The Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc.
1729 H St. NW
Washington, DC 20006
202.887.6400
http://www.Kiplinger.com
The Wind-Up
Founded more than half a century ago as Changing Times and now known as Kiplinger's Personal Finance, this pub enjoys a unique place in pecuniary prognostication--and acts
accordingly.
With readership in the seven figures (Audit Bureau of Circulation) and an enviable audience demographic (average household income $124K and average net worth $1.5M),
Kiplinger's makes no bones about practicing service journalism to economic movers and shakers. "Our readers are not on the sidelines, they're on the playing field, and they want
advice and information that moves them towards the goal line," says Editorial Director Kevin McCormally.
Unlike its New York- based rivals, Money and SmartMoney, Kiplinger's offices are two blocks from the White House. "While we're not a political book," McCormally notes, "the
proximity to political power gives our editorial staff a huge advantage in big picture thinking. We're able to steer clear of current fads, step-back, assess the situation, and
offer recommendations on how our readers can make, spend, and preserve their hard-earned dough."
The Pitch
The magazine is divided into four sections: "Ahead," short pieces about finance, economic news and current events; "Investing," mostly in stocks and mutual funds; "Your
Money," taxes, insurance, saving for college and other money management issues and "Rewards, " savvy investment advice on big-ticket items.
If you've got new or relevant information send a brief query pitch to Executive Editor Janet Bodnar (Ahead), [email protected];
Senior Editor Manny Schiffres (Investing), [email protected] ; Editorial Director Kevin McCormally (Your Money), [email protected] and Senior Editor Bob Frick (Rewards), [email protected] .
A 27-year Kiplinger's veteran, shares this advice for communication execs: "Paramount is that we emphatically don't do the people thing, i.e. executive profiles, so don't waste
the time of reporters and editors by telling them how great your CEO/CFO is." In detailing the perfect pitch, McCormally says, "Remember Personal is our middle name; so if your
pitch comes with a heavy dose of how this story is important now to real people, it's going to the top of our pile for review."
In a back-to-the-future twist, McCormally says, "Snail-mail pitches can have a leg up among editors who find themselves buried under an avalanche of spam. The magazine
normally goes to press the third weekend of the month, so the following week is the least hectic. But, whenever you have a good story for us, we want to hear it."
In the months ahead, the magazine will be exploring several major financial issues, including the economic recovery and subsequent investment opportunities/pitfalls it creates
for readers; State and federal tax trends as governments struggle with ballooning deficits; the looming retirement of the baby boom; Investor reaction to the mutual fund scandal
and the continuing evolution of technology in the home and the workplace -- from laptops to digital cameras to wireless networks to whatever comes next.