What have your learned from E-R.org?

[HI Bill]

I learned a few good tips. I learned some interesting insight to financial decisions.

Unfortunately, I also learned that a lot of people like to give a lot of bad advice on topics where they have no real knowledge.

I learned that a lot of people are happy to jump in with suggestions without ever actually understanding what the post starter is really seeking and without ever taking into account the starter's goals.

I learned that a lot of people here aren't tolerant of opinions that don't conform to the apparent norms of e-r.org.

I learned that while many folks purport to seek optimal financial outcomes and make decisions based on data, they actually make many/most decisions based on gut feel and "rules of thumb".

I learned that many folks here don't seem to understand what life is like for those who will never be able to retire "early" in the sense that e-r.org encourages.

I learned that I can still learn a lot as long as I remain very skeptical and don't take anything written here at face value.

I've learned that if you read every post in a discussion, the group generally gives good advise in the end, and the answer usually approaches the correct answer. Since we're not paid posters, we can't all be experts and right 100% of the time. But we can give suggestions, and give people ideas....

 

[robnplunder]

I've learned that I can retire at age 53 which I did.

 

[bbbamI]

I've learned 'strangers' on a forum can provide knowledge, laughter and compassion.

 

[travelover]

I've learned that if you read every post in a discussion, the group generally gives good advise in the end, and the answer usually approaches the correct answer. Since we're not paid posters, we can't all be experts and right 100% of the time. But we can give suggestions, and give people ideas....

Yes, and unlike other forums, BSers don't last long here and when they are clearly wrong are called out for it, but in a civil way. Bluster and bullying doesn't work here.

 

[Scuba]

I too have learned a lot. Some of the most beneficial things have been:
- Advice to minimize notice period when I RE’d. Excellent advice.
- Reassurance about how great life is after ER. Gave me more confidence it was time.
- Challenges to why one would have an AUM FA. We DIY’d for years but hired an FA 3 years before ER. Kept her for 2 years post-ER but then felt confident it was time to DIY again, partly as a result of posts on this forum.
- Great suggestions for dealing with MIL’s decline due to dementia.
- Advice on various mundane topics; for example, love my Teva Tirra sandals.

It’s great to have a forum to turn to for such a broad array of topics. This and the Weight Watchers forum are the only two public sites I post on for advice, and WW posts are focused on fitness and diet. Thanks everyone!

 

[Chuckanut]

Restricted SS application

Time > Money

Peanut butter removes a lot of sticky stuff easily

 

[Ronstar]

Time > Money

+1. Sure there are threads that deal with WR, spending, RMD's, taxes, dryer sheets, etc., but the message that keeps hitting home for me is that our remaining time is more important than money.

 

[garyt]

Way too many to list, but would like to thank everyone for giving their time to answer questions. I have told so many people about this site.

 

[DayDreaming]

- That it's pretty easy to manage my own investments and I don't need no stinkin' FA


- The intricacies of the ACA and how to manage my income accordingly


- Countless other things for which I am eternally grateful.

 

[MichaelB]

I learned a few good tips. I learned some interesting insight to financial decisions.

Unfortunately, I also learned that a lot of people like to give a lot of bad advice on topics where they have no real knowledge.

I learned that a lot of people are happy to jump in with suggestions without ever actually understanding what the post starter is really seeking and without ever taking into account the starter's goals.

I learned that a lot of people here aren't tolerant of opinions that don't conform to the apparent norms of e-r.org.

I learned that while many folks purport to seek optimal financial outcomes and make decisions based on data, they actually make many/most decisions based on gut feel and "rules of thumb".

I learned that many folks here don't seem to understand what life is like for those who will never be able to retire "early" in the sense that e-r.org encourages.

I learned that I can still learn a lot as long as I remain very skeptical and don't take anything written here at face value.

Always look on the bright side of life
.

 

[Aerides]

Index Funds.

I had literally zero idea how to invest before reading here. I just picked from gut and what looked decent in my 401k, based on prior returns, etc., but was risk averse. Had an FA for taxables but with my guidance to be modest was too heavily in bonds.

Gradually gained the knowledge and confidence to rip all that out, now self manage the simple way.

Also how to ACA, and tons of smaller tips over the years.

Ooh also made a nice little bonus last year following one of Fermion's threads.

 

[atmsmshr]

What a great forum. Been reading on the weekends for a few years in the run-up to retirement. I honestly did not know just how complicated some crucial decisions could be until reading this forum.

Ditto on what has been said before and more:

- Book references: Four Pillars of Investing, Random Walk down Wallstreet were great reads. I gave a set to my kids who have since read and started to discuss serious investing and savings with me.
- Retirement research reference articles by people like Pfau, Kitces, Benegan and more.
- Differing opinions - one size does not fit all individuals, so reading subtle differences gave me time to think about topics that I did not even realize existed (Sequence of Returns Risk, Risk Tolerance change versus age, ect).
- Links to other sites like FireCalc, IORP, Bogleheads, White Coat Investor, NerdsEyeView.
- Personal experiences such as those shared by Imolderthanu and Sheepdog.
- The Pension Annuity puzzle
- The mental difficulty in switching from the lifetime savings mode to the retirement spend down mode.

And most of all:


TIME > $

 

[RunningBum]

- Personal experiences such as those shared by Imolderthanu and Sheepdog.

Sheepdog? Never heard of that poster. I checked and there's someone with that handle who registered in 2011, has 0 posts, and hasn't visited since that day.

 

[Midpack]

I learned a few good tips. I learned some interesting insight to financial decisions.

Unfortunately, I also learned that a lot of people like to give a lot of bad advice on topics where they have no real knowledge.

I learned that a lot of people are happy to jump in with suggestions without ever actually understanding what the post starter is really seeking and without ever taking into account the starter's goals.

I learned that a lot of people here aren't tolerant of opinions that don't conform to the apparent norms of e-r.org.

I learned that while many folks purport to seek optimal financial outcomes and make decisions based on data, they actually make many/most decisions based on gut feel and "rules of thumb".

I learned that many folks here don't seem to understand what life is like for those who will never be able to retire "early" in the sense that e-r.org encourages.

I learned that I can still learn a lot as long as I remain very skeptical and don't take anything written here at face value.

Since a few folks post only looking for a pre-determined answer, and a few post questions based on misguided assumptions to start - it's no surprise some folks don't get the benefit here they could. I've watched several threads where an OP is given great answers by others (not from me), and they're disappointed, and argue which only shows they're still not grasping the answers they're getting.

If you read regularly, you start to know who the better resources are (there are many) and who consistently offers up misguided answers. Fortunately individuals in the latter group often lose interest and disappear on their own...

On any free public forum you will have to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately the worthwhile threads/posts easily outnumber the scatterbrained threads here IME. I know of many forums where the noise is far greater than the substance.

 

[Mo Money]

FIREcalc, encouragement from forum members that my assets were sufficient to bail, being cheered on as I planned and executed on my exit from w*rk, navigating health insurance issues, dealing with my aging parents...

As to the skeptics, my respectful reply is: Hey, no answer is guaranteed to be right. But this place is a valuable and free sounding board to test your own plans, and a relatively efficient way to find people with the same general goal: bailing from w*rk and finding a better way to spend the rest of your life. (This forum struck me as a bit less geeky and wooden than bogleheads. As we say in western Pennsylvania: Yinz guys are approachable.)

 

[RunningBum]

If you read regularly, you start to know who the better resources are (there are many) and who consistently offers up misguided answers. Fortunately individuals in the latter group often lose interest and disappear on their own...

On any free public forum you will have to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately the worthwhile threads/posts easily outnumber the scatterbrained threads here IME. I know of many forums where the noise is far greater than the substance.

I find this too. I've tried following bogleheads but between the unfamiliarity of the format and not knowing who is who, it hasn't taken hold of me. Here, I have a good idea of the players. I will listen to almost everyone, but there are some I trust more, and a few I simply dismiss as having a history of being off-base. That's one of my uses of the ignore feature, btw. If I find someone who continually posts bad info, nonsense for their own entertainment, or only uses a hammer and all problems are nails, I put them on ignore to remind me if I do view the post, to take it with a big grain of salt. Luckily there aren't many of those.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

Sheepdog? Never heard of that poster. I checked and there's someone with that handle who registered in 2011, has 0 posts, and hasn't visited since that day.

Maybe atmsmshr meant the poster over at Bogleheads. There is a poster over there who goes by Sheepdog.

 

[athena53]

I joined almost 5 years ago, shortly after a VERY fast decision to ER at age 61 (one week from deciding my BS bucket was full to my last day in the office, after years of saving, managing investments and making projections).

It was wonderful to encounter so many people with similar mindsets- LBYM, there's life beyond work, "millionaire" is not a pejorative, etc.

Some of the things I've learned (can't possibly list them all):

-Money-saving ideas: hearing aids at Costco, Ting for cellular, Requestatest.com for routine medical tests, etc.
-Navigating Medicare: traditional Medicare vs. Advantage, claim issues
-Travel ideas
-YTD Investment performance- good to let me know how I'm doing compared to others with similar investment mix
-That there are many kinds of ER- everything from bare-bones, use the public library and free entertainment and minimal frills such as restaurants to "blow that dough" mode.
-The availability of HSAs within Fidelity. Opened one, rolled over balance from previous provider, investment results MUCH better!

I hope I've been able to contribute wisdom of my own in some of these areas!

 

[eytonxav]

I joined when my mega-corp came out with an early buyout offer, and getting my questions answered here gave me the confidence to take it.

Also learned that it is a good idea to have a plan for how you will spend your time once retired.

Learned there are many INTJ personality types like myself as members.

Learned from Uncle Mick: Psst Wellesley!

Learned to prepare for a market correction when W2R says "Wheee"

Learned to delay taking my SS given my circumstances.

Learned so many daily living tips on so many different topics that it would take weeks to recall all the gems.

Learned that you can always come here if you need to get a good laugh or to get reassurance when you encounter problems.

Etc...............

 

[Jerry1]

I learned (became more comfortable) that I could retire on less and still have a great life. I love the range of income/wealth on the forum. I especially love to see how people live a rewarding life on less. I guess that’s the time>money concept.

I learned that there are a number of things that are important to make good decisions on. There may not be a single correct answer, but there are better strategies than others.

I really appreciate the Other Topics section. I’ve learned a number of things that I needed advice or direction on like my computer and household repairs.

I learned Omni is a very persistent person. I still can’t believe how much time she spent on fixing her computer.

I learned it’s nice to have some virtual friends when your work buddies are no longer available to chat with on a regular basis.

 

[Which Roger]

I've learned a lot about a lot of different things, but if I had to pick one that stands out the most, I'd say it's tax law and how that affects investments and retirement spending and estate planning and when to take Social Security, and health care, and .....

 

[ivinsfan]

I've learned a lot of things but the biggest thing I learned is that a lot of us do have different personalities and opinions. We come from all corners of the USA and the world.

Yet when someone has a serious personal problem or a crisis like the death of a partner, we can all come together and be kind and decent to each other, without exception. We are able to separate different personal opinions to show we are decent human beings.

A lesson the whole country could learn.

 

[Rianne]

Discussions I could never have in the real world, I mean face to face with family and friends. Kind of sad.

The range of discussion: everything except politics and religion.

*Better than any magazine or newspaper b/c the best articles get posted via links shared.
*Silly, sad, brilliant, informative, caring and genuinely interested/interesting people who offer their opinion and advice, all worthy whether I agree or disagree.
**This part is difficult. How to title a thread. I'm terrible at that. And sometimes I see a title and dismiss is, but go in later and find sh*t I missed all this!?! I guess of you were an author "ahem" trombone (I think), it's like titling a book or article. So hard to capture what you're asking or trying to get information about (sometimes). Other times it's simple/easy.

 

[Willers]

I discovered the tools that gave me confidence to walk away: FireCalc, Fido RIP, QLP, iORP, that one we can't mention...

I've learned how much I need to learn, which is a very valuable lesson.

I've learned to get better at tuning into data and out of emotion.

I've learned whose opinions to consider and whose to dismiss as emotional or agenda-driven.

I've learned to be flexible in retirement since almost nobody (including me) seems to follow the starting plan...

Finally, I learned that I find the Tesla thread fascinating even though I have little interest in the cars or the stock...

PS - we really do have awesome moderators that control the political trolling/attacks.

 

[Moemg]

I am forever grateful to the members of this forum who talked me off the cliff during the financial crisis . Without them I would have sold a lot more than I did . I am also grateful for all the tax hints and travel ideas .