Sylvia F. Porter

News organizations and titles: Columnist, The New York Daily News from 1978-91; columnist for The New York Post, 1935-78; financial editor, The New York Post, 1936; columnist, The American Banker, 1934.

Legacy: A bona fide trailblazer, Ms. Porter led the way for all personal finance writers, not just female journalists. She began writing a column, "S.F. Porter Says," in the mid-1930s for The New York Post. Her personal finance column, "Your Money," which was syndicated by The Los Angeles Times, reached 40 million readers. At its height, it appeared in 450 newspapers worldwide.

Journalistic Progeny: Jane Bryant Quinn, Kathy Kristof, Terry Savage and Humberto Cruz.

Personal: Born June 18, 1913, in Patchogue, N.Y.; died June 5, 1991, in Pound Ridge, N.Y.

Family: Married Reed F. Porter in 1932, G. Sumner Collins, who died in 1977, and James Fox. She had a daughter, Chris Del Cuore of Norway, Maine, and a stepson, Sumner Collins of Medical Lake, Wash.

Education: Hunter College, magna cum laude, 1932.

Books: She wrote more than 30 books, including "Sylvia Porter's Money Book," "Sylvia Porter's Your Finances in the 1990s," and "Planning Your Retirement."

What she has said about herself: "Throughout my career, I always kept studying and reading and trying to learn more. But even then I found that I still didn't have enough knowledge to do many of the stories I wrote. Some journalists in this field might not make that admission. They would rather bluff it, but if they do, they're only bluffing themselves."

Home run stories or accomplishments: Her 1975 book, "Sylvia Porter's Money Book: How to Earn It, Spend It, Save It, Invest It, Borrow It and Use It to Better Your Life," sold more than 1 million copies.

What she made news or headlines for: In 1984, she started the magazine Sylvia Porter's Personal Finance. That magazine quickly grew in circulation, but the stock market's 1987 tumble proved crippling. Kiplinger bought the magazine's 400,000-name subscription list.