Are you looking for a way to learn new things, meet interesting people, and get inspired?
Attending a personal finance conference can be fun!
Not only can they help you improve your financial situation, but you’ll also have the opportunity to hear success stories from others.
When choosing a conference, make sure it’s on a subject that interests you and has a group of people you’d like to connect with.
If you’re considering attending a personal finance conference or financial literacy event this year, here’s a list to check out:
Conference | Opening Date | Location |
---|---|---|
FinCon | October 18, 2023 | New Orleans |
WCICON | February 5, 2024 | Orlando |
REWBCON | March 14, 2024 | St. Louis |
EconoMe | March 15, 2024 | Cincinnati |
MilMoneyCon | April 25, 2024 | Denver |
InvestFest | 2024 | Atlanta |
Camp Mustache | TBD | TBD |
Camp FI | Various | Various |
Ramsey Events | Various | Various |
The Best Personal Finance Conferences
FinCon
Are you looking for an amazing opportunity to connect and collaborate with the industry’s most influential personal finance content creators and powerful brands?
Then you should join FinCon! This one-of-a-kind conference offers invaluable insights from expert and experienced panelists and workshops on creating, advertising, and monetizing your content – it’s a must-attend for anyone in the personal finance business. Don’t miss out – register for FinCon today!
Did you know!? Even community passes are available for people who aren’t financial media but want to join in on the most exciting conference.
- Learn more about FinCon.
- 2023 Event: October 18-21, 2023, New Orleans
- 2024 Event: October 23-26, 2024, TBA
White Coat Investor Conference (WCICON)
WCICON teaches physicians (also dentists, lawyers, and financial professionals) strategies to use their income to create long-term wealth and provides opportunities for networking. In addition to educational sessions, the conference also offers swag bags, group wellness activities, social events, and more. Attendees, whether participating in-person or virtually, will increase their financial literacy, find relief from burnout, and leave rejuvenated in their careers.
- Learn more about WCICON
- 2024 Event: February 5-8, 2024, Orlando
The Real Estate Wealth Builders Conference (REWBCON)
The Real Estate Wealth Builders Conference (REWBCON) is a community of investors helping each other to create generational income from their investments. Investing is a team sport. The more people you have around you to become a successful investor, the faster you can achieve financial independence. REWBCON is a community of financially driven investors gathering to make investing better.
REWBCON is a 3-day in-person conference designed to make you a better investor. Investor conferences are notorious for being a sales pitch after each session where they tell you to “Run to the back of the room.” REWBCON is a No-Sales-Pitch conference. You will get community, education, expert speakers, connections, encouragement, and support to help you become a better investor.
This is the investor event you must be at. The Real Estate Wealth Builders Conference is your place to invest for financial freedom and generational wealth by becoming a successful investor.
- Learn more about REWBCON
- 2024 event: March 14-16, 2024, St. Louis, MO
EconoMe
The EconoMe Conference is a three-day event in Cincinnati, OH that focuses on money and the FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early).
The conference was created by Diania Merriam, who was inspired to start it after the pursuit of financial freedom through the FIRE movement had a significant impact on her life.
The event is tailored specifically for those interested in the FIRE lifestyle, which aims to achieve financial independence and the ability to retire at an early age.
- Learn more about the EconoMe.
- 2024 Event: March 15-17, 2024, Cincinnati, OH
MilMoneyCon
MilMoneyCon is an annual conference bringing together the military personal finance community. It’s where you can engage in conversations on emerging personal finance resources and trends—network with other service members, veterans, and military spouses who share an interest in money. It’s also where you can start and grow your personal finance education.
MilMoneyCon is a two and half day event with informative breakout sessions and panel discussions from military and personal finance experts. We cap it off with Make Your Point. It’s our peer-voted and community-presented keynote where attendees inspire fellow attendees with ideas and solutions to our community’s top problems.
- Learn more about MilMoneyCon.
- 2024 event: April 25-27, 2024, Denver, CO
Investfest
Investfest is a first-of-its-kind, in-person experience that combines investing, entrepreneurship, pop culture, and entertainment in a festival setting.
Investfest includes a vendor marketplace for small businesses and live podcast stages with interviews from top entrepreneurs and celebrities. There are also live performances from top musicians, a food truck caravan, business and investing panel discussions, and interactive events.
- Learn more about Investfest
- 2023 event: August 25-27, 2023, Atlanta
Camp Mustache
Camp Mustache is a 4-day retreat for fans of the Mr. Money Mustache blog. It’s designed for people interested in early retirement and financial independence. The number of Camp Mustache retreat locations seems to increase every year as more people take ownership of their financial journey.
Camp Mustache is a non-profit event, so your money goes directly towards costs involved with the event itself. It’s typically held in a natural setting if that appeals to you more than being stuck in a hotel or convention center all week.
- Learn more about Camp Mustache.
- 2024 event: TBD
Camp FI
If you want a more intimate setting for learning how to achieve financial freedom, check out CampFi. It’s an all-inclusive weekend retreat, typically in an outdoor setting. Participants are kept to 60 or so to keep it more close-knit.
CampFi has grown from a single event to more than a handful of events at various locales across the U.S.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned veteran to the FIRE movement or just starting out. Everyone is welcome at CampFI. It’s an inclusive event designed to help you learn and grow along with others on a similar journey.
- Learn more about Camp FI.
- 2023 events: Various dates and locations (visit their website for details).
Dave Ramsey Events
Dave Ramsey is one of America’s foremost experts on money. Beyond his books, money-management systems, and nationally syndicated radio show, Dave Ramsey also hosts several personal finance conferences throughout the year. Here are three to check out :
SMART Conference: This one-day event features best-selling authors, speakers, and other leading relationship, money, career, and leadership experts. You’ll get valuable tips and tools to get you from where you are to where you want to be in your everyday life.
Financial Peace Live: Financial Peace University is one of Dave Ramsey’s most popular financial tools for learning how to pay off debt, save, and build wealth. Financial Peace Live packages those principles into an exciting one-night event. There are a few locations and dates for this event to choose from.
Money & Marriage: The number one cause of arguments in marriage is money. Money & Marriage is a one-day event designed to help couples learn strategies for communicating more effectively about money with each other.
You’ll learn how to set goals together and have a renewed vision for your marriage. If you can’t attend the event, you can also sign up for live stream access online.
- Learn more about Dave Ramsey Events.
Why Should You Go to a Personal Finance Conference?
I think you understand that attending conferences can help when you want to learn something new or deeper. It’s also great for meeting friends and new people.
However, these days it’s easy to learn anything you want and even connect with interesting communities online. There are plenty of online summits, forums, and Facebook groups for you to find your tribe.
Our FinCon Facebook Group is extremely active and a great source for advice, information, and encouragement for thousands of people.
Why attend an in-person personal finance conference?
Well, I’m a bit biased, but I think there’s something special that happens when you show up in-person. We’re still human, after all. We have an innate need to connect, in real life, with other humans.
In his TEDx talk, Neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman shares how humans’ need to connect with other people is more fundamental than the need for food or shelter.
This kind of human connection is very hard to replicate online.
A good conference will also create surprising moments and a little serendipity. Take it from someone who attends easily 5 or 6 events each year. Just by showing up, positive things happen.
J.D. Roth said it best when he described new experiences and connections as like getting free lottery tickets. You never know what could happen. Just show up.
What Makes For a Good Conference?
After nine years of running a conference, I’ve learned a thing or two about bringing people together and building an experience that delights attendees. Here’s what I know to be true. A good conference will
- have interesting, relevant, and timely information taught by inspiring people
- have plenty of structured and unstructured time to connect (yes, “network”) with relevant people
- be in a comfortable setting allowing for unique and serendipitous experiences
- provide opportunities to ask questions and get answers without judgment
- allow you to take a break from your everyday life to focus on a specific area of interest
- give you action steps to achieve your goals
I’ve attended dozens of events over the years. Some of them have been amazing, while others left me less than satisfied. Find a conference that will provide an experience as described above. It can make all the difference.
How to Make the Most of Your Conference Experience
If you’re planning on attending a personal finance conference this year, here are some tips to make your time more enjoyable and enriching.
Plan ahead: This is true of most things in life, but spending time planning before a conference can be the difference between having a great experience and being overwhelmed. What do you want to get out of the conference?
What questions do you want to get answered? Are there other people attending or speakers that you would like to meet? Make lists, contact people ahead of time, and come to the event prepared. Follow the conference’s social media accounts and join its Facebook group if it has one. Many conferences create event-specific mobile apps you can download. Advance planning can make your conference experience a rewarding time.
Become a smart packer: Know what to pack for your conference. It seems simple, but tons of people show up unprepared and wish they had packed better. Determine what kind of weather you’ll likely see while in town. If the event is in a convention center or hotel, meeting rooms often will have the air conditioning cranked up. Wearing layers can help you stay comfortable.
People tend to talk more at conferences because of networking opportunities. Pack cough drops/throat lozenges and have a water bottle with you when possible.
Pack comfortable shoes for the event. You’d be surprised how much walking you end up doing.
Food can be expensive at conferences. Pack some of your favorite snacks if you have room in your luggage.
If you end up at one of the camps mentioned above, think about supplies that might be helpful for that type of environment. Contact the event organizer if you want to get some ideas of what you’ll need.
Volunteer: Most conferences staff many event roles with volunteers. If you have the chance, volunteer, even if it’s just for a small role. It’s a great way to meet people, plus you’ll feel more connected to the event and its mission better.
Don’t try to see and do everything: Most conferences are jam-packed with keynotes, seminars, networking opportunities, parties, meetings, and other events. Event organizers want to offer as much value as possible to attendees. It’s like going to Disney World, though. It’s almost impossible to see and do everything in one trip.
The best thing you can do is look over the event itinerary ahead of time, make a list of “can’t miss” events and people you want to meet and go from there. Don’t try to be everywhere. It’s exhausting and can leave you stressed out and disappointed when you miss something.
Take advantage of programmed networking times: Most conferences build in networking opportunities, so attendees don’t have to do all the work. Attend these types of events. Often, these events are broken down into specific interests or niches. Find ones that matter to you and attend.
If you’re an introvert, attending planned networking events can be much better than trying to step out of your comfort zone on your own.
Take care of yourself: While it’s important to try and squeeze as much value as possible out of an event, take time to care for yourself. Take breaks when you need them. Get your rest. Don’t skip meals.
It’s nearly impossible to keep to a regular routine at conferences, but try to program in healthy habits from your personal life. Many conferences program in fitness opportunities or meetups. If not, find your hotel gym or go for a walk around the event area. Use hand sanitizer and regularly wash your hands.
Take someone with you: Whenever possible, go with someone else. Having a spouse, friend, or colleague with you can take the conference to another level. You can help each other when networking, have someone to discuss thoughts and ask questions, and even someone who can save you a seat.
I love personal finance conferences. I am biased, but I know the value of freedom that can be achieved when you learn to control your finances.
Conferences are an excellent opportunity to learn, grow, and ask important questions that can help you and your family long term.
Take time to look at each conference above and challenge yourself to attend at least one event this year to improve your financial health.
Which conference(s) are you attending?
Read next: Ways to Make Money at FinCon