Money Hacks Carnival - Hope Edition

This week the stock market broke it's recent lows, plummeting to the lowest levels we've seen in over a decade. However, letting this news drive you to despair won't help anything. So this week will be the hope edition of the Money Hacks Carnival. After each category I will list a reason I have to be hopeful that the market might go up. Now I am not promising the market is done going down, but it sure is nice to have some optimism right now. Be sure to check them out and feel free to comment with any other reasons you have to be hopeful. Finally, please remember to link back to this carnival. Now on to the editor's picks!

Editor's Pick

Ray presents Is buy and hold investment strategy dead? posted at Financial Highway, saying, "Markets are down to a decade lows, this makes one wonder is Buy & Hold investment strategy still a good choice?"

Cody Butler presents Oct 17, Student Loans Consolidation posted at Investment-For-Beginners Blog.

Patrick presents Free Stock Trading and Investing Tools posted at Cash Money Life, saying, "Free stock trading and investing tools to help learn how to make better trades and investments."

The Smarter Wallet presents Job Hunting Tips: How To Deal With Losing Your Job posted at The Smarter Wallet.

The Investor presents Portfolio diversification posted at Monevator.com, saying, "When deciding whether to buy a particular asset, we should also pay attention to the assets we already own."

FMF presents Make Money by Buying Money posted at Free Money Finance, saying, "An easy way to make some extra money."

The President recommended buying stocks today

Career

Katie Bricks presents How to Get Money-Making Clicks through Online Marketing posted at Make Money Easy Online.

The markets are already down 50%, how much lower can we possibly go?

Debt & Credit

Jim presents Busting Cashback Tiers with Mint’s $1 Coin Direct Ship Program posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

David presents Chase Platinum Credit Card Review posted at Credit Card Offers IQ, saying, "The Chase Platinum credit card offers a 0 APR on purchases and balance transfers."

Lauren Rose presents Debt Relief Grants from the Government posted at No Debt Anymore .org, saying, "A close look at debt relief grants from the government, including loans, bursaries, benefits and assistance."

Sigrid Landau presents Increase Credit Rating - Ways To Raise Your Beacon Credit Score Starting From Nothing posted at A1 How To, saying, "Your credit score is the single most important factor that decides whether you are successful or not. The process of re-establishing your credit rating after having suffered a job loss or some sort of family emergency may seem impossible, but the truth is starting from scratch is more simpler that you think."

Silicon Valley Blogger presents $25 Lending Club Sign Up Bonus, YNAB Discount Coupon Code Still Available posted at The Digerati Life.

Marjorie presents Closing Credit Accounts: The Pros and Cons posted at Wealth Junkies, saying, "Many American Express customers have received a card in the mail, offering them $300 if they will pay off the full balance on their American Express card and close their account. But there are some pros and cons to closing a credit card account."

Mr Credit Card presents Best Frequent Flier Card posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Green Panda presents Prioritize Your Expenses posted at Green Panda Treehouse, saying, "I was reading on the Bureau of Labor Statistics that more than 40 states have reported an increase of unemployment filings, totaling around 200,000 layoffs. I wanted to share some tips."

Pamela Grundy presents Dealing with the Devil - Getting Better Deals on Your Credit Cards posted at Dealsupermarket Blog.

Apply4-credit presents Credit Cards and Their Dirty Little Secrets posted at Apply4-Credit.

Madison presents Discover $50 - $100 Bonus posted at My Dollar Plan.

Colin Robertson presents How to Stop Receiving Credit Card Offers posted at The Truth About Credit Cards.com.

Peak Personal Finance presents Rent to Own Advice posted at Peak Personal Finance.

Chris Holdheide presents 10 Tips To Know If You Are Mentally Prepared To Get Out Of Debt posted at stumbleforward.com.

Hasn't enough bad news been priced in already? It seems like weak economic data no longer moves the market.

Economy

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Rep. Hensarling Channels Rumsfeld posted at Mad Kane's Political Madness.

freefrombroke presents How The American Recovery And Reinvesment Act Of 2009 Can Help You posted at Free From Broke, saying, "How the recent economic stimulus that was passed can benefit you."

Joe Manausa presents A Small But Significant Shift In The Housing Market posted at Really Better Real Estate, saying, "One key trend to pay attention to in any local real estate market is the movement of the sales success trend. What this measures is the total number of home sold divided by the total of homes listed (put on the market) during the same period of time."

Patrick Smith presents Buying new versus used posted at Real World Advice, saying, "The pros and cons of buying a new versus a used car."

Margaret Garcia presents How to Use Recovery.gov: 7 Tips for Browsing the Bailout Bill Web Site posted at Bankling.

Wenchypoo presents The Consumer’s Guide to Functioning in an Economic Cycle (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Geithner spoke and the markets didn't tank... has he finially gotten his act together?

Frugality & Saving Money

Tristan presents Achieve Financial Freedom By Living Like A Millionaire posted at Find Financial Freedom, saying, "A look at how being frugal can lead to financial freedom, inspired by the book, "The Millionaire Next Door" and my own childhood experiences of growing up with a millionaire as a mentor, in the shape of a friend's father."

Heather Levin presents Homes Made From Old Cabooses posted at The Greenest Dollar, saying, "The ultimate frugal and eco-friendly housing? Cabooses and railway cars. Read about this new trend in innovative housing."

Mara Rogers presents Thrifty Homemade Beauty Products and Toiletries posted at Secrets for Money, saying, "The ways men and women can save money by simply using items in their kitchen cupboards to replace expensive grooming products and beauty treatments in a thrifty and natural way!"

WH presents Food Futures! Three-month stash grubstaked posted at Funny about Money.

MoneyNing presents The Stress of Having Supersized Lifestyle posted at Money Ning, saying, "Not everything need to be supersized."

Savings Toolbox presents Cut Costs in Your Personal Care Budget posted at Savings Toolbox.

J. Savings presents How Frugal is too Frugal? (when you don't have a life anymore) posted at Budgets are Sexy., saying, "Being frugal is one thing. But being hardcore about it? Not the best idea..."

Pamela Grundy presents How to Save on Your Water Bill posted at Personal Finance Analyst.

BankMan presents Limit Six Savings Account Withdrawals Per Month posted at High Yield Savings Accounts, saying, "Federal regulations limit the number of savings account withdrawals to six withdrawals per cycle."

Insurance Toolbox presents The Best Interest Rates on Savings Accounts Available in March 2009. posted at Fine-Tuned Finances.

The government is bound to eventually get something right...

Income

Sun presents Lending Club $25 Sign Up Bonus posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

The S&P 500 has been down 11 out of the past 12 days. After an overshot like that, we are bound for a rally.

Investing

Dividends4Life presents Utilities For A Well-Rounded Dividend Investment Portfolio posted at Dividends Value, saying, "Long considered the domain for “widows and orphans”, utilities have developed a somewhat stodgy reputation. Why are utilities considered good for widows and orphans? Here a few reasons:"

Carrie presents Money Notes from Schwab's On Investing Spring 2009 posted at Less is More.

KCLau presents How to Refinance your Home Loans Smartly posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying, "Lists several reasons why home owners would benefit from switching their loans to a new loan with lower interest rates"

Qwoter.com presents Stock Market Investing Basics posted at Stock Tips, saying, "Before thinking about investing in the stock market you will want to first make sure to learn the stock market investing basics and not just simply jump in and start trading right away."

Deposit Accounts presents What's Your Long Term Savings Plan? posted at Deposit Accounts.

Rob presents Why the Stimulus Bill is a Boost for Real Estate Investors posted at Two Wise Acres, saying, "The stimulus plan may be a big boon for real estate investors if they know how to use it."

Debt Kid presents High Yield Savings is Dead posted at DebtKid.

Brian McKay presents Savings Account posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, "Finding a decent rate on a savings account isn’t an easy thing to do these days. Savings account rates have been decreasing for over a year now, falling as fast as the economy"

Dan presents Apple Covered Call Play Round 2: Capture Gain and Repeat posted at Everyday Finance, saying, "How to make option income from tech stocks even in this sideways/downward market."

Jeff Rose presents Are You Vested? posted at Jeff Rose, saying, "Not sure if your retirement benefits are coming with you if you leave your job? Here's what you need to know if you are vested."

Mike presents Dangers Of Leveraged ETFs posted at Bear Market Profits, saying, "The ultra ETFs have more danger than merely the leverage they entail."

Debt Wizard presents Making Money Is Easier Than Saving Money posted at Money Help, saying, "If you are trying to firm up your finances, trying to make some extra cash may actually be easier than just saving money."

Den Levin presents Get Ready For The Crowding Out Effect | Credit Makes The World Go Round posted at Credit Makes The World Go Round, saying, "With the US government projected to have the highest deficits ever, businesses will have an even tougher time borrowing due to the crowding out effect."

The credit markets have shown signs of improving and credit is the lifeline of the economy.

Other

Len Penzo presents Why "Coke Rewards" Is For Suckers posted at Len Penzo . Com, saying, "One addict's story..."

Leave Debt Behind presents The Low Down Government Grants For Consumer Debt posted at Leave Debt Behind.

Shaun Connell presents Why You Shouldn't Get a Short-Term Payday Loan posted at Short-Term Loans, saying, "The advertisements say how easy and convenient it is for anyone to get a loan. It looks simple, right? Well that simplicity comes with a hefty price tag and in the long run, isn’t worth it at all."

Livingalmostlarge presents Sell or Rent Out? posted at LivingAlmostLarge.

Kathryn presents Using an Auction to Save Money posted at Out of Debt Christian, saying, "Auctions can be a dangerous place but they can also be the best place to get the things that you need at the price that you want to pay."

The bank stress tests will provide us with more information about the health of the financial sector and that is critical for a stable market.

Taxes

My Life ROI presents How to Fill Out A W-4 For A Recent Graduate posted at My Life ROI, Getting the Best Return On Life, saying, "A walk through on how to fill out the W-4 for recent grads."

ChristianPF presents Tax deductions for volunteer work posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, "Don't forget to deduct expenses for volunteer work!"

Aryn presents Tax Software Cost Comparison posted at Sound Money Matters.

Curt presents The President Has Big Plans To Spend Your Money posted at PennyJobs.com.

And lastly, they say a bottom is when there is not hope left. It sure seems like that right now... before this post at least :)

Please visit the carnival home page to find more information about the Money Hacks Carnival.