This year's Halloween seems to be all tricks and no treat for most investors. Stocks have taken a beating in October, leaving many investors wondering "What now?". The markets are downright spooky right now, spookier than clowns. I hate clowns.

So, what can you do?

1. Be creative and get frugal with your Halloween costume this year. I once brought a box of cereal and a knife as my costume (I was a "cereal killer").
2. Make sure that to avoid these truly scary mistakes with your investments.

1. Investing only in "cool" stocks

In case you didn't notice, it's not 1999 anymore. When my friends discuss stocks (which is pretty rare, although more common lately), someone will without a doubt name drop a hot tech stock. I hate this.

Just because you own a few shares of Dell (down 52% this year) or Yahoo! (down 50%) or Apple (down 53%) doesn't make you cool. It just makes you un-diversified and ignorant about asset allocation. Don't name-drop tech stocks. It's really not cool. Don't only own tech.

2. Not taking advantage of free money

There may be no such thing as a "free lunch"... but there are plenty of opportunities for free money in your investment portfolio. Many companies offer 401K matching, reduced company stock purchases and more ways to get "free money".

3. Buying on a "tip"

Stock "tips" are for suckers. Any "tip" you hear on the street is either

1. already known by people with way more money than you.
2. complete bull, made up by people with probably less money than you.
3. insider information that you can't trade on anyway.

4. Too much company stock

When you're able to purchase stock in your employer at a significant discount, you should do it. Otherwise, you need to diversify away from your company and its industry. If you get laid off, not only is your stock probably down, now you're out of a job.

5. Panic selling

Just remember this: Every time you sell, someone else is on the other end of that sale, buying. What are they thinking? Are they panicking? Set specific stop losses or specific dates for selling parts of your investments. Don't sell on fear or emotion.

6. Not auto-investing

Make your investments automatic. Don't try and time the market. Nearly every broker or mutual fund worth its salt will let you auto-invest. Do it.

7. Blindly following a bozo broker

Do you know how your broker is paid? Find out. Don't leave your money in the hands of someone you doesn't have your best interests at heart. Unscrupulous stock brokers will be looking for scared money right now and will promise the world. Don't fall for a bozo!

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Mistakes in day trading can be downright brutal, and no amount of "Hail Mary"s can save a trading account when you commit these sins. How do I know? I committed them all.

With the new Lending Club secondary market open for trading, you're now able to trade your loan notes on a liquid marketplace.

Just make sure you avoid these 7 sins. The eternal future of your financial soul may well depend on it!

1. Over-leveraging

Over-leveraging can happen in multiple ways. First, with a margin account you can double or even 4x your purchasing power for intra-day trading. What really gets you in trouble isn't the leverage, it's when you try to quadruple your entire account on one trade. Use margin wisely, and never bet the farm on one trade, let alone the farm plus 3 other farms you don't even own!

2. No trading plan

Always have a trading plan! Just following "your gut" will lead to emotional trading, the fastest way to becoming another day-trading washout. Test or paper-trade a methodology for a few months before employing it in your live account.

3. Not tracking losses

I always logged my really good trades. My really bad ones? Somehow those ones never seemed to make it into my trading journal.

Always track your gains and losses to the penny! Don't forget commission and/or transaction costs. Most online brokers now offer free or cheap gains/losses tracking. In fact, paste a weekly profit/loss log to your bathroom mirror each week!

4. Not sleeping enough

Would you try and run a marathon on a few hours of sleep? Of course not. Don't try and trade on a few hours of sleep either! Especially for west coast traders, trading on little sleep is common. Get a full night's sleep so that you are alert and ready to make any quick decisions on a trade.

5. Borrowing money to day trade

What's the fastest way to lose money day trading? It's trading scared. When you're borrowing money to trade, you're trading with money you can't afford to lose. If you're going to miss your mortgage payment unless your next trade goes well, it's time to get some help.

6. Watching TV for trade ideas

I would not recommend watching or even having the TV on while you are trading. Once the trading day is over, sure, flip it on. But while you're trading, paying too much attention to a given show, however financially authoritative you might think it is, can seriously alter your trading routine. Stick to your plan, and avoid being influenced by any talking head on the tube.

7. Trading the unknown

If you don't understand it, don't trade it. I jumped into too many high-risk trading vehicles (options, Forex, etc.) because I had some limited success in stocks. Needless to say, I got killed. Avoid trading anything you don't understand, or that makes you lose sleep at night! (see mistake #4!)

What mistakes have you made with your investments?

In high school, I learned how to balance a paper checkbook. It was the year 2000, and it was a complete and utter waste of time. I was an Internet savvy, “I want things now” type of kid, and I wanted my finances to be real-time savvy as well. The last few years of Web 2.0 goodness have brought a number of financial apps that I now cannot live without. My desires for instant financial analysis online have been realized.

While our government may not be able to manage its financial health, with these 7 free finance applications managing your own money online has never been easier.

1. Rudder

“Set it and forget it”

Formerly SpendView, Rudder really shines with its email notifications. Once you've linked your accounts, a daily update is sent with recent transactions and any upcoming bills. If you like "set it and forget it" financial management, Rudder's for you.

2. Wesabe

“The Disneyland of money management”

Are you a savvy financial newbie? Does just the thought of a budget make you shudder? If so, you need to check out the groups over at Wesabe. For newcomers to financial management online, these groups are a money Disneyland... everyone is helpful and there is no trash anywhere.

Wesabe analyzes your spending using a semi-automated tagging method. Once you've "tagged" a few months of your transactions (auto downloaded from your accounts), there is little maintenance work to do.

3. Geezeo

“You've got a text! It's your bank balance.”

My favorite feature of Geezeo is their SMS mobile update. If you've ever wondered in a checkout line what your bank balance is, this feature is for you. You send a short text to Geezeo and it replies back in 10 seconds with your account balances (Sweet, looks like I can get that "US Weekly" after all. What!? Jessica is still dating Tony Romo? Crap...).

4. Mint

“We're beautiful.”

Mint is easy on the eyes. Large charts and beautiful graphs make creating a budget and tracking your expenses a semi work of digital art. Mint is all about "alerts". You can link your phone to your Mint account and receive text alerts if you get hit with a bank fee or have a transaction over $1000. It's all customizable and you can be set up, alerts and all, in about 10 minutes.

5. NetworthIQ

“Your life as a balance sheet”

While the above apps have been about your income and expenses, NetworthIQ is all about your balance sheet. Sure, you could be making 20K a month but if you're a million in debt... you still have a long way to financial freedom.

At NetworthIQ you can see how your assets (cash, investments etc.) and your liabilities (mortgage, car loan and credit card debt) affect your personal balance sheet. You can also enter your occupation, age and other factors to compare your Net Worth with your peers.

6. Jabplite

“A stand-alone finance app for your phone”

It will work on a wide range of devices including Symbian phones and Blackberries. For the mobile warrior who wants to keep financial data local and close to the pocket, Jabplite is the little free program for you.

7. Tabjab

“I'll split the tab.”

What's the cost of two months of cable, a month of the water, a month of electricity, and that pizza from last week total up to? Now, divided by 4?

Splitting bills can be messy, complicated and emotionally annoying. Tabjab makes bill splitting simple. For the college student sharing a house with 4 others, to that friend that always picks up the tab to split later, this service is for you. Don't get shafted with the bill anymore.

Special Bonus! Even more cool stuff

The following aren't apps for managing your money, but they will help you save it, or learn more about your finances.

Fatwallet

“We're cheap and darn proud of it.”

My wallet is thin, but I still love Fatwallet. Not technically an app, Fatwallet is an online community fanatic about saving money on purchases. The forums are absolute gold when it comes to free stuff (I just free movie screening tickets!), discounts, hot deals, coupons and more.

RetailMeNot

“Coupons gone Web 2.0 wild”

If a store has a coupon, it's probably listed at RetailMeNot. With a user-generated system to track coupons and promo codes that are no longer working, you'll never get stuck with a bad code again. Check this site out before you shop anywhere online.

Good Reads

Check out these oldies but goodies from the blog:

• Reduce your spending, Britney Spears style
• Four easy ways to clean up your finances
• All cash budgeting
• Obsessed with your budget? Try these tips
• What type of personality is your budget?

Were you recently let go? Do you know someone who just lost their job? This past week my mother lost her job. I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows someone who has lost their job this year.

You can survive unemployment and put that pink slip behind you. Here's how:

1.Tell Everyone and Their Mom You Got Sacked

Are you ashamed you got laid off? Get over it. It probably wasn't anything personal.

Your best shot at a new (and better) job is by telling everyone you know you've been let go. It's time to cash in all those favors you did the last decade. Get the word out that you are looking for a new job, and would appreciate any help. Unless you're a total jerk, more than a few people will want to help you out.

2. File for Unemployment as Soon as Possible

You've been paying unemployment taxes your whole working life. Don't let your pride get the best of you. Take the checks. There is nothing wrong or shameful in this. File with your state unemployment office.

3. Lock Away Your Credit Cards

Now is not the time to go on a spending spree to ease your pain. Cut out all non-essential spending from your budget. You don't know how long you'll be unemployed. Those unemployment checks won't cover much more than housing and maybe some groceries.

4. Take One Day to Mope, Then Get to Work

You might be tempted to take a vacation to ease your pain, especially if you received a nice severance package from your old job. Don't do it.

Take one day to mope, and then get off your butt and on the phone. Start working your personal network, craigslist, old co-workers, your creepy neighbor, and anyone who could help you land your perfect job.

What's your dream job? Why not take this opportunity to go for it?

5. Get the Family On-Board

Unless you are single, your job loss will also affect your family. Call an old-fashioned family meeting. Go over what happened, what you are doing next, and how your spouse or kids can help.

When my father got laid off after the tech bubble burst, our whole family chipped in. Don't try to do everything on your own. Surely little Johnny can at least mow the lawn for you, right?

6. Avoid Being Alone

Transitioning from a busy office with lots of co-workers to just you at home can be tough. Get as many face-to-face meetings as you can. Work at coffee shops. Have lunch with old friends, former co-workers and roommates. Get out and around people as much as possible.

7. Consider a New Boss: You

Sometimes getting laid off can be a blessing in disguise. Have you ever dreamed of starting your own business? If you have the cash cushion, or can raise the money you need... this could be your time.

What other steps would you recommend to someone recently laid off?

More Tips For Laid Off Workers:

• Tips for if You Get Laid Off
• Job Search Tips

Michael Dell... Mark Zuckerberg... You?

Michael Dell started his computer empire from his dorm room at the University of Texas with just $1000. He dropped out his freshman year to run his growing company full time.

Zuckerberg created the now ubiquitous Facebook while at Harvard.

Even if you don't plan on being a lifetime entrepreneur, starting a business while going to school looks great on a resume. Plus, who knows? Maybe you'll invent the next Facebook, or at least the next pet rock or something.

Here are 5 low-cost businesses that you can run from your dorm:

1. Travel Coordination Service

Offer free trip planning to students at your college. Arrange and find the best prices for tickets home for students. Earn commissions when they purchase their ticket. It's a win-win situation. You find them a good deal, and you earn a small commission for finding them.

2. Dog-Running Agency

Colleges are full of students who run for fun. Around many universities are younger families with dogs who need exercise. Why not connect the two? Recruit some of the runners at your school and contract out dog running jobs to them. Woof!

3. Proofreading Service

While writing papers for students is a no-no, charging per page to edit and proofread is acceptable. Print up a few dozen fliers with your rate and contact info and you're in business.

4. Babysitting Empire

Do you have 5 friends who would be great babysitters? Instead of freelance babysitting, why not be the coordinator, the marketer, who brings in the jobs for your crew? Take advantage of scheduling technology and send out real time job alerts to your team of babysitters using a service like HeyCosmo.

5. Laundry Service

I hate doing laundry. Even being out of college a few years, it’s still one of my least favorite things to do. I'm not alone. Offer a per load price, slap up some posters, and start a laundry service for your school.

The key to any business success is taking advantage of your skills and leveraging them. Take a few minutes to think about what you are good at... now how could you turn that into a business?

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What type of business have you started or did you start while in college?