How To Pitch: SmartMoney

The information in this article is current and accurate

Background: Founded in 1992 as a joint venture of Dow Jones, the Journal's parent company, and Hearst Communications, SmartMoney has gone through a wave of changes since March 2010 when Dow Jones took full ownership of the mag and cut its ties with Hearst. A move to the News Corp. building has meant a spiffy magazine redesign, which premiered in February 2011, and a new streamlined site housed under The Wall Street Journal's digital network that debuted May 2011.

Ownership changes aside, SmartMoney still remains indebted to the sophisticated investor, examining the choices, people, products and trends behind the investment community. But editor-in-chief Jonathan Dahl says that there's a new emphasis on vivid content and images. "We tried to redesign the magazine to pick a stronger, bolder position. We try to take an edgier and colorful approach to personal finance," he says, citing the all-gold March 2011 cover and the arresting September 2010 cover story, "Why Women Get a Raw Deal on Retirement."

SmartMoney's stories are designed to help readers spend their cash wisely, whether they're investing for retirement or booking a cruise. "We consider ourselves an advocate for investors and consumers," said Dahl. "We try to offer not only advice, but give readers investigative features, profiles and other great reads that will inform them about the ever complex world of personal finance." SmartMoney has always offered personal finance advice written with the same kind of in-depth reporting as The Wall Street Journal, but it's even more like its progenitor now that it's completely entrenched in the Journal family.

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