Top 10 FMF Topics of 2008

I've already listed my top posts of 2008, and now I thought it would be fun to look at the top ten categories I posted in last year. Here they are in countdown order along with the number of times I posted on them in 2008 (FYI, I had over 1,700 posts last year):

• #10 --Taxes (70 posts) -- One of the biggest expenses we all have, taxes was again a frequently discussed topic here at FMF (spurred on by the presidential election.) My favorite post in this category is When to Hire a Tax Professional.

• #9 -- Giveaway (73 posts) -- Lots of stuff given away here last year. I always like to give away free stuff to readers, and 2009 should be no different. Stay tuned for lots of giveaways this year.

• #8 -- Consumer News (75 posts) -- This is kind of a catch-all category for "I found this today on the web and it doesn't fit anywhere else so I'm putting it in this category." For example, my series of posts on the foreclosures/problems with Extreme Makeover homes usually go here.

• #7 -- Making Money (80 posts) -- Everyone likes to make money, right? So it's no wonder I wrote about this topic quite often. My favorite post in this category is 11 Great Ways to Earn More Money.

• #6 -- Real Estate (83 posts) -- This category saw so much action because I was very close to buying a home this year. Since we're still looking, 2009 will probably see a lot of action in this category.

• #5 -- Spend Less than You Earn (88 posts) -- Always a favorite topic of mine since it's my best piece of financial advice. I'm especially fond of All You Need To Make Ends Meet: Just a Little More since it sums up the problems so many people have with money.

• #4 -- Investing (104 posts) -- I was a bit surprised by this one since I didn't think I talked that much about investing this year. Then again, I posted a ton about index funds and the stock market meltdown, and those two issues alone probably accounted for 50 posts at least.

• #3 -- Help a Reader (122 posts) -- This is the category I'm most proud of because 1) it helps people (a key goal of Free Money Finance) and 2) it demonstrates the great knowledge that FMF readers possess. I rarely add my own comments on these posts, preferring instead to let readers help. And boy did you! Thanks so much to those who took the time and effort to help out strangers in need by leaving solid advice.

• #2 -- Career (133 posts) -- Making money is a key to growing your net worth and there's no better way to make more money than by managing your career. No wonder I wrote about it so much in 2008. I especially like How to Demonstrate that You Deserve a Raise because I think it's solid, practical advice (it's certainly helped out my career/earning potential.)

• #1 -- Saving Money (240 posts) -- Anyone surprised by this one? Not me. Saving money is a vital (and often easy) part of growing your net worth, so it's not a shocker that I talk about it so much. What was a bit of a surprise is how much I did post on this versus the other topics. I wrote almost twice as much about this category as I did category #2 and I almost posted as much on this category as I did in categories #7 through #10 combined! ;-)

Comments

[thomas]

I am suprised that giveaways wasn't higher up. Saving money is not a shocker at all - it's one of the top reasons I check your site out.

[Thalagobgof]

Hey

Does people here have an openion about where Economic crisis is ending?

[Keceliedcoefe]

Facebook seemed to be relatively free of abhorent sexual behavior used by some practitioners of social networks, including MySpace. However, that changed when an 18-year-old man from outside Milwaukee was charged with posing as a younger woman in order to solicit nude photos of his male classmates and then coercing them to perform sexual acts.
Full news: http://www.crn.com/security/213201918

[EreTelets]

Amid an escalating debate over just how kid-safe social-networking sites are, Texas authorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of a sex offender accused of using MySpace in violation of his parole. Jesse Clay Scott, 33, of Seguin, Texas, is just the latest of about 30 convicted sex offenders arrested to date by the Texas Attorney General's Fugitive and Cyber Crimes units for allegedly accessing MySpace in violation of parole conditions.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10157193-93.html