iTunes Giveaway and Sunday’s Special Links

Edit 9/14/2012:  The Dow officially closed at 13593.37.

I need more Facebook ‘likes’ so I’m giving away a $15 iTunes gift card to get them. I realize that $15 is not very much, but neither are the requirements to enter:

1. ‘Like’ my Facebook page
2. Subscribe to my RSS feed
3. Comment below and guess what you think the Dow Jones Industrial Average will close at (whole numbers only) on Friday, September 14th. Comments will be closed on August 31st.

The person who guesses closest to what the Dow closes at will receive the gift card on the condition that they have liked my page and subscribed to my RSS feed.

FAQ:

• What is the Dow at now?
  • The Dow closed at 13207.95 on Friday, August 11th.
• Can I enter more than once? 
  • If you have multiple Facebook accounts and they’ve all liked my page along with multiple RSS subscriptions, that’s fine by me.
• Why shouldn’t I wait until the final day to guess?
  • Whole numbers (no decimals) can only be selected once. If you wait, somebody else may choose your number. Also, this is only a $15 gift card so there’s no reason to put too much planning into it. Just choose a number and wait. 
• What if I guess the closing number exactly?
  • I will congratulate you on a job well done. If you do it twice in a row, I may ask you deeper and more insightful questions.

As you ponder over what market shaping events could occur over the next three weeks, take a look at the most informative and best written posts that I’ve run across this week.

Corey @ 20’s Finances presents us with some great ways to trade and borrow items from others in Saving The Earth And Your Money.

There are many excuses people use for not saving, but one in particular is “I Want To Have Fun”. Sam @ Financial Samurai discusses the use of this excuse and how it irritates him.

It’s extremely important for college students to build credit. When they graduate, good credit will be needed to purchase a home, car and maybe even be used to land that great, new job. Glen @ Free From Broke presents the Best Credit Cards for College Students.

I’ve used Angie’s List a few times, but I’ve never paid for the service. Many times I’ve wondered if People Really Will Pay For Reviews and JT @ The College Investor wonders the same.

If you find yourself fighting tooth and nail to Keep Your Money and Avoid Billing Mistakes, Jake @ iHeartBudgets has a list of 3 areas that you need to watch out for.

Starting and running a business is not easy and definitely not always a Solution To Your Problems. Eric @ DollarVersity says there are reasons why half of all small businesses fail within the first five years, and more than two-thirds are gone within ten years of starting.

If you’re looking for some things to cut out and wondering what to stop doing, Todd @ Fearless Men provides a list of 15 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself.

Greg @ Club Thrifty believes that in almost all circumstances buying a house is a better financial move for you than renting is. He goes on to answer the question, Buying A House Vs Renting: What’s The Right Call?

Tired of reading about money (is that even possible?) – on August 11th, most of the US could observe a fantastic meteor shower. While I’ve taken a few pictures in my life, I will never capture something this great – Perseids Meteor Shower through the lens of David Kingham.