Robin Hartill

I’m a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, personal finance writer, editor and content strategist who delves into the messy, complicated realities of money.


My personal finance education started the hard way. I racked up debt in college, destroyed my credit and spent years trying to rebuild while living on a newspaper reporter’s salary. That experience shaped the way I think about money — and the way I write about it.


Too much personal finance advice assumes people have unlimited time, energy and resources to navigate systems that are anything but simple. The reality is that most people are juggling work, bills, debt, family responsibilities and financial uncertainty all at once. Advice like “Max out your 401(k)” or “Just pay off your credit card every month” ignores the tradeoffs and constraints most people face in the real world.


For the past decade, I’ve worked at the intersection of personal finance journalism, editorial strategy and audience growth. I pitched the concept for The Penny Hoarder’s “Dear Penny” advice column and later became Dear Penny following a companywide restructuring in 2019. Over the next four-and-a-half years, I grew the column to more than 100,000 weekly readers while launching a companion newsletter that grew to roughly 20,000 subscribers.


Since becoming an independent writer and editor in 2023, I’ve written, edited and consulted for brands including NerdWallet, Yahoo Finance, CNET, Capitalize and The Motley Fool, where I also led financial product ratings strategy.


My work focuses on translating complicated financial systems — insurance, taxes, investing, banking, credit and retirement — into language normal people can actually understand. I’m especially interested in the gap between how financial systems are supposed to work and how they actually work for the people navigating them.


I don’t pretend to have all the answers to life’s most difficult money questions. But I try to approach every piece of content I touch with empathy for the reader and whatever financial reality they’re facing.


  • Home
  • About me
  • Personal Finance Writing
  • Dear Penny Advice Column
  • Investment Writing
  • Retirement
  • Taxes
  • Credit and Debt
  • Insurance
  • Estate Planning
  • Selected works
The Penny Hoarder • 7th March 2023

4 Smart Ways to Cope With a Tax Bill You Can’t Afford

Surprise tax bills can happen for all sorts of reasons. Gig work and side hustles can fatten your liability. Some people are surprised to learn after being laid off that even unemployment benefits are taxable. Or maybe you withdrew money from a retirement account or simply fail to have enough money withheld.
The Balance • 2nd March 2023

Your Guide to IRS Payment Plans

Discovering that you owe taxes can be stressful if you can’t afford to pay them all at once. Don't panic if you find yourself in this situation. The IRS offers a few payment plans that will let you pay the taxes you owe over time.
The Penny Hoarder • 8th February 2023

Working From Home? 7 Rules for Deducting Your Home Office for Taxes

If you’re one of the millions of people who worked remotely in 2022, you may be wondering whether that means a sweet deduction at tax time. Hold up, though: The IRS has strict rules about taking the home office deduction.
The Balance • 25th February 2021

What Are Back Taxes?

Back taxes are payments to the government that weren’t made when they were supposed to be paid. You can owe back taxes at the federal, state, or local level.
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