11 Personal Finance Blogs to Read that Actually Make Sense
Personal finance blogs are often chock-full of well-intended advice on investing, debt management, saving, and frugal shopping — but it can be challenging to find one that speaks to you and really helps you claim your power and money. Whether you’re a millennial who has never made an investment or a seasoned executive eager to take your money knowledge to the next level, I’ve curated a list blogs that actually make sense... and are fun (yes, fun!) to read.
1. Bitches Get Rich by Kitty and Piggy
This one includes thoughtful and creative advice on personal finance and professional success, written in a powerful in-your-face prose. Their stated mission is to, “share new advice for a changed world,” as these amazing women graduated from college in the face of the financial crisis and fought their way to financial safety with below-average incomes, above-average student loans, and without wealthy parents or spouses.
Kitty and Piggy do a fantastic job of bringing a unique view to the personal finance world. One of my favorite posts is The Financial Advantages of Being White, which tackles the topic of privilege (often missing in money-related dialogue), head on.
While there are endless articles unpacking interest rates, but I have yet to find one that is as enjoyable as this post: Dafuq Is Interest and How Does It Work for the Forces of Darkness? Yes, you read that correctly and the post is as informative as it is funny.
Tackling the topic of expenses we incur because we feel some pressure to do so is Don’t Spend Money on Shit You Don’t Like, Fool. Piggy spent money on a yoga class - which she hated - because it was something her friends enjoyed, and with this realization vowed never to yoga again. This post includes several practical tips to avoid spending on things that aren’t a priority to you.
2. Ellevest
This one has an incredible resource center that includes guides, blog posts, links to podcasts, and it is one of my favorite money-minded places to explore. Founded by Sallie Krawcheck (one of my personal role models), Ellevest is on a mission to close the gender-investing gap, and brings a data-backed (but easy-to-understand) take on personal finance.
One of my favorite resources on their site is a post on disrupting money by spending our hard-earned cash on woman-owned businesses and businesses owned by people of color. Women account for over 80 percent of consumer purchases, and this post provides information on how we can redirect our spending to support women and people of color.
Sallie’s weekly show about women, money, and power is also accessible through the Ellevest blog, and I adored her episode featuring the amazing Carla Harris. If you don’t know of Carla Harris, I implore you to watch her in action — she’s an absolute dynamo who has achieved success in the white male-dominated finance industry by staying true to her authentic self. She is currently Vice Chairman of Wealth Management, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor of Morgan Stanley, a total rock star.
One of the reasons I look up to Sallie is her incredible candor. In a post about making sense of your money after divorce, she shares that she had to deal with the painful realization that she didn’t have a handle on what her ex-husband had done with their money during their marriage. Before starting Ellevest, Sallie was a senior finance executive, so this frustrating fact came with a side helping of embarrassment. However, with posts like this one, Sallie is helping her readers demystify (and remove shame) from topics like money and divorce.
3. The Chief Mom Officer
This one has a mission to “Help you manage your money (yours and your kids), have success at work, and ultimately achieve financial freedom-all while having fun along the way.” I know, sounds perfect, right?!
On her blog, Liz, the Chief Mom Officer (an inspiring professional working in the tech industry, with her MBA), has an entire section devoted to Breadwinning, Six Figure, Millionaire Moms. Exploring the different women featured here brings inspiration, practical advice, and new ideas to the table. You can easily spend an entire afternoon browsing the different women that are profiled here, and building up your own personal motivation to earn even more money!
Liz also does a really nice job exploring the topic of kids and money. From saving for college to frugal ways to have fun as a family, I love this section of her site as a resource to parents (or those planning to have children, and others interested in investing in the kiddos in their life.)
She is also incredibly candid about her own family, and recently posted about the real reason her husband is a stay-at -home dad. Fewer than 20 percent of stay-at-home parents are men, and there’s a very real stigma that, unfairly, still exists around men in heterosexual couples that take this path. As Liz’s story illustrates, every family is unique and deserves the opportunity to make the right choice for them.
4. Debt Free Black Girl (DFBG)
Kristin Sutton and I enjoy how she mixes personal finance with personal style. She aims to help readers save more, spend less, and get out of debt (while doing more of what you enjoy)...in style.
Kristin shares her journey to start DFBG with a mix of humor, detail, and self reflection that carries throughout her other posts. Like many of us, she has faced credit card debt, turned to retail therapy after getting her first real job, and moved cities without a backup plan (or job) in place.
She also acknowledges that money isn’t the only thing you need to explore when talking about healthy finances. A guest post by journalist Christina Sturdivant Sani entitled, Bursting the Bubble: Black Writer Battles Her Anxiety and Husband’s Depression is a powerful read and useful resource to share to start a dialogue on mental health.
Kristin’s post on her own personal (budgetbabe) style is an absolute gem. It’s refreshing to see unique, lovely fashion reflected on a personal finance blog! Her “sporty, chill” look reflects her belief that you don’t need to sacrifice style while improving your financial situation.
5. Jean Chatzky
Jean Chatzky is a journalist who has been exploring personal finance for more than two decades. Her blog is well-written, thoughtfully researched, and keeps me connected to all of the other wonderful places she shares her wisdom (including on her podcast and NBC’s Today Show, where she is the financial editor.)
Her posts are incredibly practical, including tips and tricks that you can put into use right away. The grocery store can be a significant line item in nearly everyone’s budget - here, Jean explores how to cut costs and calories when stocking up your pantry.
I also find that Jean is a fantastic resource for the self-employed. As a journalist who is also self-employed, she is often exploring the topic at depth. This post on how to apply your tax refund to help your own small business is just one example.
6. The She Spends Newsletter Blog, #LooseChange
This one includes a wide variety of topics, related to the She Spends mission of providing actionable tools to tackle the wage, investing, and board seat gaps. This feminist resource encourages readers to, “get right with your money,” a sentiment I wholeheartedly concur with!
She Spends represents diverse voices and perspectives. They often post “wear to work” content, and designer Hanya Moharram shared how she wears her Muslim faith to work, without sacrificing an ounce of style. Hanya’s post also explained her decision to wear a hijab, and what a hijab actually means, providing context for readers that may be less familiar.
There are a wide range of Travel Money Diaries on the site as well, giving readers an opportunity to explore different cities (and the costs necessary to get there!) The Travel Money Diaries series provides a detailed look at the resources needed to explore new places, while providing inspiration for future trips at the same time.
7. Broke Millennial
Erin Lowry is the author of a book by the same name. I love her candid, no-nonsense take on personal finance, but think she really stands out because, as she puts it, “preaching and finger-wagging not included.”
Her blog includes frugal finds, covers practical topics like how beginners should use credit cards, and dives into topics connected to money, like willpower and how it manifests in money and health.
Erin is also open about exploring money and relationships, and her post about getting financially naked with your partner is one I find myself sharing repeatedly. She tackles personal finance from a more youthful point of view and is open about her own experiences (successes and pitfalls) along the way.
8. Make Real Cents
This is a blog dedicated to helping you achieve financial greatness by teaching you all the do’s and don’ts of personal finance with a hint of humor on the side. Carmen, who runs the blog, is a finance major working in the industry which brings a unique spin to her take on the money.
Carmen recently spoke about preventative financial care — managing stress while balancing your finances. This talk inspired a related blog post that is chock-full of data on the stress factor that money can bring into our lives and the actions that can help alleviate this anxiety.
Another fantastic post covers the five money questions to ask before you get married. Carmen and her fiancée are both very transparent with one another about their personal finances - Carmen notes, “If I can’t afford something because I am still trying to pay down debt, I tell her.” This is a wonderful foundation, but posts like this one help others start these (potentially challenging) money talks early with our own partners.
9. Farnoosh Torabi
Farnoosh Torabi is a personal finance guru who has been exploring money for years, as a contributor to Oprah Magazine and countless other media outlets. Her blog features a roundup of her appearances.
She has blogged about the real reason she makes more than her husband, offers practical money advice on her Ask Farnoosh column, and is passionate about providing financial tips for women.
Farnoosh also posts regular money audits, where she dives into the personal finances of her readers and provides advice. I found this recent money audit to be particularly fascinating - Anna wrote into Farnoosh worried about making too much money. Anna made over $200,000 annually but was worried she didn’t have habits to manage that money well — an interesting question and one that isn’t often explored in personal finance.
10. Dirt Cheap Wealth (DCW)
This one says it all with the tagline: Unconventional, non-BS blog for the financially curious. DCW is a busy working mom with two kids who brings a refreshing “realness” to her blogging. She started Dirt Cheap Wealth to provide a space to explore money with a connection to real-life situations and humor.
DCW has put together a series on Breaking Financial Myths, providing an opportunity to provide an alternative view on common financial advice. For example, the personal finance community often ridicules those that buy brand new cars (the depreciation! the extravagance!) Guest poster Sarah outlined why she bought a brand new car, and why she’d do it again. This is not a perspective you’d typically see on a finance blog!
I also found DCW’s own story to be incredibly inspiring. In this post, she shares how she landed a six-figure job after being out of the workforce for six years.
11. The Feminist Financier
My final recommendation is my own blog, which is devoted to helping women build wealth. It is not a business, and doesn’t earn any income - but I’m happy to report that it has provided inspiration and guidance to readers, and even achieved an award for Best Investing Blog last year!
When someone asks me what to start with, I recommend my posts about money mistakes. I’ve written about the four times I’ve accumulated credit card debt, the stupid-large mortgage my partner and I applied for (and got) during the housing bubble, and the time I bought stock in a company that went bankrupt. I believe shame about money hampers our comfort in talking about it, which disproportionately hurts those of us who need the financial education most — including women, people of color, the LGBTQIA community, and people with disabilities.
Investing is also a huge key to growing wealth, but it can be tremendously confusing. I’ve worked to make it ruthlessly simple, unpacking the four steps to take to start investing tomorrow.
In the past five years, there has been an incredible improvement in the diversity of viewpoints represented in the personal finance community. I keep track of many fantastic financial females on this Twitter list — and am always adding new voices to the community. I’d love to hear if there are other favorite inspirational blogs you recommend I explore!
In the past five years, there has been an incredible improvement in the diversity of viewpoints represented in the personal finance community. I keep track of many fantastic financial females on this Twitter list — and am always adding new voices to the community. I’d love to hear if there are other favorite inspirational blogs you recommend I explore!
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The Feminist Financier is on a mission to help women build wealth and own their financial independence, by improving financial literacy and taking the mystery out of money. Ms. Financier is also a shoe addict, travel fanatic, and wine enthusiast.
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