2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING PERSONAL FINANCE BLOGS
Finding the Top Personal Finance Blogs
Are you struggling to get a handle on your finances? Maybe you’re a Millennial just starting out with your career, and you want to discover the most valuable ways to manage your money. Perhaps you’re in your 40s, and you want to ramp up your retirement savings.
Whatever your financial goals, people are increasingly turning to personal finance blogs to discover tips, learn more, and take advantage of advice, whether it comes from professionals or amateurs.
From investment tips to how to save millions for your retirement, financial blogs can give you an excellent foundation to create a stronger financial future for yourself.
With that in mind, we’re highlighting some of the best personal finance websites and finance blogs. These are the personal finance blogs that are compelling, cover unique topics, and have garnered a significant following over the years because they’ve been able to stand out among the extensive amount of competition.
Award Emblem: Best Personal Finance Blogs
AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Best Personal Finance Blogs
This list is sorted alphabetically (click any of the below names to go directly to the detailed review of that personal finance blog).
- Afford Anything—Paula Pant
- Budgets Are Sexy—J. Money
- Dough Roller—Rob Berger
- Five Cent Nickel—Richard Barrington
- Frugaling—Sam Lustgarten
- Get Rich Slowly—J.D. Roth
- MoneyNing—David Ning
- Mr. Money Mustache—Peter Adeney
- My Money Blog—Jonathan Ping
- Wealth Pilgrim—Neal Frankie
The Benefits of Personal Finance Blogs
If you already have a solid understanding of money and finances, you may be wondering why you would read a personal finance blog. What’s unique about these sites is that they can give you a deeper level of understanding on relevant topics.
For example, you may understand the basics of retirement accounts, but if you’re a follower of a great blog, you may be able to explore that topic in more depth and create customized planning strategies for yourself without hiring a financial advisor.
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Other advantages include:
- As a reader of a personal finance website, you can discover new trends and news in the financial industry. It’s a constantly evolving world, and many of the blogs on this ranking list will keep you up-to-date on the most current happenings that can impact your finances.
- Personal finance blogs can give you a unique perspective. You may think you have everything figured out until you read a compelling blog and see there are different steps and insights you can follow to achieve your financial goals.
- Often, finance blogs are inspirational. If you’re lacking the motivation you need to start saving for retirement or long-term goals, regularly reading some of the best personal finance blogs can get you out of that slump and ensure you’re enthusiastic about achieving your money goals.
Choosing Personal Finance Blogs to Follow
There are seemingly endless personal finance blogs available online, so how do you choose which ones to spend your time reading and following?
The first thing to consider is what life stage you’re currently in. Many of these blogs will focus on a particular life phase or age group.
For example, some blogs are geared toward Millennials while others may be targeted toward baby boomers. Your age, where you are in your life, and your career will likely have a significant impact on which blogs you find most relevant, although there are also lots of great generalized personal finance blogs as well.
Also, consider the topics you’re most interested in. Most bloggers will target their site toward a particular niche area to give the most in-depth and specialized advice, information, and updates.
If you want to learn how to invest your money, it may determine which blogs you follow whereas if you’re primarily focused on daily budgeting, there are plenty of personal finance websites that address that topic.
Finally, consider the approach that you find most appealing. If you love reading light, humorous blog posts, factor that into your selection of financial blogs. On the other hand, perhaps you want something that’s more to the point, serious, and focused on the details.
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Methodology for Selecting Personal Finance Blogs
What methodology does AdvisoryHQ use in selecting and finalizing the companies, services, and products that are ranked on its various top rated lists?
Please click here “AdvisoryHQ’s Ranking Methodologies” to find a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodologies for ranking top companies, products, and services.
Detailed Review—Top Ranking of Personal Finance Blogs
After carefully considering personal finance blogs and online comparison tools, we compiled the following list of the top 10 websites. As you continue reading, you’ll find detailed reviews of each of our picks as well as an outline of the factors used in the decision-making process
Afford Anything by Paula Pant Review
Afford Anything is the work of blogger Paula Pant, who focuses on maintaining a sense of freedom while still being able to buy the things you need and want. After graduating college and traveling the world, Pant wanted to have the ability to live on her passive income from investing, which she did through real estate.
Key Factors That Led Us to Rank This Website as a Top 2017 Personal Finance Blog
Below are highlighted some of the elements of the Afford Anything blog that led to its selection for our ranking of the top 10 personal finance blogs.
Thinking Outside the Cubicle
One of the most notable and appealing things about the Afford Anything blog is the focus on living life outside of a cubicle and the confines of a typical 9-5 job.
That was blogger Pant’s primary objective: to break free of her job and not have to answer to a boss. This is a goal many people have, which is why it’s such a fascinating approach for this blog.
An Inspirational Tone
If you’re looking for the best personal finance websites to help you feel inspired, this is an excellent option. Afford Anything isn’t just about investing money or living frugally.
Instead, it’s about creating the life you want. One of the compelling things about this blog is how it combines not just financial topics but tips to transform your life, all in one practical-yet-motivational blog.
Supplemental Content
Pant’s Afford Anything blog has gained tens of thousands of readers, and she’s expanded beyond the blog content available on her website to also write e-Books as well as create podcasts. This is a great way to explore the topics she blogs on in more detail and add to your financial knowledge as a result. They serve as ideal additions to the content covered on the blog.
The tone remains light and fun, but it’s still incredibly valuable and informative content she’s providing to her audience.
Budgets Are Sexy by J. Money Review
J. Money is a blogger who writes and operates the Budgets Are Sexy blog. The primary objective of the blog is to get people to take control of their budget by really paying attention and taking account of what’s coming in versus what they’re spending. The concept reinforces the idea of being aware of your money to make positive changes.
Key Factors That Enabled This Website to Rank as a Top 2017 Personal Finance Blog
Below are some of the distinctions leading to the inclusion of Budgets Are Sexy on this ranking of the top 2016 personal finance blogs.
Budget Templates
As well as engaging, humorous, and helpful blog posts, J. Money posts free budget templates and spreadsheets on this personal finance website. These budget templates are compiled in one location, and you can easily customize them to suit your needs. They’re a combination of both original templates created by J. Money as well as resources gathered from other popular bloggers.
Some of the templates and spreadsheets available on Budgets Are Sexy include:
- 4 Step Budget Template From Life After College
- Personal Monthly Budget From My Money Shrugged
- Early Retirement Spreadsheet Created by J. Money
Challenge Everything
J. Money created a section on his blog entitled “Challenge Everything,” which is based on a series of posts that encourage readers to look beyond the norm and spend as little as possible without sacrificing their quality of life.
The series looks at bills and expenses that have always been considered a necessity and offers ways to actually eliminate these from your life, in a way that’s realistic and isn’t going to diminish your life as a result.
Experiments
Sometimes, finding the right spending habits and budget for your life can come down to some simple experimentation. Luckily, J. Money does the experimenting for readers so they can just discover what works. According to J. Money, the point of his money experiments is to discover those “epiphanies” that can completely change the way you view or handle your finances.
The Dough Roller by Rob Berger Review
Rob Berger’s Dough Roller is a finance blog aimed at helping readers make more money while spending less and investing what’s left. Rob Berger founded this personal finance website in 2007, with the mission of simplifying the complexities of money management and investment.
The blog now gets millions of visitors a year, and Rob Berger’s articles have been syndicated on sites like Forbes and Yahoo! Finance.
Key Factors That Enabled Us to Rank This Website as One of the Top Personal Finance Blogs for 2017
Highlighted in this list below are some factors leading the ranking of Dough Roller as one of the top 10 2016 personal finance blogs.
Credit Card Reviews
For many of the top personal finance blogs covered in this ranking, the focus isn’t on providing information about credit cards. Rather, the blogs tend to favor strategies to pay off and eliminate credit card usage.
Dough Roller is unique because it reviews a variety of credit cards for those consumers that do want to use them. These reviews can help readers derive benefits from the use of cards by selecting the best offers and interest rates, rather than avoiding the use of credit cards altogether.
Podcast
In addition to the resources available on the blog, Rob Berger also operates Dough Roller Money Podcast. The podcast provides more in-depth discussions that Berger hosts to explore topics in a deeper way.
The podcast now gets around 75,000 downloads a month, and you can listen free of charge, although Berger does give the opportunity to donate to the site if you choose.
You’ll find interesting topics covered by the podcast, and it gives you a different way to learn about finances, which is something a lot of site visitors find valuable.
The podcasts also often include interviews with well-known and expert financial professionals. Some of the recent podcast topics on Dough Roller include:
- How To Use a Retirement Account as a Down Payment on a Home
- 7 Student Loan Repayment Plan Options Reviewed
- Interview with Founders of Draft, A Portfolio Analysis Tool
- How to Get Rid of Cable with Cord Cutting Expert John Brillhart
Insurance
As well as covering the topics you might commonly associate with the best personal finance websites, Dough Roller is distinctive because it also has an entire section related to insurance on the blog.
This is incredibly valuable in today’s environment, where insurance can be complex, confusing, and overwhelming for many consumers. Insurance represents a significant portion of monthly spending for many people, so it only makes sense this would be a topic of discussion on a finance blog.
Some of the recent insurance-related posts on Dough Roller include:
- Everything You Need to Know About Flexible Spending Accounts
- HSA vs. FSA: Which Is Best for You?
- How HAS Health Plans Work
- Is Pet Insurance Worth the Cost?
- Reader Question: What Does Umbrella Insurance Cover?
Five Cent Nickel by Richard Barrington Review
Five Cent Nickel is a blog created by Richard Barrington. He was inspired to start the website after he began tracking his family finances in Quicken and then from reading books about money and investing. He became interested in finances both in his personal life and in general, which is what led to him to start this blog.
Some of the topics covered on this top personal finance blog include debt reduction, house and home, mortgages, productivity, banking, and credit cards.
Key Factors That Enabled Us to Rank This Website as One of the Top Personal Finance Blogs for 2017
Below are unique features of Five Cent Nickel, leading to the inclusion of this site as one of the top 10 2016 personal finance blogs.
Mortgage Topics
Paying a mortgage is usually the biggest expense households have each month, by a significant amount. The typical 30-year mortgage can feel like an enormous burden for homebuyers, and it can create a lot of financial stress and even uncertainty.
The Five Cent Nickel blog focuses quite a bit of attention to mortgage-related topics. There are a number of blog posts offering not just information about mortgages but also tips and advice as to paying off your mortgage more quickly so you can then put that money into investment opportunities.
This is something Richard Barrington was actually able to do in his life, so he provides realistic first-hand advice.
Savings Rates
Saving money in the current economic climate can be tricky. Interest rates are historically low, which can make it difficult to find a savings opportunity that is going to be of worth to many people.
With that in mind, Five Cent Nickel includes extensive information about current savings interest rates and updates on the best high-yield savings accounts.
The rate chart is automatically updated and shows the top 50 online high yield savings rates, with data gathered from more than 200 banks and financial institutions.
Barrington also includes reader feedback as to what savings accounts are best.
Posts Appeal to All Age Groups
Five Cent Nickel is a personal finance blog with a broad base of information, and it’s going to appeal to all age ranges. It’s a great source if you want generalized finance information, regardless of whether you’re just starting your career or planning to retire.
For example, you might find an article about managing student loan debt after college graduation alongside a post on how to catch up when you haven’t been adequately saving and planning for retirement.
Frugaling by Sam Lustgarten Review
Blogger Sam Lustgarten created Frugaling as a means to provide not only financial advice but also to speak out about social and cultural issues impacting the world.
Lustgarten was inspired to start his blog in 2013 when he found himself on a path to crushing debt and interest payments, which were largely the result of taking the maximum amount of student loan each semester when he was in college.
Key Factors That Allowed This Website to Rank as a Top 2017 Personal Finance Blog
The list below represents unique features of Frugaling, leading to its inclusion as one of 2016’s top personal finance websites.
A New View of Frugality
While the theme of the Frugaling blog may be just that: living frugally, writer Sam Lustgarten doesn’t want this to carry the implications commonly associated with the word.
He points out that the word frugal can evoke thoughts of Depression-era living and stories told by grandparents, but he doesn’t feel this is a mentality that works in the modern world.
Instead, Lustgarten wants the word frugal to be associated with saving more but also living well and being generous.
Social Impact
As well as posting about living frugally, what sets this personal finance website apart from others is the focus on social justice and the social impact our choices have on others around us.
Living frugally isn’t just about saving money or spending less based on the concept of Frugaling but is also about lowering our impact on the environment and helping give to people in need.
Minimalism
As well as the topics above, the Frugaling blog is driven by a principle of minimalism. Lustgarten encourages readers to eliminate traditional ideas of having more “stuff” as a measure of success in life. He frames the benefits of minimalism as giving people more freedom of choice and opportunity and the ability to break out of the chores and routines that hold them back from living a richer, more fulfilling life because they’re trapped in the routine of caring for and maintaining their “stuff.
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Get Rich Slowly by J.D. Roth Review
J.D. Roth is a well-known and respected financial blogger who launched the Get Rich Slowly blog and also created a course by the same name. While Roth sold the Get Rich Slowly blog a few years ago, his writings still remain on the site, and other writers frequently contribute to the personal finance posts found there.
Key Factors That Enabled Us to Rank This Website as a Top 2017 Personal Finance Blog
Listed below are some of the reasons Get Rich Slowly was selected as a top personal finance blog for this ranking.
No Gimmicks
One of the things that’s most appealing about the Get Rich Slowly blog is that it’s a realistic approach to creating a better financial situation, and it doesn’t follow the principle that there’s any easy or overnight way to get rich.
There aren’t get-rich-quick schemes on the site or the hottest stock buying advice. Instead, the basis of Get Rich Slowly is that by making smarter, incremental decisions you can get on a path to better finances.
It might not be as glamorous as other personal finance blogs that tell readers they can get rich trading penny stocks or by day trading, but it’s realistic, attainable, and actionable.
Broad Topic Coverage
There’s a lot to be said for financial blogs that cover niche topics, but Get Rich Slowly isn’t one of those, and that has its advantages as well. Get Rich Slowly includes an extensive and widely varied base of topics, making it a great general website for anyone who wants to learn about a range of subjects.
Some of the most popular categories on the Get Rich Slowly blog include:
- Bank reviews
- Investing
- Savings
- Retirement
- The basics
- Being frugal
- Budgeting
- Debt
Unique Personal Perspectives
Up to this point, we’ve covered personal finance websites with one primary writer who guides the content and shares information and stories from their unique perspective.
Get Rich Slowly is different because it compiles the work of many writers, including the contributions of creator J.D. Roth as well as a full staff of other contributors.
The benefit of this is that you get a wider perspective and a greater range of personal experiences to draw from as you’re exploring the posts on this personal finance website
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MoneyNing by David Ning Review
MoneyNing is a personal finance blog with a focus on saving, investing, and frugal living as well as providing a central source for coupons and promo codes. David Ning, an author and entrepreneur, started MoneyNing in the summer of 2007 after having a career as an IT manager and salesperson.
Once he left those careers, he started his own successful businesses, including PF Buzz, which is a social media site specializing in personal finance. MoneyNing currently gets visits from more than 500,000 unique visitors per month.
Key Factors That Enabled Us to Rank This Website as One of the Top Personal Finance Blogs for 2017
Some of the reasons below highlight why MoneyNing was selected for our ranking of the top 10 2016 personal finance blogs.
Common Sense
The approach utilized on MoneyNing is one that’s based on concepts of common sense knowledge and the ability to take that knowledge and easily turn it into action.
Some of the topics featured on MoneyNing within the framework of common sense and actionability include:
- Becoming debt-free
- Building wealth through time
- Seeing for yourself the impact financial choices have on your life
Two-Prong Approach
David Ning has cultivated one of the best personal finance websites by giving advice and guidance that follows a two-prong approach. People interested in building true net worth and financial freedom, according to Ning, need to focus their attention on two areas: frugal living and making more money.
It’s a very simple concept, but it’s one that’s also manageable and effective. This direct approach is a big part of the reason why MoneyNing has become such as widely-visited finance blog.
Bank Reviews
A point of anxiety and uncertainty for many consumers comes when trying to decide what banks and financial institutions are going to work best for their needs. There are so many options, each with its own offers, fees, and guidelines.
That’s why the in-depth bank reviews on MoneyNing are so valuable to readers.
These bank reviews include information such as:
- The safety of the bank
- Products offered
- Rates
These reviews also include information from readers of MoneyNing so that you can access a broad range of objective opinions and information about each financial institution
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Mr. Money Mustache by Peter Adeney Review
Peter Adeney is a financial blogger who operates under the pseudonym Mr. Money Mustache, which also happens to be the name of his hugely popular blog. Adeney is a thirty-something retiree, as he calls himself, and his focus is on writing about how to live frugally while still enjoying the life you want.
Key Factors That Enabled This Blog to Rank as a Top 2017 Personal Finance Blog
Below are some of the unique features of the Mr. Money Mustache blog, leading to its ranking on the list of 2016’s top personal finance blogs.
A Fun Approach
If you’re looking for something fun and quirky, this is one of the best personal finance blogs for you. The motto of Adeney, aka Mr. Money Mustache, is “Financial Freedom Through Badassity.”
Adeney takes humor and practical, real-world advice and turns them into blog posts and advice that readers have fun with yet take value from.
Frugal Framework
Mr. Money Mustache is a great blog for anyone who wants to uncover creative ways to save money and live more frugally without sacrificing everything they enjoy.
Often, you’ll find finance blogs that advise you to cut everything out to save money, but this isn’t one of those blogs. Instead, this blog is about creating a sense of balance while also living within your means and being able to save.
Media Coverage
If you’re going to take financial advice from a stranger, it’s always nice when they have a good reputation, and that’s something you’ll find with Adeney on his personal finance website.
Mr. Money Mustache has garnered a tremendous amount of attention from media outlets, including NPR, Forbes, CNNMoney, The Economist, Business Insider, and the Huffington Post
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My Money Blog by Jonathan Ping Review
The creation of Jonathan Ping’s My Money Blog is a simple, straightforward approach to personal finance. It offers a streamlined layout that a lot of readers would find appealing, simple navigation, and it’s packed with plenty of useful facts, reviews, and information.
This top personal finance website represents the work of Ping, who is a father, an investor, and someone who’s working toward retiring early.
Key Factors That Enabled Us to Rank This Website as One of the Top Personal Finance Blogs for 2017
Highlighted below are some of the reasons My Money Blog is included in this ranking of the top 10 2016 personal finance blogs.
Early Retirement
As mentioned above, one of the primary focuses of this particular finance blog is the quest for early retirement. Jonathan Ping takes an interesting approach to early retirement because he’s working to achieve this goal alongside his readers.
Ping has been researching and focusing his efforts on the idea of early retirement for almost a decade, and this is one of the best personal finance blogs for any reader interested in a similar objective.
Money Saving Guides
As you explore Ping’s My Money Blog, you’ll find he’s created an extensive list of incredibly helpful money saving guides. These posts are actionable tips to save money in a variety of areas while taking into account that readers also want to have some money they can set aside to splurge on certain items.
Each of the money saving guides is broken into categories which include housing, transportation, food, and cellular and landline phone service.
Some of the specific topics include:
- Getting Value for Your Food Dollar: Nutrition vs. Cost
- Trying to Eat out Less: Ideas on Reducing My Grocery Bill
- Which Fuel-Efficient Cars Are Worth the Extra Money
- How Many Square Feet Do You Really Need?
- Save Money by Moving? Top 10 Best Cities List
Asset Allocation Plan
Jonathan Ping has put together yet another helpful guide in addition to his specific money savings guides, which is a significant reason this website makes our list of the top personal finance blogs.
The Asset Allocation Plan provides readers with simple steps toward beginning investing.
The Asset Allocation Plan includes the following components:
- Disclaimer and General Philosophy
- Consider Simply Buying the Entire Market
- Efficient Frontier and Modern Portfolio Theory
- Deciding on the Stocks/Bonds Ratio
- Considering the Diversification Benefits of Small and Value Stocks
- Equity Asset Allocation: Comparison of 8 Model Portfolios
- Investing in Real Estate Through REIT
Wealth Pilgrim by Neal Frankie Review
Neal Frankie is a Certified Financial Planner, with more than 25 years’ experience in the industry. He started Wealth Pilgrim as a way to share his wisdom and expertise with a wider audience of readers.
Since launching the blog, Neal Frankie and Wealth Pilgrim have been featured in Forbes, SmartMoney, Investor’s Business Daily, and the Wall Street Journal, among other media outlets.
Key Factors That Enabled Us to Rank This Website as One of the Top Personal Finance Blogs for 2017
Highlighted below are some of the compelling features of Wealth Pilgrim, leading to its selection as one of the top 10 2016 personal finance blogs.
Ask Neal a Question
One of the sections of Wealth Pilgrim, one of our choices of top personal finance blogs, is “Ask Neal a Question.”
In this section, there is a sense of interactivity and communication with readers, which is an important driving force of the content published on Wealth Pilgrim.
Readers have the opportunity to send in their questions, and Neal Frankie will respond in a short time frame, which is incredibly appealing to readers who want the knowledge and expertise of a veteran of the finance industry.
Courses
As well as having posts and financial advice, Neal Frankie also features courses on this personal finance blog, which gives readers a more comprehensive way to explore topics and learn how to manage and take control of their finances.
A few of the available courses right now include “How to Retire Like the Wealthy” and “Raise Your Credit Score So You Can Buy a House.”
Money and Marriage
One topic area found on Wealth Pilgrim, which was completely distinctive and exclusive to this particular personal finance website, is “Money and Marriage.”
The Money and Marriage section of this finance blog features content on subjects aimed at helping married couple communicate and learn while sharing a financial life.
Some of the topics found in this section of the blog include:
- What to Do When Times Get Tough
- Cold Hard Facts About Money and Marriage
- How to Fix Your Dysfunctional Family Finances
- Marriage and Credit—How to Protect Yourself When Your Spouse Has Bad Credit
- When Frugal Becomes Dumb
Conclusion—Top 10 Personal Finance Blogs
While there may be thousands of personal finance blogs available to readers, not all are created equally in terms of providing reliable, quality information from a credible standpoint. The top personal finance blogs listed above check these boxes and many more.
This list of the best personal finance blogs featured above represents not only quality content and writing but also interesting subjects, objectivity, and a broad readership.
These top 10 personal finance blogs offer a range of perspectives, from people who have no professional financial expertise but may be writing about their own experiences to long-time veterans of the finance industry who want to share their insight with others.
This list is also diverse and features personal finance websites covering not just distinct topics but also offering unique styles and approaches.
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