Has the forum helped

[LivingAlmostLarge]

This is not a early retirement forum and it's small and intimate. Many have been on for years. This place does not push early retirement. It just is a place where you post and blog. Have you found it helpful? I have. I think early retirement, MMM forums, even bogelheads more judgemental. Maybe because there are more people so it's less personal? But here there is a continuity? And accountability on blogs?

[james.hendrickson]

I've found it hugely helpful - I got turned onto Amazon Opinion Panel and am making money.

[rennigade]

It used to be more helpful imo. People used to discuss money related things, now it's mostly whats happening in the news. Things seem to get heated quick and there's constant bickering. Judge bogleheads or ER all you want, but those are heavily moderated and seldom get out of hand. I was never a fan of MMM so I haven't been to that site in years.

[GoodLiving]

I've found it hugely helpful - I got turned onto Amazon Opinion Panel and am making money.

Tell me more about that...is it more than just submitting receipts?

I've always appreciated this...a peek into people's lives about something we rarely talk about. I also appreciate the wide range of mostly average kinds of folks who are quietly acquiring their money.

[kork13]

Tell me more about that...is it more than just submitting receipts?

It is just submitting receipts (plus the occasional quickie survey), but it's one of the highest-paying ones I've come across. They ask for 10 receipts per month, and pay $10/mo in Amazon credit in return. Once you download the app, you have to sign up & wait to get accepted... But that normally seems to take just a couple weeks.

[james.hendrickson]

It is just submitting receipts (plus the occasional quickie survey), but it's one of the highest-paying ones I've come across. They all for 10 receipts per month, same pay $10 in Amazon credit in return. Once you download the app, you have to sign up & wait to get accepted... But that normally seems to take just a couple weeks.

Kork is correct, and in fact, I heard about it from him. : )

I'm using Pogo, Fetch, Receipt Pal, and Receipt Hog, oh and Bitmo. Although all of these pay much, much less than the Amazon Opinion Panel.

[kork13]

I've been around here for ~14 years, and have always appreciated the perspective and ideas from everyone in similar or more advanced stages of their finances. I've learned alot here, and when I first joined, I was in my final year of college. Over time I learned about budgeting, retirement accounts & planning, investing, real estate, taxes, and a wide variety of other topics. I've also have had the pleasure of helping a number of folks over time. We definitely have a relatively small core of active, regularly contributing folks that definitely used to be larger. But for what it is, I do still appreciate the small community that we have here. There's not alot of places that I can openly talk about my finances without any concern of having it taken the wrong way -- we all want to see others succeed.

I count myself as one of the success stories for this site & the community here. Although we've had alot of opportunities & good jobs that enabled our success, most of what I learned about how to get to where I am came from everyone here. I started with literally less than $2k in a savings account, and when I met DW in 2013, she was in debt with very little to her name. At 35y/o, DW & I have amassed roughly $1.5M net worth, including 2 homes and zero debt.

[bjl584]

Yes. It has helped me tremendously over the years. I always enjoy the different perspectives and approaches to finances that I find here. It's also nice to hear other's opinions and perspectives on world events.

[ua_guy]

I joined way-back-when, trying to get ahead of a bad mortgage at an unfortunate time in a HCOL area. DH and I were young, I won't say dumb, but we had decent income for our age and we liked to spend it. Since then we've tacked on ~12 years of trying to do the right things, going from a negative net worth during the great recession to where we are today. And not just trying to be good with money, but working our butts off in the process to better our position. Of course this forum has helped, there are good people with many different perspectives and is one of the reasons I'm still here.

I agree with LaL that early retirement isn't pushed here, nothing really is, other than helping people meet their financial goals. It doesn't feel like you have to fit a mold here, we all have very different situations, and that's what I like about it. It doesn't feel competitive.

[jenn_jenn]

I went back to see when I’d joined which was in 2011 and I was still in college (was definitely funny to read some of my first posts!).

Even though I’ve mostly been a lurker rather than a poster, this forum has helped me a lot in just having a community of savers and financially responsible folks to learn from and listen to.

I wouldn’t consider myself a success story yet but we’re on our way to getting there.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

It used to be more helpful imo. People used to discuss money related things, now it's mostly whats happening in the news. Things seem to get heated quick and there's constant bickering. Judge bogleheads or ER all you want, but those are heavily moderated and seldom get out of hand. I was never a fan of MMM so I haven't been to that site in years.

I agree more helpful. Then post more money stuff. Ask interesting questions, tease out the details. I feel that ER is too much skewed to being competitive. Bogelheads not so much but its okay.

[disneysteve]

I agree more helpful. Then post more money stuff. Ask interesting questions, tease out the details.

I have found this site to be very helpful over the years.

I do also agree that it has changed over time, which is natural in any community. Keep in mind that the site also changed owners a number of years ago and I think the former owner somehow managed to attract more people looking for financial advice. There used to be a lot more "what should I do?" sort of posts, more people struggling and in need of guidance. That hardly happens at all here anymore.

What we have now is a mostly positive supportive community of mostly regulars who share what's happening in their world and now and then seek some opinions on specific issues they are facing. For the most part, though, most of us are pretty well established at this point. We get very few new users who aren't spammers.

[Scallywag]

What is MMM? Mr. Money Mustache?

What is Amazon Opinion Panel and how do I sign up? I've never heard of it before!

Quite frankly, I am irritated by the "humble brags" on ER and Bogleheads. ON ER, there's a guy who recently posted that he has 3.1M in investments and a 600K paid for house, can save 140K PA from their combined household salaries, but is really confused about whether he can retire because "he's not very bright", even though FireCalc says he's going to be just "fine".

Really? You make enough to save 140K a year but don't know if you can or cannot financially afford to retire now?

On Bogleheads, there was a guy who has 6M in assets, a monthly budget of 12K (not including "necessities") but considers himself very very "frugal" because he still drives a car with cassette tapes and doesn't "own boats or jets" like his peers do! Then on ER, a guy with 4.5M nest egg, and a 150K spending plan wants to know if he can retire!

The smugness really pisses me off. I no longer even click on link that says, "Can I retire?" because 90% of the time it is a not-so-humble brag thread and the OP just wants to show off!! It has more to do with showcasing their "achievements" than asking for real advice, although most posters humor OP, by giving them the benefit of the doubt. So, I prefer SA to any sites out there because at least we're real and don't have smug humble brags here! I have nothing against people becoming very wealthy but just please pay a fair tax on all those earnings and maybe ... just maybe... stay real... ?!

[mumof2]

I find it interesting to read but living in a different country sometimes I have no idea what you are talking about as it is much different from how we do things....but I do get great ideas on how to do things and I am interested in readings others posts...

[LivingAlmostLarge]

What is MMM? Mr. Money Mustache?

What is Amazon Opinion Panel and how do I sign up? I've never heard of it before!

Quite frankly, I am irritated by the "humble brags" on ER and Bogleheads. ON ER, there's a guy who recently posted that he has 3.1M in investments and a 600K paid for house, can save 140K PA from their combined household salaries, but is really confused about whether he can retire because "he's not very bright", even though FireCalc says he's going to be just "fine".

Really? You make enough to save 140K a year but don't know if you can or cannot financially afford to retire now?

On Bogleheads, there was a guy who has 6M in assets, a monthly budget of 12K (not including "necessities") but considers himself very very "frugal" because he still drives a car with cassette tapes and doesn't "own boats or jets" like his peers do! Then on ER, a guy with 4.5M nest egg, and a 150K spending plan wants to know if he can retire!

The smugness really pisses me off. I no longer even click on link that says, "Can I retire?" because 90% of the time it is a not-so-humble brag thread and the OP just wants to show off!! It has more to do with showcasing their "achievements" than asking for real advice, although most posters humor OP, by giving them the benefit of the doubt. So, I prefer SA to any sites out there because at least we're real and don't have smug humble brags here! I have nothing against people becoming very wealthy but just please pay a fair tax on all those earnings and maybe ... just maybe... stay real... ?!

This might be it. I like to read actual questions on ER and bogelheads about teasing out how to structure their roth conversions, calculating whether the ACA cliff is valuable. But I guess I don't like the judgement of "spending" too much. I worry that if I were to ever post it there it would a bit much of why are you spending so much? I see that a lot. That people can ER already if they would just cut their spending. Which I get, but maybe people don't want to cut their lifestyle. I feel like a lot of ER is sometimes minimizing expenses rather than allowing people to spend and being judged for it.