I get emails from clients and people who read my site asking me what I read while drinking my morning coffee.  So here’s a list of the people I like to read during the 4 hours I spend every morning reading websites and news from around the globe.

International:

Felix Salmon, Reuters

The cool thing about Felix Salmon is that unlike most British journalists, he doesn’t write with a smug elitist attitude that most British journalists have especially toward Americans.  He actually understands what is going on with the financial crisis and could probably explain it to a Kindergartener.  He also has sympathy for the little guy and has great respect for the American people.  His video about asset backed securities is priceless.

National:

Gretchen Morgenson, NY Times

This goes without saying that she is one of the best journalists covering the financial crisis.  She’s straight to the point and doesn’t try to pad her articles with a lot fluff to impress her editors.

Abigail Field, AOL Daily Finance

I discovered Abigail Field’s columns about 5 months ago and think her articles are dynamite.  She comes from a consumer law background and you can see it in her writing about the financial crisis.  She not only understands what caused the crisis but is passionate about the people it affects.

Nick Timiraos, Wall Street Journal

I have been following Nick Timiraos since I started MFI-Miami in 2008.  What amazes me about Nick Timiraos is not only does he seem to get the scoop, he seems to be right.  For a young guy, he comes off like a very old school journalist which makes him one of the best.

Richard Zombeck, Huffington Post & Shame the Banks

Unlike other people who write about the financial and mortgage crisis, Richard Zombeck writes with the experience of someone who has had to deal with the Kafkaesque customer service that is offered by mortgage servicers and lenders.  He is one of the few foreclosure activists that understands what is going on and how the system works.

Sam Antar, WhiteCollarFraud.com

Sam Antar knows white collar fraud probably as well as Bernie Madoff.  He should.  Up until Bernie Madoff got busted, he and members of his family ran the largest Ponzi scheme in US history.

Martin Andelman, Niche Report & ML-Implode

Martin Andelman has a background in technical writing for finance and medical companies.  His assignments involved taking complex financial and medical information and simplifying it for the average consumer and this comes out in his writing style.  This coupled with his, “Oh, come on!” attitude makes his articles worth the read.

Florida:

Shanon Behnken, Tampa Tribune & Todd Ruger, Sarasota Herald Tribune

These two journalists understand the jungle law that seems to be the law of land in the foreclosure courts on the gulf coast of Florida.  Both of them are not afraid to call out judges and law firms who seem to be getting it wrong.

Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post

No one knows the foreclosure scene in Palm Beach County better than Kimberly Miller.  She and Frank Cerabino are the only reasons to read a paper that has become a local version of People magazine.

Harriet Brackey, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Harriet Brackey is probably one of the most informative journalists at the Sun-Sentinel since McNelly Torres left eighteen months ago.  She normally writes about general consumer issues but when she writes about foreclosures or mortgage lending her articles tend to be excellent.

McNelly Torres, FCIR

McNelly Torres used to be an investigative reporter at the Sun-Sentinel and due to the decline of the newspaper industry, she was let go.  She later joined a handful of other unemployed investigative journalists to form the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting.  They’re reporting make Bob Woodward look like an amateur.

Paola Iuspa-Abbott, Miami Daily Business Review

The cool thing about Paola Iuspa-Abbott is she understands trends in Florida real estate and is usually the first to report on something and she usually does it a good 3-6 months ahead of her competition.  She also does her homework and usually writes things from an angle most journalists wouldn’t normally look at.

Massachusetts:

Jerry Kronenberg & Thomas Grillo, Boston Herald

I was introduced to these guys about two years ago when I started doing mortgage investigating in Massachusetts.  They get how the abuses by the banks affect homeowners in the Bay State.

Other websites I read:

Broken Credit

Huffington Post

ML-Implode

Daily Telegraph

Naked Capitalism

NZZ (a Swiss newspaper)

The Financial Times (Both English & German editions)

The Globe & Mail

The Daily Yomiuri

The Real Deal

Jesse’s Café Americain

Boston Globe