My 7 Favorite Websites for Learning About Money

I’ve been nerding out about money for 10+ years now and have never run out of stuff to learn. Even as a Certified Financial Planner^tm, I’m constantly coming across new ideas and new approaches that reshape my thoughts about money.

And really, that’s why I like this stuff so much.

Because at its core, personal finance is really simple. Spend less than you earn and save the difference. That’s pretty much all there is. Everything else is just detail.

But it’s the detail that’s fun. Because there are a million different ways to put that basic premise into action, and the trick is both knowing what those ways are and figuring out which ones are best for your particular situation.

So I’m always on the lookout for new ideas, and today I’d like to share the seven websites that I personally go to again and again because they’re constantly teaching me something new. Hopefully you’ll find some of these websites helpful as well.

Quick note: I’m well aware of the lack of diversity in this list. It’s a lot of white dudes. This is my honest list of the people I’m currently learning from, but I would love for you to share your recommendations for more diverse sources of information in the comments.

1. Brunch and Budget Podcast

Okay, so this first one is technically a podcast, not a website. I’m still putting it first because I love it so much.

Pam and Dyalekt are a married couple living in New York City. Pam is a Certified Financial Planner^tm and she brings the expertise. Dyalekt is an MC who brings the sense of humor and asks the questions we all have but are too scared to ask.

And honestly, they’re just a great team. They’re incredibly fun to listen to and I learn something new from every episode, even when the topic is something I’m already pretty familiar with.

They also have a socially conscious bent, with episodes like this one on the racial wealth divide, and that perspective is always helpful for me to hear.

You can find them on iTunes and Stitcher, and you can also check out Pam’s website here.

2. JL Collins

I’ve written about Jim before when I reviewed his book, The Simple Path to Wealth, which I would recommend to anyone who wants to be better with money.

Jim is as kind, funny, and smart as they come. He’s not a financial professional, but honestly you’ll learn more from him than you would from most financial advisors. He’s spent his life creating what he likes to call F-You Money, and these days he spends his time doing pretty much whatever he wants.

His blog shares all the lessons he’s learned along the way so that you can build your own F-You Money. He’s most famous for his stock series, which is excellent, but you’ll learn a lot about money and life by reading through the entire site.

To be completely honest, if there’s such a thing as a financial role model, someone whose financial life I would most like to emulate, Jim is mine. I think he’s a total badass.

You can dive into his writing at jlcollinsnh.com.

3. Bogleheads

The Bogleheads describe themselves as “investing enthusiasts” whose name is “intended to honor Vanguard founder and investor advocate John Bogle”.

Long-time readers already know that I’m a big fan of Vanguard, and this is a group of people who live by similar principles. At their core, the Bogleheads are committed to making personal finance simple and efficient, and cutting out all the BS that most financial companies try to sell you.

And their website is a fantastic resource for two main reasons:

1. They have a wiki that serves as an excellent reference on a large number of financial topics, particularly surrounding investing. I personally refer to it often when I want to learn something new or refresh my memory on a particular topic.
2. They also have an active forum with a ton of smart people willing to help you with just about any financial question you can imagine.

Whenever you have a specific question about investing, or any other financial topic for that matter, the Bogleheads website is a good place to start.

4. Mr. Money Mustache

I can distinctly remember the first time I stumbled upon Mr. Money Mustache because my head exploded and I had to spend the next few hours picking up the pieces.

See, the courses I had to take in order to become a Certified Financial Planner^tm were incredibly rigorous, but they were also very conventional. They basically assume that you’re going to work a 9-5 job from age 22 to 65, at which point you’ll retire to enjoy your golden years.

And Mr. Money Mustache flips all of that way the hell upside down.

This is a guy who retired in his 30s, rails against commuting, downsized to a smaller house in his early 40s, and encourages people to save 50%-75% of their income.

If there’s anyone who bucks the conventional financial wisdom, it’s him.

Now, a lot of the stuff on his site is pretty extreme, and quite honestly might feel like too much. But that’s exactly why I like it.

He pushes me to look at my financial decisions in a completely different light and to make decisions that I never would have otherwise even known existed, all because he isn’t afraid to stray so far from the norm. While I don’t personally go as far as he does, I’m further down that path because of him and I’m better off for it.

You can check him out for yourself at mrmoneymustache.com.

5. Oblivious Investor

Mike Piper is a CPA and his blog does a great job of explaining the nuts and bolts of investing, taxes, Social Security, and other complicated topics in easy-to-understand language.

This is one of the sites I relied on heavily when I first started learning about investing years ago, and it’s one I still go to regularly when I want to learn more about technical topics. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, but just as important he has a way of communicating that knowledge clearly and concisely.

You can find him at obliviousinvestor.com.

6. Budgets Are Sexy

J. Money is the best person I know at making money fun. He’s just a regular guy with a mohawk, a wife, and a couple of young kids, but he’s hilarious and super honest about his financial life in a way that’s both totally relatable and incredibly helpful.

Most of all, he has his own unique way of thinking about money that’s different in some ways than my own, meaning I’m able to pick up some pretty cool tips and tricks here and there. Whether it’s his mission to challenge everything or his series on side hustles, there’s always something new to think about.

And even when I’m not learning, I’m definitely entertained, which is good enough for me!

His website is budgetsaresexy.com.

7. Nerd’s Eye View

This is where I get my financial planner nerd on.

Michael Kitces is a rockstar in the world of financial planning. I could try to list all of his degrees, accomplishments, publications, and business ventures, but that would probably require its own 3,000 word post.

Let’s just say that he’s an incredibly smart and accomplished guy who is uniquely skilled at sharing his knowledge and experience with others.

His blog is probably the gold standard for learning the ins and outs of financial planning, from the basics of paying off student loans to the details of creating a Stretch IRA through the use of an A-B trust strategy (pretty nerdy, right?).

To be clear, this blog is written for financial planners, so it’s not the place that most people should go for financial advice. But if you’ve already handled the basics and you like diving into the nitty gritty of your financial plan, you’ll like what Kitces has to offer.

You can check him out at kitces.com.

What are your favorites?

Those are my favorites, but now I’d love to hear about yours. Which websites do you find yourself continually going back to and continually learning from? What do you like about them?

Let me know in the comments below!