Larry Ludwig, a personal finance blogger based in New York state, started his website Investor Junkie in 2009 without any outside investment. He bootstrapped by focusing on creating high-quality content that would earn income through affiliate marketing.
With a background in computer science and website development, Ludwig grew the site from scratch to about 300,000 unique monthly visitors in 2018, according to an interview he did with DomainMagnate. Then he sold it to Webpals Group, a subsidiary of global performance publishing company XLMedia.
The site was resold in May 2023 alongside several other personal finance sites to MPD Media, when XLMedia refocused on betting sites. The package of personal finance sites sold for $1.3 million, a significant decrease from what XLMedia paid for the sites. (This conversation thread offers context on the sale.)
At the time of the 2018 sale, the site’s traffic was 80% from SEO, Ludwig told DomainMagnate, with search engines bringing in thousands of monthly readers hungry for knowledge about investing firms, fintech apps, bank accounts, and more.
Why Ludwig decided to sell Investor Junkie
Ludwig was not searching for a buyer when he got the opportunity to sell; the buyer approached him.
Why did he sell? The buyer offered him the “right price,” Ludwig told They Got Acquired. Plus, he knew “the company would have to be much different to be at higher revenue numbers,” he said. Specifically, he understood that to scale, he’d have to change certain aspects of the company, like building courses instead of relying solely on affiliate income. Because of that, Ludwig said it made more sense to sell and embark on a new project.
XLMedia purchased Investor Junkie for $5.8 million, Ludwig told They Got Acquired. At the time of sale, Investor Junkie had a tiny team: fewer than 5 full time employees.
Now, Ludwig utilizes his 20 years of experience to help other entrepreneurs grow with affiliate marketing and online sales.
