Why NPR’s personal finance page on Facebook has 12,000 members

Ricardo Bilton of The Nieman Lab writes about how National Public Radio has built a private Facebook page covering retirement and personal finance issues with nearly 12,000 members.

Bilton writes, “While NPR regularly posts links to new episodes of Your Money and Your Life, many of the most popular threads and posts are started by members themselves. Users have posted questions like how much they should save for an emergency fund, how credit card fraud might affect their credit scores, and which budgeting software to get.

“‘Personal finance and retirement in general resonates with folks because it’s something we all grapple with, regardless of our personal situations,’ said Todd, explaining the group’s appeal. ‘Given the financial collapse and the state of Social Security, planning for the future and retirement is something most of know we should be prioritize, but many people struggle with how to get started.’

“Todd said that the formula for Your Money and Your Life would lend itself well to shows focused on topics such as heath and fitness, which are universal enough to attract wide interest and discussion from members.

“While community has become a central appeal of the group, building one wasn’t the group’s primary goal. Chris Arnold, a former Nieman Fellow and the lead reporter of Your Money and Your Life, originally wanted the show to double as a kind of financial planning tool set, and conceived it with the idea of also building a companion app that would nudge users with reminders to contribute to their 401(k)s.”

Read more here.