The Financial Bloggers Conference keeps getting bigger and better. Conference founder Phil Taylor (aka PTMoney) is giving back by offering a shot at free admission to FinCon16, which takes place from Sept. 22 to 24 in San Diego.
Last year Taylor gave away 15 such scholarships to new personal finance bloggers. This year all he’ll say is that the winners will number “at least five.” But it could be more.
Before you think, “But I’m not a PF blogger,” know this: The definition of “personal finance” is pretty broad.
At previous FinCons I’ve met people who write about things like travel hacking, parenthood on a budget, entrepreneurship, early retirement, extreme frugality, disability and money (that would be my daughter’s website, I Pick Up Pennies), grassroots real estate investing, intentional living, paying off student debt and the nebulous topic known as “lifestyle blogging.”
You have until Aug. 15 to submit an application via the link found in this FinCon blog post. It’s pretty simple: Fill out a Google Docs form and explain in 300 words or less why you deserve a FinCon scholarship.
You also have to agree to pay your own way there and to foot the bill for your own lodgings. This gets a lot cheaper if you can share a hotel room (the FinCon home page generally has a list of folks seeking roomies) or if you know someone in the area.
And if you happen to live in or near San Diego? Piece of cake!
What’s happening at FinCon16?
The conference home page has a list of speakers and programs. Among the highlights:
Clark Howard, a nationally known consumer expert and radio host. Howard’s purpose in life is to help you get the most for your money. He’s also written 10 books.
Kim Garst, author of “Will The Real You Please Stand Up: Show Up, Be Authentic and Prosper in Social Media.” Forbes calls her one of the top 10 social media power influencers.
Pat Flynn, of the Smart Passive Income site and author of books like “Let Go” and “Will It Fly? How To Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money.” He has forgotten more about entrepreneurship than most of us will ever know.
Liz Weston, the most-read personal finance expert on the Internet. The author of books like “The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy” and “Your Credit Score: How to Improve the 3-Digit Number That Shapes Your Financial Future,” she is a columnist at NerdWallet.
Dozens of other speakers will also be there, presenting workshops and seminars on topics like writing well, how to become a paid speaker, creating videos on a cellphone, crushing social media, negotiating bills, search engine optimization, building a mastermind group, monetizing a website, how to create a successful podcast and succeeding at affiliate marketing.
A few that might be of particular interest to readers of this website: “Become a freelance writer in one year or less,” “Write so well they can’t ignore you” and “Be an in-demand freelance writer.”
I’ll be speaking at the conference myself, doing a program on “How Never To Run Out Of Ideas.” If you win, come say hi. (Fun fact: I’m the only person who has spoken at all the FinCons.)
Best of all: The conference is full of companies and individuals looking to hire freelancers. Bring business cards!
I routinely recommend this conference to anyone whom I can get to stand still long enough to listen. Now it’s your turn to hear: If your blog can even loosely be construed as PF-oriented, apply for a scholarship. The life you change might be your own.
Leave a Reply