MoneyMonk posted the other day about how boring personal finances can become. I know exactly what she’s talking about. I’m sure after reading about Leona Helmsley’s dog, David Bach is penning “Smart Pets Finish Rich.”

I like reading personal finance magazines such as Kiplingers, Money, and SmartMoney. I like reading personal finance books. However, most of time reading them gives me a sense of deja vu. So what do you do when you still want to know more about personal finance but the typical article bores you to tears? The problem isn’t that there isn’t more to learn, but that most personal finance books and articles are often written for a broader and new audience.

I believe that for many people personal finance knowledge grows in pattern that might follow something like this:

If you’re bored with personal finance magazines, you’re most likely at the “What’s Next?” stage. I think I’m there myself. This doesn’t imply I’m out of the rate race. I’m not. It just means I have a plan, and generally know what I need to do, and want make sure I execute as effectively as possible.  I get the most of my 401K plan.  I contribute to my IRA account.  I save and invest outside retirment accounts.  Getting out of the rat race doesn’t even imply that you hate your job, but rather that you truly want to work for the work itself. A job should not be a tether. As you can see from the diagram above, underlying all these steps is the the notion of valuing and maximizing time. I firmly believe personal finance is more about time than it is about money. I also know I still have a lot to learn about both money and time.

So what is next? I think it really depends on the individual. Since my educational background is in Economics, I probably lean toward economic and investment topics, but for other people it could be driven more by environmental concerns. Some people approach personal finance from desire for self sufficiency. This desire can manifest itself gardening, or car and home repair. Last but certainly not least is the desire to give back. When you know how to have plenty, there should ideally be strong impules to want to share the wealth so to speak.

So if you’re bored with the generics of personal finance, here are some related subjects off the top of my head I would suggest looking into.

  • Economics
  • Stock Investing - Learn how to value companies, Understanding Derivatives
  • Real Estate Investing - Landlording, Home Repair
  • Green Technology
  • Charities - Learn about local non-profit organization and how to get involved