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Make Money Writing About Money
by Jessica McCann
In challenging economic times – and even as the economy gradually
rebounds – many people are looking for ideas about how to budget,
save, invest and manage their money. This presents more
opportunities for freelance writers to pitch (and publish)
articles on personal finance topics.
According to the Harris Interactive 2009 Financial Literacy
Survey, 41 percent of U.S. adults gave themselves a grade of
C, D, or F on their knowledge of personal finance. In addition,
80 percent agreed that, even considering what they already know
about personal finance, they could still benefit from advice
and answers to everyday financial questions from a professional.
The largest consumer magazines on personal finance (such as
Business Week, Forbes, Fortune and Money) rely almost exclusively
on staff writers. It’s tough for the average freelancer to break
in to these publications, but many other opportunities abound.
Consumer magazines and Web sites in many categories are on the
look out for fresh article ideas and timely angles to a variety
of money topics.
Brian Johnson, managing editor of Ahwatukee Foothills News
said he has definitely seen an increase in interest among readers
of his community paper for finance-related articles in the past
year or so. While the Wall Street Journal and major magazines
tackle the technical side of the financial markets and investing,
Johnson’s paper strives to educate average people on the basics.
“I’m not looking for the sophisticated article about building
a multi-million dollar stock portfolio,” he said. “I’m just
looking for the stuff that can help real people in our community
– families with kids – learn about budgeting, credit cards and
other financial 101 information.”
Community newspapers are a great way to break in to a new writing
niche and build clips. To find community papers, visit the
Newspaper Association of America Web site (
www.naa.org ), which
includes a comprehensive list of contact information for state
press associations.
Magazines that focus on subjects such as parenting, career
planning or even health often will publish articles on money
topics with an angle that speaks to their readership. What about
pitching a piece to a men’s health magazine on the psychological
aspects of being the traditional “family bread winner” during
challenging economic times? Consider a parenting magazine query
on why and how to include children when creating a family budget.
Would a publication for teachers run a story on how to incorporate
financial literacy into the high school curriculum? Pitch it.
Add weight to your article queries by including names of a few
of your sources. Local financial professionals are generally
willing sources of information and quotes. In addition, they
often will offer up more ideas for future articles. By building
relationships with a variety of financial professionals,
freelance writers can generate a steady stream of story ideas
that will help keep the assignments flowing.
The Financial Planning Association (FPA), the Certified Financial
Planner (CFP) Board of Standards Inc. and the National Association
of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) are three widely-recognized
professional organizations for financial advisors. All have Web
sites with “find a planner/advisor” tools that writers can use
to locate and contact experts to interview. All sites also
include loads of consumer information for background and story
ideas.
http://www.fpaforfinancialplanning.org
http://www.cfp.net
http://www.napfa.org
###
BIO
Jessica McCann is an awarding-winning nonfiction and fiction
writer based in the Phoenix area. Her work has been published
in many trade and consumer magazines, including Business Week,
Phoenix and bizAZ. Web:
www.jessicamccann.com
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