CRA were so overloaded, or they had laid off so many employees they were going to extend the filing date for your taxes to September 1st (not true by the way, submit on the regular dates, and don’t blame me if you are late):

• Eric J. Nisall from DollarVersity presents Yes, Tax Refunds ARE Evil, and says, “Many people like getting tax refund. A large refund may be nice to receive, but it’s not always the best option. In fact, it may hurt more than it helps.” They may be evil, but we all love them.
• Sandy from Yes, I Am Cheap presents What the Baby Boomers can teach us about saving for retirement, and says, “This innovative new program is helping high school student become certified tax preparers while helping low-income individuals get their taxes prepared for free!”

The Salt in the Sugar Bowl Trick   (Saving & Career)

More than once I have had very salty tea in the morning thanks for various pranksters in my life. I don’t particularly like this trick, but it is known as a classic (for others, not me):

• Echo from Boomer & Echo presents Air Miles Cash vs. Air Miles Dream: What You Need To Know, and says, “Here’s what you need to know in order to set-up your allocation between Air Miles Cash and Air Miles Dream rewards balances:”
• Mike from The Financial Blogger presents Would You Declare Your Income?, and says, “This piece looks at the idea of being transparent with your finances.”
• Lindsey from My Next College presents 5 Mobile Apps for Nurses, and says, “You may not have much time to think when you have a health crisis on your hands, and mobile apps can be literal lifesavers for your patience and virtual lifesavers for you.”
• Kathryn @ Financial Highway from Financial Highway presents Interview Questions, and says, “This guide not only tells you what the interview questions are but also provides insight into what the interviewer is really asking and what types of answers will help you get the job.”

Bogus Sports Trade Section (Investing)

More than once as a kid I was woken up to the story that Guy Lafleur had been traded to the Los Angeles Kings for some unknown future star (I grew up in Montreal in the 70’s), and more than once I fell for the joke (yes I was very gullible), but given this is a trade joke, let’s put the investing posts here:

• Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents Understanding Your 401k, and says, “Planning for retirement sucks. In a world filled with instant gratification, who wants to delay the fun? Nobody – which is why governments have nudged workers to save for retirement. If one defers the salary they receive, then the government will defer the taxes owed as well. The most common salary deferral plan is the 401(k).”
• Evan from My Journey to Millions presents How Are the Top 10 Stocks from 2007 and 2008 Doing in 2012?, and says, “I find it interesting when the financial media makes bold predictions for individual stocks or mutual funds and as time passes the reasoning for the pick erodes. My interest may be based in on my love for history or it may be because of people’s failure to apply sense of accountability.
• Ricky from Qwoter presents Beneficiary IRA, and says, “Do you know what happens to an IRA when owner dies? You’ll need to know the importance of a Beneficiary IRA along its specific requirements and rules.”
• Teacher Man from My University Money presents Picks, Shovels, and Rent, and says, “There is an old saying that during the gold rush, it wasn’t the guys who found the gold that got rich, it was the businessman that supplied the picks and shovels. I’m wondering if a similar situation is not developing right now as North America embraces its energy craze, and the newfound riches that working with oil and natural gas has brought.”
• Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents Withdrawing Money From a Roth IRA: How Does It Work and When Can I Do It?, and says, “A Roth IRA is a great retirement tool. But a question that comes up is how to go about withdrawing money from a Roth IRA? See how withdrawing money woks and when you’re able to.”
• J.P. from Novel Investor presents The Roth IRA: The Piece To Your Retirement Puzzle?, and says, “The popularity of the Roth IRA has brought a myriad of questions about which IRA is best for retirement savings. The answer is, it depends.”
• Miranda Marquit from Personal Dividends presents 3 Reasons to Love the Roth IRA, and says, “The Roth IRA can provide you with a great way to save money for retirement on a tax-advantaged basis. Here are 3 reasons that I love the Roth IRA.”
• Tom Drake from Stupid Cents presents Tips for Maxing Out Your Roth IRA, and says, “The best way to save for retirement is by maxing out your Roth IRA. The Roth IRA is a tax-advantaged retirement account that gives you tax-free growth.”

The Old Hand in the Warm Water Trick (Other)

Yes, a crude bit of humor, that is more camp humor, than April Fool’s day, but wasn’t too sure what to put on the Other section:

• SB @FPR from Finance Product Reviews presents Credit Karma Review, How Reliable is Credit karma?, and says, “Review of Credit Karma service offered through their web site. Covering every aspect of the software.”
• Madison from My Dollar Plan presents 11 Unusual Roth IRA Strategies, and says, “Most readers know the basics of Roth IRAs (contribute after tax money and withdraw tax free in retirement), but there are some additional, unusual strategies that you can use the Roth IRA for that make it an even better tool for wealth building.”

Apologies if I missed your post, or I missed a good April Fool’s joke as well! (there were just so many to choose from for the  Carnival of Personal Finance #355 )