Personal Finance

Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — July 2022 

It’s time again for one of my favorite features here on Dyer News: a look at the top 10 personal finance articles of the month. First, we’ll look at two articles about saving money — in both senses of the term. After that, we’ll talk about investing for retirement. To close things out, we’ll also cover financial goalposts, a five-word reason why financial freedom is so powerful and much more.

As usual, this month’s list includes a couple of Dyer News Top 10 mainstays as well as a few first-timers. Without further ado, below is my list of the top 10 personal finance articles published in July of 2022, along with their title, author, and the site they originally appeared on.

Saving Money

How Much Money Should I Save Every Month? — Natalie, Go From Broke

Chances are that most consumers know they should be saving money. Of course, determining how much you should be setting aside is a different story. Luckily, Natalie offers this full guide to answer that question and many of the other queries that come from it.

4 Ways to Save Money on Rent (Without Moving) — Kyle Burbank, Money@30

For many Americans, the largest single expense they have each month is rent. And while there are a few ways that this cost can be cut, the best money-saving options typically involve relocation. Instead, Kyle looks at a few tips and tools to help consumers save money on rent without needing to move.

Investing

When Are Roth Accounts Better than Tax-Deferred? — Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?

When it comes to retirement investing, IRAs can be a major tool. Of course, these accounts come in two main flavors: traditional or Roth. So which is better? To help answer that, Chris looks at some different situations and when one option may be more beneficial than the other.

In Defense of Dollar Cost Averaging — Nick Maggiulli, Of Dollars and Data

For investors, the goal is to buy low and sell high. In reality, however, it’s impossible to perfectly predict the market, making this approach untenable. That’s where dollar cost averaging comes in, suggesting that investors continue following the same approach regardless of what the markets are doing. In this post, Nick takes a deeper look at dollar cost averaging by applying the principle to some of the worst market times.

Personal Finance Tips

Why the Financial Goalposts Are Always Moving — Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense

Have you ever neared achieving a goal only to realize that, suddenly, it doesn’t seem good enough? Especially when it comes to finances, it can seem as though the goal post is always moving. As it turns out, there’s a reason for that, as Ben explains.

“Money lets me show up.” — J. Money, Budgets are Sexy

There are many reasons why financial freedom has become an increasingly popular concept. Perhaps most notably, for many, it’s the goal is to not have a job they hate. Yet, as J. Money shares (inspired by a tweet by Kate Horrell), the power of financial freedom can be summed up in five words: “Money lets me show up.”

The Buyerarchy of Needs: Reduce Waste and Save Money — Kara, Bravely Go

In school, many of us are introduced to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. More recently, climate writer Sarah Lazarovic provided a new spin on the concept she titled the “Buyarachy of Needs.” Inspired by that graphic, Kara puts the pyramid into a personal finance perspective as well.

But I Don’t Want to Be Frugal — Clipping Chains

No matter how hard we try, it seems that the concept of frugality remains largely misunderstood. Then again, it’s hard to blame some consumers that look at the penny-pinching ways of some financial independence seekers only to think “That’s not for me.” For those who might feel that way, this post from Clipping Chains discusses the value component of frugality, finding a “sweet spot” and more.

Why More Money Won’t Lead to Financial Independence — Darius Foroux

According to common definition, financial independence is reached when you have enough money saved and invested to support your lifestyle without the need for employment. So it would seem that, if you had more money, you’d achieve financial independence faster, right? Not so fast, says Darius, who explains why lifestyle is a more important factor than income.

Cheers To 4 Years Of A Purple Life: Highlights & Answering Your Questions — A Purple Life

Finally, a big congratulations to A Purple Life, which celebrated four years this month. To mark the occasion, the blog looked back at the past year — including accomplishments, opportunities turned down, and more — while also answering some reader questions.

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Thanks for checking out my 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 me on Twitter @jondyer9 and of course visit DyerNews.com.