John Tamny points to the Forbes 400 as a Lesson in Economics. It’s an inspiring list. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

“Even though the wealth gap is a positive in most economies for driving the economic creativity of those not-yet-rich, much is made of it in the media and among politicians who worry about individual wealth consolidation even more than they do the corporate kind. A quick look at the Forbes 400 would surely assuage some of their fears.

Indeed, of the charter members of the first Forbes 400, only 32 remain today.”

“While there are 74 Forbes 400 members who inherited their entire fortune, 270 members are entirely self-made.”

h/t Greg Mankiw

freemoneyfinance has some good advice and links about salary negotiation when you are job hunting. Job hunting is rarely fun, so people often accept job offers with little or no negotiation which can be an expensive mistake.

Kelly Phillips Erb aka the Tax Girl just posted a list of 46 possible tax deductions for bloggers at Problogger. The list is a follow-up to a guest post on 7 things every blogger should know about tax.

Review the list. The list reminded me to record purchasing Shaun Inman’s mint analytics software and Till Krüss’ Durations pepper.

Watch the trailer to The Call of the Entrepreneur, a new documentary focusing on the lives of three entrepreneurs: a failing dairy farmer, a merchant banker, and a refugee from Communist China.

This movie looks like it’ll be interesting and inspiring.

Art Dinkin shares some thoughts on an old saying and how it applies to our personal finances.

Angela Booth, a veteran writer and author, explains why blogging and writing for free can make you money in the long run.

Bill Schultheis wrote a useful little book, The Coffeehouse Investor which helps “Investors Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street and Get On With Their Lives.”

The Coffeehouse Investor is currently in it’s second edition and is accompanied by a rich website. (You can read the first chapter online.)

Seth Godin coined the term ideavirus and created perhaps the most popular ebook of all time, Unleashing the Ideavirus. Seth Godin provides a framework for getting businesses’ message across at little or no cost, where customers/users grant permission to be contacted and even become advocates for the products or services.

This ebook is well worth reading if you plan to make money online with ideas or products.

I just finished listening to Mad Money Machine’s very interesting interview with Russ Roberts, host of EconTalk.

Russ mentioned two interesting board games he plays with his kids. I’m definitely going to have to check these out myself.

The Settlers of Catan is a civilization or empire building board game. Players win by building settlements, cities, and roads.

Puerto Rico has players take control of a plantation during the colonial period. Players grow corn, indigo, coffee, sugar, and tobacco, attempting to run more efficient businesses than their competitors.

You can learn more about these games and others at Board Game Geek.

If you bought your house for more than you can sell it for, read this article at the NYT. It won’t take away your pain, but it’s a useful reality check.