Carnival of Personal Finance #301: Color Theory Edition

I’m pleased to be hosting the 301st edition of the longest running (and most prestigious) personal finance carnival around—the Carnival of Personal Finance.

As expected, many high-quality posts were submitted this week, and the task of picking the best of the bunch was daunting, but I got it done.

This week’s Carnival theme is color theory. As an architect, I have a particular interest in color, and specifically what kind of effect it has on people, also known as “color psychology.” We’ll take a look at various colors today, but first:

The Editor’s Picks

Each week, the host of the CoPF selects several posts which stood out above the rest in quality. This week, the editor’s picks are:

• Lindy at Minting Nickels recounts the story of her grandfather, Dick, and how he refused to buy her something she really wanted. It turns out Grandpa was a really good money manager. What an awesome reminder to all of us that things are not always what they seem to be with our limited perception.
• Matt discusses the idea of getting to know your significant other before marriage at Christian Personal Finance. There are also important lessons in this post about not jumping to conclusions.
• Paula at Afford Anything has published the best analysis I’ve seen to date of what someone would do with a million dollars. Apparently, she would go into debt, but probably not in the way you think. Check it out!
• Clint from Accumulating Money shares 15 things that people forget to budget for. A comprehensive budget takes both regular and irregular expenses into account and plans for all of them, and more!

Let’s get right into more posts and some various colors:

Green

Green is typically thought of as a “focus” color, which is why it’s a good choice for rooms like offices, studies, and libraries. It’s thought to promote concentration and enhance learning.

Today’s “green” posts have a focus on teaching us important lessons:

1. Shaun from Learn Credit Cards shares the four main laws that protect credit card consumers.
2. At The Sun’s Financial Diary, you can read about the benefits of putting your savings and investments on autopilot.
3. Timothy at Passive Family Income tells us about teaching our kids the value of money.
4. Jim at the Retire Happy Blog explains what an income trust mutual fund is and why we should care.
5. On the heels of the Japan earthquake, Bret at Hope to Prosper reflects on why you should protect yourself before disaster strikes.
6. Miss Thrifty shares five alternative uses for baby oil, none of which I’ve heard of before!
7. Jocelyn from One Money Design explains how to split rent with roommates.
8. Mike from Do Not Wait has published a list of online retirement resources.
9. FruGal this week shares ideas for finding bargains when shopping online.
10. The Well Heeled Blog shows us how to help our significant others save for retirement.
11. Jason from Live Real, Now tells us the first rule of getting out of debt.
12. Money Walks explains how not to have a pet put us in debt.

Yellow

Yellow is a common color for living spaces, as it tends to brighten rooms and make them seem cheery and lively. It can also be overwhelming when too strong or used too broadly.

Today’s “yellow” posts are optimistic or forward-looking in nature:

1. RJ from Gen Y Wealth considers how to set money goals using the right side of your brain.
2. Neal from Wealth Pilgrim explains the importance of selecting a life insurance beneficiary.
3. Sean from Growing Money wants to know if we’re looking at the big picture when it comes to investing.
4. Flexo from Consumerism Commentary asks about how much money we need to feel wealthy.
5. Little Miss Moneybags shares an interesting concept for getting advice—a board of directors.
6. Michael from The Dough Roller tells us that the best way to stimulate the economy is by investing in local businesses.
7. Stephanie from Wellness of Less tackles some ideas for easing the pain of the gas pump.
8. Mike from Experiglot gives us ways to find ideas for start-up businesses.
9. Amanda from My Dollar Plan evaluates what the options are when you owe money to the IRS.
10. At Good Financial Cents, Miranda considers some ways to overcome financial inertia.
11. The Financial Blogger shares a number of practical steps for investing in yourself.

Red

Red is the classic color of heat and passion. Used frequently in kitchens, it heightens appetite and increases the human stress response (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.).

Today’s “red” posts are passionate, opinionated, and not afraid to shine:

1. You can read about buying stock in Tokyo Electric at Financial Uproar.
2. Ryan of The Financial Student considers whether living on $250,000 is living close to poverty.
3. Emily asks us hard questions about whether now’s the time to buy a home at Cash Money Life.
4. Ben from Money Smart Life tells us why we’ll never start an emergency fund.
5. You can read some lessons from Charlie Sheen about money at the Canadian Personal Finance Blog.
6. Read about why FMF no longer reads personal finance magazines at Free Money Finance.
7. Nicole from Grumpy Rumblings reflects on having more than others and being OK with it.
8. Read a few reflections about the real estate market and being underwater at Funny About Money.
9. Crystal from Budgeting in the Fun Stuff explains why she never wants to buy a house again.
10. If one million was not enough, you can read what the Intelligent Speculator would do with one billion dollars.
11. At the Consumer Boomer, you can read about the newest invention of the insurance industry—divorce insurance.
12. Mighty Bargain Hunter asks us to consider tossing our young entrepreneurs into the deep end.

Blue

Blue is relaxing and soothing, the “classic cool” color. It’s often used in bedrooms for its calming effects or as an alternative for green in focus spaces.

Today’s “blue” posts are straightforward and rational:

1. Kim at the Blogging for Change blog answers a reader question about what to do when you own a timeshare you can’t afford.
2. Examine some of the costs of cigarette smoking at Money Reasons.
3. Len Penzo asks us to calculate a restaurant tip—be sure to check out the comments.
4. Jim at Bargaineering explains the popular child tax credit and how it impacts your bottom line.
5. Nathan at ComplexSearch asks if local banking is a thing of the past, and some questions to ask yourself when evaluating your banking options.
6. FIRE Finance takes a look at current inflation rates and how they affect your own money.
7. At the Squirrelers, you can read about the time value of money and how it affects your financial goals.
8. Jeff has provided us with 10 important steps to buying a car at the Cariity blog.
9. Andy at Saving to Invest has a pretty cool quiz to test your financial IQ.
10. Ken from Spruce Up Your Finances tells us why we’d want to file an amended tax return and exactly how to do it.

Orange

A hybrid somewhere between red and yellow, orange brings a lot of life to the party. When applied with tact, many people describe orange as “rich” or “warm” to live in. I’ve used it successfully in many living spaces.

Today’s “orange” posts aim to make us richer or enhance our life in some way:

1. Elizabeth from Modern Gal shares tips about how to deal with tax-time.
2. Daniel considers income diversification at Sweating the Big Stuff.
3. Philip from PT Money gives us 10 things we can do today to spend more wisely.
4. Tisha from Moolanomy explains how to raise your credit score with a credit card.
5. Mike from Green Panda Treehouse explores how you can moonlight your way to success.
6. Shaun at The Money Cactus tells us about wealth creation and why it’s not about the money.
7. Darwin’s Money evaluates why the current price-to-earnings ratios indicate we’re headed off a cliff.
8. Net Worth Journey has published a simple introduction to municipal bonds.
9. Craig from Money Help for Christians evaluates the differences between mutual fund and index fund investing.
10. At Money Thinking, learn about six things you can buy in bulk that would save a lot of money.

Next Week’s Carnival

Thanks for reading along today! I hope you’ve found at least a few things of interest you can take away and apply in your own life.

If you’d like to submit your post to be considered for next week’s carnival, head over to the submission page. Next week, Money Beagle will be hosting the carnival. Thanks for reading!

Credits: Many colors photo by david nikonvscanon. Green by Will Clayton. Yellow by Aunt Owwee. Red by epSos.de. Blue by A6U571N. Orange by Pink Sherbet Photography.