Personal Finance Bloggers I Admire

friends reading blogsToday I’m sharing with you a list of bloggers that I admire.  They are all successful in a variety of ways – namely, that they have defined for themselves some major goal and are well on their way to achieving it.  While all the goals are different, I imagine that their success gives them the flexibility to pursue what’s important to them – the motivation behind the money management.  I hope you will check out each of their blogs!

 

 

Leigh’s Financial Journey

 

Leigh has a killer income, a modest lifestyle, and the financial savvy to know what to do with the difference.  She discusses her investments as well as her plan to pay off her condo mortgage in less than 5 years!  Leigh is just a few years out of college so she really embodies what’s possible for a young professional with highly marketable skills.

 

 

Retire by 40

 

The name of the blog is Retire by 40 and that’s exactly what he did!  RB40 became a stay-at-home dad six months ago but is still pursuing alternate and passive income streams to supplement his wife’s income while he cares for his young son.

 

 

Eyes on the Dollar

 

What I admire about Kim is that she’s constructing the life she wants after a great first career.  She built up a business but has decided to sell it, generating passive income off those years of investment as well as enabling her to work a more flexible schedule.  It’s a win-win!

 

 

Punch Debt in the Face

 

Ninja and his wife are the same age as Kyle and I but have taken a very different path and therefore are in a very different financial position!  They have great incomes that have enabled them to pile up almost $100,000 in cash, which they are now using to jump into the real estate market at exactly the right time.  Oh, and they tithe and they’re debt-free.  Amazing!

 

 

Afford Anything

 

It seems like Paula has never lived a “conventional” life – nor does she want to!  She behaves in a way only rich people are “supposed” to, like traveling the world and investing a huge portion of her income.  Paula is a real estate investor and I enjoy seeing the investment choices she’s making and how she works to generate multiple income streams.

 

 

Young Cheap Living

 

Kraig is a wonderful writer who clearly communicates his blog’s main message: get out of debt, live on less than you make, and become financially independent.  Kraig got out of his own pile of debt and has been saving half his income for the past two years.

 

 

Making Sense of Cents

 

Michelle has numerous wonderful qualities that make her a great blogging friend, but I’ll just point out one aspect of her blog that has become quite popular – Michelle is earning more in “side” income than she does from her full-time job.  She has a variety of income streams, including blogging, renting out a room in her home, and freelance writing.  All this extra income has enabled Michelle to set an ambitious goal of paying off her student loans in only a few months.

 

 

This list is by no means exhaustive and I have other blogs I follow closely and comment on frequently – these are just examples of people who are not only doing amazing things in their financial lives, but they are transparent enough to tell us how they’re doing it!  Many of them write regular net worth/budget updates and it’s inspiring to see how quickly their numbers are increasing, while they are positioning themselves to have the lives they want.

 

Who do you admire in the PF blogosphere – or in real life?  Why?

 

photo from Free Digital Photos

 

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39 Responses to "Personal Finance Bloggers I Admire"

  1. Michelle says:

    Aww thanks so much for the mention! And I definitely agree with your list. A great group of bloggers.
    Michelle recently posted..Reconnecting With Family – An emotional post

  2. Retire By 40 says:

    Thanks! I’m honored to be included with the list of great bloggers. We do have some fun goals. 🙂
    Retire By 40 recently posted..Am I being too cheap?

  3. That is really an honor. It makes me proud to resonate with someone out there. Thanks so much for including me.
    Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted..Girl Scout Cookies Cost How Much?

  4. J$ at Budgets Are Sexy is my favorite. I just love his style and attitude.
    Edward Antrobus recently posted..Is $1000 a Large Enough Emergency Fund?

    1. Emily says:

      Yeah, he’s doing the pro blogger thing too, which is really impressive. I like his story since his wife is (was?) doing a PhD and I enjoy hearing about the baby spending.

  5. David W says:

    Mr Money Mustache and Jim Collins (http://jlcollinsnh.wordpress.com/). Both entertaining to read and very sound advice.
    David W recently posted..Homemade Laundry Soap

    1. Emily says:

      Good suggestions as well! I’ve visited both blogs in the past but am not currently subscribed.

  6. Awesome list Emily. How is the winter weather today in Durham? I enjoy Budgets are sexy with J$. He is funny and tells it like it is. Exactly what I look for.
    Grayson @ Debt Roundup recently posted..Weekly Personal Finance Blog RoundUp – 1/25/2013

    1. Emily says:

      It’s no big deal so far, although I’m considering leaving work early so I don’t slip on the walkways getting to our parking lot. The non-essential staff has been let go early but classes are still on, so I guess that means grad students are supposed to stay. Our department is actually having a recruiting event so there are activities planned well into the evening!

      1. Emily says:

        I take it back! Things are icing up fast and walking is a bit difficult. We are heading home for the evening and staying in!

  7. Pauline says:

    This is a great list. Recently I have enjoyed following Jeffrey’s journey on Saving Advice, he has resolved to live for a year on minimal wage and is house sitting and doing many odd things to still live a good life.
    Pauline recently posted..13 money resolutions for 2013: #13 enjoy!

    1. Emily says:

      I haven’t heard of that blog so I’ll check it out – thanks!

  8. […] was a real honor to be included in the list of Personal Finance Bloggers I Admire at Evolving Personal Finance. I just don’t know what to say. I’ll try not to let you […]

  9. Leigh says:

    Awww thanks Emily!

    I have a friend in real life who paid off his mortgage in 3 years and now rents the place out, which more than covers his rent elsewhere. That’s not a bad way to get out of living in a place you bought, but realized you didn’t want to live in anymore.

    My parents are also really awesome and great pictures of how to pay a mortgage off aggressively. I love talking to my mom about my mortgage pay-off plan! My parents have been a great example that being frugal doesn’t need to mean not enjoying your life, so even though they never gave me any investing advice, I’ve gotten plenty of saving strategy advice from them, which I’ve definitely taken some of.
    Leigh recently posted..2013 Investing Plan

    1. Emily says:

      That’s so wonderful that you have multiple people in your life that are great examples to you in different ways.

      Your friend has a nice set-up, as long as renting the house isn’t too high-maintenance.

      Did you parents pay off a mortgage a while ago or are they working on one now?

  10. Thanks for the mention, Emily. I really value your readership and am glad you appreciate what I say and do with Young Cheap Living.

    You picked a great list of bloggers here. Thanks again and have a great weekend!
    Kraig @ Young, Cheap Living recently posted..How Can You Take Vacations While Saving for Financial Independence?

  11. […] Personal Finance Bloggers I Admire Evolving PF – SOMEONE ACTUALLY LIKES ME! […]

  12. Great list! I also thank you for exposing me to some new bloggers here that I haven’t visited before! I’ll be sure to head over now.

    A blogger I admire is FMF. He invests smart in passively managed mutual funds for the long term, runs an awesome March Madness event, and raises a lot of money for charity through his site.

    Those things, and he has published like 3 articles per day for more years than most blogs have been around!
    Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey recently posted..The Power of Negotiation and Options in Student Loan Repayment – Lessons from a Reader’s Experience

    1. Emily says:

      That’s an impressive record!

  13. I’ve always admired JD Roth from Get Rich Slowly, because of his clean writing style. Many have mentioned J$ and I can hardly disagree. I love Michelle and Jeff from See Debt Run, because it’s awesome to see a married couple blogging!
    JP @ 20’s Finances recently posted..Why an Emergency Fund is More Important than Paying Off Debt

    1. Emily says:

      Oh, are Michelle and Jeff posting again? It seemed that their blog was going through a dry spell for a while. I do like their dynamic.

  14. Great choices!
    nicoleandmaggie recently posted..Ask the grumpies: Tightwad vs. frugal

  15. jeff Rose says:

    Great list!

    Have to agree with Edward above with J$ topping my list. Carrie Smith, who writes everywhere including her own blog, is also a treat to read, too. 🙂
    jeff Rose recently posted..4 Practical Money Skills You MUST Teach Your Children

    1. Emily says:

      Thanks for the suggestions!

  16. good choice, all of them I know of and admire.
    One Cent at a Time recently posted..21 Tax Return Mistakes to Avoid This Year

  17. Suba says:

    Great list of blogs Emily. I read most of them (I didn’t know about Young Cheap Living, will add him to the list. Thanks!). I personally admire – Afford anything and Mr. Money Mustache. I used to love GRS when JD and Donna were writing, now not so much. Recently there are quite a few financial independence blogs that I have started reading that I like a lot (MyFiJourney & MadFientist)
    Suba recently posted..Cheap eats : Save money eating out by reverse engineering restaurant menu psychology

  18. Liquid says:

    Nice list. I recognize some of these bloggers. They all have different stories but what makes them all alike is their passion to succeed in whatever they do :0) I also admire PF celebrities such as Gail Vaz-Oxlade and Preet Banergee.
    Liquid recently posted..Investing in the Daily Grind

  19. […] Evolving PF – Personal Finance Bloggers I Admire […]

  20. […] @ Evolving Personal Finance writes Personal Finance Bloggers I Admire – I list six PF bloggers I admire. Who do you think is having great […]

  21. Catherine says:

    I love your list! There are so many great bloggers out there. I love that they can attack the same topic and offer so many different opinions, really eye opening!
    Catherine recently posted..Weekly Reads 25.01.13

    1. Emily says:

      You are so right. Some PF topics are dry and objective, but when they’re subjective you can get so many well-articulated opinions.

  22. Great list. All of these bloggers are an inspiration.
    Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter recently posted..Friday Links – Week Three of Chaos

  23. Nunzio Bruno says:

    Great post! I think you’ve inspired me to do the same thing. I think Financial Samurai is definitely up there for me and there are so many more that I think I would have to look long and hard to dwindle it down to get a post of my top 5 lol 🙂 Plus it’s always hard when I’m finding more and more that I love every week!
    Nunzio Bruno recently posted..How I Spend (Some of) My Sunday

    1. Emily says:

      I’d love to read your list!

  24. This is such a great list. I think I knew less than half of the bloggers mentioned. I guess I have some reading to do now. 😉
    Khaleef @ KNS Financial recently posted..You Don’t Have to be Rich to Live the American Dream

    1. Emily says:

      We probably read different people – make your own list!

  25. Do or Debt says:

    Great list! I love reading all the PF blogs and hearing the different voices.
    Do or Debt recently posted..Unexpected Expenses: Travel Edition

  26. […] from iHeart Budgets listed Personal Finance Bloggers I Admire in his weekly […]

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