Personal Finance Blog Niche Makes $68,440 Per Month

Most bloggers never publicly share how much money their websites make.

That’s why income reports like this one are so valuable. They provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at how successful content websites attract traffic, monetize visitors, and build sustainable online businesses.

In this Personal Finance Blog Niche report, we’re breaking down Making Sense of Cents, one of the most successful websites in the personal finance and make-money-online space. According to the site’s public June 2016 income report, the blog generated $68,440.23 in a single month, with more than $52,000 coming from affiliate marketing alone.

The Personal Finance Blog Niche has long been considered one of the most profitable content categories online thanks to its combination of evergreen topics, high-paying affiliate programs, and strong advertiser demand. Making Sense of Cents is a prime example of how a well-positioned site can turn valuable content into a highly profitable business.

In this report, we’ll analyze the site’s business model, revenue streams, affiliate programs, traffic sources, keyword opportunities, and the exact strategies that helped transform a simple personal finance blog into a six-figure online business.

Site Snapshot

Metric	Details
Website	Making Sense of Cents
Founder	Michelle Schroeder-Gardner
Primary Niche	Personal Finance
Secondary Niches	Blogging, Side Hustles, Make Money Online, Investing
Monthly Pageviews	~425,000
Main Traffic Sources	Pinterest, SEO, Email Marketing
Primary Revenue Source	Affiliate Marketing

Making Sense of Cents began as a personal finance blog focused on saving money, paying off debt, and improving financial habits. Over time, the site expanded into blogging tutorials, side hustles, affiliate marketing, and online business content.

This evolution allowed the site to tap into some of the highest-paying affiliate programs available.

One of the reasons the Personal Finance Blog Niche performs so well is the availability of multiple monetization methods, including affiliate marketing, sponsorships, display advertising, and digital products.

Revenue Breakdown

According to Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s public June 2016 income report, Making Sense of Cents generated approximately $68,440.23 before expenses.

Monthly Revenue Breakdown

Revenue Source	Revenue	Percentage
Affiliate Marketing	$52,280.23	76.40%
Sponsorships & Advertising	$14,400.00	21.00%
Display Advertising	$1,760.00	2.60%
Total Revenue	$68,440.23	100%

One of the most important observations is that display advertising accounted for only a small percentage of total revenue. The overwhelming majority came from affiliate commissions.

This highlights a key lesson for niche site builders: high-income blogs are often built around affiliate marketing rather than ad revenue alone.

How This Site Actually Makes Money

Many people assume a finance blog earns money simply by publishing articles and displaying ads.

The real business model is much more strategic.

Step 1: Publish Helpful Content

The site creates content around topics such as:

• Making money online
• Side hustles
• Blogging
• Saving money
• Budgeting
• Investing

Step 2: Build Trust

Michelle frequently shared personal stories, financial updates, and income reports.

This transparency helped establish credibility and build a loyal audience.

Step 3: Capture Email Subscribers

The site promoted a free “How To Start A Blog” email course.

According to the income report, the course had attracted more than 2,000 subscribers.

Step 4: Recommend Relevant Products

Once readers trusted the site, they were introduced to products and services related to their goals.

Step 5: Earn Affiliate Commissions

The site earns commissions whenever readers purchase products through affiliate links.

Traffic Breakdown

Pinterest Traffic

Metric	Value
Monthly Pageviews	~425,000
Pinterest Clicks	~150,000
Email Course Subscribers	2,000+
Main Traffic Channels	Pinterest, SEO, Email

Pinterest played a major role in the site’s growth.

According to the June 2016 income report, Pinterest generated approximately 150,000 clicks during the reporting period.

The platform was particularly effective for distributing content related to:

• Side hustles
• Blogging
• Personal finance
• Online income

SEO Traffic

The site also benefited from organic search traffic by targeting long-tail keywords with strong user intent.

Instead of chasing broad finance terms, the content focused on practical solutions and actionable advice.

Top Affiliate Programs Driving Revenue

According to Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s June 2016 Blog Income Report, affiliate marketing generated $52,280.23 of the site’s $68,440.23 total monthly income.

Source: https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2016/07/june-2016-blog-income-report.html

Affiliate Program Breakdown

Offer / Program	Amount Reported	Purpose
Bluehost	$36,270.00	Web hosting for new bloggers
Survey Companies	$11,714.75	Side hustle and extra income offers
Motif Investing	$1,104.00	Investment platform
Ebates (Rakuten)	~$1,000.00	Cashback shopping platform
Izea / SponsoredTweets	$480.33	Sponsored content marketplace
Credible	$450.00	Financial product comparison
$5 Meal Plan	$209.40	Budget meal planning service
Digit	$155.00	Automated savings app
Amazon FBA Course	$110.50	E-commerce training
Beautiful Dawn Designs	$93.25	Blogging resources
Building A Framework	$90.00	Blogging education product
Miscellaneous Affiliates	$568.00	Various smaller affiliate offers

Total Affiliate Income: $52,280.23

The standout affiliate program was Bluehost. At $36,270 in monthly commissions, Bluehost accounted for nearly 70% of all affiliate revenue reported during the month.

Why Bluehost Generated So Much Revenue

Bluehost wasn’t successful by accident. It was perfectly aligned with the site’s audience. Many visitors arrived looking for ways to make money online or start a side hustle. Eventually, they encountered content explaining how to launch a blog. Starting a blog requires web hosting. Bluehost became the natural recommendation.

Supporting Content

• How to Start a Blog
• How to Start a WordPress Blog
• How to Make Money Blogging
• Blogging Income Reports
• Blogging for Beginners

This created a highly effective affiliate funnel.

Readers discovered the opportunity, learned the process, and were presented with a relevant solution.

Content Categories Driving Revenue

Almost every article on the site falls into a category that supports monetization.

Make Money Online Content

Examples include:

• Ways to Make Extra Money
• Side Hustle Ideas
• Passive Income Ideas
• Online Business Guides

These articles support survey offers, courses, and blogging-related affiliate programs.

Blogging Content

Examples include:

• How to Start a Blog
• Blogging Tips
• Affiliate Marketing Guides
• Blogging Income Reports

These articles directly support Bluehost and blogging-related offers.

Saving Money Content

Examples include:

• Budgeting Tips
• Cashback Programs
• Coupon Strategies
• Frugal Living Advice

These articles support cashback and financial affiliate offers.

Investing Content

Examples include:

• Beginner Investing Guides
• Wealth Building Strategies
• Retirement Planning

These naturally align with investment-related affiliate programs.

The success of this Personal Finance Blog Niche site is heavily tied to its keyword strategy. Rather than targeting broad financial terms, the site focused on long-tail keywords with strong commercial intent.

Keyword Opportunities

One of the reasons Making Sense of Cents monetized so effectively is its focus on keywords with strong commercial intent.

Blogging Keywords

• how to start a blog
• how to start a wordpress blog
• how to make money blogging
• blogging income report
• affiliate marketing for bloggers

Side Hustle Keywords

• side hustle ideas
• ways to make extra money
• passive income ideas
• work from home jobs
• online jobs for beginners

Survey Keywords

• best survey sites
• get paid to take surveys
• paid online surveys
• survey junkie review
• survey sites that pay cash

Personal Finance Keywords

• budgeting tips
• how to save money
• debt payoff strategies
• student loan payoff
• personal finance advice

These keywords attract readers actively searching for solutions, making them ideal for affiliate monetization.

The Secret Behind the Business Model

The real genius of Making Sense of Cents wasn’t the personal finance niche itself.

It was the funnel.

The process looked like this:

• Curiosity: Readers discover income reports and success stories.
• Education: They consume tutorials about blogging, side hustles, and personal finance.
• Trust: They build confidence in the recommendations.
• Action: They purchase products that help them achieve similar results.

Monetization

The site earns affiliate commissions. This system allowed the blog to monetize traffic at a much higher level than a traditional ad-supported website.

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates why the Personal Finance Blog Niche continues to be one of the most lucrative opportunities for content creators and affiliate marketers. By combining helpful content, strategic keyword targeting, and highly relevant affiliate offers, websites in the Personal Finance Blog Niche can generate substantial monthly revenue.

The biggest lesson from this niche report is that traffic alone doesn’t create income.The most successful websites understand their audience, create content that solves problems, and recommend products that naturally fit the reader’s needs.

For anyone interested in the personal finance, blogging, or make-money-online niches, Making Sense of Cents remains one of the best examples of how a content-driven website can evolve into a highly profitable online business.