The people behind NetworthIQ and Expensr invited me and a few other bloggers to San Francisco for a workshop to discuss online financial management tools. At this invitation-only event, six bloggers have been asked to present their history and talk about blogging in general. The blogs to be showcased include Consumerism Commentary, Get Rich Slowly, Personal Finance Advice, Blueprint for Financial Prosperity, Stop Buying Crap, and Dual Income No Kids. The round table discussions will include even more bloggers as well as representatives from the companies.

The event will begin in a few hours. In the mean time, here are some recent articles from the participants. I’ll be on my way back to the east coast tomorrow.

When the Going Gets Tough, Get Back to the Basics. Different rules apply depending on your goals, as long as your goals are set properly. People struggling to get out of debt have to look at the basics of money management to move ahead, and that has to happen before loftier goals, like investing for the future. Yes, while retirement should always be a focus, if you’re falling deeper into debt every month and not making ends meet, then the basics must be attended to before worrying about the future.

When Does Married-Filing-Jointly Make Sense? Jim runs some numbers and discovers some interesting facts. It rarely makes financial sense, but there are a few occasions in which you could pay less tax (or avoid more penalties) by filing separately.

Crap or Not: Nintendo Wii. In his series evaluating products for potential crapitude, Cap takes a look at the Nintendo Wii. I bought one for my girlfriend, and we both enjoy playing it. Her family enjoys it as well. In fact I have not met one person who, after playing the Wii, did not think it was a fun way to waste some time. It was definitely a worthwhile entertainment expense.

Dual Income No Kids looks at the financial disparity between the average wealth of racial groups.

44 Ways to Improve Your Productivity. Jeffrey Strain provides examples of a variety of aspects of his life that makes him more productive. For example, he doesn’t watch television, he writes lists, and he doesn’t take breaks from working at the computer. I hate to say it, but in some ways, the “productivity” movement has to be one of the most disappointing aspects of American culture.

Feeling Poor: Here are the Two Largest Reasons Why. Lazy Man believes people trying to improve their finances should bother searching for which tool for managing their money (such as Quicken or Mint) is best; any tool is better than tool. Rather, they should worry about education and the desire to improve.

Survive a Recession, Think Long Term. While market sentiment is down, those who are investing for the long term shouldn’t be concerned. The problems we are facing are mainly short-term problems and over the next few decades the outlook is good. Is it?

21 Days to a Negative Money Habit. Here’s a list of 21 different bad financial choices. Don’t fall into these traps.

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By Flexo on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 8:34 am