About
My name is Lisa Harrison - and I'm the founder of Mad Money Monster.
Before I talk about myself, I'd love to introduce you to the real star of this website - the Mad Money Monster himself.
Of course, this little guy is a clever metaphor on the money monster that exists inside all of us. The SAME monster who encourages us to "retire early" is the same monster who tells us we need a Fendi scarf.
(If you really need the scarf, get it already - but I think you also see my point.)
THIS WEBSITE IS FOR GOOD-LOOKING PEOPLE WHO...
...want to dive deep into real, relatable money topics.
...tend to "go against the grain" and enjoy exploring unpopular opinions.
...value balance with money stuff. You chase the big bank account but you live a little, too.
WHY I MADE THIS WEBSITE:
When I started the website at the end of 2015, it was to chronicle our own financial independence journey. I was super jazzed about FIRE - the possibility of retiring early.
We’d made stupid mistakes - like most people! You know, normal people.
- Car loans
- Student loan debt
- Credit card debt
- Going out a lot
We weren’t managing our money in a conscious way - and so I'd made up this blog to keep us accountable to our goals.
In January 2017, I realized you could make money blogging. And then I was like, “Oh - I should get serious about this." After about a year of blogging about blogging, I didn’t enjoy the website anymore. I was making money from it, but I didn’t feel good about that - because I'd fallen away from the very reason I started it in the first place.
I decided to go back to my roots, talk about what I’ve learned over the past four years, and share what REALLY goes on in personal finance. I'm no longer the blogger who blogs about blogging - I share relatable stories from REAL people like myself that can help other people (YOU) get to where you want to be financially.
People wanna sell the dream - because it makes them money.
I want to sell you reality - because I value telling the truth.
THE MAD MONEY MANIFESTO:
(repeat after me...)
I hereby agree to STOP...
Quitting Starbucks for 60 days.
Budgeting for the "fun" of budgeting.
Wondering how "extreme frugality" should work for a normal American family.
Worrying about "no spend" challenges, clothes-buying bans, or the weird population of humans who refuse to get a car loan.
Feeling intimidated when someone says, "THIS is how you retire early."
Cringing at the words "side hustle." The horror! Look, you're busy and that's fine. I don't expect you to make time for a new job, keep your existing one, and run the house.
I hereby agree to TRY...
Aiming for financial independence (FI): buying a house, having a child, or paying for their future wedding without worry. If you would love real-life, easily applicable advice and relatable stories for getting where you want to be, you're in the right place.
SOME MORE INFO ABOUT ME...
I'm Lisa Harrison - also known as Mrs. Mad Money Monster. My husband’s name is, you guessed it, Mr. Mad Money Monster. Creative, I know. We also have one Mini Monster (for now :)) as well as Mad Money Cats and Mad Money Pups. Our goal is probably similar to yours - to live a rich life without spending all of our hard earned cash. Ultimately, we’re creating passive income through index fund investing and rental properties.
BIG FAT DISCLAIMER: I do not have a degree in personal finance or economics. My blogs are meant to entertain and, hopefully, enlighten a few souls along the way.