I'm Letting My Kiplinger's Subscription Expire

I've been a subscriber to Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine for a long time (several years.) It's one of the magazines that I kept around even as I purged my subscription list to less than half of what it once was. But when I get my June issue, that will be the last one for me. I thought I'd detail for you the reasons I've decided to let it lapse in no particular order:

1. Not enough time to read. I've been REALLY focusing on freeing up my time and reading magazines is one area I've cut back over the past year. I've cut subscriptions to Forbes, Fortune, Business Week, This Old House, Sports Illustrated and my rose magazine (can't remember the title) from the American Rose Society. Letting Kiplinger's expire is just a continuation of this effort. (BTW, I only get Money, Family Handyman, and Bicycling at this point, and I'll be letting Bicycling expire when it's up -- it's not really giving me any new information.)

2. The content is free online. About 75% of Kiplinger's content and 90% of the content I like is now put online. I have my RSS reader set to show me almost everything they have for free, so why pay for it?

3. Helps the environment. Less paper needed. 'Nuff said.

4. Not much new information. I'm not getting much new information from Kiplinger's -- they run the same sort of pieces I see all over the web. Money still has some unique articles/facts that are unlike others I've seen and that aren't usually put on their website.

5. Cost. It's a minor consideration, but given the factors above, a Kiplinger's subscription just isn't worth the cost. Why spend another $15 (or whatever it is) for nothing?

So it's so long to Kiplinger's for me. I really have enjoyed the magazine but it's just come to a time and place that it doesn't work for me.

How about you? What money-related magazines do you read? What other magazines in general do you like/subscribe to?

Comments

[Allen]

I like to go to the library to get all my reading done so I haven't had a magazine subscription for awhile now. Besides, the library gives me free usage of their air conditioner.

[Kevin]

I ready Money up until last year. They just seem to repeat the same stories every year and it's usually info I already know anyway, so I decided to cut it off. Most of the stuff you can read online for free, like you said with Kiplinger's.

I'm currently only paying for Men's Journal, which I will let expire after the issue I just received Friday. I really don't have the time to read it (or maybe the motivation). I just find that a lot of the articles don't apply to me since I don't go kayaking in Mexico or mountain climbing in wherever, nor do I care to. Not to mention all the products they push and/or review seem to be aimed at the wealthy.

I also get This Old House as a free subscription (using points earned doing surveys) - there are usually a few neat articles in there to read as well as some decorating ideas for the house.

[Rhea]

My dad sold magazines in his store, so growing up I had total access to as many magazines as I wanted. These days I've pared back, too. I get the New York Times Book Review and New York magazine.

[Casey]

I'm in the exact same boat with Kiplinger's. I subscribed to the mag about six or so months ago, and not only can't I find time to read it - when I do read it and talk to a friend about an interesting article, he's read the same one online for free. This was definitely a wasted $47.

[rwh]

I have taken Kiplingers off and on for years. My current subscription is for another couple of years at $10 year. But I rarely have time to read it.

On the other hand, last year I read a very good article about asset allocation and a comparison of performance vs volatility. Their conclusion is you get most of the performance with significantly less volatility in a balanced portfolio vs one that is fully invested. That one article was worth the price of a subscription for many years.

[JoeTaxpayer]

I happened to write about a factual error in the June issue. This wasn't the first one, but the first I've blogged about. More and more, I find their proofreading to be lacking.
(This month it was regarding how much a 401(k) loan costs in the long term. They seemed to be off a full 0, i.e. tenfold)

Joe

[Veteran Military Wife at Life Lessons of a Military Wife]

I am about to do the same thing with my Money Magazine subscription...I've written up the same list! I've noticed that my RSS Money Magazine feed has all the highlighted articles (and most times they are expanded and with more pretty pictures)..plus, it's starting to just be rehash of stuff...I guess I learned almost all I'm gonna learn from them...

I can vouch for the library too. When I take my kids to do their homework, I find a nice comfortable chair or coach and go through a stack of magazines in about 30 minutes...if you've got the time, it's perfect!

[Josh]

I usually out check eBay if I'm interested in a magazine. I got three or four year subscriptions to all my magazines (Psychology Today, Men's Journal, Esquire, and GQ) for about $22 total.