I read a lot of money-related blogs to compile my weekly roundup of great personal finance advice from around the Web. There are plenty of people out there sharing their tales of taking control of their finances and offering tips for others. Only a handful, though, routinely offer solid advice in language even a personal finance novice can understand. Here are the ten blogs that I think stand out from the pack.
Get Rich Slowly. I’m not alone in naming this one of the top money blogs. Time and Money magazines have also called it one of the best. Creator J.D. Roth’s philosophy that building wealth takes time is similar to ours at Kiplinger’s. He believes in setting goals, spending less than you earn and paying yourself first — and the posts on his blog reflect these beliefs. Most of all, his tales of overcoming $35,000 in debt and achieving financial independence are inspiring.
Wise Bread. This site is about being smart with your money — or as its tagline says, “Living Large on a Small Budget.” What I like about it is the broad range of money-related topics it tackles — from opening a Roth IRA for your child to reusing detergent bottles as a way to spend less and save more.
Money Crashers. Although it’s run by two twentysomethings, Money Crashers provides sensible advice to people of all ages and stages of life. It covers all aspects of personal finance, including investing, credit and debt, careers, family and home, and even small business.
20Somethingfinance. Yes, as the name suggests, this is a great site if you’re just starting out and looking for advice on how to spend less and save more from someone in your age group who’s actually managed to do this. But 20Somethingfinance creator G.E. Miller’s advice is applicable to people of all ages — and his story is inspiring. He dramatically cut his expenses and now saves 85% of his income.
Consumerism Commentary. Luke Landes, who goes by Flexo on the site, has been blogging about personal finance and his own finances since 2003. He started the blog to hold himself accountable for his money decisions. Now the site covers all aspects of personal finance and provides reviews of financial products.
MoneyNing. The posts by MoneyNing creator David Ning and the site’s other bloggers tend to be well written and substantive. And this site is more about offering solid financial advice rather than personal anecdotes.
Len Penzo dot Com. Len Penzo is always entertaining, informative and original — that is, you won’t find the same ol’, same ol’ advice on his site that you can find elsewhere. Here’s a sampling of some of his posts: “What’s That Smell? The Costly Joys of Maintaining Older Cars,” “Sometimes It Pays Not to Look for the Best Deal,” and “10 More Old Wives’ Tales Masquerading as Financial Rules of Thumb.”
Budgets Are Sexy. J. Money (the pseudonym of the site’s creator) knows how to make personal finance fun (what else would you expect from a blog called Budgets Are Sexy?). He sports a mohawk, appeals to a young, hip crowd and openly shares his budget and his financial ups and downs. His advice is pretty solid — you just have to look past the grammatical errors and mild profanity.
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