BlogHer - money management - Comments

The name, the topic or the shame?

lenaramore — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:44:21 -0500

The category itself is too broad to navigate. The impact of this is less participation because, when time is limited and valuable we choose the most specific topic, in order to quickly benefit from relevant information.

Wander into a "personal finance" section and you could be hearing about - -well, check out our 6 posts so far - -real estate, insurance, accounting and Linsey's initial comment which was "curiosity on the definition." Then add the filters for different classes, ages, and obligations and you've got one heck of a mess to wade through to find something relevant.

What I have found in my work with both male and female clients is that very few care about personal finance qua finance - -what they care about is the lifestyle that their personal finance delivers or impedes. Personal finance is like a car, in that the mechanics and wiring of the machine are yawners but speed, comfort,efficiency, safety and reliability are always top of mind.

"Lifestyle provisioning" is the phrase I use with my clients to segue from the cosmetic stuff to the mechanical stuff - -perhaps something like "making money work" or "paying for your lifestyle" would gin up hits.

Best to all - -
Laura

www.thehomezonecompany.com

I don't like talking about money either

ckingins — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:21:17 -0500

Elana, I understand.

I was raised that you didn't discuss money except behind closed doors, or in business meetings, which of course I would never be a part of because I was female. So ending up owning an insurance agency where you talk about money in many ways was quite a stretch.

The first time I sold a policy I hated asking for the check for the first month's premium. I would still rather not, but I'm not quite as panicked over it! When you discuss long term care insurance, annuities, monthly income and expenses with people eventually it's not as tough to do. And that's some pretty personal stuff to discuss. But, when you know you will only direct your clients to reasonable, logical and ethical decisions, it gets easier.

So I guess it's okay for me to discuss money now, since I'm invited to 'the meeting.'

Be well!

Colleen King

Colleen King Insurance Agency

Northridge, CA

Blog:www.askcolleenking.com

Web site: www.CKinginsurance.com

Email: Colleen@ckinginsurance.com

Thank you!

kylinsmom — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:32:37 -0500

I just wanted to say that I truly appreciated the Birds of a Feather meet-up (even though it was small), because it got dialogue going (and any dialogue is good at this point.) I am interested to hear how other bloggers interpret "personal finance" and am glad that you summed up our meet-up so well. As someone who follows the budget, BlogHer was a stretch. Sponsorship definitely played a factor in my attending, and I only wish more had the opportunity!

If nothing else, BlogHer pulled me further into the issues of blogging from a female perspective (and this is important in personal finance.) The meetup was just another way to kickstart some new blogging opportunities for me personally (and for all of us at Wise Bread.) Thanks for facilitating!

Linsey Knerl

Perhaps The Tide Is Turning

Elana Centor — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:37:42 -0500

I am actually optimistic for the potential of personal finance bloggers. The fact is there are very few people who are not feeling like they are worse off than they were 8 years ago. Many people who did the "right" thing, who had strong 401(ks) and homes with ever increasing equity are now saying they have to re-evalute.

A couple of weeks ago I was having drinks with two friends who are in financially enviable spots. One retired from corporate live 8 years ago and has been working with nonprofits and foundations. The other picks up work when she feels like it.

But sitting having drinks I heard concern. One of the women had a great deal of their investments in financial services stocks and they have tanked. The other simply said , we are below the amount we need to live the way we want.

So if the smart, savvy and successful investors are feeling the pain then perhaps there is an opportunity to not only get the attention of people but actually provide some important value to their lives.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

It's the cross we bear

wkennedy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:12:42 -0500

A long time ago a friend of mine in sales said to me, "I'd rather sell things people want than things they need." Her point was that it's easier to sell chocolate than dental products no matter how much you need to have your teeth cleaned. Personal finances, alas, fall more into the dental camp.

I have spent the past year blogging about accounting, which is a second cousin to personal finances. I feel your pain! I get very few comments, yet I have had some excellent reactions from the editors who syndicate my blog. The reader stats keep going up, so I know there are people out there interested in financial topics. They just don't seem to need to participate in a community. I attribute that to the tendency of us accountants to be quiet and introverted, or maybe my prose isn't colorful enough to attract comments. Who knows?

I heart personal finance!

Liz Rizzo — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:13:44 -0500

I actually have a category on my personal blog where I blog about personal finance stuff: money and banking.

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.