Published December 23, 20192 min read
Writing about money is cool because you pretty much write about anything. This year at Policygenius we've published stories about Keanu Reeves, "Super Smash Bros." and "Survivor." Personal finance lessons can be found everywhere. Here are some of our favorite stories we've published this year, and a few great stories outside the confines of Policygenius dot com.
Alexander Lee's feature on the money struggles and triumphs of young men who play "Super Smash Bros." for a living showed how precarious turning your hobby into your job can be.
Some people save and invest their way to $1 million. Rupert Boneham took a different route, turning "Survivor" stardom into pay dirt.
Not everyone wants to read about insurance, but they should. But, everyone loves Keanu Reeves. If we have to write a silly article in which we consider whether Neo from "The Matrix" would qualify for life insurance to get people to read about financial protection, guess what: We're going to do it.
Gambling might seem irresponsible, but Matt Hongoltz-Hetling's look at a night at a poker room in New Hampshire revealed the financial discipline it takes to survive as a small-stakes card player.
And now, a few we didn't write, but really loved:
"How I paid off my debt" stories are ubiquitous in personal finance journalism, but we loved the variety, depth and honesty of these accounts.
Pairing these families' money stories with detailed budget breakdowns shows the trade-offs middle-class families must make as the face growing housing, health and education costs.
The college admissions cheating scandal, in which rich people went to extreme and illegal lengths to get their kids into college, was weird enough. The Los Angeles Times got the story of the man who tipped off the authorities.
Few things illustrate the holes in our health care system better than our reliance on crowdfunding to fill those gaps.
Ever wonder why filing taxes never gets easier even as technology advances? A ProPublica investigation shows how good old fashioned Washington lobbying keeps taxes complicated.
What were your favorite money stories of 2019? Tell us in the comments below.
Image: Hugo Barbosa
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