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.

• Subscribe to this RSS feed or view these alternatives for RSS subscription.
• Follow @flexo (Luke Landes) on Twitter.
• Join Consumerism Commentary on Facebook.

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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