Done with Bogleheads ... it's a cult

[NW-Bound]

Anyway, like many forums, there are 3 types of members
- those who want to learn
- those who want to teach
- those who want to argue/troll and who insist that their version of reality is the right version for everybody.

Cheers,
Big-Papa

Eh, you left out another type: those who just want to shoot the breeze.

 

[big-papa]

Eh, you left out another type: those who just want to shoot the breeze.

haha! A lot more of those here than on BH!

 

[Toast]

There is a lot of good info at BogleHeads and I've found it valuable. But it is like getting info in a lecture hall. Here, it is like getting info from talking to some friends. I like here.

+1

 

[frayne]

For me, it’s a matter of tone. The Bogleheads Forum tone is INTENSE, serious and you better bring your A Game to participate. No thanks.

I'm stealing this for my sig line.

"My investing style is beauty-in-simplicity, set it and forget it with index funds, along with a little dabbling around the edges for fun and profit."

 

[REWahoo]

There is a lot of good info at BogleHeads and I've found it valuable. But it is like getting info in a lecture hall. Here, it is like getting info from talking to some friends.

Excellent analogy!

 

[JBTX]

Eh, you left out another type: those who just want to shoot the breeze.

I definitely engage in the first 2, and to a limited degree the third, I tend to be attracted to an argument or debate. As I stated earlier there are many positive attributes to BH but perhaps the biggest negative is for people that are there often it doesn’t lend itself to a conversation style.

Being new here I’m still trying to figure out the flow. The thing I haven’t figured out is how to get notified if somebody responded to your post, other than emails telling you that others posted in the same thread (which I don’t find helpful)

 

[Koolau]

For most people, investing is more like politics than religion, and it also becomes impossible to have a discussion.

No idea what this means.

I've found something that works for me. It's just about that simple. I don't care if anyone else does it my way.

 

[Chuckanut]

There is a lot of good info at BogleHeads and I've found it valuable. But it is like getting info in a lecture hall. Here, it is like getting info from talking to some friends. I like here.

I would make a slight change to say 'very knowledgeable friends'.

I continue to be impressed at the knowledge that others bring to the table and share. And if there are differences, the willingness to discuss things is admirable. Like my grandpappy used to say, "If you and I agree on everything, at least one of us isn't thinking." Let the doubting and discussion continue!

 

[JBTX]

Back when I was active on BH, a fair number of my posts were helping comparative newbies get their financial situation in better shape.

I think it would be a mistake to assume that there's a significant core of Bogleheads who have a religious fanaticism about having a three fund portfolio, for instance.

I will say there's almost universal ill will towards Edward Jones over there...

As to EJ it’s hard to maintain much love especially when you see their disclaimer of their conflicts of interest right on your statements.


“We want you to understand that Edward Jones' receipt of revenue-sharing payments represents a potential conflict of interest in the form of additional financial incentive and financial benefit to the firm, its financial advisors and equity owners in connection with the sale of products from these partners.”

 

[RobbieB]

I fired EJ for lack of performance. Easy to determine, you just have to compare.

 

[Koolau]

I fired EJ for lack of performance. Easy to determine, you just have to compare.

I sat down with an EJ guy once. He told me how he could make me a lot of money if I bought various things from him. He promised he could get me out of stuff in time. I passed. Then I discovered indexing. YMMV

 

[street]

Eh, you left out another type: those who just want to shoot the breeze.

LOL! I'm in that corner. I like hanging around all you rich folks and I get tired of talking money.

 

[NW-Bound]

There's nothing wrong with having money. I like money.

Having money allows you serenity, it lets you think about other fun stuff.

I don't always think about money, but I never forget about it either. Too important to neglect. I just don't like to argue about which way of getting money is superior.

By the way, have you seen the movie "Life stinks"? Here's what not having money reduces you to.

 

[street]

NW-Bound, that is good!

 

[big-papa]

There's nothing wrong with having money. I like money.

Having money allows you serenity, it lets you think about other fun stuff.

I don't always think about money, but I never forget about it either. Too important to neglect. I just don't like to argue about which way of getting money is superior.

By the way, have you seen the movie "Life stinks"? Here's what not having money reduces you to.

THIS!

Some of us come from pretty humble backgrounds and made up our minds pretty early on about what we wanted in our adulthood and with a combination of fortune and hard work actually achieved it for ourselves and our own families.

Could we have done better? Of course. I'm in a field of work where if I had taken some bigger risks, which were certainly available, I could have done wildly better. But I never had that as a goal. And I see colleagues who have done that and dedicated so much of their life to work that their personal lives suffered greatly which, not ironically, also ultimately affected their wealth significantly when all assets were divided in half by a divorce court.

To sum it up for me, work, savings and investing enable life, and is a part of life, but it isn't life itself.

Cheers,
Big-Papa

 

[Markola]

I'm stealing this for my sig line.



"My investing style is beauty-in-simplicity, set it and forget it with index funds, along with a little dabbling around the edges for fun and profit."

I’m honored! Cheers!

 

[NameTaken2]

What does your IPS say?

LOL!
Nice.

 

[cj1717]

I no longer go the the BH site either.

I posted something "off kilter" about the Vanguard BND fund and got sent to stand in the corner with no dinner that night. Once was enough.

Very rich folks there but many lack "thinking outside of the Bogle box".

That group can be very annoying. They wait for someone to ask ANY question that doesnt include allocate and forget. THEN, they attack.

Funny really

 

[RobbieB]

Never been there and thanks to this thread never will.

 

[NameTaken2]

Valid concerns here -I share many of them.
Regardless, I do visit Bogleheads and just roll with the off-putting stuff.
The knowledge residing there has provided many detailed and helpful answers for me on many topics, both financial and as a consumer.
Bogleheads is my go-to for Q's. You can ask almost anything and get great insight.
I enjoy this forum more, and have had Q's answered here.
But I appreciate Bogleheads also.

 

[Koolau]

Never been there and thanks to this thread never will.

Never going back.

 

[RunningBum]

I haven't found things so bad over there. I hadn't noticed anyone being told not to invest in individual bonds but maybe I just haven't noticed since I use bond funds. Certainly there is a strong belief in investing in only the total index funds, but since that's what the board was founded on one shouldn't be surprised. It more or less matches my strategy so I'm more tolerant. There's a lot of knowledge there.

Sound like the OP ran into some overzealous moderation or group think. I don't blame them for leaving and speaking out about it. Cult? I don't know, I don't really like labels like that especially when there is a lot of gray area. If it isn't for you, skip it, but I wouldn't avoid it because of this thread. Make your own decision.

 

[JJpop]

The BH forum is full of very rich and very knowledgeable people.

Some are very snarky.Some very annoying. Some very nice and helpful.

Some take themselves way too seriously.

They have very strict rules which is better than having none.
I believe the moderators generally take their duties way too seriously and seem to like the control they have.

There are some great posters there without a doubt.

I do get the cult word being thrown around because a decent percentage of the posters there do act like they are in a cult.

There is a lot more to the forum than investing and when you get into other topics I believe it is one of the best forums on the internet.

 

[harllee]

I have learned so much from Bogleheads (and I have learned a lot from ER too). I really never notice any snarky people there, people seem helpful to me. I like the strict moderation there, it keeps things from getting too political or going off the rails.

 

[Reese]

I understand your frustration.

Personally I've learned a lot from those guys and gals overthere but I also think this forum is excellent too. Honestly, I follow just a few users at BH: Nisiprius, Livesoft, Willthrill81 and retired jg. I think they're great and informative.

Best,