This Week In Review, 2/8-2/13

I had a busy week this week. I was scheduled to be in court every day from Monday-Wednesday. Fortunately for me, Monday’s case settled. Still, I’m exhausted from hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Needless to say, I’m okay with this week being over. It was an interesting week in the news - accented by the stimulus package that will affect the prosperity of Americans in the future. The early reviews aren’t pretty, but I’m not going to harp on them here. Instead, like last Saturday, I’ll give you a smattering of the articles that caught my eye this week.

Your Fireplace May be Increasing Your Heating Bills @ Solarphile – We had a fireplace in our house when I was a kid. I liked it in theory. I didn’t like spending my weekends chopping wood with my dad. My dad always used to say that wood was energy efficient because it would heat you 3 times – first when you split it, then when you stack it, and finally when you burn it. Just know that you might not be saving on your heating bills.

Eat Healthy, Cheap @ Money Under 30 – Here’s an issue close to my heart, food. That said, I also like saving money. Food is one of those expenses in life that if you’re looking to save money, it’s feasible to do so.

401(k) Failures @ My Money Blog – Head over to My Money Blog to check out how 401(k) investors have done over the last 20 years. The data is surprising. Surprisingly bad. Of course, if you invested in the S&P 500, and dollar cost averaged, you would have done better than the reports indicate. I’ve been seeing this Dalbar study at blogs all over the place – check it out.

Saving Money on Legal Fees @ Tough Money Love – I’ve been thinking of writing a post about this very thing. Fortunately for you, Mr. ToughMoneyLove did it first, and he would know more about it than I would, because you see, not only is he a fellow lawyer, he’s a fee consultant, meaning he makes sure businesses don’t get ripped off on legal fees for a living. Check out his post, and his blog.

Buffett and Shiller’s stock valuation methods agree @ Bubble Meter – Warren Buffett and Robert Shiller have both been comparing the valuation of the stock method as a whole with its relationship to Gross Domestic Product. Also check out the related Fortune article.

Become an Early Riser @ Zen Habits – This is an old post, but I just read it this week. Zen Habits is one of my very favorite blogs. I’ve gotten this advice before, from an Og Mandino book a friend gave me called A Better Way to Live. I think you can be happy if you aren’t an early riser, but I think it helps for the most part. Most people I would call early risers seem pretty happy. I don’t really know. Either way, check out the article, and the site.

Outperform 99% of your neighbors @ Behavior Gap – Peer pressure. This blog was all over the place this week, including at Get Rich Slowly and I will teach you to be rich. If you haven’t already checked out Behavior Gap, please do so now.

There you go. Enjoy the links. I’m taking Sunday off, as usual. I hope you have a super Valentine’s Day. If you’re dating or in a relationship, have a great time with your partner today. If you’re single, do something fun. Be happy. Don’t let the holiday get you down – that’s not what it’s there for. Anyway, thanks for reading.