One year ago I had this crazy notion that there were other young professionals out there who would be interested in listening to what I had to say about personal finance. I was just this pretty average yopro (young professional…don’t worry, it’ll catch on) who didn’t have any experience blogging and kept a simple Excel spreadsheet as a budget. It’s been a remarkable year for me, and I’ve been blown away by how much fun I’ve had. So I wanted to take a quick post to thank a few people, look at where YMF has come, and discuss where I’d like YMF to go.

Thank you

I definitely need to thank a few people. I’d really like to thank my wife, Christina, for all her loyal support of the blog. She not only puts up with me as I slave away on writing my next article and edits a lot of my articles, but she’s also encouraged me when I hit some low points blogging and celebrated with me during the high points. I’d also like to think my main editor, Jonathan. In a way he’s been my most loyal user, as he’s read almost every article I’ve put out. In addition to fixing my many spelling and grammatical errors (Word doesn’t catch all of them!), he also provides both helpful and snarky comments that keep my writing fun. A big thank you also needs to go out to Brian of FreeMoneyMinute. We started our blogs around the same time and it’s been awesome having a fellow blogger to encourage and teach me a thing or two.

Secondly, I’d like to thank my readers. You are the reason that I continue keeping this blog. Whether it’s just the fact that I see my stats and know that people are still reading the articles or when I get comments thanking me for a certain article, I really appreciate it all. A big shout out also goes out to those who have re-posted or shared articles on Facebook, Twitter or email. Whether it was voluntarily or after I shamelessly begged you to, it is always super appreciated. I can only do so much publicizing the word about YMF, and it’s because of the efforts of caring people who share that YMF has been able to grow.

Looking back

Over the past year:

• YMF posted 99 articles ranging in topic, including budgets, attitudes, retirement, investing and even helpful tips like how to get out of yet another dinner with friends.
• YMF has been fortunate enough to have been visited by young professionals from 49 countries. That’s every continent except for Antarctica, and I don’t think they really count.
• YMF’s articles have been read just over 9,000 times. Wow.

I’ve literally been blown away by these numbers and am just thrilled that there are that many young professionals (and even old professionals too!) who are interested in improving their finances.

Moving forward

For 2014, I’ve set a couple of goals that I’d like to see for the blog:

• Continue writing articles that are not only helpful, but also relevant
• Increase communication with my readers. For a blog to be successful, it really needs to be a two-way street. My articles will only be relevant if people reach out to me and let me know the types of questions or concerns that they have with their finances. My articles will only be helpful if from time to time readers reach out and tell me!
• Double the number of readers from last year. Wow! That’s quite an ambitious goal, right? (Did you read my article on setting a BHAG?) Personal finance is a huge area of concern for young professionals like us. Although I don’t have all the answers, I can certainly help point people in the right direction. Our first few years out of college can really set us up for financial success for the rest of our lives, or start us on a downward trend that will leave us in debt and forced to work forever! I’d love to continue spreading my articles and helping people out!

What I need from you:

• As I said earlier, a successful blog should be a two-way street. Please, please, please reach out with feedback (both good and bad) and with article ideas. The more I can hear from readers like you, the better the blog will be!
• To continue doing what you’re doing: spreading the word. Although I don’t expect every person reading to share the blog on Facebook or Twitter, perhaps you could tell some of your friends the next time you’re discussing finances (I know it happens!).
• Finally, keep reading!

This first year has certainly been a wild ride for YMF, and I look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store for the blog!

-Ben
ben@youngmoneyfinance.com