In all of the effort of redesigning my site, increasing my social media presence, and making my content as accessible as possible, I had to stop an ask myself, “why am I doing this?” Brian Thompson Financial is one of 152 million blogs. What makes it unique? And why should anyone read it?

To me, these questions are key to why I expend so much time and effort making the site the best that I can. Luckily, I have two simple and important answers as to why you should spend your time here with me.

1. Your Life Revolves Around Personal Finance

The first reason you should read Brian Thompson Financial is because it covers a topic that invades every aspect of your life.  At their core, simple decisions like what clothes you choose to wear, whether you will eat lunch out with your coworkers, or whether you take a taxi revolve around money and your relationship to it.

Granted some people choose to ignore the significance of these decisions. But as I’ve seen in my practice, counseling my friends and family, and immersing myself in the topic, poor money choices will catch up with you eventually.

Don’t believe me? Check out these sobering statistics.  

• The total amount of outstanding student loan debt has topped $1 trillion dollars, with current interest rates at 6.8%.
• According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey, more than half of workers report have less than $25,000 in total savings and investments, including 28% who have less than $1,000.
• Between 1991 and 2007, the number of Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 that filed for bankruptcy increased 178%.

You don’t want to look back on your life and regret not taking charge of your finances. This site will give you simple, concrete steps you can take – such as building a budget, understanding how your tax return works, or developing the right estate plan – to make smart financial decisions.

2. You Can Trust Me to Provide Quality Information That Is In Your Best Interest

Chances are if you found this blog, you already have a desire to learn more about or improve your finances. So you’ve already gotten over the first hurdle. The second reason you should come here to take control of your money is that you can trust me to provide quality information with the sole purpose of benefiting you.

Beyond my JD and CFP® credentials,  I just love personal finance. I spend my workday combing through clients’ finances and trying to figure out the best solutions to help them recover from stressful financial circumstances. Despite spending the majority of my day dealing with spreadsheets, budgets, and taxes, I come home and immediately want to read and write more about how to invest, whether it’s better to buy or rent, or how insurance can get you out of a bind.

I can’t even really put my finger on why I love personal finance so much. But I hope that my passion for the topic and my genuine desire to help people avoid money mistakes comes through in my posts.  I’m not trying to sell you anything or trick you into some scheme. I’m here to help.

And I’m on the journey with you. In reading my posts, you’ll gain insights into my money dilemmas and highlights in my life that transcend the actual dollars spent.

So there you have it. You should stick with Brian Thompson Financial because it gives you essential guidance that you can trust. I hope you come back often and allow me to prove to you how easy taking control of your money can be.