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I wrote recently about how sharing my financial progress publicly on a monthly basis enabled me to better evaluate my life, make better decisions, and grow my wealth faster than if I had kept my progress to myself. Over time, not only did the public display of my net worth and income motivate me, but the transparency became crucial to my philosophy of improving anyone’s financial situation, and the same transparency helped build a relationship with readers here on Consumerism Commentary.

Here’s why I believe this worked. Knowing readers would be looking for positive improvements each month, there is extra motivation not to let them down. Fear of embarrassment can drive better decision-making. It’s rooted in a life philosophy I’ve often heard: “Live as if everything you do could be a front-page story in the New York Times.” This type of motivation may apply not others, not only myself.

A few reasons now prevent me from being just as forthcoming about my own finances today, but I have decided to take this model of transparency and create an exciting new feature on this site. In the midst of writing the article linked above, I came to the realization that the monthly progress reports are and should be an integral part of the identity of this site, and I want to bring them back. At the time, I called for readers to be willing to share their monthly financial reports anonymously.

The response was positive and unexpectedly voluminous, so I’ve expanded the plan. Each month I’d like to track up to five readers’ financial progress. Assuming there are enough readers willing to commit to this tracking for at least year, I will be able to choose those whose life situations are substantially different from each other. For example, one reader might be a single guy looking to quit his job and start his own business, another might be in a family of four with a household income of over $150,000 with investments to track, while yet another might represent a couple nearing retirement with a savings deficiency.

The participants will provide a report exported out of Quicken or something equivalent, which I will format in much the same way I’ve formatted my reports in the past. Each reader will be featured in one article a month, in which they will present their financial update and describe any obstacles or successes they might have experienced in the past month. Each article will also feature feedback from me and a few financial experts I’m recruiting.

I plan for this to begin with the end of 2012. The end of the year is a great point for creating a baseline. It will also be one year after my last personal net worth update.

Even if you have already contacted me to be part of this major new feature on Consumerism Commentary, please complete the form below. It’s important to understand these details about each interested reader in order to select a good mix of financial situations. Continue reading this article to see the form. Read the full article →

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If you are new to Consumerism Commentary, start here.

My name is Luke Landes, and I am the founder of Consumerism Commentary. I started this website in 2003 to hold myself accountable for my choices pertaining to my financial condition. Over the subsequent years, Consumerism Commentary has grown into one of the most popular blogs to focus on the world of personal finance. The website counts among its praises being called one of the best money sites by the most-read financial columnist on the internet, Liz Weston, named as a must-read blog by Kiplinger’s, and listed as a best money website by Money Magazine.

The mission of Consumerism Commentary is to develop financially literate, capable, and successful human beings by sharing educational, entertaining, and engaging writing.

You can read more about Consumerism Commentary and about me here.

Here’s how to approach Consumerism Commentary for the first time.

Step 1: My net worth

From 2003 through 2011, I tracked my personal financial reports publicly as a way to hold myself accountable as I progressed from being in debt with little income towards financial independence. Readers can still access my full net worth history.

Step 2: Subscribe to and follow Consumerism Commentary

There are new articles on Consumerism Commentary every weekday and occasionally on weekends. Don’t miss anything by subscribing to the website or interacting with Consumerism Commentary through social media.

Step 3: Enjoy Consumerism Commentary

While I write about a number of topics related to personal finance on Consumerism Commentary, all of the articles are geared towards making the best financial decisions throughout our lives. These are some of the must-read articles, essays, and tools on Consumerism Commentary. Read the full article →

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In just a short period of time, Consumerism Commentary will be entering its tenth year of existence. The site’s ninth anniversary is approaching, and I’ve been involved with the website longer than I’ve been involved with any other commitment in my life. Jobs and relationships have come and gone, but Consumerism Commentary remains.

I started the website in an effort to track my personal finances at a time when I was struggling financially, though I had already started a new path towards financial independence. Thanks to the readers early on who believed the website offered something unique, the growth of the community has been nothing short of amazing. Consumerism Commentary has changed character a little bit from those early years, when a blog was more about short, quick chronological updates and about sharing links to other interesting things found online. Last year, I solidified the website’s vision, mission, and purpose. While the owner of the site is now different, not much else has changed, and there are no plans to change anything in the near future, except for perhaps a more professional-looking logo and site design.

Thanks to all the readers who have continued to visit this website since 2003, our fans and friends on Facebook, and particularly those who continue to participate in discussions today. Thanks also to all the colleagues who have offered their advice and encouragement, and a big thanks to Jay Frosting (also known as Bryan J Busch) and Tom Dziubek who have held down the podcast fort for several years.

And if you’ve encountered any technical issues with the website recently, please continue to bear with me as the technical team continues to work out the bugs.

Last week, my article about The Rich and the Rest of Us by Dr. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley attracted the attention of the two men, and I’m working on scheduling an interview with the pair later this week. They are crusading across the country to elevate the issue of poverty and potential actions to move the United States is a better direction towards resolution. Do you have any questions for Smiley and West?

There are five types of purchases — well, more than five but these five are big — you should never put on your credit card. Every purchase you make is tracked by your credit card issuers and can be used against you if the companies decide you’re a higher risk than they originally thought. And they can change your risk profile based solely on the types of stores you visit.

The Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Musings of an Abstract Aucklander last week included my article about Sprint’s $300 million tax fraud lawsuit.

Adrian from 7 Million 7 Years talks about how it may be hard to believe that someone in New York struggles on an income of $350,000 a year, but he understands the perspective. Andrew Schiff, who works for a brokerage firm, earns this salary but “feels stuck” according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.

Mike, the Oblivious Investor, argues that even an individual with a reduced life expectancy should wait as long as possible before collecting payments from Social Security. There are some specific circumstances in which it might be beneficial to claim Social Security benefits early, however. Mike explains within the article.

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There are more ways to interact with Consumerism Commentary than visiting this website. I hope you do visit this website often to participate in the discussions.

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About Consumerism Commentary

by Luke Landes

Welcome to Consumerism Commentary! This website was one of the first blogs to focus on money from a personal finance perspective, and Luke Landes (also known as Flexo) was the first blogger to share monthly financial updates, such as his net worth statement, with no restrictions. Consumerism Commentary is now a premier personal finance blog ... Continue reading this article…

0 comments Read the full article →

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A few weeks ago, I was a live guest on Talk Credit Radio, hosted by Gerri Detweiler, on radio station WSRQ. We talked about my sordid financial history pre-Consumerism Commentary, in which I confess to owning a car without knowing how to maintain it or how to handle my traffic tickets. We also talk about ... Continue reading this article…

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Nominate Your Favorite Blogs and Products for the Plutus Awards

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I don’t normally like to interrupt the stream of personal finance articles with something that’s more related to the website than it is to money, but this is an important message that can help support the entire community of blogs that focus on writing about personal finance. If administration-type articles don’t interest you, skip ahead ... Continue reading this article…

3 comments Read the full article →

Write a Guest Post for Consumerism Commentary

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Out of the hundreds of emails I receive every day, many requests I receive are from writers who would like to contribute to Consumerism Commentary in some form, such as a blog guest post. Many bloggers, particularly those whose websites are popular, can attest to receiving similar requests. They come from a variety of sources: ... Continue reading this article…

1 comment Read the full article →

Advertise on Consumerism Commentary

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By advertising on Consumerism Commentary, you will reach hundreds of thousands of unique visitors each month. Visitors are actively interested in financial products and services. Consumerism Commentary has been mentioned in and linked by the media including The Wall Street Journal and Yahoo Finance. Some options for advertisers include: Banner advertising Podcast advertising Sponsorship of ... Continue reading this article…

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Meet Bryan, Host of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast

by Luke Landes
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Those listening to the Consumerism Commentary Podcast may have noticed that our latest episode, featuring guest David Bach, was hosted by a new voice. Our long-time producer, Tom Dziubek, is currently taking a hiatus from the show to explore a great job opportunity, and we wish him the best of luck. We’re happy to have ... Continue reading this article…

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About the Consumerism Commentary Staff and Writers

by Luke Landes
Luke Landes

Luke Landes, chief editor and founder Read Luke’s articles / Facebook Profile / @flexo / email flexo at this domain name Luke Landes’s experience with building online communities dates back to 1990, and he has been writing for the web since 1994. In 2003, he began improving his own personal finances and his online writing ... Continue reading this article…

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Consumerism Commentary Store

by Luke Landes

Welcome to the Consumerism Commentary Store! Have you registered for an account on Consumerism Commentary? If you have, and you have logged in, you can earn points for leaving substantial comments on recent articles. (Comments consisting of only, “Great post!” or “I agree with you!” will not earn points, for example.) Each day you visit ... Continue reading this article…

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Best of Consumerism Commentary 2010

by Luke Landes

This was a fantastic year for Consumerism Commentary. Readership has grown by 10 percent since 2009, and I’m happy with these results considering the website has been around since 2003. There are many readers who were with Consumerism Commentary since its start — thank you! And for those who may be new to Consumerism Commentary, welcome. ... Continue reading this article…

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Earn Points By Participating on Consumerism Commentary and Win Goodies

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You may have noticed that Consumerism Commentary authors, like myself and Smithee, and some commenters, have points and ranks displayed alongside their names. I’ve implemented a new feature on Consumerism Commentary in which visitors can earn points by participating in the discussions following every article and by visiting Consumerism Commentary every day. There will be ... Continue reading this article…

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American Express Offers Currency

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American Express has been working on ways to attract more of Generation Y to their products. Earlier this year, they began offering the charge card ZYNC with features they expect will attract a new generation of customers, including customizable rewards packages. Earlier this week, AmEx unveiled Currency, a website that incorporates financial advice from writers ... Continue reading this article…

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Best of Consumerism Commentary, February 2010

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Don’t forget! Consumerism Commentary is in the running to win a few Plutus Awards. The Plutus Awards are designed to celebrate the best personal finance resources such as books, savings accounts, and blogs. Vote here now before the deadline on March 16. The finalists were selected from among those that received the highest number of ... Continue reading this article…

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Vote for Your Favorite Financial Products and Blogs

by Luke Landes

Earlier this year, the personal finance blogging community nominated their favorite products, services, and blogs to be considered for a new annual awards ceremony, The Plutus Awards. (The name comes from the relatively unknown ancient Greek god of wealth, Plutus.) These awards are designed to celebrate the best in personal finance. I’ve been working on ... Continue reading this article…

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Best of Consumerism Commentary, January 2010

by Luke Landes

Wrapping up the first month of the year, I’m not quite convinced I’m on the right track yet. I spent most of this month without much time for myself. I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not responsible for any other person than myself. On the other hand, January was a great month for Consumerism ... Continue reading this article…

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Nominate Your Favorite Personal Finance Products and Websites

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