Hosting a holiday party? Invited to one? Either way, we’ve got you covered (as we do every year here on the show!). On our annual holiday party episode, we’re joined by party planner extraordinaire Jenni Bost from AWellCraftedParty.com, who’ll share fantastic tips on decorations, food, and entertainment when you’re hosting a party. She’ll also share tips if you’re asked to attend a party.

In our headlines segment, we’ll talk about buying a car. Looking to buy used? A new USA Today piece says that in this current environment you shouldn’t rule out the new car lot. We’ll explain the advantages on today’s show. Also, it looks like companies aren’t buying back shares as quickly as they’ve been in the past. Instead, they’re gearing up for mergers and capital expenditures. What does that mean? How does it affect your investments? We’ll explain.

We’ll of course have more from the world of financial planning, throw out the Haven Life line to lucky listener Kyle, who wonders about the moral implications of credit cards, score with some of Doug’s delightful trivia, and more.

Huge thanks to Roofstock (check out their massive real estate database AND their SPECIAL DEAL through 12/31) and MagnifyMoney.com (when you’re comparing financial tools like credit cards and savings accounts) for helping us with today’s show. They’re awesome companies and if you’re not using them, I’m not sure you know what you’re missing!

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Show Notes:

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<26:42> Doug’s Trivia

In a recent survey, what percentage of the population thinks regifting is socially acceptable?

<31:20> Haven Life Line

Need life insurance? You could be insured in 20 minutes or less and build your family’s safety net for the future. Use StackingBenjamins.com/HavenLife to calculate how much you need and apply.

• Kyle has a question on the morality of credit cards. Are financially sound credit card users making points and bonuses off the backs of those who aren’t responsible?

<35:50> Letters

Need help with your financial plan? Use this link to schedule a meeting with OG: StackingBenjamins.com/OG

We ALMOST took away that last line in Travis’s letter, but we agreed to keep it as Doug’s end of the year bonus:

• I know you guys love a good rule of thumb. I recently read about something called a 20% rule for investing. From what I understand, it says that if a stock goes up 20%, it is time to sell the stock and “lock in” those gains. To me, this seems like an attempt at market timing and could cause you to miss out on more gains. On the other hand, it could prevent you from riding the stock back down to breakeven or a loss.
  Have you heard of this? I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Or Doug’s since he’s the smart one. Thanks.