Over the past year, I’ve spent a pretty decent chunk of change attending various conferences and meetups. As I write this, I’ll be spending the next couple of days at FinCon, the major financial blogger conference that’s held each year.
Compared to some conferences, FinCon can actually be pretty affordable. But it’s still not cheap once you add up all of the costs that come with attending a big conference – flights, hotels, food, etc. Last year, my FinCon trip cost a little over $1,700 for myself and my business partner to attend (or about $800 per person). I’ll likely spend about the same amount this year. If you add up all of the other events that I’ve attended over the year, I’ll probably end up spending about $4,000 to attend these conferences and meetups.
In a lot of ways, these conferences and meetups can seem like an oxymoron – personal finance bloggers and enthusiasts paying a bunch of money to meet up with other people and talk about all of the ways we don’t spend money. It sounds like a waste of money.
But as I’ve continued to grow this blog and continue along this content creation path, my view on these conferences has evolved. Yes, conferences cost money. But what matters isn’t the cost. It’s the value that they bring. As long as you get more in value than what you pay, these conferences are worth it.
These days, I understand conferences for what they are – they’re investments in yourself and your business. Even though I’ve spent some money on conferences this year, I’ve already seen returns from attending them. And if I haven’t gotten a return on my investment yet, I’m confident that I will in the future.
Reasons To Spend Money On Conferences
1. Build Your Brand. Building brand awareness is a key part of any business. You can have the best stuff in the world, but you can only help people if people know that you exist.
I think advertising is one of the things a lot of content creators just seem to forget about. There’s this idea that you’re just supposed to be found naturally – if you write it, people will just show up. I’ve learned that’s not how it works, however.
Conferences, in many ways, are basically you putting money into advertising spend. When you go to conferences, you’re representing your brand and putting your brand out into the world. If it gets your brand out there, those conference fees might be worth it for that alone.
2. Learn. It goes without saying, but you should hopefully be learning something when you go to these conferences. There’s always more learning to be done, even if you’re an expert.
I spent $87,000 to go to law school (a bargain compared to what many of my fellow attorneys spent). My wife spent much more to go to dental school and then her residency. Conferences might very well be a bargain when you think about how much education otherwise costs.
3. Meet People. The most important part of conferences might not be the learning or the brand awareness – it’s probably meeting people. You can learn a lot on your own, so if learning was the sole motivation, you could go read books and learn it all yourself as you go along.
The magic of the conference comes with meeting people. It’s a big world out there, and NO ONE can do it all alone. You need to meet people, and where else can you do it better than at a conference with tons of people looking to do the same thing.
4. People Like You More When They Meet You In Person. This builds a little bit on my previous point, but there’s something to be said about meeting people in person. The nice thing about the online world is that you can make tons of friends. But you can only put so much of yourself out there virtually.
When people meet you in person, they’ll be able to see your enthusiasm or whatever else it is that makes you, you. And they’ll remember you far better than just talking to you in an email or through Twitter. My closest blogging friends are all people that I’ve met with in person. When opportunities come up for either of us, who do you think they’ll remember?
5. Boost Your Motivation. Building an online business is a grind. One little side benefit of attending conferences is just how much of a motivation boost you’ll get. I came back from my first FinCon absolutely pumped, and my blog grew quite a bit after that conference. I don’t think that was a coincidence.
If you ever need a motivation boost, going to conferences is where it’s at (you can also listen to Gary Vee and let him scream at you about how lazy you are). You’re basically surrounding yourself with hundreds of people who do the same thing as you and who have the drive to spend their time and money meeting up with other people in their same space. You’re a product of who you surround yourself with, and when you surround yourself with fellow hustlers, you can’t help but want to get out there and hustle too.
Spend Money On Yourself
There are a lot of ways to spend money. Most of us spend money in ways that can never actually pay us back. It’s spent once and then is gone forever.
A conference, though, can be an investment if done right. And the nice thing about an investment is that you can get that money back. You might spend a couple hundred bucks. But you can make that back many times over. Plus, if you’re going to invest, why not invest in something that you should believe in more than anything – yourself.
Additional Thoughts. What if your business isn’t making any income yet? If that’s the case, the solution is simple – find a way to make money somewhere else and use that money to invest back into yourself. Let’s say you need $1,000 per year to go to conferences. You just need to earn $83 per month to fully bootstrap your costs. If you can make just $20 an hour doing something, you only need to work an extra 4 to 5 hours per month to pay for your costs. It’s the easiest bootstrapping you’ll ever do.
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes/scooters I've had the chance to do a review for:
- GEN3 Outcross Bike – The GEN3 Outcross is a solid, affordable fat tire ebike that does a good job of doing what I need it to do. It works great for city riding, giving me a smooth ride in all conditions. It’s works really well as a winter ebike since the fat tires give it good traction over snow and ice. Check out my GEN3 Outcross Review.
- Himiway Escape Bike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Bike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($50) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $50 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with $100 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Moomoo (5 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 5 free stocks (usually worth around $75-$100) if you open an account using a referral link and deposit $2,000. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Webull (5 free stocks) – Webull also gives you 5 free stock valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free stocks using Webull.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- SoFi Money ($25) - SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Brex ($250) – Brex is a free business cash management account that is offering new users a $250 Amazon gift card if you sign up using a referral link and meet certain requirements. It’s an easy bonus to earn and well worth doing. Here is my Brex Card Referral Bonus Step By Step Guide.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link.Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Spiral ($50) – Spiral is a fintech bank that's currently offering new customers a $50 signup bonus after opening a free checking account with them. The Spiral referral bonus is especially good because it's a free checking account and doesn't require a direct deposit to earn the bonus. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Spiral Bank bonus.
- Nearside ($90) - Nearside is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 signup bonus and a $50 referral bonus if you open a Nearside business checking account using a referral link. Filling out the application should only take you a few minutes. And the bonus terms are easy to meet. Check out my Nearside signup and referral bonus guide here.
- OnJuno ($100) – OnJuno is a fintech/neobank that is currently offering a $100 referral bonus if you open an account using a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $250 or more. The account has no fees or minimum balance requirements. Even better, the bonus posts immediately after you meet the requirements. If you can meet the direct deposit requirements, OnJuno is an easy bank bonus that’s worth snagging. Check out my OnJuno referral bonus guide here.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($100) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Albert ($150) – If you can manage to do a real direct deposit, Albert is an easy account you can use to earn a referral bonus. Here’s a review about Albert I wrote. And here’s a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Albert referral bonus.
- Fifth Third Bank ($350) – Fifth Third Bank is currently offering new customers a $350 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements. This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you live or visit one of these states, make sure to take advantage of this high bonus. Check out my post on Fifth Third Bank to learn more.
- Varo ($50) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $50 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
- One Finance ($50) – One Finance is a fintech bank that’s currently offering a $50 signup bonus if you open an account using a One Finance referral link and have a direct deposit of $250 or more. This is a completely free bank account with no minimum balance requirement, so if you can meet the requirements, it’s worth doing. Check out my One Finance referral bonus guide here.
- Netspend ($20 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $20 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $20 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link.
- Brex. Brex is a free business cash management account that is currently offering new users a $250 Amazon gift card if you sign up using a referral link and meet certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $50 for opening an account.
- Albert. A great free app I use to track my finances and save more money. You can also earn a $150 signup bonus if you open a free Albert cash account.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
i didn’t know you have a business partner. do you have any more info on that ?
My best friend does all of the web and back-end stuff for this blog. He always comes with me to FinCon. Sort of the secret guy behind the scenes.
To boost your motivation is a big one for me whenever I attend professional conferences.
Hope you are enjoying FinCon:)
It definitely pumps you up! Hope to see you at the next one!
I thought you were going to start with “Because we don’t have kids!” LOL….
Good points, Kevin. Honestly. This is why I’m hopeful to be at next year’s event. I’ve got a lot to learn, and it seems like FinCon is a gold mine for wisdom, motivation, and worthwhile tips.
Bring back some good stories for our next round table!
Will do!
It was awesome meeting you yesterday!! Have a nice flight back!
Great to meet you too!
Let’s see…I just wrote my opus and FinCon would have been a wonderful opportunity to promote it and my brand. But nooooooooooooooo! Mrs. Groovy and I are right in the thick of building Groovy Ranch and we sold our FinCon tickets months ago because we convinced ourselves we couldn’t spare the time. As Bugs Bunny would say, “what a bunch of maroons.” Great post, my friend. Conferences done right are a great investment. Cheers.
P.S. Hope you had a blast at FinCon! Looking forward to your review of the festivities.
Man, Mr. Groovy. I hope you’re at FinCon 19! Otherwise, I might have to make you fly to Minnesota some time to catch all of us Minnesota peeps. You’re retired, so you got time on your hands!
I just finished attending a tech conference and a 100% agree. To be able to see things at high level, meet ppl at C-suite level, experience the world at the macro level and watching the most cutting edge demos and of course all the amazing deals happening at the the same precise moment left and right or even casually at a lobby stairs is something you 100% won’t see in your daily grind. It’s like a breath of fresh air to renew perspectives.
I just witnessed a $60MM all cash funding secured by a guy wearing a ratty white T-shirt on the phone up the escalators – LOL
Before I thought it was a bunch of hocus pocus HBO Silicon Valley stuff, but now my perception has completely changed.
There’s just something totally different about seeing it all in person. It seems stupid, but it actually makes a difference when you meet people. This is especially true if you’re a content creator like we are.