2020 draws to a close and brings with it the end of The Twenty Percent’s first calendar year in action. I thought now was a good time to do a year in review, and look back at what the blog has achieved in its first year.

Launched at the end of May, the blog is already approaching 16,000 views and is closing in on 2,500 followers across all platforms. This is more than I could ever imagine, when seven months ago I started penning some of my thoughts on personal finance.

In this post I will cover:

1. The Twenty Percent’s most read posts
2. My favourite posts to write
3. The Twenty Percent’s top features
4. My favourite blogs and content creators of 2020

My most read posts

Here are my three most read blog posts of 2020.

In first place is ‘5 reasons why we shouldn’t rush back to normal’. This post helped me find my voice in the blogging community. While I could quite easily write posts about the best ISAs or the best savings apps etc., so could thousands of others.

Instead, I realised I enjoy posing questions and starting conversations about the broader issues surrounding finance. Luckily, my readers seem to enjoy it too!

Next up is a simple post: ‘Rule of 6 – 6 steps to save more money this Autumn’. This post was a spur of the moment decision, loosely based on the UK government’s Covid-19 guidance.

Finally, we have ‘What Tiger King can teach you about personal finance’. This was one of the posts that first started attracting attention to The Twenty Percent, but was also really fun to write.

I always like to find personal finance lessons in everyday life, TV and music as it makes it more relatable. Tiger King seemed like the perfect place to start as the whole world appeared captivated by the Netflix drama for a while.

My favourite posts to write

Having been a journalist for over three years now, I’m well aware that often your favourite articles to write are not the ones that get the most hits or engagement.

This doesn’t mean they’re not worth writing. If a story is worth telling, it deserves to be told, no matter how many people click on the article.

Keeping this in mind, I thought I’d also share my three favourite posts to write.

Firstly, writing about my experiences with chronic fatigue was very cathartic. Sharing the ups and downs helped me understand my position and reminded me of how far I’ve come in the past four or five years.

As I mentioned earlier, I love starting conversations about financial topics. This post did just that. I asked you for your most controversial financial opinions and you did not disappoint. The result, a thought provoking and interesting post (though I do say so myself…)

Sustainability is a topic I am very passionate about and believe is key to the future of finance. I really enjoyed sharing my top tips to make your finances more sustainable. Spoiler alert: Check your pension…

My top features

I’ve been very lucky to have my posts featured on some well-respected personal finance sites. Most prominently, I was featured on Apex Money and Personal Finance Blogs.

These features gave me a big confidence boost and reassured me that my posts aren’t falling on death ears. Starting out a blog is a bit of a rollercoaster – one day you think you’re bossing it, the next maybe only 40 people have seen your blog.

While it’s not all about hits and followers, features do really help on both counts, which is always a bonus!

My favourite blogs and content creators of 2020

I couldn’t do a year in review without sharing some of my favourite content creators of 2020.

Cash for Kat Kat quit her job and moved to Cambodia and now lives there. That alone makes interesting reading, but combined with her insights into her multiple income streams and saving tips, it really isn’t a blog to skip over!

Be Clever With your Cash Andy has a wealth of knowledge about all things personal finance, shared across his blog, podcast and YouTube channel. He is also incredibly supportive of all money bloggers, running the UK Money Bloggers community and has been really helpful in my own journey!

Money Fitness Journey David’s no nonsense attitude and in depth blog posts always give you something to think about. What he’s achieved so far is incredible and well worth reading about.

Panda Boss Anna Anna is on a mission to retire at 35 and documents her journey on her YouTube channel. While our goals are slightly different, her videos are inspiring and offer great tips everyone can follow.

Pretty Penny Club Value is a word that is thrown around a lot in the personal finance community, but one person that really understands it is David. From frugal living ideas, to tips on investing and passive income strategies, his YouTube channel has a wealth of knowledge everyone can benefit from.

And a bonus…

Check out The Doubting Thomas

Tom has been so supportive and encouraging since I started the Twenty Percent and also has his own blog. Although he’s not finance-focused, he covers a range of relatable topics that are always presented in an engaging and entertaining way.

I wish you all a very happy New Year and hope 2021 brings you health, happiness and success.

If you found this year in review post interesting, please like it and share across social media or send it to your friends. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and experiences. What does your year in review look like? Are you happy with what you’ve achieved?

Don’t forget to follow me on social media @Katie20Percent to keep up to date with all my latest posts and content!