I read a lot of personal finance blogs. Increasingly, they mention “travel hacking” AKA what we do on the daily as a way to travel cheap.
And it’s true – I see the parallels between the 2 niches. Especially if you’re using the money you save on traveling and put it in a retirement account. WHICH YOU ALREADY DO, RIGHT? 😉
So when I learned FinCon will be in Dallas this year, I couldn’t think of a single reason not to attend – expect for maybe the cost of the pass.
When I looked, I saw the basic passes were only $249 until February 14th, 2017. Then they’d go up to $469.
Be a Super Early Bird and Come to FinCon for $249
I whipped out my card faster than you can say “points and miles” and bought a pass without a second thought. And you should come, too!
Why attend FinCon?
- Link: FinCon
- Link: Register for FinCon
I thought the same thing: “Really, another conference?” Hell yes! It’s from October 25th to 28th this year.
Get your finance fix, Texas-style
FinCon is short for Financial Convention and has a focus on FinTech, or Financial Technology. When you use your credit card to earn points, you participate in financial technology.
This also includes robo investors, getting out of debt, retirement savings, and tons of other nerdy-but-sexy topics.
Can you relate to any of these?
Most peeps in the points & miles niche will find the most popular niches at FinCon of interest, including:
- Investing
- Frugality
- Personal Journey
- Retirement
Just to highlight my faves.
Some of my favorite bloggers
Many of my favorite bloggers – make that writers – will also speak there, like:
- Paula from Afford Anything
- Pete from Mr. Money Mustache
- Ramit from IWT
Again, just pointing out my personal faves. And looking forward to hearing what new peeps have to say!
The real reason to attend any conference is for the networking. I look forward to slurping up knowledge in this new arena. And using the ideas in a real, tangible, actionable way.
Where in Dallas?
It’ll be at the Sheraton Dallas this year, right downtown. There is tons to do within easy walking and driving distance (10 minutes for both).
In the heart of downtown (click to enlarge)
It’s also ~10 minutes from my place, so I’ll take a Lyft there and back each day.
You can NOT book a room directly through the hotel (so that means no points stays). But rooms are still available at the $169 rate if you click through the link above. I don’t expect they’ll still around long, so better to book now and cancel later if you want to hold a spot.
Of course, there are tons of options downtown – and you have your pick of hotel chains if you want to shop around.
Bottom line
I’m looking forward to my first FinCon and how it will potentially shape my outlook, finances, and blog content.
Through February 14th, 2017, you can get a basic pass for $249.
I didn’t know about the Early Bird Passes and would’ve missed out had someone not told me about it. So I thought I’d pass along the tip in case anyone else is interested.
Let me know if you plan to attend – I’d love to meet you there, too!
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1) When do they announce future FinCon destinations? I’m somewhat interested in attending, but between registration, hotel and flight I’m not sure I’d be making a smart financial decision. So maybe I could wait until its at a closer location to me (Tampa).
2) Is there really that much new information that is given out that is not presented on the presenters blogs? Networking with people in this industry (waaayyyy different than the industry I work in) doesn’t really interest me. I’m just there for the info. So even that ~$250 registration fee seems pretty steep ($470 is definitely out of the question). What I’m comparing it to is at travel hacking conferences there are topics that are covered that are not covered on blogs (or so I’ve heard). Anything like that at FinCon.
I’ll be honest, overall I’m pretty taken aback by a conference that (I assume) promotes financial responsibility charging hundreds of dollars to attend. The scientific conferences that I attend don’t charge nearly that much.
Hey Ben!
This is my first FinCon, so I’m not sure what to expect or how far in advance they announce it. I know the last one was in San Diego. This year is Dallas. I’d say just keep an eye on it by following them on Twitter, or sign up for their email list.
I also don’t how far the speakers go past their blog content. I’m most going for the networking. Just to meet like-minded people, really.
FTU Advanced sessions are also $249 and you also have to cover your flights and hotel. So in that regard, they’re literally the same price/setup. I’m not sure how much cheaper they could make it, really, because they need to cover at least their expenses.
I generally use miles/points/travel credits to cover my flights and hotels to and from these things, and end up only paying for the cost of admission. I lucked out this year cuz all I have to do is drive there and back each day.
I’ll be sure to report back on my experience. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Harlan, I’ll be there. I was in San Diego last year and in New Orleans two years before. I missed the Charlotte one in 2015 because I was in London for the Dolphins vs. Jets game. My blog has a personal finance twist to all the travel adventures, which is why I say “Travel More. Spend Less. Live Better.”
The FinCon community is a great group of people, so I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Plus, I’ll be there to introduce you if you need an introduction to anyone.
Overall, though, the conference topics are more about networking and the technical aspects of making money through your blog, social media, etc. than it is about actual personal finance topics like investing, early retirement, etc. So, if you don’t have a blog or aren’t a big fanboy of the bloggers who will be there, the conference registration may not provide the value you’re looking for. Most of the personal finance conversations are done in the blogs, social media, podcasts, and YouTube channels of the people attending. But, of course, there will be plenty of personal finance talk in your chats with people.
If you want to get a sample of what the presentations will be like, you can watch the 2016 FinCon videos on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvh6547pUxNwVTYpH88XOEg
This is all excellent info. I also happen to be a fanboy of several of the bloggers, so that’ll work out well. 🙂
Plus, you’ll be there! Awesome! I will definitely look forward to hanging with you. Let’s link up before (and I’m sure we’ll stay in touch anyway).
Thank you for the helpful tips and overview! New Orleans… I bet that was a fun one!
Thanks again, Lee!
On a semi-related note, I’ve been thinking about my tagline lately. Might be time for a little shakeup around these parts… hmmmz…