Pinyo Bhulipongsanon founded Moolanomy to improve his money management skills, build alternative income, and improve his English writing skills (you’d never know it from reading his blog, but English is Pinyo’s second language!). The blog has become a massive success, and Pinyo has not only developed his own money management skills but helped to inform thousands of readers in the process. Learn more about his personal experience – and get some great tups for the Money Grows on Hubs contest – in our interview below.
HubPages: Pinyo, when you first started Moolanomy, how did you go about teaching yourself about personal finance? What resources did you turn to?
Pinyo: A lot of reading, hands on experiments, and some trial and error. There were a couple of helpful books, but that’s not what I would recommend nowadays unless you really want to go in depth with a particular concept. A better approach is to search the web when you want to learn more about something, read a few articles, and also check out related stuff. Once you gain enough confidence you can give it a try yourself or work with a professional — either way, you will be more informed than you were before.
If you want to progress a little faster, set yourself 3-5 small goals to improve to your finances each month, then read about the concepts that you encounter on the way to reaching your goals. When you are able to accomplish these goals, replace each with a more ambitious one. At this pace, you would be learning a lot and make at least 30-40 improvements to your finances over the course of a year.
Many writers on HubPages also have English as a second language. Do you have any tips for them with regard to improving their writing skills?
Read a lot and write daily. If you know someone that has a good mastery of the English language, ask him or her for help. English is an easy language to learn, but a difficult one to master — especially if your native language has an entirely different linguistic rules. Realize that you’ll get things wrong from time to time, the important thing is to keep trying and do the best you can.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of creating and maintaining Moolanomy over the months?
I think the most rewarding thing is networking with all the people I met and got to know along the way, and also the many opportunities that came out of this experience. For example, this opportunity to work with Hubpages would not have happen without Moolanomy. In fact, there were several major goals that I was able to accomplish because of the blog. A couple of years ago, I set a couple of goals that I want to accomplish in 5-10 years, namely, move my family to Virginia, change my career from the business services to the Internet field, and advance my career from a mid-management to an executive level. Moolanomy helps unlocked a key opportunity that allows me to accomplish all three goals in one shot…that is amazing thing and it would have not been possible without the site.
Has your research and writing prompted you to make any particularly significant changes in the way you manage your finances?
I do not recall making any particularly significant change with my finances as a result of my research and writing. However, there were a lot of small changes along the way. In any case, I think it’s the small changes that really matter. As I mention above, make a few small changes each month and they add up quickly and in a good way.
Within the greater subject of personal finance, what do you love to write the most, and what do you appreciate most as a reader? (e.g. guides? lists? articles on saving, taxes, insurance, frugal living, etc..?)
I think the most successful type of articles has been lists — they are easy to read and popular with readers. But the subject that I love the most is about building income streams outside of your primary job so you can lower your income risk (just like how portfolio diversification helps reduce your investment risk). On my blog, I recommend you read “How To Make Extra Money And Build Income Streams.” It was originally published in 2008, and I think it is even more relevant today in light of the recent recession and the record high unemployment rate.
Do you have any tips for Money Grows on Hubs entrants and those writing personal finance Hubs in general? What makes a successful article?
When you write something make sure the article is useful for your readers, if not, at least make it entertaining. The best way to think about it is to ask yourself: what articles do you usually “Like” or bookmark in the course of doing your day to day reading on the web? I bet nobody bookmarks articles that are self-promoting or useless.
[Thanks, Pinyo!]
Still want more inspiration for the Money Grows on Hubs contest? Check out these fabulous Personal Finance articles by Pinyo to get some ideas:
- Tips for Choosing Your First Credit Card
- How to Build Savings from Spare Change
- How to Benefit from the Right Savings Accounts
- Home Business Ideas with Low Start-Up Costs
- Factors to Consider as You Plan for Retirement
Note especially the clear titles, use of lists, and specific themes!
To learn more about the HubPages Money Grows on Hubs contest, visit the HubPages Personal Finance topic page.
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