I recently read an article at collegecrunch.org called 10 Things College Students Should Know About Credit Cards. Credit card companies prey on college students – read, and protect yourself from unnecessary and dangerous debt.

I’m a bit skeptical of the quality and impact comprehensive online-only financial planning can make, but the thought has enough merit to have garnered several million dollars in venture capital investment and prominent Wall Street Journal coverage. Take a look at the WSJ article and share your thoughts. One of the key reasons I went to the educational model was because I felt too many people who needed the advice couldn’t afford (or wouldn’t choose to pay for) it. Has the Great Recession changed your attitude about or ability to pay for such comprehensive advice?  Would you ever do so via one of the models discussed?

I recently recorded a video on financial responsibility for Ode Magazine. Please take a few minutes to watch the video below and let me know your thoughts (only the first commenter gets to complain about the low volume, please). =)

I gave a speech to more than 250 highly motivated K-12 teachers yesterday morning at the first ever National Educator Conference, presented by Jump$tart.  What a privilege to share the same stage as Sheila Bair (Chairperson of the FDIC) and Janet Bodnar (the editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine).

During the Q & A after my presentation, a teacher from Ohio asked me what financial lessons I hoped my kids would learn at school.

“What a great question!” I explained.

Although I have no intention of moving to Ohio (Remember, I went to the University of Michigan, so I’d be welcomed in Ohio as well as the Yankees are in Boston.), I knew that my answer would be heard by teachers from nearly every state in the country.

I told her of my fortune in having a teacher go “off syllabus” for an hour when I was 19 years old and that in so doing he had changed my life forever, as well as the thousands I have subsequently shared his words with.

You: What could be so important and life-changing?

The miracle of compounding interest.  Let it change your life too.

Today, I’m featuring a quick compilation of links I’m sure you’ll find interesting:

• Bankrate.com recently published a story Should you pay debt before savings? It’s a good write-up of an important question for those living Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck. Plus, I was quoted for the piece.

• Social Security recently announced that there will be no increase in monthly benefits checked sent to retirees during 2010.  Until now, retirees have almost always had an annual increase for inflation.  But not for 2010. If you’re still working, it won’t affect your day-to-day life too much.  But it might make for an interesting conversation with the folks, especially about this special $250 payment the government is considering. Over at my About.com site, we’ve started a spirited conversation and poll about the $250 payment.  Check it out or join in.

• I was also quoted in Credit card APRs fall slightly, reversing recent rate-hike trend, an article at CreditCards.com.  Many of the changes to credit cards are beginning to affect even those who pay off their balances every month.  We’re starting to see increased annual fees, reductions in available credit and outright cancellations, even among “good” customers. Make sure you’re paying attention and using your cards appropriately.

I’m off to Las Vegas for a speaking engagement tomorrow – have a good week.

Identity theft is a serious business.

You: Are you in it?

No, I’m not in that business.  I’m just saying, far better for you to take the risk of identity theft seriously vs. very easily becoming a victim of a stolen identity crime.

You: What should I do differently?

Not sure. It depends largely on what you do and don’t due to today.  Fortunately, David from Money Under 30 recently published Seven Signs You’re At-Risk for Identity Theft.  In my opinion, it was the best article among many featured in this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance, a well hosted event by Fabulously Broke.  The carnival also included my article Learning From The Same Accident, where I discuss not only my (now full) recover from a recent concussion, but also a rehash of the financial and life lessons from Flight 1549, the flight that landed safely in the Hudson River earlier this year.

For more on identity theft, check out my post from earlier this summer, Avoiding Identity Theft.

So I got a concussion last week.

You: Explaining your recent absence?

Indeed.

You: I thought it was the Red Sox fiasco.

While that didn’t exactly speed my recovery, their collapse had no impact on the extent of my own.  While I am still limited in my work hours, I will try to weave in an important, if not bref, financial lesson from my concussion.

Emergencies Can Come From Any (and I Mean ANY) Source and at Anytime

You simply never know when (or from what direction) an emergency will hit.  So many fear sudden unemployment.  Given the unemployment rate’s steady march towards double digits, there’s some good reason to be concerned. Nonetheless, even those with tenure or near lifetime contracts can suffer an unexpected financial emergency thanks to a car accident, home repair, or, sadly, a random collision of their head with another person’s head in the back row of a pick-up volleyball match.

You: Is the latter what happened to you?

You’re all over that one.  Too bad I didn’t see it coming, or I would have avoided it. Nonetheless, after several days, two emergency room visits and a whole lot of nausea, I’m starting to get back in the swing of things.

While I don’t recommend a concussion, having satisfactory health insurance along with an emergency fund set aside was at least of some comfort as they wheeled me into the room with the big (and awfully xpensive) cat scan.

Are you prepared for your next emergency?

You: You’re watching pre-season basketball?

No.  Honestly, I might even watch golf first.

You: What’s wrong with watching golf?

I find it more boring than the prospect of playing it.

You: Wow.  So what’s with the “fourth quarter” reference then?

I’m talking about the fourth quarter of the year, which begins today.  For better or worse, many companies – especially those which are publicly traded – tend to focus on a time period of three months.

You: Why is that?

Typically, corporate earnings must be reported on that basis.  While much has been written  about how quarterly reporting leads to short-term thinking at the expense a of proper long-term outlook, such criticisms typically don’t provide an alternative frequency for managing goals.  While I agree that three months is often way too short to judge an entire company’s progress, Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck is a personal finance blog (and book).  When it comes to personal finances, three months IS long enough to assess your progress towards your goals.

New Year’s Day is exactly three months away.  You have an entire quarter of 2009 remaining.  That’s enough time to make a sizable difference in what your financial situation looks like when you once again make those resolutions.  Here are some suggestions for what you can easily accomplish between now and then (if you’ve already done some of these things, congrats – less to do!):

• Q4 Task  # 1: Start saving. If you’ve already started saving, try to save some more.   Either way, remember: Save early, save often.

• Q4 Task # 2: Begin paying down your debt. But do it with a strategy.  The most important rule of debt management is to Get rid of expensive debt first.

• Q4 Task # 3: Decrease your income tax refund. If you consistently receive a sizable income tax refund, stop the madness. A refund does not represent the government giving you money. Instead, a refund is the government giving you your money back because you allowed them to take too much all year long.  A tax refund is not a savings program.

• Q4 Task # 4: Take advantage of your match. I’ve yet to meet a more compelling retirement planning opportunity than the 401(k) match.  The only reason you might not be taking advantage of the match is because you lack a fundamental understanding of how it works. Change that, first by reading An employer-match is not a corporate dating service. Then do something about it.

• Q4 Task # 5: Make sure you and your family are protected. This could mean insurance. it might also mean passing on insurance.  The most important rule of insurance: don’t risk a lot for a little.  Second most important, don’t pay to protect what you can easily afford to lose.

Just five little things to do to really begin to get your personal finances in order.  None of them will take very long nor require much money.  Just a small investment of both and you’re on your way.  It doesn’t have to be today or tomorrow, but give yourself a deadline.  There’s a quarter of this year left – plenty of time to take the lead in life’s “game” of personal finance.

I enjoyed CreditCards.com’s fantastic effort with this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance.    My article discussing a previous fantastic yet inexpensive weekend was included, striking the fancy of The Consumerist, which featured it in their article titled Where To Find Great Personal Finance Writing Online, a nice gesture from the same company that brings you Consumer Reports magazine.

My favorite article of the carnival, however, is Good Financial Cents’ Four Fifteen-Minute Financial Fixes.  In addition to the alliterative title, Jeff describes some important yet non time consuming behaviors to consider doing.  It makes for a stark contrast with Ron Lieber’s article in the NY Times last month.  Mr. Lieber describes a fiscal health day (That’s right – an entire day!).  Not many of us ever get a whole day for fiscal clean-up (or would use it in such a way if they did), but both Jeff’s 15 minute tips and Ron’s day-long fiscal adventure log are filled with suggestions you ought to consider – whether you have just a few minutes to spare or an entire day.

Either way, the key is to get started, don’t you think?

You: Cheesy title.

Monday morning.

You: You too?

Yup.  Anyway, I thought I’d take this fine Monday morning to highlight some of my best recent articles from around the web:

• Twelve Crazy Myths of Personal Finance was a ton of fun to write. Pretty sure you’ll enjoy it too, evidenced by its selection as an editor’s pick at this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Almost Frugal in France.

• At the recently relaunched Mint.com blog (now called Mint Life), I wrote Understanding Roth IRA Conversions.

• You might recall I also guide the Retirement Planning site at About.com.  Recently, I published Contributing to a 401(k) and a Roth IRA: You Can Do It! as a reminder that these two fantastic options aren’t mutually exclusive.

• At ING DIRECT’s We The Savers blog, I guest posted How can you save more money? Spend more time!

• This just in:  I’m quoted on The Wall Street Journal’s blog “The Wallet,” discussing Credit Card Rules For Under-21s: Wise Idea or Ticket To Financial Hardship?

Hope you enjoy! Questions? Comments?  Anywhere else you’d like to see my writing?