All about… Pounds and Sense
Seasoned freelance writer and blogger Nick Daws turned his attention to money blogging when he noticed a gap in the market – the lack of personal finance and investment advice written from the perspective of the over 60’s. He’s applied his wealth of knowledge from his more than thirty years as a writer to his blog, and we found out more about his perspective on money blogging as well as his top tips.
Tell us about your blog.
My blog is Pounds & Sense. It’s a personal finance and lifestyle blog aimed especially at over 60’s.
Why do you write about money?
I’m 61 and semi-retired, so matters such as pensions, savings and investments are starting to weigh heavily on me! But also, there are relatively few bloggers writing about personal finance from an older person’s perspective, so in my small way I wanted to help fill that gap.
How did you start blogging?
I started blogging ten years ago with niche blogs about freelance writing. My most recent writing blog, which I still maintain, is Entrepreneur Writer. In this I post about matters of interest to writers and aspiring writers. Recently, though, I have found myself wanting to write about money and other subjects as well, which is why Pounds & Sense was born.
What’s your most popular post and why?
Pounds & Sense has been going since December 2016. My most popular post so far has been ‘Lights, Camera, Profit! How to Make Money Offering Your Home as a TV or Film Location’. I think a lot of people were intrigued by this, as the subject matter is a bit unusual.
And, of course, it offers the potential for making a decent sum of money in a short space of time.
What’s your favourite post you’ve written, and why?
That’s a tough one, but I guess ‘How to Profit from Property Crowdfunding’ would be up there. I have a particular interest in property crowdfunding and have built up quite a large portfolio of investments by this method. I like the fact that with property crowdfunding your money is secured by bricks and mortar.
And as well as receiving a share of the rental income, you share the profit made when one of your properties is sold. Also, financial considerations aside, I enjoy reading about the properties I invest in and looking at photos, even if the share I own would barely cover a corner of the broom cupboard in the property concerned!
What’s your number one money tip?
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, or even two or three. Aim to have a broad range of savings and investments. Some of these (e.g. bank accounts) should be safe and easily accessible, but others (e.g. investment funds and P2P lending) can be a bit riskier to achieve better returns.
As long as you have a diverse portfolio of savings and investments you should be able to ride out the peaks and troughs in the investment landscape, and withstand the loss if one goes pear-shaped.
What’s your top blogging tip?
Don’t give up! It takes a while – perhaps years – to establish a popular, successful blog. At times it can feel like a hard slog. But as long as you keep publishing valuable and interesting content, you will get there eventually.
Why are you part of UK Money Bloggers?
I wanted to be part of a community of money bloggers, to share ideas, tips and information. And as someone new to money blogging, I wanted to learn from others who have been doing it for longer.
Who are your three favourite UK Money Bloggers?
Chammy in Real Life – www.chammyirl.co.uk
Emma Drew – www.emmadrew.info
Debt Camel (Sara Williams) – https://debtcamel.co.uk