On Saturday, October 1, Tom Drake and Flexo announced the winners of the Second Annual Plutus Awards for a live audience in the Garden Marquis of the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg, Illinois. Almost 300 personal finance bloggers eagerly awaited the defining moment of the Financial Blogger Conference, the crowning of the kings and queens of the prom, the Plutus Awards.
The opinions of personal finance bloggers are important; this is a community of superfans and superusers, and companies would do well to take their opinions seriously when creating or improving financial products and services. The Plutus Awards are stamps of approval for companies that are taking the best approaches.
These categories recognize the best blogs, bloggers, and blog-related products as voted by fellow bloggers and their audiences. The focus is on independent writers rather than mainstream media and large corporations’ public relations departments.
- Best New Personal Finance e-Book:
- Finalist: 20 Minute Guide to Investing, Barbara Friedberg
- Finalist: Dividend Investing, Mike Heroux
- Finalist: The Secret to a Successful Budget, Craig Ford
- Winner: Sell Your Crap: Turn Your Clutter Into Cash, Adam Baker
- Beating Broke Guide to Your Credit Score, Beating Broke
- Best Blog Contributor or Freelance Writer:
- Finalist: Emily Guy Birken
- Finalist: Khaleef Crumbley
- Winner: Donna Freedman
- Finalist: Miranda Marquit
- Finalist: Crystal Stemberger
- Best Personal Finance Microblog:
- Winner: @budgetsaresexy (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: @canadianfinance
- Finalist: @moneycrashers
- Finalist: @wisebread
- Finalist: @yakezie
- Best Multi-Part Personal Finance Series:
- Winner: Budgets Are Sexy: Side Hustle Series
- Finalist: Canadian Finance Blog: Insurance You Can Do Without
- Finalist: Couple Money: Baby Expenses
- Finalist: The Saved Quarter: The Saved Quarter Challenge
- Finalist: The Simple Dollar: The Ten Evils
- Best International Personal Finance Blog:
- Finalist: Kylie Ofiu
- Finalist: Magical Penny
- Winner: Miss Thrifty
- Finalist: Monevator
- Finalist: A Thrifty Mrs
- Best Canadian Personal Finance Blog:
- Finalist: Boomer And Echo
- Winner: Canadian Finance Blog
- Finalist: Canadian Personal Finance Blog
- Finalist: Money Smarts
- Finalist: Sustainable Personal Finance
- Best Religious Personal Finance Blog:
- Finalist: Bible Money Matters
- Winner: Christian Personal Finance
- Finalist: Faith and Finance
- Finalist: KNS Financial (Faithful With A Few)
- Finalist: Money Help For Christians
- Best Tax Blog:
- Finalist: CafeTax
- Winner: Don’t Mess With Taxes
- Finalist: JoeTaxpayer
- Finalist: TaxProf Blog
- Best Deals and Bargains Blog:
- Finalist: Bargain Briana
- Finalist: Deal Seeking Mom
- Finalist: Money Saving Mom
- Finalist: Two Savvy Sisters
- Winner: Wise Bread (First Annual winner)
- Best Green or Sustainability Finance Blog:
- Finalist: DIY Natural
- Finalist: The Good Human
- Finalist: Praire Eco-Thrifter
- Finalist: Sustainable Life Blog
- Winner: Sustainable Personal Finance
- Best Lifestyle Blog:
- Finalist: Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
- Winner: Budgets Are Sexy
- Finalist: Man Vs. Debt
- Finalist: Untemplater
- Finalist: Wise Bread
- Best Frugality Blog:
- Finalist: Frugal Beautiful
- Finalist: Frugal Confessions
- Winner: The Simple Dollar
- Finalist: Squawkfox
- Finalist: Yes, I Am Cheap
- Best Debt Blog:
- Finalist: Debt Free Adventure
- Finalist: Debt Free By Thirty
- Finalist: Enemy of Debt
- Winner: Punch Debt In The Face
- Finalist: Yes, I Am Cheap
- Best Investing Blog:
- Finalist: Buy Like Buffett
- Finalist: Dividend Ninja
- Finalist: Invest It Wisely
- Finalist: Investor Junkie
- Winner: Oblivious Investor (First Annual winner)
- Best Economics Blog:
- Winner: Darwin’s Money
- Finalist: Pop Economics
- Finalist: Studenomics
- Finalist: Weakonomics (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: Zero Hedge
- Most Humorous Personal Finance Blog:
- Winner: Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: Financial Uproar
- Finalist: Len Penzo Dot Com
- Finalist: Punch Debt In The Face
- Finalist: Thousandaire
- Most Controversial Personal Finance Blog:
- Finalist: Control Your Cash
- Finalist: Darwin’s Money
- Finalist: Financial Samurai
- Winner: I Will Teach You To Be Rich (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: Thousandaire
- Best Written Personal Finance Blog:
- Finalist: Budgets Are Sexy
- Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
- Winner: Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: The Simple Dollar
- Finalist: Surviving and Thriving
- Best Designed Personal Finance Blog:
- Finalist: Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
- Finalist: Dividend Ninja
- Finalist: Squawkfox
- Winner: Wise Bread
- Best-Kept Secret Personal Finance Blog:
- Finalist: Money Talks Coaching
- Finalist: Passive Panda
- Finalist: Prairie Eco-Thrifter
- Winner: The Saved Quarter
- Finalist: Wealth Informatics
- Best Personal Finance Blog for Retirement:
- Finalist: Bucksome Boomer
- Finalist: Early Retirement Extreme
- Finalist: My Journey to Millions
- Winner: Retire By 40
- Finalist: Retire Happy Blog
- Best Personal Finance Blog for Entrepreneurs:
- Finalist: Erica.biz
- Finalist: My Wife Quit Her Job
- Finalist: PT Money
- Winner: Smart Passive Income
- Finalist: The Financial Blogger
- Best Personal Finance Blog for Generation Y or X:
- Winner: Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: Generation X Finance
- Finalist: Gen Y Wealth
- Finalist: Thousandaire
- Finalist: Young and Thrifty
- Best Personal Finance Blog for Teens or College Students:
- Finalist: The College Investor
- Finalist: Financial Success For Young Adults
- Finalist: Green Panda Treehouse
- Finalist: My University Money
- Winner: Studenomics
- Best New Personal Finance Blog:
- Winner: Afford Anything
- Finalist: Boomer and Echo
- Finalist: Faith and Finance
- Finalist: Financially Consumed
- Finalist: Once Cent at a Time
- Best Personal Finance Blog, Single Author:
- Finalist: Budgets are Sexy
- Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
- Finalist: Financial Samurai
- Finalist: Len Penzo Dot Com
- Winner: The Simple Dollar (First Annual winner)
- Best Personal Finance Blog, Multiple Authors:
- Finalist: Canadian Finance Blog
- Finalist: Financial Highway
- Winner: Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: Money Crashers
- Finalist: Wise Bread
- BLOG OF THE YEAR:
- Finalist: Bible Money Matters
- Finalist: Budgets Are Sexy
- Finalist: Christian Personal Finance
- Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
- Finalist: Financial Samurai
- Winner: Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
- Finalist: I Will Teach You To Be Rich
- Finalist: PT Money
- Finalist: The Simple Dollar
- Finalist: Wise Bread
- Lifetime Achievement Award (previously won by Get Rich Slowly, no longer eligible):
- Finalist: Bargaineering
- Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
- Finalist: Free Money Finance
- Finalist: My Money Blog
- Winner: The Simple Dollar
Included is a list of the Plutus Award winners in this first group of awards, recognizing the best financial products and services. The list of the winners for the second group of awards, recognizing the best financial blogs, bloggers, and blog-related products, will be posted later today.
- Best Savings or Money Market Account:
- Finalist: Ally Bank
- Finalist: HSBC Direct
- Winner: ING Direct
- Finalist: SmartyPig
- Finalist: USAA
- Best Checking or Transaction Account:
- Finalist: Ally Bank
- Winner: ING Direct
- Finalist: PerkStreet
- Finalist: USAA
- Finalist: Wells Fargo
- Best Banking Website:
- Finalist: allybank.com
- Winner: ingdirect.com
- Finalist: perkstreet.com
- Finalist: usaa.com
- Finalist: wellsfargo.com
- Best Overall Bank:
- Finalist: Ally Bank
- Winner: ING Direct
- Finalist: PerkStreet
- Finalist: USAA
- Finalist: Wells Fargo
- Best Discount Brokerage:
- Finalist: Fidelity
- Finalist: Schwab
- Finalist: Scottrade
- Finalist: Sharebuilder
- Winner: TD Ameritrade/Waterhouse
- Best Credit Card:
- Finalist: Blue Cash from American Express
- Winner: Chase Freedom
- Finalist: Citi Forward
- Finalist: Costco TruEarnings from American Express
- Finalist: Discover More Card
- Best Personal Finance Management Software:
- Finalist: Adaptu
- Finalist: Microsoft Excel
- Winner: Mint
- Finalist: Quicken
- Finalist: You Need a Budget
- Best Budgeting Software:
- Finalist: Microsoft Excel
- Winner: Mint
- Finalist: Mvelopes
- Finalist: Quicken
- Finalist: You Need a Budget
- Best Tax Preparation Software:
- Finalist: H&R Block
- Finalist: TaxACT
- Finalist: TaxCut
- Finalist: TaxSlayer
- Winner: TurboTax
- Best Peer-to-Peer or Social Lending Service:
- Finalist: CommunityLend
- Finalist: Kiva
- Winner: LendingClub
- Finalist: Prosper
- Best Mobile Personal Finance Application:
- Finalist: Bloomberg
- Finalist: Chase Bank
- Winner: Mint
- Finalist: MoneyWell
- Finalist: You Need a Budget
- Best New Personal Finance Book:
- Finalist: The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy, by Liz Pulliam Weston
- Finalist: Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times: 250+ Ways to Buy Smarter, Spend Smarter, and Save Money, by Clark Howard
- Winner: Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, by Kimberly Palmer
- Finalist: The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime, by MJ DeMarco
- Finalist: Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life, by Farnoosh Torabi
