Blog Review: Get Rich Slowly

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Get Rich Slowly is another one of the big boys of personal finance blogging. The site first came online in April 2006 and already has over 34,000 RSS feed readers, as of this writing, wow. I’m sure if you check back in a month this number will be a lot higher.

First, I’d like to congratulate J.D. from (GRS) Get Rich Slowly who announced yesterday his plans to become a full time blogger. He details the reasons for quitting the day job in his most recent post. His articles are already excellent, I can only wonder what more time on his hands is going to do.

I know this is a leap of faith for him, but I’m fairly certain it’s going to work. He talks about finding the guts to pursue his dreams, which is a common theme you often here among people that achieve success. These are words I love to hear.

Keeping it simple

The content on this site is so very practical and presented in such an easy to understand manner. It still amazes me the time and effort that goes into presenting a blog of this quality. Much like A Simple Dollar, GRS blog archive shows a similarly impressive litany of multiple daily posts, since the beginning of time:)

In my last post, I described ‘being blown away’ by different blogs when I first started reading them in late July, well this was the other blog that I was referring to. When I was jotting down a few notes about what I wanted to post here, in regards to GRS, I wrote, ‘you get more bang for your buck’ and I think that’s a good way of describing it.

I get something out of almost every post he writes. I think he writes with an incredible efficiency that makes checking out his blog, a couple times a day, a worthwhile endeavor. It strikes me that his clear, concise writing probably mirrors the approach he has taken to getting his finances in order over the past 2 years.

Experts in their niche

Another thing I like about GRS are the excellent guest posts that you get fairly regularly. For instance, I recently read Get More Bang for Your Buck by Using Coupons and Sales Wisely. This piece, written by a mother of 2 children, offers some very sensible advice on how a little preparation before you shop can go along way.

Below I’ve created a list of some of my favorite Get Rich Slowly pieces. Some are more recent, while others date back a little while:

• Taco Soup: A Cheap and Delicious Use for Ground Beef - I felt the need to include this here because it’s a common theme with the first two blogs I’ve reviewed. J.D. and Trent both advocate preparing your own food. They believe this a big money saver. The funny thing is I go to both these sites to get practical savings tips and I walk away with cool new recipes. Who needs Martha Stewart…
• Beating the High Cost of Weddings: How We Did It, and How You Can Too - a great piece that I plan on referring to a lot of my friends. I have a feeling this winter season many of them will be popping the question. They’re going to need some good advice on how to keep the wedding costs under control.
• Can You Have a Savings Account in a Roth IRA? Now this is something right up my alley way. Who knows maybe down the line I can help to contribute a piece like this one. The advice given is spot on. Although, I think it would be nice to know the age of the person asking the question. Depending on what phase of life you’re in impacts the decisions you make in a Roth IRA.
• Yard work and Financial Setbacks: A Metaphor - I’m always a sucker for a good analogy or metaphor. I think relating financial issues to everyday situations is a great way to convey your point to readers. In this case, the yard work problems are a metaphor for financial setbacks. The advice is sound: believe in yourself and persevere.
• Basic Personal Finance: Know How Your Accounts Work - most people, including me, don’t look at the small print. Many months ago I was dinged with finance charges on my credit card for the same reasons as J.D. Get to know the ins and outs of the accounts you use most often. I don’t want to say anything specific about the purchase of WM he talks about, but diversifying risk via ETF’s is a smart way to invest for the future and limit your exposure to individual stock risk.
• A Brief Overview of Estate Planning Software - an excellent little piece that lists some resources for making a simple will and looking at your estate planning issues. I believe this may be a good way for people to scratch the surface on estate planning education, but also agree with the route that J.D and his wife choose. In my opinion, this is one area where cutting costs should not be a part of the conversation.
• Frugality is Not a Dirty Word- I think human psychology plays a big part in why many people refuse to look, objectively, at their own ‘out of control’ situations. Many people let pride and perception get in the way. I think people don’t want to be perceived as frugal because they think there’s a negative connotation associated with it. J.D. addresses that here. Make sure to check out the related posts at the bottom of that page.
• Understanding the Seven Habits of Wealth - one of those excellent guest posts that I was referring to up above. Creating good daily habits is one of the keys to achieving financial freedom.
• How to Get Out of Debt - a simple but great article about what you need to do in order to eliminate debt. This is a great starting point for those of you that feel overwhelmed and want advice on how to turn things around.

Well there’s enough to get you started. I could go on all day listing different pieces, because there are so many to choose from. I recommend you go there and discover this treasure trove of practical advice for yourself.

Another cool thing both, Get Rich Slowly and A Simple Dollar, do is provide almost daily posts alerting readers to other interesting and helpful articles across the web. I also noticed GRS is talking about getting financial calculators on his homepage. Why do that when you can send them here:)

(P.S. - as I was about to post this article I noticed another great piece over at GRS that just went up. Check out… Are You a Shopaholic? Six Steps to Curb Compulsive Spending.)

Tags: blogroll review, Personal finance, rss feed