Hello, welcome to The Amateur Financier. I know you have a lot of questions, so let's see if I can give you some answers.
Q: Who are you?
A: I'm Roger the Amateur Financier, though I don't mind it if you just call me Roger. I'm a young(ish) man in my early thirties. (Really? Have I reached that old, really?). I've gained a Masters' degree in Chemistry, married a sweet and wonderful girl (the ‘Sondra' you'll sometimes see mentioned), and I have a beautiful daughter who is current under one year old (but getting older all the time, it seems). Overall, not a bad life to have.
Q: What's the deal with the Amateur Financier?
A: Near the end of 2008, I started to become really interested in personal finance and investing. The more I read, the more interesting the material seemed, and more I wanted to both learn more, and share what I was learning with other people. Eventually, I decided to take the plunge, investing my time and effort in creating a blog to share my interests and knowledge.
Q: Alright, but why choose the name ‘The Amateur Financier'?
A: I liked the way it sounds. The ‘Amateur' part helps to stress that I'm not really a professional in these areas, and it helped to stress that to my readers. The ‘Financier' part has a strong connection with money and money management, stressing that area to anyone who hears it.
Q: What do you write about on this blog?
A: Almost anything related to personal finance or money, which as you can imagine, means just about everything. I've written over 1000 posts now, covering everything from the basics of investing and saving to the effects of pirating and how to prepare for a newborn.
Q: If you aren't a professional, why should I listen you?
A: While it's true that I'm not a financial professional, I endeavor to provide useful, pertinent, and interesting information. Everything I write is true, and I attempt to share in a way that is both entertaining and informative. Regardless of what information you get, from this site or any other source, you should do your own research and consult with any needed financial professionals (preferrably those who will not be making a profbefore you attempt to act on my suggestions, but I consider it a success if I can point you in the right direction.
Q: Where should I go from here?
A: There's plenty to explore in my blog; a good place to start is at the Welcome! page, to see some of my favorite posts and get other advice on how to proceed. Enjoy, and have a good time on my blog!
