Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis offers personal finance advice to help people interested in learning how to live on a budget slash their bills without feeling deprived.
About Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis
Martin Lewis is a financial journalist, author, and newspaper columnist who owns and operates MoneySavingExpert.com. His specialty is helping readers figure out how to cut their bills without cutting back the quality of their life - a task that's led many to call him a "consumer campaigner" or "consumer champion." His website is the UK's biggest personal finance site, with more than 10 million users per month and over five million readers who receive the Martin's Money Tips e-mail.
Martin Lewis has won many awards, including the Citizens Advice Champion award and the London Press Club Consumer Journalist of the year. Hitwise, an online research company, stated that Martin Lewis was "the most searched for personality" in the UK in 2009. His "Money Saving Expert" title has been trademarked.
The Money Saving Expert Website
The information you'll find on Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis' website includes:
- Advice on dealing with credit card debt
- Banking and savings tips
- Mortgage tips
- Insurance tips
- Budget travel advice
- Tips for cutting utility bills
- Online shopping coupons, promotions, and money saving offers
- A blog, featuring personal finance news and his own observations
- A forum, where you can share your own ideas or thoughts on what you've read
Much of the advice offered on MoneySavingExpert.com is fairly basic, but these changes can add up to big savings. In fact, Lewis claims that he could save the average person £2,500 if they spent just one day going through his budget plan. For an illustration of the process, check out Simon Hattenstone's interview on The Guardian website. For a quick rundown of some of Lewis' views, see This Much I Know.
Stance on Debt
One way in which Martin Lewis differs from a number of other personal finance experts is that he's not as opposed to debt. He commonly states, "Debt isn't bad, bad debt is bad." As a rule of thumb, he suggests that non-mortgage debts that are bigger than a year's after-tax salary indicate a severe debt problem. He defines a personal debt crisis as any situation in which you can't afford to make the minimum payments on all your obligations; a situation he says calls for working with a free and independent debt counseling agency.
Relevance in the United States
Although the site is written for people in the UK, readers from the United States will find plenty of useful tips as well. The basic principles of frugal living apply no matter where you happen to reside. For example, if you're considering clearing out your closets to make a bit of extra money, you'll want to review the eBay Selling Tricks guide. If you're trying to save money by quitting smoking, you'll find links to a number of interesting online resources in the Quit Smoking Cheaply guide.
Since Martin Lewis is from the UK, his tips are written using his country's currency and slang. If you're having trouble running the numbers on specific finance tips, you can convert pounds to dollars by using the currency calculator on the Coin Mill website. For help with specific UK slang, A Dictionary of Slang provides assistance translating British slang into terms you are more familiar with.
Making Smart Decisions
While Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis does have a large following, it's important to remember that all personal finance advice is subjective. Everyone faces unique challenges on the journey to financial freedom. For some people, Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman might be more helpful. Consider MoneySavingExpert.com just one of many possible resources you can use to help get your finances under control.
