2021 saw the return of in-person versions of FinCon and the Plutus Awards. FinCon is a conference geared towards financial media, content creators, and brands. Last year’s event, dubbed FinCon X, was completely virtual. This year, attendees could attend virtually or in person. I was one of the people who chose to venture to Austin, Texas, to attend in person. Here’s a recap of my time at both events.
Adapting to current challenges
Despite the obvious challenges of planning in-person events amid a global pandemic, the FinCon staff pulled everything together to create a memorable event. The three-day event was held in a conference center for the first time instead of a hotel, and that created some unique challenges.
I didn’t have a chance to check out any of the virtual offerings, but they went well from what I heard from friends who chose that option.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for FinCon was how to bring everyone together, for informational sessions, the expo hall, and social events and parties while keeping everyone safe. Instead of an opening party, FinCon hosted several “field trips” within the host city of Austin. Options included local sights, taco trucks, and more. I was lucky enough to lead a field trip to Voodoo Doughnuts, and it was epic. Anyone who knows me knows that I love donuts, and enjoying some treats with 50 of my internet friends made for the perfect night. The “Most Chill” closing party took place in one of the larger meeting rooms and featured snacks, board games, and great conversations with friends.
From the talks to the meet ups and all of the conversations and networking opportunities in between, I have no doubt that FinCon 2021 will play a major role in the lives and careers of hundreds of attendees.
Big ideas from the big stage
I missed all of the keynote speakers in Washington D.C. (my first FinCon) because I was busy volunteering. Not this year!
Julien and Kiersten Saunders from rich & REGULAR spoke about being courageous and standing out in a crowded field to make an impact on people.
Jaspreet Singh of Minority Mindset shared about being authentic.
Author and founder of Science of People, Vanessa Van Edwards, helped us define charisma with her keynote talk.
Jamila Souffrant, founder of Journey to Launch, shared how we should “think small” and how to keep moving and be consistent.
I left FinCon feeling renewed with a more clear vision of where I wanted to take my brand over the next year.
The Plutus Awards ceremony
The Plutus Awards celebrate personal finance content creators and media. The amount of work that goes into the Plutus Awards each year is incredible, and the team always does an amazing job. 2021 was no different. Yours truly had the task of live-tweeting the results. (I may or may not have announced the winners slightly out of order, but it all worked out in the end!) Virtual attendees also had an opportunity to join the in-person crowd for the awards ceremony.
Hosts Joe Saul-Sehy and Natalie Torres-Haddad did an incredible job entertaining the combined crowd and announcing the winners. Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists for all of the incredible content delivered over the past year.
Between the awards, the jokes, and even musical performances, the Plutus Foundation also announced the grant recipients for the Fall 2021 cohort. It’s amazing to see the work that members of our community are doing around the country. A huge thanks to Capital Group for partnering with the Plutus Foundation to bring the awards ceremony to life this year.
Watch the full awards ceremony here
What’s next for the Plutus Awards?
The Plutus Foundation continues to inspire and equip personal content creators each year. It’s been a privilege to help with the Plutus Awards as well as be part of the Plutus Foundation Advisory Group. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available within the Plutus Foundation. You can also join the Plutus Facebook Community to get updates on the latest Plutus news and connect and share with other community members.
Plutus Voices events have been on hold due to the pandemic, but are coming back strong in 2022 with its first stop in Detroit in March. Plutus Voices is designed to help financial content creators make a bigger impact with their audiences. Tickets are free, but extremely limited. Reserve yours now, and join the Foundation’s newsletter and follow us on social media to be the first to hear about more events planned for next year.
At this time the date and location for Fincon 2022 hasn’t been announced, but should be in the near future. FinCon has had a huge impact on my life and my career path. If you’ve never been, I encourage you to consider attending FinCon next year if possible.
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