This past week has brought up a ton of awesome articles throughout the personal finance blogging ring on the web. Here’s a glance at what the buzz has been around The Money Bloggers network of blogs:

Ben, at Banker Saver, wrote a very informative article on maximizing your savings income by discussing the basics of building a CD ladder. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a CD ladder, be sure to check out this post and educate yourself in this. It’s well worth the read!

Johnathan, author of Debt Loans, shared a great descriptive of personal loans. The post covers  everything from the definition of an unsecure loan to the miscellaneous fees that you may face when paying off a loan. If you’re unsure of what you’re getting into going into applying for a loan, this post is for you.

At MilkingTheDollar Matt has compiled a wholesome list of 20 ways to make an extra $100 per month. Who can resist taking a peek at such an enticing concept? Honestly, if you’re well off enough to not want to think about earning an extra $2000 a month, my name is Bradley Jones, I accept checks, Paypal, debit or credit. I leave it up to you =)

Over at Wallet Wise you’ll find a great article on how stocking up can save you money. If you’re budgeting yourself and need to figure out how to cut back a bit on that nasty grocery bill that you just can’t avoid, make a smart click and check out what Wallet Wise can offer in advice.

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One of the biggest concepts that leads to true success in personal finance is developing a plan and sticking to it. Setting goals for your finances is one of the best things that you can do to keep yourself motivated and investing in your future financial freedom.

I’m sure many of you are sitting back and saying “yeah, yeah. I’ve heard this theory of setting goals a million times before, but it never works”. Well, there are two main reasons that people don’t succeed in accomplishing their goals.

1. We Don’t Organize Our Goals Well - People have a tendency to set a broad goal, follow it for a few weeks to a month, and then drop it and forget it until they’re making their next new year’s resoultion list. A major part of accomplishing goals is to split them up into short-term and long-term goals. Short-term meaning things like buying a car or making cosmetic repairs to a home. Long-term goals can be more along the lines of saving money for a child’s college fund or purchasing a home. Breaking your goals down into less broad categories can help you obtain them more quickly and you’ll be less likely to ditch them a few months down the road.
2. Budgeting Accordingly - Most of set goals for ourselves. Whether they be small or large we all find ourselves in situations where we need to make goals. What most people don’t do is budget their earnings properly to make it possible to obtain their goals. This is a big reason why even people who stick with their goals end up failing. You have to come up with a plan to achieve the goals you set. This means cutting back unnecessary costs and setting aside enough money on a regular schedule in order to obtain what is that you want in the time frame that you want.

If you can manage to overcome sheer laziness and make yourself determined, you can achieve a lot more than most people think they can. Just like a business developing a business plan to further it’s success in it’s market, we have to develop a life plan to succeed in the areas that we strive to succeed in.

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