Best of the Rest: Google Spreadsheet Edition

I love automatic processes and saving time on mundane activities. Excel helps me do that lal the time with its fancy functions and awesome macros. This week while I automated the standings for the Alexa Challenge in Google Spreadsheets, I learned two amazing functions that are currently competing for my favorite.

The first is ImportHtml, which pulls in data from the site of your choosing into a cell. It’s how I get the data automatically (using a today function).

The second is Sort, which allowed me to bring in the information I want while automatically sort the standings by any row I choose, in our case “Today’s Alexa Ranking.”

Just thought I’d share that. What’s your favorite Excel or Google Spreadsheet function?

Let’s start off this week by featuring a post by Own the Dollar on why Your Stockbroker May Not Be Your Friend. How do you feel about commission based brokers? I could never use one because, like Hank points out, they are discouraged from employing the buy and hold strategy.

In contrast, Evan at My Journey to Millions asks: Why Does Everyone Hate on Financial Planners? He highlights some of the reasons why we need financial planners and makes an excellent point that many people need advice and we can’t do what they do, so we should pay for their expertise.

Studenomics provides some Unconventional Personal Finance Advice. I love his ideas and the thought of earning money off of credit cards (while others are paying crazy fees) excites me!

Jim from Bargaineering tells us why Being Frugal is Foolish. My time is not worth much (I spend a few hours a day lounging around), but I do agree that spending your time improving yourself or finding a way to make more money is probably more lucrative than making your own detergent.

Finally, Five Cent Nickel goes through Visa Credit Card Acceptance Guidlines. Merchants are not allowed to set minimum purchase amounts and this drives me absolutely crazy. At the restaurant next door to my apartment, they insist you pay in cash, but it’s hard to argue with a worker who doesn’t care about merchant agreements.

This week, I was a part of the Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by J Money at Budgets are Sexy.

Finally, FiscalGeek let me guest post about my opinion on budgets in response to his pro zero based budgeting stance.

Think of a fun excel function or tool yet??