Not denying that there are a lot of websites and blogs which we can learn personal finance and retirement planning from. Most websites although subject centric, it’s hard to have a connection with unlike personal blogs we can relate through the bloggers’ experiences and journeys.
That is why I find myself returning to the same personal blogs more often than commercial ones and so I compiled this list of personal finance blogs about early retirement that feel personal and I absolutely enjoy reading.
I will also add to the list over time as I discover more blogs like these.
Making Sense Of Cents
While Michelle, the author of Making Sense of Cents is way younger than 40, she has a lot of wise advice she shares on her blog. What I like about her blog is that she keeps it real and her writing is very easy to relate to. Her personality is approachable as you can see from her responses in the comments.
Among the money saving and earning posts that are all helpful tips, I’ve enjoyed the most from her post about how to make money blogging. Most of her posts have very comprehensive information and she also shares her monthly income reports. If you want to learn about saving money and making extra income from side jobs, her blog has a wealth of ideas to help and inspire you.
Millennial Money
Many of the personal finance blogs that become successful have become commercial blogs. They are great websites but have since lost personal touch by the creators themselves. That’s not with Millennial Money. It still remains like a personal blog with Grant’s voices across the blogs, but in addition, also carries a ton of great information.
The website is very well thought out and designed. Articles are all very comprehensive, I especially like reading their reviews written with pros and cons and ratings.
Financial Samurai
“Slicing through money’s mysteries” as Sam the author described. In his blog, he really slices the financial data and explained with in-depth analysis on investing and early retirement. He created a detailed chart on how much one should have in 401k retirement savings by age and the different ways one can build passive income streams.
One of his best passive income streams is from his book he authored and titled How to engineer your layoff. Both he and his wife have retired, I remember reading that he retired at a young age of 34.
Retire By 40
Another very personal and interesting blog on investing and early retirement is Retire By 40 created by Joe Udo. Joe retired at 38 from an engineering career and started writing his blog since 2010 with a focus on passive income. The multiple income streams he shares include online income, real estate crowdfunding, rental properties, dividend stocks and investing in retirement accounts.
He tracks and shares his dividend portfolio and income and it’s wonderful to see how he raises dividend income targets year over year and projected to reach over $15K this year. Like other blogs that I mentioned here, this is a great resource for learning and planning for early retirement.
Passive Income MD
“Financial freedom through passive income”. That pretty much sums up this blog except it’s started by a doctor, an anesthesiologist. If he has time to maintain his online project – blog while balancing family and work in medical field (we all know can be stressful), I thought there is no excuse for us not to, is there?
Peter’s blog has a unique angle because besides writing about passive income, he lets us in on the financial life of doctors, physicians, medical practitioners, which most of us would think they earn comfortable income not having to worry about retirement. But, it does open my eyes that doctors too need to look for side hustles and diversify their income streams in order to retire. Speaking of which, here’s his list of physician side hustles that I think can inspire everyone on some gigs we can do even if we’re not medical experts.
My Wife Quit Her Job
[For a bit of context] I discovered Steve’s blog around the time that I just resigned from my corporate management job that was 2.5 years ago. I remember reading about his story of online store selling wedding handkerchiefs. Since then I have tried Amazon FBA even though I have closed it down now. I was able to make profit but deep down I really wanted to sell products that I am truly passionate about so I stopped restocking after everything sold out. I will blog about it one day.
The point is Steve, his wife and their entrepreneurial spirit inspire others to pursue their early retirement through online businesses. Although the blog talks extensively about online stores and e-commerce, and we all know that it’s not completely passive way of generating income because of the effort it requires, it still is one of the income streams and if done right can provide passive income for early retirement.
Final Thoughts
I am grateful for these bloggers for putting out great informative contents and inspiring others through their personal hurdles and stories. More importantly, they show us that to get to where they are today isn’t made overnight, but with consistent progress over a long run.
Similarly for early retirement, it takes planning, execution, discipline, mindset in achieving financial freedom. And the ultimate goal for many of us is to be able to spend more time with our loved ones, which is very important that we never lose sight of.
Let me know in the comment below what your favorite blogs are, on personal finance or about any topics!