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Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — March 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 here. This includes a mix of sites that have become staples of our lists as well as many first-timers.

Up first, we’ll be talking about some money lessons and other thoughts on the matter. Then, we’ll discuss lifestyle creep as well as clutter. Finally, we’ll wrap things up with a look at pessimism versus optimism in investing, tax tips, a student debt proposal, and more.

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

Money Lessons and Thoughts

What I Learned From My No-Spend Month — Gretchen Rubin

As the name implies, a “no-spend” month is a challenge where consumers don’t make any purchases during a certain timeframe (aside from some agreed-upon essentials). While some might see these as a short-term gimmick, others argue that the lessons learned during these periods can be illuminating. With that in mind, Gretchen shares some of her observations from a recent no-spend month.

20 Lessons From 20 Years of Managing Money — Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense

It’s one thing to gain insights on money from your personal experience. But, it’s quite another to gather them from helping to manage other people’s money. After 20 years in the investment business, Ben shares some of what he’s learned.

Why We Should Talk About Money More Often — Darius Foroux

We all know that, for most, talking about money is an awkward concept. At the same time, many of us are also aware of how important it is to have these conversations. In this post, Darius offers some tips for talking about financial matters and more.

Creep and Clutter

Acceptable Types of Lifestyle Creep — Aaron, Mr. Stingy

On the whole, lifestyle creep is not viewed as a good thing. While it’s understandable that people feel obliged to spend more as their income goes up, this so-called creep can have some negative effects. However, as Aaron points out, there are some more “acceptable” versions of lifestyle creep worth considering.

Three Mindset Blocks That Are Keeping You in the Clutter — Renee, The Fun-Sized Life

Decluttering your space can have numerous benefits — which is why the practice has gained a lot of positive attention in recent years. Yet, that doesn’t make the process any easier. For those struggling, Renee looks at a few blockers that could be getting between you and your ability to declutter.

Personal Finance Tips

Optimism vs. Pessimism. How Each Will Impact Your Next Investment — Fire Year FIRE Escape

Are you generally an optimist or a pessimist? Well, regardless of your answer, it could have an impact on your investments. And, despite what you might assume, neither is better than the other in this case. This article from Five Year FIRE Escape explains more.

Top 22 Tax Deductions and Tax Breaks to Remember in 2024 — Nirav Shah, MD, Physician on FIRE

Tax Day 2024 is now staring us right in the face. Of course, this means that millions of Americans are scrambling to get things in order before the deadline arrives. As they do so, this post from Nirav highlights some important deductions to keep in mind when preparing your return.

Can the Typical Person Become a Millionaire? — Nick Maggiulli, Of Dollars and Data

It’s safe to say that most people would love to be millionaires if possible. On that note, though — is possible for the average person to reach such financial heights? Nick runs the numbers and considers some complicating factors.

The Shortcut is Probably Too Long — David Cain, Raptitude

When working toward a goal, it can be tempting to try to find a shortcut. Alas, even the most well-intentioned “hacks” are likely to leave you coming up, well, short. That’s what David explores, offering up some personal examples as proof that shortcuts to success rarely work out.

Proposal: How To Reform Student Loans And Hold Colleges Accountable — Robert Farrington, The College Investor

Despite some legislative efforts, the student loan crisis hangs over the heads of many Americans. What’s more, current economic conditions (namely inflation) certainly aren’t helping matters. But what can be done? Well, Robert offers some comprehensive reforms and fixes he thinks could go a long way toward fixing some of the problems now and into the future.

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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.