Independence Day Totally Money Blog Carnival!

Happy Fourth of July!

Today we’re celebrating with a fine new Totally Money Blog Carnival. It’s not a totally Yankee carnival—great bloggers from Canada and Australia are joining the party. We’re happy to spread the fun.

Editor’s Choice:

Suba
Wealth Informatics
Why You Should Not Use Your 401k
This is big: You need to take a look at what your 401(k) costs you in fees—and figuring it out may not be as easy as one would think. Suba explains, with great clarity, how to recognize when your employer’s 401(k) is not your best choice and then describes the alternatives.

Money Cone
Money Cone
There’s More Than One Way to Send Money to Your Spouse
Once married, twice shy… Many married couples and domestic partners keep separate checking accounts (if I’d thought of that, I’d probably still be married! ). Money Cone suggests not one, not two, not three, but four convenient ways to pass money back and forth.

Kevin McPhee, guest blogger
Sweating the Big Stuff
A Drop of Honey Makes You Money in Negotiations
A lively riposte to Sweating the Big Stuff Proprietor Daniel’s opinion on negotiating style. It’s not only a good read, it’ll leave you wanting to have this guy on your side next time you buy a car.

Independent Minds: Round Pegs that Don’t Fit in Square Holes

Investor Junkie
Investor Junkie
It’s Time for the Unproductive to Become Productive
Junkie climbs on his soapbox! Another PF blogger who understands that politics is money and money, politics.

Kay Lynn
Bucksome Boomer
Baby Boomer Downsizing and the Resell Market
Mom and Dad getting ready to retire? Stand by for incoming! They may be about to unload their junk pass along their heirlooms to you. What to do with it?

Jacob
My Personal Finance Journey
Introducing the Tour de Personal Finance Competition
Jacob has created a new competition of PF bloggers! Don’t miss your chance to enter.

Paula
Afford Anything.org
Managing Money and Your Weight
Some encouraging bons mots in two arenas.

Glen Craig
Free from Broke
Are Banks Ratcheting Up Their Profiling Efforts?
Big Brother is watching you…and he ain’t the gummint.

Matt
Living in Financial Excellence
Will the Real Inflation Please Step Forward?
Matt is suspicious of claims that those soaring gasoline and food prices don’t really represent inflation. Yeah. Right.

Control Your Cash
Programmed to Receive
Why you should incorporate your business enterprise: a cautionary tale.

vh
Funny about Money
The Sanity Discount: Ethics for Small Businesses and Bloggers
A decision not to overcharge a client segues into a reflection that the problem with publishing paid links has less to do with Google’s algorithm and than with basic ethics.

Managing Debt to Keep Us Free

Madison
My Dollar Plan
New 3rd Quarter 2011 5% Rotating Cash Rewards Credit Cards
Madison explains how to maximize your benefits from these cards, offering a useful set of guidelines.

John Kiernan
WalletBlog
Consumer Debt Paydown Hints at Significant Impending Debt Increase
Kiernan explains why economists view this quarter’s unusually large paydown of consumer debt as a sign that people are about to borrow over their heads again.

Briana
StupidCents
Disputing an Item on Your Credit Report
Briana shows what to look for on a credit report and how to correct inaccuracies.

Miranda Marquit
Deliver Away Debt
Turn Wasted Extra Money into a Debt Payment
Spinning off an article claiming the average household wastes 10% of its income, Miranda looks for ways to plug the financial leaks and use the savings to get out of debt.

Crystal
Sustainable Personal Finance
Destroying Our Mortgage Debt
Crystal and her husband are steadily working on a plan to pay off their mortgage.

The American Dream: Down but Not Out

Money Beagle
Money Beagle
11 Reasons You Need a Good Real Estate Agent
The Beagle reflects on the benefits of having had a good agent during the family’s recent home purchase and move.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Wealth

Andy Hough
Tight-Fisted Miser
What Have  You Done to Get Rich?
Andy studies the wealthy folks he knows and comes to three fairly simple explanations for how they arrived at affluence.

Jim Yih
Retire Happy Blog
TFSA Basics: Contributions and Withdrawals
The Canadians have a tax-free savings instrument roughly equivalent to the U.S. government’s Roth IRA, but there are some interesting differences.

Miranda Marquit
Outlaw Finance
Fundamental vs. Technical Analysis: A Basic Overview
Investing strategy for grown-ups! Take some time to read this carefully and think about it.

Jaimie
I’ve Paid for This Twice Already
Best Places to Sell Your Stuff Online
Pros and cons of various options for marketing your goods.

Bob
Christian Personal Finance
Sound Mind Investing Strategy
Having converted his old 401(k) into a Roth, Bob decides to try a strategy recommended by Sound Mind Investing, a Christian investment newsletter.

Boomer
Boomer and Echo
How Do You Know When to Sell Your Stock?
Some good advice on deciding when and why to sell a stock investment.

Ken
Spruce Up Your Finances
Three Big Reasons Why You Should Save for Your Retirement
Have you put off building your retirement stash? You may be missing out on some major benefits you don’t know about.

The Battle of the Bills: Don’t Shoot Til You See the Whites of Their Eyes!

Dr. Dean
The Millionaire Nurse
Dental Health and Your Money
The Doc provides a lead to a nationwide organization that negotiates lower dental fees for members.

Anna
Think ‘n Save
Learn Yoga for Free
Who knew? Anna reports on several ways to get free classes and other resources…no more excuses!

Emmie Sahlan
Frugal Living
How to Slash Your Monthly Phone Bills
Nine strategies to reduce the cost of telecommunication.

Crystal
Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
Frugal Tips for the Pet Pooch
Several smart ways to keep Man’s Most Expensive Friend happy without going broke.

Kevin
Invest It Wisely
Are You a Coupon…Addict?
Kevin describes some online sources to feed your habit.

The Battle of the Budget: Wasn’t Nigh as Many as There Was Awhile Ago…

Nelson Smith
Canadian Finance Blog
Why I Don’t Have a Budget
Uh-oh…sacrilege in PF-land! Nelson explains his budget-free system and shows how it works for him.

That’s it for July 4, 2011. Have a safe and happy Fourth, and be sure to visit the Totally Money Blog Carnival Site. Next week’s Totally Money Blog Carnival will be hosted by Live Real, Now. You can submit your posts here.

Images:

Fireworks over Sidney, Australia. Rob Chandler. Creative CommonsAttribution 2.0 Generic license.
Expo 2010, Shanghai. Fancy-cats-are-happy-cats. The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted.
Fireworks, closer view. Orgio89. Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Fireworks at Taipei. YiSean. Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
New Year Fireworks at the London Eye. John Turner. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Ground fireworks. Artist’s name not given. Public domain.
Team Singapore Fireworks. Ngoh Seh Suan (www.sportsshooter.com/sehsuan). Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.