The Plutus Awards

Celebrating the best in personal finance.

Winners of the 2nd Annual Plutus Awards

On Saturday, October 1, Tom Drake and Flexo announced the winners of the Second Annual Plutus Awards for a live audience in the Garden Marquis of the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg, Illinois. Almost 300 personal finance bloggers eagerly awaited the defining moment of the Financial Blogger Conference, the crowning of the kings and queens of the prom, the Plutus Awards.

The opinions of personal finance bloggers are important; this is a community of superfans and superusers, and companies would do well to take their opinions seriously when creating or improving financial products and services. The Plutus Awards are stamps of approval for companies that are taking the best approaches.

These categories recognize the best blogs, bloggers, and blog-related products as voted by fellow bloggers and their audiences. The focus is on independent writers rather than mainstream media and large corporations’ public relations departments.

Included is a list of the Plutus Award winners in this first group of awards, recognizing the best financial products and services. The list of the winners for the second group of awards, recognizing the best financial blogs, bloggers, and blog-related products, will be posted later today.

  • Best Savings or Money Market Account:
    • Finalist: Ally Bank
    • Finalist: HSBC Direct
    • Winner: ING Direct
    • Finalist: SmartyPig
    • Finalist: USAA
  • Best Checking or Transaction Account:
    • Finalist: Ally Bank
    • Winner: ING Direct
    • Finalist: PerkStreet
    • Finalist: USAA
    • Finalist: Wells Fargo
  • Best Banking Website:
    • Finalist: allybank.com
    • Winner: ingdirect.com
    • Finalist: perkstreet.com
    • Finalist: usaa.com
    • Finalist: wellsfargo.com
  • Best Overall Bank:
    • Finalist: Ally Bank
    • Winner: ING Direct
    • Finalist: PerkStreet
    • Finalist: USAA
    • Finalist: Wells Fargo
  • Best Discount Brokerage:
    • Finalist: Fidelity
    • Finalist: Schwab
    • Finalist: Scottrade
    • Finalist: Sharebuilder
    • Winner: TD Ameritrade/Waterhouse
  • Best Credit Card:
    • Finalist: Blue Cash from American Express
    • Winner: Chase Freedom
    • Finalist: Citi Forward
    • Finalist: Costco TruEarnings from American Express
    • Finalist: Discover More Card
  • Best Personal Finance Management Software:
    • Finalist: Adaptu
    • Finalist: Microsoft Excel
    • Winner: Mint
    • Finalist: Quicken
    • Finalist: You Need a Budget
  • Best Budgeting Software:
    • Finalist: Microsoft Excel
    • Winner: Mint
    • Finalist: Mvelopes
    • Finalist: Quicken
    • Finalist: You Need a Budget
  • Best Tax Preparation Software:
    • Finalist: H&R Block
    • Finalist: TaxACT
    • Finalist: TaxCut
    • Finalist: TaxSlayer
    • Winner: TurboTax
  • Best Peer-to-Peer or Social Lending Service:
    • Finalist: CommunityLend
    • Finalist: Kiva
    • Winner: LendingClub
    • Finalist: Prosper
  • Best Mobile Personal Finance Application:
    • Finalist: Bloomberg
    • Finalist: Chase Bank
    • Winner: Mint
    • Finalist: MoneyWell
    • Finalist: You Need a Budget
  • Best New Personal Finance Book:
    • Finalist: The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy, by Liz Pulliam Weston
    • Finalist: Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times: 250+ Ways to Buy Smarter, Spend Smarter, and Save Money, by Clark Howard
    • Winner: Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, by Kimberly Palmer
    • Finalist: The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime, by MJ DeMarco
    • Finalist: Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life, by Farnoosh Torabi