Aaron Crowe: Personal Finance Freelance Writer

Writing and Editing for Print and the Web

I’ve written and edited at newspapers and websites. Click the highlighted links below to get to specific work examples. Here’s some of my work:

 

 

 

 

I’m editor for the blog of The Credit Solution Program, helping the business attract readers by providing content on personal finance topics that will lead people to the site via Google searches. The goal is to get readers to the site and read about personal finance, and then buy the product. I use SEO, or Search Engine Optimization techniques, to accomplish this, along with quality blog posts.

Along with editing stories by other writers, I also write posts each week on such topics as how paying someone to do chores can be profitable, how the middle class isn’t as smart as it thinks it is when it comes to making financial decisions, cities with improving credit scores in a down economy, and what millionaires think of an election year bump in the stock market.

 

WiseBread is a personal finance website that I recently started writing for. All of my clips can be found here. I’ve written about how important saving is, benefits that go beyond the financial when cutting the cable TV cord, how to watch sports on TV without having cable TV, what Americans can learn from the rest of the world about saving energy, and why playing the lottery is a bad idea.

 

WalletPop.com was an award-winning personal finance website run by AOL where I wrote and edited for about two and a half years. I was editor of Money College, a subsite of WalletPop aimed at helping college students save money. WalletPop was folded into DailyFinance when AOL acquired HuffingtonPost.

 

I write about debt and credit for the blog for Credit.com. My stories include what happens with credit card debt after you die, immediate money decisions to make after getting engaged, money worries for Americans, and holiday expenses that end up being paid well beyond December.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m writing about personal finance for this blog. My first story was on “burst” savings and how slow, steady savings is a better method. I’ve also written about cellphone plans and discounts for students. All of my stories for Credit Sesame can be found under my name.

 

 

 

 

I cover real estate as it relates to mortgages, refinancing loans and lending for MortgageLoan.com, as I have written about in my blog. My first story was about how to qualify for a home loan even if you have student loan debt.

 

 

 

I’m one of the first writers for the personal finance blog started by TechBargains.com. I’ve written about the best food to buy when you’re broke, how to find cheap airfares and tips for on how to sell and buy safely on Craigslist. I write a story every few weeks for the site.

 

 

 

 

InvestingAnswers is another site where I’m writing about personal finance. My stories include overlooked car insurance discounts, overlooked home insurance discounts, and things to always buy used.

 

I’m writing about personal finance as a freelancer for Bankrate.com. My stories include how to know if an extended warranty is worth the cost, and how shopping at low grocery shelves will save you money. I’ve also done a slideshow on cities with the highest utility rates.

 

AARP is aimed at people age 50 and older. I’m writing about personal finance issues, including how to make money selling old electronic gadgets, and how to save money when reading a restaurant menu.

 

 

 

I cover the car insurance industry for CheapCarInsurance.net. Some of the topics I’ve covered are: Apps to stop you from texting and driving, why checking a credit score is important when buying a car, how driving behind a big rig can be deadly, misleading car ads, and many others. I write about eight stories a month for the site.

 

 

 

 

The USC Marshall School of Business is a client. I write press releases that are basically short stories about studies that professors have done. I interview the professors and write a short story that’s sent to the media and hopefully turned into a story elsewhere. Stories I’ve written include how online chatter affects stock returns, and how automation reduces errors in hospitals. The stock story I wrote ran as is at Science Daily, while Time used it as a tip.

 

I write feature stories for this real estate website on such topics as the lack of retirement housing for gay seniors, and techy Christmas gifts for the home. For all of my stories at HSH.com, go to my author page there.

 

 

 

 

I’m writing for Allstate’s blog, writing about topics such as how to kid-proof your home, police cars you can buy, and unexpected home maintenance costs. An Allstate staff member posts the stories, so I’m not getting a byline. I think it’s a great blog, written in a fun and witty style, and Allstate’s Mayhem character is really funny.

 

I write about the insurance industry for InsuranceQuotes.com, a site that offers comparisons of insurance prices. Articles I’ve written include how to determine the value of your totaled car, and home insurance coverage in a power outage.

 

I write about various insurance topics for Insure.com, including news topics such as what to do if you run over a Christmas tree, lies customers tell, how hybrid cars aren’t safe for pedestrians but are safe for drivers, solar storms coming in 2012, how to buy warranties for gadgets, and teaching DMV workers to be p0lite.

 

Another insurance website I write for. Stories include how much life insurance you can by with money saved by quitting smoking, an insurer requiring customers to bundle coverage, and  the perils of driving in Mexico.

 

I write about car insurance for this site. Stories include driving while talking on a cellphone, how pot smokers are safer drivers than drunks, the value of rear-view cameras, an odd law in Ohio, a state that wants to follow drivers with RFID tags in license plates, why speeding isn’t taken seriously, how to prove you have insurance without a paper receipt, and how much it costs to hit a light pole or something else.

 

As the Deal-Seeking Dad, I covered kids and finances for MoneyTalksNews, a personal finance website. My stories included tips on how to save big at Disneyland, teaching kids about money, how to get the most out of an amusement  park season pass, and how to turn your kids’ old toys into cash.

 

I write for Active Insurance Agency, an auto insurance company in Chicago, each week, writing a blog post and story. Topics include bad intersections for drivers and pedestrians, auto liability minimums, SR22 insurance, and even fun stuff like how to find a good food truck in Chicago.

 

I wrote for LearnVest, a personal finance website aimed at women. My stories included how to make extra money through odd jobs, and how daily deal sites can cause overspending.

 

Writing and editing reports for Correlation Consulting’s Impact Investing Summit. Work includes writing original stories to go on website, and editing and rewriting report to the U.S. Department of State on impact investing. The report for the US Secretary of State’s Global Impact Economy Forum can be downloaded here.

 

The Contra Costa Times is a daily newspaper in the San Francisco Bay Area where I worked for more than 12 years as a copy editor, page designer, weekend editor and assistant metro editor. I worked with teams of photographers, graphic artists, editors and reporters on story packages, and worked with staff writers and freelancers on story assignments.

The newspaper was owned by Knight-Ridder Corp. during most of my time there. In 1997 Knight-Ridder sent me to one of its papers for a week, the Grand Forks Herald, to work during a flood. I was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1998.

 

I wrote about daily deals and the psychology of shopping for Dealnews.com. My psychology of shopping stories explored what goes behind the retail curtain when consumers shop. Topics included when free isn’t really free, why $29.99 looks like a good price, and how stores play on your senses. I’ve also written about consumer issues such as comparing credit card offers.

 

AOL Jobs

This is a career website run by, of course, AOL. I covered various career issues.

 

CreditLoan.com is a website with very interesting infographics. I wrote a few stories, but mostly did research and worked on public relations and social media for the company’s many excellent infographics..

 

AOL Housing Watch and Rented Spaces

Now called AOL Real Estate, I was one of the first writers for these two websites, covering real estate for homeowners and renters.

My stories included Adam Carolla selling his starter home in Hollywood, how to shop for your first home, tips for finding a rental apartment, and a series on finding homes near various baseball parks, such as in Chicago’s Wrigley Field, St. Petersburg, Washington, D.C., and my favorite, San Francisco.

 

Spot.us is a community funded Web site where donations pay for journalists to do stories. I wrote about an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay, how expensive solar power is, and the future of Bay Area newspapers in a digital age. The solar power story ran in On Earth magazine.

 

I did SEO writing for shopping.aol.com, which is obviously a shopping site for AOL. SEO is Search Engine Optimization, which helps search engines find key words, and thus shoppers, find these items I’m writing about. I can incorporate SEO into your content.

 

City Newsletters. I wrote and edited the quarterly city newsletter for San Ramon, CA.

• San Ramon City Report, Winter 2009. Topics include an online program to respond to residents’ questions, satisfaction with the police department and winterization preparation in the city.

 

Richer Resources Publications sells classic books such as Greek mythologies. I did a social media campaign for the site, including writing press releases and sending out media queries, and engaging readers through Twitter and Facebook.

 

 

 

RedwoodAge.com is a Web site aimed at Baby Boomers where I worked as a volunteer writer. It’s run by Tom Murphy. One of my favorite stories was about Rickey Henderson.

I did some public relations work for Moving Arts Dance, a non-profit dance company in Concord, CA. They included press releases on Tony La Russa and a film festival.

This page has the following sub pages.

• Prototypes