The Amateur Financier

Ah, it’s Thursday already.  Time flies by when you’re spending hours each day in training at your new job.  So far, things have been going pretty well; a lot of general information about the company (Sanofi Pasteur) and the practices it follows are being presented, and we’re just starting to go over the actual building and area where I will be working.  I’ll working on vaccines for the H1N1 strain of flu (swine flu, don’t you know), so feel free to give me a passing thought when you’re lining up for your injections this flu season.

The only bad thing is that a combination of this job training and the fact that I’ve been feeling under the weather lately means that my blog has had to take a back seat for much of the week.  Once I am officially on shift and can get a good rhythm going, I should be able to catch up, but for now, I’m having a little trouble in keeping up with everything.  Don’t worry, though: short of coming down with the flu myself, there’s nothing that will keep me from updating my blog as often as life allows me the opportunity.

On that optimistic note, let’s see what some of the other personal finance bloggers out there are talking about:

Dairy Farms Rely on Illegal Immigrants – So often in debates about immigration, some basics of economics are lost in the shuffle.  Namely, more immigrant workers mean lower labor costs which in turn mean lower prices in the store (particularly for agricultural products, a field where most Americans aren’t exactly jumping for jobs).  On My Life ROI, these points and others are discussed in detail, a discussion that we as country seem to be endlessly trying to put off (but really can’t).

The Ultimate Financial Survivial Guide for New College Students – While the ‘ultimate’ in the blog title might be mostly good marketing on his part, Studenomics does an impressive job of covering many of the financial considerations of which incoming college students should be aware.  In fact, I’d go even further and extend his first few points to everyone over the age of twenty: if you are old enough to drink, you should have an online bank account, a retirement account, and a credit card already.  If you don’t, it’s time to get on the ball.

Deciding on Home Ownership – Given the recent decline in house prices as well as government incentives for new home buyers, it’s a good time to purchase a house.  That’s the thinking over at Green Panda Treehouse, apparently, as they finally took the plunge and purchased a townhouse.  Also covered is some of the logic behind the decision; while it’s a good time for those who want to be homebuyers, that doesn’t mean it’s the right time for all potential home buyers.  You need to consider your own needs and resources.

Spend Time to Save Money – Mrs. Micah provides a few good ways to spend a little extra time in order to save money on your purchases.  Using coupons (both online and off), creating a price book, negotiating lower insurance rates, and opening a higher yielding bank account are all good suggestions.  If you put your mind to it, there are plenty of ways to add some value to your life with only a (relatively) small investment of time.

What Kind of Saver Are You? – A list of different savings personality types, covering a range of people, is up on the Weakonomist’s website.  It’s kind of neat to read through his different descriptions and see which one fits you the best.  I like to think of myself as a Sweeper, for the most part.

Don’t Chase High Rates for Savings Accounts – I’ll admit, I’ve tried to chase high interest rates in the past (and actually, would probably continue to do so if the chance to earn a much higher rate presented itself).  Luckily, Stephanie of Poorer Than You provides a good idea of what to do with a wide number of online savings accounts, using each one for a different savings goal.  Not bad advice if you have a number of different accounts you want to put to go use.

• Thoughtful Thursday: Sleepless in Slatington Edition
• Thoughtful Thursday: What Next?
• Investing 101: Five Types of 'Cash'

• The Stock Market Is Crashing!
• contracting, freelancing and linklings
• Building Your Own Gym At Home pt 1