Friday Linkfest

• To get rich, start saving in your 20s - This should be stuff taught to college students, but it amazes me how many recent grads don't even participate in a matching 401k with their employer.
  
• The truth behind gas prices - An interesting article about why gas is so expensive.
  
• When the credit bubble goes 'pop' - Forecasting the end of easy credit. This is a bad thing?
  
• Best Buy guilty of bait-and-switch? - I'm going to give BB the benefit of the doubt, and say this is probably the result of some upper management brain-dead idea of having 2 identical internal/external websites. There are bound to be problems trying to synchronize prices with a store like BB that sells thousands of products and prices change almost daily. Intentional, no. Are the liable? I think so.
  
• Free PS3 Upgrade - Have a Playstation 3? Be sure to get the upgrade Sony is offering for free.
  
• Picking a financial planner? - I believe everyone needs a financial planner, but find one that gives you advice for a fee, and then do all the leg work yourself. Of course, finding one you can trust is the hard part.
  
• As higher education costs rise, so do debt loads - Are there any parents out there who still refuse to start a 529 savings fund for their kids?
  
• Pressure on IRS to stop using bill collectors - Absolutely this practice needs to stop. I understand the IRS wants its money, but tax payers have certain rights under law and it is the duty of the IRS to protect and inform citizens of those rights and treat them fairly. Anyone who's dealt will collection agencies knows that honesty, integrity, and informing citizens of their legal rights is precisely the opposite of the tactics they use.
  
• The true cost of owning a home - A good read if you are a first-home buyer in the market.
  
• Lawmakers take on gasoline - More ethanol in gas? Great, but ethanol reduces mileage, which means we'll be buying more of it. They also want to raise efficiency standards from 22-27mpg to 40mpg by 2020. Funny, weren't we supposed to see hydrogen cars by that time?
  
• It pays to be the top executive - No liability, millions in severance regardless of performance, and 7-figure salaries on top of it all? This is a great job?