Welcome to the 26th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance – hosted at Wealth Junkie.

For those of you who are new to it, the Carnival of Personal Finance is a sampling of some of the best articles from top personal finance bloggers over the past week. And it is all right here, for your review!

Everyone loves a bargain. In Deals, Josh Cohen at Multiple Mentality shares how he got some laptop accessories at a great price.

Empty Spaces Inc. from Adventures in Money Making suspects the trade and budget deficits could lead to a period of inflation in America – and suggests that there might be a precious metals investment opportunity in Gold Play.

One way to achieve financial freedom is by starting a business. In Increasing Online Business Profit, Neville at NevBlog shares how he is growing his online business – on a shoestring.

With the holidays rapidly approaching, Jon at Smart Money Daily questions the real value of buying holiday gifts, and wonders: why should we toss financial common sense out the window – just to satisfy the “expectations” of the season? Read Christmas Gift Buying Reminders.

2million shares how he shaved 63% off his car repair costs, in Money Saving Tip: Buy Parts Yourself and have Mechanic Install Them.

ISO 2222: Guidance for Personal Finance Planners – Dan at Tick Marks comments on a new international standard for personal financial planning.

FMF at Free Money Finance discusses some key issues everyone should consider when planning for retirement in 10 Things You Should Ask Yourself About Retirement, Part 1.

Henry Stern from InsureBlog notes that now is a great time to get a deal on a fitness club membership. In Get Fit, Save Money, he shares how excercising regularly can be healthy for your body AND your wallet.

As the happy couple plans to start a family, Nina at Sitting Pretty asks: Can we afford to have kids? Read Donor XY.

Just in time for the holidays, Sarah from Crafty Geek offers a complete tutorial on How to Make a Rice Bag – a frugal but well-received Christmas present requiring very basic sewing skills – and very little money.

Ironman at Political Calculations celebrates their one-year blogiversary by posting a master index to all the investing, personal finance, economics, politics and other unique tools its created over the past year. Check out A Year’s Worth of Tools.

For those just entering the work force, JustAnotherBlogger from JustAnotherMoneyBlog offers End of Year Money Management for Recent Grads.

Jim at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity submits Bach’s Case Against Store Credit Cards. He notes, “I don’t think David Bach’s case against getting a store credit card works for any readers of personal finance bloggers, maybe the general populace, but we’re too savvy a crowd to fall into the traps he mentions.”

Dan at Searchlight Crusade comments on the housing slump, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac in Real Estate and Mortgage State of the Market.

Joe Kristan from Roth & Company Tax Update discusses the importance of considering the alternative minimum tax in Year-End Planning: What’s Your AMT Status?

Chrees from Chrees’ World shares his financial Long Term Goals and invites feedback and critique so he can plan appropriately.

What’s your retirement goal? From AllThingsFinancial, JLP reviews Lee Eisenberg’s upcoming book, The Number.

You can learn a lot for free – if you know where to look. George at Fat Pitch Financials shows you how to search and read excerpts online of classic investment books in the 29th day of his 30 Days to Becoming a Better Investor series. Read Referencing Investment Books Online.

John from Mighty Bargain Hunter presents High bid wins vs. stand in line, saying, “You pay either with time or with money. My experience with getting my heating/cooling system fixed deals with this.”

Deputyheadmistress at The Common Room presents Frugal Fix for Snow Clothes.

Amit at Not Broke looks at the features of Roth IRAs, and why every young professional should consider opening one. Read Roth IRA.

The Real Returns submits S&P 500 Dividends, and notes, “The S&P 500 dividends have been rising consistently for last 15 years. When we take the price out of the equation and just look at dividend numbers, the volatility is greatly reduced.”

Early Riser discusses the risks of having your wealth tied up in employee stock options in Employee Stock Options, Part 2.

Instead of racing to a “fantasy” retirement, Jonathan at MyMoneyBlog asks if he should just work towards finding a better job that he won’t mind doing for a longer time. Read Plan To Retire Later Instead of Earlier?

In Budgeting Made Easy 1 of 4: Electronically Pay Yourself First, TT from Retire at 30 shares how you can use electronic banking to cover all of your financial bases.

Flexo at Consumerism Commentary takes a look at the new bankruptcy law and examines its effectiveness. Read Backfired Bankruptcy Bill.

In Clements, Brian from Financial Reference picks apart an article from the Wall Street Journal, and notes, “Though I usually agree with Clements, this time we don’t see eye to eye on all this points.”

Zorro’s Stenographer from Zorro’s Retirement offers 10 Tips To Stay Warm.

ncnblog from No Credit Needed explains the process of online bill paying and shares some tips in Online Banking Questions Answered.

And lastly, Wealth Junkie pokes holes in a recent “study” of investing skills in Researchers Say Investing Skills Decline With Age – But Were There “Skills” At All?

You can review the carnival schedule and guidelines here. Should you wish to see more of the carnival, last week’s edition was hosted by Frugal Underground; next week’s will be hosted by Political Calculations.

Thanks for dropping by to visit this week’s carnival. Have a great week!

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