Personal Finance

Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — January 2021

It’s time again for one of my favorite features here on Dyer News: a look at the top 10 personal finance articles of the month. As we welcome the new year, we begin with a look at living your financial values and principles. Then, we’ll check in on the FIRE movement with a trio of posts related to financial independence. Finally, we’ll cover low-cost car insurance, the “cheapskate mentality,” and a case of personal finance addiction.

As usual, this month’s list includes a couple of Dyer News Top 10 mainstays as well as a few first-timers. Without further ado, below is my list of the top 10 personal finance articles published in January of 2021, along with their title, author, and the site they originally appeared on.

Financial Values and Principles

How To Spend, Save, and Invest In Alignment With Your Values — Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, Mind Money Balance

One of the recurring themes we’ve explored in these features is the idea that personal finance is, indeed, personal — meaning that there is rarely a “one size fits all” solution. A prime example of this fact is that you may have a set of values that may lead you to second guess suggestions that others see nothing wrong with. Luckily, as Lindsay explains, adjusting your spending, savings, and investing habits to align with your personal beliefs may not need to be as complicated as you might fear.

Living Your Values — Laurie, The Three Year Experiment

While “values” may insinuate political or moral beliefs to some, the term can also just mean things you literally value above others. Incidentally, these types of values can play an equally important role in your finances as well. For her post, Laurie highlights some of her key money values and shares why they work for her family.

Money at 35: Assessing and Appreciating My Financial Life — Kyle Burbank, Money@30

When you look at your finances on a day to day basis, it can be difficult to recognize growth or change. However, when you step back, you may come upon a different assessment and maybe even a new appreciation for what you’ve accomplished. Inspired by a recent birthday, in this post, Kyle reflects on his current financial life and the money philosophies that have helped guide him here.

Why Being Content is the Most Important Financial Principle — Ashley Eneriz, MoneyNing

We’ve all heard it said that money can’t buy happiness. Yet, many of us tend to forget this cliche, allowing ourselves to believe that more money would solve all of our problems. In reality, while money can fix some situations, Ashley points out that being content can lead to better finances rather than the other way around.

FIRE in 2021

Why Your FIRE Number Is All Wrong — Banker on FIRE

Although you might not expect something like math to be appealing to most people, numbers actually play a huge role in the financial independence movement. Net worth, safe withdrawal rates, and many other figures may seem boring on their own but all are key when calculating whether or not you can retire early. But what if you make an error with that math? To help prevent such problems, this article from Banker on FIRE explores a few common reasons why your FIRE number may be off.

Why Pursue Financial Independence? Because Nothing Lasts Forever — A Purple Life

As we’ve seen in past entries of this series, everyone has their own reason for pursuing FIRE. Still, some commonly-cited examples include a desire to travel, wishing to spend more time with family, or even hatred of a current career. However, A Purple Life has retroactively stumbled upon another good reason to strive for financial independence: because nothing lasts forever.

What Comes after ESI? The ISE Phase of FIRE — ESI Money

When working toward financial independence, there’s an understandable focus on saving whenever possible. Therefore, it can be quite a switch when those who achieve FIRE are suddenly ready to spend. That’s what this article from ESI Money (ESI standing for earn, save, invest) look at: ISE — or invest, spend, enjoy!

Personal Finance Tips

Is Cheap Auto Insurance Worth the Savings? — Sebastian Rodrigues, Money Saved is Money Earned

Anyone who’s watched more than an hour or two of television has surely seen the back and forth between auto insurance companies claiming they’re actually the cheapest. On top of that, consumers may come across insurers that simply provide the state-mandated minimum level of insurance coverage and not much more. If you’ve ever wondered whether these “affordable” options may be a better way to go, Sebastian explains why that’s likely not the case.

Why It’s Time to Ditch the Cheapskate Mentality and Start Getting Rich — Renee, The Fun Sized Life

Saving money is great. Therefore, being a self-proclaimed cheapskate and doing everything you can to save a buck must be even better, right? While there may have been a time when Renee believed that, she’s since come around to a new way of thinking about money, which she explains in her article.

The Simple Act That Started My Personal Finance Addiction — Derek, Life and My Finances

What was the first time you truly started to pay attention to your finances and take an interest in bettering them? For some, the answer may be a childhood lesson or perhaps an adult low-point that necessitated change. According to Derek, his personal finance addiction actually kicked off with a visit to the bank and a first-hand look at the magic of interest.

Thanks for checking out my top 10 personal finance articles published last month and congratulations to all of the bloggers who made the list. To find more of these great articles on a daily basis, be sure to follow me on Twitter @jondyer9 and of course visit DyerNews.com.

Also published on Medium.

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