The Katana: Favorites Of The Week 11/8

katana

It's time for another Katana with the favorites of the week 11/8. I have to admit, it takes a little more for me to get excited about topics in the personal finance arena because there's generally a consistent rehash of themes we all know we should be doing, like spending less than you earn.  I'm also guilty of this, and that's why whenever something is fresh, or teaches me something new (I have a lot to learn) I get excited.

From my end, I try and write whatever is on my mind at the moment, and hope it's never been written before.  I highlight 8 articles of the week. Is yours one of them?

Favorites Of The Week 11/8

* Len teaches me there's actually a secret spider on something we've all probably used in “A Primer To Help You Unravel The True Meaning Of A Dollar”.  I still think it looks like an octopus!

* Roger, when not busy helping his company produce swine flu vaccines,  comes up with a fun pro-forma way to design your own tax system in “Hey, Kids!  Design Your Own Tax System!”

* David highlights “12 Surprisingly Simple Ways To Get More Done” where often times our multi-tasking just gets in the way of what's most important.  I like the tip on the strength to say “no.”

* Neal creates a “Choose Your Own Adventure” type book in his article “Your Retirement Planning – Made Simple.” He comes up with a suggestion, and recommends cutting things down until the plan makes perfect sense.

* Austin from Foreigner's Finance writes “Be Your Own Part-Time Boss: The Pro's & Cons” on Baker's site.  Austin is teaching Japanese in a small town in western Japan, so of course my ear's perk up.  Good luck with the JET program Austin.  I have a feeling you may never come back!

* Matt's MOM provides another wonderful article on “Homemade Christmas Decorations & Ornaments.” Matt has a whole stable of home made posts, such as making your own toothpaste and mouthwash!

* Patrick reminds us of several key “2009 Year End Tax Moves” to think about.  I hope everybody pays a lot of taxes because of all the money you've made in the markets!

* Jun asks “Does Daydreaming Lead To Dissatisfaction With Your Life?” I think the answer is “yes,” but in a very good way.  I daydream all the time about what could be.  My flashforward post is an example.  Right now, I'm dreaming of what I'd do if I won the WSOP and $8.6 million bucks which is going on right now!  Go Begs!

FINANCIAL SAMURAI UPDATES:

* Shu from BULLDOG Gin reminds me that nobody cares about your own business more than you.  It's hard not to take criticism and rejection personally, but that's what keeps us both motivated!

* People actually think a weak US dollar hurts us financially and compromises the US as a world leader.  Do we really need to rule the world?  If Americans don't bother producing attractive goods for foreigners, and so few of us know a second language, why do we care that our US dollar is weak?  We're a self-sustaining, closed economy where we expect everybody and everything to come to us!

* Apparently, everybody is an honest employee and nobody plays hooky based on the comments in “Never Call In Sick On Friday, Slacker!” If I ever start a company, I want to hire all of you!  We will make Friday double work day. :)

* Financial Samurai finally breaks into the Top 100 of Wise Bread's personal finance rankings!  Will people start treating me differently as a result?  Maybe.  Will I get more spam mail from people who want to exchange links when they don't have anything?  Perhaps.  Will advertisers ask me to pimp products I don't use?  Hope not.  Will other sites actually give me the time of day?  I have my doubts.  Will we be able to reach a new audience?  Hope so!

* Small-time publishers (like us), I enjoy reading your insights!  We all enjoy the community and share the love of writing.  It's hard for me to read everything, so if you feel you've got something unique, please feel free to e-mail or comment in a post of what you've written!  I've found the best writing comes from new publishers like Untemplater who are not playing puppets to their advertisers.  Maybe we'll be advertisement puppets in the future, but not now.  We small-timers have to stick together because nobody else will stick up for us!

Related: Nobody Really Cares

Keigu,

Financial Samurai – “Slicing Through Money's Mysteries”

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11 thoughts on “The Katana: Favorites Of The Week 11/8”

  1. Congrats on Wisebread-100!

    Although Search Engine Optimization is a necessary evil at the beginning, I think if you continue to produce great content and attract readers, at some point search engines will start recognizing you for it without any undue effort.

  2. Congrats on reaching the top 100! There are many great pf blogs out there, and it can be difficult to break through. Just keep doing what you are doing – great content, commenting on other sites, etc., and you will continue to grow your site and increase your traffic. More importantly, you will continue to meet great people and learn. It’s a never ending process. :)

  3. @Suzan Thanks for your kind words! I tell ya, I was just shooting to break 500,000 on Alexa by end of year, who woulda thought.

    Interesting context regarding the federal government. There definitely seems to be a stereotype that once you join the government, you’re employed for life.. which is good! I guess some organizations more than others abuse the system. Best, FS

  4. Congratulations on getting into the top 100!

    In regard to leave abusers – I guess most of your readers are working for private firms… Many of my former federal government co-workers used to abuse their sick leaves and those who worked hard or had a sense of responsibility were always left to pick up more work. Sadly, there wasn’t much that bosses could do or wanted to do. Federal regulations seem to make firing people more difficult.

  5. Thanks for providing a list of great articles worth reading for better understsnding. Great job on making it to WiseBread top 100 blogs.

  6. Thanks Charlie & Lean – It’s because of readers like you who’ve helped grow this site! It’s always fun to hear your commentary.

    It really feels that if a publisher can just focus on giving and never asking for anything back in return (mentions, links, whatever), things start happening.

    I have NO IDEA about Search Engine Optimization stuff like adding “meta tags” and writing posts to try and lure search visitors to come over. It’s just fun to write, meet new folks, and learn from y’all, period!

    It will be interesting if perceptions change about this site though, now that’s it’s on “page 1.” Definitely a topic of a future post!

    Best

    FS

  7. Susan Kishner

    I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.

  8. Hey congrats on breaking into the top 100 on Wise Bread’s rankings – that’s awesome! I like the link on simple ways to get more done. Number 2 is so true, I need to be better at that. I distract myself too easily.

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