AOL Sofas, Eric Simons & Financial Round Up

You remember that time you were a wannabe entrepreneur who lived at AOLs headquarters for 2 months to make your dream come true? It was crazy how you slept on couches that the guards wouldn’t see, how you would take showers and work out in their gym, and eat the cereal from their cafeteria. Oh- wait- that wasn’t you?

Eric Simons did exactly that! While some people might say it was improper, including the security guard who woke him up with screams, Eric Simons displays exactly the attitude an entrepreneur needs to make it in this world. I don’t know a single entrepreneur who passively attained their goals. They all worked hard and sacrificed. I think this 20 year old has taught a lot of people a great lesson!

Financial Round Up

Below are some articles that were submitted to my first ever FinCarn Carnival! These articles are from some of the top finance blogs on the net, and a few new comers as well. Thanks for stopping in and see you again soon!

Hank @ Money Q&A writes Why I Bought Shares Of Facebook On Its IPO Opening Day – I bought shares of Facebook yesterday on its opening day on the market after its initial public offering (IPO). Should you buy shares of Facebook IPO? Here are some reasons.

Crystal @ Budgeting in the Fun Stuff writes Hilarious Hypocrisy – Do you even think the wine lady understands how hilarious her life decisions are? How many of us are completely overlooking our own giant blind spots?

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions writes Is Your Frugality Invoked to Stretch Dollars or to Stockpile the Savings? – There are two possible outcomes of frugality. One is to stretch your dollar so that you get a lot more in purchases.

Aaron @ Aaron Hung.com writes What does it take to earn passive income? – Let’s face it; we all want that ultimate goal of one day living off of our passive income ventures, whether it’d be stocks, blogging, or any other online business that you’re working on. Just think about it, you’re lying on the beach in the Virgin Islands somewhere without a care in the world while you’re keep getting paid without even lifting a finger

SFB @ Simple Finance Blog writes How to Be a Debt Collector’s Worst Nightmare – What are you rights when debt collectors call? How to navigate the unethical collection practices of debt collection agencies?

KT @ Personal Finance Journey writes Easy Energy Saving Tips… – Energy costs seem to rise almost every day, and it can be hard to keep pace with them, especially if you find yourself on a tight budget. While it might be something that some people can just about cope with, for others, simply meeting the cost of their basic energy needs can be awfully difficult.

Invest It Wisely @ Invest It Wisely writes Living to 100 and Beyond: How Will It Affect Your Retirement Plans? – This is the first in a series of articles on living to 100 and beyond. This post was originally published on May 17, 2010.

101 Centavos @ 101 Centavos writes Travel Notes: Just Say Ahn-Nyeong Hah-Seh-Yo and Kon’nichi Wa – Just a couple words is all you need to know when traveling abroad. Hello and thank you and a big smile will open a lot of doors in the East, especially in a business setting, and most especially coming from Americans, renowned foreign-language ignoramuses.

MMD @ MyMoneyDesign writes Six Easy Steps to Figuring Out Your Retirement – When someone says you should save 10% for retirement, what does this actually mean? Will you hit your goals? How do you even know what your goals are? I’d like to offer you my advice for a simple and streamlined introductory approach to figuring out your retirement goals.

Daniel @ Sweating the Big Stuff writes Our Decision To Join Our Finances – When Lauren and I got engaged last year, we had an important decision to make: did we want to combine finances or keep them separate?

John @ Married (with Debt) writes Debt to Income Ratio: Not Just for Banks – What is a debt to income ratio? Is it only for banks? Find out how you can use it to determine how to get out of debt.

TRL @ The Retired Landlord writes The Number One Reason People Don’t Invest in Real Estate – Find out why people don’t invest in real estate. It’s not just a simple matter of weighing the risks and benefits.

Sustainable PF @ Sustainable Personal Finance writes Why “No More Lattes” Rarely Works – Who would’ve known that all this time we have been pouring caffeine-laced devil’s brew down our throats every morning?! If you’re not aware that

Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes Woman Finds Meteorite Worth $20,000 While Walking the Dog – This is one of those stories that makes me want to get off my butt and take the dog for a walk! So get this…

krantcents @ KrantCents writes The 3 P’s of Success – The 3 P’s of Success is the sixteenth in a series of articles to help you reach your goal.

MR @ Money Reasons writes Beyond Frugal – Fixing My Son’s Broken Bike – Satisfaction from fixing my son’s broken brake levers and a video to demonstate how to do frugally it.

Don @ MoneySmartGuides writes Money Rules When Spending Money – I was recently in Chicago for a charity event. The events were held at the hotel I was staying at so I ended up eating a handful of meals in the hotel.

Kevin @ Thousandaire writes Do’s and Don’ts with your Credit Card – The concept behind credit cards is a simple one: charge now, pay later.

Maria @ The Money Principle writes A need or a want: this is the problem! – Our lives change most when there has been a seriously interruptive event in them – although we can change our lives because we want to do, we do this most efficiently and quickly when we need to.

Sean @ One Smart Dollar writes Money Saving Workout Routines for a Fit Recession-ista – Spending money for a gym membership can be expensive. Here are some great tips to keep yourself in shape and not break the budget.

Jen @ Master the Art of Saving writes How to Start Saving Money (Even if you’re always broke) – Yep, that’s right…broke people can save money too.

Debt Guru @ Debt Free Blog writes Does Over-Confidence Lead to Debt? – Find out why over-confidence can easily lead to debt. To live debt free, you have to stay humble and diligent. Learn how you can do it.

Jeremy @ Modest Money writes Are Finance Bloggers Perfect Identity Theft Targets – One of the threats of the online world that we often forget about is identity theft. It’s easy to forget about those kinds of dangers as we are going about our business online. It’s one of those kinds of things that you don’t truly appreciate until it actually happens to you.

Tushar @ Start Investing Money writes What Should You Do When an Investment Dives in Value? – This Post was Originally published at What Should You Do When an Investment Dives in Value? on Start Investing Money

Aloysa @ My Broken Coin writes The Financial Dangers of Being a Mail-Order Bride – In this article I talk about the dangers of being a mail-order bride!

Jason @ Work Save Live writes Broke, Desperate, and Being an Idiot – I wanted to relive the past a bit more and talk about how my ‘financial peace & debt free’ journey originally got started.

YFS @ Your Finances Simplified writes Roth vs. Traditional IRA (In Depth Review) – Since the conception of the Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) in 1974 from the Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), it has helped thousands of individuals to save money for a comfortable retirement. Over the years, the types of IRAs …

Lorillia B. Phillips @ Your Money Mentor writes Vanishing Paper: Why the value of stock certificates can be worth more than the stock – The value of stock certificates as collectibles or securities.

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes How to Generate Interest in a New Business – Find out how you can use a promotional offer to generate interest in your new business.

Earth and Money @ Earth and Money writes Are We an Impatient Society? – Yesterday, I was delayed several minutes by a chatty customer in line at the grocery store. Should I have been more patient?

Ashley @ Money Talks Coaching writes How Much Life Insurance Do You Need? – Life insurance isn’t sexy or fun but it is something you need to think about every few decades.

Daisy @ Add Vodka writes Shopping Frugally – I don’t know about you, but if I’m about to buy an item that I’ve had my eye on for awhile, I do a lot of research.

Jeremy Waller @ Personal Finance Whiz writes Oh Noes! The Facebook IPO! – Today is the big day. The day that Facebook goes public and makes Mark Zukerberg the 29th richest person in the world. It’s unreal how much hype is surrounding this IPO. I don’t know if it’s because it’s one of the biggest IPOs in history or if its simply because it’s Facebook.

Corey @ 20s Finances writes When It’s Difficult to Save Money – Do you have a difficult time saving money? Saving money should be a priority for all young adults, but we all know that it’s not that easy – is it? While I already gave you easy ways to save money, it doesn’t mean that life doesn’t get in the way. In the past few weeks, I have been reminded of how difficult it is to save money in certain times of lives.

Suba @ Broke Professionals writes The Three Musketeers: My Dad’s Medical Team – Money is still my dad’s focus, even when facing quadruple bypass and vascular surgeries within three months.

Wayne @ Young Family Finance writes Summer Temptations – Find out how I resist the many temptations that the summer months bring. Are vacations and ice-cream worth throwing out yoru budget?

A Blinkin @ Funancials writes Stop Saying You’re Too Young…Or Too Old – I used to spend all of my free time reading books about personal finance and investing – boy, was that boring. About 2 months ago I started focusing more on topics such as finding your purpose and chasing your dreams. I stumbled upon a book titled The Dream Manager, which I recommend to everybody.

Corey @ Steadfast Finances writes Travel for Pennies: How Rethinking International Travel Can Save You Money – Find out easy and practical steps to travel to great places without breaking the bank.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes Car Buying Guide – Part 1 – I Bought a New Used Car – My goal with this car buying guide is to offer you something to take out from my car buying experience. Buying a used car is NOT the only way to go. There are other options.

PPlan @ Provident Plan writes How to Handle Medical Bills like a Pro – Ah, medical bills. We all hate them but they have been part of our life since birth. As the old, wise saying goes, there is no such thing as free lunch.

harry campbell @ Your Personal Finance Pro writes Should Young Professionals Invest in Dividend Stocks? – With fixed income investments like bonds and CD’s returning decade lows, some investors have turned to dividend stocks as a way to receive predictable income at regular intervals. Dividend stocks usually refer to companies that have a history of paying out dividends to shareholders. In fact, each year, the S&P 500 publishes a list of it’s dividend aristocrats. A company must increase it’s annual dividend payout every single year for 25 consecutive years to get onto that list. Many begi

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Revenue Bonds – Revenue Bonds definition and comparison of Revenue Bonds to General Obligation Municipal Bonds.

JP @ My Family Finances writes Starting to Exercise? Should Your Family Spend Money to Work Out? – Starting to exercise? While I’d love to just say, go frugal, you don’t need to spend money to be active, it’s really not that simple. There are many good reasons to spend money working out.

Jeffrey @ Money Spruce writes Only 72: If You’re Serious About Building an Online Business – If you want to get right to the sale, click here to go to Only 72. I’m writing today about the Only 72 sale. It’s 90 percent off over $1,000 in ebooks and guides for the entrepreneur – but only for 72 hours. Why I’m writing a post about it Almost 2 years ago, I began searching for a different path in life.

Jon Rhodes @ Affiliate Tips writes Should I Submit To Directories? – This article discusses whether submitting a website or blog to directories will help it become a financial success.

Glen Craig @ Free From Broke writes Good High Yield Dividend Stocks Are Better Alternatives to Bonds Today – In today’s economy bonds may not be a great investment. See why a good high yield dividend stock may be a better investing alternative.

J.P. @ Novel Investor writes The Complete Shareholder Proxy Vote Guide – As a shareholder, understanding your rights, the proxy voting process and knowing the SEC proxy rules is the best way to stay involved. How you vote could have a direct impact on the company and your money going forward.

Lance @ Money Life & More writes Business Mileage Reimbursement – Do You Really Make Money? – Whenever I’ve talked to anyone who receives mileage checks they all tell me how much money they “make” by driving for business miles. The mileage rate more than covers the cost of the gas they use! I want to challenge this assumption. The IRS doesn’t aim for people to make money.

Boomer @ Boomer & Echo writes Financial Literacy Is A Lifelong Pursuit – With all the information available on TV, newspapers, magazines, and online there’s no excuse for the shocking lack of financial knowledge that most of us have. Choose your own destiny, or someone else will.

Mike @ Rewards Cards Canada writes Do You Put Groceries On Your Credit Card? – For some people, there’s a psychological barrier that exists when it comes to using credit cards for essentials like groceries, gas and pharmaceuticals.

Mike @ Rewards Cards USA writes Summer Vacation: Boost Your Travel Rewards – School’s almost out, and summer vacation season is right around the corner. If you are looking to boost the frugality of your summer vacation, and earn more rewards at the same time, look no further than your travel rewards card.

SB @ One Cent at a Time writes How to Control Stock Trading Impulses – People with investible money often gets attracted to stocks after reading an article or two. It is important to not buy out of impulse. Take time, do research and set some guidelines to control your impulses

Paul Vachon @ The Frugal Toad writes Save Money on Auto Repair with These Web Apps – With the average age of cars on U.S. roads approaching 11 years, saving money on auto repair is a high priority for many people. One of the problems when dealing with auto repair away from home is finding a reputable repair shop. With a smartphone and these websites, saving money on auto repair is right at your fingertips.