Am I an expert?  An interesting question that was e-mailed by a reader a few weeks ago that asked me essentially that question:

“Mark, I appreciate your site and what you’re trying to do with it, how did you become a financial expert anyways?”

While I’m glad that this reader thinks I’m a financial expert, the sad fact is that currently I don’t consider myself to be an expert in finance.  I consider myself to be a finance professional, since I work with people and their money on a daily basis.  I consider myself knowledgeable in certain areas of personal finance to the point where I might someday soon claim expertise.

It has been my experience that the people who get websites and claim that they are experts in their particular niche should have other people making that claim all over the internet, or in the news, everywhere but on their website essentially. 

The nature of blogging, especially on Personal Finance, does force me to increase my expertise.  Reading sites like Clever Dude, My New Choice, The Simple Dollar, and others provides insights into areas of finance that I have little experience with (home ownership being a big one).  Being in the financial industry I know how to qualify someone for a home, and how to do loan payments and disbursements, even set them up electronically.  I’ve never owned a home though, which means I don’t know how much money CFL’s save, or a good reason for an interest-only mortgage. 

I’ve met several Presidents, VPs, and executives of banks and credit unions now too.  I wouldn’t consider any of them financial experts either.  Typically their expertise lies in understanding people and finding ways to individually meeet their individual needs.  They just happen to work for a financial institution.

So, one day someone who I consider an expert may call me an expert, at which point I will happily flaunt my expertise all over the place. I think the more likely situation is that I will continue to be a professional, and help people as much as possible, earning their trust and respect.