Eager to capitalize on the trend, by the time the 2005 Thanksgiving rolled around the term Cyber Monday was created and online retailers began offering Cyber Monday discounts and deals.
The United States is not the only country to utilize the term. The United Kingdom, France, and Portugal also take advantage of Cyber Monday except they extend it for a total of eight days, lasting from the last Monday in November through the first Monday in December.

Online retailers have enjoyed an increase in sales each year after Cyber Monday became an online marketing term and it is expected that Cyber Monday 2010 will be no different.

A Cyber Monday website is now in existence, created for added convenience for the online shopper. All one has to do is to access the website for a complete listing of Cyber Monday Deals 2010. Cyber Monday and its website have become so popular that the Cyber Monday website offers Cyber Monday-style deals and discounts year round for the online shopper enthusiast. One can quickly and easily determine which online stores are running special discounts, any time of year, doing away with the old-fashioned time-consuming method of trying one store?s website, then another, and then another in search of the best deal.

I am a hedge fund analyst in New York City, and have spent my career organizing heaps of disorganized information to come up with actionable investment recommendations. Organizing credit card offers is really no different – finding the best rewards card or best low APR card depends on a few salient questions about how a consumer plans to use the card.

How does Nerd Wallet have a different spin on finances than the other financial blogs out there?

NerdWallet is all about the numbers. We present ALL the numbers and facts, and trust that the user is smart enough to handle some analysis on their own. Other credit card blogs tend to only compare the 10% of cards out there that pay referral fees, and omit other cards. This is a shame because the consumer loses out on many potentially better deals.

To illustrate our breadth, our Gas Credit Card review lists 26 credit cards that pay more than 1% back on gas station purchases, then walks through the exceptions to the advertised rewards rate. We let users know that some cards don’t get the advertised gas rebate at Costco, some cards don’t get it for diesel, and some cards have a monthly maximum rebate.

What influences your blogs?

The genesis of our blog posts usually come from either (i) our constant monitoring of credit card deals, or (ii) from real life experience with credit cards.

I was ecstatic when the Subaru Card with 3% rewards towards Subaru service & purchases came back, which influenced a post about GM and Subaru 3% cards being the best deal out there for people who want to buy those cars.

In terms of posts from life experience, I recently mauled a rental car and learned a lot from the experience, influencing this post about whether people should buy rental car insurance. The answer is usually no, but not for the reasons I originally thought.

What is your favorite financial topic to write about and why?
Credit card rewards. It’s a niche that lacks good analysis, and the reason is obvious. Less than 10% of credit cards promote themselves on the internet, so there is no incentive for credit card sites to index them. Meanwhile, personal finance bloggers are well meaning, but don’t have the time to index 500+ credit cards like we do.

We are the only place where you can sort the entire universe of credit cards, by rewards or APRs, and that allows us to generate great proprietary blog content.

What topic is popular among your readers?
Our readers are constantly pinging us with suggestions about great credit cards they have that we haven’t indexed yet, which we promptly add to the site. To give an example, we didn’t know about the wonderful BP credit card, with 5% back at BP and 2% back on travel and dining, until a user told us about it after our gas credit card blog post.

Do you have some financial advice for readers?
There are great ways to use a combination of different credit cards to your advantage.

If you carry a balance, get a great balance transfer credit card, but spend your money on a great rewards card (usually with high APRs) which you pay off first.

Also, combining two or more rewards cards can really juice your rewards, especially when they often offer 5% back “teaser categories” in different areas. For example, there are cards that pay 5% back on dining, and different cards that pay 5% back on gas & groceries.

I started Upside of Money around the same time as I was writing an e-book on saving every day in summer ’06. The blog was pretty primitive and it still is. I started blogging in earnest as an adjunct to my SF Examiner.com Personal Finance column this year. My blog has gone through only a few changes since then, and want to see it evolve into a more interactive site.

• What sets your blog different than other financial blogs?

  The Upside of Money does just that: helps you stay on the upside (optimistic, informed, “in the black”). I try to alert people to the downside of money as well.I strive to make my blog informational, first and foremost. I don’t want questionable ads urging you to apply for a credit card next to an article on the dangers of credit card debt. I do this in part because of the frustration of not being able to control what displays on my Examiner column. I am determined to stay in control of all the content on the page, monetized or not.

  I educate myself all the time; I also aim to make my writing style approachable but with a journalistic standard – I want the blog to be based on knowledge, not just anecdote. In 2000, a company I was working for had an IPO, and I was able to observe the process from inside. After that, I decided to get graduate training in finance, and took classes in technical analysis. I am currently studying for my CFP certificate and earlier this year I got my accreditation as a Credit Counselor. In my career as a finance writer, I have worked for E*TRADE Financial, Mellon Investor Services, a subsidiary of JP Morgan and now Wells Fargo, explaining complex financial products/applications.

• Which 3-5 blogs would you consider “must-reads” in order to better understand finances?

  My personal favorites are journey-style blogs in which the author puts an actual number to a net worth or debt-free goal and then tracks his or her progress toward that goal. I find those blogs very inspiring, even though I don’t disclose financial info on mine. I have been watching www.mymoneyblog.com working toward his goal for years. I also watch, and occasionally worry about, www.debtsucks.com. Another favorite is www.Bostongals.com because I enjoy tracking her great success and I think she has a winning formula and is going to make it.

• What topic do you enjoy blogging about the most?

  The two topics I am most passionate about are investing and debt. I have been investing my own money successfully (and sometimes unsuccessfully) since my 20s, so I have lots of stories. I have invested in metals, REITs, real estate, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, options, DRIPs, and for a short while, I swing traded stocks.

  I am definitely a frugalite. There should be a word for someone who shuns major retail stores, goes to thrift stores and uses Craigslist all the time, maybe a Craigalista? That would be me. I abhor debt and shopping – the act of handing my hard-earned cash over to someone else – makes me nervous, unless it’s for food or a gift (or occasionally, shoes). I have a 0 rank on Where’s George? because I carry around the same bills for weeks. The only debt I have is from my husband, but that’s another story.

• Where do you get your blogging ideas?

  I never run out of ideas, just time. I have a few articles in my head at a time, and most of them end up on my column, not the blog, but that will change.

• What are some financial tips you can give to our readers?

  Carefully and objectively chart all the methods you have tried over time and you will clearly see which financial strategies work best for you. For me, it’s covered calls and dividend DRIPS hands-down, and for saving, it’s automatic withdrawals into a separate savings account.. It is definitely not fast buy and sell! The most successful people I know are firing on all “cylinders”: earning, saving, investing and spending wisely.

  Stay informed about the financial world and your own personal financial world. And be as upbeat as you can; resilience in the market – and life – is important.

I started True Adventures in Money Hacking (TAiMH) when I was a graduate student in Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. I’ve always been thrifty and crafty, but being a full-time student in Boston made those traits a necessity. I found myself discovering a whole new level of creative, eco-conscious, frugality and wanted to share my ideas with the blogosphere. At the same time, I was noticing the extravagant spending habits of many other young people in the area. After talking to some of them, I realized that their problem mirrored that of the rest of the country—many of them didn’t understand at all how the financial world (credit card companies, lenders, banks, etc.) works and had never been taught how to responsibly manage their finances. So, as a companion to TAiMH, I created TiredofBeingPoor.net—a completely free educational website devoted to helping young people understand personal finance (without boring them to death). I asked MDT to join in the game soon after the blog was started. He has some great money hacks to share, mostly frugally delicious recipes, but I really like having him on board to discuss the big issues. He’s good at viewing personal finance on the large scale, and he likes having a forum to share his analysis about the economy, politics, and business in general.

• What is your favorite topic to blog about on your site?

I may be an artsy type, but I’m a utilitarian at heart. My favorite types of blog post are the instructional hacks because they’re the most fun to do. I like sharing my creative projects with others and getting new input. MDT’s favorite blog topics are his frugal foodie recipes. Those are really my favorite, too, because I get to eat them!

• What do your readers/viewers seem to be interested in?

Luckily, I seem to get the best responses to the instructional hacks—those and the giveaways, of course! People really love MDT’s food articles and recipes; he always gets a bunch of comments on them.

• What general content is in your blogs?

Wren provides easy tips and tricks to be thrifty (and green), and co-blogger MDT keeps you informed about larger economic issues and financial goings-on. It’s simple financial management for Generation Y. Some of our recents posts: homemade inexpensive holiday gifts, DIY candle holders, couchsurfing review and how-to, and some frugal and healthy recipes: pico de gallo, gourmet cocoa and tea, cold-weather drinks.

• Where do you see True Adventures in Money Hacking in about 2 years?

I’ll be happy as long as it’s still going strong and still fun. But I’ve been thinking lately that it’d be cool to get together a little network of bloggers to add some variety here and there, maybe expand the TAiMH team.

• What is some financial advice you could offer our readers?

Wren: I think the best advice is oft-repeated: make a budget, spend within your means, etc. But what saves me the most is not spending at all unless it’s something I need and can’t make for myself. DIY for Life!
MDT: Learn to do it yourself, be it food or household items. (E.g., Wren just built a paper towel holder out of some extra wood and bamboo. It sure beats the flimsy plastic kind in every way.) Also, a wise man once told me: Never pay for financial advice or planning. Hopefully the reason why is obvious.

Like many people, college served as a time of significant personal growth for me. The most significant part of which was the discovery of my passion for personal finance. Previously unaware of the financial bondage that poses as status quo in our society, I stood appalled as my eyes were opened to the realities of credit card debt, poorly structured mortgages, and every other type of financial dysfunction plaguing our consumer driven economy. Upon further investigation, it became clear to me that many, if not most, of these situations were birthed from a profound lack of proper education. This left me full of thoughts, opinions, and a desire to help.

• Do your blogs contain more information for families struggling financially?

I started Free Family Finance the year my wife and I were married. As we began our family, I thought the title seemed only fitting. I wanted the blog to be able to grow with me & my family. Currently the focus is on adults. For the majority of American families, mom & dad hold the keys to success. I am sure as my family grows to include children, Free Family Finance’s focus will grow in that direction as well.

• Where do you get the ideas for your blogs?

I am a personal finance nerd. If my wife were present, she would provide a heart ‘Amen!’ Much of my content comes from my own personal conversations and reading. I am involved in a FPU (Dave Ramsey) class at my church and I do a small amount of personal financial counseling. Many of my best ideas come from those experiences and conversations.

• Does personal experience play a key part in the content of your blogs?

It does. Money has a control over so many lives, often because people allow it to control them. For example, let us consider marriage. When you get hitched, you have a 1 in 4 shoot of getting divorced specifically due to money. That means money controls (at least) 25% of our marriages. That is a heart-breaking reality. Education and organization are keys to defending against that control (albeit marriage or the other areas of our lives in which money has control of us). That is where I hope my blog steps in. That is our mission.

• What 3-5 blogs would you consider essential in understanding how to finance a family?

I am a huge supporter of Dave Ramsey’s work. It is incredibly worthwhile. Mint.com also provides tons of good info on their blog.

Bob at Christianpf.com also does a wonderful job. Additionally, Rob Kuban, a great friend of mine, just finished a book on personal finance. The book is titled “Dollars & Doctrine”. He and I get together each week to talk personal finance. I have a great deal of respect for him.

• What is some financial advice you could offer our readers?

I love the quote by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love”…

“Borrowing money is like wetting your bed in the middle of the night. At first all you feel is warmth and release. But very, very quickly comes the awful, cold discomfort of reality.”

I think that summarizes the reality of debt so well. Granted, it is a bit disgusting, but so is debt.

I enjoy saving money and getting great deals, but overall I enjoy talking about different money topics. Just like any other blogger I enjoy putting my two cents in.

• Where do you see the Mighty Bargain Hunter in about 2 years?

Hopefully still on the web instead of relegated to Wayback Machine! Seriously though, two years from now I hope my blog continues to be a useful, if perhaps a bit unusual, voice in personal finance.

• Where do you get the ideas for you blogs?

Often from my own experience, and often from other bloggers. More recently from questions asked over at my new site, Cash Commons.

• What is your favorite topic to blog about?

Lately my stronger opinions have been with commentary on the economy and mainstream investment advice.

• Among your readers, what is the most popular topic on the Mighty Bargain Hunter?

I got some good comments on my Back to Basics series.

• What is some advice you could give our readers who are avid shoppers on a budget?

Buy used if it makes sense. That’s my very best money tip. Holiday gifts need not all be brand-new.

Since MaximizingMoney.com focuses more on money than myself, there’s very little that is necessary to know about me to appreciate my blog. I will say that I am a prophet of my lord, the almighty dollar, which speaks to me through promotional bonuses, discount coupons, and special offers that I post online for all of the eyes of the world to see.

• What encouraged you to start Maximizing Money?

I basically became addicted to money offers and promotional bonuses, so I decided to start sharing these opportunities as a way to spread the wealth and show others what’s available for free.

• Where do you get the ideas for your blogs?

Money ideas come from everywhere: flyers, online promotions, newspapers, my readers, my mom, etc. Wherever there is an idea to save money or earn extra cash, I am receptive to it.

• Does personal experience play a key part in what you blog on?

My personal experience does play a factor in what I blog about as far as testing promotional offers to see if they work, and also in knowing what to look for to avoid money scams, but I’m not necessarily a money expert, so I don’t rely on my educational background for my blogging ideas.

• What is your favorite topic to blog about?

Money money money money. It makes the world go around and turns my stomach upside down. What can I say, I love the little green guy.

• What are some quick maximizing money tips you could give our readers?

Never let your emotions get the best of you when it comes to dealing with money.

My influences to start MMS was mostly reading other blogs and seeing what other people were doing with their money and how they used their blog to influence themselves, as well as their readers. It helps keep me accountable and also makes me study and research on either topics I do not know or ideas that I have with economics/political/personal finance.

• How has blogging helped you to stay motivated while you budget your money?

Blogging has help me in tremendous ways, mostly by keeping myself accountable. It also gives me an outlet to write some of my thoughts and views along with keeping a record of my financial picture. It keeps me motivated because I get to see my progress each and every month. It makes me set financial goals and reminds me to constantly to attain those goals.

• What financial topic do you enjoy blogging about?

I enjoy blogging about personal finance and the effects that our government and federal reserve have on destroying our savings and make it so hard to be financially free through taxation and inflation.

• Do your personal experiences play a key part in your blogs?

My experiences are everything to my blog, I considerate it as my online diary of my thoughts, ideas and beliefs with personal finances and politics. I post about what I am thinking with my money, I keep a tight record of my net worth, budget, investments every month. Without those experiences I wouldn’t have a blog.

• Which 3-5 of your blogs would you consider crucial to read to better understand how to control a budget?

BudgetsAreSexy.com, MoneyEnergy.com, MymoneyBlog.com are must reads for myself with PF Blogs

• What is some financial advice you could give to our readers?

Know where your money goes every day/week/month with a budget. As soon as you know where it goes, you start to realize that you cut here and there and next thing you know you have saved money. Once you have learned to budget your money then learn how to make your money start to work for you, by investing it. Finally and most important, know what the government is doing because it will ultimately effect your freedom. One of the best pieces of advice would be to read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand to see the overall bigger picture.

I have always had an interest in investing. I remember discovering my Grandfather’s version of “The Wealthy Barber” at their cabin where we spent many of our summers. I was about 12 years old (a long time ago) and I could not put the book down. Over the years I slowly moved away from mutual funds because of the high fees and poor performance into index funds and dividend stocks.

At the same time that was happening I was getting into reading blogs as a way to learn about the investing process. In my opinion, blogs were the best thing to happen to investing in a long time as it made the process much more transparent and people began to realize that they could do a lot on their own, without paying the high fees that brokers and investment advisors were charging. I just knew I needed to get one of these blogs and to learn more about investing and to track my progress.

• What are some of your favorite parts of investing in stocks?

I love the process of building a portfolio. The intellectual challenge of determining the right mix of assets to manage risk and reward is unbelievable. There is always something new to learn in the process and ways that you can improve your portfolio’s performance.

I also love the process of keeping track of portfolio performance, and I think it goes without saying that I enjoy researching dividend growth stocks.

• Can you explain the meaning of dividend in reference to stocks to readers who don’t quite understand?

A dividend is a payment to shareholders of a company. This payment comes from the excess earnings the company generates during its course of business. Some companies pay dividends and others do not.

The stocks I focus on are dividend growth stocks. These are companies that have a long history of increasing that dividend payment each and every year. In other words, investors earn more money from that stock as each year passes. I always reinvest those dividends into more stock so it really compounds my stock gains over the long term.

• What topics are the most popular on your site?

Without a doubt it is the discussions about dividend growth and how that can be built into a portfolio. The next most popular topic is asset allocation. I believe very strongly that asset allocation is the most important decision an investor needs to make (even more important than selecting dividend growth stocks) and talk a lot about that on the blog.

• Does it require much research before putting together a blog on stocks?

Much to my wife’s chagrin, I spend a lot of time on the blog. I enjoy writing but it can suck up a lot of time. Couple that with a “real job” and kids it can take a lot of time. I would say that I spend about 5 – 6 hours on the blog each week.

• What is some advice you would give to new investors in stocks?

I have really outlined what I would do it I were just starting out in this post (http://www.thedividendguyblog.com/how-would-i-invest-if-i-were-just-starting-out/). Start slow and learn as much as possible. Before jumping into buy individual stocks, build a core portfolio of index funds that are put together with an asset allocation that is well balanced and diversified. Include domestic equities, international equities, and fixed income. Then as time goes on and your portfolio gets bigger from contributions and (hopefully growth) you can expand to other asset classes and then ultimately dividend growth stocks.

Eliminate the Muda approaches personal finance using a set of proven business management techniques made famous by Toyota. They call it the Toyota Way. Generically it is referred to as Lean Management. The techniques individually are common sense, putting them all to work takes time and practice. At it’s core, Lean is about making the most efficient use of your resources, be it cash, time or effort. While personal finance is a central topic to ETM I also address areas of life management including personal productivity, efficiency and organization.

• Where do you get the ideas for your blogs?

Many ideas come from reflection of how the concepts of Lean can be applied to a person’s life. But I also venture outside of the application of lean at times. News, personal experiences or even a conversation with someone about money or efficiency may trigger an idea.

• Where do you see Eliminate the Muda in about 2 years?

ETM was initially more about organizing the concepts and exploring the application of these business management techniques at a personal level. I have no defined goals for number of readers, I only want to improve my ability to write and communicate the value of the approach. In my wildest dreams, these techniques would be put to use by thousands, but I considered ETM as success when I got the very first feedback from another that ETM helped them understand how important controlling their costs are to achieving their financial objectives.

• How has lean economics changed the way you look at economics?

We have all heard the phrase “it’s not what you make it’s what you keep.” Understanding lean forces you to understand how true this really is. Saving money through a more efficient lifestyle and smart use of your financial resources is the only way the wealth accumulation regardless of your income level. Lean has enabled me to gain clarity on this concept unlike anything else.

• Do your personal experiences play a key part in the content of your blogs?

Absolutely, I write about the lean approach because it has been transformational for my family’s life. Our home is more organized. Our time is better managed. With exception of our mortgage, our debt has been paid off; all thanks to applying the same sound business management techniques that so many companies have found success with.

• What is some quick advice you could give our readers who are new to lean economics?

The key to benefiting from a lean approach is understanding 2 of the core concepts:

First, much of our time, effort, energy and money is being wasted on activities and expenses that do not add value to your life or help you achieve your objectives. Eliminating the waste (muda) first provides the biggest return on investment of effort and then allows you to focus more of your energy on the value-added activities.

The second key to applying a lean approach is understanding that there is no best, only better. We always have an opportunity to improve. Developing a mentality of continuous improvement is instrumental to being successful with a lean approach.

The remaining principles and tools are all used to help you identify the wastes and achieve effective improvements.

I like to write about passive investments that offer a good rate of return. These are the sort of investments where all you have to do is fund your account and the hard work of achieving the returns is done by others. The downside of course is that you have to trust the organization you are giving your money to and this means ensuring they have the right environment to do this.

• Is there a popular topic that your readers enjoy?

Generally my readers are looking for updates or news from the various programs that I write about. The majority of people don’t have time to search all the relevant sites to find out what is happening so I believe they use my site to shortcut this process for them

• Do influences experiences play a key part in your blogs?

Very much so, I make sure that anything I write about I have personal experience with whether that is a specific online investment or the general things you need to know about investing online.

• What are your top three blogs?

Firstly would be where I share with my readers what investments I have so that they can see that I know the industry, the second would be a recent post where I challenge Online Investing companies to be better regulated and finally as it is near Xmas another recent post I wrote putting forward some ideas for people who might consider online investing as an alternative Xmas present

• What are some of your goals for Online Investing Guru?

My aim is to show ordinary investors that there are alternative ways to prosper where your returns will far exceed what is available on the high street. For this to be convincing there also has to be an appreciation of the risks involved and how these can be mitigated.

• Do you have any quick advice for readers who are young professionals?

If young is the operative word here then my recommendation would definitely be to understand the power of compounding on your investments. Being young gives you a tremendous advantage as you can invest as little as $100 and in a relatively short space of time that could turn into a sizable sum of money. You just need to find the right investment to do that with.

I am a stay at home mom of a 4 and 3 year old. We survived solely on the income of my husband who is a school teacher and were buying a house last year. I began desperately searching for coupons on the internet to help us save money on groceries and such. In my search of coupons I stumbled into a world of free stuff, free samples, etc!!! I learned a lot of valuable information from reading several blogs as well. I thought to myself one day “Hmmm..I’ll just start my own blog”…and I did! =) It took no time at all and Free Sample Freak became a success. I feel so blessed to have had such a great response!

• Where do you get the samples, coupons, and ideas for your blogs?

In the beginning I searched and searched and searched for freebies. Now, the freebies pretty much come to me. I am signed up with literally hundreds of newsletters to companies and I weed through those to find current promotions, samples, and coupons. The ideas for my blog are what I searched for in a blog before I had my own. I try to stay closely connected with my readers as well and I appreciate all the input that they give me.

• How do you keep track of all the coupons and freebees?

Oh my goodness, haha…it’s tough. I try to stay organized with all of my emails and try to mark everything that has a known expiration date. One day of being away from my computer though gets me behind! Some days there are just so many things to post that you just can’t possibly post them all. I have said several times how great it would be to have a few clones of myself, haha.

• What are some of the best deals you’ve come across on the internet?

This is an exciting question. My favorite freebies are the full sized products and I have gotten so many I can’t even count them! I really love when companies have coupons with no spending limits. For example: $10 off ANY purchase, that means $10 of freebies and just pay tax! JC Penney had a HOT deal around the summer time for a free $15 Tank Top for the first 10,000 entries! That was awesome!

• How did you become the Free Sample Freak?

Once I realized that companies were anxious to hand out free samples, I was immediately addicted! I used to search off and on all day online for different freebies. It took about 4-6 weeks from the beginning for freebies to start coming in the mail, after that they come rolling in daily! The freebies won’t stop unless you do!

• What is some advice you could give our readers on becoming free sample freaks?

Free Samples might seem silly to some, but they really do come in handy! Shampoo/Conditioner samples, etc. are great for taking along when you travel. I have saved my samples ALL YEAR and I have so many that I am arranging gift baskets for my family for Christmas gifts! Taking a look back at a year’s worth of free samples is insane! You get to try products you’ve never even heard of, products you’ve always wanted to try, and products you love!

I suggest opening up an alternate email account for your freebies, deals, and any newsletters that you sign up with. You can do this through gmail, yahoomail, hotmail, etc. This way your regular email inbox doesn’t get flooded with stuff that is hard to separate.

Setting up an “auto-filler” is a great way to fill out free sample forms quickly. I use Roboform, it’s free to download. I believe that Google also had an auto-filler. like here. low cost travel insurance

My biggest suggestion is to keep your eyes open for deals! There are so many times where you can match coupons with items that are on sale and the items end up being free! I do this quite a bit at Walmart and I love it! I never shop without a list, and I rarely purchase a product without a coupon. My obsession with free samples has turned into so much more, haha.

When I first started The Better Credit Blog back in 2007, I was in the same situation as many of my readers are in today. That is, I had quite a few credit problems I needed to resolve in anticipation for the purchase of a home. In that sense, I suppose one could say I started by blogging about the mistakes I had made during my personal credit repair journey in hopes that others could avoid these mistakes. Over the past couple of years, however, the natural progression of my blog has shifted into more of a “question and answer” format. Since I have experienced first hand the difficult task of repairing one’s credit, I am often able to answer my reader’s questions in a much more direct way than if they were to, for example, “Google it” –which requires hours of sifting through complicated legal jargon and more often, information targeted only at selling you something.

• What is the real reason to why you blog?

As I mentioned in the previous question, much of the information on the internet regarding credit repair is simply clever advertisements aimed at selling folks products such as debt consolidation and credit monitoring services. This was a big problem I had when I went on my personal credit repair journey. I would say that my biggest motivation to blog is to provide people out there with direct answers to their personal credit questions. I find a lot of joy in answering these credit questions and, in all honestly, sincerely hope my blog provides information for not only the folks asking the questions, but others who come across these articles having similar questions.

• What topics do your readers enjoy?

Aside from answering reader’s questions, I also write articles that provide simple techniques (or tricks, I suppose some would say), for removing bad entries from your credit report. Since the information regarding techniques is quite hard to come by, they seem to be favorites among my readership.

• What do you expect The Better Credit Blog to look like in two years?

The future direction of The Better Credit Blog is really up to the readers. As I mentioned earlier, over the past two years the blog has progressed from a simple account of my personal credit journey into a sort of question and answer blog. I receive dozens of questions every day and answer as many as I can. From what I can tell, my blog is the most popular blog on the web regarding credit. Therefore, I have a sincere responsibility to provide accurate information. Over the next couple of years, I intend, as always, to provide information to my readers that remains up-to-date and relevant. This is quite a task for me and requires a lot of continuing research, but as long there is an interest in these subjects, I will continuing blogging.

• What is your favorite topic to blog about?

I receive a lot of emails from readers who sincerely believe that repairing their credit is impossible. It’s almost as though they have accepted, as fact, they will never have good credit. I remember this feeling and it can really get you down. I think part of the reason is because your credit score affects so many aspects of your life. This feeling can really harm one’s self-esteem. I enjoy writing back to people in an attempt to dismiss these feelings because they simply aren’t true. I am proof of that.

• What is some financial advice you would offer to some of our readers?

My overall financial advice is to get out of debt, stay out of debt, and save as much money as you can. In regards to credit, specifically those with bad credit, my advice is to learn as much as possible about credit repair before attempting to repair your credit. There are many techniques that you can use in this process that will greatly improve your overall success.

I don’t think blogging has changed the way I look at finances too much. I’ve always loved all things money, economics, and business related since I was about twelve years-old. As sad as it sounds, seeing the movie “Secret of My Success” changed my life and its direction. I think now that I have been blogging about finances, investing, and money topics for a little over a year, it has made me think a little more in-depth about my own finances and the things my family and I do with our money. For example, it wasn’t until I wrote about saving for three to six months of necessary expenses in an emergency fund that I realized how much three months actually was in dollar terms.

• Has experiencing debt first hand, helped you relate better to your readers?

I think that having been $30,000 in credit card debt after graduating from college, digging out of it, and paying it all off has helped me understand what my readers are going through. It has given me the knowledge and confidence that it can be done. But, I have tried not to focus too much on my own story of getting out of debt on Own The Dollar. There are so many other great blogs out there with that same story. It is not what I want to define me or the blog. I want the blog to help people learn to control their own destiny through smart money choices, financial education, investing, and planning.

• What do you suggest as quick advice to help readers dig out of debt?

The one thing that made the biggest impact in my life was actually to write down every single debt I had, add them all up, and be honest with myself that I actually had a problem. I had lied to myself for years about how much I actually owed credit card companies. I didn’t even know the actual total for the longest time. When I saw that big number written down, I was blown away and scared to death. It was a wake up call. Owning up to all that debt got me in motion to pay it off. So, first things first, you need to be honest and committed from the very start to dig out of debt.

• Where do you see Own the Dollar in a couple of years?

Of course, I would like to see the blog continue grow and steadily publish a new post everyday. It blows me away to think that two years ago I had no idea even what an RSS Reader was. I think that eventually Own The Dollar may narrow its focus with respect to personal finance. Eventually, I would like to focus more on investing and less on frugality, insurance, etc. I actually have a degree in corporate finance, but writing on the blog has helped me realize that I really love personal finance topics and helping people learn about improving their finances. So, I think in the next couple of years I am going to start going through the requirements to earn the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. There are only a few CFPs actually out there blogging to the masses and even fewer breaking personal finance down to an easily understandable level.

• What is your favorite financial topic to blog about?

I love to talk about investing the most without a doubt. I really enjoy writing and talking about anything that has to do with stocks and mutual funds.

• How do you hope Own the Dollar helps readers in their own financial crisis’s?

I’ve always hoped Own The Dollar would provide its readers with easy to read and easily understood personal finance information. I’ve always striven to explain things in plain English that will help everyone understand about their own situations and how to help. I would love to see people turning to Own The Dollar in search of the answers to some of their problems. I would like to get more questions to answer on the blog.

I guess that some people might think I am crazy because I always have a project or two on the go. At the age of 28, I am married with 2 children, I have finished my MBA, while working full time as a financial planner and I also run my blog, The Financial Blogger, and manage other websites.

I am a man of multiple passions. And this is why I am writing everyday about finance on The Financial Blogger; because finance is such an interesting topic!

• How does The Financial Blogger have a different spin on finances compared to the other blogs out there?

The Financial Blogger is a resourceful website where everybody that decides to take control over their personal finances can actually do it while understanding what his financial consultant is doing. Born from my passion for finance and making money, TFB is a place for people with average to advanced financial knowledge. TFB is the main pole and source of inspiration for a bigger project; becoming financially independent. We are here to make money but we are also here to have fun too and we want to make sure our readers feel the same way. TFB is about opening the mind without reserve, taking risks and making money while having a blast!

• What influences your blogs?

Since I work in the financial industry, I am inspired by my clients, my colleagues and by what I learn during many investment and economic conferences.

I also pick a lot of things out of my personal life. If you go on my blog, you will find out how I managed to consolidate my debts, how we are doing financially in a single income household and how I reached a 6 figure income through multiple sources of income this year.

• What is your favorite financial topic to write about and why?

I love writing about investments and leveraging. Most people hate taking risks because they don’t understand finance and are afraid to lose everything. I want to show people that taking risk can be a lot of fun and rewarding when it is calculated and carefully thought out.

• What topic is popular among your readers?

I guess that as a Blogger, you catch the attention of people who think like you. Many of my readers had a great interest in my MBA series where I discussed the highs and lows of such a demanding program.

Investments and creating an alternative source of income has always been a hot topic on my blog. There are also several comments posted everyday on my Primerica series. A long and well debated topic!

• Do you have some financial advice for readers struggling with a budget?

I don’t know if many people are like me but I hate to make and follow a budget from month to month. It is time consuming and redundant.

Since I still had to find a way to put money aside, I made the effort of doing a balanced budget including a portion for savings. Then, I setup an automatic withdrawal in order to make sure that I save the same amount everyday.

So my financial plan is according to the amount I save each month. The rest of the money is left for all the other expenses; I just have to manage to make sure I pay all my bills at the end of each month

Paying yourself first is the best way to save money and manage your household income according to me.

It has been said that we are creatures of habit. Some money habits make us poor, while others make us rich. The key to being rich is knowing which is which.

My money habits growing up can be described as “working hard for money”. The only way I knew how to make money then was to work hard and and get paid at the end of each month.

Being young and foolish about money, I made sure that my “hard work” was compensated by having lots of fun. I have earned and spent my money as if there’s no tomorrow, dining out with friends, buying the latest gadget, or buying home appliances all at once, EVEN if I didn’t have the money to pay for it. I only had to use my new credit card.

When my debts piled up, I realized that my money habits are eating me alive. I even had to do cash advance on my credit card just to pay for rent. That was a wake up call for me. I realized I had better take care of my own money by controlling my own money habits or I’d end up begging for money to pay for what I eat.

That proved to be a turning point in my financial life. My journey of trying to learn how the world of money works started by discovering my own “poor” money habits and forming new “rich” money habits to help me get started in taking control of my own finances.

Rich Money Habits was born out of my desire to help people take control of their own money habits. It starts with recognizing that years and years of “poor” money habits programming cannot be undone overnight. It takes constant exposure to the financial habits of the rich, making your own financial mistakes, and having the courage to take action in spite of financial failures. More importantly, Rich Money Habits was built in the hope of cultivating a community where people can learn and encourage each other to discover and strengthen the “rich man” within each one of us.

• How does Rich Money habits differ from other financial sites?

The main focus of Rich Money Habits is in helping you develop the mindset of the rich in the hope of drawing out the “rich man” in you to help solve your own financial problems.

Some financial sites focus on being frugal. Others focus on ways of saving. While a few concentrate on the different investment vehicles, whether it be online savings accounts, mutual funds, real-estate or stocks.

Even though Rich Money Habits will occasionally feature these topics, it is mainly to highlight the money mindset behind the financial decision and examine how and why people take advantage of these financial vehicles in the first place.

• Does personal experiences play a key part in the content of your blogs?

My personal experiences (both successes and failures) are occasionally included in some of the articles in Rich Money Habits in the hope that it might help encourage other people to explore and discover their money habits on their own.

• Where do you get the ideas for your blogs?

Ideas are a dime a dozen. I’ve read hundreds of personal finance books, magazines, blogs, attended financial seminars and coaching, designed software solutions to major financial services companies but nothing beats jumping in and experiencing how to solve your own money problems. Listening to other people’s money problems also allows me to tune in and understand why people do what they do with their own money. My goal is to extract the valuable financial lessons from all these sources and effectively communicate those gem of money ideas to readers of Rich Money Habits.

• What are some key concepts to keep in mind when creating a budget?

One thing I learned about a traditional budget is that it doesn’t work – at least for me anyway. I don’t keep a detailed list of all transactions that I make. What works for me is keeping an overall picture of where my money is coming from, where is it going out, and more importantly, if I’m keeping any of it at the end of each month. If I need to know where my financial life is, I can check my accounts and instantly get an idea if my money is growing or not. I’ve learned to stay flexible and treat a budget like a plan that has to be continually refined as I go.

What is some financial advice you could give our readers?

Keep learning. Keep dreaming. Keep building your own rich money habits.

The Life Hacker, which can also be reached via my name domain, (larryslater.com) is the foundation for my online presence. For months I’ve customized the look and functionality of my site to make it my online “dream home.” It is still being furnished and will continue to have rooms added, rearranged and refurnished to make it reflect the topics that are the most “me” linking to all my online properties and postings and as such it will become the hub to my online publishing network.

• Where do the ideas for your blogs come from?

If you take the time to read some of my posts under the Education section, you will find my story of how I’ve spent the major part of my adult life working in dead-end blue-collar jobs then completing my college degree in record time and then entering the professional world; sort of. My college experiences never truly fulfilled their promise of providing me a better life; only providing my more information. It was left up to me to make sense of my education thus leaving me with more questions then answers. As I transitioned into the business world, I’ve learned that it is populated with many “lost souls” who really don’t have a clue about where they are going. The business world today as a whole is struggling to gain it’s identity and as we all try to find our place in it I intend to try to figure out how best to “hack” it.

• Does personal experience play a key part in the content of your blogs?

Absolutely! Experience is the only thing that can show us what knowledge is useless and what is valuable. Knowing the difference can make you successful at whatever you want to do.

• Your blog contains a wide variation of subjects, which topic is your favorite to blog?

My online topics stem from my many and varied interests with the preponderance focusing on Education and topics that can prepare one for success in life. I want to change people’s lives for the better, hacking the field of Education to make it serve US, not we serving it. But mostly I want to help people to discover the true American Dream which is to control their own economic destiny. With all my education (I have a Bachelor’s in General Studies from Indiana, a Master’s in Religion from Wheaton College Graduate School, and have done extensive Doctoral work in Education again at Indiana) in NONE of my many and varied courses have I been taught how to take control of my own economic destiny. We ALL must learn how to do this on our own with very little guidance. Without getting to much into my philosophies of Education, as I make my own explorations I want to share the insights I gain and the successes and failures I experience along the way so others may have an easier time.

• Where do you see The Life Hacker in about 2 years?

You could have just as easily asked where do I see myself in 2 years as this site is my home online. Being as I have tried to make this site as scalable as I can, I see it as the foundation for many outlets of communicating through many platforms and formats whether they be print or digital, blogs or social networks. The volatility of the marketplace will guide us into the future of what will be possible and I intend to fully participate.

• What are some college survival tips you could give our readers?

Several years ago I compiled a small book full of the tips that I learned from my college journey and have it for sale on Amazon. All of these tips I intend to also publish through my site and other networks online.

One thing I learned too late in my college career is that taking college at face value is a BIG mistake. Getting through college in order to start your career is starting too late. You MUST view college as the beginning of your career. If you do that it will then provide you with invaluable opportunities to succeed even before you graduate. But no one will tell you this because they haven’t set out to “hack” college as I did.

But again, let me say that this site is only one entrance into an entire online network to teach how to succeed in our changing world. It is my classroom, my “pulpit” if you will, to evangelize if you will, the concept that when we understand the tools at our disposal and are willing to change our thinking, we can see that we really are living in the midst of the greatest opportunities our world has ever provided.

Being green really isn’t that hard.  I know that it sounds intimidating with all the gloom and doom that is published, but baby steps are key.  With everyone working together, we’re going to make a difference.  Start small, make one change a day (or week!) and feel good about what you are doing.  We are all in this together!

I searched for, and did not find, a blog devoted explicitly to helping homeowners save money. I couldn’t not believe this did not already exist, so I created one myself.

• Do your experiences play a key part in the content of your blogs?

Absolutely. Virtually everything on the blog is based on improvements I’ve done or want to do. It’s personal to me, but I’m open to suggestions from readers, as well.

• What has been your favorite thrifty project that you’ve blogged about?

I think the renovation of my garden, because it was so cheap to install and it saves an accountable amount of money each year. It was also a lot of fun. A list of last year’s projects is here: http://www.thriftyhomeowner.com/2009/01/2008-look-back-on-my-projects.html

• What blog is a “must-read” on the Thrifty Homeowner?

Probably one I just posted- 10 Easy Ways to Save Money. http://www.thriftyhomeowner.com/2009/11/10-easy-ways-to-save-money.html. I outline tips that anyone can implement quickly and cheaply.

• Are there some basic tips homeowners everywhere ought to know that you could share?

It’s important that every homeowner have basic skills, and you can only get them from taking chances and actually doing things outside your comfort zone. If you can learn from a family member or friend, that’s great. But if you can’t, read all you can and just do it!

• Where did you learn/pick up these tips to home-owning?

Most I pick up from reading home improvement manuals, others I learned from reading things online.

When my wife and I got married we were living on only my income. We started this blog because we wanted to share our experiences on how to make the most out of a little. We have found that it really does not matter how much you make, but what you do with what you have. We wanted a blog that would be practical and helpful to others.

• Your blog has a lot to do with sales at stores and coupons, where do you guys get the ideas to blog?

I have a variety of different ways I find sales and coupons. A majority of my ideas come through personal experience, forums, other blogs, and other websites. I also find deals through local circulars, radio, and looking through the newspaper. I also talk with others to find ideas.

• Does personal experience play a key part in what you guys blog about?

Yes, personal experience plays a key role in our blog. Each week we post our CVS deal and other frugal activities that we have participated in. I try my best to only post those things that I have got for free or bought.

• What are your favorite financial topics to blog about?

I love to blog about online surveys, banks, and credit cards. It has become a hobby to look for the best bank deals (higher interest rates) and credit cards (best reward deals). My most favorite thing is writing about online survey companies that I belong to. I have a whole web page (http://ourfrugallife.com/?page_id=120) dedicated to my reviews of online survey companies. My wife’s favorite thing to blog about is her weekly CVS deal (and she’s really good).

• Is it fun to work together as a husband/wife team battling the debts and high prices in this world?

Yes, my wife and I love to spur each other on to find the best deals. Over the last two years we have worked as a team to payoff $30,000 worth of student loan and car debt. We are debt free today and loving it! Now we work as a team to save as much as we can and finding the best deals is very helpful in doing that.

• What is some financial advice you could give our readers who are young married couples?

We are a young married couple and I would give this advice. If you are a Christian couple, first you cannot separate God from your finances and you must honor him with your money. For those who do not share our faith, I believe these four tips are helpful:

Communication is fundamental. This is common sense. If you cannot talk about money, you will never get on the same page. It takes clear communication to set up a budget together and to decide on financial decisions that affect you both. The quicker you do this, the easier things will be. Also, the goal is not to be in total agreement on everything or to get your way, but to respect one another and be able to compromise for the best of both of you.
Trust one another. I believe you have to trust your spouse with money. We have laid a foundation that we trust each other with small purchases and we talk about any big purchases. The money we make individually is ours corporately and we trust one another that we will not misuse it. Since we are united in money, any decision we make is going to affect both of us. I’m not there to control how my wife spends money, I trust her that she will be wise.
Setting goals together. My wife and I have set goals to become completely debt free and to save for a home. That means that we are making big sacrifices today for greater satisfaction tomorrow. If you have the same goals, then you both will seek ways to be frugal.
Seeking each other’s knowledge. There are some areas that my wife has expertise in that I have no clue about, and likewise with my knowledge. We seek each other on those areas and it becomes an opportunity for us to both share our thoughts.