Poorerthanyou.com: not your typical financial advice page

I consider myself organized and financially savvy. So the idea of wandering around online, looking for financial advice, never crossed my mind. But as a suggestion for a school assignment, I was directed to poorerthanyou.com, and I must say I’m impressed. The author of the site is 22-year-old college graduate Stephanie. She started out as a film student who was taking on the job of paying her own way through college, something I can totally relate to. Her struggles to stay in school and finish her degree are the inspiration for her blogs. In Stephanie’s own words, the website is a “blend of personal stories and articles” and “you get the benefit of learning from Stephanie’s mistakes.”

So, Stephanie’s motivation to start a site with financial information was not due to her employment aspirations, but rather her own experiences. She says in her bio that she reads an “insane amount of financial literature” every day, and that gives her the background information she needs. But in the end, her blogs are about her own spending habits, savings accounts, and financial goals. Because of this, her blogs are conversational and easy for everyone to understand. Her language is simple and relates to her target audience of college students and 20-something independents.

The website itself is simple. There is a directory on the left-hand side to her older blogs. And down the center of the page are her most current listings (up to about one month old). With each posting there are occasional pictures or graphs, to make the article a bit more interesting. But the simplicity is the best part. It’s just a girl, typing out her thoughts, for the world to enjoy.

Some of her most recent blogs include: coupon usage, where to make money online, her personal “savings snowball,” and “job hunting in the recession.” The last one is my personal favorite. It’s targeted at 19 to 24-year-old recent college graduates. It talks about how difficult the job market is, since employers are pickier and more selective in their hiring process. Who wants a recent college graduate when you could get a seasoned professional? For more information, Stephanie directs her readers to a show called, “A Slow Start for Young Workers,” which they can stream through a provided link. It's very interesting and very relevant.

Overall, I give her kudos. She’s providing helpful information to her peers who might find themselves in similar situations. Could I ever imagine writing a blog like this? Probably not. It takes an incredible amount of commitment and humility to make this happen. And in the three years she’s been maintaining this site, she had a peak of 1,496 subscribers and over made over 400 posts. You go girl.