15 Best Reddit Personal Finance Communities You Should Follow

By Todd Kunsman

Financial Independence

Published on

Updated on

You might be familiar with Reddit, as the social news aggregation and discussion website has become massively successful since being founded in 2005. 

While the website is filled with weird communities or “subreddits” along with people trolling for attention, there is plenty of useful information and great topic discussions as well. 

One of the more interesting sections are the personal finance subreddits

Many of these are great places to learn, get tips about investing or money, and genuinely ask for advice.

Of course, you should never just take feedback from users on Reddit without doing more due diligence. 

But if you are looking for engaging communities to seek advice and knowledge, these personal finance subreddits might be for you.

What is a Subreddit?

A subreddit is a niche-specific community that focuses on a specific topic where people can engage and share on Reddit. Anyone with a free Reddit account can join and jump into any discussions or start a new thread. They are denoted by /r/, followed by the subreddit’s name: like /r/personalfinance.

Now that you know the lingo, here are the best Reddit personal finance communities you should consider subscribing to.

Best Personal Finance Subreddits

1. r/PersonalFinance

  • Subscribers14 million+
  • Topics: Everything Personal Finance

Naturally, I’d include the popular subreddit r/personalfinance, which is one of the largest communities in the finance space currently. As of typing this it has over 14 million subscribers but is quickly growing.

This is also one of the most organized financial subreddit communities which covers everything from budgeting, saving, getting out of debt, credit, investing, taxes, and retirement planning. 

Additionally, you’ll find plenty of resources and find topics that interest you. Plus, it’s highly engaging as there is a wealth of information and advice.

If there is one finance related community on Reddit to help boost your financial literacy, this one is definitely it. 

2. r/FinancialIndependence 

  • Subscribers818k
  • Topics: Financial Independence, Retire Early

While some of the topics in r/financialindependence may have some overlap with other threads, the primary focus is slightly different. 

In this subreddit, people join or follow along as they are generally interested in becoming Financially Independent (FI), which means not having to rely on work for money.

Many people in the community may have also attained financial independence and are offering advice or have other questions for people similar to them. 

Typically, this community is more for the financially savvy or those in pursuit of financial independence or retiring early. Even so, over 800,000 people as of writing this are subscribed and it continues to grow fast. 

Many of the top discussions revolve around careers, planning for FI, investing and saving money, retirement planning, and more. This is the place to be if you are financially independent or highly interested in that. 

3. r/FinancialPlanning

  • Subscribers172k
  • Topics: Financial Planning, Personal Finance, Frugality, Money, and More!

One newer subreddit that has been growing quite fast is r/financialplanning, which now is over 170,000 community members.

With this one, there certainly is some overlap to the personal finance and even financial independence thread, but the topics are a wide range and have all knowledge levels. 

Typically, I found the previous subreddits mentioned on this list to be filled with more knowledgeable people looking for more complex topic questions. Not always, as beginners are welcome too.

But with financial planning, you’ll find all levels of knowledge, which might be a bit less intimidating if you have questions. 

If you like to discuss and ask questions about personal finances, budgeting, income, retirement plans, insurance, investing, and frugality — then you’ll be right at home in this community. 

4. r/FIRE

  • Subscribers: 70k+
  • Topics: Financial Freedom, Retiring Early, Investing

Although some of the previous threads will cover topics related to financial independence/retire early, this subreddit is 100% dedicated to that topic.

There certainly will be some cross topics with any of the major personal finance communities on Reddit, but plenty of additional discussions happening. 

The r/FIRE subreddit is surprisingly quite small compared to many on this list, but the thread is still very active. You’ll learn plenty about financial freedom, reaching FIRE, insights from those you have retired early, and more. 

As you may or may not know, there are a few types of FIRE as well. And two additional types are subreddit’s that actually have more followers than this general /FIRE thread. 

  • r/leanFIRE: For those that want to approach the problem of financial independence from a minimalist, frugal, or anti-consumerist trajectory.
  • r/FatFIRE:  FatFIRE is for people who want to reach early retirement, but will have a much larger yearly budget and/or higher expenses. These are people who live on higher income and are not looking to live more frugal or minimalist like LeanFIRE folks. 

5. r/Passive_Income

  • Subscribers: 100k+
  • Topics: Making Money, Income Streams, Passive Income, Side Hustles

While many of the subreddits here are more about saving money, budgeting, tips, and other general financial advice — I also have to include r/passive_income in this list.

A large part of reaching financial success or improving your situation is making more money. 

And as you may have heard, the majority of millionaires will have multiple streams of income. So finding ways to make passive income can have major benefits to your personal finances. 

This is one of the smaller subreddits on this list at over 100,000 subscribers. But it is one of the best communities on Reddit about making money and side hustles that is not full of spam. 

You’ll find advice and resources on making money, tips about particular passive income streams, case studies from subscribers, and anything related to generating extra income. 

6. r/PovertyFinance 

  • Subscribers: 440k+
  • Topics: Financial Advice, Guidance for Those Struggling Financially, Stories

Not everyone in the world is a master of personal finances or has ambitious savings goals other than to survive and get out of tough financial situations.

This is why r/povertyfinance was started and to help people rally together and give advice to those who may really be struggling.

Quickly, this subreddit has grown and is now close to 440,000 subscribers as of writing this. You can expect topics to include financial advice, frugality tips, personal stories, new opportunities, and general guidance for people who are struggling financially. 

The community info sums it up best: 

“You do not have to be absolutely destitute to be here. Whether you are a single parent only pulling 10k a year, or a single person trying to get past student loans at 28K, you are welcome here. The goal here is to help anyone who doesn’t have a lot of breathing room get to a place where they have stability, comfort, contingency, and maybe even a little luxury.”

7. r/Frugal

  • Subscribers: 1.4 million+
  • Topics: Saving Money, Frugal Tips, How Live Frugally

While I’m not personally a hardcore frugal person or fully adapted to that lifestyle, the r/frugal thread is still full of useful information and money-saving tips

What I find unique about this subreddit is the various ideas people come up with and share about being more frugal, including many interesting money hacks.

These topics in this community may really help you live more frugally and think outside the box when it comes to making your dollar stretch farther. 

This subreddit is huge with over a million subscribers, so you’ll find a highly active community here.

Besides money hacks, you’ll find topics on spending money, food budgets, maintenance hacks, budget discussion, personal frugal stories, and tips, etc. 

8. r/Investing

  • Subscribers: 1.2 million+
  • Topics: Investing, Stock Market, Alternative Investments, Stock Market News

Although many of the previous subreddit communities will cover some investing topics, the r/investing community is strictly dedicated to all things related to investing.

It always made me laugh that the top heading of the group page is “Lose money with friends!” — but there is plenty of value in this Reddit group. 

There are now over a million subscribers and it is continuing to grow. I’m sure it won’t be long before it is closing in on 2 million. 

But this community is generally for people who love investing and are looking for insights and ideas when it comes to various investments.

Additionally, you’ll find discussions about the stock market, economy, etc. There are also some good resources in the right hand menu to help you find some common information and resources that have been discussed many times. 

9. r/Bogleheads

  • Subscribers33k+
  • Topics: Index Investing, Vanguard, Long-Term Investing

If you are new to personal finances and index funds, then you may not have heard of the term “Bogleheads” and you might be wondering what that even is. 

Jack Bogle was the founder of Vanguard and index fund investing. Over the years he gained quite the following, of which those people dub themselves “Bogleheads.” 

So if Vanguard index funds (or index fund investing in general), passive investments focused on stocks and bonds for a long-term return are interesting to you — then you’ll enjoy the r/Bogleheads subreddit. This is highly focused on those key areas, but you’ll find plenty to learn and great investing discussions. 

10. /r/RealEstateInvesting

  • Subscribers160k+
  • Topics: Real Estate Investing, Commercial Real Estate, Rehab and Flipping, Rentals

While the goal of this Reddit personal finance list was to share with you the best general communities with finance-related items, I still wanted to include r/RealEstateInvesting.

This is by no means the largest subreddit on this list, but I think it is quite relevant to building wealth, investing, and personal finances. 

There is a much larger subreddit that is just r/RealEstate as well, but not all the topics and discussions related to investing or finances. So, this would be a much more relatable and relevant thread. 

With over 160k subscribers as of writing this, the community is focused on sharing thoughts, experiences, advice, and asking questions in any real estate investing niche.

You’ll find topics on structured deals, flipping real estate, rehabbing homes, wholesaling, lending, land investing, commercial real estate, real estate crowdfunding, and more!

11. r/MiddleClassFinance

  • Subscribers20.6k
  • Topics: MiddleClassFinance

One of the newer Reddit personal finance communities is r/MiddleClassFinance, which is starting to grow quickly.

This one branched off some of the other finance subreddits, with it focusing on people who fall into the “middle class.”

The topics similar as far as discussing budgets, investing, financial planning, and those seeking advice. The goal is similar to r/PovertyFinance with no judgments or snobbery, but a place to help others.

Great place to learn or ask questions, especially if you are just learning more about finances.

12. r/Budget

  • Subscribers12.5k
  • Topics: Budgeting, Budgeting Tips, Ideas for Budgets

Many of the communities for finances on Reddit can be a bit overwhelming. There is tons of information and lots of people.

But if you are looking for a small community that moves a bit slower, the r/Budget might be right for you.

This subreddit focuses on the basics of budgeting, techniques, ideas, and even budgeting tools to make life easier for you. It’s not as active as other ones in this list, but there is plenty to discover.

13. r/Banking

  • Subscribers: 31k+
  • Topics: Banking, Savings Accounts, Checking Accounts, Tips About Banks

While banking is a basic necessity of your finances, it’s not as glamorous as say investing or financial planning. But, it’s still important to know and learn about.

In the r/Banking subreddit, it’s also a relatively smaller community to some on these lists, but still provides plenty of value.

If you have questions about banks or banking, looking to maximize your banks, or just have general questions then this community is for you!

14. r/CreditCards

  • Members: 135k+
  • Description: Credit Cards, Credit Card Companies, Maximizing Rewards

Another area of finances that can get people into trouble is credit cards. However, credit cards can also be use strategically to get cash back and other rewards or perks.

If you are interested in learning more r/CreditCards is the community to be active in. This subreddit offers insights, strategies, credit card wins, paying credit card debt, and more.

And if you just have specific questions, you’ll find the community will provide plenty of answers.

15. r/SideHustle

  • Members: 33k+
  • Description: Side Hustle Ideas, Wins, Strategies

A big part of personal finance is how to maximize your income and income streams. So if you are looking to learn more around making money, r/sidehustle is another interesting community to follow.

The subreddit focuses a lot on side hustle ideas and for those to ask questions about making money on the side. You’ll find some success stories and those offering tips to help increase profits.

I do think the r/Passive_Income community has a bit more to offer, but I still think the side hustle subreddit is worth checking out.

Positives of Personal Finance Subreddits

There is plenty to like about any of the above subreddits on personal finance. Most of the topics and discussions are very objective and related to personal experiences. 

While not all the financial advice is perfect or from experts, it does give you various perspectives to think about with your own finances. 

And you can Google search many of the topics too, which will yield valid information.

But many times the top-ranking results are media companies who have a financial interest in their information. Like affiliates, paid partnerships, etc. 

Nothing wrong with that occasionally, but sometimes you just want something relatable and personable, without a thinly veiled sales pitch.

And not everything ranking at the top of Google are sales pitches either, but something to be aware of when searching for information. 

Negatives of Personal Finance Subreddits

The downsides with personal finance topics on Reddit is you do have the elitists and trolls, both who are equally annoying. But with any online forum or community, you always have people like that who have no lives. 

Luckily, most of the legit good subreddits remove, block, or ban people who are disrupting the flow of good discussion and information. 

Lastly, sometimes the information can be a bit overwhelming and contradicting. If you search any of the above threads for particular topics, you’ll find tons and tons of discussion and comments with all sorts of opinions.

And if you are a newbie looking for insights, it might be challenging to know how to dissect the information. 

But, with the top voted information and a bit of research of your own, you’ll learn to figure out how to best digest the information.

Just remember to not blindly follow any advice without doing more research on the topic first. 

Do you use Reddit or follow any of the finance subreddits? What do you like or dislike about them? Are there any new ones you learned about from this list? Let me know in the comments below!

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