PF Blog Spotlight - The Simple Dollar

For our first Sunday together on this blog, I’d thought I’d share one of my favorite personal finance bloggers, who also happens to be my biggest motivation for starting this blog. His name is Trent, he writes The Simple Dollar, and he‘s the subject of my first PF Blog Spotlight.

I stumbled across his blog when doing a Google search for Robert Kiyosaki. I had listened to the audio book version of Rich Dad, Poor Dad last July, and found myself both inspired, and a bit ill at ease. While what I had heard was encouraging and made me think about my finances and goals for the future, the details and specific actions that were advocated seemed rather risky, much more risky than Mr. Kiyosaki implied, as well as difficult to implement with only the guidance given in the book.

Looking for some more information, I ran my search, and came across Trent’s post on Rich Dad, Poor Dad . What he said made a lot of sense; while there is some good, even inspirational information in the book, the attitude Kiyosaki takes, and the lack of solid, actionable information, leave much to be desired.

Since then, I’ve been following The Simple Dollar regularly, first by going to the site, then by subscribing for email delivery, and now, using his RSS feed. Some of his most recent articles, which I’d like to share:

Reader Mailbag #48 - Every week, Trent answers several questions from his readers. This week, his set of questions includes someone having trouble getting enough attention to his blog (a situation that's certainly close to my heart), diversifying your emergency funds into multiple currencies, and building up your skills with DIY projects.

Accused of Being a Cheapskate - An interesting view of how people who attempt to restrain their spending are seen by the general public. I suppose it’s an occupational hazard for a writer who covers frugality, but the points made are spot on, and well expressed.

Five Things to Do if You have a Great Idea - An interesting discussion of what to do if you have an idea you feel could be used to turn a profit. I was especially intrigued by some of the side discussions that resulted in the comments area; it’s interesting to see the advice elicited from watchers regarding the subject of copyrights and patents.

These articles are good start, but Trent’s site is filled with helpful and interesting writing. I’d highly recommend you take a look.