Survive the Choppy Market: Personal-Finance Blogger Picks

photo: AMagill

The past few weeks have been pretty choppy weeks on Wall Street, with the market experiencing three- to four-digit point drops on some days.  Stock prices had enjoyed an upward march of around 7% from February 2010 to early May.  Unfortunately the trend has not lasted too long and has since reversed. What happens next remains to be seen.

The recent volatility is a reflection of a tougher investment and economic climate and it’s up to us to make sure we’re making the right financial moves to keep our footing.  Here are eight personal finance articles that can help with your money management efforts:

Cut Corners, Cut Costs

$100 here, $100 there. $100 every where a Wedding. Budgets are $exy shares one radical idea on how to save on the costs of wedding gifts: give away a fixed amount of cash in lieu of a gift.  Do you agree with this strategy?  Or do you find it crass? Let’s hope that the bride and groom understands that you need to take care of your budget, too.

Zeitgeist Flies The Surly Skies. The Frugal Zeitgeist gives you great tips on how to get the best airline rates so that you can save on travel costs, such as setting travel alerts to help you track ticket pricing changes or being flexible about your travel dates (traveling off season vs during peak periods). You can become a frugal jet-setter by picking up some of her pointers.

Cutting the Cable TV. Lazy Man and Money reflects on cutting his entertainment costs by doing away with cable TV.  So is it really “Goodbye Cable” for Lazy Man and Money?  Check out how and why he’s made his decision.

Keep Your Car From Being a Money Sink. Green Panda discusses everyday car maintenance practices that may help you save on car repairs and parts replacements that could cost you more in the long run.  Some great ideas here to keep your car running for less.

Wise Money Management and Investment Ideas

How To Get Approved For A Prime Credit Card. The Silicon Valley Blogger knows how hard it is to apply — and get approved — for credit these days. However, there are ways to still get approved for prime credit cards.  The key to securing the best cards lies in wise card use and good financial behavior.

What is the coolest way to buy gold? When the financial landscape is murky, investors love to rush to precious metals — to gold, in particular. Wouldn’t you just love to have a stash of gold bullion sitting somewhere, appreciating in value, waiting to be liquidated? OneMint dishes out on one of the most surprising ways to get your hands on this particular asset.

How to Manage Your Money in Uncertain Times. BalanceJunkie discusses the various attitudes taken by different types of investors. He then rounds up his treatise with his characteristically balanced advice on what stance to take during uncertain times. As you’d expect, his practical advice leans heavily towards prudence.

The Eight Money Ratios. Free Money Finance discusses the various investment ratios that investors should take during specific stages in their lives. These ratios are stratified according to age ranges and priorities for that age range, and can be used as guidelines for how to invest, especially if you are new to investing.

Silicon Valley Blogger (SVB) runs The Digerati Life and The Smarter Wallet, where she writes about  general personal finance topics such as investing, budgeting, debt management and small business ideas.