Welcome
Hi there! I’m MK, a personal finance enthusiast and creator of Simply Smart Finance. My goal is to make trustworthy, reliable, and free personal finance information available to everyone.
In my day job as a registered social worker, I’ve seen firsthand how money – and the lack of it – can impact every aspect of a person’s life. Throughout my career, I’ve helped many of my clients and friends get connected to the financial resources they need.
Still, when I first started my social work practice, I was surprised at how many people were struggling with their money. Most of these families gave every outward appearance of being financially successful. They drove expensive cars, lived in nice houses, and their kids always had the latest tech gadgets. But looks can be deceiving, and all that glitters isn’t gold. I’ve found this to be especially true when it comes to people and their finances.
A Wake Up Call…
Several years ago, I met with a new client who was on the verge of being evicted from her home. With tears in her eyes, she told me that she couldn’t afford to pay for both her uninsured medications and her rent. She’d needed to make the heartbreaking choice between taking care of her health and keeping a roof over her head. Not surprisingly, the checks to her landlord bounced.
Although I did my best, she’d really needed to find trustworthy financial information years before she found herself in such a difficult position. That visit to my client’s apartment was also a turning point in my own life.
On the drive home, I thought about my frequent shopping trips, over-stuffed closets, and careless spending habits. Gulp! I already had so much. Not to mention the almost $20,000 in consumer debt piled up from renovating my home, and zero cash in savings outside of my employee pension plan. I knew then that I had to make some changes.
So I took a deep breath and decided to learn everything I could about successfully making, managing, and growing my money. I didn’t ever want myself, or my family, to end up in such a precarious situation.
Progress, not Perfection
Fast forward to today. My passing interest in money has grown into an obsession with personal finance. I’m debt-free except for my home mortgage, and I have several healthy savings and investing accounts. I budget every paycheck, and I finally know the difference between my wants and my needs.
I still spend money, of course! But these days, my extra cash goes towards the things and experiences that bring value to my life. I don’t worry about keeping up with the Joneses (or the Kardashians) by buying endless “stuff” that I don’t even want. It’s pretty great!
Over the past several years, I’ve consumed countless personal finance books, scholarly articles, videos, and podcast episodes to get to this point. I’ve also talked to some of the best money minds around. In a nutshell, I’ve learned how to earn, budget, spend, save, and grow my cash. My goal with Simply Smart Finance is to teach you how to do the very same thing.
The Mission
Simply Smart Finance is all about helping you to build your own personal finance knowledge, confidence, and community. The articles featured here are the type of content I was hoping to find when starting my own money journey. Simply Smart Finance is a welcoming place to learn and find encouragement. Even if you’ve tried (or feel like you’ve failed) to get control of your money life before. Managing your income and expenses doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. In fact, when it comes to winning with your money, keeping things simple is smart.
Here on the site, I’ll be sharing all of the actionable information, tips, and tricks I’ve learned throughout my financial journey to help you start or continue your own. You’ll find reliable information about a wide range of personal finance topics, including:
EARNING MONEY ONLINE with entrepreneurship, freelancing, side hustles, e-commerce, work-from-home jobs, passive income, and creating multiple streams of income.
MANAGING YOUR MONEY with budgeting, saving, intentional spending, paying off debt, modern frugal living, and developing a successful money mindset.
GROWING YOUR MONEY with credit card rewards, easy stock marketing investing, index fund and ETF investing, and pursing FIRE: Financial Independence Retire Early.
Join us!
I truly appreciate you stopping by Simply Smart Finance. I hope you’ll find the growing collection of articles, products, and videos educational and inspiring. Please bookmark the site and check back often for new posts. There’s so much good stuff to come.
Let’s connect on social media!
- Instagram @simplysmartfinance
- Pinterest @simplysmartfinance
- YouTube @simplysmartfinance
- TikTok @simplysmartfinance
Thanks for being here!
MK
Creator/Editor
Simply Smart Finance
