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Top 10 Personal Finance Articles of the Month — October 2025

by Managing EditorNov 8, 2025

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 (or updated) 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.

First up, we’ll be discussing making changes to your financial life and your relationship with money. Then we have a different sort of category: a pair of articles that both happen to reference the book Die With Zero. After that, we’ll cover the ongoing shutdown, the Amex Platinum card, opportunity cost, and more.

Here are our picks for the top 10 personal finance articles for October 2025.

Money Changes

Don’t Just Bookmark This, Calendar It: Five Money Days To Jumpstart Your Financial Routine — Nadia Vanderhall, The Brands and Bands

When you’re looking to make a change to your financial life, it’s easy to take in all sorts of advice. Actually coming up with a strategy and applying it, though? That’s a different story. But for those ready to take action, Nadia offers up five “Money Days” to add to your calendar right away.

Understanding Your Money Story — Derek Hagen, Meaningful Money

Whether we realize it or not, the stories we tell ourselves about money can have major impacts on how we approach financial situations. That’s why it’s key that we understand our money stories in order to start rewriting them. To help with that, Derek offers some tips.

Getting Comfortable Making “Bad” Financial Decisions — Chris Mamula, Can I Retire Yet?

For those who strive to be “good with money,” there can come a time when you always want to be doing what you think is the best thing you can do with your finances. Yet, what might be the right decision on paper or on a spreadsheet might not actually be the most rewarding overall. Chris highlights a few examples of this concept and why you should start to feel comfortable doing the “wrong” thing sometimes.

“Die With Zero” Mentions

What Happened When We Finally Opened Our $100 Bottle of Wine — Accidentally Retired

When you have something nice (and maybe expensive) that’s limited, your instinct may be to save it. For example, a special bottle of wine may seem like the perfect treat for a day far in the future that you deem appropriate. Unfortunately, that may not always go as you planned. This post from Accidentally Retired features a true story of this nature and shares the larger life lesson we can take from the incident.

Ben’s Spending Rules — Ben Carlson, A Wealth of Common Sense

You don’t have to look far to find someone willing to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be spending your money on. This also includes plenty of people who recommend saving as much as you possibly can for one reason or another. But, in this ironically-named post, Ben looks at why these rules don’t work and what you should work toward instead.

Personal Finance Tips

This Government Shutdown Is Different — Lazy Man and Money

At the time this article is being published, the United States is still enduring the longest federal government shutdown in history. This development has not only led to uncertainty for many Americans but has also come with some financial consequences. To that point, Lazy Man and Money shares how his family is being impacted by the shutdown and why this one feels different from the numerous others of the past.

How to Leverage the Amex Platinum Card for Travel Comfort and Savings — Kyle Burbank, Money@30

Earlier this year, the iconic American Express Platinum Card saw a refresh that brought its annual fee up to an eye-watering $895. For that fee, though, cardholders enjoy a laundry list of credits, benefits, and perks. As a result, Kyle says that being a cardmember not only makes his travels a bit more comfortable but even saves him money, all things considered.

Why Opportunity Cost Is Bulls*** — Jordan Grumet, The Purpose Code

If you’ve been around the personal finance world for a while, you’ve probably heard the term “opportunity cost.” The idea is that choosing one option over another may have a less-obvious cost to it when other factors weigh in. But, while this concept has gained traction over the years, Jordan explains why he’s not concerned about it.

How Unlimited Free Stuff from Amazon Almost Ruined My Retirement — Mr. Money Mustache

Did you know that Amazon has a program that allows participants to claim complimentary items in exchange for reviews? It may sound great, but there are some downsides to Amazon Vine. In fact, as Mr. Money Mustache points out, this arrangement could have larger negative consequences than one might realize.

Taking Risks That the Market Decides to Reward — Harry Sit, The Finance Buff

Everyone knows that investing is all about taking risks. Sometimes these pay off… and sometimes they don’t. Well, in his article, Harry discusses a few recent examples of risky investments that, for one reason or another, worked out (so far).

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.

Author

Managing Editor

Managing Editor ~ Fioney

Toren Ajk is the founder of TAC Marketing Group, the parent company of Fioney. Toren has over 15 years of experience in the digital publishing space and has worked with a number of FinTech clients over the years, including LendingClub, Upgrade, and Able Lending, among others. He has a BA in Business/Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and earned Beta Gamma highest academic honors for his MBA work in Finance and Marketing at Loyola Marymount University.