Struggling with financial management? Reddit is here to the rescue!
Anything you’re interested in, no matter how niche, probably already has a community on Reddit. Reddit is a discussion website where people make up communities, or “subreddits”, for just about everything, from health tips, funny videos and terrifying fictional stories to those dedicated to simply venting about annoying things.
One such category of subreddits is personal finance. I mean, let’s face it: most of us don’t have the best financial knowledge. We learn by ourselves—be it through books, YouTube videos, articles or guides on the internet. However, all of this falls short of helping us with the exact financial dilemma we might be dealing with. That’s where Reddit comes to the rescue. If you are looking for some one-on-one guidance from people who might have dealt with the same situations as you, here is a list of subreddits you should check out:
r/PersonalFinance
r/PersonalFinance is a community made up of 16.4 million members that describes itself as a community where you can learn about budgeting, saving, investing and retirement planning. If you look at the subreddit’s Wiki page, you’ll see advice categorized according to different age groups as well as different kinds of credit and investments.
The subreddit also has 30-day challenges that are meant to encourage community members to get their finances in order. As of writing this article, the challenge for the month is to track all your spending habits. The community has given actionable steps to track expenses by making a budget complete with categories, like savings and retirement funds.
r/FinancialPlanning
r/FinancialPlanning is your general guide to a more frugal lifestyle. The community has 400,000 members who discuss questions about windfall gains, negotiating salary and where to invest next. The community also tells you the kinds of documents you should receive when you buy shares.
Unlike the previous entry on this list, investing or stock analysis is not within the scope of this subreddit. The rules of the community discourage members from writing posts related to speculative investments, such as cryptocurrency.
r/Budget
r/Budget should be your go-to spot for help with creating your personal budget. The community has 24,000 members who talk to each other about the cheapest places to buy groceries, how to track credit card payments and the budgeting apps they should use.
The Redditors in this community also share their budget sheets with each other. Members can look at the sheets and help them see where they could be cutting costs and advise them on how to live on a budget. Some good Samaritans on the subreddit also create custom budgets for others to use.
r/povertyfinance
r/povertyfinance is a community made up of 1.4 million people offering tips and advice for those struggling financially. The community’s Wiki page contains detailed information about food banks, cheap healthcare and free financial literacy courses. Redditors can use this subreddit to vent about their problems, get encouragement from other community members and also share advice on how to be thrifty about their expenses. Some community members even reach out to share job opportunities with others who might be interested.
r/investing
If you are familiar with the basics of financial management and need advice related to investing, this might be the right place for you. Made up of 2.1 million members, r/investing is replete with advice on how to invest in capital markets. The community was created in 2008, close to when the stock market crashed.
This subreddit follows all investment-related news closely, providing detailed posts asking questions about why the market looks the way it does. Members share tips on where to invest and also explain investment-related terms to those who might be unfamiliar with them. Members can also access a reading list about investing, financial reports and understanding stock markets.
According to the 2020 S&P Financial Survey, only one in three adults can correctly answer three out of four questions about numeracy (ability to apply simple numerical concepts), inflation, risk diversification and interest compounding. This should tell us that financial knowledge is limited to only a few people in the world. The best way to spread financial literacy is for those who have the financial know-how to share information with others, and that is precisely why these communities are so important. If you are starting your journey towards becoming financially independent, make sure you check these subreddits out!
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