If you’re not familiar with FIYUMONEY.COM, it is a personal financial blog I started in April 2020. There are many personal financial blogs and resources out there that talk about the technical aspect of personal finance. At the same time, not many blogs approach personal finance from an emotional standpoint. Which means many personal financial “gurus” assume that people make poor money decisions based on a lack of knowledge. While this is also true, I’ve seen with myself and some others where emotions play a bigger part than lack of knowledge. 

I’ve made many discoveries over the years due to the mistakes I’ve made with money. This blog is a place where I can share the lessons I’ve learned over the years with the hope that readers can benefit from it. If you want to make better financial decisions, you not only must be willing to be committed to learning but also be able to master your emotions. 

Below are some of the reasons I decided to start this blog. I also cover how you can get the most out of this site and how it can benefit you.

  1. One of the most efficient ways to communicate knowledge of personal finance.

I love talking to people about personal finance. I enjoy sharing stories and hearing people’s attitudes and experiences with money. Even though it may rub some people the wrong way, I also enjoy challenging people’s misconceptions of money. If a person is willing to listen, I also enjoy giving advice.

I must admit sometimes I would become very frustrated when someone didn’t utilize my advice. I learned not to take it personally and realized that some people are not in the position to make major changes at that time. Also, a big factor of discovery is sometimes changing behavior is much harder than being aware of it.

As much as I like the personal experience of talking to a person one on one, it’s not the most efficient or effective way to reach people. The benefit of the blog is that it has a greater potential to reach a larger group of people in a short time than in person. 

A blog also provides a centralized and organized place to record my experience and knowledge in personal finance. The information provided in a conversation tends to change based on how frequently a person has that conversation and who they are talking to. Unlike a conversation, the information is the same unless I change it due to misinformation or my opinion having changed. So the information is standardized for whoever chooses to read it. It is also easier to refer someone to the blog than to a conversation.

  1. Covid-19 Self-Reflection

This year has been bittersweet. Like most, I was excited about starting a new year and roaring into the twenties. I imagine it being like the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, based on the book with the same title. I imagined glamour, prosperity, and the emergence of new ideas and opportunities. At the same time I was fully aware of how the Roaring Twenties ended. The Roaring Twenties ended with the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. Yet I was hopeful that history wouldn’t repeat itself.

Fast forward to 2020, and the year has been tumultuous to say the least. Despite the impact that Covid-19 is having on the world economically, mentally, and emotionally, many people are making the best out of a rough situation. I, for one, have used the time to self-reflect and determine how I want to live my life going forward. One of the things I wanted to do was commit more time to writing. This blog is the product of quarantine and lockdown. Being away from people, I had more time to write, and so I did.

  1. I love to write

Another reason I started the blog is because I love to write. I discovered my love for writing in the seventh grade when I started to write poems. My love of writing only increased over the years while I ventured into many other forms of writing. 

It was only natural for me to couple my interest in personal finance with my love of writing. Writing gives me the opportunity to slow my brain down and assess my thoughts before publishing them.

  1. The ability to work remotely

I wanted the option to write and work anywhere. I’m tired of being bound to a specific location for work. As long as I have sufficient battery life or a pen and paper, I can write anywhere. I don’t even need WiFi. I can write anywhere and later upload the files when I later have access to the internet. At this moment I’m writing this paragraph outside of a Walgreens while I take a break from my morning walk. 

Ways You Can Use This Blog

It’s important for me to state that you can use this blog any way you see fit. There are no rules and guidelines you must follow to get the most benefit from this blog. I do suggest that any information you gather from this site that you don’t take it as gospel, as information set in stone, as information that is infallible, or that the information that works for you will work for everyone.

Starting Point For Research

With that said, you can use this blog as a starting point for further research. If you’re reading this blog and you come across certain information for the first time. That should encourage you to continue your research or test out the information to see if it works for you. Information discovered here should not be taken as the end-all be-all. Information gathered from a single source shouldn’t be taken as law no matter how reputable the source is. Personal finance is not an exact science, so what works for one individual might not work for another.

Self-Reflection

Another way you can use this blog is for self-reflection. Any tip I give will be based on personal experience and challenges I’ve faced financially. This is a good way to see if you face these same problems. Sometimes people get comfort knowing that they are not the only ones going through a particular challenge. This can give them hope because they see someone overcome the challenges they are facing. Also, this can help you recognize challenges that loved ones or people who are close to you are facing.

Improve Your Financial Knowledge 

I do believe people make better decisions when they have more information. This blog can help you make better financial and life decisions by reading it. Many blogs are written with financial jargon, which makes it difficult for the beginner to understand. I will try my best to break down concepts and terms in a way that anyone who doesn’t have a background in finance can understand.

Entertainment/Leisure

Like I said earlier, you can use this blog in any way you see fit. If you are tired of scrolling through social media and you want to do some light reading, this is the perfect place to do it.

This blog won’t be written like an encyclopedia with only facts and figures and research, but I will also include lessons learned from personal experience. From my perspective, many of the experiences I have that increase my financial knowledge are amusing, to say the least.

Final Thought

It’s hard to see the bright side or silver lining during dark times. The world is experiencing a very tough time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I behoove everyone, no matter how hard they are getting hit during this time, to look for the positive. You may not see it today or tomorrow, but keep looking. It’s much better to look for the positive during dark times than to succumb to them.

One of the good things that came out of the pandemic is this blog. I’m proud of the work that I’ve done so far, and I’m excited to continue. I’m elated by everyone that has visited the site and had a positive experience. This blog is not for me; it’s for you. So enjoy it and share your enjoyment.