As you know, we got a new, high-efficiency furnace last fall. Once winter is over here (which is the end of April, unfortunately), I'd like to do a cost comparison to see if the new furnace saved us money versus the old on we had last year, and if it did, how much it saved us.

Although relatively new, Monoprice.com has quickly become a very popular place to buy cheap but high quality audio/video cables and adapters online. I recommended shopping there if you’re trying to connect your laptop to your TV (and maybe drop your cable subscription?). I’ve probably bought from them five times in the last year, and I don’t even shop online that much.

Time and again we hear that investment diversification is a must, and rightly so. Diversifying investments – by investing in a variety of different types of index funds and/or ETFs, for example – is a wise strategy for reducing risk.

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman.

I usually have an idea of what I want to accomplish once I get home from work. It goes something like this:

A reader named KC recently wrote in with a question about investing for retirement:

I’m 28 years old with a wife and a six month old baby. We’ve always been money-conscious, but would really like to focus our efforts. We both have Roth IRAs, but are not satisfied with them. They are heavily loaded, and we weren’t that familiar with them when we were advised to set them up. My question is where you would recommend I go for a long-term investing vehicle? I always hear to go with no-load mutual funds but would like your opinion.

My two children are extremely blessed in many ways. Perhaps their greatest blessing is that they’ve surrounded by a family that loves them dearly and truly cares about their future in a deep, fundamental way – and I’m not merely talking about myself. I’m talking about their grandparents, their aunts and uncles, even some of their cousins. They are surrounded by a cadre of people who love them, care for them, and truly want them to have a wonderful life.

The following is an excerpt from Where the Jobs Are Now: The Fastest-Growing Industries and How to Break Into Them.

A weird sequence of events has caused me to find myself all alone over the coming weekend. My wife is visiting her sister, while my two children are visiting their grandparents. This leaves me with two full days without any real responsibilities.

Of course, me being me, I already have a long list of stuff to do – things that simply require some focused hours and are difficult to do when the family is around. Five years ago, I would have been headed to the golf course or to Prairie Meadows. Times change, I guess.

April 15th is only a month away, and you haven’t started your taxes yet. Time to file an extension! The IRS automatically grants a 6-month extension to anyone who asks. Asking a search engine will often direct you towards websites like FileLater.com that charge upwards of $20 to file the form, but here are two ways that anybody can e-File for free. Apparently, the only thing keeping these sites in business is lack of education!

Here's a 5 question survery to earn an extra 300 Priority Club Point points @ http://usa-survey.priorityclub.com/mwpvwj . After answering the questions the points were immediately added to my account.

Found via slickdeals.