Last night we got together with some friends and played the game Cash Flow 101 developed by Robert Kiyosaki, the guy who wrote Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I got the game for my birthday about a year ago and had never played it until last night (it can be difficult to get others interested in a game about investing), and I have to say that it was a lot of fun. All four of us who played seemed to really enjoy it and learn something from it as well. If you ever get the chance to play it, I would definitely recommend it. And now for the rest of the weekend edition:

1. Fiscal Musings Throwback (FMT): Since I’ve already mentioned the subject of cash flow above, I thought I’d bring back a post I wrote about a year ago entitled, How much is enough? I often hear people talking about some magic number they need to have saved by some date, such as retirement. But why not focus on the cash flow that your investments will produce instead of some dollar amount? Eventually you’re going to need the income anyway.

2. Another FMT: Everyone wants to be rich, but here are 4 Reasons You’re Not Rich. I’m sure there are many other reasons, but you can start with these and then go find some more.

This last week was a little more difficult than usual to be at work after spending last weekend in Arizona previewing the MBA program. Nothing was out of the ordinary at work; it was just a little tough mentally. A buddy of mine at work did manage to procure me a few bottles of Coke and Pepsi though, and it’s amazing how they somehow manage to help be get through the work day. Anyway, here’s what’s on tap for this weekend:

1. This article at Yahoo Finance really seems to tell it like it is when it comes to the real estate crisis. When it comes to real estate prices, people really need to have their sanity returned. A house is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. Plain and simple.

2. When the Clintons reported their income, it came out that they’ve made almost 109 million dollars since 2000. You can read the linked article, but let’s just say that I really need to start writing a book.

3. Here’s an interesting article from Guy Kawasaki called The Art of Sucking Up. There are actually quite a few tips to be learned here, even if the title doesn’t necessarily suggest it. And if you haven’t heard of Guy, you really ought to check out his website.

Fiscal Musings Throwback: About a year ago I took a look at stocks, and in particular the market capitalization and the P/E ratio. These are just a few things that you ought to know about when you begin to look into stock investing.

First of all, I want to thank everyone who participated in the first contest here at Fiscal Musings this past week. I’ll be announcing the winners of the contest shortly after I return home from Arizona, most likely on Monday. And now, on to the articles that make up this weekend edition:

1. Punny Money is trying to get the attention any bored rich people who would like to pay him a million dollars to do really anything of their choice. It’s quite the interesting post, and I must say that crazier things have happened.

2. Racer X reminds us that we should be careful when we give personal finance advice. Since money is often an emotional issue for many people we need to be aware of when we should and shouldn’t try to give out advice. People aren’t always ready to hear it.

3. Lily over at The Honest Dollar has an interesting article up about higher food prices along with some strategies of how to deal with them. We’re all probably noticing some higher food prices, but the financial strains can be eased with a few small changes.

Fiscal Musings Throwback (FMT): Last April I talked about the role that risk plays in investing. As with any investment, there will be some associated risks, but there are ways to reduce risk and good information is one of them.

1. PF Advice has an interesting article up comparing our everyday financial decisions to the hit game show Deal or No Deal. The question is, what kind of “deals” are we taking that are costing us our financial security?

2. I found a good article about how to score over 700 on the GMAT and figured that a few people might be interested in it. After scoring a 750 myself, I’ve thought about writing some tips and things. But since I haven’t yet, this post has some good things to consider.

3. One very important aspect of personal finances is managing your credit. Here are 6 steps for checking and fixing a credit report. It’s pretty detailed and has a lot of information for people that aren’t that familiar with credit reports.

Last night we took some friends out to dinner at a place we’d never tried before called Atomic Cowboy. It’s a Tex Mex place here in the St. Louis area that was surprisingly good. I believe it was the best Gordita that I’ve ever had, and I actually really liked the vegetables on the side (which is not the norm for me). And we never would have found this place if we hadn’t seen it on Restaurant.com and given it a try. It’s also a great benefit to buy the gift certificates at a nice discount. It cost us $5 for a $25 gift certificate. So if you haven’t yet, maybe you ought to give them a try. And now on to the weekend edition:

1. The Honest Dollar has a great article up that tells us how to make work fun, or at least tolerable. I’m sure we could all use this reminder as well as some of the tips that are offered. Work isn’t always exciting and fulfilling, but we can at least do our best to make it something that we enjoy. A tall order, but I believe it really can be done.

2. I thought this post, The High Cost of Instant Gratification, from FiveCentNickel was quite insightful and thought provoking. There’s a great lesson to be learned about ourselves.

3. How Not to Lose is an article over at I Will Teach You To Be Rich. It talks about how we should focus more on how to avoid financial pitfalls instead of how to make it really big. It’s an interesting read, but I don’t totally agree. You can decide for yourself though.

Fiscal Musings Throwback (FMT): In this post from a year ago I explain why I don’t track and keep an income statement. If budgeting is your thing, that’s great, but this is how I handle things.

1. I recently wrote an article about coupons, but I also happened to run across this article from The Honest Dollar entitled Price Discrimination and Why Coupons Exist. It’s one of the more informative posts that I’ve read in a while and provides a great explanation and insight into the concept of price discrimination. A great read worth checking out.

2. The stock market took a tumble on Friday, falling to its lowest levels in over a year. There’s fear about jobs, the financial sector, the high price of oil, as well as the general economy. You could either join the droves, or invest against the tide. If the stock market is really low, sounds like a great time to buy. Don’t just take my word for it though, the newest “richest man in the world” Warren Buffet has also said to buy when everyone else is selling.

3. If you haven’t heard already then it’s probably time you found out about it. Next February, all TV station broadcasts are scheduled to switch to digital. If you’re currently using an antenna to get over-the-air broadcasts, you’re going to need a new converter box and possibly another antenna. You can get more information from the government as well as apply for a couponfor the converter box.

Fiscal Musings Throwback (FMT): Financial Statements - Balance. In order to understand and better track our finances, it’s good to have a basic understanding of financial statements. This is a basic explanation of the balance sheet.

First off I want to say congratulations to a couple friends of mine that are getting married today. I’m sure they won’t be reading this today (since they’re a little busy), but I thought it should be said anyway. So now I can get on to the weekend edition:

1. It’s always interesting for me to read about the latest moves by Warren Buffet. While I’m not solely interested in the stock market, I do find it intriguing and am always looking to learn more.

2. With the current state of the economy, it’s tough to find articles that espouse anything positive. This article from Yahoo! though, talks about using the economy to our advantage. I’ve similarly mentioned before that we can’t control what’s happening around us. We can however control how we handle our own situation. And if you look hard enough, there are some positives out there.

3. Zen Habits doesn’t usually talk about money and finances but recently he had an article up entitled, 20 Money Hacks: Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Finances. I would say that there is anything earth-shattering or actually tricky here, but there are plenty of simple tips that it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Fiscal Musings Throwback (FMT): Now that this blog is over a year old I’ll probably be revisiting some of the posts from, you guessed it, a year ago. Financial Literacy is something that I’m very passionate about and one reason why I started this blog. It’s not something that you’ll just pick up on the fly though, you’ve got to make it a point to educate yourself.