The weather is nice this weekend, so I will be taking advantage of that as much as possible. In the mean time, here are some articles I’ve enjoyed this week worthy of attention.
I will be choosing the winner of the $100 SmartyPig gift card this weekend. If you entered the contest, start checking your email.
Investment Insights: Past Performance. Five Cent Nickel shares some quotations from market experts including John Bogle and William Bernstein. All you really need to know about past performance, when it comes to the stock market, is that it cannot be used to predict the future.
How to Save Half a Million Dollars at Retirement By Controlling Wedding Costs. According a survey cited by Free Money Finance, the average cost of a wedding is $28,000. By cutting that expense back to, say, $5,000, a couple can pocket the difference in the stock market and increase their net worth by $500,000 otherwise.
Could a Divorce Improve Your Finances? The situations in which the answer to this question would be yes are few, but I can see in some circumstances where a couple in extreme circumstances would benefit from getting divorced. Getting married or divorced shouldn’t be primarily a financial decision, though.
The Final Nail in the Coffin for Borders Stores? Mighty Bargain Hunter points out new technology that allows you to check out product information and make purchases from Amazon.com via text message. While you’re shopping in Borders and considering making a CD or book purchase, send a quick text message to the service to buy the product for what most likely will be a much lesser price.
How to Conquer Your Fear of Investing. Get Rich Slowly adds some thoughts to a recent Kiplinger column. Many people don’t get into the market on their own because of fear. J.D. points out that the best way to overcome fear is to increase your level of education in the topic.
Paying Bills vs. Money Management: The Difference Between Surviving and Thriving. NCN reflects on the past 20 years of his life and how he went from “just paying the bills” to managing his money.
If You Won the Lottery… What would you do? JLP from AllFinancialMatters writes about his plan but asks readers to weigh in. With $136 million, or what’s left after taxes, I should be able to afford to provide myself a nice allowance and start a foundation supporting arts education in some form.
Published or updated April 5, 2008. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
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Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke, also known as Flexo, has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. 
