It’s been a few days since I flew home from FinCon 2018, and boy are my arms tired!
Actually, it’s just me that’s tired. But in a great way.
Last week, I wrote all about impostor syndrome, introversion, and heading to FinCon. Before I went, I thought FinCon was for “real” bloggers, not people like me. But it’s the only place on earth I get high fives for my 2.75% mortgage, and talk about money for an hour straight without peoples eyes glazing over. Who wouldn’t want to hang out at a place like that?
Today I’ll talk about my trip to Orlando to hang out with my money friends all week, announce that this is now an AWARD WINNING blog, and share the recaps of a bunch of fellow FinCon goers. Why? Because if you’re on the fence about going, or suffering impostor syndrome, I want to share with you stories of someone like you who went and had a great time.
If you were at FinCon, you may recognize me from one of four descriptions:
- Redhead
- Red shoes
- Red dress at the PLUTUS awards
- The lady who asked Mr. Money Mustache the question about diverse perspectives in FIRE
Pre-FinCon 2018 Preparation
In the week immediately preceding FinCon, I had been away from home for work from Sunday evening through Thursday evening. After getting home, spending time with family, and doing meal prep for the time I was gone – there wasn’t much time to pack.
So I employed my patented “throw stuff on the floor” method of non-packing. This is when I make piles of stuff so I can quickly pack it up. Yes, it’s not the most organized method. But it works.
I even went shopping, that’s how much I enjoy FinCon. I had been honored to be nominated for two PLUTUS awards – Family Finance and best series for my Breadwinning, Six Figure, Millionaire Women series – and thought it would be fun to dress up. I didn’t have anything nice, so I went off to my favorite consignment shop and spent $10 on a nice red dress. Paired with my awesome red $300+ fancy shoes (that I also got for $10 from the same consignment shop), I had a lovely and thrifty outfit. Perfect for a financial gathering. I hate clothes shopping, so doing this shows you just how excited I was for FinCon.
I came home a bit early from work to work remotely on Tuesday afternoon, so I wouldn’t have to drive home after a long workday and THEN pack. It was a wise choice, too, because I ended up on a conference call until after 6 PM. I was packing while talking on the phone.
Why? Because it was early to bed and early to rise for CMO. My flight was taking off from CT to Orlando at 6:20 AM. Luckily, I was not the only financial person awake at 3 AM for a flight, and was able to do some chatting on Twitter before takeoff.
Being on the plane reminded me that I HATE FLYING. Once I’m in the air, I’m OK, but takeoff really unnerves me. Ugh.
Luckily, the flight was uneventful and smooth. We touched down right on time in Orlando, where it was (of course) hot and humid. I was fortunate that I had connected with a few friends waiting for me at the gate – Erin from Reaching for FI; Accidental FIRE; and Andrew from Shift Upwards. We were met shortly thereafter in the baggage claim area by Felicity from Fetching Financial Freedom. We split a Lyft (always frugal), and then I walked from the hotel across the street to my Airbnb.
I had met Erin and Felicity before in person, but not AF or Andrew. The funny thing about meeting people at FinCon, though, is it’s like reconnecting with old friends. Even if you’ve never seen each other before.
At the Airbnb, I met Stephonee from Poorer Than You (and soon the Money Middletons-stay tuned for that one!), Ruby from A Journey We Love, and Jacquelyn – someone who doesn’t blog but is a personal finance fan. This wasn’t even her first FinCon! And you thought it was just for bloggers/podcasters/YouTubers.
Yes, I stayed at an AirBnb (my first one, by the way) with three strangers from the internet. I’m pretty sure my mother was politely horrified at the idea. But it worked out so well, was only $100 for five nights (five!), and we all spent most of our time at the conference anyway. It came with a kitchen, fridge, and plenty of room for all of us.
FinCon 2018 – The First Few Days
I put my stuff down, met my new roomies, and then headed over to the hotel. Once there, I got my registration (after standing in the wrong line!) and started meeting friends new and old. Some I knew from Instagram, others from Twitter (mostly Twitter, if I’m honest), and some from last years FinCon. And of course there were the big-deal bloggers/podcasters/money personalities there.
I got registered, had lunch with Josh Overmyer, and went wandering to meet people. In the evening, I went to Stephonee’s birthday party with 20+ other people. I got back after midnight, which is par for the FinCon course but late for an old lady like myself.
The next morning, I had to do a bit of work, but was fortunately able to head over to the Women Who Money meetup. I was so sad I didn’t get there at seven! At FinCon, there are always more people to meet than there is time to talk. That day I went to pro networking, where I spent the morning talking with different brands about what I was doing, and what they were doing. The afternoon was spent wandering around the Expo hall and meeting people. I even got to hang out for a while in the giant flamingo, which had quickly become THE FinCon 18 place to be.
That evening, I went out to dinner with some fintech companies, and my friend Joe Saul-Sehy from Stacking Benjamins was kind enough to give me a ride there and back. It was an interesting and fun time, learning more about the different fintech companies. And I sat at a table with Lynette Khalfani Cox – she was an amazing woman with a fascinating story. I also went to bed way too late this evening, which you’ll notice will be a recurring theme.
The next day, I got up earlyish again to head on over to the FIRE panel at eight. It was very crowded for being so early in the morning, especially with so many people staying up late at night. I did some more wandering around the expo hall, sat and talked with friends, and had a great time.
PLUTUS Award Winner
I went back to the Airbnb to rest up for a bit before the award ceremony, and change into my amazing consignment shop gear. I headed back over to the hotel to get my photo on the “green carpet” before the awards.
It was crowded, and I got to sit with the other nominees in a special roped off section (fancy!). The ceremony started with our amazing emcee Bethany Bayless, who has more energy at 8 PM than I have at 8 AM with four cups of coffee.
It was a shock to me to actually win one of the categories – Family Finance! What an honor, especially because my fellow nominees (Andy from Marriage, Kids and Money; Chris from Keep Thrifty; Chelsea from Mama Fish Saves; and Jillian from Montana Money Adventures) are all doing such amazing work.
I wasn’t the only one shocked at my win. My friends Penny from She Picks Up Pennies and Amy from Life Zemplified were both in tears as they walked up to accept their awards. I was so happy to see their, and all the nominees, hard work paying off.
I want to take a moment to thank all of you. If not for you reading this site, commenting, sharing your stories with me, and generally enjoying what we have here at CMO Central – none of this would have been possible. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Wrapping Up FinCon, Speaking, and Heading Home
Saturday was a day full of sessions. I caught Felicity’s talk about designing interactive content, and then I spoke about being a business. More on the lessons from that session on Friday – and don’t worry, they apply to any kind of business, not just blogging.
During the Saturday closing keynote is when I asked Pete from Mr. Money Mustache the infamous question, and from that moment through the end of the conference, I had people thanking me for doing so. The thanks even followed me the next few days onto Twitter. Apparently many people feel that there’s a need to spread the word that FIRE stereotypes just aren’t true, and that they’re damaging a movement that’s brought so many such happiness and financial freedom.
On Sunday I again woke up early to pack and catch my flight back to CT. No rest for CMO, though! I drove straight from the airport to a shuttle to catch my middle son in a parade. This past weekend was our towns apple festival, and he was in the parade with the band for the first time. Only later did I get to rest at home, and then the next day it was back to the grind.
Why I Went to FinCon 2018
This is a big sacrifice of time, and money. I actually got my ticket comped by FinCon in exchange for speaking (pro frugal FinCon tip – sign up to speak!), but between the hotel, food, many coffees, and the flight the trip cost about $500. A lot to go hang out with my friends on the internet, right? Plus the prior week had been crazy with work travel, next week I’m traveling again, and this week work is nuts. My boys missed me – and I missed them! I wish they could have come with me, but during the school year they can’t be away that long.
So why?
I’ve never felt quite so at home as at FinCon. It inspired me to keep going after I almost gave up on this whole “blogging” idea last year. The recognition from my peers, and the fact that real people really enjoy what I write about, means more to me than money. I’m by nature a pretty shy and private person in real life, and I don’t usually enjoy chatting with people. But at FinCon, that’s all different.
A few days away from work – I can recover from that, and work a bit extra this week. A few days away from home – luckily we have Skype, and in a few years my kids probably won’t even remember I was gone. But getting the knowledge, tools, inspiration, and meeting people – who help me spread my passion to succeed with my purpose – is completely worth it.
I’ve always wanted to pay back the universe for the people who shared their stories, who inspired me when I was young to think I could succeed. If I can be that person for someone else, this is all worth it.
What I Took Away from FinCon 2018
- The joy of meeting and talking with new and old friends.
- Learning about products and services offered by various companies.
- Reinforcement that I’m doing good work here, and should keep it up. And do more.
- Courage to be the person to ask hard questions. Because someone has to.
You thought it would be some blogging secret, or tips to become a blogging millionairess? Nope, sorry. I was hoping to learn more about how to start a podcast (still on my to-do list) but sadly missed all those sessions. The virtual pass will need to come to my rescue there.
Instead it’s about the people, the passion, and the purpose. People at FinCon are passionate about what they’re doing, and feel a sense of purpose. There may have been over two thousand people there, but there are millions in America (and billions around the world) who could use money help. We all amplify each others reach when we collaborate, and help each other see the true value of our work.
So if you want to hang out with the coolest money nerds around, find your passion and purpose, learn how to increase your reach, and generally have fun – FinCon is the place to be.
Rounding Up The Recaps
I promised you a round-up of recaps – and CMO always delivers. Here’s what I’ve found so far around the internet. If you write a recap after this article is published, tag me on social – I’ll add yours to the list!
Ms. Bonnie MD is a dermatologist with an awesome podcast.
Steve from Think Save Retire shared the one thing he learned at FinCon.
Dog G DiverseFI shared a series of lessons: check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
Paulette Perhach shares how things will be different for her after FinCon.
Adam from MiniFi shares one of the most comprehensive guides to FinCon.
Natalie from Financially Savvy Latina shares a tip and a takeaway from FinCon. For the snack tip – you can also find Jillian from Montana Money Adventures for a snack!
Broke is a Choice did a photo story of FinCon.
Vicki from Make Smarter Decisions is going to be busier than ever.
Amy from Life Zemplified had a wonderful time.
MillionaireDoc found community at FinCon.
Twenty Cents Blog shares her story of pancake art, jet lag, free t-shirts, and so much more.
Josh went to hang out with his friends, and had such a great time he snapped up his FinCon19 ticket right away. Then he told some secrets about MMM, Jonathan from Choose FI, and talked about being the FinCon bodyguard.
Accidental FIRE had t-shirts on FIRE – and an awesome time
Freedom 40 Plan met his tribe.
Miriam from Greenbacks Magnet went to more sessions than I did, and even wrote a two parter.
Erika Williams had a great time – and filmed it!
I Pick Up Pennies had a great time, even though hotel food and drinks are expensive.
Olivia from Birds of a FIRE met pretty much everyone at FinCon.
Waffles on Wednesday gives away the secrets of everyone who was NOT at FinCon.
Pete from Do You Even Blog talks e-mail marketing funnels
Reading Richly talks about going to FinCon as a new blogger.
Melissa from SunBurntSaver (one of the Women on FIRE) loves FinCon.
Carl from 1500 days gave some random musing from the pink flamingo (the flamingo is the real FinCon star!).
Ms. Fiology shares how FinCon is like high school.
Eric Rosenberg introduces Jordon Cox’s guide to being British.
Four Pillar Freedom shares his four biggest takeaways from FinCon.
Dr. McFrugal had a fantastic FinCon experience.
Here’s a great Spanish recap from Plata Con Platica.
And Frugal Chic Life recorded an awesome vlog.
The Stacking Benjamins crew covers the innovations you’ll see coming to your wallet.
Jason Butler gives some great FinCon tips *I wish I’d stayed at the host hotel at times*!
Island FI is also all about the pink flamingo.
Money Saved is Money Earned shares ten takeaways from FinCon 2018.
Peerless Money Mentor shares FinCon 2018 experiences.
Mr and Mrs Money Magnet talk about suppressing your inner wierdo.
Kristen Edens has tips on prepping for an industry conference.
Ally had some fun with pancakes – posted by Navicore.
All She Saves talks about why FinCon was one of the best weekends of her year.
FinCon itself shared a recap of the amazing community service project.
Uncommon Dream kicked off FinCon in a caboose.
Crispy Doc shares a few key memorable moments.
Average to Awesome came home with a huge to-do list – and an important take-away.
Retire by 45 talks about what they learned from the FIRE community.
The Cash Dummy gives top three lessons for first timers.
The Millennials Next Door not only recap FinCon, but also break down costs.
Amanda Abella shares the secrets of how to make money at conferences.
Questis describes FinCon as “personal finance for money nerds on steroids”.
Felicity at Fetching Financial Freedom talks about why she’s not buying a ticket to FinCon 19. We’ll miss you!
Kitchen Table Finances talks about mastermind groups. This group sounds amazing!
Do you want to hear an English perspective of FinCon, with Dr. Nikki? Yes you do! P.S. I take full credit for her presence, since she won the scholarship I tweeted about! Woo hoo!
Budgeting Wife talks about her FinCon experience and first-timer tips.
Sounds like a fun time and spending time and money on having fun is always worth it. Also congratulations on your well deserved award!
Congrats on your win! I’ve thought about attending FinCon…maybe next year 😉
That would be fun! Would love to meet you
Hi Liz,
Thanks for asking Pete that question and congratulations on winning your award!
Thanks Janet!
It was an incredible time and incredible meeting you! Your win was well deserved and you might need to start writing about consignment finds. See you next year!
I was thinking that would make a good YouTube video
Congratulations! I seem to learn about events after the fact; I’ll have to keep a better eye out for the next financial gathering!
I also hear the camp FI gatherings are fun too!
Thanks for the mention! I’m sad we didn’t get to chat this year, but it sounds like we were both on a bit of a whirlwind. Next year I want to make some more solid plans before the event so that I can meet up with people purposefully rather than just wandering around and seeing who I find.
Yes, next year I need to make a list! I was also just wandering around bumping into people. It’s so hard to find everyone!
Thanks for the shout-out CMO and huge CONGRATS again on the award!!
Also thanks for giving me a kick in the pants about pursuing data. I’m still communicating with a few contacts and we’ll see what happens.
First of congratulations on the award. Well deserved and glad that you didn’t decide to give up on blogging previously.
I definitely had a big case of the imposter syndrome and did not attend this year and deeply regret it. So much so that I made up my mind to go next year and already bought the discounted passes and reserved the conference hotel room.
Hope I get an opportunity to meet all my virtual friends from my blog circle. Sounds like an amazing time to meet people with similar interests. Excited for next year’s one and hope I don’t feel like an imposter when I do go
It was great to see you Liz, and I was excited to hear your name called as a winner at the Plutus Awards. Even more exciting was drinking suds from the shiny cup in the hotel lobby afterparty!
I appreciate you linking to all the recaps — I did that last year and it was a lot of work to keep up — I’m happy to pass that torch.
Cheers and Congratulations!
-PoF
That’s the trouble with going to a financial conference filled with bloggers and vloggers-so many recaps! 😆 Glad to help you fulfill your dreams of drinking beer from a Plutus. Congratulations on your nomination this year!
This was a really excellent post. Good job!!! Great to meet you. Yes, keep writing. I still have the Wealthy Barber and Millionaire Woman Next Door on my to do list.
Thanks,
Miriam
Was wonderful to meet you! I always like talking David Bach 😃
Congratulations on the Plutus Awards. Very much deserved!
And your ability to round up all the recaps is impressive!
I hope to see you at FinCon19 in DC 🙂
Liz, great recap! I’m looking forward to reading some of the other recaps this weekend 🙂
It was a whirlwind and I met a ton of people, but unfortunately missed a ton of people. Good reason to go back. I, like you, jumped right back into the grind upon my return. Lesson learned to take the Monday after FinCon off!
I was so happy to see you win the Plutus award. You write great stuff! And, of course, you know how impressed I was that you asked Pete the question about FIRE and diversity.
I look forward to hanging out with you again in the future.
Same here! It was great to meet you in person, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do this next year. You’ve got a powerful story and can help many people 😃
Agree, FINCON was great to reinforce that what we are doing is needed. I was so happy to see so many women there!
It was so great to meet you too! Congrats on your win–can’t wait to see what comes next for CMO!
Great to see you again, Liz and congrats on the Plutus!
— Jim
Sounds like you had a blast! What’s the one or two things you plan to do b/c of the conference?
I enjoy the video recaps.
Definitely follow up on a lot of opportunities, and do something around the business side of launching/running a business. I may start another site dedicated to that, I’m not sure yet.
Lots of videos this year-it seems that video and podcasts are growing in popularity. That’s another thing I want to do, look more into those formats for content.
Liz,
While the Plutus was a nice plus, my mental accounting has the opportunity to strut onstage and show off your ultimate frugal score of an outfit as the greater victory.
You also glossed over the fine talk you gave on the digital MBA – a wake up call and highlight for me. I loved the eye-opening aspects of running a blog as a business. I also valued your insights on the need for folks who earn a high income in their non-virtual life to make sure their vanity online pursuits do not become a liability. Finally, after the talk the absolutely lovely CPAs and attorneys in the immediate vicinity who saw my deer-in-the-headlights look of utter fear could not move quickly enough to hand me their cards and insist I contact them in order to demystify the intimidating next moves that might limit my downside and allow me to continue blogging. This is not how most attorneys treat most doctors in the real world.
That love fest, as well as the genuine pride I felt in your strutting onstage to accept a prize you’d long deserved (and seeing Amy from Life Zemplified take home a Plutus, and Vicki from Make Smarter Decisions and Chelsea from Mama Fish Saves as nominees in such top notch company) were a real part of the FinCon love-fest.
I’m not usually one to tout yesteryear tropes of affection, but your victory felt like our victory.
Thanks for giving a bunch of little players the feeling that what we do gets noticed and matters.
Fondly (with the crap still mostly scared out of him),
CD
I absolutely love getting deals on clothes. Mostly because I hate clothes shopping, and hate spending money on clothes. I mean, you can’t beat twenty bucks for a full fancy looking outfit, right?
I’m also really glad to hear my talk on the digital MBA was helpful. I put my hat in the ring for it specifically because it was a topic that I didn’t see addressed at the conference. Lots of folks are unintentionally breaking laws, or leaving themselves open to liability. And this stuff is not particularly obvious unless you specifically go researching for it. I have an advantage here because I happen to be fascinated with business, have that MBA, and have worked for very large companies subject to some of these regulations. Otherwise, what hobby blogger with a product has heard of “PCI Compliance”? I actually bought a new domain so I can put all that stuff together in one place. I might make it an ebook too. There’s a lot of detail I couldn’t get into in the forty minute talk, and some additional ideas people have given me afterwards.
Glad to hear folks offered to help you with some of those trickier sides of running a business. And that you felt the support from not only them, but also the overall financial community in recognizing some of us newer folks. 😊
Hope you feel less scared soon! CMO
It was a pleasure meeting you and talking about goals, business, and life in general 🙂
WOW. This roundup is absolutely epic. You are such an inspiration. This was my first year at FinCon, and already, I completely agree with your sentiment, “I’ve never felt quite so at home as at FinCon.” This is such an incredible community, and I look forward to running into you again next year at FinCon19!
Sounds like you had a blast! That’s a lot of roundups to go through.
Any tips for bloggers on how to win a Plutus Award? Maybe join the committee or network with committee members?
Cheers, Sam
Amazing post! It was great to meet you and chat while sharing a huge salad! Fincon was amazing. I’m still in shock that I met everyone. It was so much fun! Congratulations on your award!!!