On October 1, hundreds of personal finance bloggers attended the ceremony for the Second Annual Plutus Awards. In the Garden Marquis Tent at the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg, Tom Drake and I recognized the winners of the Plutus Awards, assisted by Matt Jabs and live-blogged by Suba.

As a pleasant surprise, I was able to secure trophies with engraving to present to all the Plutus 2.0 winners who were in attendance. With a conference full of great content, sessions, and activities, I didn’t want the Plutus Awards ceremony to take away from all else that was going on at the conference.

I’ve received a significant amount of feedback after the event, both from the Financial Blogger Conference evaluation forms and directly. Phil Taylor and I intend to bring the Plutus Awards back to the Financial Blogger Conference next year, and based on feedback from the community and my own analysis, I plan on making several changes to the format of the ceremony as well as to the awards.

It is clear from those who provided feedback that the Plutus Awards, particularly the Plutus 2.0 Awards — the set of categories focusing on bloggers — should be given the proper attention. Over the next few months, with the help of Phil, I’ll be planning a Plutus Awards ceremony to be held at the 2012 Financial Blogger Conference that will give the finalists and the winners in each blog-related category the proper attention. To start, you can expect an entertaining ceremony, a proper setting, more time, and multimedia.

Thank you to everyone who has already provided feedback and suggestions. If you have any more thoughts to share, please feel free to contact me.

Photo: Jesse Michelsen

In the town of Schaumburg, Illinois, almost 300 personal finance bloggers eagerly awaited the defining moment of the Financial Blogger Conference, the crowning of the kings and queens of the prom, the Plutus 2.0 Awards. The winners were live-blogged at 5:00 PM Central Time on Saturday, October 1, on plutusawards.com and on Twitter with the help of Suba from Wealth Informatics. Tom Drake from Canadian Finance Blog and I, with assistance from Matt Jabs of Debt Free Adventure and DIY Natural, presented the winners of this set of categories with Plutus Awards trophies.

In addition to the trophies, winners of each of these categories will receive a $20.11 gift card from Consumerism Commentary.

This is the second set of categories. The first set focuses on the best financial products as services, as voted by the financial blogging community. This second set recognizes the best blogs, bloggers, and blog-related products as voted by fellow bloggers and their audiences. The focus is on independent writers rather than mainstream media and large corporations’ public relations departments.

Plutus Awards winners are welcome but certainly not required to display this achievement proudly using the attached image. The following code can be used to insert the image onto a website. A link back to plutusawards.com is optional.

<a href="http://www.plutusawards.com/"><img src="http://www.plutusawards.com/images/PlutusAwards-winner1.jpg" alt="Plutus Award Winner" title="Plutus Award Winner" /></a>

In a few days, I will send an email to each winner to confirm delivery of the prizes. After that, I plan to begin preparing for the Third Annual Plutus Awards, culminating in a ceremony to be held at next year’s Financial Blogger Conference.

• Best New Personal Finance e-Book:
• Finalist: 20 Minute Guide to Investing, Barbara Friedberg
• Finalist: Dividend Investing, Mike Heroux
• Finalist: The Secret to a Successful Budget, Craig Ford
• Winner: Sell Your Crap: Turn Your Clutter Into Cash, Adam Baker
• Beating Broke Guide to Your Credit Score, Beating Broke
• Best Blog Contributor or Freelance Writer:
• Finalist: Emily Guy Birken
• Finalist: Khaleef Crumbley
• Winner: Donna Freedman
• Finalist: Miranda Marquit
• Finalist: Crystal Stemberger
• Best Personal Finance Microblog:
• Winner: @budgetsaresexy (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: @canadianfinance
• Finalist: @moneycrashers
• Finalist: @wisebread
• Finalist: @yakezie
• Best Multi-Part Personal Finance Series:
  • Winner: Budgets Are Sexy: Side Hustle Series
  • Finalist: Canadian Finance Blog: Insurance You Can Do Without
  • Finalist: Couple Money: Baby Expenses
  • Finalist: The Saved Quarter: The Saved Quarter Challenge
  • Finalist: The Simple Dollar: The Ten Evils
• Best International Personal Finance Blog:
• Finalist: Kylie Ofiu
• Finalist: Magical Penny
• Winner: Miss Thrifty
• Finalist: Monevator
• Finalist: A Thrifty Mrs
• Best Canadian Personal Finance Blog:
• Finalist: Boomer And Echo
• Winner: Canadian Finance Blog
• Finalist: Canadian Personal Finance Blog
• Finalist: Money Smarts
• Finalist: Sustainable Personal Finance
• Best Religious Personal Finance Blog:
• Finalist: Bible Money Matters
• Winner: Christian Personal Finance
• Finalist: Faith and Finance
• Finalist: KNS Financial (Faithful With A Few)
• Finalist: Money Help For Christians
• Best Tax Blog:
• Finalist: CafeTax
• Winner: Don’t Mess With Taxes
• Finalist: JoeTaxpayer
• Finalist: TaxProf Blog
• Best Deals and Bargains Blog:
• Finalist: Bargain Briana
• Finalist: Deal Seeking Mom
• Finalist: Money Saving Mom
• Finalist: Two Savvy Sisters
• Winner: Wise Bread (First Annual winner)
• Best Green or Sustainability Finance Blog:
• Finalist: DIY Natural
• Finalist: The Good Human
• Finalist: Praire Eco-Thrifter
• Finalist: Sustainable Life Blog
• Winner: Sustainable Personal Finance
• Best Lifestyle Blog:
• Finalist: Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
• Winner: Budgets Are Sexy
• Finalist: Man Vs. Debt
• Finalist: Untemplater
• Finalist: Wise Bread
• Best Frugality Blog:
• Finalist: Frugal Beautiful
• Finalist: Frugal Confessions
• Winner: The Simple Dollar
• Finalist: Squawkfox
• Finalist: Yes, I Am Cheap
• Best Debt Blog:
• Finalist: Debt Free Adventure
• Finalist: Debt Free By Thirty
• Finalist: Enemy of Debt
• Winner: Punch Debt In The Face
• Finalist: Yes, I Am Cheap
• Best Investing Blog:
• Finalist: Buy Like Buffett
• Finalist: Dividend Ninja
• Finalist: Invest It Wisely
• Finalist: Investor Junkie
• Winner: Oblivious Investor (First Annual winner)
• Best Economics Blog:
• Winner: Darwin’s Money
• Finalist: Pop Economics
• Finalist: Studenomics
• Finalist: Weakonomics (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: Zero Hedge
• Most Humorous Personal Finance Blog:
• Winner: Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: Financial Uproar
• Finalist: Len Penzo Dot Com
• Finalist: Punch Debt In The Face
• Finalist: Thousandaire
• Most Controversial Personal Finance Blog:
• Finalist: Control Your Cash
• Finalist: Darwin’s Money
• Finalist: Financial Samurai
• Winner: I Will Teach You To Be Rich (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: Thousandaire
• Best Written Personal Finance Blog:
• Finalist: Budgets Are Sexy
• Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
• Winner: Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: The Simple Dollar
• Finalist: Surviving and Thriving
• Best Designed Personal Finance Blog:
• Finalist: Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
• Finalist: Dividend Ninja
• Finalist: Squawkfox
• Winner: Wise Bread
• Best-Kept Secret Personal Finance Blog:
• Finalist: Money Talks Coaching
• Finalist: Passive Panda
• Finalist: Prairie Eco-Thrifter
• Winner: The Saved Quarter
• Finalist: Wealth Informatics
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Retirement:
• Finalist: Bucksome Boomer
• Finalist: Early Retirement Extreme
• Finalist: My Journey to Millions
• Winner: Retire By 40
• Finalist: Retire Happy Blog
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Entrepreneurs:
• Finalist: Erica.biz
• Finalist: My Wife Quit Her Job
• Finalist: PT Money
• Winner: Smart Passive Income
• Finalist: The Financial Blogger
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Generation Y or X:
• Winner: Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: Generation X Finance
• Finalist: Gen Y Wealth
• Finalist: Thousandaire
• Finalist: Young and Thrifty
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Teens or College Students:
• Finalist: The College Investor
• Finalist: Financial Success For Young Adults
• Finalist: Green Panda Treehouse
• Finalist: My University Money
• Winner: Studenomics
• Best New Personal Finance Blog:
• Winner: Afford Anything
• Finalist: Boomer and Echo
• Finalist: Faith and Finance
• Finalist: Financially Consumed
• Finalist: Once Cent at a Time
• Best Personal Finance Blog, Single Author:
• Finalist: Budgets are Sexy
• Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
• Finalist: Financial Samurai
• Finalist: Len Penzo Dot Com
• Winner: The Simple Dollar (First Annual winner)
• Best Personal Finance Blog, Multiple Authors:
• Finalist: Canadian Finance Blog
• Finalist: Financial Highway
• Winner: Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: Money Crashers
• Finalist: Wise Bread
• BLOG OF THE YEAR:
• Finalist: Bible Money Matters
• Finalist: Budgets Are Sexy
• Finalist: Christian Personal Finance
• Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
• Finalist: Financial Samurai
• Winner: Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
• Finalist: I Will Teach You To Be Rich
• Finalist: PT Money
• Finalist: The Simple Dollar
• Finalist: Wise Bread
• Lifetime Achievement Award (previously won by Get Rich Slowly, no longer eligible):
• Finalist: Bargaineering
• Finalist: Consumerism Commentary
• Finalist: Free Money Finance
• Finalist: My Money Blog
• Winner: The Simple Dollar

Congratulations to all winners!

On Saturday, October 1, Tom Drake and Flexo announced the winners of the Second Annual Plutus Awards for a live audience in the Garden Marquis of the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg, Illinois. In the first set of awards, the community of personal finance bloggers voted for their favorite products and services. The event was live-blogged here on plutusawards.com and on Twitter.

The opinions of personal finance bloggers are important; this is a community of superfans and superusers, and companies would do well to take their opinions seriously when creating or improving financial products and services. The Plutus Awards are stamps of approval for companies that are taking the best approaches.

Plutus Awards finalists are welcome to display this achievement proudly using the attached image. The following code can be used to insert the image onto a website. A link back to plutusawards.com is optional.

<a href="http://www.plutusawards.com/"><img src="http://www.plutusawards.com/images/PlutusAwards-winner1.jpg" alt="Plutus Award Finalist" title="Plutus Award Winner" /></a>

Included is a list of the Plutus Award winners in this first group of awards, recognizing the best financial products and services. The list of the winners for the second group of awards, recognizing the best financial blogs, bloggers, and blog-related products, will be posted later today.

• Best Savings or Money Market Account:
• Finalist: Ally Bank
• Finalist: HSBC Direct
• Winner: ING Direct
• Finalist: SmartyPig
• Finalist: USAA
• Best Checking or Transaction Account:
• Finalist: Ally Bank
• Winner: ING Direct
• Finalist: PerkStreet
• Finalist: USAA
• Finalist: Wells Fargo
• Best Banking Website:
• Finalist: allybank.com
• Winner: ingdirect.com
• Finalist: perkstreet.com
• Finalist: usaa.com
• Finalist: wellsfargo.com
• Best Overall Bank:
• Finalist: Ally Bank
• Winner: ING Direct
• Finalist: PerkStreet
• Finalist: USAA
• Finalist: Wells Fargo
• Best Discount Brokerage:
• Finalist: Fidelity
• Finalist: Schwab
• Finalist: Scottrade
• Finalist: Sharebuilder
• Winner: TD Ameritrade/Waterhouse
• Best Credit Card:
• Finalist: Blue Cash from American Express
• Winner: Chase Freedom
• Finalist: Citi Forward
• Finalist: Costco TruEarnings from American Express
• Finalist: Discover More Card
• Best Personal Finance Management Software:
  • Finalist: Adaptu
  • Finalist: Microsoft Excel
  • Winner: Mint
  • Finalist: Quicken
  • Finalist: You Need a Budget
• Best Budgeting Software:
• Finalist: Microsoft Excel
• Winner: Mint
• Finalist: Mvelopes
• Finalist: Quicken
• Finalist: You Need a Budget
• Best Tax Preparation Software:
• Finalist: H&R Block
• Finalist: TaxACT
• Finalist: TaxCut
• Finalist: TaxSlayer
• Winner: TurboTax
• Best Peer-to-Peer or Social Lending Service:
• Finalist: CommunityLend
• Finalist: Kiva
• Winner: LendingClub
• Finalist: Prosper
• Best Mobile Personal Finance Application:
• Finalist: Bloomberg
• Finalist: Chase Bank
• Winner: Mint
• Finalist: MoneyWell
• Finalist: You Need a Budget
• Best New Personal Finance Book:
• Finalist: The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy, by Liz Pulliam Weston
• Finalist: Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times: 250+ Ways to Buy Smarter, Spend Smarter, and Save Money, by Clark Howard
• Winner: Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, by Kimberly Palmer
• Finalist: The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime, by MJ DeMarco
• Finalist: Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life, by Farnoosh Torabi

Stay tuned for the remainder of the Plutus Awards winners!

Welcome to the 2nd Annual Plutus Awards! In Chicago, Flexo and Tom Drake are announcing the winners of this year’s Plutus Awards. Each winner will be receiving a $20.11 gift card from Consumerism Commentary, and those winners in attendance at the Financial Blogger Conference will receive a trophy for their achievements.

This article will be continuously updated when each category is announced.

The time has come to show appreciation for your favorite personal finance bloggers, products and services. From September 1 through September 21, personal finance bloggers may vote for their favorites among all the categories while the general public, including blog readers and fans, are welcome to vote for the blogs that inspire. The Plutus Awards are configured like this to bring attention to the products and services that meet expert approval as well as to the blogs that provide the best experiences for their readers, fans, and colleagues.

You will notice that the ballot asks whether you are an independent financial blogger. You can answer “yes” to this question if you own your blog or if the blog for which you write is not established as a marketing tool for a financial product or service. For example, if the blog for which you are the editor is an adjunct to a financial software company and you report to a marketing or public relations department, you would not be considered an independent financial blogger for the purposes of the Plutus Awards.

You do not need to vote in every category. If you do not have a preference, it’s better to leave that category blank.

The location of your computer will be logged with your vote, and multiple votes from the same location will be canceled. Location may not be related to exact IP address, and an algorithm will help determine if the ballot has been stuffed. To stay safe, bloggers should encourage their readers to vote through all outlets available, including their own website and social media, but avoid the digital equivalent of canvassing door-to-door. Please play fairly.

The winners will be announced on October 1 at the Financial Blogger Conference in Chicago.

Thank you to everyone who voted! The ballots are now closed.

Congratulations to the finalists for the Second Annual Plutus Awards! This is the second announcement. The first announcement covered the financial products and services section of the awards. In this announcement, I will cover the second set of categories, the Plutus 2.0 Awards, designed to celebrate the best financial blogs by writers unaffiliated with mainstream media and commercial financial products.

Plutus Awards finalists are welcome to display this achievement proudly using the attached image. The following code can be used to insert the image onto a website. A link back to plutusawards.com is optional.

<a href="http://www.plutusawards.com/"><img src="http://www.plutusawards.com/images/PlutusAwards-finalist1.jpg" alt="Plutus Award Finalist" title="Plutus Award Finalist" /></a>

Voting will begin tomorrow and continue for the next few weeks, so look for a future article on plutusawards.com to contain the ballot. Voting for the Plutus 2.0 Awards categories will be open to the public, so bloggers can increase the possibility of winning an award by encouraging readers and fans to vote once the ballots are open. The voting process will be monitored, however, to ensure that all finalists do not unfairly take advantage of the process. Multiple votes from the same locations will be canceled.

All winners will be announced at the Financial Blogger Conference at 5:00 PM on October 1. Congratulations to these finalists!

• Best New Personal Finance e-Book:
• 20 Minute Guide to Investing, Barbara Friedberg
• Dividend Investing, Mike Heroux
• The Secret to a Successful Budget, Craig Ford
• Sell Your Crap: Turn Your Clutter Into Cash, Adam Baker
• Beating Broke Guide to Your Credit Score, Beating Broke
• Best Blog Contributor or Freelance Writer:
• Emily Guy Birken
• Khaleef Crumbley
• Donna Freedman
• Miranda Marquit
• Crystal Stemberger
• Best Personal Finance Microblog:
• @budgetsaresexy (First Annual winner)
• @canadianfinance
• @moneycrashers
• @wisebread
• @yakezie
• Best Multi-Part Personal Finance Series:
  • Budgets Are Sexy: Side Hustle Series
  • Canadian Finance Blog: Insurance You Can Do Without
  • Couple Money: Baby Expenses
  • The Saved Quarter: The Saved Quarter Challenge
  • The Simple Dollar: The Ten Evils
• Best International Personal Finance Blog:
• Kylie Ofiu
• Magical Penny
• Miss Thrifty
• Monevator
• A Thrifty Mrs
• Best Canadian Personal Finance Blog:
• Boomer And Echo
• Canadian Finance Blog
• Canadian Personal Finance Blog
• Money Smarts
• Sustainable Personal Finance
• Best Religious Personal Finance Blog:
• Bible Money Matters
• Christian Personal Finance
• Faith and Finance
• KNS Financial (Faithful With A Few)
• Money Help For Christians
• Best Tax Blog:
• CafeTax
• Don’t Mess With Taxes
• JoeTaxpayer
• TaxProf Blog
• Best Deals and Bargains Blog:
• Bargain Briana
• Deal Seeking Mom
• Money Saving Mom
• Two Savvy Sisters
• Wise Bread (First Annual winner)
• Best Green or Sustainability Finance Blog:
• DIY Natural
• The Good Human
• Praire Eco-Thrifter
• Sustainable Life Blog
• Sustainable Personal Finance
• Best Lifestyle Blog:
• Budgeting in the Fun Stuff
• Budgets Are Sexy
• Man Vs. Debt
• Untemplater
• Wise Bread
• Best Frugality Blog:
• Frugal Beautiful
• Frugal Confessions
• The Simple Dollar
• Squawkfox
• Yes, I Am Cheap
• Best Debt Blog:
• Debt Free Adventure
• Debt Free By Thirty
• Enemy of Debt
• Punch Debt In The Face
• Yes, I Am Cheap
• Best Investing Blog:
• Buy Like Buffett
• Dividend Ninja
• Invest It Wisely
• Investor Junkie
• Oblivious Investor (First Annual winner)
• Best Economics Blog:
• Darwin’s Money
• Pop Economics
• Studenomics
• Weakonomics (First Annual winner)
• Zero Hedge
• Most Humorous Personal Finance Blog:
• Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
• Financial Uproar
• Len Penzo Dot Com
• Punch Debt In The Face
• Thousandaire
• Most Controversial Personal Finance Blog:
• Control Your Cash
• Darwin’s Money
• Financial Samurai
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich (First Annual winner)
• Thousandaire
• Best Written Personal Finance Blog:
• Budgets Are Sexy
• Consumerism Commentary
• Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
• The Simple Dollar
• Surviving and Thriving
• Best Designed Personal Finance Blog:
• Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
• Consumerism Commentary
• Dividend Ninja
• Squawkfox
• Wise Bread
• Best-Kept Secret Personal Finance Blog:
• Money Talks Coaching
• Passive Panda
• Prairie Eco-Thrifter
• The Saved Quarter
• Wealth Informatics
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Retirement:
• Bucksome Boomer
• Early Retirement Extreme
• My Journey to Millions
• Retire By 40
• Retire Happy Blog
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Entrepreneurs:
• Erica.biz
• My Wife Quit Her Job
• PT Money
• Smart Passive Income
• The Financial Blogger
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Generation Y or X:
• Budgets Are Sexy (First Annual winner)
• Generation X Finance
• Gen Y Wealth
• Thousandaire
• Young and Thrifty
• Best Personal Finance Blog for Teens or College Students:
• The College Investor
• Financial Success For Young Adults
• Green Panda Treehouse
• My University Money
• Studenomics
• Best New Personal Finance Blog:
• Afford Anything
• Boomer and Echo
• Faith and Finance
• Financially Consumed
• Once Cent at a Time
• Best Personal Finance Blog, Single Author:
• Budgets are Sexy
• Consumerism Commentary
• Financial Samurai
• Len Penzo Dot Com
• The Simple Dollar (First Annual winner)
• Best Personal Finance Blog, Multiple Authors:
• Canadian Finance Blog
• Financial Highway
• Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
• Money Crashers
• Wise Bread
• BLOG OF THE YEAR:
• Bible Money Matters
• Budgets Are Sexy
• Christian Personal Finance
• Consumerism Commentary
• Financial Samurai
• Get Rich Slowly (First Annual winner)
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich
• PT Money
• The Simple Dollar
• Wise Bread
• Lifetime Achievement Award (previously won by Get Rich Slowly, no longer eligible):
• Bargaineering
• Consumerism Commentary
• Free Money Finance
• My Money Blog
• The Simple Dollar

Congratulations to all finalists!

Congratulations to the finalists for the Second Annual Plutus Awards! In this announcement, I will cover the first set of categories, designed to reflect the best financial products and services as selected by the community of expert personal finance bloggers. Later today, another announcement will include the finalists for the Plutus 2.0 Awards, including the best personal finance blogs across a variety of categories.

Plutus Awards finalists are welcome to display this achievement proudly using the attached image. The following code can be used to insert the image onto a website. A link back to plutusawards.com is optional.

<a href="http://www.plutusawards.com/"><img src="http://www.plutusawards.com/images/PlutusAwards-finalist1.jpg" alt="Plutus Award Finalist" title="Plutus Award Finalist" /></a>

Voting is now open, and will continue for the next few weeks. To vote for these categories, you must be an independent personal finance blogger, but voting for the Plutus 2.0 Awards categories will be open to the public. All winners will be announced at the Financial Blogger Conference at 5:00 PM on October 1, 2011. Congratulations to these finalists!

• Best Savings or Money Market Account:
• Ally Bank
• HSBC Direct
• ING Direct
• SmartyPig
• USAA
• Best Checking or Transaction Account:
• Ally Bank
• ING Direct
• PerkStreet
• USAA
• Wells Fargo
• Best Banking Website:
• allybank.com
• ingdirect.com
• perkstreet.com
• usaa.com
• wellsfargo.com
• Best Overall Bank:
• Ally Bank
• ING Direct
• PerkStreet
• USAA
• Wells Fargo
• Best Discount Brokerage:
• Fidelity
• Schwab
• Scottrade
• Sharebuilder
• TD Ameritrade/Waterhouse
• Best Credit Card:
• Blue Cash from American Express
• Chase Freedom
• Citi Forward
• Costco TruEarnings from American Express
• Discover More Card
• Best Personal Finance Management Software:
  • Adaptu
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Mint
  • Quicken
  • You Need a Budget
• Best Budgeting Software:
• Microsoft Excel
• Mint
• Mvelopes
• Quicken
• You Need a Budget
• Best Tax Preparation Software:
• H&R Block
• TaxACT
• TaxCut
• TaxSlayer
• TurboTax
• Best Peer-to-Peer or Social Lending Service:
• CommunityLend
• Kiva
• LendingClub
• Propser
• Best Mobile Personal Finance Application:
• Bloomberg
• Chase Bank
• Mint
• MoneyWell
• You Need a Budget
• Best New Personal Finance Book:
• The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy, by Liz Pulliam Weston
• Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times: 250+ Ways to Buy Smarter, Spend Smarter, and Save Money, by Clark Howard
• Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, by Kimberly Palmer
• The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime, by MJ DeMarco
• Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life, by Farnoosh Torabi

Stay tuned for the remainder of the Plutus Awards finalists!

Due to Hurricane Irene, nominations for the Second Annual Plutus Awards will be extended to Monday, August 29. Take this time now to nominate your favorite personal finance blogs and financial products.

Once the nominations are collected, we will announce the finalists. If there are enough nominations in each category, there will be five finalists in each category. On September 1, voting will be open to the public.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback in the first phase of the Second Annual Plutus Awards! From today through Sunday, August 28, nominations are open for this year’s Plutus Awards. The nominations phase allows the every member of the personal finance blogosphere to have a say and write in as many suggestions as he or she likes for each category.

The finalists will be chosen from among the top nominees in each category. The categories are split into two sections, the Plutus Awards and the Plutus 2.0 Awards. The first section features favorite products and services, while the second section celebrates the best independent writing.

Nominations for the first section are only accepted from independent personal finance bloggers. This excludes companies who have blogs to promote their product or service, written by an employee of said company. This includes bloggers who have independently developed their own brand centered around their blog as their main “product” as well as hobbyists.

Any blogs nominated should be independent personal finance blogs. Any blogger who still has editorial control of a blog that has been purchased by a larger company can still qualify as an independent blogger, and the blog still qualifies as an independent personal finance blog.

Nominations for the Second Annual Plutus Awards are now closed! The finalists will be announced shortly.

After soliciting feedback from the personal finance blogging community, the Second Annual Plutus Awards will feature some new categories. These, as well as the initial categories listed here, will be open for nominations beginning tomorrow, August 15.

Nominations will be open through Sunday, August 28.

Here are the new categories:

• Best Overall Credit Union
• Best Lifestyle Blog
• Best Green / Sustainability Finance Blog
• Best Blog Contributor / Freelance Writer