http://investing.curiouscatblog.net Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:41:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en There are external risks to your financial health. Many people ruin their financial health even before any external risk can, but lets say you are being responsible then what risks should you seek to protect yourself from? RiskStrategyAlso medical costshealth insuranceemergency fund, healthy lifestyle to reduce the likelihood of needing medical ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/07/02/how-to-protect-your-financial-health/ The largest oil consuming countries (and EU), in millions of barrels per day: Countryconsumption% of oil used% of population% of World GDP USA20.825.94.521.0 European Union14.618.17.421.9 China6.98.619.910.7 Japan5.46.71.96.5 Russia2.93.62.13.2 Germany2.63.31.24.3 India2.43.017.04.6 Canada2.32.90.51.9 Korea2.12.70.71.8 Brazil2.12.62.92.8 Mexico2.12.61.62.1 All data is from CIA World Factbook 2008 (downloaded Jun 2008). GDP calculated using purchasing power parity. Related: Top 10 Manufacturing Countries 2006 - Country H-index Rank for Science ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/30/oil-consumption-by-country/ The cracks are showing For the past few years it has been hard to ignore America's crumbling infrastructure ... Even worse is the influence of the pork-barrel. Only around 20 states use cost-benefit analyses to evaluate transport projects; of these, just six do so regularly. Alaska's "bridge to nowhere" is an infamous result ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/28/failing-infrastructure-in-the-usa/ Poorer Than You posed the question: Where to Stash Your Rainy Day Fund? One of the most popular places for emergency funds right now, online savings accounts offer the sweet spot of liquidity and interest rate. The funds can be transferred to your checking account within 1-3 days. Recommended account: ING ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/26/where-to-keep-your-emergency-funds/ New research confirms feeling powerless leads to expensive purchases. So in addition to learning about personal finance logically it can be important to build your self esteem in order to improve your financial position. For many people understanding human psychology helps them take more control of their own ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/25/buying-stuff-to-feel-powerful/ I have made some additional loans through Kiva, $250 for 5 loans in: Nicaragua, Ghana, Viet Nam, Togo and Tanzania. I have now made 37 loans for a total of $1,775. 5 loans of $250 have been paid back (and I relent the proceeds). Kiva says 5.64% ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/24/funding-entrepreneurs-in-nicaragua-ghana-viet-nam-togo-and-tanzania/ Japan to Cut the Cost of Solar 50% Creating Greater Self-sufficiency The country however is the 2nd largest global market for solar energy, and is home to some of the largest solar component manufacturers, including Sanyo, Kyocera, and Sharp. The Japanese government will introduce tax credits and subsidies to encourage ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/23/japan-to-add-personal-solar-subsidies/ The USA stock market has not been doing so well recently (the S&P 500 index is down over 9% so far this year). And I own S&P 500 indexes in my retirement account (in addition to other index funds). So I am losing money on those investments but ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/21/does-a-declining-stock-market-worry-you/ Over the last 2 months the yields on bonds have increased the discount rate has continued to decline. The spread between corporate bond yields and government bonds has decreased a bit as treasury yields have increased 37 basis points compared to just 4 and 6 basis point increased in corporate ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/16/corporate-and-government-bond-yields/ With the drastic increases in food prices recently a home garden an attractive way to save some money. I have planted a garden for several years. Frankly the main reasons I did so had nothing to do with money. I find it cool to plant a seed ... http://investing.curiouscatblog.net/2008/06/15/save-money-on-food/