The Millennial budget is a tricky thing — do you pour your meager earnings into savings? Or maybe you work to beat student loans? Or should you instead boost your professional wardrobe for a better chance at landing that dream job? What about travel — isn’t being young and childfree the time to see the world?
With more questions than answers, we seek guidance in the prose of pros. At Rentable, we know that rent takes up a huge chunk of your income, and we want you to be able to afford a place that you love. So we’ve rounded up our favorite 10 personal finance blogs to help you — and Millennials everywhere — build up your bank accounts.
Broke Millennial
This one kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it? Erin Lowry found herself where many recent college graduates do: overeducated, underemployed, and bearing a “worthless” degree — in this case, theater and journalism. But in only a handful of years she has begun earning nearly $100,000 a year, about four times more than the national median income for Millennials. Certainly, she outgrew her moniker — and don’t you want to, too?
Mint
Mint is foremost a budgeting service that you can connect to your bank account to track your spending and how well you’re meeting your goals. But they also have a useful blog that’s in tune with many recent grads looking to grow up their budget, learn about IRAs, build good credit, and — gasp — prepare their finances for a baby.
Millennial Money
Much like Lowry, the man behind this blog was able to strike it rich after a financial low point upon graduation. Grant’s blogs are casual — starting with a “yo” shoutout at the top of the page — and chronicle the mistakes he made and lessons he learned, ranging from how to get a raise to a day-by-day retirement plan.
The Billfold
Rather than preaching advice from the top of Money Mountain, The Billfold takes a more realistic, down-to-earth approach to financial matters. This blog includes profiles of how people are using their money — such as “How an Executive Assistant Who Recently Started Saving for Retirement Does Money” — and what conundrums people have gotten themselves into, and out of again.
Millennial Money Man
This money man paid off his $40,000 in student loans in just two years. On top of sharing his loan-crushing expertise, Bobby Hoyt also advises on the financial efficacy of travel, veganism, and… dental insurance. Between bouts of plugging his own products, he offers realistic, insightful articles and reviews of budgeting apps.
Money Under 30
This blog guides you through everything from credit card debt to buying your first home — which is an intimidating, disorienting process for anyone, much less a first-time buyer.
Young Adult Money
For this site, it’s all in the tools, which include a time-tracking spreadsheet, automated budget spreadsheet, wedding budget spreadsheet, 52-week money challenge spreadsheet, and more. Rather than taking your money matters into their own hands, like many apps do (and do quite well), this blog would rather give you the means to learn how to do it yourself.
Mr. Money Moustache
Despite its name, this blog isn’t entirely wrapped up in either money or moustaches. It’s more of a lifestyle blog, where Mr. Moustache himself shares tips for a variety of areas: exercising without a gym, remaining stoic in the face of adversity, and, of course, how much to save for retirement.
DailyWorth
Chock-full of advice, DailyWorth’s money page is only aspect of their blog, which is geared toward helping women develop professionally and financially. From a briefing on the Snapchat IPO to a discussion of whether marriage is really that beneficial to your bottom line, DailyWorth has you covered.
Making Sense of Cents
With unembellished aesthetic appeal, Making Sense of Cents gets right down to business with a breadth of money- and life-related tips — and these posts are coming from a former financial analyst, so you can trust that she’s done her math.
