Editor-in-Chief Knight Kiplinger Frequency Monthly Year founded 1947 (1947-month) | Editor Janet Bodnar Total circulation
(June 2012) 631,548 Company Kiplinger | |
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Kiplinger's Personal Finance ( /ˈkɪplɪŋərz/ KIP-ling-ers) is an American personal finance magazine published by Kiplinger since 1947. It claims to be the first American personal finance magazine and to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language". It offers advice on managing money and achieving financial security, saving, investing, planning for retirement, paying for college, and major purchases like automobiles and homes. Janet Bodnar has been the editor of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine since January 2009.
History
W.M. Kiplinger, founder of the Kiplinger family of publications, said he founded the magazine because "The times will always be changing. Much of life and work consists of looking for the changes in advance and figuring out what to do about them." Upon initial production, the magazine was known simply as Kiplinger Magazine, changing its name to Changing Times in 1949 and acquiring its present name in 1991.
Much like Forbes magazine, ownership of the Kiplinger's franchise has been kept in the family. The current editor-in-chief is Knight Kiplinger, who succeeded his father, Austin H. Kiplinger.
On July 14, 2001, it was announced that Kiplinger's Personal Finance would be acquiring Individual Investor magazine. Details of the deal included Kiplinger agreeing to pay $3.5 million for the Individual Investor subscription list and Kiplinger agreeing to assume $2.6 million in debt. At the time of the acquisition, Individual Investor had 430,000 subscribers (reportedly, Kiplinger had 1,000,000 subscribers before the acquisition).