My Favorite Articles of the Week

Instead of catching up on blogging and sleep, I decided to spend an hour and a half looking into graduate programs. I really think I would enjoy working on the business aspect of a technology company. The design/engineering career is treating me well right  now, but I would like to eventually manage. For this reason, I’ve kept my eyes open for good MBA type programs that will allow me to make a career change (remaining in the same field, except moving towards the management side). So far I’ve found a few programs at Northwestern (which will allow me to remain in the Chicagoland area) that combine a business degree with a technical focus. I will probably write a post soon about the advantages and disadvantages of these programs. On to the links…

Links

Five Cent Nickel discusses making every dollar count at tax time. The article focuses the recovery rebate, tax loss harvesting, unemployment benefits and foreclosure to maximize your tax refund. Yes, we are in tough economic times, but make sure you make the most of it by using these tips when filing your taxes.

Silicon Valley Blogger at the Digerati Life brings up a great point about organizing your tax documents. I’ve already filed my tax return, but 2009 will be the first year that I itemize, which means I have to get organized. If I can stay organized throughout the year, my tax filing will be significantly easier come tax time.

Jim at Bargaineering shares my belief about not saving your money. Don’t get me wrong, I try to sock away as much money towards retirement that is allowed. I also believe in spending money, because you only live once, and it might end up being too short. For this reason, a down economy is the perfect time to spend money. Home prices have fallen, mortgage rates are super low, car buying has 0% financing, etc. There are so many good deals. Many stores have a large inventory with very little demand. Spend some money on something you’ve always wanted, just be frugal while splurging.

Kevin at No Debt Plan tackles the idea of how he would pay off his mortgage. He’s using the lump sum method for his second (smaller) mortgage. The idea is to save up all the money needed to pay off the second mortgage and then make a lump sum payment. This allows him to keep a pseudo emergency fund as a buffer against the economy. For a first mortgage he would pay off a little extra principal every month rather than save and pay if off in a lump sum. This is super wise, because the first mortgage is much larger, and the interest saved by paying a little extra towards principal is ginormous.

Jonathan at My Money Blog has another interesting chart that shows the historical rebounds that are possible in the 5 years after a market crash. This chart is the exact reason why I will continue investing during this market crash. I’m getting stocks at a discount and will reap the benefits for the next 5 years and beyond.

Random Thought

The excitement is building for march madness. Selection Sunday is approaching and the conference championships are starting. Not only that, but it’s starting to get warmer out. It’s a good time of year for sure.