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The Only Money Advice You'll Actually Listen To

Sarah Winfrey — Tue, 02 May 2017 09:00:09 +0000

Financial advice is not a one-size-fits all thing. Certain money tips — even those you read on this site — just won't apply to you. Don't get disheartened if this is the case. The trick is finding advice that you can directly implement in your own unique life circumstances. That's the advice you'll listen to, use, and benefit from the most.

How do you go about finding this best advice?

Advice that suits your lifestyle

Whatever financial advice you take has to align with your priorities, interests, and how you want to live. Otherwise, it probably won't work.

If you're a die-hard foodie, for example, trying to follow money advice that says you should cut out all food indulgences probably feels like torture. Or, how often do you hear money pros advise you to eliminate your morning latte? If you're a coffee lover, that often-touted tip is probably a total turnoff.

That's not an excuse to completely disregard anything you don't want to hear — you may be able to sacrifice more of those splurges than you realize at first. But you'll need to tailor the advice to fit in at least some of those things most important to you, or you won't follow it at all.

The same thing applies to your general lifestyle, too. For instance, there are a number of financial gurus out there who advocate a cash budget system. My husband and I have read all of this. We understand why cash works, how you're likely to spend less if you have to hand over paper, and how the system has saved people's financial lives.

But the advice just doesn't work for us. We don't have easy access to a fee-free ATM or a bank branch. We don't like carrying cash or having it around the house. We choose our credit cards consciously, based on benefits.

So, we don't take that advice. We know it won't work for us, so we don't waste our time trying to force it. On the other hand, we always use our credit cards responsibly and pay them off each month, because that does work for the life we live. (See also: 5 Simple Ways to Never Make a Late Credit Card Payment)

Advice from a person you can respect

It doesn't matter how sound the advice is. If you can't respect the person giving it, you won't follow it.

When you're looking for someone to listen to about money, don't just look at what they say — look at who they are. At the very least, make sure the person seems to have integrity, that they practice what they preach, and that they are well respected within their community.

Your best friend may be a great person, but if she's always in debt, she's probably not the best person to give you savings suggestions. Relatives may have their own agendas and biases that make their advice unsound for you.

Although professionals aren't infallible, they are disinterested parties that can usually give you objective advice. If it's a professional whose advice you read or hear about in the media, make sure they've got adequate credentials — either they've had personal experience in the subject they're talking about, or better yet, they have certifications that show they've studied the subject intensively.

If it's a professional you pay, those certifications are even more important. And be sure to understand how they're being compensated (are they fee-only, or commission-based?) so you know whether they are being financially swayed by anything other than your best interest. (See also: Who to Hire: Financial Planner or Financial Adviser?)

Advice in the right media format

Financial advice is available in almost every medium, so choose the one that's easiest for you to digest. After all, you have to understand and implement the advice in order for it to be valuable.

Some people like their financial advice in bite-sized snippets. If this is you, read a blog or website that features easy-to-read articles about money. If you prefer reading longer arguments and counterarguments, find a personal finance book.

Maybe you don't like to read at all, but would instead rather watch or listen. No problem: Check out a podcast or browse YouTube. Trust me, what you need is out there, you just have to search for it. (See also: The 8 Classic Personal Finance Books You Must Read)

Advice that's memorable

Financial advice doesn't just need to be a good fit for you — it also has to be something you can easily remember and use on the fly. If it doesn't stick in your brain, it's not going to help you with your finances. You'll forget you ever read or heard it, and go right back to your old money ways.

What makes advice memorable depends on — you guessed it — you. Do you like humor? Find some advice that's doled out with wit. Prefer deep thought? Find a financial philosopher. Like facts and figures? There are analysts and advisers who will run those numbers for you.

Trust me: There is solid financial advice out there for you that fits your preferences and lifestyle. You just have to find it.

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This article is from Sarah Winfrey of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Improve Your Finances Using Social Media

Andrea Cannon — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 09:00:11 +0000

Social media is about more than just looking at friends' baby photos, posting what you ate for dinner last night, and watching the most recent viral videos. It can actually help you improve your finances, land a new job, and reach your savings goals more efficiently. That's why we've found some of the best ways to improve your finances by getting the most out of social media. (See also: 6 Ways Social Media Can Save You Money)

"Friend" Your Credit Cards and Bank

Add your credit card issuers and bank to your social media accounts by "friending" or following them. Large institutions usually offer deals to followers, so you can enjoy a lower APR, higher savings interest rate, or other money-saving promos. In fact, according to U.S. News, social media is often the first outlet that banks choose to share news about upcoming deals.

Social media is also possibly the best way to get in touch with customer service quickly, as it will allow you to get their attention more easily. Just make sure to keep your account information, address, and any other private information off the message boards and social media pages.

Enjoy Travel and Shopping Deals

There are endless travel and shopping deals available through social media. Retailers often choose social media as the first outlet to announce upcoming sales, so their friends and followers are able to take advantage of the biggest discounts first. Followers are frequently offered early deals, as well.

You can find Twitter-specific deals that can save you on everything from rental cars and vacations to eating out and even buying gifts. Before going out to make any purchases, check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to make sure there aren't any deals that you're missing. You can even check social media hashtags, such as #deal, to find the best deals in your area.

Share Goals

Many financial experts recommend sharing your financial goals online. By setting your goals early and sharing them with the people you love, it can help you articulate what you really want and hold you accountable to achieve your goals. In fact, research has shown that making public statements about goals can help you achieve them more efficiently. However, you never want to reveal anything too personal, such as private information that fraudsters can use against you.

Get Money-Saving Tips

By following your favorite finance site on social media, you can find endless free money-saving tips and updates. You can also find forums and group discussions with unique money-saving ideas and encouragement from others. You can even find good financial and investment advice online.

Seeing these tips on a daily basis on your social media pages can also be a good reminder each and every day to protect your hard-earned income. After all, we all need a reminder once in a while that we don't really need that new top or expensive latte in the morning.

Find a New Job

LinkedIn can be an invaluable tool when you're searching for a new job. You can apply for jobs directly through LinkedIn, perfect your resume, and even reach out to potential employers and former colleagues. Contacting them through Facebook or Twitter won't be as effective or as professional as contacting them through LinkedIn.

With LinkedIn, once you have created a professional profile, employers and recruiters can even reach out to you with potential job offers. You can also join LinkedIn groups within your field so you are the first to know about potential opportunities. You can even add examples of your work, recommendations from current or previous coworkers, and any honors you've received to better build your online portfolio.

Make Connections

Networking through social media can result in better face-to-face communication, potential job offers, and endless contacts in your field. Simply following someone or sharing their social media posts can be a great first step in networking and making connections.

Build Your Brand

Whether you're promoting your personal business or services, or just want to build your reputation as the best in your field, posting on social media can be a great start. Just make sure to stay consistent so that you can reach as many followers as possible.

Research More Efficiently

Gone are the days of asking for financial suggestions from friends and coworkers. Whether you're looking for a new financial planner or would like information on which investments to make, you can find more information quickly through social media. With a simple social media search, you can find detailed research on the investment product or financial adviser you're interested in.

You can also find suggestions for dentists and other service providers in your area through social media. This will ensure you get what you're looking for and don't waste money.

Sell Your Items

If you create and sell items privately, such as through Etsy, social media can be a great free platform for you to advertise your products or services. This can help you bring in more revenue, reach new customers, and show off your work to a limitless audience.

Make Some Extra Income

There are even ways to make some extra income using social media. If you have a large following, you can publish sponsored tweets or sign up for affiliate accounts, where you will receive your own unique link to earn some extra income when followers make purchases using that link. (See also: 6 Ways to Make Extra Money Using Social Media)

Have you followed Wise Bread on social media yet? What are your best tips for improving your finances through social media? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Can You Really Make Money by Starting a Blog?

Nick Wharton — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 09:30:29 +0000

When people ask me what I do for a living and I reply, "I'm a travel blogger," I can pretty much see the confusion in their faces. They're thinking, How can a blog make money? Isn't that just a hobby? Who pays you? How much can you really make? Based on my own experience — and those of many other bloggers in different industries — I'm going to answer these questions (and more).

What Kinds of Blogs Make Money?

There are all sorts of blogs on the Internet and pretty much all of them have the potential to earn money.

You can make money from any type of blog if you actively search for income sources and monetize and market your blog in an efficient way.

How Many Blogs Are Out There?

According to WPvirtuoso.com, there is a blog created on the Internet every half-second. That's over 170,000 new blogs being created every single day! The same study also claimed that there were over 152 million blogs on the Internet in 2013. Given their calculation of a new blog every half second, in 2015, there would have been around 276 million blogs worldwide.

This may sound like a saturated market, and it is, but the vast majority of these blogs are hobbies, not careers. There are very few bloggers out there who are actively trying to earn a full-time income from their work, and thus, the competition is not as fierce as the above numbers would suggest. (See also: 22 Websites That Will Pay You to Write for Them)

Who Pays Bloggers?

Typically, bloggers earn income streams from many different sources, but overall, their earnings can be roughly broken down into three main categories.

1. Direct Advertising

This is when a company places a link or a banner ad on a blog. Typically, advertisers will pay a monthly or yearly fee for this placement. Banner ads can pay upwards of $300 a month, so if a blogger places three or four of these, the revenue will start to add up. Some blogs have 10-15 banner ads throughout their website, earning them thousands of dollars per month.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Another common source of blogging income is through affiliate sales. Basically, a blogger links to a product or service from their website. When a reader buys that product or service through that link, the blogger receives a commission.

There are affiliates for all sorts of businesses, like Amazon, Expedia, Alamo, and many more. For mommy blogs, affiliates may be for children's toys and craft products. For tech review blogs, their best affiliates are probably through online electronics stores.

3. Sponsorships

This is when a company pays a blogger in exchange for continuous promotion. It is not uncommon for bloggers to get paid to review free gear, free travel, and free services. The sponsorship opportunities are endless and can be available in many different industries.

How Many Hours Per Week Do Bloggers Work?

This varies greatly from blogger to blogger. Many people claim that they work upwards of 60 hours per week on their blogs! In my case, I left a high-paying, 60-hour per week job so that I could have more time doing what I love: traveling.

I work on my blog just four hours a day, five days per week... at the very most. The great thing about an efficient blog is that you don't have to put much time into it. Once it's built with a passive income model, it can typically earn money without very much work involved.

How Much Do Blogs Really Make?

Finally we get to the big question. Of course, the income that a blog can earn will depend entirely on the individual blogger, their work ethic, their niche, and the amount of readers that they have, but here are some good examples of real life bloggers making good money from their blogs.

Travel Blogging

My blog, GoatsOnTheRoad — and the freelance writing work that branches off from it — currently earns me over $10,000 per month after tax. With two people running the site 20 hours a week, that income works about to be about $62.50 per hour. I would consider Goats On The Road to be a relatively successful blog in the travel niche, but there are many others out there that earn much more than $100K per year from their travel blogs.

Caz and Craig earn a six-figure income from their fantastic yTravelBlog, and they also travel the world with their two adorable children.

Blogging Blogs

There is some huge money to be made from blogging about blogs! One of my favorites is Pat Flynn's SmartPassiveIncome. Pat is very open about his income because, like me, he wants people to know just how feasible a solid blogging career can be.

Pat earns over $1 million per year from his blog. He spends very little time on his computer and has lots of free time for his family. He is an inspiration to all bloggers and family men around the world.

Mommy Blogs

According to the Pew Research Center, there are more than 18.9 million women who write blogs. Of those nearly 19 million, very few are earning a full-time living from it. The top mommy blogs (like House of Rose Blog and Sunshine and Sippy Cups) make over $40,000 a year. That's a pretty good income considering they are able to stay home with their families all day and work in their pajamas!

Tech and Review Blogs

Probably one of the most lucrative and easily monetized forms of blogging, tech and review blogs make most of their money through affiliate sales. They review or talk about a product, and have an affiliate link to the product on their webpage. Every time someone reads the review and buys the product from their links, they earn a commission.

Tech Crunch is said to earn around $15,000 a day ($5,475,000 per year) through banner ads and affiliate sales, while Engadget earns around $9,800 per day ($3,577,000 per year).

Can Blogging Be a Career?

Absolutely. If you're looking for an alternative way to earn money, at a job that doesn't tie you into specific hours or one particular location, then blogging may be for you. There are opportunities available online that never existed in the pre-Internet world, and there is more than enough work to go around.

If you're looking for a change, you may want to consider blogging. With the most successful blogs earning over $1 million per year, it's definitely a feasible career choice.

Have you created a profitable blog? How did you get started? Share with us in the comments!

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This article is from Nick Wharton of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The 6 Best Financial News Sites for Investors in a Hurry

Qiana Chavaia — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:01:02 +0000

Good investment decisions start with industry knowledge, information, and research. And as an investor, you probably already understand that news moves markets. But being the busy person you are, you're probably already inundated with tasks, making sifting through the plethora of information feel like a job in itself.

Not sure where to get your investing news and information in a pinch? For our most time-conscious investors, here are the six best investments sites. (See also: Find the Investing Style That's Right for You)

1. Yahoo! Finance

Yahoo! Finance aggregates the latest financial news stories and market data onto a single platform, including the latest in international news and markets. Users can create a watchlist to follow their favorite stocks, and when they login, they can view all market updates and news for stocks they follow. I particularly like how this site also pulls the latest news stories pertaining to stocks that may have a positive or negative correlation to those you follow.

2. CNBC

The CNBC TV network delivers real-time financial market data and updates, all day. That same news, information, and more is also available at your fingertips online over at CNBC.com. I recommend that busy investors find time to tune-in to CNBC's programming and watch shows like Fast Money, Jim Cramer's Mad Money, Power Lunch, and others. These shows offer some of the most up-to-date coverage available and will help improve your analysis of markets. But if time's short, you can get video clips, articles, and other updates from those same shows' experts on the website.

3. Bloomberg

Bloomberg L.P. is where seasoned investors turn for some of the most trusted financial information. Bloomberg Markets keeps you informed by broadcasting news and analysis all day. For investors on the go, try any of Bloomberg's mobile apps, like Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Business, Bloomberg Businessweek, and more. For professional investors whose employers are footing the bill, Bloomberg also offers Bloomberg Professional, a subscription service featuring Bloomberg Terminal.

4. TheStreet

Created by CNBC's Mad Money host Jim Cramer (and Marty Peretz), TheStreet is a leading financial news site. But the real attraction to the site is founder Jim Cramer and his expert investment knowledge, from the Cramer Stock Picks Newsletter and blog to his investment portfolio and insights. I've watched him since 2007 and have been successful with many stock picks adapted from his show (your performance may vary, of course). The site's Action Alert PLUS is a subscription service that grants subscribers access to research provided by TheStreet's team of analysts for $349.95 per year.

5. Zacks

Founded in 1977, Zacks Investment Research is another leading financial news and research site committed to helping investors reach their investment goals. Some of the site features include Zacks Ranks, a list of the company's top stock picks, Zacks Education, a series of readings and video, and Portfolio Tracker, a service that lets you add holdings to your portfolio and receive free broker recommendations, company updates, email alerts, and more. And one of the main features of the site is its extensive Earning Per Share (EPS) data and analysis.

6. The Motley Fool

Like all of our best investment sites, The Motley Fool offers news, insights, and analysis. The site also offers virtual advisor services for an annual premiums of $149 to $2,000. Another feature of the site is its forum of individual investors sharing insights and tips through its various discussion boards.

The Wall Street Journal Digital Network (WSJDN) is also worth mentioning. The network includes the WSJ, of course, Barron's (which has been around as a leading financial news service since 1921), and MarketWatch, which offers several subscription-based financial newsletters such as Hulbert Financial Digest, Options Trader, Retirement Weekly, and ETF Trader.

Note: The sites suggested in this article were recommended in consideration of equity investors. Where you turn for market news and information should depend on your investment strategies.

Where do you go for investing news and resources?

This article is from Qiana Chavaia of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The Top 7 Blogs for Entrepreneurs

Damian Davila — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 14:00:04 +0000

Time is money. Nobody understands that better than U.S entrepreneurs and business owners. When asked on Reddit about the most painful problems they face on a day-to-day basis, most business owners complained about time — time to meet deadlines at a neck-breaking pace, time to collect payments from clients, time to keep the company books up to date.

Still, entrepreneurs and business owners know the importance of keeping up with the latest developments in entrepreneurship and learning from successful business leaders. For those that can't afford sitting down to read an entire book, here are the seven best blogs for entrepreneurs.

1. Seth's Blog

Efficient and effective are the best words to describe the blog posts from marketing expert Seth Godin. He has authored several bestsellers on marketing, such as Permission Marketing and Purple Cow, and on entrepreneurship, such as Tribes and The Icarus Deception.

At Seth's Blog, you can find tips on many business topics, including how to create additional revenue streams from freelancing, why it's important to maintain high quality at all times, and how to purchase advertising. Most of Godin's posts take less than five minutes to read, but they are guaranteed to get you thinking about key issues in entrepreneurship.

2. Occam's Razor

In his book Web Analytics: An Hour a Day, Avinash Kaushik provides a step-by-step guide on successful web analytics strategy for your business website. And as search engines tweak their search algorithms on a rolling basis and emerging social media companies rule the Internet, some data and processes require constant revision.

At the Occam's Razor blog, Kaushik provides analysis of important web analytics and digital marketing topics for entrepreneurs, such as how to use social media as a business. Unlike other bloggers, Kaushik backs up all his claims with actual data (he's a self-professed "web analytics ninja," after all!), utilizes plenty of screenshots (particularly useful for users of Google Analytics), and provides actionable takeaways. (See also: 5 Easy Ways to Make Extra Money Blogging)

3. Guy Kawasaki's Blog

Known as the father of evangelism marketing for his work with Apple in the early '80s, Guy Kawasaki is a prolific businessman and author. With 1.69 million followers on LinkedIn and 1.46 million followers on Twitter, Kawasaki is a thought leader in entrepreneurship, marketing, and PR.

While Kawasaki's blog skews a bit towards tech startups, his writing is still applicable to other industries. For example, he provides insights on the importance of scale in business, guidelines on how to excel at a conference panel, and tips for making your pitch rock.

4. 500 Hats

A member of the famous "PayPal Mafia" (he was the Director of Marketing at PayPal from 2001 to 2004), Dave McClure is a prominent entrepreneur and angel investor. McClure knows his stuff and helps run a fund that makes investments ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 in startups. At his blog 500 Hats (one of the most-read blogs by venture capitalists, according to the Wall Street Journal), he provides an inside view into the world of venture capitalism and angel investing.

For those looking to launch or optimize their startup, developing a good understanding of what investors are looking for in a startup is essential for survival. Startup owners can learn what makes investors tick at McClure's current and previous blog (Master of 500 Hats).

5. Gary Vaynerchuk's Blog

Owners of family businesses will find Gary Vaynerchuk to be an inspiration. In just five years, he took his family wine business from a respectable $3 million revenue operation to a $60 million revenue powerhouse.

Vaynerchuk is a big fan of no-nonsense advice and his blog is proof of that. Every single one of his posts provides an estimate of how long it will take you to read it (most reads are under four minutes). In addition of his blog, check out his #AskGaryVeeShow on YouTube in which he answers questions about marketing, social media, and entrepreneurship submitted via Twitter.

6. Kabbage Small Business Blog

When you're a small business owner, you have a lot of questions. A great place for finding the answer to many of those questions is the Kabbage Small Business Blog. (Disclaimer: Until December 2015, I contributed to this blog.) What makes this blog stand out from others is that it caters to minority small business owners, offering advice on finding funding options and providing success stories from peers.

From determining when you have enough money to hire your first employee, to how to improve your business credit score, to where to find grants for women-owned businesses, the Small Business Blog covers a wide variety of topics relevant to small business owners of all backgrounds.

7. Brian Solis

A digital analyst, anthropologist, and futurist, Brian Solis keeps an eye on the latest technological developments and their effects on business and marketing. Solis constantly seeks ways that businesses can leverage technology to improve the customer experience.

On the Brian Solis blog, you will find tips on how to deliver a better customer service experience, such as to stop making unsupported assumptions about your customers and to deliver a consistent customer experience across all channels. This is key because, after all, without customers you won't have a business.

What are your favorite blogs on entrepreneurship?

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This article is from Damian Davila of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Financial Experts People in Their 40s Should Follow

Linsey Knerl — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:00:31 +0000

I'm not quite 40 yet, but it is definitely creeping up on me. Fortunately, I've been listening to the sage advice of experts in the personal financial realm, and hearing good guidance for those approaching midlife. But which of these experts are best plugged-in to the needs of Gen X-ers?

We've got a list of the top experts for people in their 40s — all with wisdom that those in the prime of their life should follow:

1. William J. Bernstein

This expert comes highly recommended by Larry Ludwig of Investor Junkie (who is actually an expert in his own right). And why not? Mr. Bernstein has written many solid books on investing and the not-really-that-elusive "asset allocation" concept. He has a background as a medical doctor, but made a name for himself as a the author of The Four Pillars of Investing — a staple for anyone looking for the best books on financial matters. DIY investors really should check out William's work.

Favorite quote: "Risk, like pornography, is difficult to define, but we think we know it when we see it."

2. Mohamed El-Erian

This highly-respected commentator, fund manager, and former PIMCO head was put on my radar by Doug Bagwell of DB Advisers. Mohamed is probably best known for his bestselling book When Markets Collide, which earned numerous awards and is probably one of the reasons his columns are everywhere (including Bloomberg). If investment thinking outside national borders is your thing, you'll appreciate the big picture education you'll get from El-Erian's work.

Favorite quote: "The best and most sustainable love story for markets is one based on a healthy and dynamic real economy that creates jobs and opportunities for many more people."

3. Farnoosh Torabi

I'm probably biased on this expert, because I've met her a few times, and I think she really believes what she ways. I'm also just so completely in love with the message presented in her book When She Makes More: 10 Rules for Breadwinning Women, a very practical guide to handling the life challenges that come when the woman in a relationship outearns her partner. Many Gen X and older couples are finally realizing that the man may never get out of the "temporary" situation of under-employment brought about over the past 10 years, and that's really okay. Farnoosh's practical advice for overcoming and creating a new normal are pretty spot-on for couples in their 40s, no matter who brings home the bacon.

Favorite quote: "If you want to have both a rich life and harmony in your life, it is crucial that you master your finances AND your emotional connections to money."

4. Carl Richards

Author and blogger at Behavior Gap, Carl is also known as "The Sketch Guy." For anyone who has ever come to appreciate a good Murdoch Mystery, you can appreciate how writing your ideas on a blackboard (or napkin) can make for better understanding. Carl uses his gift of sketch to illustrate complex money concepts in a way that makes you feel like you've read a good comic — and not just received an education in financial planning. Be sure to check out his book Simple Ways to Stop Doing Dumb Things With Money, as well; it takes a look at all those dumb mistakes you've been making with your money, laying out the why and how in perfect black and white doodles.

Favorite quote: "History is so important. It has been said that the three most important words in the English language are 'Remember, remember, remember.'"

5. Gary Foreman

Sometimes, life experience (and being a former CFP) is what makes someone the best expert, and that's why Gary of The Dollar Stretcher makes this list. His newsletter, which debuted in 1996, is still going strong in the form of a blog, email list, and thriving online community. The topics, including frugality, financial planning, and simply living life to the fullest, are popular with readers from every walk of life. Those over 40 should take particular interest in the fact that Gary is one of the few bloggers to specifically address issues of the Baby Boomer generation and certain end-of-life issues. As Gen X-ers find themselves caring for their Boomer parents, this advice will become increasingly important, especially as it relates to the finances of both parent and child.

Favorite quote: "Change is what I make of it. I can look for danger or opportunity. My job is to find the opportunity and take steps to make that the reality."

Do you have a favorite experts that we forgot? We'd love to hear who is inspiring you in the best years of your life!

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Best Websites to Help You Retire Early

Julie Rains — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 11:00:10 +0000

You've likely heard dire warnings that many Americans may never be able to retire at their current level of meager savings. But you can beat these odds and even retire early if you structure your life and finances properly. And the sound (though sometimes quirky) suggestions of online early retirement sensations like Mr. Money Mustache can help you get there.

If you're interested in achieving financial freedom and independent wealth at an early age, check out his website and these four other early retirement blog favorites.

1. Mr. Money Mustache

An aggressive saver and index-fund investor, Pete, aka Mr. Money Mustache, and his wife retired in 2005 while in their 30s. Frustrated with questions about his money-saving techniques, he decided to share his knowledge through his website.

Mr. Money Mustache dissects the rationale and habits of early retirees, fights against hyper-consumption, and advances the early retirement lifestyle. He doesn't mind being viewed as different or even controversial as evidenced by articles such as "What Does Your Work Truck Say About You?," "Chasing Electrical Demons to Cut Your Power Bill by 80%," and "Great News: You're Allowed to Have Only One Kid!"

As a (tongue-in-cheek) cult leader, he has assembled a significant number of members who bond to his fanaticism for achieving "Financial Freedom Through Badassity." Learn from fellow "mustachians" by posing questions and exploring collective wisdom in his forum, one of the most valuable sections of this website.

2. FinancialMentor

Former hedge fund investment manager turned financial coach Todd R. Tresidder offers a wealth of resources for aspiring early retirees at FinancialMentor. Todd lived simply and invested smartly in his youth while working in the financial services industry, achieving millionaire status and retiring at age 35.

Today, Todd enjoys financial freedom while mentoring others along a path of accumulating wealth, developing multiple streams of income, and experiencing the personal transformation that happens as a result of financial independence. His website contains free resources, which include retirement calculators, articles like "12 Tips to Build Wealth for Early Retirement," and podcasts with financial and retirement experts, such as Wade Pfau, PhD, CFA, and Professor of Retirement Income with the American College of Financial Services.

You can also discover paid resources through the site, such as Todd's 60 Minute Financial Solutions book series that includes How Much Do I Need to Retire?

Todd breaks down and simplifies complex financial topics, and, when appropriate, disavows conventional wisdom. Further, he provides you with actionable steps to achieve financial freedom focused largely on securities investing.

3. The Military Guide

Retired veteran and the author of The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement, Doug Nordman offers finance-related insights for the unique needs of the military community at The Military Guide website. Doug opted for early retirement after 20 years of active service, passing up the opportunity for a bridge career involving transition to the civilian workforce.

In his blog, Doug confesses that he made lots of mistakes in his personal financial life. Nevertheless, diligent and consistent savings, along with a military pension, allowed him to retire early. Today, he spends time surfing in Hawaii, traveling, writing, and promoting his book (royalties benefit military charities).

His engaging and self-deprecating style allows you to learn from his experiences, as evidenced in "How to Get Kicked Out of Tricare" (military health care program). You can also gain knowledge to make informed decisions by considering pros and cons of various retirement-related paths through articles such as "Stay for 30 or Retire at 27?" which references years of service, not years of living.

4. Afford Anything

In the midst of a successful but unfulfilling career in journalism, Paula Pant decided to pursue personal and professional interests on her own terms. She became financially independent at age 30 by parlaying profits from a writing and marketing firm into $1 million worth of real estate investments, which generate passive income that sustains her lifestyle.

At the Afford Anything website, Paula writes about her business ventures and life adventures. She encourages readers to develop sources of passive income based on their strengths and interests. However, she focuses on her experiences in real estate. You can read about entering the vacation rental business as an AirBnB host, plus find guidance on buying and managing rental properties through articles such as determining if a house is a good investment.

At her website, affording anything (though not everything) is emphasized, not necessarily early retirement. However, those who are interested in retiring before 65 should find both inspiration and instruction to become financially free as early as possible.

5. Go Curry Cracker

Supersavers and married couple Winnie and Jeremy explore the world while educating readers on the financial and location independent lifestyle through their blog, Go Curry Cracker. They saved more than 70% of their income for 10 years while working in traditional jobs. During this time, they built an investment portfolio that generates income for their expenses.

At the website, you'll find tips on optimizing your tax situation (including techniques for harvesting capital gains in order to increase the cost basis of your holdings, positioning you for lower taxes in the future) and limiting your fixed expenses through techniques such as car-free living. Mainly, though, you'll get inspiration for aggressively and wisely managing your financial situation so you can enjoy your days in early retirement.

Retiring early may be within your reach. Visit these websites to learn how to live and spend intentionally, invest wisely, avoid wealth-robbing pitfalls, and enjoy life before and during retirement.

Which other early retirement online resources do you read and recommend?

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This article is from Julie Rains of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Don't Forget to Nominate Your Favorite Blogs for the 2013 Plutus Awards

Ashley Jacobs — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 10:24:15 +0000

Nominations for The 4th Annual Plutus Awards are officially underway! The amazing Luke Landes (aka Flexo) from Consumerism Commentary is bringing back the awards for a fourth time to recognize the best personal finance blogs from around the web!

What makes being nominated for a Plutus Award (and just the awards in general) so awesome? Journalist Donna Freedman explains:

It really IS an honor to be nominated for a Plutus because it means other writers are not just reading you, they're remembering you. Your words have made an impact. That's why I was delighted to win the 2011 "best blog contributor/freelance writer." Approximately six bajillion articles get published online every day. To be noticed, to be remembered -- well, it made me a little sniffly. In addition to the ego strokes, the annual competition is a great chance to help other writers. If you think the world should know about, say, IPickUpPennies.net -- just to pull a name out of thin air* -- because it's a "Best Kept Secret" kind of blog, then you can nominate that site and get other people over there to read it.

Thanks, Flexo, for creating a showcase for our words. Plenty of people do this for love, not for money; relatively few can make a real living writing. That makes the awards even more important: You're getting noticed for something that you do for readers, week in and week out, in addition to your day job.

*Okay, so I didn't exactly pull it out of thin air. But I still think you should vote for it.

Nominations opened on August 11th and will end on September 23rd. You can make your nominations here! Finalists will be revealed on October 1st, then a panel will vote for the winners in each category. Winners will be revealed at The Plutus Awards Ceremony at FinCon13, hosted by the extremely talented and hilarious Kevin from Thousandaire! (Spoiler Alert: I will be performing in the opening musical number along with a few other personal finance bloggers, don't miss it!)

You can make up to three nominations per category. The categories are as follows:

Best New Personal Finance Blog
Best Personal Finance Blog for Young Adults
Best Personal Finance Blog for Retirement
Best Designed Personal Finance Blog
Best Green/Sustainability Personal Finance Blog
Best Canadian Personal Finance Blog
Best International Personal Finance Blog
Best Religious Personal Finance Blog
Best Investing-Focused Personal Finance Blog
Best Debt-Focused Personal Finance Blog
Best Frugality-Focused Personal Finance Blog
Best Tax-Focused Personal Finance Blog
Best-Kept Secret Personal Finance Blog
Best Multimedia for a Personal Finance Blog
Best Personal Finance Micro-Blog
Best Researched Personal Finance Blog
Best Collaborative Blogger Project
Most Humerous Personal Finance Blog
Best Blog Contributor or Freelance Writer
LIfetime Achievement Award
Blog of the Year

Be sure to take some time to nominate your favorite blogs!

This article is from Ashley Jacobs of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

15 Career Advice Sites You Should Know About

Carlos Portocarrero — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:48:56 +0000

There are thousands of sites out there filled with career advice. From figuring out what you want to do and effectively networking to helping you get paid what you deserve, these sites can help you not only land a job you love, but do it better than everyone else. (See also: 25 Awesome Websites to Help You Get a Job)

For Beginners

Don't know where to start? If you're straight out of college and feel like you need a place to grasp the basics, these sites are perfect places to begin.

Job Searching at About.com

There are lots of basics on About.com's Job Searching Site; it's a good place to start and get a little bit of everything nailed down. If you have no clue about writing a resume or what happens on an interview, this is a good primer.

Businessweek: Managing Your Career

Businessweek's Managing Your Career site has a variety of articles and really nice sections along the right-hand side, like articles from the Harvard Business Review. Overall, it’s like the next step up from the About.com site with lots of general advice.

Brazen Careerist Blog

A great source of advice geared towards young professionals and college students. They’ve got great insight on relatively new issues like social media and networking in a digital age. Sample Post: How to Take That Dream Trip While Boosting Your Career

Salary Comparison Sites

Whether you're looking for a new job or want a raise at your current one, it's crucial that you know what the market is paying. Otherwise you're guessing — and if you try to negotiate without any solid data, you aren't going to make a good case. These sites have the best salary information out there.

Salary.com

Salary.com has a bunch of stuff on it, but the reason why it’s great is that getting a salary estimate for a specific job is very fast. Type in the job name and your city, and you’re done.

Glassdoor.com

This site is similar to Salary.com, only Glassdoor has a job-search engine better integrated into their site. You can also read about each company, its interview process, and reviews by other candidates. It's Salary.com on steroids.

Payscale.com

Their content is a little better than Salary.com, but the reason you’re here is to get another data point and an idea of what a position is being paid in your city. Payscale asks you for more information before spitting out the number, but it's still worth it.

Indeed.com

They have some cool trending charts that are pretty interesting, but (again) the reason I like Indeed is because it’s very fast and easy to get a salary estimate by simply entering the position and the city — maybe the fastest of the bunch.

Networking

Some people think of networking as something sleazy — doing a favor in exchange for another favor. Networking is simply knowing people and being known in exchange. These sites are the best way to add new contacts and keep in touch with your current connections.

Facebook

People don’t think of Facebook when they think of networking (they pair LinkedIn with work and Facebook with play). But that’s the wrong mentality to have when it comes to networking. Networking is about socializing, and that’s what Facebook is all about.

LinkedIn.com

Until you clean up your Facebook profile, LinkedIn is a great way to expand your work contacts. From your former classmates to employees at the company you’d like to work for, you’ll likely find a way to add some valuable contacts to your network.

Your Alumni Network

Google the school you graduated from (grad or undergrad, it doesn’t matter) followed by “alumni network.” Now sign up and follow the instructions to verify you’re an actual alum. Most schools will have a tool that allows you to search other alums and connect with them. Having a school in common is a great buffer to starting a mutually beneficial relationship.

Work Hacks

These are some great sites with fantastic career advice.

Lifehacker

Lifehacker is all about finding ways to create shortcuts that make us all more productive, and their career section is filled with helpful tips. Sample post: How to Use LinkedIn to Increase Your Hirability

Tim Ferris's Four Hour Workweek Blog

Tim doesn’t update as frequently as other sites, but this is a great place to shake you out of the everyday. It's always good to be a little bit “out there,” and Tim does that well. Sample post: 8 Steps to Getting What You Want Without Formal Credentials

The Corner Office (From The New York Times)

One of my favorite features out there, the weekly Corner Office column interviews a high-level executive to find out what they’ve learned and how they’ve achieved success. It's incredibly insightful and the inspiration for my own Ninja Employee Newsletter. Sample Post: Fostering a Culture of Dissent

Workawesome

Like Lifehacker, Workawesome focuses on practical content — things you can do right now to make your job better and boost your career. From dealing with coworkers to saving time, they have something for everyone. Sample post: How to Deal with Difficult People

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Ramit isn’t shy about telling you what works and what’s a big waste of time. His blunt style might not jibe with some, but his honesty and intense focus on results is refreshing. The site sounds like a scam, but he’s anything but. Sample post: How I Helped a Friend Find Her Dream Job...Twice

Did I miss any good ones? Please mention your favorite career sites in the comments!

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This article is from Carlos Portocarrero of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Key Social Media Findings That Affect Your Business

Glen Stansberry — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:06:25 +0000

Link:

http://www.openforum.com/articles/5-key-social-media-findings-that-affect-your-b...

The Nielsen group recently came out with a fantastic report on social media usage in 2011, and the findings were a bit surprising. Sure, there were a few no-brainers like “U.S. internet users spend more time on Facebook more than any other site,” but buried in the report were some interesting nuggets. That may have a major impact on your business. These are five of the most interesting facts the study uncovered about how we use social networks.

1. Americans spend most of their time online on social network and blogs.

We all knew that Americans spent a lot of time on Facebook, but to put this into perspective, we only spend about 7.6 percent of our time checking email. We spend almost three times (23 percent) more time on blogs and social networks than checking email.

The report also shows that 4 out of 5 active American internet users visit social networks and blogs, and blogs and social networks are used by over three quarters of active internet users (across 10 major global markets).

There are a couple key takeaways from this.

If you're not building up profiles on social networks for your small business, you're already behind. Your customers are already there, talking about you, waiting for you to respond. Go meet them!
Blogs are still very important for small businesses. I can't stress this enough. Successful online businesses or destinations have blogs. They're great for communication, evergreen content, and even search engine optimization. People haven't stopped reading blogs like some might like you to believe.

2. 70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online.

If an adult is on a social network, odds are she is somewhat computer savvy. She'll spend more time online than the "average intent user", doing things like checking email, reading news sites and blogs, chatting, and shopping.

If I was marketing a product, I'd make certain that I was marketing it on social networks. You have to sell where your buyers are, and a lot of them are on social networks.

3. 53 percent of active adult social networkers follow a brand; only 32 percent follow a celebrity.

Most people still subscribe to the myth that Twitter and Facebook are only for teens to follow celebrities talking about the daily activities of their cats. Not true... The people who most likely will be buying your products, (or are at least old enough to have a credit card), are looking for your brand on sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Adults have made it clear that they want to follow brands across social networks.

4. 60 percent of social media users create reviews of products or services.

Consumers on social media rely on the recommendations of their friends or peers. They're also more likely to write reviews of your product or service. Active social media users greatly influence the shopping habits of their friends. Example: If my buddy from work says your product stinks, I'm probably not going to buy it. It's not a question of are they talking about your brand. They're talking about you. The question is: how are they talking about your products? Are you listening? Are you communicating with them?

5. The number of mobile internet users is up 47 percent from last year.

Is your site optimized for mobile usage? Mobile usage is exploding across social networks. Here are a few more interesting facts from the study:

Twice as many people aged 55+ visit social networking sites on their mobile phone than did last year;
Mobile internet audience for social networking sites is up 62 percent since last year;
2 in 5 social media users access these services from their mobile phones.

Mobile usage is real, and it could greatly help or hurt your online business. Consider this: as people write reviews and discuss your product on social networking sites, their friends and followers read and click through to your product. From there, the mobile experience on your site could encourage people to buy your product, or quickly send them away.

Key Takeaways

What exactly does this mean for your business?

If your business doesn't have a strong presence in social media or blogging, start today. Don't wait. You're missing out on connections with customers, brand satisfaction, and more sales. People are talking about your brand. Make sure you're there to respond.
Mobile usage across key age groups is exploding. If you don't have a mobile site of some sort, you need to build one. Loading traditional webpages from the phone takes much longer, and those who want to buy on the phone want instant gratification. Create a fast and simple experience that allows mobile users to learn more about your product and buy right from their phones.

Glen Stansberry is currently building Appsourced, an application that makes finding apps easier.

This article is from Glen Stansberry of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Blogs are Not Second Class

Linsey Knerl — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:06:29 +0000

Those of you who have come to know Wise Bread and Parenting Squad are probably aware that they are blogs – Killer Aces Media FairBlogs ™ to be exact. So what’s the big deal? Apparently, in some web circles, blogs are nothing to be impressed by.

I was cruising the web, checking weather forecasts and local news, when I stumbled upon a website that had all the makings of a bookmarked favorite. There were daily updates with conversational style and links to many resources that I would find useful in my daily life. It was professional and had flair. It was, in fact, one of the best blogs I’ve ever taken the time to read.

I did a quick check at the FAQ’s in hopes of learning more about the content creators, when I was startled by an answer that rang my bell. In answer to the question, “I like your blog, can I link to you?” the editor’s response was curt. The website, was “not a blog.” Then the reader was directed to the official “blog” of the editor, an online journal of trips to the grocery store and updates on well-baby checks.

Odd, isn’t it? In a time when blogs are becoming the most efficient method for keeping websites up-to-date, many self-made gurus of the old school web-template format feel the need to bristle at the mention of “blog.” Somewhere along the line, blogs have only become attributed to mommies, poets, and corporate marketing strategy. How is this possible?

Wiki defines “blog as “a portmanteau of web log”. So all I have to do to qualify as a blog is keep regular updates on my website? I don’t necessarily have to use Blogger or Typepad? I can omit mentions of my son’s soggy diaper or pictures of my latest family gathering? Blogs can be useful sources of information on all kinds of subjects?

Apparently so.

I understand that as bloggers, we have evolved from the earliest forms of online journaling. There was much excitement over a way to communicate both the mundane and odd bits of life with millions of potential readers. Since 2001, however, blogs have been used to enlighten the world with the intellect, emotion, and sincerity of thousands of experts and non-experts with more than just a tale to tell. They have been used to educate on topics ranging from politics, health, news, education, celebrity, and the details of nuclear physics.

Blogs have finally made it.

So what do I say to those who wish to “poo-poo” away the merits of bloggers and the virtual homes where they live? You might want to consider joining us.

With information changing quicker than the monthly newsletter or corporate website can keep up with, maybe blogging is the solution for you. With every quality post, you are helping to bring credibility to this new voice of the masses. Who knows? Your customers and readers may even like it.

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Getting Rich Slowly: Interview with JD Roth

Andrea Karim — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:30:05 +0000

JD Roth is a familiar face in the world of personal finance blogging. He started his site, Get Rich Slowly, in 2005, writing about his own experiences in trying to build personal wealth without gimmicks. He has since developed a loyal following readership, and has continued to build his site around personal finance. I asked JD to tell us a little about his personal transformation into a money-wise, financially-savvy blogger.

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You write one of the most popular personal finance blogs on the internet. What do you think it is about your content that people respond to so positively?

I think there are several things at work here. First, I'm just an average guy. I'm not some financial guru. I wasn't born to wealth. My family was poor, and I made things worse by making stupid mistakes when I was a young adult. I've been where a lot of my readers are now. People can relate to my journey.

Also, I tend to write about a variety of subjects. If I were writing about the best credit card deals and high-interest savings accounts all day, it would bore me to tears. Don't get me wrong, there's a place for sites like that, but I couldn't write one. I think people like seeing personal finance covered from a variety of angles.

Finally, I've been fortunate to pick up a large readership, one that includes some great folks with interesting financial experiences. I'm very open to sharing reader stories on my site. If somebody makes a great comment on a post, I will sometimes work with the author to turn it into an actual article. I field reader questions. I accept guest posts. I think all of these things help foster a community of like-minded people.

Oh yeah -- I like to think that I write well. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I work hard to be a clear, effective communicator. That helps.

Are you actually rich? Do you believe that you, personally, know what it takes to accumulate wealth? In other words, what makes you so special, finance-wise?

Ha!

Okay, maybe that's not a funny question. My first reaction is, "No way! I'm not rich!" But when I think about it, maybe I am. Certainly I am when compared to most of the world. But to answer the question I think you're asking:

Before starting Get Rich Slowly, I was an average middle-class guy struggling to make ends meet. I was living paycheck-to-paycheck. As I mentioned before, I was raised in a poor family. Through hard work and good fortune, I've managed to create a firmly middle-class life for myself. I was raised poor, have lived middle-class, and am working toward becoming rich.

Do I know what it takes to accumulate wealth? I don't know. I'm *learning* what it takes to accumulate wealth. I can see positive results in my own life that have come from following the advice I preach. I think what makes me special finance-wise is that I'm an average guy struggling to reach the same destination that my readers are trying to reach. I'm experimenting with things as I go along. I'm sharing my results.

By the way, one thing I feel that I don't convey strongly enough at GRS is that *entrepreneurship is awesome*. If you have a talent or skill, brainstorm ways that it can produce income for you. Start a side business. This is one of the best ways to pursue wealth, yet I'd guess 95% of people completely ignore the suggestion to look into entrepreneurship. They think it's not for them. That's too bad. I think it's for everyone...

OK, OK. So being "rich" isn't just about being wealthy, but everyone's definition of "rich" is a little different. How would you define it for yourself?

This is something I've been struggling with lately. Now that I'm nearly debt free, I'm preparing to set other financial goals. But what will they be? Do I really want to be "rich"? And what do I mean by that?

In the past, I always thought that a person with a big house and a fancy car was rich. Now I understand that material wealth just means a person spends a lot. They may or may not be wealthy. Aside from a few things -- a MINI Cooper, for example -- I don't really covet material goods anymore. Instead, I value time, both alone and with friends. So, for me "rich" now means freedom to do what I want.

Do you still have a day job, or are you blogging full-time?

Ah, what a deep question. You probably thought it was innocuous, didn't you? :)

The answer is yes and yes. That is, I do have a day job, and I do blog full time. You do the math. It's not a pretty picture. Actually, I do have a timeline to begin cutting back at the day job. Beginning 01 Jan 2008, I'm dropping to 29 hours a week. This is a scary move for me -- the day job is a Sure Thing, you know? But GRS is producing enough income now that I can cut back at the day job and not feel the pinch so sharply. And by cutting back, I'll be able to have large uninterrupted blocks of time to write. Large uninterrupted blocks of time are golden.

You mentioned being raised poor. How do you think your upbringing influenced your financial habits, if it did at all?

It had a *huge* impact. Because we didn't have much, I grew up as a hoarder. I wanted to keep everything I could get. When I got older and had access to credit, I felt like I had to buy anything I wanted. On some level, I guess I thought that if I *didn't* buy the things I wanted, I might not be able to later. Speaking with other folks who were raised poor, many have had similar reactions. Unfortunately, we don't realize we're doing this until it's too late, and we're up to our eyeballs in debt.

Looking back, I can see that part of the reason we were poor is because my parents were spenders. It's true that my family had a low income, but my parents did nothing to keep what little money they earned. My father bought all sorts of toys -- boats, airplanes -- and then had to sell them when he couldn't afford payments.

Being raised poor warped my concept of money, I think.

What was it that caused you to decide to make a change from the paycheck-to-paycheck existence?

The answer to this is complex.

In 1998, it looked like my wife and I might move across the country so that she could go back to school. When I looked at my financial situation, though, I realized that this would put me in a terrible bind. I had too much debt. This prompted me to cut up my credit cards.

I carried that debt for a long time, making minimum payments, etc. Eventually I converted the debt to a home equity loan. This reduced the payments and gave the debt a finite horizon -- in ten years it would be paid off. Though I no longer accumulated credit card debt, I still found ways to spend. I took out private loans. I spent everything in my paycheck (and sometimes more).

Finally, about three years ago I read Your Money or Your Life, and then The Total Money Makeover. These two books were wake-up calls. I sat down and drew up a plan to get out of debt. For a year or so, I just fumbled around. I made some progress, but not as much as I'd hoped. Then, in the spring of 2006, I read a couple of other personal finance books. As PF books, they're not much, but at the time, they spurred me to action. Now, eighteen months later, I'm nearly debt free.

So, there wasn't any one thing that made me change from a paycheck-to-paycheck existence.

What was the best financial move you made to transition from someone who was struggling to make ends meet to someone who is financially solvent?

This is a tough question. There are a couple of good answers.

First, I began to educate myself. I read books about personal finance. I read magazines. Second, I implemented Dave Ramsey's "debt snowball". Finally, I started Get Rich Slowly.

Regarding entrepreneurship, do you have a single piece of advice that you would offer people who are thinking of starting a business on the side?

Take the leap! Starting a side business is scary. You're not sure what to do. But you learn as you go. It's a risky thing, but risk brings reward. If you have something you're passionate about, begin making small steps toward turning it into a money-making venture. Do one thing every day to lead you toward that goal. Don't be scared. Ask questions. Have fun!

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

It's the linkster! The linkmeister!

Andrea Karim — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:25:33 +0000

It's time for our weekly round-up of linky love. As always, if you feel you've been unfairly left off the list, please let us know by emailing our editors at tips@wisebread.com.

Ivy at Home Ec 101 gave us some serious love. Thanks, Ivy!

Jessica Okon's free stuff post got a mention in the Carnival of Personal Finance on The Digerati Life, and another one on the Festival of Frugality, hosted by Frugal Upstate.

Fabulously Broke in the City linked to my story about resisting impulse beauty buys.

The Digerati Life was sending us SO much love this week, also linking to Jessica Harp's story about fine dining on a budget.

Will gets what I believe is our first Russian blog mention. Of course, we have no idea what they are saying, but I do believe that it's a translation of the following interview round-up from Productivity501. Spaciba! We think!

The Simple Dollar linked to our "Worst Financial Mistakes" post. Much obliged.

KC Lau, a Malaysian-based PF blogger, didn't seem to think that our Frugal/Wrong ideas were THAT wrong.

Gretchen Rubin at The Happiness Project just seems to like us overall. That makes us happy, and in turn, makes Gretchen happy. Or something like that.

Blogher noticed my article on edible weeds - thanks for the linkage!

Photo by Alanna Ralph.

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Using WordPress for Blogging and More

Ed O'Reilly — Tue, 29 May 2007 08:35:44 +0000

This article provides some instructions for anyone who would like to set up a basic website for themselves, but who does not have much experience with HTML, CSS, PHP, etc.

Much to the chagrin of some designers and programmers, there’s a variety of easy-to-use software available that makes building and publishing a blog or website easy for anyone, regardless of experience, to do. With a few clicks, you can make your own attractive and easy-to-maintain website for personal or business use.

It’s a drag-'n-drop, cut-'n-paste WYSIWYG world, folks.

While everyone has a preference, this article will focus on WordPress.

WordPress is one of many blogging platforms available and it’s free, easy to install, has an intuitive interface and has a lot of extensibility with a growing number of design themes and plugins available. Many people use it for blogging, but it can be used to build a website that allows the site owner(s) a great deal of flexibility, as far as creating new sections, adding functionality and features (with the free plugins), and adding and editing content without having to update all the other pages in the site.

Start Me Up

To get started, you need to have a domain name on a server that supports PHP and MySQL. Before you sign up for a plan, ask your hosting company if you can install WordPress on their servers, just to make sure they can support it. Then choose a plan that specifies Linux (as opposed to Windows) for PHP support.

Some hosts, like GoDaddy , offer WordPress as part of a number of tools you can use with your account, and you can install with just a few steps right thru their site. If you plan on using WordPress as the ‘engine’ to run your site, you want to install it in the root (i.e. main) directory; if you plan on using it as a blog as an addition to your site which has its own separate HTML pages, you would install it into its own directory (e.g. www.yoursite.com/blog, where ‘blog’ is the directory where you install WordPress).

If you decide to install it on your own, but aren’t 100% sure if you’re doing it correctly, follow WordPress’s ‘Famous 5-Minute Install’ instructions and you should be up and running in… well, about 5 minutes. Or you could try and have someone install it for you.

Make It Look Cool

Your new site looks like a generic blog, but now you can look for a new design theme. You can choose from a variety of styles based on parameters you choose, like 1 column, 2 column, green, red, left sidebar, right sidebar, etc. You can even choose a few and download them if you want to change your theme after you’ve installed it.

If you don't have one already, you’ll need an FTP client to install and apply your theme. Depending on your computer platform, you can search a site like VersionTracker for the software. Some are free, some are commercial or shareware; you can choose based on your needs, rating, cost, etc. If you are using a program like Dreamweaver, you just create a new site and you can use the interface and FTP function to manage your files and uploads.

Login to your server and upload your theme (in its folder) to the folder ‘themes’ located inside the ‘wp-content’ folder. When you login to your Dashboard thru your browser, go to “Presentation” and you’ll see the theme(s) you’ve installed. Choose one and you’re all set… for now.

One of the keys to making the site more than just one page with entries on it is to create Pages. WordPress sums up pages best (of course!):

Pages in a Nutshell
What Pages Are
• Pages are for content that is less time-dependent than Posts.
• Pages can be organized into pages and SubPages.
• Pages can use different Page Templates which can include Template Files, Template Tags and other PHP code.

What Pages are Not
• Pages are not Posts nor are they excerpted from larger works of fiction. They do not cycle through your blog's main page, nor can they be associated with Categories.
• Pages are not files. They are stored in your database just like Posts are.
• Although you can put Template Tags and PHP code into a Page Template, you cannot put these into the content of a Page and expect them to run. (Note: You can achieve this by using a PHP evaluating Plugin such as RunPHP (http://dev.wp-plugins.org/wiki/RunPHP). See also the list of Posts Formatting Plugins.)

Basically, you create sections like “Who We Are” or “My Photography Portfolio” when you create pages. You add a post to a page that you’d like to be more static (as opposed to a page that will be constantly changing as new posts are added, like a news page).

If you want one of your pages (say, “What We Do”, for example) to always be your home page, but you’d like to add posts to another page (say, “News”) you set this up on the Dashboard > Options > Reading page in your admin area. Choose ‘Static Page’ where it says “Front Page Displays”, specify “What We Do” to be the front page and “News” to be the Posts page.

You can explore more areas of the Dashboard to customize your site more, and even edit the theme under Presentation > Theme Editor. Here you can change the color of the text, links, etc. A piece of advice, though: before you start messing with the code, copy and paste it to a text document so you have the original in case you need to start over.

Whew! So, that’s about it for basic setup. I know, I know… “simple” should be less wordy, right? But once you set up your hosting account, install WordPress correctly and upload your theme, you’ll get the hang of fine-tuning the site to make it look like exactly what you want.

Next time: some must-have plugins and adding your own search engine.

This article is from Ed O'Reilly of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Link-o-rama

Andrea Karim — Wed, 23 May 2007 01:01:44 +0000

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who linked to our blog posts over the past week. We couldn't do it without you. And if we could, we wouldn't anyway. THAT'S how strong our love is.

Thanks to Lifehacker for picking up Sarah's post, and for not jacking the entire post like SOME OTHER BLOGS I WON'T MENTION.

Our guest blogger Leo officially wins the Linked by a Foreign Language Website Contest of the week, having gotten a mention on 16secrets. 16 Secrets purports to be about "Amour, argent, santé et sexe!", which I think is something we can all get behind. So to speak. Leo also graciously linked to the article from his own site, Zen Habits, thus assuring another round of ecstatic readers in the frugal mindset.

A special thanks to The Simple Dollar for frequently mentioning us in his daily roundups (e.g. Jessica, Maly, and Andrea). We freaking LOVE that site.

Thanks to FreelanceSwitch for giving us such a warm mention! We're hoping to move beyond the "best little-known" category sometime soon!

Paul's got some big mentions from MSN's clicked blog, which makes all of us swoon and call for the smelling salts.

My baby carrots story got some good traffic, and we owe it to Dr. Mercola, cookthink, Matt Bites and megnut, and the grandaddy of them all - Joel of Dethroner. We all experienced what could be described as a collective geekgasm over that one.

Will would like to thank Cynical-C, Crooks and Liars, and Makezine blog for including his Mother's Day post. Will also got a mention on the SCOTUSblog, for his story explaining the climactic scene in Trading Places. Frankly, we're all in awe that he got it all sorted out, but SCOTUSblog, people! Will claims that this is the closest that he will ever get to the Supreme Court, but we still have hope that he will sue or be sued all the way up the circuits - we pulling for you, Will!

Will's article about why co-op blogging is da bomb also got mention on Brain Based Business.

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: