Monthly Archives: January 2012

Claremont McKenna College Inflated SAT Scores to Boost College Rankings

claremont mckenna college

Two days in a row now have shown us that higher education has a long way to come. According to the Associated Press article, a senior administrator at Claremont Mckenna College admitted that he has inflated the SAT ranking for all incoming students by an average of 10 – 20 point, and has been doing so since 2005.

[box] A senior administrator at California’s Claremont McKenna College resigned after admitting that for years he falsified SAT scores to publications such as U.S. News & World Report to inflate the small, prestigious school’s ranking among the nation’s colleges and universities, according to the college’s president.

President Pamela Gann told college staff members and students about the falsified scores in an email Monday, The New York Times reported. Gann wrote that a “senior administrator” had taken sole responsibility for falsifying the scores, admitted doing so since 2005, and resigned his post. Gann wrote that she was first warned of inaccurate reporting earlier this month and asked other administrators to investigate, leading to an administrator’s admission of guilt and Monday’s announcement. Gann said the critical reading and math scores reported to U.S. News and others “were generally inflated by an average of 10-20 points each.”

Robert Franek, the senior vice president of publishing for The Princeton Review, which provides preparation for the SAT and also ranks colleges, said he had never heard of a college intentionally reporting incorrect data. “We want to put out very clear information so that students can make an informed decision about their school,” Franek said. “I feel like so many schools have a very clear obligation to college-bound students to report this information honestly.”

The Princeton Review bases its college rankings on student opinion rather than test data, Franek said, so he was uncertain whether a change as small as that reported would make a difference. The current U.S. News rankings list Claremont McKenna as the ninth-best liberal arts college in the country, a fact noted on Gann’s biography on the college’s website.

The liberal arts school, part of the Claremont colleges cluster east of Los Angeles, has about 1,200 students and places a strong academic focus on political science and economics. The school has not officially identified the administrator who admitted the wrongdoing. ”

At this time, we have no reason to believe that other individuals were involved,” Gann wrote in her message to staff.[/box]

College rankings are very important. So important in fact, that many people base their decision on college admissions on the ranking in one category or another. I see the benefit from having inflated rankings. Especially for a small private school that is funded by the tuition their students pay. The more students that enroll at the school, the larger the budget.

As a prospective student it is always a good idea to make sure that you make your college admission decision on what really matters to you. Don’t base your decision on the latest ranking system. Go and visit the college. Talk to the faculty and current students. Immerse yourself in the on-campus culture. Sit in on multiple classes. Visit the dorm rooms. Talk with the staff (not admissions staff who are basically salespeople).

This will give you the best indication of what life at that college is really like. Finding money to go to college is hard enough, but it is made even more difficult, when the college you pay so much to attend is not what they claim to be. Be vigilant!

My Shocking Email From Amazon About Sales Tax – Pay Up!

amazon sales tax

I received a shocking email from Amazon on Sunday morning. Here it is in it’s entirety:

[box type=”shadow”] Hello from Amazon.com,

As you may or may not be aware Amazon.com LLC is not required to collect sales or use taxes in all states, including the state of South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Revenue requires us to provide the following notice to you: You may owe South Carolina use tax on purchases you made from Amazon.com LLC during the previous calendar year. The amount of tax you may owe is based on the total sales price of the items you purchased during the previous calendar year.

The total sales price of only purchases you had shipped to South Carolina in 2011 was $###.##.

This is the amount that you may include on your South Carolina income tax return to calculate the appropriate use tax owed unless you have already paid the tax. While Amazon.com LLC does not report this information directly to the state of South Carolina we are required to provide this information to you based on South Carolina law Section 12-36-2691(E)(3). As purchases from Amazon.com LLC can be made through various sales channels, we have included directly below your breakdown of purchases from the various channels.

Total sales from www.amazon.com $###.## Please note the following: The total sales represent all orders that were shipped to South Carolina during 2011.

Your purchases are subject to use tax unless an exemption exists under state law or you have already paid the tax. A sale is not exempt under state law because it is made through the internet. This information should not be used for any federal income tax reporting purposes. We are required to provide this notice in accordance with South Carolina law Section 12-36-2691(E)(3). Notifications were sent to customers that had purchases delivered to South Carolina. If you are not a resident of South Carolina, the most common reason for receiving this notification is that you may have sent a gift to a recipient in the state.

Sincerely, Customer Service Amazon.com[/box]

As a South Carolina resident, our state law requires us to pay state sales tax on ALL online purchases. The vast majority of tax payers do not realize this which begs the question, who collects this sales tax? All large retailers who have physical locations in our state (Barnes and Noble, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes) must collect sales tax at the point of sale in the store. Online retailers who do not have a physical presence in our state however, are not required to collect this sales tax (ie. Amazon), even though the tax is still owed.

Here is the problem: Amazon announced in 2011 that it is building a 1 million square foot distribution facility in our state. This means that Amazon will have a physical location, and they will have to collect sales tax at the point of sale for all online sales. Since it will take years to get this facility up and running, Amazon and the South Carolina state legislature agreed that Amazon has a 5 year exemption from collecting sales tax at the point of sale. The agreement did require Amazon to inform all South Carolina residents of our total spending through Amazon for the tax year 2011, and to inform us of our duty to pay this tax (thus the emails!)

The South Carolina Budget and Control Board estimates that roughly only $1 million of the $112 million due in sales tax is actually paid to the state for online purchases. As Amazon is one of the nation’s largest online retailers, the goal of this email is to prod more South Carolina tax payers to pay up on their “Use Tax” when they file their state tax returns.

This is all news to me, but I am glad that I know. I don’t like paying taxes any more than the next guy, but I also want to follow the laws. South Carolina residents cannot claim ignorance on our duty to pay this sales tax if we read this email. Hopefully this will funnel some much needed tax dollars that can be reinvested back into our struggling state economy!

What has been your experience with Amazon and sales tax?

76 Potential Vassar College Students Accepted then Denied

vassar college

76 potential Vassar College students has their hopes raised, and then crushed within 30 minutes on Friday afternoon.

According to the Associated Press, Vassar College’s admissions department mistakenly created acceptance letters for 76 students who logged into the Admission’s website and were told they had been accepted.

The website had been setup for students who were trying to apply for early admission to the college.

Vassar College promptly corrected the situation, and had contacted every student by Friday evening to explain the snafu.

Unfortunately, I imagine this type of thing happens far too often. Working at a school, I understand that many of the processes we handle are far too prone to human error. However, errors of this nature can effect the future of numerous students.

Thankfully, Vassar College was quick to correct the problem and they avoided any additional backlash.

Lesson to be learned from this entire ordeal? Apply to as many colleges as possible so you can maximize your chances of being accepted. You don’t want your chances for Admission to dangle on the keystroke of a human employee.

Do You Spend Money on Quality or Quantity? The $120 Pen Story

benchmade series 1100 pen

I’ll be the first one to admit that I have a fascination for pens. For as long as i can remember I have always been fascinated with them. I love dissecting them to see how they work, and I love holding a quality writing instrument in my hand, and feeling the superior craftsmanship. The only problem with this obsession is that pens can become very expensive, very quickly.

If you move past your big box store pen types, you automatically get into the mid 3-figures for a pen. Yikes! Yes, that means that the majority of quality writing instruments cost upwards of $100, and some a whole lot more.

I want to tell you a quick story about my decision to buy a $120 pen, and let you decide if it was smart or not.

The Benchmade 1100 Pen Series

From my pen research, this is one of the coolest pens that I have ever seen. Not only is it extremely awesome to look at, but it comes with a space pen refillable ink cartridge, it’s ergonomic handle reduces writing pressure, and it is made from hard anodized aluminum so it can be a self-defense weapon if need be. All in all, this is a rock star pen.

With that said, the pen does cost $120. If you visit the Benchmade site however, you will actually find that this is one of the cheapest models that they have for sale there. It’s a bargain right?

Not so fast.

What could possibly be a good reason to buy a pen that cost $120?

When I asked myself this question, and my wife asked me this question, we began to have a revealing conversation about quality versus quantity. This Benchmade pen comes with a lifetime warranty. So theoretically, it is the only pen I would ever have to buy for the rest of my life. Surely, that is worth $120.

This pen also uses Fisher space pens refills. This means that I will always have pen refills readily available, and this pen can write anywhere…even upside down and under water!

The pen is also virtually indestructible. It’s made of solid aluminum, and could literally be used in self-defense with the crazy point on the end of the pen.

That is my PRO list.

Here is the CON list, happily provided for me by my wife.

IT’S $120 FOR A PEN!

Really that is the only negative thought that we need to list, but I want to dig a little bit deeper. If I could pay $120 for one writing instrument and never have to spend money on pens again in my life, would it be worth it?

The short answer is not at all. Even with my obsession for pens, I would estimate that I spend roughly $5 on pens throughout the year. All of the pens that I like are ones that are left behind by customers in our office, or ones that I find randomly on the widewalk or in shopping carts. No, I’m not a cleptomaniac, pens are just something that seem to dissappear very easily. Which brings me to the deciding factor in this decision.

Yes, my $120 pen would theoretically last me for the rest of my life, but it won’t be worth anything if I lose it. One careless drop into my bag, and it’s on the floor and making someone else’s day. I am out $120 and my pride has taken a big hit.

So in theory, yes, a $120 pen that would last me for the rest of my ife would be a great value. However in reality, the risk of losing that pen vastly overshadows the benefit it provides.

Bottom line: I did not buy the pen, and I will continue salivating over it for years to come. Maybe someone else will leave theirs in a shopping cart one day…

Let the debate of quality versus quantity rage on!

 

Money For College Project Weekly Roundup: Productivity Tools Edition

Last week on Money for College Project I wrote a weekly roundup post about how much I have going on in my life right now. Over the weekend I realized that I needed to streamline some things or my life and productivity would spiral out of control. One of my biggest problems is being able to focus when I write. I typically have 1 hour in the morning where I complete my focused writing for blog articles and what not. That works for me.

However, now that I will have blog posts on top of papers for my grad school classes, I know I will need to write much more than 1 hour ever morning. To combat my ADD and actually try to get something done, I wanted to find a full screen text editor, that would allow me to write and focus without any interruptions.

Scrivener is what I ended up with. I did the free trial to see how I like it, but so far it is incredible. It is easy to use, cool to work with, and even aesthetically pleasing to look at. It does cost $45 though, which is why I am seriously evaluating it to see if it will be worth it through the free trial. I’ll keep you posted…

Enjoy the selections for this week!

Money for College Project

[button link=”http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2012/01/23/2011-forbes-15-richest-fictional-characters/” color=”red”] Forbes 15 Richest Fictional Characters [/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2012/01/24/how-to-sell-old-coins-for-cash-i-made-102/” color=”red”] How to Sell Old Coins for Cash – I Made $102[/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2012/01/25/surviving-the-college-dining-hall-infographic/” color=”red”] Surviving the College Dining Hall – Infographic[/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2012/01/26/college-students-face-stiff-competition-for-financial-aid/” color=”red”] Stiff Competition for Financial Aid[/button]

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome Articles You Need to Read

 

[button link=”http://gearpatrol.com/blog/2012/01/26/stay-camp-wandewaga-elkhorn-wisconsin/”] Camp Wandawega – Escape![/button]  If you are looking for a quiet retreat to the woods and would love to escape the hustle and bustle of your daily routine, or even escape the 21st century, then travel back in time to Camp Wandawega. At $200 a night it is pricey, but how many other times in your life can you stay in a 3 story treehouse?

 

[button link=”http://www.budgetinginthefunstuff.com/husband-working-home/”] BiFS – Husband Working from Home[/button]  Crystal from Budgeting in the Fun Stuff recently announced that her husband has decided to quit his job and work full-time with her advertising business. Her client list and advertisers have expanded so much she cannot keep it a one woman show any more. Hats off to her. I work with Crystl, and I have been more than pleased with the results. If this new employee addition truly means more advertisers for all of her clients, then this is indeed an exciting move!

 

[button link=”http://thecollegeinvestor.com/2246/i-launched-my-free-ebook/”] Student Loan Debt – Ebook[/button]  The College Investor launched a new ebook this week called Student Loan Debt. It’s a quick read, and it walks you through your options regarding student loan debt and how to pay it off. If you are struggling with student loan debt, then I would highly recommend this free resource!

Yakezie Friends

 

[button link=”http://sustainablelifeblog.com/2012/01/25/will-your-csa-save-money/” color=”green”] Sustainable Life – CSA Save Money?[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://blog.themillionairenurse.com/2012/01/25/you-wanna-be-work-happy-or-work-sad/” color=”green”] The Millionaire Nurse – Workplace Stress[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://dailymoneyshot.net/guest-post-6-tips-to-keep-your-dream-job-from-becoming-your-nightmare/” color=”green”] Daily Money Shot – Dream Job Security[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://www.moneybeagle.com/2012/01/i-should-have-known-we-wouldnt-get-any-snow.html” color=”green”]Money Beagle –  Less Snow[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://knsfinancial.com/cheap-textbook-rental-reviews-ecampus/” color=”green”] KNS Financial  – Textbook Rentals[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://www.bucksomeboomer.com/recession-romance-frugal-recipe-to-show-your-love/” color=”green”] Bucksome Boomer – Recession Romance[/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.investinthemarkets.com/risk-management/steps-to-diversify-a-small-stock-portfolio/” color=”green”] Invest in the Markets – Small Portfolio[/button]

 

[button link=”http://erinshanendoah.com/dogatemywallet/?p=356″ color=”green”] Dog Ate my Wallet – Brother’s New Venture[/button]

 

 

 

College Students Face Stiff Competition for Financial Aid

USA TODAY recently ran an article about the shrinking pool of financial aid, and how there is more stiff competition than ever for the financial aid that does exist.

Here is the down and dirty according to USA TODAY: [box] Several states have reduced scholarships or toughened eligibility criteria for financial aid. Eligibility for the maximum Pell Grant, the largest source of federal financial aid, has also been tightened. Meanwhile, the number of families applying for financial aid has soared. More than 21 million families filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2010-11 academic year, last fall, up 49% from two years earlier.[/box]

This sounds like depressing news, but I would give a much rosier view of the situation. Yes, the Federal Pell Grant applicant pool has grown tremendously. However, the Pell Grant is a guaranteed award. Meaning if you qualify, you earn it. Our government has set aside enough funds to cover every student that applies. This may not say good things about our government’s fiscal policy, but it should give you some comfort in applying for the Pell Grant. Also, Pell Grant funding has been secured through 2015 according to new legislation.

The article also notes that states have tightened the reins on qualifying for state supported scholarships. This is a sad trend but not one without hope. The positive trend that I have seen in recent years is that colleges have stopped relying as heavily on state supported scholarships, and they have begun relying more on school supported scholarships. Athletic departments are pumping money back into schools to be earmarked for Academic scholarships. Private donors are increasing their contributions which are earmarked for scholarships. Cost cutting measures have freed up University funds to be put back into the scholarship program. Colleges and universities have begun to realize that students are their greatest asset. Just like great employees make a company profitable, great students make a school excel. Scholarship money is one of the main lures to attract top tier students.

The USA TODAY article does go on to give three tips to deal with what they believe is a worsening financial aid situation: [box] 1. Pay attention to deadlines.

2. Be on the lookout for private scholarships.

3. Use net price calculators as a screening tool, but exercise caution. [/box]

I actually strongly agree with all 3 of these points. We have talked numerous times here about how important financial aid deadlines are. Missing a crucial financial aid deadline could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in aid.

Private scholarships, and especially local scholarships, are in my opinion the absolute best source of financial aid. You compete against a limited applicant pool, and you can gain the support of your local community. It’s a win – win!

Finally, the article mentions the debacle that is a net price calculator. The intent was good, the end result was a confusing mess. The net price calculator was a mandate from the Department of Education for all schools to be able to give prospective students an estimate of what they could expect to pay. The net price calculator gives all students an estimate of their tuition and fees, and then subtracts an estimate of their financial aid. The problem is that these estimates are almost always way off. The calculator often does not include private scholarships, and never includes student loans. These differences are not explained to students, which gives them a very skewed view of the financial aid that they can actually expect to receive from one school versus another.

With that said, I firmly agree with this author’s suggestion to take the net price calculator with a grain of salt. It can be a good tool, but should not be your deciding factor.

Have you noticed any drop in financial aid in recent years?

 

Surviving the College Dining Hall – InfoGraphic

Surviving the College Dining Hall
Via: Online Universities Blog

You have all heard of the freshman 15. Well, according to this InfoGraphic nearly 20% of freshman gain at least 10 pounds during their first year of college. Might not be 15 pounds, but it is still 10 unhealthy pounds that often comes about because of a poor diet, lack of sleep and stress.

Freshman living on campus are required to have a meal plan. This covers the University in that they know that all of their new students will at least have food to eat, and won’t be going hungry. What it means for students, is that they have a never ending source of food, constant temptation to over eat, and no restrictions on making poor food choices.

I have said before, that ditching your college meal plan is a smart decision. I still believe that, but I also understand that freshman are required to have one. So what do you do before you are able to ditch your college meal plan? Take advantage of the healthy options in a dining hall!

I like the infographic’s recommendation to load up on fruits and vegetables. As a college student, you will likely have weird hours and eat meals at odd times. A late night snack in the Library is 99% guaranteed to be unhealthy. Most dining hall’s that are cafeteria style won’t let you take food out, but they will almost always let you carry out one or two pieces of fruit as you leave. This could give you a great beginning to a late night snack, and save you from the extra expenses of that $3 muffin from the coffee shop.

Portion control is also a big issue in dining halls, especially among males. We all like to eat, that’s a given (males and females). So, how do you combat an entire cafeteria filled with delicious food and never ending ice cream machines? I know it’s tough, believe me I do, but this is where we have to practice moderation. Too much pizza and ice cream will make for one very long and frustrating college experience!

How did/does your college rate with their dining services on campus?

Do you have any good tips for anyone looking to save money or eat better at their college dining hall?

How to Sell Old Coins For Cash – I Made $102

rare coins

Last week my wife and I were sorting through some old boxes in our attic. It was our pre-spring, spring cleaning. The major changes happening in our lives (ie. bringing home a baby sometime soon) have given us a sense of urgency in regards to reducing clutter and maximizing our savings. To accomplish both of these goals we decided to sort through all of our boxes, and sell, donate or trash anything that  was not completely necessary.

It’s amazing the hold that stuff has on you.

We were neck deep in old boxes up in our attic when I stumbled across an old box of coins that I had collected as a child. The coins had no real meaning to me, except that they had looked shiny at the time I put them in the box. I knew there was some real value in old coins, and even smelt value in some coins with the current high price on precious metals.

I decided to take the box down out of the attic and see what the coins could possibly be worth.

Coin Value Research – Numismatics vs. Smelt Value

The study of coins and their values is called numismatics. This was an entirely new word to me until about 6 months ago when I was talking with a friend’s husband who works as a numismatist (We’ll talk more about that in a moment). With this new found knowledge and my coins in hand, I went to the internet to begin my search.

Smelt Value

I began my search in two separate places. One, I looked at CoinFlation. This website gives a great run-down of what the smelt or metal value of coins are. The real money with coins is in their silver content. For example, a quarter that was minted prior to 1956 is worth roughly $5.86 in current silver prices because it has a 90% silver content. This means that the quarter is not worth much for it’s collector value, but it’s worth a good bit for it’s smelt value. Sad thing for us, is that you can’t run out to your local pawn shop and sell in your old coins for their smelt value. The United States Government says that is illegal, and if they catch you, they could arrest you and fine you no more than $10,000 and/or up to 5 years in prison. Well then, on to option No. 2!

Numismatics

The opposite of buying and selling coins for their smelt value is to buy and sell coins for their intrinsic or collectible value. This is the study of numismatics, and is a widely popular hobby. When looking to sell any old coins that you may have, this is the route you want to take. A great resource that I found to aid in determining the fair market value of your coins is NumisMedia. All of the coins are separated by denomination and by year. You simply find your coin and look at the corresponding chart for an idea of what you could sell the coin for. The one factor however, that we as untrained professionals will struggle with is the quality of the coin.

The sliding scale of fair market values depends heavily on the quality grade of the coin. In some rare coins, this difference in quality could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in value. My advice? If you find a coin that has a high price (anything over $50) for it’s lowest quality rating and you think it is in decent shape, then it would be worth it to have the coin professionally valued by a numismatist. This grading will likely be free, and you will also have likely found a buyer if the coin is of real value. As with all transactions of this nature, be sure to verify the authenticity of the professional you are dealing with. Unfortunately, there are shady characters in this world!

Selling My Coins for $102 – Where to Sell?

Once I completed all of my research I determined that I had 5 coins which were worth roughly $130 according to the fair market values online. I was pretty excited about this, especially because these coins had been collecting dust in my attic for years. My next biggest question was where to sell my coins?

I began my search on Ebay and found that there are indeed millions of collectible coins for sale. As with most things on Ebay, rare coins have a very small profit margin. The majority of people buying on Ebay want to pay low prices. Based on completed auctions for my coins, they were only worth about $80 on Ebay. Moving on…

I next checked Craigslist. This looked promising. There were certainly a good many collectors in my area looking to buy and sell rare coins. Problem was, none of these folks had actual coin shops. I am a little hesitant about showing up in a parking lot with $100 in rare coins and asking a stranger to verify their authenticity. I’ll keep my coins and my safety too please. Craigslist is good for many things, but I would not recommend it for selling rare coins unless you find an actual coin shop willing to deal.

Finally, I searched online for coin dealers in my area. I found a great resource in CoinInfo – Coin Dealers Search. I simply typed in my zip code, and it found all of the coin dealers in our area. Then I searched around each of their websites until I found one that looked respectable. Next step, pay day!

Before I went in to meet with this coin dealer I emailed a list of the coins that I had to my new friend who is a numismatist. I asked him if he could give me a rough trade-in value on these coins. or at least give me an idea of what I could realistically expect to get for the coins. He told me around $100. So, with that newfound knowledge, I headed to the coin dealer to see what I could get.

Long story short, the coin dealer went over all of my coins, graded each of them, consulted his reference guide (a huge telephone looking book of small numbers) and told me he would pay me $102 for my coins. Sold!

If you are looking to sell any old coins I would recommend doing your research first to determine which coins are actually worth anything, and then researching whether it would be better to sell your coins on Ebay, or through an actual coin broker. Always remember to stay safe in deals of this nature. This is a great way to make some extra money, and who knows, you might even pick up a new hobby along the way!

Photo 1 

 

2011 Forbes 15 Richest Fictional Characters

#1Scrooge McDuck#2Carlisle Cullen#3Artemis Fowl II#4Richie Rich#5 Jed Clampett#6 Tony Stark#7Smaug#8Bruce Wayne#9Mr. Monopoly#10Arthur Bach#11Jo Bennett#12Mr. C  Burns#13Chuck Bass#14Gordon Gekko#15Jeff Lebowski

 

I recently stumbled across this awesome article by Forbes Magazine on the 15 richest fictional characters.

It comes as no surprise to me that Scrooge McDuck is at the top of this list. With the price of gold soaring at over $1600 an ounce, the Money Bin where McDuck hides his gold is a veritable Fort Knox! The gold flecks his swim suit accumulates as he wades in his fortune every morning are probably worth more than the average American salary!

A close second is Carlisle Cullen. I’ll be honest, I had no idea who this was until I read further. Another vampire… However, the one thing that vampires have on their side is time! Well, time, and the unfailing ability to attract beautiful women all while sporting pale features and a considerable appetite for human blood. But I digress…

Time is the equalizing factor that we can all use to our advantage in our investing strategy. With an investing time horizon far beyond what any mere mortal can muster, Mr. Cullen has amassed a fortune through the simple power of compound interest. There is a good lesson to be learned here.

I’m really curious to know if any of you would have a fictional character to add to this list. Do you think that they are in the correct order? To me, Smaug the dragon would be much higher than #7. His pile of gold, at least through the eyes of a Hobbit, seems just as large as that of Scrooge McDuck. But that may just be my nerdiness speaking again.

Let the debate rage!

** An added bonus for all of your Lord of the Rings fans: An in-depth look into the valuation of Smaug’s fortune. Fascinating!**

 

Money for College Project Weekly Roundup: Fraud and Deception Edition

The roundup this week is happening on Saturday to allow the Yakezie blog swap series to take over in the usual Friday spot. Erin from the Dog Ate my Wallet, wrote an excellent guest post yesterday on how to raise children to become entrepreneurs.

I hope many of you also were able to read through my article on my experience this past week with an advertising scam that I believe could have led to a serious case of identity theft. Sacha Charles from the Lana advertising agency was behind the con. Thankfully a quick Google search revealed the true nature of this criminal and I put the brakes on before it got too far.

It has been a crazy week with Grad School, my regular job, and the goings on here at Money for College Project. It has kept me on my toes though, which is all I can ask for.

Enjoy the selections for this week!

Money for College Project

[button link=”http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2012/01/17/how-to-earn-your-graduate-degree-for-12-per-semester/” color=”red”] Earn Your Graduate Degree for $12 [/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2012/01/19/advertising-scam-sacha-charles-with-lana-agency/” color=”red”] Advertising Scam – Lana Agency[/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.moneyforcollegeproject.com/2012/01/20/how-to-raise-a-millionaire-developing-your-childs-entrepreneurial-aptitude/” color=”red”] Yakezie Blog Swap Series[/button]

 

 

Awesome Articles You Need to Read

 

[button link=”http://www.adventure-journal.com/2012/01/escaping-to-a-log-cabin-in-the-woods-%E2%80%94-for-real-and-for-good/”] Escaping to a Cabin in the Woods[/button]  Adventure – Journal wrote an article that particularly hit home with me. It’s about a man who sold all his possessions 25 years ago, bought 50 acres in the New York wilderness and built a small cabin. He has lived there in a minimalist lifestyle ever since. I’m not suggesting that we all should follow suit, rather it is an awesome case study of pursuing what you are passionate about even if it is not the popular path. This man seems truly happy, and has found a way to make it work in his own life.

 

[button link=”http://gearpatrol.com/blog/2012/01/19/breakdown-2013-porsche-911-carrera/”] 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera[/button]  In direct opposition to the previous link on minimalism, here is a post on a truly fantastic car. The Porsche 911 Carrera is not a car that I myself ever hope to be able to purchase but it is one that I can appreciate for near perfection. I would love to drive one someday however!

 

[button link=”http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/2012-marketing-podcasts/”] New Podcasts for 2012[/button]  I’m always up for a new podcast. Pat Flynn recommends three of his favorites that are just starting to burst on the scene in 2012.

Yakezie Friends

 

[button link=”http://sustainablelifeblog.com/2012/01/18/homemade-hard-apple-cider/” color=”green”] Sustainable Life – Hard Apple Cider[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://blog.themillionairenurse.com/2012/01/19/projects-getting-started-a-growing-mushrooms-at-home-case-study/” color=”green”] The Millionaire Nurse – Mushroom Project[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://dailymoneyshot.net/guest-post-6-tips-to-keep-your-dream-job-from-becoming-your-nightmare/” color=”green”] Daily Money Shot – Dream Job Security[/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.moneybeagle.com/2012/01/we-need-a-new-dishwasher.html” color=”green”]Money Beagle –  New Dishwasher[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://knsfinancial.com/financial-blessings-reader-stories/” color=”green”] KNS Financial  – Financial Blessings[/button]

 

 

[button link=”http://www.bucksomeboomer.com/delay-your-gratification-and-grow-rich/” color=”green”] Bucksome Boomer – Delayed Gratification[/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.investinthemarkets.com/resource/oil-and-gas-stocks-at-discount-prices/” color=”green”] Invest in the Markets – Discount Oil Prices[/button]

 

[button link=”http://erinshanendoah.com/dogatemywallet/?p=339″ color=”green”] Dog Ate my Wallet – New Carnival[/button]

 

[button link=”http://www.mypersonalfinancejourney.com/2012/01/blogging-goals-update-2011-year-end.html” color=”green”] My Personal Financial Journey – Year End Review[/button]