iptv technology: Carnival Of Personal Finance ? Happy New Year's Edition

happy new years Welcome to the New Year?s edition of Carnival of Personal Finance; aka the last one of the year!

New Year?s is always an exciting time to be able to reflect on all your accomplishments (and shortfalls) of the previous year and then strategize how you are going to kick next year?s butt!

Get out your party hats and a bottle of champagne and ring in the New Year with some great personal finance articles.

Happy New Year!?

Editor?s Picks

Michael Kitces from Nerd?s Eye View presents What?s The Real Value Of Deferring Capital Gains? Less Than Most People Think?, and says, ?We may be grossly overvaluing the actual benefit of deferring capital gains, and the unwillingness to harvest capital gains may be part of a broader tendency to allow the tax tail to wag the dog far more than it should!?

Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance presents What Does a Share of Stock Represent?, and says, ?Almost everyone knows that you can buy and sell stock in a company, but a lot of people don?t fully understand what a share of stock represents.?

Philip from PT Money Personal Finance presents The Secret to Becoming Your Own Financial Expert in 2013, and says, ?In this post, I share 3 secrets to becoming more proactive in making yourself your own financial expert in the coming year.?

Echo from Boomer & Echo presents Why Budgeting Is Not A Waste Of Time, and says, ?Budgeting and tracking your expenses can give you the knowledge and control you need to get through the various financial changes in your life.?

Best of the Rest

Ray from Squirrelers presents Wisdom from a Kid on Money and Health, and says, ?Sometimes, kids can surprise us with their basic wisdom, as this story shows!?

Emily Reeves Grammer from The Pastor and the Bartender presents $552.43, and says, ?This article is about the high cost we (as a family) pay for health care, and why we have to do it. ?

D4L from Dividend Growth Stocks presents Who is Ben Grossbaum and Why Should We Listen to Him?, and says, ?Ben Grossbaum was born on May 8, 1894 in London and moved to New York with his family when he was one year old. You make think that you have never heard of Ben Grossbaum, but I suspect you have. Today we know Ben Grossbaum as??

John from Card Hub Blog presents Justin Bieber Prepaid Card Evaluation, and says, ?A relationship between Justin Bieber and BillMyParents seems like just another case of a celebrity trying to pull a fast one and endorse a financial product not because it?s the best on the market, but rather because the endorsement deal provides the best financial terms for them. How does this product measure up??

Odysseas from Wallet Blog presents How Can a U.S.-Made Prescription Drug Cost Hundreds More Domestically Than Abroad?, and says, ?So, to sum things up, a myriad of factors enables the drug distribution industry to set outrageously high prices for their products, and while insurance makes them relatively affordable for a lot of people, those who don?t have insurance are left shelling out absurd amounts.?

Peter from Bible Money Matters presents Hobbies Can Be Fun, But Some Can End Up Being a Drain on Your Bank Account, and says, ?While it?s good to have hobbies and things you enjoy doing, if you?re not careful you can end up in a place where those hobbies are taking over your life and killing your budget.?

Clint from Accumulating Money presents 4 Do?s and Don?ts of Couponing, and says, ?Following these simple and logical do?s and don?ts has easily helped me save hundreds of dollars each month.?
Gary from Gajizmo.com presents Highest Paying Jobs Without A College Degree, and says, ?As many as 60% of Americans don?t have a degree according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but that doesn?t mean you can?t get a high paying job and live a good life. Check out our list of careers with data on median wages, training requirements and projected demand through 2020.?

Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents Staycations Are for Suckers, and says, ?Even though most of us are dealing with a noticeable decrease in usable income these days, we can still have a vacation, away from home. We just have to know how to plan and where to look for the best deals.?

Nicole from Nicole and Maggie: Grumpy Rumblings presents Thoughts on in-laws and Christmast presents for the kids, and says, ?Nicole and Maggie discuss what they do when the in-laws are possibly over-generous.?

Don from My Dollar Plan presents Gift Tax and Estate Tax Limits to Change in 2013, and says, ?The fiscal cliff is leaving a lot of 2013 tax laws up in the air but there?s a good chance the gift tax will change in some way no matter what.?

Mrs. PoP from Planting Our Pennies presents Why We Can?t Itemize Taxes, and says, ?There seem to be big assumptions out there in all of the pending fiscal cliff discussions that most people itemize their taxes. But the thing is, that?s not necessarily true. Mrs. PoP goes through the IRS itemized deductions checklist to see if she can find enough deductions to make it worthwhile for the PoPs.?

Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents Best Careers for the Future, and says, ?Are you wondering what field would be good to study? Maybe you?re looking to change your career? See our best careers for the future and see where the growth is.?

Pauline from Reach Financial Independence presents Can cheap labor make you lazy?, and says, ?Since living in Guatemala, where labor is cheap, I have found myself paying for a lot of things I used to do before. Can cheap labor make you lazy??

Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Dividend Investing Goals for 2013, and says, ?My ultimate goal is to reach financial independence. This would be achieved at the so called dividend crossover point, which is the point at which dividend income exceeds expenses. Achieving this long-term goal however takes time, patience and persistence in sticking to and executing your plan.?

Lance from Money Life and More presents Increase Your Retirement Contributions for the New Year, and says, ?If you want to have a financially successful retirement you must want to (and actually) be above average. It isn?t too hard and I?m certain you can do it. So what is this simple tip? Increase your retirement contributions.?

Matt from Budget SNOB presents How to Create a Simple Budget, and says, ?Making a budget isn?t hard at all.?

Mike from The Financial Blogger presents 25 Thoughts on Blogging For 25 Years of Life, and says, ?Lessons learned from blogging over the years.?

Green Panda from Green Panda Treehouse presents The Year End Financial Slap Across The Face, and says, ?How well did your finances do in 2012??

MD from Start Freelancing Now presents Two Major Issues That New Freelancers Will Face & How You Can Crush Them!, and says, ?How to finally overcome common excuses to freelancing.?

Pete from Intelligent Speculator presents Risks Of Dealing In Emerging Markets, and says, ?What to be careful of with your investments.?

Michael from Financial Ramblings presents Income Tax Filing Start Date: What?s the Earliest You Can File a Return?, and says, ?Are you anxious to file your 2012 tax return and get your refund? Click through for info on just how early you can file.?

Mochi and Macarons from The Budgeting Tool presents Would I ever use an American Express Black or Centurion card?, and says, ?Amex cards are said to have the best rewards if you can meet their requirements, however would that still mean I?d want to have a card I have to pay for, or something that?s no-fee??

Lena from What Mommy Does presents Do We Really Need Cable TV? What Are Our Alternatives?, and says, ?The largest non-essential item in our monthly budget is our cable/Internet/phone bundle. Can we get over our irrational need to have cable TV and cut the cord? ?