I'm always amazed at the animosity shown by some forum members to anyone who dares to post anything contrary to their opinion. I suppose we should all nod and agree like good little sheep. : yawn :
Sarah:
The points made by brogan007 about "ordinary Joe's" ability to retire early may or may not be correct; I do not purport to judge them. Many here have posted in detail why they believe he is incorrect. And to that extent, the thread has value.
In a larger sense, however, I question why brogan is here in the first place. This is a forum dedicated to the proposition that he is wrong -- that ordinary people can retire early if they play their cards right. Among our number are plenty of people who have lived their lives as "ordinary Joe's" and are now happily retired. There are others who plan to retire just as happily, not ever having been anything other than an ordinary Joe who worked hard, lived simply and saved and invested wisely. I am one of them.
We may very well be mistaken in our beliefs. But if we are, what is it to brogan? What does he gain by raining on our parade? Suppose, for example, that we had a forum for people suffering from a dread disease (perhaps breast cancer) and we traded tips on courses of treatment, coping methods, grieving issues, etc. Suppose those who were long term survivors posted their stories to inspire and inform the rest of us. Now suppose brogan posted a first post saying, in essence, "You are all wrong. There is no hope. The doctors are all involved in a huge scam and you are going to die a miserable death." Do you think he would be well received? Do you think he should be?
Why would he possibly want to do that? One answer is that he is nothing but a troll, seeking to get a rise out of the people here to satisfy his own need for attention. If that is the case, I can do without him. What I think is far more likely, however, is that he is an incipient spammer. Read posts Number 1 and 20 again carefully. Doesn't it seem as if all the "questions" brogan asks in his initial post are nothing more than rhetorical devices? Ending with the provocative "What is the answer?" In post 20, he tells us that he has an answer and that it involves "leaving the tax system and getting out of the Matrix". This is the quintessential sales "come on", designed to elicit our interest in what is to come. I am convinced that, notwithstanding his protestations to the contrary, brogan came here with the intent of selling some "strategy". My guess is that it involves a combination of shady "personal incorporation" and offshore, unreported banking, with the clear intention of evading taxes. If so, it is not only immoral, but probably illegal. We do not, nor should we, tolerate that.
In sum, I have no problem hearing and debating alternative points of view. I am not, however, willing to tolerate trolls or spammers on this forum.
Gumby
P.S. -- I am also strongly opposed to anyone using the hackneyed term "sheeple".