It’s a bit late to mention it, but this week’s Carnival of the capitalists is up at AnyLetter as usual, here are my picks of the week:

Welcome to the 15th edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance. For those of you who are new to the carnival, it’s simply a sampling of some of the best articles from top personal finance bloggers over the past week.

Follow demand: things like oil, gas, water, utilities, etc. have near-constant and dependable demand cycles, so why not make a buck off everyone else’s use? I’ve already made tons of bucks off people’s driving habits and oil consumption with no effort on my part, except to buy into an energy index fund.

Follow insiders: if you’re going to buy stocks, it pays to watch what the execs in those companies do, since a good part of their own money is tied up in company stock. Find out what the corporate insiders are buying in large amounts, and what they’re selling in large amounts, because that tells you where you want to be and where you don’t. Insider buying means they’re buying for a reason–reasonable expectation of making a profit, and all you have to do is buy along with them and ride their coattails. Insider selling is completely the opposite–they know something we don’t, and usually know it well in advance of any public announcements, so they have plenty of time to ditch their stock before the announcement and inevitable drop in value.

This is as effortless and mindless as it gets for investing.

P.S.–I own a copy of Lillain Villanova’s tome on liens, and here’s a resource list of other lien books: http://www.xcelens.com/tax%20lien%20books.htm

I’m just waiting for the bottom to drop out of the RE market, so that more inventory will come to the lien market for better pickin’s…shouldn’t be long now, with interest rates rising recklessly.

If you’re interested in lofty frugal issues, check out my blog: Wenchypoo’s Warehouse of Frugal Wisdom.