I received an advance copy of Carl Richards’ book scheduled for wide release on January 3, The Behavior Gap: Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things with Money. Carl is a Certified Financial Planner who began writing articles — and sketching on napkins — at his own website, behaviorgap.com, and now does the same for the New York Times. His napkin sketches stemmed from his love and the effectiveness of using whiteboards to illustrate financial concepts for his clients.

Earlier this week, I spoke to Carl for an upcoming episode of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, hosted by Bryan J Busch. Listen to this podcast when it airs a week from tomorrow to learn more about the new book — one of the few new personal finance books I was genuinely excited to read. In addition to concepts from the book, we also discussed Carl’s experience losing his house due to his choice to buy into a real estate market bubble that soon imploded.

Carl has offered ten 8×10 prints of one of his most relevant sketches to Consumerism Commentary readers and listeners. The sketch explains who to determine what issues are the most important, whether in financial planning or in life. It is a Venn diagram emphasizing the intersection of things that matter and things you can control. The print is on high-quality, thick card stock.

Here’s how to get a free 8×10 print of the napkin sketch

In order to receive a free print, email book@behaviorgap.com with a subject line indicating you’re participating in the giveaway from Flexo or Consumerism Commentary, and include in the email a proof of purchase. The proof can be a copy of your order notice from Amazon, a picture of your receipt, or anything else that shows you’ve purchased the book. Carl’s team will contact the first ten people directly to ensure the prints find their way to the winners’ hands.

Continue reading for some of the best personal finance articles I discovered this week.

Speaking of Carl Richards, Mike Piper from the Oblivious Investor writes about one of the points from the Behavior Gap, going on a financial media fast. Part of the reason investors perform worse than their investments is due to their reaction to the financial news media. In order to gain ratings and viewers, there is a constant stream of news and “analysis.” Gurus predict stock movements, and corporate public relations machines ensure they have control over public opinion. When consumers react by buying and selling stocks, they’re harming their long-term financial well-being.

The latest edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance, hosted at Young Adult Finances, included this review and comparison of the various Chase Freedom credit card offers.

MyMoneyCircles is a financial boot camp headed by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox (The Money Coach). The purpose is to provide consumers with resources — advice, articles, tools, and links — for making the best financial decisions at every important crossroad in life. The program will begin early in January, but you can sign up now or any time in the future.

Invest it Wisely describes the three stages of financial freedom. The first stage is saving money and reducing costs, the second stage is building income, and the third stage exists only when you have enough money to be completely self-sustaining without working again, at least to pay for the bare necessities. The author concludes that households with a mortgage need invested assets of only $600,000 for an initial withdrawal rate of 3% to cover annual living expenses of $18,000 in perpetuity. An income of $18,000, at least in my particular living situation, is not quite enough for me to consider myself financially free.

Evan from My Journey to Millions explains why buying a house with a mortgage doesn’t automatically change your net worth. The concept is simple, but can still be hard to grasp. If you buy a house for $300,000 without a mortgage, you’re just shifting $300,000 from your cash column to the house (long term asset) column, with both on the asset side. If you buy a house for $300,000 with a mortgage and $60,000 down, you’re shifting $60,000 from the cash column to the house column and increasing your long-term debt column by $240,000. Since you subtract your debt from your assets to get your net worth, the bottom line doesn’t change from “before” to “after,” regardless of whether a mortgage is involved.

A napkin sketch would come in handy.

The original version of this article, Behavior Gap Napkin Sketch Giveaway, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

This is it. Somehow, I’ve survived Giveaway May, having operated contests every weekday this past month. Many winners have not yet been contacted, so if you haven’t heard from me, hang tight. The rest of the winners will be contacted within the next few days, and all winners will be announced on Consumerism Commentary. Each winner is chosen randomly (using the random number generator at random.org) from among those who have successfully completed any and all tasks required for that day.

I’m excited to have Wise Bread as a partner for the final giveaway this month at Consumerism Commentary. Wise Bread is one of the foremost blogs covering the topics of money and frugality. I’ve written a few articles for Wise Bread, as well, and I plan to write more as time allows. Thanks to Wise Bread and Will Chen, we can offer readers $200 in Amazon.com Gift Cards today. Consumerism Commentary will match a $100 gift card for Amazon.com from Wise Bread with the same. Today’s winner will walk away with $200 to spend at the online store.

Here is what you’ll need to do by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on May 31, 2011 to be entered into today’s giveaway.

1. Follow @flexo on Twitter. If you’re already following @flexo, you can ignore this step.
2. Follow @WiseBread on Twitter. If you’re already following @WiseBread, you can ignore this step.
3. Find your favorite personal finance blog on Wise Bread’s top 100 pf blogs chart. See this screenshot for detailed instructions. (Choosing Consumerism Commentary will not increase your chances of winning the giveaway, but it will make me smile!)
4. Tweet: “My favorite blog [blog's Twitter handle or name] is #[ranking] on @WiseBread’s #top100 chart http://bit.ly/toppfblogs” by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Tuesday, May 31, 2011. (For example, a suggested Twitter message might read, “My favorite blog @flexo is #12 on @WiseBread’s #top100 chart http://bit.ly/toppfblogs.”)

Thanks, and good luck!

The original version of this article, Final Giveaway: $200 in Gift Cards, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

To readers in the United States, happy Memorial Day! For Americans serving overseas — please arrive home safely.

Many of us had long weekends for the holiday; I spent the weekend traveling. A friend of mine got married recently, and rather than having the traditional wedding, their marriage was private and followed by a honeymoon; when they returned, they celebrated with friends and family with a traditional reception. I traveled with my girlfriend to upstate New York to participate in the festivities. I also had a chance to revisit the town that I lived in from age two to ten. It was my first time back in many years, and the town has changed, with more big-box stores, more chain restaurants, more highways, but still a lot of undeveloped land.

Today, I’m back in New York City, celebrating Memorial Day with my girlfriend’s family. Today, MoneyCrush is joining as a partner for the latest giveaway in Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. Every weekday this month, including today’s holiday, Consumerism Commentary is providing a luck reader with a prize. In addition to my $50 Amazon.com Gift Card, Money Crush will be providing the same, making today’s prize worth $100 in total.

Here is what you’ll need to do by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on May 30, 2011 to be entered into today’s giveaway.

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Subscribe to the Money Crush feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
3. Leave a comment here by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Monday, May 30, 2011.

If you win, you’ll need to meet all the conditions outlined in the Giveaway May introduction. Good luck!

The original version of this article, $100 Memorial Day Giveaway, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Before heading into Memorial Day weekend, why not win $100 to spend on Amazon.com? All this month, I’ve been hosting giveaways as part of a project I’m calling Giveaway May on Consumerism Commentary. Every weekday during this month, I will be giving away at least a $50 gift card, and almost every day the prizes have gone beyond that $50.

Today is no exception. My partner today is Live Real, Now, an excellent blog that focuses not only on personal finance, but on life improvement. All of us can stand to improve ourselves in some way. Ten years ago I started on a journey to fix my personal problems — my finances were only small parts of my problems. I’ve come around in a big way on the issues other than my finances, but I still have a long way to go with certain aspects of my life.

But this post isn’t about me — it’s about you, the readers. I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to communicate with Consumerism Commentary readers, this month of giveaways is my chance to give something back. So today, in addition to a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card from Consumerism Commentary, the winner will also receive a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card from Live Real, Now.

Here is what you’ll need to do by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on May 27, 2011 in order to be entered into today’s giveaway.

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Subscribe to the Live Real, Now RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
3. Leave a comment here by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Friday, May 27, 2011.

If you win, you’ll need to meet all the conditions outlined in the Giveaway May introduction. Good luck!

The original version of this article, Today’s Giveaway: $100 in Amazon.com Gift Cards, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

It’s another weekday in May, so it’s time for another giveaway. This month is Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary, and it’s been quite a ride. The purpose of this is to thank Consumerism Commentary readers, new and old, and expose readers to some of the great partners that have lined up. Today I’m happy to be working with Evan from My Journey to Millions.

My Journey to Millions is a personal finance blog written by a law school graduate who shares his experiences as he progresses from being broke to becoming a millionaire. You can subscribe to the My Journey to Millions RSS feed to follow Evan’s articles.

Evan and I have a special giveaway planned for today. The giveaway gains value as more people participate. Here’s how it works.

• If fewer than 100 readers respond, My Journey to Millions will provide $50 via Paypal and Consumerism Commentary will provide a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card (total: $100)
• If 100 or more readers respond, My Journey to Millions will provide $100 via PayPal and Consumerism Commentary will provide a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card (total: $200)
• If 150 or more readers respond, My Journey to Millions will provide $150 via PayPal and Consumerism Commentary will provide a $150 Amazon.com Gift Card (total: $300)
• If 200 or more readers respond, My Journey to Millions will provide $200 via PayPal and Consumerism Commentary will provide a $200 Amazon.com Gift Card (total: $400)

In order to correctly participate, you must follow all the steps below and be qualified to receive the prize based on the criteria in the Giveaway May introduction.

1. Follow @flexo on Twitter.
2. Follow @MJTM on Twitter.
3. Tweet this message: Pls RT! @flexo and @MJTM are offering free cash today. Follow them for great personal finance info http://flexo.me/kgLPJT (when you’re logged into Twitter, you can automatically enter that text by clicking here).
4. Comment on this article below and include your Twitter user name.

These steps must be completed by 11:59 PM Pacific Time tonight, May 26, 2011. Thanks and good luck!

The original version of this article, Today’s Givaway: $100, $200, or More!, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

All this month, I’m celebrating Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. Each weekday brings a new prize to be given to Consumerism Commentary readers. Each day I’ve been offering at least $50 per day, and I have invited a number of partners to participate in this series of giveaways to help sweeten the pot. For the second time this month, I’m excited to have an Apple iPad 2 to offer to a lucky winner today, thanks in part to today’s partner, Money Crashers.

Money Crashers is a great personal finance site that focuses on providing its readers with the financial tools and knowledge necessary to achieve a high level of financial fitness. To follow their articles on an eclectic selection of personal finance topics, subscribe to the Money Crashers RSS feed to get daily updates.

Like the last iPad giveaway, this is the Wi-Fi version.

In order to qualify, you must complete these steps by 11:59 PM Pacific Time tonight. That gives readers three more hours to qualify for the prize. Keep in mind that if you are selected, you also need to meet all the qualifications for accepting the prize listed in the Giveaway May introduction.

Here is what you need to do in order to be included in the pool of names from which the winner will be selected. Get started now:

1. Become a fan — or “like” — Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. If you are already a fan, don’t fret. You will qualify, too. If you’re not, you can use this button to make this process of “liking” Consumerism Commentary easy:

2. Become a fan — or “like” — Money Crashers on Facebook. If you are already a fan, don’t fret. You will qualify, too. If you’re not, you can use this button to make this process of “liking” Money Crashers easy:

3. “Like” this article on Facebook to share with your friends by clicking on the button below.

4. Scroll to the bottom of this article or click here to view the form where you can leave a comment.
5. Connect to your Facebook account by clicking the “Connect to Facebook” button. None of your Facebook information is stored here.
6. Leave a comment to let me know that you are a fan of Consumerism Commentary and Money Crashers on Facebook.

Don’t forget to “like” the two websites, “like” this article, and comment by connecting to Facebook before the deadline of 11:59 PM Pacific Time on May 25, 2011. Those who comment after that time will not qualify for the giveaway. Keep in mind the above steps are mandatory. Some people were disqualified from the prior iPad 2 giveaway because they did not follow the instructions. The winner will be contacted within the next few weeks. Once eligibility is confirmed, the iPad will be ordered and delivered directly to the winner.

Optional: Sign up for the Money Crashers newsletter:

Thanks and good luck!

The original version of this article, Today’s Giveaway: Win a Free iPad 2, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary is going strong. Every weekday this month, this site is featuring prizes worth at least $50. Today is no exception. Consumerism Commentary has partnered with pfblogs.org today to offer a $100 Amazon.com gift card to lucky winner.

Pfblogs.org is the ad-free personal finance blog aggregator. By visiting pfblogs.org, particularly the page for the most popular personal finance articles from the past 24 hours, you can see the money-related stories that are most capturing readers’ interest. These popular articles are also included in a Twitter feed; follow @pfblogs_pop for a selection of the most popular personal finance news from among the blogs listed as “Friends of pfblogs.org.” Bloggers who would like to have their websites listed on pfblogs.org need only submit a request on the site.

Here is how to qualify for today’s $100 gift card giveaway:

1. Follow @pfblogs_pop on Twitter.
2. Tweet this message: Pls RT! Follow @pfblogs_pop for the best personal finance articles and win $100! http://flexo.me/kEUF8v (when you’re logged into Twitter, you can automatically enter that text by clicking here).
3. Comment on this article below and include your Twitter user name.

These steps must be completed by 11:59 PM Eastern Time tonight, May 24, 2011. Also, in order to claim the $100 Amazon.com gift card, the winner must meet all the qualifications described in the Giveaway May introduction. Thanks, and good luck!

The original version of this article, Free $100 Gift Card For Amazon.com, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

It’s another week in May, so it’s the start of another week of giveaways. This month, Consumerism Commentary has embarked on a project I am calling Giveaway May. Every weekday, I will be giving away at least a $50 gift card, and most days I will have a partner or sponsor to help enhance the prize.

Today, I’ve teamed up with Donna Freedman from Surviving and Thriving and MSN Money. Donna also writes for Get Rich Slowly and has been a guest on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast twice. Donna had a great idea. With the Memorial Day weekend approaching — as well as summer vacations — many people are preparing for travel. That often entails buying gasoline for fueling cars as families and individuals plan to move from point A to point B and back again. The cost of gas is high this year, so a $50 gift card for gas, while it won’t go as far as it would have gone a few years ago, will still go far to help anyone afford their summer travels.

In addition to the $50 gas gift card from Donna, today’s winner will also receive a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card from Consumerism Commentary. In order to be entered in this giveaway, you’ll need to complete the following by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday, May 23, 2011. Late entries will not be accepted.

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Subscribe to the Surviving and Thriving RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
3. Send an email to may23@consumerismcommentary.com confirming you’ve subscribed to both feeds or leave a comment here by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday, May 23, 2011.

If you win, you’ll need to meet all the conditions outlined in the Giveaway May introduction. Good luck!

The original version of this article, Win $50 For Gas Fill-Ups Plus $50 For Amazon.com, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

It wouldn’t be a weekday in May without another giveaway. This month is Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. Each day, I’ll have some to reward readers valued $50 or more. Today’s a good day for the winner; thanks to a partnership with personal finance blog Beating Broke, I am able to offer Amazon.com’s reading device, the Kindle. This is the ad-free Wi-Fi only version.

Beating Broke is a website about becoming debt free. Avoiding unnecessary debt — and changing life to make debt unnecessary — is key to securing a financial future. Being in debt means the money you earn belongs to someone else. For some, the comparison between debt and slavery is easy to make.

If you’re interested in winning a Kindle, you’ll need to complete the following tasks by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, May 20, 2011. Late entries will not be accepted.

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Subscribe to the Beating Broke RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
3. Look for the phrases of the day at the end (or at the beginning) of the latest articles in your RSS reader. There will be one phrase from Consumerism Commentary and a different phrase from Beating Broke.
4. Email both phrases of the day to may20@consumerismcommentary.com by 11:59 PM Eastern Time Friday, May 20, 2011.

If you win, you’ll need to meet all the conditions outlined in the Giveaway May introduction. Good luck!

The original version of this article, Win a Free Kindle: May 20 Only!, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Hot on the heels on what has likely been the most successful giveaway we’ve done at Consumerism Commentary, today brings another giveaway. Throughout this month, I’m celebrating Giveaway May; every weekday brings something new to reward readers and visitors. Yesterday, we surpassed 1,000 fans of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. This is a great milestone!

Today’s giveaway may not be as magnificent as an iPad, but it’s still pretty darn good. The winner will enjoy a $50 gift card from Amazon.com. Entering is simple, as you’ll see below.

While I’ve embarked on this project to give back to the Consumerism Commentary community, today begins round 2 of the Chase Community Giving contest this season. Chase will give $2.5 million total to twenty-five charities selected by the public, with a grand prize of $500,000. In order to participate, charitable organizations needed to survive in the top 100 in round 1 of voting and provide a demonstration of their “big idea:” what the organization would do with $500,000.

During round 2, every participant gets five votes, but only one per charitable organization. Just a few minutes ago, I placed my first vote.

In order to vote, you must be a member of Facebook and a fan of Chase Community Giving.

In order to win today’s giveaway, you are not required to vote for a charitable organization in this contest, but I do encourage it. Today’s requirement is only commenting on this article on Consumerism Commentary answering this question:

What is your “big idea” — what would you do with $500,000?

Your answer could address your family needs, such as moving to a house where your kids might get a better education, a need for society, such as opening a soup kitchen or donating to your favorite charity, or a personal development need, such as getting your business off the ground. Be creative. Think about it. Answer the question here.

Just like all the giveaways on Consumerism Commentary, in order to win, you must also qualify under the guidelines included in the Giveaway May introduction. Your comment must be posted before 11:59 PM Eastern Time on May 19, 2011.

The original version of this article, $50 Amazon.com Gift Card Giveaway for May 19, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

I am excited to have PT Money as a partner for today’s giveaway, because together, Phil Taylor and I are offering an Apple iPad 2 Wi-Fi to the winner. This giveaway is the latest in the Giveaway May series, wherein Consumerism Commentary is offering giveaways every weekday this month.

PT Money is a blog whose owner, the aforementioned Phil Taylor, writes about and leads discussions pertaining to personal finance. It’s a great blog, and should be on your reading list in addition to Consumerism Commentary. In fact, consider adding the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed and the PT Money RSS feed to your RSS reader of choice.

Now, for the giveaway. Keep in mind that to win, you must qualify based on the criteria included in the Giveaway May introduction. No purchase is necessary, but you must complete the following five steps by 11:59 PM Eastern Time tonight, May 18, 2011.

1. Become a fan — or “like” — Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. If you are already a fan, don’t fret. You will qualify, too. If you’re not, you can use this button to make this process of “liking” Consumerism Commentary easy:

2. Become a fan — or “like” — PT Money on Facebook. If you are already a fan, don’t fret. You will qualify, too. If you’re not, you can use this button to make this process of “liking” PT Money easy:

3. Scroll to the bottom of this article or click here to view the form where you can leave a comment.
4. Connect to your Facebook account by clicking the “Connect to Facebook” button. None of your Facebook information is stored here.
5. Leave a comment to let me know that you are a fan of Consumerism Commentary and PT Money on Facebook.

Don’t forget to “like” the two websites and comment before the deadline of 11:59 PM Eastern Time on May 18, 2011. Those who comment after that time will not qualify for the giveaway. The winner will be contacted within the next few weeks. Once eligibility is confirmed, the iPad will be ordered and delivered directly to the winner.

Thanks and good luck!

The original version of this article, Win a Free iPad Today, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

While the forecast is calling for rain all week where I live, the free gifts are raining down at Consumerism Commentary. Giveaway May continues right now with the twelfth freebie of the month. Today, with the help of Glen from Free From Broke, I will be giving away ING Direct and ShareBuilder’s “Gift of Stock.” This is a package designed to start savers on the path towards investing.

Free From Broke, the sponsor of today’s giveaway, is a personal finance blog where Glen shares information and articles on personal finances subjects, reviews of products, and personal stories.

The Gift of Stock from ING Direct and ShareBuilder includes:

• A $50 ShareBuilder gift card
• 5 Automatic Investment Plan trade credits
• The Motley Fool video series

In addition the the Gift of Stock, today’s winner will also receive a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

Here is how to qualify for entering today’s giveaway:

1. Sign up for the Consumerism Commentary email newsletter. The first message you receive after confirming your subscription will welcome you to membership, and it will contain a secret word. If you are already a subscriber, don’t sign up again; your latest newsletter contains the secret word.

   Your name
   Email address

2. Sign up for the Free From Broke email newsletter. Again, the first message after confirming will welcome you and contact a different secret word. If you are already a subscriber, your latest newsletter contains the secret word.
3. Send an email to may17@consumerismcommentary.com containing both secret words to confirm you qualify for the giveaway.
4. Optional: Send a message on Twitter to @bryanjbusch, host/producer of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, to wish him a happy birthday. Note: This will not affect your chances to win, but it could make Bryan happy.

As always, in order to win, you must complete all steps prior to 11:59 PM Eastern Time the night of May 17, 2011, continue to be a subscriber of both newsletters, and meet the requirements set forth in the Giveaway May introduction. The winner will be contacted within the next few weeks.

The original version of this article, Today’s Giveaway: $50 and The Gift of Stock, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Today begins the third week of giveaways as part of Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. To start this week, I’ve partnered with Adaptu, an online financial planning service. You can find out more about Adaptu by listening to episode 98 of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast.

If selected as today’s winner, you will receive a $100 Amazon.com Gift Card from Adaptu and a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card from Consumerism Commentary. In order to be selected, you must meet the challenge below by 11:59 PM Eastern Time tonight, May 16, 2011. You must also meet all the qualification set forth in the Giveaway May introduction.

Here is the requirement:

1. Become a fan — or “like” — Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. If you’re already a fan, you’ve done that part.
2. Become a fan — or “like” — Adaptu on Facebook.
3. Let me know in the comments below that you are a fan of both Consumerism Commentary and Adaptu.

Thanks and good luck!

The original version of this article, Giveaway: $150 in Amazon Gift Cards, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Today, Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary continues. In addition to a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card from Consumerism Commentary, today’s winner will also receive a Roku HD Streaming Player from Money Cone.

Money Cone is a personal finance and investing “howto” blog, and the blog’s owner has graciously offered to sponsor today’s giveaway.

Here is what you need to do to win.

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Subscribe to the Money Cone RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
3. Look for the phrases of the day at the end (or at the beginning) of the latest articles in your RSS reader. There will be one phrase from Consumerism Commentary and a different phrase from Money Cone.
4. Email both phrases of the day to may13@consumerismcommentary.com by 10:00 PM Eastern Time Sunday, May 15, 2011.

If you win, you’ll need to meet all the conditions outlined in the Giveaway May introduction. Good luck! Note: Due to some technical difficulties early Friday morning, I’ve extended the giveaway period for the rest of the weekend.

The original version of this article, May 13 Giveaway: Roku HD Streaming Player, $50 Gift Card, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

To continue Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary, I have a great deal for all you investing junkies out there. In fact, today’s giveaway is sponsored by Investor Junkie. I’m excited to be working with Investor Junkie for today’s giveaway.

Thanks to his connections, Investor Junkie is able to provide today’s giveaway winner one year’s free subscription to Morningstar’s Premium Membership. This includes portfolio management tools, some of the best and most comprehensive in the business. The going rate for one year of Premium Membership is $185. As mentioned in the comments, Investor Junkie uses this service from Morningstar to select his investments. Read his full Morningstar review.

In addition to this membership, today’s winner will also receive a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card from Consumerism Commentary.

Here’s how to qualify for this giveaway, worth $235 to the winner. I’m turning to Facebook yet again for today’s challenge.

1. Become a fan — or “like” — Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. If you’re already a fan, you’ve done that part.
2. Become a fan — or “like” — Investor Junkie on Facebook.
3. Let me know in the comments below that you are a fan of both Consumerism Commentary and Investor Junkie.

As always, the prize can only be rewarded if you qualify to win based on the guidelines included in the Giveaway May introduction and complete the above by midnight tonight. Thanks both to Investor Junkie and Morningstar for supporting today’s giveaway!

The original version of this article, May 12: $50 Gift Card and Free Morningstar Subscription, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Giveaway May has been wildly successful so far. Every weekday during this month, I’ve been giving away gift cards and other prizes, and this is going to continue until the end of May. Yesterday’s Kindle was a popular item, but I’ll continue offering valuable prizes every day, including some surprises to come.

Today’s giveaway is sponsored by the Pay Off Debt App. The Pay Off Debt App is a mobile application for iPhone, iPad and Android which helps you organize and pay off your debt. You can configure the app to use the Debt Snowball method, and you can customize the prioritization. For $2.99, you could save hundreds of dollars in interest charges by using the Pay Off Debt app to effectively and efficiently reduce what you owe on your credit cards and loans.

The giveaway includes the Pay Off Debt App for free, plus two $50 Amazon.com Gift Cards, one from me, and one from the folks behind the app. Note: only the iPhone or iPad versions of the app can be given away, but if the winner is an Android user, the cost of the app will be added to the gift card.

Here’s how to qualify for this $100+ giveaway.

1. Become a fan — or “like” — Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. If you’re already a fan, you’ve done that part.
2. Become a fan — or “like” — the Pay Off Debt App on Facebook.
3. Let me know in the comments below that you are a fan of both Consumerism Commentary and the Pay Off Debt App.

The winner will need to be eligible based on the requirements listed in the Giveaway May introduction. Good luck!

The original version of this article, May 11 Giveaway: $100 and Pay Off Debt App, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

All this month is Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. Every day, I’ll be choosing one winner randomly for a prize. Each day there is a small challenge in order to qualify for the giveaway, and today is no exception.

Today I have a Kindle With Wi-Fi from Amazon.com to give away. This is the version that does not contain ads or sponsored messages for the screensaver. It is ad-free, and you can use the device to read a large library of books. You can even read Consumerism Commentary on your Kindle, and a wide variety of other blogs and news websites is available.

Today’s challenge is a little different than those I’ve had so far. You can enter multiple times for this giveaway, earning “points.” The more points you earn, the more of a chance you have to win the Kindle.

1. Comment on this article with your favorite book or a book you anticipate reading soon. One point. Leave only one comment; you won’t receive more than one point for leaving more than one comment, and you must mention a book to receive this point.
2. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed and let me know in your comment that you have done so. Two points. If you are already subscribed, say so in your comment. If not, you can use these buttons to subscribe:
   
3. Sign up for the Consumerism Commentary email newsletter and respond to the confirmation email you receive through email to let me know you’ve subscribed. Three points. If you’re already a subscriber, respond to the last email I sent.
4. Follow @flexo on Twitter and tweet the following message: Pls RT! Win a Kindle from @flexo. Today only! http://flexo.me/cckindle — when you’re logged into Twitter, you can automatically enter that text by clicking here. Let me know that you’re following and you’ve tweeted the message by saying so in your comment. Four points plus one bonus point for every 1,000 followers you have with a maximum of five bonus points.
5. Become a fan — or “like” — Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. If you are already a fan, don’t fret. You will qualify, too. Let me know you’re a fan in your comment below. Two points.
6. Share this article on your Facebook wall, and let me know that you’ve done so in your comment below. Three points.

You don’t need to do all of the above, but the more you do, the better chance you have of winning. That’s twenty points you can earn if you accomplish all of the above tasks and have at least 5,000 Twitter followers. At a minimum, the comment on this article is necessary to be awarded any points. As with all of the giveaways on Consumerism Commentary, you must qualify in order to win. The requirements are listed in the Giveaway May introductory article.

Today’s deadline is extended to midnight Eastern Time. In order to win, your comment and any other actions must be received or accomplished before the deadline.

Thanks for reading Consumerism Commentary!

The original version of this article, May 10: Win a Free Kindle With Wi-Fi, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Today starts the second week of giveaways at Consumerism Commentary. This month is Giveaway May, and I have at least $50 to give away to readers every weekday this month. Today’s giveaway partner is Wealth Informatics. Suba, the owner of Wealth Informatics, is offering a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card to match my $50 Amazon.com Gift Card, for a total of $100 to the winner.

For today’s giveaway, we’re turning to RSS feeds again. RSS is the perfect way to keep up-to-date with your favorite websites. I use Google Reader and Flipboard on the iPad to read new articles from a selection of blogs and other sites, and the RSS feed is the technology that makes this work.

Here is what you need to do to win.

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Subscribe to the Wealth Informatics RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
3. Look for the phrases of the day at the end (or at the beginning) of the latest articles in your RSS reader. There will be one phrase from Consumerism Commentary and a different phrase from Wealth Informatics.
4. Email both phrases of the day to may9@consumerismcommentary.com by 10:00 PM Eastern Time tonight, May 9, 2011.

I will select one winner randomly from the emails I receive with the correct phrases of the day. Within the next few days, I will contact the winner to confirm he or she is eligible to receive the gifts. Don’t fret if you weren’t able to complete the challenge by 10:00 PM; there is a new giveaway every weekday.

The original version of this article, Second Week of Giveaways: Two $50 Amazon Gift Cards, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

I thought it would be fun to end the first week of Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary with a bigger giveaway. Like many of the prizes I’m offering this month, this takes the form of a gift card from Amazon.com. I generally choose Amazon.com because they sell a wide variety of items, both necessities and wants, so there is something for everyone.

If you’ve missed the four giveaways earlier this week — or even if you didn’t — from now until 10:00 PM Sunday evening, you’ll have a chance to win more. Because this is the last giveaway, I’m offering extra time to qualify. Most other giveaways end at 10:00 PM the same day, but for today’s giveaway, the eligibility period is extended by 48 hours.

Again, qualifying for entering the giveaway is simple.

1. Become a fan — or “like” — Consumerism Commentary on Facebook. If you are already a fan, don’t fret. You will qualify, too. If you’re not, you can use this button to make this process of “liking” Consumerism Commentary easy:

2. Scroll to the bottom of this article or click here to view the form where you can leave a comment.
3. Connect to your Facebook account by clicking the “Connect to Facebook” button. None of your Facebook information is stored here.
4. Leave a comment to let me know that you are a fan of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook.

Don’t forget to become a fan and leave a comment before 10:00 PM Eastern Time on Sunday, May 8 to qualify for the $100 Amazon.com Gift Card giveaway. The winner will be chosen within a few days after this giveaway ends and contacted shortly thereafter. Once we confirm the winner is eligible, the gift card will be delivered by email within a few days.

The original version of this article, May 6 Giveaway: $100 Amazon Gift Card, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I’m continuing Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary today with some help from Sustainable Personal Finance, another great money-related website. SPF is helping me increase the giveaway for today. In addition to my $50 Amazon.com Gift Card set aside for today’s winner, the individual randomly selected from among those who complete today’s challenge will receive an additional $25 via PayPal as well as a We Beat The Mountain Smartphone Cover (described here) that looks cool from the photo.

For today’s giveaway, we’re turning to RSS feeds again. RSS is the perfect way to keep up-to-date with your favorite websites. I use Google Reader and Flipboard on the iPad to read new articles from a selection of blogs and other sites, and the RSS feed is the technology that makes this work.

Since we’re working with a partner today who’s offering a matching prize — the total value of today’s winning is about $100 — there’s a catch to the challenge. Nevertheless, it’s still pretty easy. Plus, if you’ve already subscribed to the Consumerism Commentary feed, you’re halfway done. Here is what you need to do to win $50 in Amazon.com Gift Cards, $25 via PayPal, and the smartphone cover:

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Subscribe to the Sustainable Personal Finance RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
3. Look for the phrases of the day at the end of the latest articles in your RSS reader. There will be one phrase from Consumerism Commentary and a different phrase from Sustainable Personal Finance.
4. Email both phrases of the day to may5@consumerismcommentary.com by 10:00 PM Eastern Time tonight, May 5, 2011.

I will select one winner randomly from the emails I receive with the correct phrases of the day. Within the next few days, I will contact the winner to confirm he or she is eligible to receive the gifts. Don’t fret if you weren’t able to complete the challenge by 10:00 PM; there will be more giveaways starting tomorrow.

The original version of this article, Cinco de Mayo Giveaway: $75 and a Smartphone Cover, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

This is the third giveaway for Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary, and I’m just getting started. I have a pile of Amazon.com gift cards to offer to readers and I’ll be doing so every weekday this month. The giveaways are short, though. To reward those who visit every day, the giveaways are announced at 6:00 AM Eastern time and end at 10:00 PM Eastern time. If you missed Monday’s or yesterday’s giveaway, here’s another chance. If you don’t win today’s, you’ll still have more opportunities the remainder of this month.

The rules pertaining to how to qualify will change from one day to the next, but they will always be somewhat simple. The giveaway today focuses on Twitter, a website that lets you stay in touch with your friends. Sign up for Twitter if you’re not currently a member and find friends and celebrities to follow.

Here is what you need to win a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate today, to be delivered via email within the next few days.

1. Follow @flexo on Twitter. This is my Twitter account, where I point out interesting new items pertaining to finance and some of my other interests, as well as commenting on the latest articles on Consumerism Commentary.
2. Tweet this message: Pls RT! Follow @flexo for personal finance and to win $50! http://flexo.me/giveamay (when you’re logged into Twitter, you can automatically enter that text by clicking here).
3. Comment on this article below and include your Twitter user name.

All of the above steps must be complete in order for you to enter in today’s giveaway. You must be following @flexo, you must tweet the message, and you must comment below. In addition, you have to meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Giveaway May introduction. The deadline to enter is 10:00 PM Eastern Time, so all steps must be completed by then.

I will choose the winner randomly and notify him or her as soon as possible.

As a side note, I will be appearing on WIOX radio at 9:30 am Eastern Time today, so tune in or visit the website.

The original version of this article, May 4 Giveaway: $50 Amazon Gift Card, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Don’t fret if you didn’t win yesterday’s giveaway. This is Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary, so every weekday this month, I will have something new to giveaway. Yesterday, I selected a winner randomly from among those who properly entered by leaving a comment answering the question within the allotted time frame. Today’s challenge will be slightly different.

Like yesterday, I have a $50 Amazon.com gift card to give to a reader. Again, the rules for qualifying are simple.

RSS feeds help you read full articles from websites that publish frequently, like Consumerism Commentary. You can use web-based, desktop-based, and mobile software to subscribe. My favorite software for organizing RSS feeds online is Google Reader, but Bloglines is another popular choice. On my iPad, I use Flipboard, but this generally ties into other RSS readers like Google Reader.

Here is how to enter today’s giveaway for the $50 Amazon.com gift card.

1. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed using your favorite RSS reader. You can use these buttons to add Consumerism Commentary directly into your favorite software, and if you’re already a subscriber, you can skip this step.
   
2. Look for the phrase of the day at the end of the latest articles in your RSS reader.
3. Email the phrase of the day to may3@consumerismcommentary.com by 10:00 PM Eastern Time tonight, May 3, 2011.

I will select the winner randomly from among the emails I receive with the correct phrase of the day, and I’ll contact the winner by email within the next few days. You must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Giveaway May introduction in order to win. If you haven’t emailed the correct answer by 10:00 PM Eastern Time, look forward to the next giveaway.

The original version of this article, Giveaway: $50 Amazon.com Gift Card, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Today is the first day of Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary. Every weekday this month, I will be giving away a prize to a Consumerism Commentary reader. Keep reading this article to find out how you can win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com.

Yesterday, Kate Levinson appeared as a guest on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, speaking about the role of emotions when dealing with personal finances. The author of Emotional Currency: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Healthy Relationship with Money spoke of the importance of our earliest interactions with money. The first memory one has about money, perhaps a memory pertaining to one’s family’s interaction with finances, plays an important role in shaping the attitude towards and relationship one has with finances later in life.

I stretched my brain and I could not think of any specific formative memories that pertained directly to money. This is probably one of those aspects of my life that would only surface after multiple sessions with a psychologist. I do, however, remember that my father used to drive an old Datsun car. Having the latest and greatest car was not an option for us. As an adult, I know now that my parents did struggle with finances early on, but I never remember feeling that money caused stress at that time.

Today’s giveaway is simple. Here’s what you need to do to enter your name for a chance to win the $50 gift card:

1. Leave a comment below before 10:00 pm Eastern Time today, May 2, 2011, with your earliest memory pertaining to money and how it might have affected your attitude towards money.

That’s it! Keep in mind that you must be eligible to win. Did you miss the deadline? If so, don’t worry; there will be more to win every weekday this month.

Update: It’s now past the deadline to enter this giveaway. Look for the next giveaway here.

The original version of this article, Your Earliest Money Memory ($50 Giveaway), is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

This coming month is going to be “Giveaway May” at Consumerism Commentary. Every weekday, I will feature a new giveaway for readers. It will be simple to enter, usually just requiring a comment and one other action (such as subscribing to the RSS feed, following me on Twitter, or liking Consumerism Commentary on Facebook). Each day will offer at least one more opportunity to come away with a minimum of a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. Consumerism Commentary is partnering with other blogs and companies to bring a big selection of free goodies to readers.

There will be some surprises along the way. Expect to see a few popular and valuable gifts this month, and these won’t be announced until the morning of the giveaway. I’m still in the process of lining up sponsors, as well, who will receive special mentions in the list below and on the day they sponsor.

Here’s the schedule. As I mentioned, some information will not be announced until the morning of that day’s giveaway or the night before, so keep checking back here for the updates. Winners will be contacted directly and privately to confirm eligibility and announced at a later date.

Important note. In order to enter one of the giveaways, you must look for that day’s giveaway entry on Consumerism Commentary. Each will be posted around 6:00 AM Eastern. Later that day, the link will be added to this article. For example, to enter the giveaway for May 2, you can click on the date in the table below to find out what you need to do to qualify.

Keep visiting this page for updates and subscribe to the RSS feed to ensure you don’t miss any giveaways.

The winner of each day’s giveaway will be chosen at random. There are some eligibility requirements:

• You must have an address in the United States.
• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You and everyone in your family must not be affiliated with Consumerism Commentary.
• It must be legal where you live to participate in this giveaway.

The original version of this article, Giveaway May at Consumerism Commentary, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Are you looking for the latest version of Quicken? Here is my review of the newest version, Quicken 2012. Downloads of Quicken 2012 are available today.

I’ve been using Quicken for six years, and I have eight years’ worth of financial data in my files.

I had the opportunity to take the beta version of Quicken 2011 Premier for a test drive. After uninstalling my current version (2010 Home & Business) and installing the new version, it took less than two minutes to convert my data file from 2010 to 2011. Some of the business-related features are not available in the Premier flavor of the software, so if I decide to keep the upgrade, I would take the opportunity to “unlock” the Home & Business features. To be careful, I converted a copy of my regular data file rather than the “real” Quicken 2010 data. This will let me return to Quicken 2010 and consider buying the new version at a later date.

First impressions

I was surprised to see that the new version of Quicken now supports Direct Connect functionality with more of my banks. It looks like Quicken is using some of Mint’s technology acquired to increase compatibility with more financial institutions.

One great improvement that I’ve been waiting for since I first started using Quicken pertains to the interface. Quicken users have become accustomed to register screens that update slowly, particularly in investment accounts with a large number of holdings or transactions. My 401(k) falls into this category. I’m happy to report that there are no longer any delays in the register screen. The interface has been streamlined in addition to the increased speed. The account information for investment accounts is the biggest example of this. In Quicken 2010, each screen offered far too many navigation options.

The “Spending” and “Income” overview pages have been improved as well. I have about 60 active accounts in Quicken. Prior to 2011, the cash flow overview pages have not been close to accurate, and that could be due to the complexity of my data and I may even have some accounts categorized incorrectly. However, the new version seems to track my real spending and income much more accurately.

Here is my spending screen, with some of the numbers obscured with PhotoShop.

One of the more interesting features is a register view that presents all your transactions on one page. By default, this view lists each transaction across all your accounts, but you can customize the options to display each account type individually, such as only asset accounts, only checking accounts, or only liabilities. You can also customize this view.

Here’s what my net worth overview page looks like in Quicken 2011. Click on this image to zoom in.

Should I upgrade?

Here is the bottom line. If it’s been several years since you’ve upgraded Quicken, or if you’ve never owned Quicken and you’d like a powerful piece of software for managing your personal finances when free options like Mint are not enough for you, then Quicken 2011 is an obvious choice. If you are happy with a recent version of Quicken on your desktop, you might not want to pay for the upgrade. (You could win a copy for free; keep reading this article to find out how.)

Consider, however, that as far as yearly incremental upgrades go, this is the best annual improvement I’ve seen in Quicken for a long time.

Latest prices for Quicken 2011

Quicken 2011 giveaway

Note: this giveaway is now closed.

I am giving away four copies of Quicken 2011 Premier. Here is how you can win one of these copies. Each of the following will provide you with one chance to win, so you have a maximum of three chances. I was originally planning to give away two copies of Quicken 2011 Premier but Intuit has agreed to chip in two copies at their expense as well. Your chances for winning have just doubled!

• Leave a comment on this post.
• Like Consumerism Commentary on Facebook, share this review with your friends, and let me know in your comment below.
• Follow @flexo on Twitter and mention and link to this review. Your tweet should say:

Pls RT! Win a copy of Quicken 2011 from @flexo! http://t.co/shu1Yms

You must be over 18 years old and must have an address in the United States in order to qualify. The winners will be chosen using the random number generator at random.org. Thanks and good luck! The giveaway will end Thursday night, October 14, 2010, at 11:59 pm.

You can have even more opportunities to get Quicken 2011 for free! Investor Junkie is offering a 1 in 100 chance to win. Read his review for another opinion about Quicken 2011 from the pre-release version.

Intuit provided Consumerism Commentary with a copy of the beta version of Quicken 2011 Premier prior to this review and giveaway but have had no influence on the content of this review or form of this giveaway. Of the four copies of Quicken 2011 Premier, Intuit is providing two to give away to Consumerism Commentary readers. The others will be given away at our own expense.

The original version of this article, Quicken 2011 Review and Giveaway, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

This giveaway is now closed to new entries. Thanks to everyone who has participated. We will be selecting the winners shortly.

It’s time for another giveaway. H&R Block wants to give an iPod Touch to two Consumerism Commentary readers. The iPods will be delivered with an app pre-installed to help taxpayers as we approach the final filing stretch.

The strongest feature of the “H&R Block Tax Answers App,” available here from the Apple store, is the ability to get personalized answers to your tax questions. When using the app, your iPhone or iPod Touch with WiFi is connected directly to H&R Block’s Get it Right Community, with 1,000 tax experts on hand. In general, you will receive your response, for free, within 24 hours.

Other features include a glossary so you can quickly get a definition for an unfamiliar tax term and a quiz where you can test your tax knowledge.

As you can see from the Tax Answers app’s main menu, you can also use this program to locate the nearest H&R Block office. If nothing else, you can use this for a scavenger hunt or you can check with your friends to see who has the most locations in a ten-mile radius of his or her home.

As I’ve mentioned before, an independent tax accountant completes my tax return. If you have a simple tax situation, many online tools are available. H&R Block’s At Home is the company’s re-branding of TaxCut, and other perennial favorites include Intuit’s TurboTax and TaxACT. All of these options offer free federal filing for taxpayers in certain situations.

How to win a free iPod Touch

I’m going to keep this simple. If you would like to be entered in the giveaway to win one of two iPod Touch devices, leave a comment here. If you want two extra chances, follow @flexo on Twitter and link to this giveaway on Twitter with the following phrase:

Win a free iPod Touch from @flexo and @ConsumerismComm! http://bit.ly/d5r1BS

You must enter by 11:59 EDT on Friday, March 19, 2010. Two winners will be chosen randomly from among the respondents within a few days of the giveaway’s end. As always, only one set of entries (comment and Twitter) per name or IP address is allowed.

Now for some fine print. H&R Block is providing the iPod Touch devices directly to Consumerism Commentary readers. The software is being provided independently of any other H&R Block reviews posted on Consumerism Commentary. Consumerism Commentary is an authorized affiliate of H&R Block.

This giveaway is now closed to new entries. Thanks to everyone who has participated. We will be selecting the winners shortly.

The original version of this article, Win a Free iPod Touch From H&R Block, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

The giveaway has ended. Thanks to everyone who has participated. The winners will be notified shortly.

This week I will be giving away five “extreme finance packages” containing Quicken, TurboTax, and QuickBooks. Each winner will be able to choose their flavor of each piece of software.

Today is the last day to enter to win this giveaway. Response has been much slower than I expected, so your chances of winning are currently very good.

In order to put your name in the hat, read these instructions. There are many ways to increase your chances, as well, from participating with Consumerism Commentary on Twitter and Facebook.

The giveaway ends at 11:59 PM Eastern Time tonight, so make sure you enter today.

The giveaway has ended. Thanks to everyone who has participated. The winners will be notified shortly.

The original version of this article, Giveaway Reminder: 5 Winners of Extreme Finance Package, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

The giveaway has ended. Thanks to everyone who has participated. The winners will be notified shortly.

Thanks to the team at Intuit, Consumerism Commentary has “extreme finance” packages to give to our readers. This is a complete package that covers personal finance management, tax filing, and even business accounting. Five of these packages are available. Although the company balked at my initial idea of giving away free tax filing for life, I’m happy to say we were able to come up with something just as extraordinary.

This has the possibility of being a popular giveaway, so I am offering Consumerism Commentary readers a number of ways to qualify. But first, here is what is included in the “extreme finance” package, worth up to more than $300 each.

If you win, you will be able to select your choice of tax software, personal finance management software, and business accounting software.

The winner will choose one of the following options for filing taxes:

• TurboTax Online Deluxe
• TurboTax Online Premier
• TurboTax Desktop Deluxe
• TurboTax Desktop Premier
• TurboTax Desktop Home & Business

The winner will choose one of the following options for managing personal finances:

• Quicken Essentials for Mac
• Quicken Deluxe
• Quicken Premier
• Quicken Home & Business

The winner will choose one of the following options for handling business accounting:

• QuickBooks for Mac
• QuickBooks Simple Start
• QuickBooks Pro

I’d like to point out that in addition to the above software, Intuit provides these free options. For filing your taxes, you may qualify for the TurboTax Online Federal Free Edition and for managing your personal finances, you may be satisfied with Mint.

In order to win this giveaway, readers can accumulate points. Each point represents one chance to win one of five of these “extreme finance” packages. The maximum number of points is 20. In other words, if you follow each of the suggestions, you will be 20 times more likely to win than someone who just leaves a comment below. Here is what you can to in order to increase your points:

• Leave a comment below (one point)
• Include in your comment a Quicken or TurboTax tip (two points)
• Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed (two points)
• Follow @flexo on Twitter and let me know that you have in a comment below (one point)
• Retweet the giveaway on Twitter: “Pls RT! Awesome TurboTax/Quicken giveaway from @flexo! http://bit.ly/aH8vnR” and let me know that you have in a comment below (two points)
• Become a fan of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook and let me know that you have in a comment below (two points)
• If you have a blog or other website, link to this article (three points)
• If another reader mentions in their comment that you referred them to the contest, you will receive up to seven matched points as the referrer

Of course, if you already subscribe to the RSS feed, if you already follow @flexo on Twitter, or if you are already a fan on Facebook, let us know in the comments. You do not need to re-do these actions in order to receive points.

When you comment, don’t forget to let us know what additional actions you have taken to ensure you’re awarded all your points. Also, if someone referred you to the contest, let us know who referred you so the referrer can receive their matched points.

This giveaway will remain open until Friday, March 12, 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Your comment must be posted and all actions must be complete by that time in order to be awarded your points. You will need a mailing address in the United States and must be at least 18 years old to qualify.

Now for some fine print. Intuit is providing this software directly to Consumerism Commentary readers. The software is being provided independently of the recent review of TurboTax Online and any other software reviews posted on Consumerism Commentary. Consumerism Commentary is an authorized affiliate of Intuit.

The giveaway has ended. Thanks to everyone who has participated. The winners will be notified shortly.

Check out the Intuit product blogs for QuickBooks, TurboTax, and Mint.

The original version of this article, Giveaway: 5 Extreme Finance Packages (TurboTax, Quicken, and QuickBooks), is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

As I mentioned earlier this week, this week we are having a double giveaway. Two winners will receive one book each. The first winner will be able to choose between Elliott Wave Principle: Key To Market Behavior and The Big Money: Seven Steps to Picking Great Stocks and Finding Financial Security, and the drawing will be random based on participation.

Here is what you need to do to put your name into the drawing by Friday night, 11:59 PM Eastern Time. You only need to do one of these, but the more you do, the more chances you will have to win.

• Become a fan of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook
• Retweet the giveaway announcement on Twitter
• Retweet The Plutus Awards on Twitter
• Mention and link to The Plutus Awards from your own blog

The original version of this article, Giveaway Reminder: Elliott Wave Principle and The Big Money, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

One week from today, nominations will begin for The 2009 Plutus Awards, designed to honor and recommend the best in personal finance this past year. There are two parts to The Plutus Awards. The first focuses on the best products and services, like checking accounts and mobile finance applications. The second part focuses on blogs and social media. Categories for this second part will include Best New Blog of 2009, Best Economics Blog, and Best Collaborative Blog, as well as others.

Those who win the categories in this second part will be awarded $20.09 (to honor the year 2009) and any other gifts to be provided by sponsors.

You can visit The Plutus Awards to read more about what will, I hope, become an annual event.

Giveaways!

This week’s Facebook giveaway features two books I received about stock picking. The first book explains how one mathematical principle should guide your investments. Elliott Wave Principle: Key To Market Behavior explains how analyzing patterns can help you predict the direction of the market. I am not convinced that market timing works with any sustainable positive results, and I believe that patterns are always easier to find in hindsight. Nevertheless, it is an interesting book to read even if you don’t agree with the premise.

The second book is The Big Money: Seven Steps to Picking Great Stocks and Finding Financial Security by Frederick R. Kobrick. Unlike Elliott Wave analysis, where external patterns drive stock picking decisions, Kobrick focuses on internal analysis. You can’t invest in a company without knowing as much as possible about that company.

Here is how you can win one of the above books. Each of the actions you can take, listed below, increase your chance of winning. All must be performed before the giveaway ends at 11:59 PM Friday, December 18.

• Become a fan of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook
• Retweet this post on Twitter
• Retweet The Plutus Awards on Twitter
• Mention and link to The Plutus Awards from your own blog
• Leave a comment here suggesting more categories for the first or second parts of The Plutus Awards

Two winners will be selected. The first winner will have the choice of either Elliott Wave Principle or The Big Money. The second winner will receive the remaining book.

The original version of this article, Announcement and Giveaway: The Plutus Awards, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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There are only a few more days to qualify for the latest giveaway. I have a copy of Excuse Me, Your Job is Waiting: Attract the Work You Want by Laura George (reviewed here). If you are interested in receiving this book, helpful for finding a job in a tough economy or for finding meaningful employment any time, become a fan of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook.

This is the first of several giveaways I plan to run, with winners being chosen randomly amongst those who participate with Consumerism Commentary in a role slightly more involved than “casual reader.” To enter, sometimes it will require adding a comment after an article, sometimes it will require asking a question, and sometimes it will require some form of social media participation.

Look for new giveaways to be announced at least two weeks every month.

The original version of this article, Giveaway Reminder: Excuse Me, Your Job is Waiting, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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Are you looking for the latest version of Quicken? Here is my review of the newest version, Quicken 2012. Downloads of Quicken 2012 are available today.

Note: This is a long article containing an in-depth review of the new version of Quicken. If you are just interested in the giveaway of Quicken 2010 Deluxe, scroll to the bottom of this article.

It took me a long time to warm up to Intuit Quicken. When I first saw the software in the early or mid 1990s, I wasn’t very interested. That’s not the software’s fault; at that time I most likely did not see the need for tracking money I did not have. When I finally realized I needed to build some control of my personal financial situation, I first looked for free solutions.

After several months of spending less than I was earning and tracking my progress using freeware, I evaluated Microsoft Money alongside Quicken. Money looked nice and ran smooth while Quicken was clunky and unattractive, so I stuck with Money for a few years. After some time, I came to realize that Money’s features for dealing with investments were not as comprehensive as I would like, and for some reason it interpreted the downloaded data from my 401(k) incorrectly. I decided to give Quicken another shot.

While Quicken wasn’t perfect, it worked better with the transaction data I downloaded from the banks and offered configurable reports. So I stuck with it, and I still use a desktop version of Quicken almost every day. I receive questions about why I haven’t switched to popular Web 2.0 applications like Mint.com (review here). These websites offer interesting features, particularly those powered by community aggregate information, but they lack some of the basic investing functionality that I get from the desktop version of Quicken.

Quicken 2010 review, first impressions

I received Quicken 2010 Home and Business in the mail yesterday and gave it a test drive tonight.

The upgrade from Quicken 2009, including downloading updates to the software online, took about ten minutes. Tens of thousands of transaction records needed to be converted to the new version, and this took the bulk of the time for the upgrade.

After the upgrade was complete, the software brought me to Quicken.com to register. Although I am already registered at Intuit, I was required to provide my information again before using all of the software’s functionality. Although required, the registration process was quick.

I was impressed with the new version’s look and feel. The interface is redesigned to be cleaner, and switching from one page to another within the software seems to move faster. One of my biggest complaints about Quicken has been its sluggish display but this seems to be greatly improved.

Quicken 2010 opens to a new main screen with three horizontal sections. The top includes a pie chart describing your spending within categories and the middle of the screen lists your anticipated expenses.

The focus here is on your cash flow: how much is left in your spending accounts at the end of the month. Here is the top half of my screen. Click on the thumbnail to view the image full-size (and note the exceptionally large tax expense thanks to quarterly estimated payments).

The bottom section of this screen is new. According to Quicken, it would take 5 minutes to begin tracking spending goals. I began creating spending goals, which seem to form a softer style of a budget. Unfortunately, because I use sub-categories, Quicken’s “average monthly spending” in categories like “Auto,” “Dining,” and “Entertainment” were inaccurate. As a result, the “suggested monthly goals” were not appropriate. I solved this by choosing my own categories, such as “Auto:Fuel” rather than “Auto.”

After assigning several categories to watch, here are my results so far for October.

I also like the new Net Worth tab. Here is what the top half of my Net Worth page looks like.

Downloading data from banks

The “Direct Connect” feature of Quicken, in which you store your bank accounts’ passwords in the software and send Quicken on a mission to download your latest transaction data, has never run smoothly for me. In Quicken 2009, this process would occasionally lock the software, requiring me to kill the process through the Windows Task Manager. Furthermore, this downloading should be a background process. However, whenever you initiate the data update, you are preventing from performing almost every other task in the software.

Quicken 2010 has not fixed this completely. During the update process in the new version, Quicken will prevent you from moving around the software.

What to look forward to

All things considered, this seems to be a good upgrade with my limited experience so far. But like most yearly, incremental software updates, there is not a lot to justify buying the software if you already have a recent version of Quicken.

The best news from Intuit is not reflected in Quicken 2010. As a result of Intuit’s pending acquisition of Mint.com, the CEO of Mint.com, Aaron Patzer, will be leading the development of the desktop version of Quicken in addition to the online personal financial management software. I expect future versions of Quicken will look slicker and work faster as Intuit leverages the team and the talent behind Mint.com.

Latest prices for Quicken 2010 versions

Before you buy, consider trying to win the giveaway for Quicken 2010 Deluxe. Instructions for entering the giveaway are below. Free is always a better option. Also, Intuit often offers discounts. Right now the software is offered for full price only. But keep watching Consumerism Commentary to find out when new discounts are available.

If you’re a Mac user, hang on until February 2010. A new version of Quicken for Mac will be released next year, and Intuit says the will be a major upgrade from the most recent release. Alternatively, you can run software on the Mac that emulates Windows and allows you to run these updated versions of Quicken.

See the Quicken 2011 review and giveaway for a chance to win the latest edition of Quicken’s desktop software.

Giveaways

Intuit sent me two copies of Quicken 2010 Deluxe to give away to readers. Here is how you can win one of these copies. Each of the following will provide you with one chance to win, so you have a maximum of three chances.

• Leave a comment on this post.
• Become a fan of Consumerism Commentary on Facebook and let me know in your comment below.
• Mention and link to this review on Twitter. Your tweet should say:

Pls RT! Review and giveaway: Quicken 2010 from @flexo! http://bit.ly/RjD3y

You must be over 18 years old and must have an address in the United States in order to qualify. The winners will be chosen using the random number generator at random.org. Thanks and good luck! The giveaway will end Friday night, October 23, at 11:59 pm.

Update: The giveaway has ended and the winners will be announced shortly.

The original version of this article, Quicken 2010 Review and Giveaway, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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If you are interested in winning one of two iPods, today is the last day you can qualify. We’re celebrating Consumerism Commentary’s sixth anniversary by hosting a “scavenger hunt.” Four clues have been scattered throughout the website and media throughout the past couple of weeks.

The details for the scavenger hunt are here. If you are interested in having your name included in the random selection for one of the iPods, make sure you send the four clues you find, in the order that makes the most sense, to fourclues at this domain name.

As a further hint, you can find the four clues in the first post about the giveaway, the RSS feed, an episode of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, and the most recent email newsletter. The last newsletter was sent last Sunday, so if you haven’t joined you might need an extra hint: the clue is the middle five letters of the fourth word in the title of this article about the Cash for Clunkers Program being suspended.

Good luck!

The original version of this article, Last Chance to Qualify for iPod Giveaway, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Today is the sixth anniversary of Consumerism Commentary! Long-time readers know that this blog was one of the first of its kind to focus on personal finance and money-related topics. Thanks to the readers, we are still going strong. I have learned much about money, especially from visitors and commenters, throughout the past few years. Although I started Consumerism Commentary as a public way to hold myself accountable for my own financial decisions and share articles of interest from around the internet, the website has grown significantly and has a life of its own.

To celebrate Consumerism Commentary’s sixth anniversary (have you read our first posts from July 2003 or browsed the archives?) we are giving away two iPods: one iPod Touch and one iPod Classic. There will be two winners, and each winner has a choice of either model. In order to be considered, we will have an electronic scavenger hunt.

Starting within the next few days, four clues will be hidden around Consumerism Commentary. In order to find the clues, you will need to experience a variety of media related to Consumerism Commentary. Once you find all four clues, email your answer to fourclues at this domain name (consumerismcommentary.com). In order to win you must live in the United States and in a state where such contests are not prohibited. Not everyone who finds all clues will win, however. The names of the two winners will be randomly selected among all the correct entries. Please only submit one entry per person, and if you find any clues, don’t share them.

I imagine that if you play your chances of winning are pretty good, but that ultimately depends on how many entries we receive.

The contest will end on July 31, 2009, but all clues will be available by Sunday, July 19.

I’ll start you off with a hint towards one clue: Fourth sentence, third word, second letter through fifth letter. Good luck! If you want to win, I suggest subscribing to Consumerism Commentary in as many forms possible and listening closely.

The original version of this article, Anniversary Giveaway: Enter to Win Free iPod If You Find All Four Clues, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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I have ten passes for free federal and free state tax filing using TurboTax Online Premier to share with Consumerism Commentary readers. Each prize is valued over $100. If you are interested in being included in the drawing, it’s very simple to enter.

To enter for the giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. If you subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed, say so in the comment. You will receive a second entry in the giveaway, theoretically doubling your chances to win. It’s not too late to subscribe. (If you’re curious about RSS feeds, see this information.)

For yet another chance to win, tripling your odds, follow me on Twitter and leave a comment here to let me know you have done so. If you are already tracking my Twitter updates, just say so in the comment. If you then “tweet” this post, you will receive a fourth entry in this contest.

Prices to electronic tax filing are sure to increase very soon, but you can increase your odds of filing for free by participating in this giveaway. And it’s quite easy to quadruple your chances by increasing your participation without much effort.

Of course, if you want only one entry in the giveaway, you are free to leave a comment here saying whatever you wish.

As the winners are selected, one every weekday if I remember, they will be listed here. Once you’ve won one, you won’t be eligible to win another. But if your name isn’t selected, you will still be in the running for future drawings.

1. Jay (@marketfolly)
2. Chris (@chrishas35)
3. Erica Douglass (@ericabiz)
4. Crabhands
5. CJ
6. Nate (@NateDesmond)
7. Rev_Mother (@Rev_Mother)
8. David
9. ALLY in WA
10. Revanche

The original version of this article, Giveaway: Free TurboTax Online Premier Tax E-Filing (10 Available), is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

This post is just a reminder that Consumerism Commentary is currently holding a sweepstakes to give away one free copy of Quicken Home & Business 2009 for Windows. The odds of winning are still good. Visit this review of Quicken 2009 and leave a comment. You can earn an extra entry by using social media like Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about the giveaway.

The winner will be chosen randomly from those who leave responses to the article and those who share the article with friends. Odds of winning depend on how many people respond, and the odds are currently still good.

About twenty-four hours are left.

Consumerism Commentary is an authorized affiliate of Quicken.

The original version of this article, Giveaway Reminder: Quicken Home & Business 2009, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

In a few days, I will be randomly selecting a winner of the $100 SmartyPig gift card. In order to win, click here and leave a comment describing your savings goal.

The original version of this article, Reminder: Free $100 Gift Card for SmartyPig, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Earlier this month, I announced a giveaway of five USB flash drives containing TaxCut software. As of last night, the giveaway has ended. I’ve selected the five winners using the random integer generator found at random.org. Here are the results:

The random numbers correspond to the comment numbers on the original giveaway announcement. I have sent emails to notify the winners and request mailing addresses. I’ll have the drives in the mail as soon as possible.

I plan on announcing a new giveaway tomorrow, so if you like free stuff, stay tuned.

The original version of this article, 5 Free 1GB Flash Drives With TaxCut: Winners Notified, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Don’t forget, I have five free USB flash drives to give away to readers. I’ll likely pull the names randomly this coming weekend and contact the winners. If you’d like to be considered, click here and comment on the giveaway post as soon as possible.

The original version of this article, Reminder: 5 Free USB Flash Drives (1GB) with TaxCut, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

From now into the foreseeable future, I will be presenting weekly giveaways. Each weekend, though this is a guideline and not a promise, I will select one commenter who has added value to Consumerism Commentary to be the recipient of a surprise gift. This is just a way of me thanking regular and quality contributors for visiting and sharing their thoughts and ideas.

You may have noticed that the latest giveaway for the free Sumo Lounge Omni chair attracted a large number of readers, 95% of whom stopped by to enter the contest after hearing about it somewhere else and never participated in other discussions before or after.

After thinking about this for not much more than a minute, I decided I’d rather find ways to reward frequent and avid visitors and participants. If you’re a lurker, now is the time to chime in with your thoughts on various discussions, as you never know who will be selected each week (or so).

Image credit: junkmonkey

The original version of this article, Announcing Weekly Giveaways for Helpful or Interesting Comments, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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I have contacted the winner of the Sumo Lounge Omni Bean Bag Chair, who will have 48 hours to respond. Check your e-mail to see if you are the winner.

Congratulations to commenter 28, Jon H!

The original version of this article, Sumo Lounge Omni Chair Winner, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

If you’re interested in receiving a free Sumo Lounge Omni Bean Bag Chair, which I reviewed here, there are only 24 hours or so left to participate in the giveaway. It’s simple — just leave a comment on this post with an interesting furniture story, and you will be entered in the contest.

The giveaway will end at 11:59 PM Eastern time tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 23.

Also, you may have noticed pictures next to each comment, representing each commenter. These are Gravatars, globally-recognized avatars. If you’re a frequent, occasional, or one-time commenter, you may want to have your icon appear next to your comments. Simply sign up at gravatar.com and upload your picture.

The original version of this article, 24 Hours Remain to Win Sumo Lounge Omni Bean Bag Chair, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

If you’re visiting Consumerism Commentary for the first time, please take a look around and subscribe to our RSS feed.

So far, this has to be one of my favorite giveaways. Who wants yet another book about money when you could have a postmodern bean bag chair? Last week, I reviewed the Sumo Lounge Omni chair and Otto foot rest.

As the review explains, the chair is a lot nicer than I expected. Currently, I am keeping the Omni in the “bed” position for relaxing while blogging.

Sumo Lounge agreed to give away an Omni chair valued at $150 to a lucky Consumerism Commentary reader. It will be delivered by FedEx directly to the winner’s door. Not only that, but the winner can choose the color. I was sent the fiery red, and I like it, but the other colors, like tangerine, platinum, funky brown, and lime green, look great from the pictures.

Here are the instructions for the giveaway.

In order to enter the contest, you must comment on this post below, leaving your valid e-mail address. As I’ve mentioned, I will keep your e-mail address private, but I need a way to contact the winner. The comment should include something about furniture, such as an entertaining story about how you acquired furniture in your first apartment.

I really like this stuff, and this is a contest definitely worth your time. The winner will be chosen randomly, and the odds of winning depend on the number of commenters. I would hope that this attracts strong interest, as I’m quite impressed with what they’ve sent me.

The giveaway will be closed to new entries at 11:59 PM Eastern time on Tuesday, October 23. The winner will be notified by email and expected to respond within 48 hours. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed to receive updates.

Update [10/17, 12:00 pm]: If you tried to place a comment on Consumerism Commentary in the last twelve hours, I did not receive your comment. You would have received an error message after submitting your message. The problem has been fixed, so please try again.

Update [10/24, 12:00 am]: The winner has been selected and notified. Thanks to everyone who visited; I hope new visitors are sticking around.

The original version of this article, Giveaway: Free Sumo Lounge Omni Chair, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

The giveaway is over.

Congratulations to shouldbeworking, commenter number 18. He is the fifth and final winner of the free 256MB flash drive with TaxCut from H&R Block.

I have some more exciting giveaways in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned for more free stuff. Subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary RSS feed to stay current.

The original version of this article, USB Flash Drive With TaxCut Giveaway Winner #5, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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It’s time to reveal the fourth winner of the free 256 MB flash drive. Congratulations to commenter number 57! Now there is only one day remaining of this giveaway. If you’re interested in entering for a chance, leave a comment on this post.

Thanks to H&R Block for sending these over for our readers. These flash drives contain their software for filing 2006 tax returns, but if you’ve already filed, they can also be used for everyday file storage.

The original version of this article, USB Flash Drive With TaxCut Giveaway Winner #4, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Congratulations to Laurie from Debt Free for Life, commenter number 19, the third winner of a 256MB flash drive with TaxCut software, provided to Consumerism Commentary by H&R Block. They arrived a little late in the tax season, but I still appreciate free stuff to give away. If you’ve already done your 2006 taxes, you can use the flash drive as storage space for your photographs or research papers.

If you’re interested in a chance to win the free flash drive, leave a comment here. There are only two days in the week after today, so there will only be two more winners.

The original version of this article, USB Flash Drive With TaxCut Giveaway Winner #3, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

If you enjoyed this article, follow @flexo on Twitter and visit Facebook for more updates.

Congratulations to Mike, commenter number 35, the second winner of a 256MB flash drive with TaxCut software, provided to Consumerism Commentary by H&R Block.

If you’re interested in a chance to win the free flash drive, leave a comment here. Each day for the remainder of the week, I’ll pick another winner. Everyone who hasn’t won still has three chances.

The drives can be used for completing your 2006 tax return if you haven’t filed yet or as 256MB of storage.

The original version of this article, USB Flash Drive With TaxCut Giveaway Winner #2, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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Congratulations to Gerald, commenter number 5, the first winner of a 256MB flash drive with TaxCut software. There are still four days and four winners left, and with only 41 comments so far your chances to win are pretty good. If you’re interested in the flash drive, either for completing your tax return forms or for regular file storage, simply leave a comment on this post.

The original version of this article, USB Flash Drive With TaxCut Giveaway Winner #1, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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I have five 256MB flash drives with Tax Cut to give away. They’re great if you still haven’t done your taxes, or you can just delete the software and use them as regular flash drives. I need to pick five winners, so leave a comment here and enter the drawing.

Each day this week, I will announce one winner, but you must comment on the original post and include a valid email address.

The original version of this article, Don’t Miss This Giveaway, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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If you’re interested in a free copy of Quicken Property Rental Manager, you have one more day to enter for the chance. Just leave a comment on this post after reading the other comments and reviews, and leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.

I’ll be holding the “drawing” Thursday evening, and if I hear back from the winner that night, I’ll be able to have the software in the mail the following day.

The original version of this article, Quicken Giveaway, One More Day, is copyrighted by Consumerism Commentary.

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