Finances & Money

Introducing the Personal Finance Network!

What happens when you get a few personal finance writers together? They become a network!

In true generic fashion, 5 other personal finance bloggers and myself have created the Personal Finance Network, or PFN for short. Now why would we do such a thing?

We don’t have any flashy graphics or even a centralized website, because that’s not the goal of our network. Instead, we intend to utilize each other as an open resource for idea exchanges and accountability. By accountability, I mean that when we start getting lazy with our content, we have to answer to other fellow members.

Introducing the PFN Members

The Personal Finance Network members have a wide set of backgrounds and experiences, and I hope to do justice to each one in just a few short sentences below. I highly suggest checking out each member’s site for yourself to see what they’re all about, and consider adding them to your favorite RSS reader or subscribe via email. I’ll introduce each member in alphabetical order, based on their site title, not URL:

1. Blunt Money [RSS]: Contrary to rumors, Ms. Blunt (if that’s her REAL name!) does not write about weed. Rather, she’s has a blunt writing style (sometimes like myself), but she has the perspective of a divorced and re-married mother of one, living in the southwestern U.S.. Plus, she’s debt-free, except for mortgage. Will we have some east coast/west coast wars of words? You can read more at her About Me page.
2. Canadian Capitalist, eh. [RSS] [Email]: That’s right, we’re international! Although you yanks may know the Clever Dude name more (cause I’m in the states), right now “CC” has about 900 more subscribers than me. And rightly so because CC’s perspective as a father of twin two-year-old boys, as well as insights into investing, how-to’s, frugality and everything else in-between has earned my respect. Also, CC is debt-free except for mortgage. You can read more on his “Aboot” Me page.
3. Clever Dude [RSS] [Email]: If you don’t know who I am, then how did you get here? I’m just a few months shy of hitting the big 3-0, married, no kids, and live in the D.C. area. I have student loans, credit cards, 2 mortgages and a truck loan (which you can see in the right sidebar). Whew! You can learn a lot more on my About Me page.
4. Money Ning [RSS] [Email]: What the heck is a “money ning” anyway? Perhaps a hint is that David is an Asian-Canadian-American-PFer? Yep, we’re international via ethnicity now! You can read more about his and his family’s history on his About Me page, but basically David immigrated to Canada and then took a job in southern Cal after college. He’s now a married man (as of 2007 2008) with plans for kids and all kinds of adult stuff. He writes across the financial board (investing, saving, retirement) with a healthy dose of personal-ness.
5. Quest for Four Pillars [RSS] [Email]: Sheesh! Another Canadian Financial Blog! (no really, that’s their tagline). In fact, this site has two contributors: Mike (aka Four Pillars) and Mr. Cheap. Both are in the mid/late-thirties and enjoy investing. All these investment-oriented sites are a great compliment to my own since I stay far away from talking stock shop.
6. Squawkfox [RSS] [Email]: Squawk Fox “is about making personal finance and frugal living sexy, delicious and fun” (which she does). She’s a two-time Ironman Triathlon finisher! She writes informative and visually-stimulating articles about all things finance (although she focuses on topics to which most people can relate). I’ve just been introduced to her site, but I like what I see and I’m sure you will too! find out more about her background and goals at her About Me page.

So there you have it. You’ve just met “Clever Dude’s Fuscia Army of Awesomeness” (they rejected that network name for some reason. I think it’s cause it looks like I started it, which I didn’t. Yeah, that’s probably it).

What can you expect from the PFN?

Well, I’ll be up-front and say we won’t be pushing our network name or ideas in your face. Rather, as I mentioned, the network is more for the member sites to keep each other accountable and allow for a free exchange of ideas. As for visibility, you’ll probably see the network do weekly roundups of the best articles from each member site and group writing projects every few months, much like other networks.

So again, welcome to the PFN and keep an eye out for those roundups and projects!