It claims to be the first American personal finance magazine and to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language".

It offers advice on managing money and achieving financial security, saving, investing, planning for retirement,[2] paying for college, and major purchases like automobiles and homes.

[7] In 2001, Kiplinger's Personal Finance announced it would acquire Individual Investor magazine.

[8] When competitor Money magazine ceased print publication in 2019, Kiplinger's acquired roughly 400,000 of its monthly subscribers.

Unlike its competitors, the initial version of CA-Simply Money bypassed MS-DOS, and supported Microsoft Windows.