Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday dear meeeeeeee… Happy birthday to me!
Today I turn 52 years old. My 52nd year was an interesting one, and not just because of the coronavirus, the Capitol riots, and all of the other strange stuff that the country (and world) experienced as a whole during the last twelve months.
For me personally, it’s been a year of growth. I’ve done a lot of introspection and self-reflection. And, as a result, I’ve begun to make a lot of big moves in 2021. It’ll be intersting to see where I am (and who I am!) a year from now.
But you don’t really care about that, and I know it. You’re here at Apex Money for personal-finance links. Every year on my birthday — and I know this is only Year Two of the site — I share a list of my favorite money blogs.
There are lots of great blogs out there. This isn’t meant to be an objective list. It’s a subjective list. That is, these are the money blogs that I, personally, most enjoy reading. Your list might be (and probably would be) very different. That’s okay.
Here, then, are my ten favorite money blogs from the past year.
- One Frugal Girl was perhaps my favorite money blog of the past year. Jewels produces consistently great content that balances her own story with actionable advice. It’s great. Plus, she and I seem to have similar mindsets and have an ongoing e-mail conversation about life itself.
- Minafi has one of favorite blog designs. I’m not sure what Adam’s background is, but he has a firm grasp of UI and reader experience, which makes Minafi a joy to read. Couple that with his always-excellent content, and you’ve got a top-notch money blog.
- Bitches Get Riches has been one of my favorite blogs since it launched. Piggy and Kitty offer solid advice in an irreverent style. Their target audience is “young women”, but the material is useful for most folks (and entertaining for everyone). I like BGR so much that I put my money where my mouth is: I’m a long-time Patreon supporter of the site.
- Physician on Fire is, as you might expect, a blog targeting health-care workers pursuing financial independence. But again, the content here is useful for most folks. What I admire about the site is how well Leif curates everything, balancing his own articles with syndicated articles and guest post from other authors.
- Frugalwoods remains one of my fave sites to read for the sake of reading. I know many people are already familiar with Liz and her adventures on a 66-acre farm in Vermont. If you’re not, you should check her out. She and her husband have done FIRE the right way — high incomes, low spending, and a dedication to the things that bring them meaning.
- Raptitude isn’t a money blog. It’s a site about “getting better at being human”. But David Cain’s thoughtful approach to life and its challenges has plenty of applications to the world of personal finance. This recent article about ADHD was eye-opening for my own challenges with the condition, and helped me connect the dots between my ADHD and my depression/anxiety.
- The Fioneers, Jess and Corey, document their personal journey to financial independence with thoughtful, introspective pieces that cover traditional FIRE topics while diving into new ones. (They popularized the notion of Slow FI, for instance.) They’re doing great work.
- Abnormal Returns might not seem like much if you follow the link to its homepage, yet it’s probably my favorite source of money news. I’m not joking. Tadas Viskanta does an amazing job of curating financial news from all over the web. (It’s the first place I go each day when looking for stories to share here at Apex.)
- Women Who Money is a team blog focused on financial advice for, well, women. But the advice is generally useful for everyone. Amy and Vicki produce consistently excellent articles with practical advice about real-world situations. Highly recommended. (If I were to pick one blog that I thought was actually the best overall financial blog right now, it would likely be Women Who Money.)
- Apex Money. Wait, what? Is it ridiculous to pick one of my own sites as one of my favorites? I don’t think so. Jim and I work hard here to collect fun, interesting, and useful articles to share with you in a thoughtful, light-hearted manner. We cast a wide net to catch as many stories as possible, but we only pass along the best stuff we find. Apex truly is one of my ten favorite money blogs right now.
What do all of these sites have in common?
First, most are content-centric. They’re more interested in creating and publishing material that helps the readers than they are in making money. As a result, they don’t produce the same old material that you find on every other site. The material at these sites is unique and interesting.
Second, they tend to have strong authorial voices. One problem with most money blogs (the blogs that are focused on making money) is that they write about the things that generate revenue, not the things that interest the authors. As a result, there’s no passion. You can’t really be passionate about the latest credit card offer, right? Because these blogs draw on the personal experiences of the authors, the articles have a strong voice.
Finally, these blogs publish fairly often. They might not have regular schedules, but they don’t sit dormant for months on end either. The writers update at least once a month. (There are plenty of fine sites out there that rarely update. I don’t count those as favorites.)
Okay. That’s it for this birthday. I’ll be back tomorrow to close out the week with more great articles about money — and more. (And for those unaware, I update my life philosophy with a new lesson every year, then share that life philosophy at Get Rich Slowly on my birthday.)