To prepare for the retail sales season, it’s good to have some idea of what’s hot and still affordable this year. Finding the perfect holiday gifts for your friends and loved ones doesn’t have to be a hassle: to help out, I’ve rounded up some popular gift ideas for the holiday season.

Popular Toys

If you’ve spent any time in a toy aisle or store lately, you probably noticed Bakugan toys and games, based on a popular Japanese anime. Kids aged four and up might enjoy playing with the Bakugan Starter Pack. Players can battle their warriors for less than $16; additional battle packs and toys are also available.

Kids who are 3 to 5 years old can try out their writing skills with the LeapFrog Scribble and Write, which has a suggested price of around $22. Another holiday favorite returns this season with the Fisher Price Elmo Live Encore. The suggested price is $69.99, but you should be able to find this toy at a discount.

Board games are another favorite holiday gift idea because the whole family can spend time together. A classic game like Sorry can let your family’s competitive streak shine. Another choice can be a DVD game like Scene It? Deluxe Disney, which retails for less than $40.

Video Games

Video game consoles are still popular choices for the holidays, and the price cuts some manufacturers have made can help our holiday budgets. The new version of the PlayStation 3 features a 250 GB hard drive, and you can play Blu-ray DVDs as well as games on it. It’s available for $299.99. Games that have earned great reviews include Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Or you may be more interested in the Blu-Ray DVD player.

If you’re shopping for Xbox 360 fans, there’s a new 250 GB Elite Modern Warfare 2 console for $399.99. Pick up an Xbox Live Subscription Gold Card and you’ll be able to have fun long after the holidays.

For the Nintendo Wii, you can get ready to run with New Super Mario Brothers Wii, coming out soon. There’s also Wii Fit Plus, in case you need to burn off any holiday dinners.

There are also new versions of favorite handhelds out. The PSPgo ($249.99 list price) is lighter than its predecessors, has 16GB of flash memory, and lets you buy downloadable games from the PlayStation Network store.

The Nintendo DSi (suggested price $169.99) features two cameras and downloads via the DSi shop. Popular DS games include Mario & Luigi Bowser’s Inside Story ($34.99 list price) and Scribblenauts ($29.99 list price).

Cool Gadgets

You can buy electronics on discount at places like Buy.com or Newegg.com. Here are a few items you can pick up at electronics stores:

A gadget that plays games and has plenty of apps is the always popular iPhone. Other cell phone favorites include the Palm Pre and BlackBerry Curve.

If you prefer a camera, Canon’s PowerShot A1100IS ($249.99 list) has 12.1 megapixels and an optical image stabilizer to assist you with terrific shots. For camcorder fans, there’s the Flip MinoHD ($229.99 list), which captures up to 120 minutes in HD and makes it easy to upload videos to popular sites.

Those who want to hand out ebook readers this year have a few choices, such as the Kindle DX ($489) or the Sony E-Reader ($199.99 at some retailers). Expected for the end of November is the Barnes & Noble nook, which has already earned rave reviews. It’s offered for $259.

Now that Windows 7 is out, look for it on netbooks like the Asus Eee PC that lists for $399. Your favorite gift recipient will be able to read your emails, admire your pictures, and shop for the best deals all the time on his or her netbook.

Consumer Items

If you have anybody on your list who’s hard to shop for, find out where they like to buy ice cream or dinner and load them up with a gift card. Other gift card ideas include book stores, clothing stores, or iTunes for music, videos, and more.

A lot of us have cut back on trips to the coffee shop, but there’s no need to feel deprived if you give an AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker. Listed at just $30, it’s a good value compared to a month of Starbucks visits.

For me, the holidays tend to find me stocking up on different things at the local drugstore or wholesale shopping club. If it’s the last minute and I need a gift ASAP, I can pick up a nice box of candy, a set of candles, or even something more extravagant like a leopard-print Snuggie.

Before you start your holiday shopping, make a list of recipients and gift ideas, set a budget, and check prices online. That way, you’ll be able to enjoy the holiday season with time left over for yourself!

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Hot Holiday Gift Ideas For The Shopping Season

I’m still on the lookout for the H1N1 flu vaccine, which unfortunately, is still in very short supply where I live. But at least, my household has made a little progress on taking some preventive measures. I finally got myself inoculated against the seasonal flu a couple of days ago, while I subjected my two kids to the seasonal shots today. I’ve since learned that hospitals are getting first dibs at this rather scarce resource while the smaller clinics end up having to wait longer.

Image from The Telegraph

But the more important swine flu vaccine remains elusive — even as the bug it tries to suppress has begun to take off and run rampant in our local communities. This makes this story of how a school managed to waste 5,000 doses of the vaccine all the more aggravating and unforgivable.

If despite your best efforts you become unlucky enough to pick up the bug, the thing to do is to ingest Tamiflu as soon as you can — it’s supposed to help you recover faster. Try to stay well this winter!

I was thinking that when we finally receive all the needed inoculations for this year, I wouldn’t mind traveling a little this winter, maybe take the family to visit Disneyland. We’ve actually been talking about this for some time now and it would be great to take a break. Maybe I could pick up a Disney Rewards Visa Credit Card and treat us all to some fun?

Moving on to money matters — how about a look at these personal finance articles that I had a chance to review this week?

Personal Finance Articles

Stop Buying Crap: Shopping For A Credit Card
• Wise Bread: The Economic Stimulus Bill: Will The Heavy Debt Be Worth It?
• My Two Dollars: Best Small Towns To Live In
• Joe Taxpayer: Funding Matched 401k
• Gather Little By Little: How Much Does Your Vice Cost?
• Budgets Are Sexy: Why Are You Asking About My Salary Again?
• The Centsible Life: Carnival of Personal Finance

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

No Vaccine? Stock Up On Tamiflu Instead

I’d like to bring your attention to an interesting personal finance program that will be held from November 9 (through December 20). Top personal finance blogger, Ramit Sethi, who wrote the New York Times best selling book “I Will Teach You To Be Rich”, has put together a financial boot camp aimed at those who would like to get their finances in order, whether it be in the areas of banking, saving, budgeting, debt and credit management, investing or earning more. If you’re curious about Ramit, he runs the site I Will Teach You To Be Rich.com and is a popular blogger, speaker and accomplished writer in the field of personal finance.

For those who are interested in really taking control of their finances and would like to see results by giving their financial life some priority, this program could prove quite helpful. The idea here is that if you can spare 5 to 10 hours a week for 6 weeks (November 9 through December 20) on this program, you’ll learn and apply lessons that can turn your finances around. The goal is to find out whether your financial plan is on track, or if you don’t have a plan to start with, then the course aims to get you started. This boot camp goes beyond giving out information on how to do things, it actually aims to have you take ACTION that will lead to positive results.

For more on the boot camp, you can visit this page or read on.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich Boot Camp Details

Here are some details on this Personal Finance Boot Camp, which is an interactive online course that will help educate, inspire and guide you to improve your finances.

Who: Ramit Sethi will lead the boot camp and will encourage you to take action on your finances. There will be several Q & A opportunities throughout the event.
What: 6-week online boot camp to help people take ACTION and manage their money. Course work will cover credit cards, debt, automating money, picking the right accounts, investments, and day-to-day money questions.
Cost: $199
No Risk: Satisfaction guaranteed: there’s a 30 day money back guarantee associated with this program, no questions asked.
How To Register: You can only register until Friday, November 6 at 12 AM PST and space is limited. Secure your spot here.
Guest speakers: There will be several guest speakers who excel in their respective fields (online marketing, entrepreneurship, financial services, job coaching). They’ll be speaking about entrepreneurship, earning more, finding a mentor, landing your dream job, etc.

Personal Finance Boot Camp Course Schedule

Here’s a peek at the course schedule. It’s going to be packed with a lot of financial topics. You’ll find out what actions you’ll need to take in each area of your financial life and then actually DO the things needed to help you make strides in these areas.

To give you an example of how this online course will be conducted, here is a course outline for Week 1, where the focus will be on making the best use of your credit cards and how to monitor your credit on your own:

• Homework Assignment: Make a list of credit cards, balances, interest rates. (This will be collected and checked off by IWT assistants.)
• Group and Forum Discussion Topics with Support Materials: Six Commandments of Credit Cards, Common Mistakes to Avoid, Credit Card Tips, Card Negotiation Scripts
• Ramit’s Tuesday Live Cast: Ramit talks about big wins with your credit cards, how to find the best deals and takes member’s questions.
• Live Guest Speaker Thursday: Andy Jolls from VideoCreditScore.com talks about easy ways to improve your credit score and answers member’s questions.
• Check Lists: Find out your credit score and check your credit report, set up your credit cards, make sure you’re handling your card effectively, develop a debt plan.

How To Sign Up

Again, this course will be running for 6 weeks, from November 9 through December 20. But you can only sign up for this event between now and Friday, November 6 at 12 AM PST (or possibly sooner, depending on attendance and space limitations).

If you are interested in participating in this boot camp, you can sign up here.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich Personal Finance Boot Camp Is Here!

I’m presenting a video below, courtesy of one of the technical analysis services that I follow, called INO.com. Adam Hewison — an expert market analyst and the guy behind INO.com — asks the question: has spot gold prices peaked? Many traders and investors are currently wondering about this, as they note how gold has fallen from a high price of $1,070 an ounce to a level that seems to be threatening to breach the $1,000 level.

If you’re interested in Adam’s analysis on how the gold market will be behaving going forward, then check out the following video, which showcases the software program called the MarketClub stock trading system. This tool is available for use through a premium service.

Have Spot Gold Prices Peaked?

Please click on this link or the image below to watch the video:

Here’s one expert trader’s answer to the question: has gold topped out? Adam’s technical analysis prediction is pretty specific — according to him, “not yet”. Gold has a ways to go (upwards), but only after a possible pullback takes place first, where some price levels are tested. He uses a Fibonacci retracement tool to attempt to predict how far down the potential pullback will be. If you’re a trader, the suggestion here is to capitalize on any correction as a buying opportunity because Adam believes that gold prices can eventually recover and reach $1,200 to $1,300 an ounce, as per his analysis. So the verdict? He’s long term bullish.

So what do you think? Do you agree with him?

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Have Spot Gold Prices Peaked?

Such unique and funny costumes! But wonder just how comfortable the babies are. How are you dressing your little one today?

Burger Baby Halloween Costume

Taco Baby Halloween Costume

Happy Halloween Everyone!

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Burger Baby Halloween Costume

This guest post is by Earl Fischer, my awesome brother in law. He describes a cheap meal that makes use of a popular breakfast staple.

Necessity is the father of invention. But invention appears to have many fathers. Frugality is one of them. Desperation, too.

I may not be a chef but I can humbly claim to have above-average skills in that culinary vestibule known ordinarily as the kitchen. These skills were acquired not through formal schooling but due to necessity and frugality. We all need to eat so I guess it almost follows that we need to know how to cook. Employing a cook can be costly so in order to keep frugal, one should also learn how to cook.

Many years of experience in the kitchen has helped me to develop my creativity and skills as a cook. While a true chef’s creations are oftentimes concocted through experimentation, whereby he comes up with new dishes as a result of working with and combining well thought out ingredients, my creations come about through resourcefulness and the ability to “scavenge” well. I come up with my creations by using what’s left in my fridge and pantry.

My Healthy Breakfast Idea: The Oatmeal Sandwich!

Raw oatmeal. Image from Sherman Heart

As someone who likes easy meal ideas, I now take pleasure in sharing one of my most recent creations with you. I invite one and all to try the … (drumroll) …oatmeal sandwich for breakfast. This interesting meal actually made its first public appearance in the 1960’s Henry Fonda-Lucille Ball starrer, “Yours, Mine and Ours.” Here are some tips on how I’ve put this together:

For the oatmeal, I use the most popular brand because that’s the only oatmeal I like. If the oatmeal is too watery, just let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to reduce the water. Use wheat bread because it’s got fiber, which our body needs.

So what do you think of this healthy food idea? This dish actually makes for a very nutritious breakfast. It’s not only high in fiber but it also helps lower cholesterol. You’ll get the proof from the label on the oatmeal packaging. If you are conscious of protein in your diet, have an egg on the side. For your beverage, have orange juice to receive your daily intake of vitamin C. Skip the coffee because it has absolutely no nutritional value and it adversely affects your body’s capability to absorb calcium, or so they say. The cheapest orange juice brand is good enough.

I really enjoy this sandwich. I’ve tried it open-face and triple deck. Try sprinkling a little salt to add some flavor. If you have some leftover lettuce and tomatoes from the previous night’s salad, you can get more adventurous and double your nutrition with lettuce, oatmeal and tomato!

Did you think I was kidding? Try it yourself!

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Healthy Breakfast Idea: Rethinking Oatmeal

With the turn of the seasons, we’re finally getting colder weather, and so far, it’s been a pleasant change. What’s not so pleasant is that I’m having trouble finding the flu vaccine in our neighborhood. I’ve spent quite some time trying to track this elusive vaccine down but as the news channels have been suggesting over the past few weeks, it’s in extremely short supply. I’ve called grocery store pharmacies (Walgreen’s, Safeway, etc), hospitals, clinics and the pediatrician’s office with no luck, and I continue to do so on a regular basis. Still, no vaccine.

I care about getting this vaccine because:

• I have young kids at home, one being asthmatic.
• I am a hypochondriac.
• I wouldn’t want to contribute to a swine flu pandemic. Especially since it can’t be good for the economy .
• I have a form of autoimmunity, an unpredictable condition that may or may not lead to complications if I contract an infection. Consequences remain to be seen.

Image from Shot Nurse

Of course, this is all but supply and demand. Now that the media has stirred the population into a semi-anxious state about the flu and its numerous variants, you won’t be finding this vaccine that easily, although you can luck out (as a few friends of mine at different counties have).

It’s frustrating though. Media hype has killed the supply by generating huge demand, at least, at this time. We’ve all been told to hang in there, to be patient. Does it *really* take this long to meet this kind of anticipated demand for something that we’ve known about for a while now? Here’s a snapshot of our vaccine status here in the San Francisco Bay Area, along with this great public rant disguised as a news article, about the inequity of the flu vaccine distribution occurring around the nation:

In the meantime, I’ll stick to these flu prevention tips to try to avoid being unlucky this year.

Now how about we check out some interesting reads in the financial front?

Personal Finance Articles

• Wise Bread: 5 Basic Investing Tips For Any Market
• MSN Money: My Close Encounters With ID Theft
• Ask Mr. Credit Card: Customer Service and Loyalty

Len Penzo: Why Low-Cost or No-Fee Products May Not Be Such A Good Deal

Recent Carnivals

• Carnival of Pecuniary Delights
• Festival of Frugality
• Carnival of Personal Finance

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine Shortage: All Flu Vaccines In Short Supply! Grrr.

Going from an employee mindset to self-employment requires some knowledge of finance and your own capacity to tolerate risk and uncertainty. When I worked for someone else, it never occurred to me that customers and sales didn’t always line up in a neat two week period to keep cash flow smooth and continuous in order to make payroll and other expenses. Learning how to cover cash gaps with business loans, so that you can keep your startup business operating, isn’t taught on-the-job or in schools. It only comes through hard-earned business experience. Often, I have found, the choice I make is determined based on my comfort with risk levels, my immediate situation, and the way I operate my business.

Small Business Financing: How To Fund Your Venture

First, though, you have to know what types of financing are out there and the risks associated with each type of lending instrument. You can use a conventional loan from a bank, but in this credit climate, you’ll have to secure this type of loan with an asset. The risk here is that if you default, you’ll lose the asset. If the asset is your primary home, then you’re taking a pretty high level of risk when you put up your home as collateral. If the asset you’re considering as collateral is a boat or a work of art, then the idea of using this asset to leverage growth may be much more appealing, since the loss of such an item may not be as significant, when based on value. Other times, borrowers may choose instead, to apply for credit card offers, do factoring (a loan that is dependent on future sales forecasts for repayment terms), or use some form of unconventional loan. Knowing that conventional loans take time and good credit, you may want to think of other loan options as back up.

If cash flow is threatened and instant funds are needed, you’ll want to know where to turn in a pinch –- before the emergency arises. The way I see it, the more knowledge you have about different financial instruments, the better prepared you’ll be to deal with a financial crisis affecting your business.

Evaluate the Situation Carefully

Every financial decision is different, depending on the circumstances. One day, your 0% balance transfer credit card rate may be at an appealing interest rate level, and the next day it is at 30%, requiring financial moves to be reassessed in light of new circumstances. One day your home equity line of credit is a healthy buffer, the next day, you may find that the account is closed or severely limited. Being proactive about interest rates, about changes in the lending climate, and being aware of how assets are valued helps you to pick the right loan when it comes time to do so. If you’re familiar with the lending environment, you’ll have much more confidence about the financial moves that you’ll need to make in order to help your business move forward.

 
This guest post is brought to you by Business Loan Option.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Small Business Financing: How To Fund Your Venture

Are there still any places left for your short term savings or emergency funds? The interest rates these days are nothing to be thrilled about, but if you’re currently sitting on yields that are under 1%, then it may be worth it to check around for savings and checking accounts that can actually give you something better. Unfortunately, right now, there is a shortage of safe places to put our money in, which will offer you great returns; but if you turn to internet banking, there may be a few options worth considering.

Top Online Savings Accounts At Internet Banks

Here’s a quick list of savings products from a few online banks that I like. The products range from money market accounts to certificates of deposit, checking accounts and high yield savings accounts. Many of these accounts are free, no fee, and require a low or no minimum balance.

Online Savings Accounts At Other Financial Institutions

If you’re looking for other savings options beyond those offered by online banks or their brick and mortar counterparts, then you may be surprised to find that you can also open such accounts at some online stock brokers like Scottrade and ETrade, or at many mutual fund companies. For example, many brokerages will have a whole slew of financial funds that you’d be able to select from to build your portfolio, but will also have a variety of sweep cash accounts, which can typically be linked to your brokerage accounts.

There are also some other folks who have decided to join a credit union instead, which have traditionally been a great place to house one’s savings. I’ve heard some great things about credit unions, which are pretty much described as non-profit banks. They don’t have any shareholders and have members instead. If you hate bank fees, then you’ll like credit unions, since they limit the fees they impose upon their members.

So somewhere among the many online banks, brick and mortar banks, brokerages, mutual fund companies, credit unions and thrifts that exist, there’s probably something here that would be a good fit for your savings. The challenge is to find the financial institution that you hope to build a long term relationship with. For many savers and investors, parking their money at a variety of these institutions makes sense, particularly for diversification purposes.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Top Online Savings Accounts For Savvy Savers

What happens when a marketing stunt goes bad? Some free offers aren’t all that they’re cut out to be — but there’s always redemption: interested in free chicken this October 26?

These days, people are spending money less often, and now we’re all looking for great bargains: hoping to get more for less. In the spring, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) offered 2 pieces of grilled chicken, 2 side dishes and a biscuit for free. With Oprah Winfrey and Twitter promoting the freebie, KFC had more responses than they could fulfill.

The Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Social Media Promotion and Aftermath

During the first KFC promotion, there were four printings of coupons made as part of a Twitter promo announced by Oprah Winfrey. A lot of eager consumers flooded the KFC website, but only lucky visitors were actually able to print coupons. Unfortunately, once those who got the coupons arrived at KFC, some locations refused to honor these coupons while other branches simply could not supply the demand. There were some terrible consequences, with irate customers being turned away and coupons not being accepted. This resulted in some chaos, with brawls erupting in certain locations and police having to come around to restore order. When all this happened, KFC immediately felt the backlash. Remember that poor service or inability to fulfill promotional deals are good reasons for customers to choose the competition.

The Fallout: When people are on a tight budget, a free meal is major bait. KFC customers felt that a “bait and switch” had occurred to try to encourage them into making a cash purchase. Customers got angry enough to proclaim that they would never eat at KFC again after such a “publicity stunt”. While KFC had lots of people talking about them, it’s obvious that some of the attention they incurred was negative. Online chatter also revealed unhappy complaints against the fast food giant due to the way their promotion was conducted. The good thing though, was that KFC took notice of this.

The KFC Solution: The Second Round

After the hype, KFC posted instructions on their website informing customers about how to obtain rain check forms from participating locations. The form needed to be completed and submitted to KFC via mail or at drop in locations; by doing so, you would receive a voucher for a free Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal and Pepsi. You can guess what happened — again, certain people received vouchers while others claimed they got nothing but the runaround.

People had difficulty finding participating KFC locations, causing more frustration. Other customers claimed they submitted rain checks but never received the vouchers. Despite all the attention that KFC received from this process, there were a lot of unhappy customers who took their dissatisfaction to public forums: KFC received more bad exposure, particularly online. This gives us a glimpse of the collective power of consumers.

KFC Tries Again

Now coming this October 26, KFC will once again offer free grilled chicken to all US customers. But KFC should keep that old saying in mind, as they go about this new campaign: three strikes and you’re out. KFC knows they need to impress customers this time to regain their trust and their business. Roger Eaton, KFC President, told the Associated Press, “We gear the shifts up so we make sure we have the staffing, we make sure we’ve got the chicken.”

KFC hopes that this new promotion will bring in customers and will help to recover some of the goodwill that may have been lost in previous “free chicken” events. Last quarter’s numbers show that KFC sales are down 2 percent, but their grilled chicken product is making waves, accounting for 30% of their domestic sales.

Social Media Marketing and How The Internet Holds You Accountable

We all love free stuff. But whether an item is free or paid for, customers should get what they are promised: it’s only good business for a company to strive to live up to the expectations of their customers.

The KFC situation proves that customers and consumers have a voice. In days gone by, it took weeks for consumers to get their phone calls answered and to get their opinions posted in local papers. Today we can harness the power of the Internet to share information and updates in the blink of an eye. Social media channels — blogging, tweeting and updating websites — are ways to keep companies accountable to their customers. News travels more quickly online, which can be a major advantage to communicative consumers.

Moral of the story? The Internet is a powerful tool. You can harness social media to benefit your business, but it can also bring you down if you aren’t on the ball.

This is a post from The Smarter Wallet.

Social Media Marketing Lessons: KFC Learns The Power of Online Buzz