A bit of gloating, then some good reads from around the web.
Very nice news reached the velvet-lined inner city bunker that is Monevator HQ this week – we have been nominated for a second time as the ‘Best International Personal Finance blog’ in the Plutus Awards [1]!
Now into their third-year, the Plutus Awards are becoming established as the benchmark for personal finance blogging. Given the vast plethora of blogs out there, it’s very pleasing to make the shortlist in the International category.
Now I know what you’re thinking – Monevator has run the odd article on overseas investing [2], but it’s not really a blog about international personal finance, is it? We’re many things, but a go-to resource for globetrotting playboys and It girls we’re not. (More’s the pity!)
But in the context of the Plutus Awards, international basically means ‘not American’. This is the country that runs a ‘World Series of Baseball’ that’s populated entirely with U.S. teams, remember.
I’m only teasing, of course – I’d do exactly the same thing if I launched blog awards from here in the UK. Plus, I’m not sure how kindly the judges will look on ironic British asides… 😉
Anyway, other contenders in our category include the up-and-coming UK bloggers at Sterling Effort [3], Yorkshire-based Miss Thrifty [4], sometime Monevator visitor Frugal Zeitgeist [5], and a new blogger to me, Kylie Ofiu [6].
Naturally, I wish all the contenders the best of luck.
Especially us.
From the money and investing blogs
- The many roads to retirement – Get Rich Slowly [7]
- What will stocks earn in the future? – Larry Swedroe [8]
- Index fund portfolios reign superior – Rick Ferri [9]
- Selling the family jewels – Mr Money Mustache [10]
- Another weak criticism of indexing – Canadian Couch Potato [11]
- Secondary market annuities – Oblivious Investor [12]
- What Rich Dad, Poor Dad taught me – Objective Wealth [13]
- How I find stocks: Then and now – Gannon on Investing [14]
- The art of the conference call – Investing Caffeine [15]
- ValuhunterUK investment blog shuts down – ValuhunterUK [16]
- Five thrifty uses for old maps – Miss Thrifty [17]
Product of the week: The 25-year fixed rate mortgage is back, courtesy of the Manchester Building Society [18]. For most of the past four decades borrowers would have bitten their arm off for a 5.24% mortgage rate, but today it’s a steep premium over three to five-year fixes. Still, interesting.
Mainstream media money
- A history of ridiculously big companies – Motley Fool US [19]
- 122 minutes with Jamie Dimon of J.P. Morgan [week old] – NY Mag [20]
- Upwardly mobile: Kenya’s technology start-up scene – The Economist [21]
- Grappling with the concept of middle-class in the U.S. – New York Times [22]
- Bank of England details winners and losers from Q.E. – FT [23]
- How to save £1,500 on household bills – Telegraph [24]
- Ultra-cheap mortgages saver borrowers hundreds per month – Telegraph [25]
- Store Wars: Domino’s versus Pizza Hut – The Guardian [26]
- Which is better: Value or yield? [podcast] – Motley Fool UK [27]
Book of the week: I was flicking through Business Model Generation [28]
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