23 Finance Blog Success Stories [2024]
A finance blog is a feature appearing as part of an online publication relating to finance and consisting of articles or personal commentary. A finance blog earns income through sponsored content or simple marketing programs. To succeed in business, a finance blogger should:
- Have a good writing background
- Understand the industry from a concept or fundamental standpoint
- Be passionate about the topics
- Be well organized and maximize the work schedule.
Starting a finance blog involves a low financial investment, while there is a considerable possibility for success. There are minimal overhead costs, saving you time and money. Therefore, starting a finance blog is an incredible business opportunity.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a finance blog:
1. Making Sense of Cents ($900K/year)
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner came up with the idea for Making Sense of Cents as a way to document her personal finance journey. She started the blog as a hobby, but after readers suggested she monetize it, she leaped and quit her stable job as an analyst. Making Sense of Cents now earns over $100,000 a month and has made over $5 million in total.
How much they make: $900K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 1
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner earns $100,000 a month from Making Sense of Cents, a personal finance and lifestyle blog where she writes informative and fun articles about financial freedom and her life on the road, thanks to a diversified traffic approach and monetization strategies, such as affiliate marketing, sponsored partnerships, and course sales.
2. DollarSprout ($600K/year)
Jeff Proctor, co-founder of personal finance blog DollarSprout.com, came up with the idea after realizing he didn't enjoy working for someone else. Initially planning to create a subscription-based investing website, Proctor and his partner eventually pivoted to focus on affiliate marketing. Now, four years later, DollarSprout is on track to generate over $2 million in revenue for 2019.
How much they make: $600K/year
Current team size: 3
DollarSprout.com, a personal finance blog geared towards millennials, went from zero to over $2 million in revenue in four years through a laser focus on affiliate marketing, constantly creating useful, keyword-oriented content that helps readers solve a problem, SEO, and diversifying income verticals.
So... can you actually make money with a finance blog?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. Astute Actions Inc ($360K/year)
David Ning accidentally stumbled upon the idea for his personal finance website, MoneyNing.com, when his personal blog started attracting advertisers. He decided to focus on money management because of his passion for the subject, and the site quickly grew to receive 200,000 monthly visitors. Through networking and genuine content, David was able to build a successful business with minimal startup costs and ongoing profitability.
How much they make: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10
Current team size: 1
MoneyNing.com, a personal finance website that receives 200,000 monthly visitors, discusses how the founder's accidental and passionate interest in tackling personal finance has led to its profitability through advertising, affiliate marketing, and email campaigns alongside insights on building long-form content and networking with the community.
4. Cash Overflow ($120K/year)
Pardeep Goyal, the founder of CashOverflow.com, started his blog in 2015 to share personal finance hacks. After 18 months of no monetization, he discovered affiliate marketing and was able to generate $2000 per month. Over time, the blog evolved into a product comparison engine and Pardeep also started selling online courses and offering content marketing services to startups. Now, his business brings in approximately $10,000 per month, with the biggest source of earnings being affiliate marketing.
How much they make: $120K/year
Current team size: 7
CashOverflow.com founder Pardeep Goyal grew his online business to $10,000 per month with a focus on affiliate marketing, having earned $65,000 from affiliates of credit cards in India in 2018, with his blog evolving into a product comparison engine for banking products.
So... can you actually make money with a finance blog?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Millennial Money Man ($1.8M/year)
After paying off his own debt and becoming passionate about personal finance, Bobby Hoyt started his blog, Millennial Money Man, to teach millennials how to make more money, save more money, and pay off debt. After realizing the success of his own Facebook ads for local businesses, Hoyt partnered with Mike Yanda to create the Facebook Side Hustle Course, which teaches others how to run ads for local businesses. The course had a six-figure launch, leading Hoyt and Yanda to start Laptop Empires, where they help people start and grow online businesses.
How much they make: $1.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50
Current team size: 3
Millennial Money Man founder Bobby Hoyt and partner Mike Yanda created Laptop Empires, which boasts a seven-figure revenue through their flagship Facebook Side Hustle Course, helping retirees and millennials launch and grow their local Facebook ad agencies.
6. The Modest Wallet ($102K/year)
Ricardo Pina, an engineer, started The Modest Wallet after feeling frustrated with financial advisors who didn't provide access to the best financial products. He wanted to share his knowledge and help others achieve their financial goals, leading him to create a personal finance blog. Through hard work and an SEO strategy, The Modest Wallet has seen success, bringing in an average of $8,500 per month in revenue after almost two years in business.
How much they make: $102K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1.5K
Current team size: 0
The Modest Wallet is a personal finance website founded by Ricardo Pina that generates an average of $8,500 a month in revenue by using an affiliate commission revenue model, with a strong emphasis on SEO to drive website traffic.
So... can you actually make money with a finance blog?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. The Ways To Wealth ($468K/year)
R.J. Weiss started his blog, The Ways To Wealth, with a small niche idea of posting investing reading lists. However, after reading income reports from other financial bloggers and realizing the potential in affiliate marketing, he dedicated eight months to doubling down on the site and making it a success. Through a combination of organic search, paid ads, and viral Pinterest traffic, the blog now earns over $30,000 in monthly revenue.
How much they make: $468K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 1
This case study outlines how R.J. Weiss created The Ways To Wealth blog, earning over $30,000 in monthly revenue from a mix of affiliate and advertising revenue with a team producing 15-20 hours of work per article to teach hundreds of thousands of visitors each month how to save and make more money.
8. FITnancials ($90K/year)
Financials initially started as a fitness blog when Alexis had lost 60 pounds while in college and people came to her for advice. With time however, it blossomed into something Alexis was passionate about, which was helping women manage, save, and earn more money.
How much they make: $90K/year
Current team size: 1
Learn how one woman turned her personal finance blog into a $7.5k per month business through affiliate marketing, ad revenue, and sponsored partnerships, and discover the tools and resources she used to grow her business and achieve work-life balance.
9. Arrest Your Debt ($42K/year)
Ryan Luke, a police lieutenant, came up with the idea for his online education business Arrest Your Debt after experiencing financial hardship himself. After struggling to make mortgage payments and accumulating debt, he decided to learn about personal finance and became passionate about helping others in similar situations. Through blogging and coaching, he has been able to help first responders become financially free, earning around $3,500 a month from his business.
How much they make: $42K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 1
Police lieutenant Ryan Luke grew his side business, Arrest Your Debt, into a $3,500 monthly income stream by blogging about personal finance tips through a focus on financial literacy for first responders.
10. Prosmartrepreneur ($114K/year)
Sayan Neogie, an engineering student, started his personal finance and entrepreneurship blog in 2018, initially as a way to make money on the side. After reading an article about a blogger who made over $100,000 per month, Sayan jumped into blogging without hesitation. Fast forward to 2021, his blog now attracts over 160,000 monthly readers and generates a full-time income, proving that blogging can be a profitable venture with minimal investment.
How much they make: $114K/year
How much did it cost to start: $4
Current team size: 0
This case study is about a college student who started a personal finance & entrepreneurship blog and now makes $9.5k a month with over 160k monthly visitors, showcasing how blogging can be a profitable business model with little investment and high potential for growth.
11. Finsavvy Panda ($216K/year)
Finance blogger Ling Thich started her blog, Finsavvy Panda, after feeling unfulfilled with her job as a bank analyst. Through diversifying her income streams with display advertising, affiliate marketing, and selling digital products, she now earns between $13,000 to $25,000 per month from her two blogs.
How much they make: $216K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
Current team size: 2
Finsavvy Panda earns $13,000 to $25,000 monthly in net profit through diversifying their income stream with display advertising, affiliate marketing, and selling digital products like The Power Up Budget Binder and Pin Savvy Pinterest Templates after starting a blog on personal finance and budgeting.
12. MarketBeat ($36M/year)
Matt Paulson, the founder of MarketBeat, came up with the idea for his business while working as a freelance writer in college. He discovered that stock investors were eager for real-time information and news about their investments, leading him to create a newsletter that provided convenient and timely updates. Over time, MarketBeat evolved into a financial media company, generating $8 million in revenue in 2019 and boasting 1.3 million email subscribers.
How much they make: $36M/year
Current team size: 17
Financial media company MarketBeat, founded by Matt Paulson, provides objective financial information and real-time market data to empower individual stock investors to make better trading decisions, generating approximately $8 million in revenue in 2019 and ending the year with over 1.3 million unique email subscribers due to a freemium model with 75% of revenue from advertising and 25% from subscriptions.
13. TSOH Investment Research Service ($192K/year)
The TSOH Investment Research service is a subscription-based platform providing transparent and in-depth equity research for long-term investing.
Alex Morris, a former equities research analyst, launched the TSOH Investment Research service after seeing the false sense of expertise and questionable decision-making in the finance industry. With the goal of providing complete transparency, Morris offers deep dive equity research and portfolio updates to subscribers, which has resulted in the service generating ~$17,000 per month in subscription revenues as of May 2022. Morris credits the success of his service to his decade-long presence and network-building online, as well as the power of the internet and his community on financial Twitter.
How much they make: $192K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 1
TSOH Investment Research Service generates $17,000 per month after a year of launch, offering deep dive equity research on new companies, updates on current holdings and names on the watchlist, investment philosophy discussions, and periodic portfolio updates for a monthly or yearly subscription fee.
14. Alpha Letter ($420K/year)
Alpha Letter is an investment newsletter that focuses on finding small out of favored value stocks Wall Street won't touch.
In 2020, the founder launched a successful parody finance website called The Stonk Market. After gaining traction with viral tweets and amassing a large social media following, they leveraged this audience to launch Alpha Letter, a paid investment newsletter. Within 12 months, they grew their subscriber base to 82,000 individuals and generated over $200,000 per year in paid revenues.
How much they make: $420K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0
An anonymous founder started Alpha Letter, an investment newsletter that focuses on finding small out-of-favored value stocks, and using viral marketing techniques, grew their free subscriber base to 82,000 individuals and now brings in around $30,000-35,000 in revenue per month across all their properties, with their short-term goal being to get each property to $50,000 in revenue per month.
15. CoinSnacks ($360K/year)
Dillon, the co-founder of CoinSnacks, came up with the idea for the business after being fired from his job at a financial research company. With some severance and time on his hands, he realized there was a need for a beginner-friendly crypto newsletter. Since launching in 2017, CoinSnacks has become the longest continuously running crypto newsletter on the market, with over 70,000 weekly readers and a monthly revenue of ~$30,000 in 2022.
How much they make: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 3
Crypto newsletter CoinSnacks co-founded by Dillon has been able to make $30,000 monthly by acquiring competitors and using lead generation techniques while offering a beginner-friendly layout.
16. Konto-Kredit-Vergleich.de ($24K/year)
Sascha, a mechanical engineer with a passion for finance, started Konto-Kredit-Vergleich.de, a German finance blog specializing in loans, banking accounts, and car leasing. After struggling to gain traction for 18 months, Sascha had a breakthrough when he published an article during the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, which led to a significant increase in daily readers. Today, the blog generates a monthly income of over $2,000 USD.
How much they make: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0
German finance blog founder Sascha shares how he turned his website into a monthly 2,000 USD income with minimal social media and no ads, by creating high-quality content that solves real-world problems for readers in areas like loans, banking accounts and car leasing, and leveraging affiliate marketing.
17. Pursuit of Passive Income ($264K/year)
Michael was looking for a passive income generating approach when he stumbled upon blogging and decided to venture.
How much they make: $264K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 0
This case study is about a blogger who turned his passion into a business that generates $20k per month, mostly through affiliate marketing and consulting, by focusing on long-term sustainable passive income streams through blogging.
18. Financial Samurai ($360K/year)
Sam started a personal finance website during the 2009 economic crisis. An advertiser offered him $1,000 to advertise on his blog, which he saw as an opportunity to focus on his financial advisory blog.
How much they make: $360K/year
Current team size: 0
Financial Samurai founder, Sam Dogen, shares how he turned his cathartic writing hobby into a personal finance site that generates over $10K a month in passive advertising revenue and has over 1 million organic visitors a month, as well as his tips on starting and growing a business, and diversifying clientele.
19. Radical FIRE ($72K/year)
Marjolein Dilven, the founder of Radical FIRE, came up with the idea for her personal finance platform after googling "how to retire early" and discovering the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement. Despite starting with a negative net worth and no previous writing experience, Dilven consistently published content and eventually learned about SEO, which helped her attract more traffic to her website. Today, Radical FIRE generates around $6,000 in monthly revenue and has over 100,000 monthly pageviews, all organic.
How much they make: $72K/year
How much did it cost to start: $180
Current team size: 2
Radical FIRE, a personal finance platform run by women for women, has grown to $6,000 in monthly revenue and 100,000 monthly pageviews with no ads, 120% more than last year, while founder Marjolein Dilven also gets to live her dream life of traveling the world after quiting her job to work on Radical FIRE full-time.
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- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
