The demise of personal finance magazines? Not at Kiplinger’s

Knight A. Kiplinger, editor in chief, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, wonders why some people who “gladly pay $4 for a latte at Starbucks — sometimes every day — balk at paying even $1 for an issue of a useful magazine.”

Hal Morris, writing on his Grumpy editor blog about Kiplinger’s note in the October issue, notes that Kiplinger’s comments evoke a mournful tone about the future of personal finance magazines given the closing of SmartMoney’s print publication.

Morris writes “In his message, Kiplinger mentions, ‘our readers are among the most highly educated and affluent of all magazine readers.  They tell market researchers that they really trust this magazine, and they spend a lot of time with each issue.’

“He adds that advertisers ‘don’t seem to acknowledge the print audience’ and ‘they are abandoning magazines at a steady pace, apparently believing that they can reach you more effectively on Web sites, including ours.’

“Kiplinger observes that out of a half dozen personal finance publications competing in the 1990s, only Money and Kiplinger’s continue to roll off presses.

“‘We’re gratified that our Web audience continues to grow, but we love the business of print publishing, and we’re committed to it,’ he concludes.”

Read more here.