Emily's list: Inauguration Day edition

Jan. 20 is Inauguration Day in the United States. One year from now, will President Barack Obama still be in office, or will we be watching a new Republican president sworn in? While incumbents are usually favored, who knows what will happen this time next year. I've watched bits and pieces of the Republican debates, and while some of it is painful to watch, it's been enjoyable to see my state's governor, Rick Perry, laugh at himself a little bit.

What I do know is that whoever is president plays a big role in our economy. It significantly affects our nation's finances, from how debt is handled to tax policies to how generous we are with social welfare. It can also affect our own pocketbooks. My husband was able to get reasonable law school loans through the government due to changes under the Obama administration, and he was able to get back on his parents' health insurance due to reformed health care laws. The current administration also helped make credit card agreements and statements easier to understand. If a new president takes over, will those changes go away, or are some changes positive regardless of your political party?

Then again, a new president could bring other changes that benefit Americans, like tax cuts. Of course, it takes a while for changes to go into effect, and as we've seen lately, Congress can grind to a halt and stop things from getting through. All I know is that I don't envy the job of the president, and especially don't envy the candidates having to circle the country and raise money and give repetitive speeches and debates. I'm happy to be an ordinary citizen and vote. We'll just have to see what happens!

Read on for my list of 10 of my favorite personal finance blog posts I found in the past week.

1. The First Million is the Hardest provides six steps for creating a budget that works, and no, he doesn't talk about cutting out your Starbucks drinks.

2. My Dollar Plan shares a reader's uncommon strategy for paying off his mortgage: using a 0% interest credit card.

3. Debt Free Hispanic offers several tips on how to reduce your credit card debt. While I don't think the tip on stopping your use of credit cards is practical for many people, many of his suggestions are spot on!

4. Finance Fox lists five rules you can use to teach your children about credit cards and debt.

5. The Debt Princess features a guest post that discusses five ways you can get out of debt, from getting organized to re-evaluating your social activities.

6. Well-Heeled Blog reveals how many credit cards she has, which ones they are and why that works for her.

7. So Over Debt shares a guest post from her 13-year-old son about what he has learned from her about money. He sounds wiser about money than most adults!

8. Narrow Bridge Finance discusses why New Year's resolutions are a waste of time and what you should do instead to fulfill your goals.

9.  Beating Broke explains how being frugal can turn into a habit, which can actually become a bad thing. 

10. 20 Something Finance tells readers how to get three free credit scores a year without any strings attached.