Starting in May, this newsletter will be published on the first Tuesday of the month here instead of arriving in your email inbox via Constant Contact. I’ll also share it via social media. Set a calendar reminder for the first Tuesday of every month, and follow me on LinkedIn to increase the likelihood that you’ll see the newsletter. Thank you for being a loyal reader and for understanding my decision to migrate the newsletter here! Once you define an abbreviation, should you skip the spelled-out term? Once you’ve introduced GDP as the abbreviation for gross domestic product, should you only u ..read more

The browser’s spellchecker keeps tagging “outperformance” as a typo. I feel very annoyed when this happens because I believe it’s wrong. This spurred me to do research on the correctness of my assumption. The case for “outperformance” Here’s the evidence in favor of marrying “out” and “performance” so they’re one word: “Generally do not hyphenate when using a prefix with a word that starts with a consonant,” said The Associated Press Stylebook, when I originally researched this question some years ago. More recently, the online AP Stylebook says, “Follow Webster’s New World College Dictionary ..read more

Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. This mistake is far too common in communications that I read. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading. The post MISTAKE MONDAY for March 25: Can YOU spot what’s wrong? appeared first on Susan Weiner Investment Writing ..read more

I instinctively choose between a comma and a colon before a quotation. But I wondered if there was a rule that I should know about. I was happy to discover Grammar Monster’s “Comma or Colon before a Quotation?” The blog post features an easy-to-follow flow chart for picking a comma or a colon. The key is deciding whether what precedes the quotation is an independent clause (in other words, could it be a standalone sentence?). Write a great “about” page “The 7 Questions Your ‘About’ Page Should Answer” by Andy Crestodina was highly recommended by my friend, the extraordinary copywriter Robyn Br ..read more

Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. One item stands out as wrong beyond any question, even without knowing the context of this table. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading. The post MISTAKE MONDAY for February 26: Can YOU spot what’s wrong? appeared first on Susan Weiner Investment Writing ..read more

Have you ever felt as if your heart skipped a beat upon noticing a grammar error? It’s not just your imagination that bad grammar can affect your heart rate. When people spot grammar errors, their heart rate variability declines, indicating that they’re stressed. That’s according to a University of Birmingham research study reported on in “Grammar Goofs Make Your Heart Skip: The Stressful Beat of Misused Language” in Neuroscience News. Flash sale on Financial Blogging I plan to run a flash sale on the PDF version of my book, Financial Blogging: How to Write Powerful Posts That A ..read more

“Do I need to use the ® mark with my CFP designation”? This question spurred me to do some research on whether one must always write “CFP®.” When I was active as a reporter, I never used the ® mark. In fact, I rarely included an interviewee’s CFP designation because space was tight. Upon doing research, I discovered that the rules for me as a reporter and blogger differ from the rules for you as a CFP certificant. If you’re using your CFP designation in sales or advertising Here’s what The Chicago Manual of Style says on its website: Q. Is it proper or necessary to use the circled R each and ..read more

Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. Having trouble finding the mistake? Try reading the text out loud! I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading. The post MISTAKE MONDAY for January 29: Can YOU spot what’s wrong? appeared first on Susan Weiner Investment Writing ..read more

The Q&A format has its uses. An FAQ section covering frequently asked questions belongs on many websites. However, this format should be used sparingly for articles.   FAQs work, so why not Q&A articles? Unlike articles, FAQs are meant to be searched or skimmed for one question, not read word-for-word. Their readers seek answers to specific questions or solutions for problems, such as “How can I fix it when I get Error Message XYZ?” An FAQ may include many questions, but the reader is interested in one—or only a few—Q&A pairs. Q&As make it hard to grasp an overall me ..read more

Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. Hint: Automated spell checking should have identified the big mistake that caught my eye. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading. The post MISTAKE MONDAY for December 25: Can YOU spot what’s wrong? appeared first on Susan Weiner Investment Writing ..read more