Newspaper (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Blogging is powerful stuff. How else does one sit at home in their favorite chair, write whatever comes to mind and then get read by thousands; maybe more?

A great opportunity came my way last week. I was approached by an editor for US News and World Report and asked if I wanted to write a weekly article for their My Money Blog. Of course, I accepted. My first post published last Thursday; you can check out my author page if you are interested, but there is only one article so things look a little empty.

Mostly I’m awed. The bloggers writing for My Money are some of the biggest names in PF blogging. I hope that I can make myself standout in a good way.

My Four Family Finance Goals for June

I don’t just want to write words at you about family finances. I want to share with you my own personal struggles. However, I’m in complete agreement with Modest Money that PF bloggers make information a little too available for the internet.

For that reason, I won’t be sharing my bank balances. However, I do have a long laundry list of financial to do’s. My goal is to accomplish one of these goals each week. For June, I need to:

1. Close a CD I have at the bank before they automatically roll it into a new CD for 6 months
2. Update my auto insurance policy to take advantage of a lot of savings
3. Meet with an insurance broker to discuss policies for my church (I’m the finance and insurance officer for my church’s board)
4. Look into Traditional IRA custodians to roll in an old 401k that’s just been sitting out there

The full to-do list is very long, I’m hoping by taking the list in small chunks like this, I might actually be able to make a dent.

Top Ten Family Finance Posts

Now for the real reason you are all reading; the top family finance posts of the week from the blogs that I love to read!

1. Question: Besides earning interest, what creates the most income for banks? Answer: banks fees. One Smart Dollar talks about how to spot those elusive and expensive bank fees.
2. The problem that young adults face is that they need to start making important financial decisions the moment they turn 18 and have no clue how the world works. Narrow Bridge shares some important tips to help new grads navigate the waters.
3. Admittedly, fees tend to be one of my biggest considerations when looking at and picking my investment accounts. Hank Coleman has a great post on how many families fail to look at all their various plans holistically from an asset allocation perspective. I’m definitely going to have to get the 401ks, IRAs and 529 accounts together for a review.
4. Still under the age of 25? You might be over drinking age, but according to All Things Finance’s infographic, you are not financially competent.
5. Ever wonder how much debt to income the average family has? John of Married with Debt has the answer and how to figure out how much debt to income you have as well.
6. Why do you need to spend a ton of money on guests that come to your wedding? Probably because many guest spend a ton of money going to your wedding. The 20-Something Budget adds up the costs
7. As I look out the window I see that the lawn could use another haircut. Derek of Life and My Finances is examining whether it’s actually more cost effective to hire a service.
8. Did you jump out of the market during the recession? Sam of Financial Samurai is jumping back in and has a great run down on why it might be time.
9. I talked about how student loan debt is not necessarily bad. However, it’s always good to have less debt. Yes, I Am Cheap has a list of ways to make money in college that you probably haven’t heard before.
10. Most people just don’t understand that wealth is a state of mind. SB of One Cent at a Time gets this which is why I love reading his posts on being content with money.

Top Referrals for the Week

1. Step Away from the Mall
2. 20’sFinances
3. The Money Principle

Thanks for stopping by!

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