As we put 2019 behind us and focus on renewing our professional goals and relationships in 2020, our HerMoney team decided to take a look at which posts had our readers talking this year. We wanted to know what stories resonated most with our audience, and which ones inspired you to chat around the proverbial water cooler on Monday mornings.
As it turns out, we noticed a trend almost immediately: communication. Our readers loved finding ways to effectively communicate, whether to a boss via email, or to a prospective client with your wardrobe choices. Here’s a look at the Top 10 posts that inspired lots of conversation and shares on HerMoney this year:
1. 6 Important Business Email Templates
As the tag line says, you didn’t get this job so you can sit in email hell, right? We’ve all struggled to convey just the right amount of professionalism laced a tiny bit of humor in that email to our bosses. These templates will save you from using too many exclamation points and emojis (we’re guilty, too!!!!).
2. Common Workplace Problems and How To Deal with Them
“From lack of purse hooks in bathrooms to lockers that are the perfect size to fit men’s suit jackets, office environments are still often a man’s world,” HerMoney writer Kelly Burch reminds us that even though we are knocking on 2020, we still have a long way to go, baby.
3. Dreaming About Money? What Do These Money Dreams Mean?
Yes, we all dream about striking it rich in the lottery one day but it seems our money dreams can affect our daytime behavior. And yes, science backs us up.
4. How Couples Can Split Their Money and Bills to Be Fair
There comes a time in every relationship where you say, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” We’re talking about bank statements, ladies (wink, wink). When your relationship heats up and you start planning a life with your partner, communication about finances is key. Turns out, our readers think investment planning makes for excellent pillow talk.
5. Things To Take From The FIRE Movement (Even You Don’t Want To Retire Early)
Baby, it’s cold outside but the FIRE movement was a hot topic for our readers in 2019. Even if retirement is the last thing on your mind right now, knowing the ins and outs of the FIRE movement (Financial Independence Retire Early) can help you plan for a lifetime of financial freedom.
6. When To Keep and When To Throw Away Financial Documents
By the time January rolls around, as holiday decorations seem to close in around us and we catch a glimpse of our messy offices (hello, cluttered desks!), many of us want to go on a shredding rampage. But when it comes to cleaning out your file cabinet, what should you keep? We’ve got you covered so you can start fresh in 2020.
7. The Only Types of Purses and Handbags You Need To Own
Sometimes, we communicate in the form of a killer handbag and our readers agree. The purse is the hardest working accessory in our closets and finding a quality bag for a good price can be overwhelming. When we walk into that interview with a functional and stylish bag (that we scored a great deal on), we feel powerful and it shows.
8. How To Write A Professional Work Email
“Whether you’re emailing that you’re out sick, sending meeting invites, or — (gasp!) — you mistakenly replied all on a message meant for just your work BFF, handle yourself like a pro.” Her Money writer Natasha Burton walks us through exactly how to handle any tricky email situation.
9. 3 Best Money Management Apps for Couples
If love makes the world go ‘round for couples, but true financial relationship harmony comes in the form of money management apps. These apps had you saying “there’s an app for that!” when money stresses plagued your relationships in 2019.
10. IRA vs 401(k) — What’s The Difference?
Communication comes in many forms and, as this popular post tells, our readers are all about straightforward and judgement-free information about personal finance. Whether it was understanding the difference between an IRA and a 401(k) or learning to write a check, our readers are heading into 2020 ready to take on their financial plans.
Honorable mention: Stop Judging Women For Not Having Kids
What we love most about our readers is that they aren’t afraid to speak their truths, and people had feelings about this hot-button topic. Whether you have kids or don’t (by choice or other circumstances), one thing was clear: You can keep your judgement about our reproductive situations to yourself, thank you very much.
In case you missed these…
We were all SO inspired by the list of stories you liked most, our team took an informal office poll and picked a handful of our personal personal favorites from the 2019 archives. In case you missed these the first time around, here they are, in random order:
Newsflash: The F***ing Latte is a F***ing Metaphor
Trouble started brewing over the summer about the age-old advice about skipping the daily latte and investing that $5 instead. Jean had a few things to add to that heated discussion. (Oh, and she’ll see you at Starbucks.)
6 Successful Women Who Got Fired and Went on to Greater Achievements
High-ranking women are 45% more likely than high-ranking men to get the axe… But if it happens you, these comeback stories of Oprah, Anna Wintour (and our very own Jean Chatzky) illustrate that you can come back better than ever.
Trading Spaces: What If You Could Only Use Cash For A Week? What If You Couldn’t Use It At All?
Headlines proclaim that we’re on our way to becoming a cashless society. But not all of us at HerMoney are ready to give up cash. So we did a little experiment for one week to see if Becca could survive without plastic and payment apps, and how Jean would handle being without her weekly stash of cash.
Invest In — and With — Your Daughters: 5 Ways to Buy Stocks for Kids
If we’re going to close the financial wage gap, we need to give girls — not just boys — hands-on investing experience when they’re young. One idea we really like: Giving her the gift of stock in a company that makes her favorite toys, movies, breakfast cereal or shoes.
2019 has been an incredible year and we could not do what we do without the support of our amazing readers. Whether it’s stimulating and informative conversations in our private Facebook group, witty discourses on social media, or the provocative questions sent to our Mailbag, our readers have guided what we publish here at HerMoney.
Thank you all so much for being a part of our journey this year. Here’s to 2020!
