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Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — January 2024

Welcome to Fioney’s look at the top 10 personal finance articles of the month. On the first Friday of each new month, we look back at some of our favorite posts published in the weeks prior and highlight them right here. This includes a mix of sites that have become staples of our lists as well as many first-timers.

To start things off we’ll look at some money thoughts, some of which were seemingly inspired by the new year. Then, we’ll feature a pair of articles about retirement. After that, it’s numbers time as two articles break down financial details. Lastly, we’ll discuss saving too much, what you’d do if you woke up with nothing, and home renovations.

Here are our picks for the top 10 personal finance articles for January 2024:

New Year Thoughts and More

5 Unusual Ways to Be More Financially Stable This Year — Darius Foroux

Every year, millions of Americans resolve to be better with their money. As a result, there are plenty of articles highlighting ways that people can work to turn their finances around. On that note, while this post from Darius offers some familiar tips, it also includes some lesser-heard advice for those looking to become more financially stable in 2024.

Learning to Like Beer in a World Full of Champagne Propaganda — Katie Gatti Tassin, Money with Katie

Considering that glasses of champagne are often raised to toast the new year, the beverage also happens to make for a useful metaphor. In fact, it’s already the source of an oft-used financial phrase, “Champagne taste but a beer budget.” So what is it that leads us to acquire this “champagne taste” and how can we overcome it? Katie shares some thoughts on the topic.

17 Thoughts About Money — Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense

As a quote from the classic 90s comedy Empire Records goes, “Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear!” With that in mind, Ben shares a collection of financial thoughts that may be random but are worth exploring nonetheless.

Retirement

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Retiring — Greg Davis, Physician on FIRE

Most people (maybe not all, but close) dream of retiring one day. Yet, perhaps not all of us quite know what to expect. In fact, even the most prepared people may find some surprises when they are finally able to transition into retirement. Take for example Greg, who shares a few things he wished he knew beforehand.

Why I Plan to Collect Social Security as Early as Possible — Go Curry Cracker

If you’ve researched retirement and how to get the most out of Social Security, then you probably know that larger monthly payments are issued to those who wait longer to collect. So then why would it make sense to claim it earlier? Go Curry Cracker explains their logic in this post.

Breaking Down the Numbers

How I Lived On $23,290 As A Global Nomad In 2023 — A Purple Life

2023 marked another year of Purple’s life as an early-retired global nomad. And, as she’s done in years past, she documented every dollar along the way. In turn, we get to see exactly how she managed to maintain her lifestyle while spending just $23,290 during the year.

Breaking Down the Costs of Buying a House (With Real Numbers!) — Kyle Burbank, Money@30

As mentioned in another recent round-up, Kyle became a first-time homeowner last year. As part of this process, he got a crash course in what expenses come with buying a home and what exactly “closing costs” actually are. Having just gone through the experience, in this article, he takes a closer look at the bill, breaking down each line of his closing disclosure.

Personal Finance Tips

Are You Saving Too Much Money? — Your Money Blueprint

Is it possible to save too much? Well, when it comes at the expense of your current happiness, the answer is “yes.” Your Money Blueprint dives into this balancing act in this article.

Everything I Would Do If I Woke Up Tomorrow and My Net Worth Was $0 — Accidentally Retired

A common question of early retirees is, “What happens if you run out of money?” Well, to answer that specifically, this post from Accidentally Retired goes step-by-step through how they’d rebuild. The result happens to double as a good roadmap for those looking to achieve financial prosperity.

Our Money Pit — Jonathan Clements, Humble Dollar

Americans really seem to be interested in home remodels. After all, there’s at least one entire network dedicated to the topic. Yet, as this entry from Jonathan shows, remodels can also be quite a financial headache.

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Thanks for checking out our top 10 personal finance articles published last month and congratulations to all of the bloggers who made the list. To find more of these great articles on a daily basis, be sure to follow us on Twitter @fioneymoney and of course visit Fioney.com.