This week has seen some really great stuff come out of the personal finance blogsphere. Here are some of my favorite posts from this week:

How to Get Laid Off: A Step-By-Step Guide from Wisebread
Why You Need a Larger View of Your Finances (And So Do I)! from Redeeming Riches
Being Good With Money When You’re Bad With Math from Fiscal Fizzle
Debt Testimonials — Rethinking Interest Paid Moves Fred Into Action! from Debt Free Adventure
Another Case for Emergency Savings — Credit Score from Free From Broke
Review: The Bogleheads’ Guide to Retirement Planning from The Oblivious Investor
How To Save Money Without Thinking from …read more

Outstanding consumer credit continues to take a hit in this economy. For the seventh straight month, the August numbers for outstanding consumer credit showed a decline. This means that fewer people are getting new credit, and some are even paying down what they owe. Indeed, one of the biggest reasons that outstanding debt has fallen by $12 billion is that people have been paying down their credit cards. And that is a very encouraging sign.
Credit restrictions limit credit acquisition
The other side to this, of course, that credit is not growing. Lenders are imposing stricter credit standards on potential customers. Credit …read more

If you are wondering exactly how the credit and debt industry works, Deceptive Money by Bob Brooks is a great resource. Brooks, who hosts the Prudent Money Show, takes different examples of credit card practices and debt solutions practices and breaks them down so that you can see exactly how the credit and debt industry makes money — and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim.
It’s important to note, though, that Brooks doesn’t excuse consumers from their responsibility in all of this. He makes it very clear that if you incur debt, you should repay. What he takes …read more

When teaching your kids about money, some of the important points are that they need to:

Save
Consider purchases
Give to others

These three main goals can be broken down into different, smaller goals, of course, but for the most part these three things are essential when teaching children how to manage their money. In order to help you with this, the site ThreeJars.com aims to help children learn to use the Internet to manage their money.
ThreeJars sets up virtual jars for kids, labeled “Save”, “Spend”, and “Share”. The idea is that kids can put money in each “jar” and use it for specific …read more

Reflection is good for you. And reflecting on your finances is a good way to establish better habits and figures out what you need to improve on. This week, here are some great posts that can help you make better financial decisions. Enjoy!

Installing Financial Red-Light Cameras from Fiscal Fizzle.
Develop a Healthy Attitude About Money and Spot Unhealthy Habits from Generation X Finance.
Investing Rules of Thumb from The Oblivious Investor.
How To Prioritize Your Debt Repayment Plan from Moolanomy. (Disclosure: I wrote this one. I’m now a staff writer for Moolanomy!)
Living within your means is good for the economy from Funny about …read more

This video from an angry Bank of America credit card holder is making the rounds. It’s an interesting video (and one with a couple of swears), and it illustrates a depressing situation that many people find themselves in. It’s a strident call for action, and she makes some good points, but we would do well to remember a couple of things:

In many cases, credit card debt is self-imposed, and we have created our own bonds.
Credit card companies can legally still do pretty much whatever they want with your terms. They just have to give you 45 days notice now, and …read more

A lot of good stuff this week. There are so many good personal finance bloggers out there that sometimes it is difficult to find everything. But here are some of the highlights from this past week. Enjoy!

Do You Make These 4 Common 401k Mistakes? from Redeeming Riches
15 Signs You’re in Financial Denial from Fiscal Fizzle
I’m A Stay At Home Dad – For Now from Free From Broke
The Noise from Inside from The Oblivious Investor
Advantages and Disadvantages of Investing in Gold Bullion vs. Gold Stocks vs. Gold ETFs from MoneyEnergy
Money Market Deposit Account Versus Online Savings Account from Moolanomy
Don’t Be Afraid …read more

It’s always interesting to have a look around the PF blogosphere and see what’s available. There are so many great bloggers out there with helpful information, that it can be difficult to read everyone. But there were some favorites I had from this week. Here are some solid personal finance posts from this past week. Enjoy your weekend.

What is a Roth IRA And What Are The Benefits? from Bible Money Matters.
Cheap Yet Fun Outdoor Activities from BudgetPulse.
If Your Going to Consolidate Debt The You Have to Stop Using Credit from Generation X Finance.
National Health Service in the UK from Cash …read more

Is the economic recovery starting?

This week’s personal finance readings.