From Paul Krugman to Freakonomics to the Consumerist, we compiled a list of the most influential (and useful) finance blogs out there and then asked some of the best-known bloggers to review one another’s work.
The financial crisis was horrible for the economy, but it was a great for financial blogs. In the past three years, dozens have popped up to debate the recovery, economic policy and who was at fault in the market meltdown. Consumer-finance blogs are jam-packed with advice on how you can live your life more cheaply. We combed through all manner of financial blogs, from those that debate macroeconomic policy to those that point out the day’s coupons. We started by asking TIME’s team of business writers and editors what business blogs they visit the most. We then took a look at what blogs were popular with general readers and what blogs registered the most links from other bloggers. And we headed over to the blogs for a test drive. These are the ones that we thought offered the most useful financial advice, offered the best insight into the state of the economy or were just fun.
Once the list was compiled we invited the bloggers on the list to review their fellow bloggers. Many took us up on that offer. The list and ranking is TIME’s. The reviews are theirs. The result is our list of the 25 best financial blogs.