Personal Finance On The Web

Yahoo has been launching some new channels lately that focus on certain niche topics such as food, video games and tv.

The newest channel is devoted to personal finance. So if you're a "regular" invester or you're looking to buy a home or just someone who wants to learn how to better manage their money, then you should check it out.

There's some good how to guides, the usual calculators that you find on these types of sites (mortgage, budgeting, saving for college) and it's a great place to ask questions and get answers. I think Yahoo! learned a lot about starting a web community with their Yahoo! Answers Site and it shows in Yahoo! Personal Finance.

Prosper

I just ran across this site, Prosper.com and I can't believe it. I guess if it's done right, it can be a great idea but it sounds so risky.

Here's how they describe their site:

People who need money request it, and other people bid for the privilege of lending it to them. Prosper makes sure everything is safe, fair and easy.

I have no experience with this site but like I said, I'm shocked that in this day and age of Nigerian spammers, credit fraud and other scams, that real people would actually sign up for this.

The New Retirement Looks Promising

One of my Christmas presents this year was this book, The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide to the Rest of Your Life

This book not only addresses the usual financial issues of retirement but also the
lifestyle issues that aren't covered as often.

I'm not too far in yet but already I'm hooked. It's all about one of the ideas that I've talked about on this blog many times. Our retirements are not going to be like those of our parents. Now a days people aren't heading to Florida and playing shuffleboard, they're working part-time, they're starting new businesses and they're much more active.

With the advancements in medicine and healthcare, people are not only living much longer but they are able to live well much longer.

When I finish this book, I will post a complete review.