The Best Personal Finance Blogs (You Should Be Reading!)

A list of the best personal finance blogs that you should start reading now to get started (or continue) on your journey to financial freedom.

I started reading personal finance blogs back in 2015 and it has changed my life. The very first blog I read was Financial Samurai, run by Sam Dogen. 

I’ve always been frugal for as long as I can remember. I grew up a garage sale kid…my sister and I used to spend weekends scouring thrift shops and garage sales with my mom (whether we wanted to or not). 

And I still love to browse a thrift store. And check the sale rack in the grocery store. And buy the generic brands…you know, all that stuff.

But when I discovered personal finance sites, a whole new world was open to me.

I maxed out my 401K once I started working a full time job after college, but other than that knew nothing about investing. I didn’t buy my first stock until 2015. I was 35. Because I just didn’t know. I saved money in a bank account. **Read 10 Best Ways to Invest Money**

Many mistakes were made. And I continue to make mistakes, but that’s all part of the journey.

What these blogs did for me is open my eyes to so many different possibilities in life. I always thought I would work to 65 and retire comfortably if I was diligent about saving money.

I didn’t know there were other options. And now that I do, I am doing everything in my power to create the life I want to live. And these personal finance blogs have helped (are still helping)…I’m hoping they will inspire you as well!

Best Personal Finance Blogs

Financial Samurai

This is the first personal finance blog I started reading and is truly what got me started on my journey to financial freedom. 

Sam Dogen started the site in 2009 as some sort of relief during the financial crisis. Three years after starting the site, he left his high paying corporate job for a lifestyle that was less stressful. He delves deep into how he made that happen.

Financial Samurai covers goes in depth on topics such as real estate, career strategies, retirements planning and investing. The articles contain tons of well researched data on the topics he writes about. 

My personal favorite part about the site is the focus on an abundance mindset. Yes, frugality in some aspects is covered, but Sam focuses on ways we can increase our net worth through proper investing and creating side hustles as opposed to saving money on coffee. 

Money Under 30

Money Under 30 was founded by David Weliver in 2006 (it is now owned by WebPals) and the site covers everything related to money. 

From paying off debt (David paid off $80K in debt in three years!) and improving your credit score, to tips on home buying, this site really does cover everything about money in very well written articles. 

Get Rich Slowly

Get Rich Slowly was founded by J.D. Roth in 2006. I love the topics he covers on the site. He talks a lot about money mindset and self improvement. The site is geared towards beginners as well as people who already have millions. 

Mr. Money Mustache

This site has been a pioneer in the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) community. Focused on cutting expenses and frugality, Mr. Money Mustache teaches people how to live off a fraction of their income so they can escape the rat race (if you want to that is) to live the life they want.

Budgets are Sexy

J. Money started this site back in 2008 as a way to help get control over his finances. The site is now owned by 5am Joel and is focused on topics such as early retirement, creating a side hustle and investing. J. Money is still involved, and his journey to becoming a millionaire is a must read!

Nerdwallet

NerdWallet covers all topics on all aspects of finance, including many articles on banking, credits cards, mortgages and home buying, insurance, and investing, among others. NerdWallet was founded in 2009 and receives more than 1 million visitors a month – it is an extremely popular finance website. 

Afford Anything

Paula Pant is the founder of Afford Anything and her blog is focused on gaining financial freedom to work on your passions. I LOVE Paula’s site…she writes about earning passive income through real estate (my favorite way to earn income), as well as learning how to make smarter decisions about money.

The College Investor

Robert Farrington started the College Investor in 2009. He helps millennials (or anyone) get out of debt (student loans specifically) and teaches them how to build wealth for the future through investing. 

Money Saving Mom

Crystal Paine started Money Saving Mom in 2006 with posts about couponing and bargain shopping. The site quickly grew to one of the most popular personal finance blogs on the web! The site covers everything from frugal living, money management and even teaches a bit about blogging and starting an online business. 

PT Money

PT Money was founded by Philip Taylor and focuses on teaching you how to start a side hustle to live the life of your dreams. Him and his team help you to discover a side hustle, or scale one you already have. This is another site I just love as it helps you learn how to earn multiple streams of income to help achieve financial freedom earlier (and your dreams).

ESI Money

ESI Money, or “Earn. Save. Retire.” is a blog that was started in 2016 to document the author’s experience amassing a multi-million dollar net worth and retiring in his 50’s. The site is all about the steps ANYONE can take to attain financial freedom.

Millenial Money Man

Millennial Money Man (M$M) is another site focused on teaching millennials to get out of debt, save money and get started investing. The founder, Bobby Hoyt, is passionate about teaching others how to live their best personal life. 

Retire by 40

Joe started Retire By 40 in 2010 with the goal of retiring by the time he was 40. He met his goal 2 years early at the age of 38! The blog covers topics like early retirement, saving, investing, and passive income. 

Making Sense of Cents

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner started Making Sense of Cents to document and track her financial journey. She was able to pay off $38K of student loan debt in 7 months and currently lives on a sailboat after quitting her job in the financial services industry. In addition to writing about financial freedom, she also teaches readers how to make money with affiliate marketing online.

Penny Pinchin’ Mom

Traci Fobes started this site in 2009 to document what she had learned about couponing and saving money. She grew the site from that to money saving tips, eliminating debt, family and finances. 

White Coat Investor

The White Coat Investor was started by Jim Dahle and is focused on providing info for physicians to help them better understand their finances and increase their wealth. While the site is geared towards physicians, the concepts work for everyone. I love this site, especially for higher income earners.

Conclusion

All these awesome blogs should give you plenty of content to help you on your journey to eliminate debt, start saving and become financially independent. And this is certainly not an all inclusive list…there are so many incredible personal finance blogs out there.

Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite is!