I mean, if you read plonkee money, then hopefully you get some information from here, and there’s always the mighty google, but sometimes you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. Where else do you turn?

The places I go for information depend on the sort of things that I’m looking for.

the best/cheapest financial products

With a full-time staff of five, the impartial and independent moneysavingexpert.com has the resources to find the best savings account rates, the best utility and insurance providers and a whole heap more. If I have something a specific product or service in mind, I’ll check here first to see if they can tell me where the best rates are.

tax rules

Nothing beats hearing it from the horse’s mouth. Unlike some organisations, information provided direct to the public by HMRC is reasonably clear and they make an effort to write in plain English. Sometimes there are jargon problems, though.

benefits, compensation, and other government policies

Direct.gov.uk has great information on all sorts of things, and is my first port of call. It acts as a portal, so will often lead you to other more useful sites.

how tos and opinions

Normally, I search some likely sites on my blogroll. Although most personal finance bloggers are American, if I’m looking for fairly general information, or some basic principles to start off with, or strident opinions that doesn’t much matter. The sites on my blogroll are essentially the ones that I read every day, and I have a reasonable idea bout who might have which information.

news

BBC all the way. Not without their bias although they aim to be impartial, they do at least make an effort to include international information. The website is easy to navigate and covers the salient information quickly.

anything else

If I’ve exhausted my usual sources, I get my best search skills out and spend time hunting around for the information that I need. Often, if I think it will interest anyone else, I’ll write it up into a post here - the power of knowledge comes in the sharing of it.

How do you find personal finance information? Are there any particular sources that you find yourself using again and again? Let me know in the comments.

• I can’t afford it and the limited belief syndrome
• it doesn’t hurt to ask
• how to turn three slices of turkey into brunch
• flirting without flirting, buy drinks for everyone
• is bad news better than good news?
• stock market diversification works, the proof
• pick investment strategies that fit your lifestyle
• learning self-discipline
• the ease of justifying wants as needs
• equalling is fun
• small amounts really do add up

If you’ve seen a great post that you want to share, let me know.

what other people will pay for @ indebt.net - if others will pay for it and you will do it, then maybe there’s some money in it for you

getting back on the horse @ indebt.net - in case you didn’t know, Annie is a great British blogger, and this is another cracking post, because we all slip sometimes

the dirty secrets of debt reduction @ get rich slowly - JD should need no introduction, as he’s the (only occasionally disputed) king of personal finance bloggers. He’s the king because he’s such a good writer. In this case the topic is the mistakes that will lead you into debt. JD should know, he made them.

whoa! my 401k is losing money @ gather little by little - now, if you’re not an American like gibble, then  you probably don’t have a 401k, but it’s just an investment vehicle so this post really is for everyone. Your investment is going down, but the sky is not falling in, which I know you know, because you’re all sensible, but maybe someone you know doesn’t.

top 10 tips for frugal skincare @ notes from the frugal trenches - a newish British blogger that I thoroughly recommend posts tips for skincare. And I like them.

portfolio returns: the basics @ simple pound - another Brit (yes, we are taking over the world, thanks for asking). This time it’s a nice geeky spreadsheet formula post about how to calculate investment portfolio returns. You’ll love it.

treat yourself like a child to be more grown up @ wisebread - yes, folks tricks that work on kids will work on adults too. Mostly because children and adults are from the same species. In this case you’re going to be arguing with yourself about how you don’t really need such and such an item because you have a perfectly good one at home. I think an internal monologue is going to work best on this one.

I particularly liked:

• planning a budget when you don’t know how much things cost @ paradigm shifted - I really, really want to go to Mongolia. I’ve wanted to go for the last 9 years. I need to put it higher up on the to do list.
• paid off debt and credit score dropped @ single guy money - that hasn’t happened to me (no debt - smug, aren’t I), but it’s something to be wary of
• personal finance reading techniques @ mapgirl’s fiscal challenge - this is stuck right at the end of the carnival, but reading personal finance is a great skill to learn so try not to miss this post.

Have fun

• free downloadable budget spreadsheet @ gather little by little - free is good, budgeting is good, spreadsheets are awesome, what’s not to like
• financial IQ test @ moolanomy - questions to make you think about what you know, and don’t know about personal finance in several categories, plus there are helpful links for more information on the different topics
• 50 ways to save money by not wasting @ cleverdude - combine saving money with some top-notch eco-friendly ideas
• why I’m glad I’m not a homeowner @ notes from the frugal trenches - yes, it’s true, homes cost you money. Lots of money. Rent whilst you can
• starting a blog won’t make you rich @ mrs. micah - I can attest to the truth of this, as I’ve started a blog, and I’m not rich - by the way you might see an advert on this site for a loan of 183.2% APR I’d strongly suggest not taking it out I figure none of you are silly enough to do so anyway

Next week there are some exciting plans, I’ve got a guest post lined up, a couple of seasonal things in mind as well as some musings that I hope you’ll like.

Have a great weekend.

• atheists should tithe - well, it’s really about why humanists should donate to charity, but I’m sure you get the idea. If you’re interested in atheism and related stuff, you might want to check out my other blog, the religious atheist (yes, I know that’s a shameless plug )
• tourist in London town - some great frugal tips if you’re ever in London, from how to get from the airport to what you can see for free in the city (and there’s lots of it). Should you instead be in the capital of America, check out the guest post I had from Mrs. Micah
• money scripts: voting (part 2) - with elections coming up in all sorts of places, this is a reminder of some of the things that I think about when I choose who to vote for

If you want to read some other great posts, this time from April 2008, check out:

• setting up a special savings account @ single guy money - don’t use your credit card for your gadget-y wants. Instead set up a special savings account for them, and earn interest instead of paying it
• how Micah sent roses in Italy for $30 @ mrs. micah - if you think local then you can often get a great bargain. I am jealous, but keep reminding myself that I don’t even like roses anyway.
• tips for helping with household budgeting @ my two dollars - we always  need more ideas, and these come with great commenatary
• 10 can’t miss ways to kickstart snowflaking @ paidtwice - snowflaking is a great adjunct to the debt snowball, if you don’t know what it is, check out paidtwice’s snowflaking primer
• my biggest budget busters @ being frugal - Lynnae posts here 5 budget flaws. Not all of them are the same as mine, but a few look suspiciously familiar
• unscrambling the egg @ brip blap - you know, you can’t do it, unscramble an egg that is. Nor can you go back in time and reclaim all those wasted hours. Think before you open your wallet, or waste your time watching American Idol (is that show still on?)
• labor capital, the forgotten class @ moolanomy - when you’re thinking about your investment portfolio you should take into account that your biggest investment is probably your own labour. Marx had something right after all? Power to the people!
• flood insurance @ dough roller - a flood is probably the most likely natural disaster to befall anyone in the UK, remember the people being rowed out of Carlisle? Check your insurance to make sure it covers floods
• top reasons people don’t budget @ gather little by little - since I’m by nature lazy, I assume that’s the biggest reason, everything else is just an excuse
• my financial mistake @ notes from the frugal trenches - it involves a house purchase and a parent. Check out this new British personal finance blogger and cheer them on to bigger and better.
• my shopping diet @ cash money life - a guest post about how to conquer a shopping habit. Worth a read before you hit the shops on the weekend, don’t you think?

Wow, that’s a lot of reading material for your weekend. I’ll be expecting you bright eyed and bushy tailed for more sensible (and fun) personal finance on Monday.

• making a good first impression @ clever dude.  I think this is supposed to be about going for a job interview, but it’s actually great advice on meeting anyone for the first time in a professional setting - whether that be a new client, the big boss, or your first day at work
• 9 ideas for making money this Easter @ in-debt net. Everyone needs more good money making ideas, and these are pretty good. And this is a British blog, so it’s even better
• our story part III: the moral of the tale @ rocket finance. My good friend rocketc has posted how he and his wife made more than $5000 in credit card bonuses and the like, which meant that they balanced their books in 2007 for the first time in years. Way to go rocketc.
• how to get a job - learn the secret from a bad movie @ wisebread. I feel that my propensity for watching terrible films can now be justified - sometimes they come up with little gems of advice.

In case some of you weren’t reading plonkee money this time last year, here’s a recap of some of the best posts of March 2007.

•  what does being rich mean? “I have to work hard now, and save and invest money, because there is nowhere else that the money will come from.“
• misunderstanding pensions “A pension isn’t something to be mistrusted; it’s just a set of rules. Your best weapon in preventing mis-selling is to educate yourself.“
• comparison of US and UK investment concepts “Roth IRAs and Stocks and Shares ISAs are similar investments but there are significant differences in the rules in each scheme.“

If you were reading this time last year, thanks ever so much for sticking with me, there will be plenty more good content to come. Next week sees the remaining parts of the guide to Stocks and Shares ISAs, and apparently being super-busy at work gives me great post ideas (just not enough time to write them all). If you’ve got a suggestion or a question that you’d like covered here, drop me a line.

• from the carnival of personal finance we have college the poor kids way - I don’t especially agree with RacerX’s position, but it sounds like he’s forced to choose between paying for his kids’ college and retiring, which is of course no choice at all
• a decent standard of living @ wisebread - make your own decisions about what’s necessary for a decent standard of living and don’t buy into everyone else’s choices
• my friend @ rocket finance is moving to Colorado to take up an exciting new job, it’s taking him a little out of his comfort zone, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a passion of his

That’s all I’ve got time for today - next week is the exciting stocks and shares ISA guide.

Busyness at work has prevented me doing as much reading as I normally do, but as usual, what I have read has been excellent.

First the thought-provoking:

• from the carnival of personal finance, hosted by broke grad student, my favourite pick was wedding as status symbol @ feminist finance - you are not a lesser couple if you have a cheaper wedding
• on a similarly feminist theme, I loved the latest sleeping with money post from Aundi @ queercents, about the pretty girl privilege - which of course isn’t a privilege or source of power at all
• Dough Roller gives us the seven habits of wealth with some nice quotes as well
• J.D. @ Get Rich Slowly offers a beautifully crafted post. And let’s us in on the key to wealth as well.
• gibble @ Gather Little by Little has inspired a bunch of people to post their financial epiphanies by posting Gina’s as a guest article
• paidtwice’s epiphany wasn’t really her’s, it was her husband’s - which I think is quite funny
• Lynnae @ being frugal didn’t so much have an epiphany as a slow and gradual awakening and is now thoroughly getting her act together despite recent trials and tribualations

The the more practical topics:

• Pinyo @ Moolanomy covers life insurance in three parts
• Patrick @ Cash Money Life helps you with your salary negotiations (I’m putting him on standby if I decide to get a new job)
• David @ My Two Dollars tells us to take care of what we own to save money with some specific ideas
• Single Guy Money is foiling dastardly identity thieves by giving us some suggestions for protecting our identies
• Mrs. Micah collates advice and suggestions on hiding money from an abusive spouse

Have a nice Sunday night everyone.