Apr 14

The Personal Finance Blog Resource Page

This page contains a list of selected personal finance blogs, with a description of and link to each one.


This is one of a family of resource pages:

Instructions about how to submit a blog for inclusion are at the bottom of the page.

Personal Finance Blogs

2million - My Journey to Financial Freedom is the daily diary of an anonymous author who uses the pen name "2million". 2million is a single 29-year old IBM engineer who resides in Raleigh, NC. 2million is on a mission. His goal is to amass $2 million (surprise!) not including the value of his primary residence. As of Oct 2005 he had $194,868. Why read his blog? Because 2million offers a variety of helpful personal finance, investing, real estate, and money saving tips. One of his latest posts entitled “Action Plan to Improve Credit Score�? included both practical ideas and links to useful articles on the subject. 2million is building his net worth. You just might learn a thing or two from his journey. 2million posts daily.

The Alpha Guy is written by Jason Lind, a 23 year-old college student, who claims to have been investing since the age of 15. His posts, typically one a day, provide a running account of his personal finances, stock holdings, and views on the market. While not yet a financial expert, he intends to be one some day. His current focus is finding his first full-time job.

All Things Financial was launched in October 2004.  The author, Jeffrey Pritchard, is a fee-only financial planner who, after seven years in the business, became independent in 2004. The blog covers "pretty much anything that has to do with personal finance", though his series on Roth IRAs has been particularly popular. Posts are usually daily.

Blueprint for Financial Prosperity is Jim’s contribution to the personal finance blogosphere. While only 24 and admittedly a relative novice to issues of personal finance, Jim covers a variety of topics from credit cards to retirement. But if you are in the market for a new home you may have something to learn from him. Jim recently provided a thorough account of his successful home-buying experience. Jim launched his blog in February 2005 and posts daily.

The Budgeting Babe is written by a 25 year-old Chicago resident named Nicole. She refers to her blog as “a Web site dedicated to all the young, working women who want to spend like Carrie in a Jimmy Choo store but have a budget closer to Roseanne - this is my catharsis after leaving the store empty-handed.�? Blogging since November 2004, Nicole typically posts a couple of times a week. Her focus is on becoming more fiscally responsible and her posts cover commentary on her own daily spending habits and assorted topics such as insurance, cell phone plans and co-habitation. She frequently provides links to interesting articles related to personal finance.

Canadian Capitalist is the work of an anonymous software engineer - "Arbee" - from Ottawa, who writes about saving, debt management and investing based on personal experience. The investing posts contain Canadian-oriented material (such as funds that don't trade on the Candadian exchange), but also touch on ETFs and funds available to U.S investors. In the blogs included so far in this listing, Canadian Capitalist is the only one specifically targetted at Canadians.

CFO: Chief Family Officer is the work of Cathy. Cathy is an attorney and new mother to Alex. She is also the CFO of her family. She not only manages their finances but also makes their spending, saving, investing and planning decisions. Why read her blog? Cathy's financial tips are particularly helpful for parents. She covers topics such as saving for college, teaching kids to be financially responsible, and finding great deals on children's paraphernalia. She also posts links to valuable online resources. For a taste of her work you can access "Maximizing Your Diaper Dollars" here. Cathy started her blog in early June 2005 and posts daily.

Consumerism Commentary is the diary of one man’s investing journey as he attempts to build his net worth. Written by an anonymous teacher, "Flexo", it covers investing, saving, frugal living, and other personal finance topics. Flexo is not an investment professional – but he shares useful tips and links to interesting personal finance articles. He also provides commentary (as the name of the blog suggests) on current events. Flexo began blogging in July 2003 and typically posts several times a day.

Finance Choices is the work of the UK’s Bruce Wayne (no, not that Bruce Wayne) and Barbara Gordon. The site looks to take "the baloney out of the mystifying world of personal money matter. Gone is the jargon and bumpfh to be replaced with plain talking and no nonsense.�? In other words, the site aims to demystify the world of finance. It offers reviews and commentary on the latest financial products, trends, and news coming out of the UK. In their day jobs, Barbara provides marketing advice to financial companies and Bruce is a business owner. The site was launched in January 2005. Bruce and Barbara post at least 5 times per week.

Financial Maturity & other money blabs is the work of Monty Loree. Loree is currently President of HomeGrown Advertising. An entrepreneur for 15 years (though his entrepreneurial initiative dates back to the age of 14 when he tried pitching a Monopoly-like game to Parker Brothers) Loree not only has experience developing and managing businesses but also has been writing articles about life insurance, debt settlement, credit repair and companies in the financial industry since 1999. The goal of his blog is to encourage people to learn more about money. Recent posts have focused on budgeting and credit reports. Loree started writing his blog in June 2005. He posts daily.

FiveCentNickel was launched in early May 2005. However it includes material dating back to late March 2005. Dubbed “the money musings of a thirty-something family man�?, FiveCentNickel offers general personal finance tips on topics such as credit cards, taxes, and retirement based on the author’s own experiences. Posts are almost daily, and have a particular focus on family finances. The name of the blog was inspired by a quote from Depression-era journalist Franklin P. Adams: “There are plenty of good five-cent cigars in the country. The trouble is they cost a quarter. What this country needs is a good five-cent nickel.�?

Free Money Finance is the work of the anonymous FMF. FMF’s blog provides saving, investing and money-related tips to help you increase your net worth. Why should you listen to FMF? He is obsessed with personal finance. He has undergraduate and masters degrees in business, has read countless personal finance books, authored over 100 magazine articles on personal finance, and has written a book on saving money. Now FMF is using his blog as a tool to teach others about personal finance so that they too can achieve what he describes as a “a very good position versus the average American�?. Why does he remain anonymous with such a stellar resume and a book to promote? He claims he is considering sharing personal financial information with readers of his blog and thus would prefer to retain his anonymity – at least for the time being. If you have any idea as to the identity of FMF please let us know with a comment below. FMF began posting in April 2005. He posts daily.

Frugal For Life looks to educate readers on ways to live below their means. As author of the blog, Dawn encourages others to “experience life, by living a simple, frugal life!�? Since launching the blog in December 2004 as a way to “organize my links and folders full of ideas and tips�?, Dawn has posted money-saving suggestions almost daily. She appears to have an active readership and often rewards them by posting their ideas on ways to live frugal lives. You may be surprised by their creativity!

G's Investing straddles the border of investing blogs and personal finance blogs. It's author, Jeff Garzik, is a software engineer with "no real qualifications other than I haven't lost a ton of money yet". His blog is aimed at inexperienced or part-time investors, and he says "my friends continually bug me for advice on how to get into investing, so this is for them and all the others on the 'net in the same situation."

Hot Property draws on the talents of five Business Week and Business Week Online writers and editors. While none appears to have any specific real estate expertise it's a bit premature to pass judgment on the quality of the blog's content. Why? The blog was only launched on June 29th. What do we know about the blog? It purports to give "the real story on real estate". Categories include affordability, Amey's adventures in real estate, housing prices, mortgage rates, and real estate culture. Stay tuned.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich is written by Ramit Sethi, a Stanford student studying technology and psychology who taught a one hour personal finance course to 200 other Stanford students. The blog is aimed at young investors, but also covers non-investing aspects of personal finance. The posts, which come about one per week, are witty, pithy and fun to read. Cook at home, you lazy bastard, for example, is a perceptive calculation of the costs of eating out.

In Cash Flow We Trust is written by Steve Mertz who uses his 15 years of experience as an investment advisor to offer financial advice. Having seen thousands of portfolios, Mertz claims to know “what works�?. Using real-world interactions with both clients, and friends, Mertz gives some practical investing advice. But be cautious about heeding his stock market advice - he freely admits not to be a great stock picker. Mertz started writing his blog in March 2005, and, of late, has been posting almost daily. He is currently a motivational speaker in the financial arena.

Kimmunications is the work of Kim Snider. Kim is Founder and President of Kim Snider Financial Communications and host of Financial Success Coaching on KRLD Newsradio in Dallas. Kim’s blog is primarily focused on investing for retirement. Her most important piece of advice: “stay far away from commissioned salespeople picking stocks, mutual funds and annuities if you ever hope to make it through retirement without running out of money.�? Kim is not only a registered investment advisor but she also has experience in senior management roles in the hospitality, computer, and telecommunications industries.  Kim started posting in October 2004 and typically posts three to four times a week.

Mighty Bargain Hunter is written by John Wedding. Though a scientist by training John is drawn to topics of personal finance. His blog focuses on frugal living, bargain hunting (especially at garage sales) and finding great deals online. Why read his blog? John not only provides interesting links to personal finance articles but he has a saver’s mentality – something that all of us could benefit from. John’s blog / web site has been up for over a year. He posts several times a week.

Money and Investing is written by 29 year-old Jose Anes. Jose primarily focuses on retirement planning – but also offers varied personal finance tips. He claims to have built a $530,000 portfolio from scratch that includes a combination of both stocks and real estate. Jose hopes to be financially independent by the age of 35. The author has been writing inconsistently for two years, but of late has been posting almost once a week.

Mortgage Planning Blog (Pacesetter Mortgage Blog) is the work of David A. Porter. Porter has been providing mortgage planning services for 20 years, including 15 years as owner of Pacesetter Mortgage Company. He is also President-Elect of the Michigan Mortgage Brokers Association. Porter’s blog is dedicated to helping others find the best ways to finance their real estate. The blog offers advice about mortgage financing, creating net worth, and saving money. While Porter has specific expertise in Michigan he frequently comments on issues of real estate and mortgages affecting the entire United States. Porter started his blog in May 2005 and posts 4-7 times a week.

My Money Blog is the daily journal of an anonymous professional who is tracking his net worth and his foray into investing and personal finance.  His only qualification, he says, is that "I am an normal guy trying to reach my goals of buying a house and saving for retirement". Topics include 401ks, mutual funds, individual stocks, insurance, book reviews, and credit cards.

My Open Wallet is the work of the anonymous Madame X. Madame X is in her mid-30s, works in publishing and resides in Brooklyn, NY. She writes about budgeting, saving and spending. Why read her blog? If you are looking to buy a home you can gain a lot from her recent experience. Madame X is also especially adept at combining practical personal finance tips with a tad of humor: see NYC Gatorade Map. And if you only visit her blog once make sure to review the Madame’s top 10 rules (in the sidebar). But before you act on her advice we suggest you review The Radical Guide to Credit Cards. Madame X started blogging in July 2005 and posts daily. If you know who she is please let us know!

Neville's Financial Blog is the creation and achievement of Neville Medhora, a fourth-year political science and business student at the University of Texas in Austin, TX. His blog is a transparent and entertaining journal of his financial goals and attempts to reach them. Long-term goal to be reached by 2012: "Own a conglomerate company with at least 5 subsidiary companies in different industries." Short-term goal to be reached by November 2005: "Have 3 separate sources of income totaling over $7,500 per month." The sidebar of his blog displays his frequently updated account balances, assets and income, but the best part is the content of his posts. A recent exploit, for example, is his attempt to sell bottles of water to passing commuters, complete with photos, videos and financial accounts. Posts are usually one per day.

Radical Guides is different from the other sites in this list because it doesn't look like a blog. It consists of a number of independent and objective free guides, some of which cover personal finance. For example, there's a guide to investing using exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a guide to credit cards, and two guides about bonds (particularly useful for people approaching retirement). What makes the guides worthwhile is that they are carefully researched, thoughtful and opinionated. New chapters and guides are added frequently, and you can subscribe with My Yahoo or other RSS readers. The guides authors' include money manager David Jackson, bond guru David Levine, and Sound Money Tips editor Ezra Marbach.

SavingAdvice.com is written by Jeffrey Strain and administered by Nate Sanden. It's chock full of information and guidance on how to avoid debt and save money on everything from hair dryer use to banking fees. The site has developed a strong and vocal community for discussion and enhancement of the ideas. Posts are multiple each day, and nicely categorized from the main page. One of our favorite features on SavingAdvice.com is a range of financial calculators that are helpful toward planning sound financial practice to help meet personal goals.

Savvy Saver is written by "frugalgirl" a 26 year old who is working to achieve financial security. She recently started tracking her financial growth and thought that “a blog would be a good way to journal about my learnings and occasionally rant". Her motto is “personal prosperity depends not on how much money you make, but on how much money you keep�?. She tries to be both frugal and financially savvy, keeping and saving as much money as possible, without sacrificing any of the things that make life fun. Some frugal habits include shopping at thrift stores, garages sales, consignment shops, and estate sales. Topics include personal finance tips relating to retirement, home equity, credit card deals, investing, and her upcoming wedding! Frugalgirl launched Savvy Saver in December 2004 and posts approximately twice a week.

Sitting Pretty is the work of Nina Smith. By day, Nina sells mobile infrastructure software. But her real passion is real estate investing. She has owned and lived in four homes -- three of which she upgraded and sold for tidy profits. She currently owns four investment properties: three rental residences in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and a fixer in Palm Springs. Why read Nina’s blog? While Nina covers various personal finance topics including “Saving Money�? and “Money & Relationships�? she is best when focused on real estate investing. Not only does Nina share practical advice from past buying and selling experiences but she remains in the game. So you will continue to enjoy her evaluation of different investment opportunities going forward. (Nina has already tipped readers on areas of interest in 2006). An added bonus: “Sitting Pretty�? enjoys a seemingly dedicated and well-informed group of readers whose feedback is similarly invaluable. Nina started her blog in July 2005 and posts daily.

Sound Money Tips provides "One quick personal finance tip every day". It's mostly written by Ezra Marbach, who also writes The China Stock Blog. It differs from most other personal finance blogs in being less personal - there are no descriptions of his financial exploits or bank balances, for example. Instead, it has a simple goal: to provide one short personal finance tip each day. Topics include autos, credit cards, mortgages, lending, cutting your bills and finding great deals. Great deals include the cheapest online photo printing services and the cheapest way to subscribe to magazines. The blog allows comments, and many of the comments add considerably to the content of the posts.

Uncle Jack’s tackles financial planning issues including taxes, investments, retirement, and saving money. When not writing his blog, Uncle Jack, a.k.a. Jack Stevison happens to be a Certified Financial Planner. And while he owns a fee-only tax and financial advisory firm located in Central Florida, Jack is kind enough to share some of his ideas at Uncle Jack’s in a free and public forum. He launched his current blog in January 2005 and typically posts 2 or 3 times a week.

Well Spent is co-authored by Business Week's (BW) Amey Stone and Karyn McCormack. Stone is a senior writer at BW Online where she covers business and investing topics including the economy, stock market, real estate and mutual funds. McCormack is a senior producer for BW Online's Investing channel. The blog's goal is to offer “thoughts on personal finance and other important matters�?. Why read the BW blog? While posts are sporadic, Stone and McCormack draw on experiences from their professional lives to provide readers with helpful nuggets of advice. Topics include bonds, cars, economics, frugal shopping, gadgets, markets, personal finances, real estate, retirement, and stocks. The blog was launched in January 2005. Well Spent is one of a host of blogs run by Business Week.

Recently removed:

My Personal Finance Journey started out as a useful "personal diary of financial thinkings and happenings" of a Microsoft employee, but has since grown into an advertising-plastered affair with declining article quality. The author has opted to cover every page with ads wherever possible, and at the same time to use his site as an RSS aggregator for other personal finance blogs without actually linking to them. His focus on commercial returns has also reduced the personal nature of the posts and led to an increase in articles about credit cards. The result? A confusing and busy layout with too low a ratio of good content to ads. Pity.

Capital Ideas is written by a 23 year old finance/business major called Murray, who now works as a financial analyst for a Fortune 500 company. His blog "provides a unique view of personal finance from a young adult's perspective with a focus on practical advice for growing one's net worth", and covers topics including investing, budgeting, frugal living, savings, and risk analysis. He posts a few times per week.

Maxed Out Generation is a consumer debt blog "confronting the forces that keep us in debt".  Categories include Living on the Cheap, debt, studends & debt, money scams and Suze Orman & Other Gurus.

How to submit a blog for (no guarantee) consideration in this list

Blogs are chosen entirely on merit.  If your blog is accepted and
you'd like to link to this page, that's great.  But I don't require a link because link swapping compromises editorial integrity. If you think your blog is a candidate for acceptance to this page, please email the following information (be careful to include everything) to chinaanalyst@gmail.com:

  1. the name of your blog
  2. author's name (if anonymous, please say so)
  3. the URL

  4. the category you think your blog should appear in (if there isn't an appropriate category already, you can suggest a new one)

  5. a brief description of the blog - what subjects you cover or what slant you take
  6. when the blog started (blogs under three months old stand little chance of inclusion)
  7. how freqently you post to the blog
  8. some biographical information about the author(s); even if the blog is anonymous, provide some information about why you are qualified to write on the topic
  9. whether your blog has any particular strengths (for example: exhaustive links on a particular topic)
  10. an example of a particularly good posting on your blog that is also characteristic of what you write about.

Please make sure you number your answers to these questions in the same order that they appear here.  If in doubt, include more rather than less information.  It increases your chance of inclusion and the quality of the write-up if you are included.

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Copyright 2004 David Jackson

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