Earlier today a Twitter message passed by me with an interesting link to an article in the Globe and Mail about an article, ‘Four Traits of a Top Financial Blog‘.
The article got me thinking about the subject so I thought I’d take a moment to revel myself to you.
The Four Questions to Ask to Find a Good Personal Finance Blog
- What’s the Motive?
- What’s the Content?
- What Are the Author’s Sources?
- Who Is This Guy?
So let me answer each question for you. After reading my responses, I’ll leave it up to you to determine if I meet the criteria to help.
What’s the Motive?
Here is what the article said about motive.
The first aspect to examine is the writer’s vested interest. Owning a blog can offer an abundance of profitable opportunities such as hosting paid advertisements, complimentary invitations to events and discounts on various products. While many of these business agreements are ethical, some blogs may violate readers’ trust by selling them on a product that benefits the author. Source
My motive in providing you with help is to help. I’m lucky enough in my life that I have created a life for myself that gives me the flexibility and opportunity to offer people unbiased help to assist them to find good solutions to bad debt situations.
My income from this site comes when someone clicks on one of the butt ugly ads that litter the site. I don’t pick the advertisers or have any control over who appears, I leave all that up to the magic of Google. They control the ads.
You will note that on the GetOutOfDebt.org site I give away my ebooks for free and offer no services that anyone can purchase. I have nothing to sell my readers.
What’s the Content?
The article said that a good blog content is:
Another benchmark for assessing whether a blog is worth following is whether the blog provides a unique service to the reader. This aspect is often relative to readers’ needs. Source
Nearly all of the content on the GetOutOfDebt.org site is unique. People write me with their specific situation and I provide advice and suggestions to help them deal with their situation. The content is specifically targeted to providing real and meaningful solutions for individual and common financial problems. The site is not a simple regurgitation of breaking news or other content.
What Are the Author’s Sources?
Here is what the article said.
Blogs that cite their sources are often the most trusted and professional because they acknowledge when they rely on other people’s work. Source
As you read through the GetOutOfDebt.org site you will see quotes from other works followed by a Source link. That link will take you to the exact site or author when the information was found so you can verify what I have stated or said is true and to give the other author attribution credit they deserve.
Who Is This Guy?
Do You Have a Question You'd Like Help With? Contact Debt Coach Damon Day. Click here to reach Damon.
Again, from the article.
The final aspect to consider when evaluating a blog is the professional consistency of the blog. If the blogger provides some information about his or her professional background, this is a good start. Do a little research to find out whether the blogger works in the industry or has any professional accreditations or knowledge. Source
Oh man, I’ve got this one covered. My interest in helping people with money troubles grew out of my own difficulties.
I went on to start a large and leading credit counseling group, I’ve written books on the subject, I’ve been interviewed thousands of times and people that know me provided testimonials you can read about my expertise and experience. You can also read my Linkedin profile to learn more about me, my background and my expertise.
Bottom Line
I think I do meet the essential qualities of a good personal finance blogger and expert. I’m just damn lucky that all of my life experiences have lead me to a point in my life when not only do I have the skills and background to help, but I have the time and opportunity to help as well.
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I settled both my bank of america and my capital one (total about 30k) without an attorney. I lost my job and couldn’t pay. I told my creditors that I planned to file for chapter 7 bankruptcy. Of course the accounts were charged off and turned over to collection agencies. I guess the accounts were in pre-litigation (that’s what I was told by the collection agencies). I was struggling with major depression at the time and I had paid nothing on either account for maybe 10 months. I finally got around to filling out the bankruptcy forms (available online) and at that point decided to contact the collection agencies. Bank of america settled for 45% and capital one settled for 50%. It was a fortoitous coincidence that I received a back payment of thirteen thousand from my long-term disability policy. Bottom lne: I was able to settle both accounts for less than 50% without filing for bankruptcy. Unless your situation is very complicated, why pay an attorney to do something you may be able to do for yourself? I say ditch the attorney and deal with your creditor yourself.
.-= robin´s last blog ..A Monster of an Analogy =-.
I hired an attr to help me settle an amex card account for over 50 thousand dollars. He is ripping me off bigtime, I have already given him 3500 dollars and he wants more to make the first offer to the Amex Attr. I do not have it and so I am asking advise on what to do to shelter my assets . I am in texas and my corp business is in nevada.I have decided to fire the attr and I know amex will sue me. What would you do. thanks Judy