FiveCentNickel participated in four carnivals this week. Here they are along with my posts that were included in each.

The Carnival of the Capitalists included “Transferring 403(b) Funds via a 90-24 Transfer.”

The Best of Me Symphony included “Saving Money: Focus on Big or Small Items?” Also included was “Overscheduled Parents” from raising4boys.com.

The Carnival of Personal Finance included “Putting Together and Estate Plan.”

The Carnival of Investing included “Income Limits for Converting Traditional IRA Funds to a Roth IRA.”

I wrote the other day about credit card signup bonuses for business credit cards (these cards are actually available to anyone, not just businesses, so have at it). Since we’re setting up an LLC for our online endeavors and are in the process of separating our personal and business income, a separate credit card to cover expenses seems to make good sense. But all of this got me to wondering…

How does one go about establishing credit under a new Taxpayer ID Number (TIN)? This doesn’t actually affect us directly, as we’re handling everything as a sole proprietorship, and are thus using my social security number (and associated credit history) for our new card. But what if you’re setting up a standalone entity? Presumably they’re going to run a credit check when considering your application, and it’s going to come up blank.

So what’s the best way to establish credit with brand new business? Maybe treat the new entity like a child coming of age, and get a joint credit card using your own SSN along with the TIN of the business?

If you travel internationally, you’d better listen up… In just a couple of months, you’ll have to present a passport when arriving in the United States from North, Central, or South America as well as the Carribean (and Bermuda). Previously, U.S. and Canadian citizens were allowed to enter the U.S. from select countries if they presented a birth certificate or driver’s license, and some Mexicans could enter without a passport if they had a special border crossing card. But as of January 23, 2007 that will be history.

The good news is that you can actually get a passport reasonably quickly (I’ve talked about applying for a passport in the past), although I wouldn’t delay if I were you… This policy change may well prompt a lot of people to go out and apply for a passport, and thus there could be an increase in applications, possibly resulting in delays.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to take Google Checkout for a test drive. If you’re not familiar with Google Checkout, it’s an online payment system that lets you track your purchases from a wide variety of merchants all in one place. Google Checkout is tied to your Gmail account — you do have one, don’t you? In order to use the service, you just shop as you normally would, and then choose Google Checkout when it comes time to pay. Since you pre-load your payment info into the Google interface when you set up your account, all you have to do is login and confirm your payment. [more]

Time for another quick trip through the archives… Here are some of my favorite posts from the month of August…

08/03/2006 — The Danger of No-Interest, Same-as-Cash Purchases
08/04/2006 — AmEx Buyer’s Assurance Warranty Extension Program
08/08/2006 — Are you Saving Enough for Retirement?
08/10/2006 — Craigslist First Impressions: Lots of Scammers
08/11/2006 — Pre-Paid Legal Plans
08/14/2006 — Choosing a Health Insurance Plan
08/17/2006 — Accidental Death & Dismemberment: What’s the Point?
08/21/2006 — Spending Money to Save Money
08/22/2006 — Dish Network Customer Service STILL Sucks
08/30/2006 — How Much Life Insurance do You Need?

And here’s rundown of what was happening at Raising4Boys during August…

08/04/2006 — Our Trip to the Georgia Aquarium
08/07/2006 — Disney Raises Ticket Prices (Again)
08/11/2006 — Braces for an Eight Year Old, Update #3
08/15/2006 — Hauling Furniture, Reckless Youth, and the Sunday Paper
08/24/2006 — It’s a Wonderful Life…
08/25/2006 — First Day of School Jitters? Yeah, Right
08/28/2006 — Dealing With Six Year Old Procrastination and Dawdling

Update: You can now get $800 in signup bonuses.

I’ve recently been trolling for juicy credit card signup bonuses… I’m in the process of setting up an LLC for our side business, and have thus been working to separate out our business and personal finances. In short, this involves: (1) setting up a separate bank account, and (2) opening up a business credit card. And being a money-savvy guy, I’m always looking for ways to pick up a few spare bucks. Enter the following four business credit cards, all of which offer juicy signup bonuses.

» Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express (Click to Apply)

This card is my top choice in the short-term… It offers $150 in quick rewards in the the form of a $100 statement credit withn you spend $100 or more, and if you click on the “Learn More” link you’ll see that you’ll instantly get 5000 points (which can be redeemed for a $50 gift card) when your first purchase. The only downside to this card is that there’s a $125 annual. However, the annual fee is waived for the first year.

» Starwood Preferred Guest Business Card from American Express (Click to Apply)

The Amex Starwood Preferred Guest card is another great choice… Earn 10,000 points (redeemable for a $100 gift certificate or travel rewards) with your first purchase. There’s a $30 annual fee, but it’s waived for the first year.

» CitiBusiness Card with ThankYou Network (Click to Apply)

This card is part of the Citi ThankYou Redemption network, and you’ll receive 10,000 ThankYou points (redeemable for up to $100 in gift certificates, student loan payments, etc.) after $250 purchase. Best of all, there’s no annual fee.

» $150 offer cancelled, sorry…

So there you have it… Four business credit cards that’ll net you up to $500 in signup bonuses with no out-of-pocket expense. And remember, you don’t really have to have a standalone business — if the application asks for a federal tax ID, just use your SSN (in the case of sole proprietorships, these are one and the same). As for the business name, you can just use your name.

Here’s a quick look at some of my favorite posts from a year ago this past week:

• Money Moves for 2006, Part 4: Your Health - Part IV of my series on money moves to make before the end of the year.

• On Dental Insurance, Appeals, and Pulling Teeth - Sometimes getting your teeth pulled is just the beginning of your pain and suffering.

• Money Moves for 2006, Part 5: Your Family - The fifth and final part of my series money moves to make before the end of the year.

Here’s a quick look at some of the articles that caught my eye over the past week… [more]

FiveCentNickel participated in three carnivals this week. Here they are along with links to my posts that were included in each.

The Carnival of Personal Finance included “Reward Credit Cards: What’s in my Wallet?”

The Best of Me Symphony included “Solving Customer Service Problems.” Also included was “Dealing With Six Year Old Procrastination and Dawdling” from raising4boys.com.

The Carnival of the Capitalists included “The Social Security Tax Ceiling.”

Just a quick note to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Here’s a short list of some of the things that I’m thankful for:

1. My wife.

2. Our kids.

3. Good health.

4. Financial security.

This list could go on and on (and on!), but it’s a holiday and I want to get back to doing nothing.

Happy Thanksgiving.