I’d like to take a minute to talk about a taboo topic—money. We can't escape it. It motivates entire populations of people to get up and go to work every day, it can determine what you buy or where you choose to live, yet people shy away from talking about it.
Why is that?
Fun fact about me—for the past several years, I’ve been voracious for personal finance information. Growing up, we weren’t taught about personal finance in school. Sure, we were taught the importance of money at home, but sometimes those lessons would go in one ear and out the other ... as a lot of parental advice often does when you’re young. (I know I'm not the only one who spent a significant amount of allowance money from the ages of 7-9 on Beanie Babies.) Even my personal finance course in college (financial elective? check) was so uninformative, my only takeaway was the deep-seeded fear of identity theft, creating the need to always shred financial documents.
After a bit of searching, I finally found some great resources. Here are a few of my favorites:
Dear Debt—Dear Debt blogger, Melanie, has chosen to share a remarkable story on her blog—the journey of paying down significant student-loan debt. I’ve been reading her blog for awhile now, and am always impressed by the level of success she’s found in such a short amount of time. One of her recent posts was so inspiring, it motivated me to share my own story. (You can read my guest post, here.) Melanie not only replied to my Dear Debt Letter with kind, encouraging words, but shared it with her readers. Follow Dear Debt on twitter.
Our Freaking Budget—This couple has made a successful side career of blogging about finance, and their advice is not only fantastic, but easy to follow and implement in your own life. Their writing is full of color, lending an entertaining point of view to the practical and smart advice they provide. Each article is coupled with great pictures or graphics (often of their adorable kids) and they’re always finding new ways to relate to their readers about personal finance. Follow Our Freaking Budget on twitter.
LearnVest—Back before Mint was a household name and well-known app, I discovered LearnVest. It was a site completely devoted to financial topics, and in laymans terms. I immediately signed up for their newsletter. The idea of getting a personal finance digest delivered every day, straight to my email was music to my ears. It’s been four years and I still look forward to that email each day. Their content provides advice from certified financial planners, interwoven with personal success stories, and every month, they post a financial challenge for readers. The icing on the cake is their online financial tracking and budgeting system. In my opinion, it’s one of the best out there. The CEO, Alexa von Tobel, has gone on to speak at TED talks, and she even wrote her own book. (A book that I own and constantly revisit, scribbling details in the margins in this quest to know all I can about personal finance.) Follow LearnVest on twitter.
The Holistic Wallet—Michelle's newsletter and blog discuss the process of remaining on-point with financial goals, whether it’s budgeting, saving or paying down debt. As a bonus, she's hilarious. Her humor adds a lightness to these sometimes daunting topics, and I often find myself wishing she sent more emails. Follow The Holistic Wallet on twitter.
If you're interested in personal finance, be sure to follow these blogs on twitter. Hopefully those of you drawn to the subject matter will find them as entertaining and helpful as I have over these past few years.