With another quarter behind us, it’s feels like it’s time for some introspection. The leaves are changing; fall finally appears to be here in the South and we’re all saying goodbye to summer. I’m looking forward to the cooler weather but still having plenty of outdoor activities like camping, hiking, football games and bonfires! The cheapskate in me is also looking forward to opening the windows more and saving on electrical costs!

It’s a good idea to look at yourself and your finances on at least a quarterly basis, and I enjoy doing these posts to reflect not only on the blog’s progress, but also on some personal updates as well. If you don’t already, consider setting some financial goals for yourself. Perhaps it’s to save a certain amount over the next quarter, or pay down a specific amount of debt. Maybe it’s to “get your finances” in order and get a budget (download the YMF one here) or conduct your own financial assessment. Regardless of where you are, there’s always room for improvement!

The blog

2018 has been a big year for the blog, and Q3 really feels like I was able to hit my stride. Q1 saw the redesign of the entire site (hope you like it!), with a new logo, branding and a layout. Q2 I was focused on the quality of my articles, and trying to be more organized. I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet planning future articles (lest we forget the time I ran out of articles) and have been trying to figure out what my readers want to read and writing quality articles with links and pictures. Q3 I tried to get in the groove and keep churning out good articles, while trying to grow my blog by networking with other financial bloggers. The stats are still up from 2017 and I have been enjoying a steady stream of visitors!

From an article standpoint, the top two articles were: Recession is Coming and How to be a better Employee. In “Recession is Coming”, I explored the possibility of a recession and what that would look like for young professionals. I talked about what I personally am thinking about and am doing, and what I would encourage you to do as well. Spoiler alert – I’m staying the course of investing and saving as much as I can! The recession isn’t here just yet but we’ll have to see! “How to be a better employee” was a fun article, it actually came out of a joke at work. I had decided to unofficially mentor one of the newly promoted project managers on the team and would always give out advice and say something like “I hope you’re writing this down”. Turns out she was and at the end of the project presented my words of wisdom to the rest of the team. My boss loved it so much that he printed them out and put them up on his desk. I reflected on the advice and decided that it was good stuff and turned it into a blog post!

There were a couple that I was bummed to not see do better – What to do with your 401k when leaving your job (which was requested by a reader) and How to actually improve your credit score. I thought both provided practical advice to young professionals on things that they are likely facing. My personal favorite this quarter was the post on Net Worth Tracking. I realized that I’ve got some insecurity around my own personal finances and it was leading to unnecessary stress and anxiety. I had read and heard about net worth tracking and decided to give it a shot! So far so good, I keep the bigger picture in mind and feel confident about my overall progress. I still check on my accounts fairly regularly but I will say less than before!

The author

Q3 was a big one for me personally, and I’m happy to share some updates! Firstly, Mrs. Money and I haven’t been able to find a new house for us to buy. We love our current house but always knew it was our ‘starter house’. 4 years in, we decided it couldn’t hurt to start looking for another one. As crazy as it sounds (and very scary), we are planning on keeping our current house and using it as a rental. Mrs. Money and I have often thought about trying to build wealth through real estate and wanted to give it a shot. Unfortunately for us, the real estate market in Atlanta (and from what I hear elsewhere too) is HOT! A lot of buyers, not a ton of inventory, and high prices overall! We put in a handful of offers but no luck yet! The nice thing is we don’t have to move and can take our time finding the right house.

Secondly, I am in the process of changing jobs, after being at my current company for 3 years. I got a great opportunity and offer with another company in Atlanta and I’ll start in a few weeks. It’s of course scary leaving one job for another, but I am happy with my decision. I’ll be referencing the article I wrote 3 years ago about leaving my last job before I leave! I will note that I am leaving about 2 weeks before my 3 year anniversary, which mean’s I’ll miss out on another ¼ of my employer’s contributions to my retirement vesting. The new company needed me to start earlier and so I successfully leveraged that retirement vesting discussion into a higher starting salary. Was nervous negotiating but it went well!

Thirdly, I’m pleased to announce that Mrs. Money and I are expecting a child! Very nervous but super exciting at the same time! You can certainly expect lots of good Baby Money Finance related articles to come! In the interim, of course lots of research and homework for me into health insurance, doctors, HSAs, and daycares! One perk of the new gig is that my paternity leave is increasing from 6 weeks at my old job to 6 months! That’s unheard of and I’m so thankful for it.

(It shouldn’t be a surprise our announcement was taken at Crossfit)

What’s to come

I hope you continue enjoying the articles I write, as I really enjoy writing them! As mentioned, expect a few articles related to my life changes. I’ve got some big experiences coming up and will be happy to share how I think through, approach and experience them. I have been teasing the idea of me putting out some “self-help” guides, and I do plan to launch them in Q4. I’ve written a handful of guides and really hope that they can help some readers. I find that there’s so much noise on the internet today, so much information out there that it’s hard to sift through the ads, hidden agendas, sub-par advice and overload of info. I hope that YMF guides will be “everything you need to know without the stuff you don’t need to know” and that you’ll get practical, down-to-earth, step by step insight into some common situations young professionals face. I’m looking forward to it!

Finally, I would like to send out a request for some help! Overall feedback on my blog is very positive, which is so encouraging for me. I started this blog and keep it up with the mission of providing modern, relevant and easy to understand financial knowledge onto young professionals. I would love to continue growing the blog and continue growing the mission. A couple of ways you (yes you) can help me out!

• Tell a friend – I’m sure you’ve got a friend (or friends) that could use some YMF financial knowledge passed onto them, so please mention the site as your “favorite website”….eh ok how about “favorite personal finance blog”.
• Follow YMF on Facebook/Twitter – it’s another great way I engage with readers and plus it’s easy to share with friends (helping out with ask #1).
• Follow us on Google + – sych…did you see the news – Google is shutting down their social media platform. Double news – who knew that was still a thing?
• Sign up for new posts to be delivered into your inbox – remembering to come to the site can be tough! There’s an easy way – over on the right side of the site put your email in to “Subscribe to blog via email”. No spam, just YMF articles in your inbox weekly.
• Comment – sharing is caring! If you have a question or comment, I’m sure other readers out there have similar thoughts/questions too! Leave a comment and increase the interaction.
• Credit card referrals – a bit selfish here but if you are looking for a new credit card, how about letting me refer you? I’ve got the following in my wallet and would love to refer you: Delta Platinum American Express (love my Skymiles and airline perks), and the Marriott Card (I’ve been Marriott loyal and now with the merger with Starwood, it’s even more rewarding). Of course be responsible but if you do choose to get a new card, I’d love the chance to refer you (yes, I’ll get points, but you’ll still get the normal sign-up bonus).

No pressure to do all of these things (bonus points if you do though) but thanks in advance even if you do one of them! As always, thanks to all my readers!

Yours in this journey towards financial freedom,

– Ben