Hey YMF readers, it’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. Yes, that’s right, this month marks the third anniversary of YoungMoneyFinance. That’s right, it’s been 3 full years since the January 2013 debut of the site. Since then, I’ve been able to publish just under 200 articles, ranging from credit cards, student loans, all the way to insights into choosing a good healthcare plan for yourself. I’ve had some big hits, like “9 ways in which I’m cheap”, and some old favorites like “the top 11 excuses to get out of yet another dinner with friends”.

It’s been a phenomenal year, with another 20,000 or so view on the site, from a variety of countries, spanning all continents (ok, not Antarctica but every other one). The highlight of the year came from being featured on the Penny Hoarder, having over 6,000 views in one day! I’ve continued to learn so much about personal finance and have been so happy to share with you as my readers!

I’ve also been fortunate enough to continue interacting with you as readers. I love hearing and helping from readers, readers just like you! Some of you have actually reached out and we’ve been able to meet to discuss your own personal financial situations. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that others will reach out too!

I must confess that I haven’t been able to devote as much time as I’d like to the blog. I’d love to revamp the overall site design a bit to make it smoother and more professional. I’d love to spend more time on social media outreach and trying to guest post on other blogs. Things have been a little busy in my personal life, as I recently changed jobs. The job change has been great for me, although it’s distracted me a bit from the blog. My resolution for 2016, and for the 4^th year of the blog is to better focus on serving you!

In order to make the blog as awesome as possible, there are a couple of things I need your help from in 2016:

• Continue sharing the love on social media! We’ve got a great Facebook and Twitter page and have been developing a following! One of the biggest ways new readers learn about the site is through sharing articles on Facebook. Why not consider sharing one of your favorite posts?
• Tell a friend! Know a friend that could use some YMF advice? Why not tell them about this awesome personal finance site that you frequent?
• Continue reaching out with ideas and questions! I love hearing from readers just like you, and some of my best articles have come from ideas or questions that you guys reach out with!
• In need of some personalized financial coaching? Find the blog helpful but still have questions? I’ve been working one-on-one with a couple of readers and they have found the sessions to be incredibly helpful. How about reaching out to see how we can find a solution for your needs?

Thanks for all your support and look forward to a great 4th year!

[Thanks to all who have donated so far, this will be my last request!] Finally, I have a small request from you. I’ve been blogging here for 3 years now and it’s absolutely been incredible. I’ve loved hearing and helping readers just like you. I’ve made it a point not to go overboard on advertising on the site because a) I think it’s trashy to fill up a blog with ads and b) I think I’d lose some credibility with you as the reader. It’d be tough to recommend a product that you either don’t need or is contrary to the YMF philosophy. However, to host the site, I do pay a handful of bucks each month for the domain and the hosting. Although I haven’t done this in the past, I figured I had enough readers enjoying my site that I could ask. How would you feel about make a small donation to YMF to help offset some of the hosting fees? I’m not asking for much and will keep blogging even if I don’t get a single dollar, but I did want to ask! If you enjoy the site, if it’s helped you in some way or if you appreciate the mission of YMF, please consider donating $1. That’s right, in true Wikipedia form, if everybody reading this post gave $1, I’d be able to easily cover the hosting fees. No pressure, but thanks in advance! – Ben