Midweek Roundup – Start of Soccer Edition

Today was a big day in our house, as soccer season is once again upon us. Unlike last fall, when my wife and I coached three teams between the two of us, we’ve scaled back to just one team this year. But we still have three kids playing, so it’s busy, busy, busy nonetheless. Just think… Two years from now we’ll have four kids playing, so I guess we should enjoy the relative calm while we can.

And now for some recent articles that caught my eye…

» 8 Benefits of a Recession or Down Market
As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, Flexo argues that the current economic environment provides us with a multitude of opportunities to go along with the pain.

» Pros and Cons of a SEP IRA
Given that I have a SEP-IRA, I’m always interested when I see other writing about them. In this case, Ciaran does a nice job of breaking down the pros and cons. This is definitely worth the read if you have any self-employment income.

» 11 Ways to Trigger an IRS Audit
Want to avoid an audit? Who doesn’t? Check out this article for a list of common red flags that might get you audited. In many cases, there’s not much you can do about it. But it’s still good to be aware of the common risk factors.

» Why is Gasoline So Cheap? A Cost Comparison of 40 Common Household Liquids
This is a fun and interesting (albeit not particularly useful) comparison of the cost of a gallon of a variety of common liquids. And guess what? Despite the recent runup in prices, gas is still comparatively cheap. Just be thankful that your car doesn’t run on Neutrogena or Krazy Glue!

» What the Heck is a Passbook Savings Account?
MBH takes a trip down memory lane and talks about passbook savings accounts. I have fond memories of taking my passbook to the bank to make deposits as a kid. I was surprised to learn that such accounts are still available.

» What Do Credit Card Numbers Mean?
Ever wondered what the digits on your credit card stand for? Well, wonder no more. This post explains everything.

Finally, while I realize that I’m wandering wildly off topic here, I just wanted to point out a site called No Calories Needed. This is a “weight loss” blog run by friend and colleague NCN of No Credit Needed fame.

While I’ve never been big on diets, NCN recently posted about a diet that I think I could live with… It starts out like this: “Step 1 – When you are hungry, eat.” Check. “Step 2 – Eat what you want, not what you think you should.” Check.

Wow, I think I might already be on this diet without even knowing it. (Though it does go on from there.)