The Simple Dollar - Trent Hamm Interview

I read a lot of blogs and websites daily and one of my favorites is the SimpleDollar.com, it has quickly become one of the most popular blogs about personal finance. What is amazing is blogger Trent Hamm only started this site in April 2006 but already has a tremendous following. Trent Hamm has been very generous to allow me to interview him.

I hope to be doing more interviews of bloggers that are at the top of their niche or industry. If you have a blogger that you would like me to interview please contact me. Enjoy.

Trent Hamm, The Simple Dollar, "Financial talk for the rest of us"

1. Please tell me about your yourself and your blog/site?

My name is Trent Hamm. I live in northern Iowa with my wife, my toddler-aged son, and my soon-to-arrive daughter. My site is The Simple
Dollar (http://www.thesimpledollar.com/ ), a blog about personal finance issues written in a conversational tone.

2. How and when did you start your blog/site?

Last year, I went through a major financial crisis and I started throwing myself into researching personal finance issues. Before long, I realized
that it would be really useful to share some of the things I learned, so I started The Simple Dollar at the very end of October 2006.

3. How do you come up with your ideas for new content?

Reading and life experiences. I keep a pocket notebook with me to jot down ideas all day long.

4. What your favorite tip or idea to save money?

Install CFL light bulbs in your home. Some people haven’t purchased them because they cost more than incandescents, but they do an incredible job
of cutting down your energy use – and thus your electricity bill.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, it really is a "no-brainer"

5. What is your favorite time saving tip or product?

Keep a pocket notebook with you and write down anything that pops into your head. This technique has saved me more times than I can count and it
also enables me to just focus on tasks at hand without remembering things
I need to do.

6. What is the best thing you own under $20?

A Fisher space bullet pen. It was right around $20. This pen never, ever fails for any reason and always writes perfectly. I would have blown
through a ton of lesser pens (and been frustrated with them) in the time I’ve had this one.

Space Pen, writes upside down and underwater. Most reliable pen ever.

7. What is your weakness when it comes to being smart with your money? (Cars, Vacations, Tech Gadgets)

Tech gadgets. Thankfully, I’ve learned that I should save for them rather than just going to buy one on the spur of the moment. Because of this, I
saved for a Wii for several months and just purchased one.

Nintendo Wii, everybody has a weakness

Dean: I am a big fan of those Fisher space pens myself, they are great on the go. The tip on keeping a pocket notebook something I can relate to, I often carry my hipster PDA, Palm Treo or my moleskin journal book with me. I’m one of those crazy guys that always has ideas and feel the need to write them down. I still have to figure out a way to document my ideas in the shower or bathroom.

Thank you Trent for the interview. I’m sure many readers of this website will find your site content very valuable. I recommend you check out The Simple Dollar and even add it to your RSS feed if you find it useful.