E-R.org Critical Mass Question

[HFWR]

Like many others, I was semi-active, first on usenet (mostly music groups - talk about a free-for-all...), lurked mostly on motley fool, then intercst's RE forum, then left there when it became way too focused on "he who shall not be named"...

In the early 90s, after several years of brokeness, I actually started to accumulate some assets, and thus took an interest in investing and FIRE. Alas, many things didn't work as I envisioned, so still at the yoke, but closing in fast!

Thus, ended up here, for nearly nine years now. Have learned a lot about a lot of things, and hopefully added a teensy-weensy bit of value myself, though many of my 10k+ posts are just wisecracks and one-liners. But I consider not taking life too seriously to be a virtue. Will likely hang around as long as they will let me.

I appreciate the collective wisdom, consider most members as "friends", enjoy the humor, and though I've occasionally incurred the wrath of moderators, generally appreciate the fact that pointless political arguments are quickly relegated to the bit bucket...

 

[Ronstar]

I've been here since 2007, and visit other forums as well. But this is the only one I visit that is entertaining and informative.

 

[yakers]

I joined a while back, July 03, I used to post more then, when I was working, retired march 2008, much busier now in retirement. Wonderful board. Good people, good moderators and some self policing keep this a clean well lighted place.

Hey! I never got my 10 year pin!!! What kind of place is this anyway?

 

[FUEGO]

I've been here in one incarnation or another for about 10 years. I started lurking just a few months after starting post-college full time employment back in 2004 and signed up and started posting a year or two later.

I just retired in 2013.

What's neat about my relationship with ER.org is the fact that I started here as soon as I started working and used the forums as a tool to build wealth and keep more wealth throughout my entire career.

I've made a number of connections with posters here, and even met one in real life (Sarah in SC!). There's a few others I hope to bump into in real life one day.

I take breaks from the forums here and there, then I eventually come back and post more. I definitely posted more while I was working. Now that I'm retired, I'm not stuck behind a computer all day, so I do more fun stuff instead of "wasting" time on the internet all day at work.

 

[NW-Bound]

Hey! I never got my 10 year pin!!! What kind of place is this anyway?

It's probably because you did not pay the annual dues after multiple dunning letters. I am surprised that they even let you log in.

 

[steelyman]

It's probably because you did not pay the annual dues after multiple dunning letters. I am surprised that they even let you log in.

I've only got 3 years. I probably earned a Three Stooges punch in the face.

 

[CoolChange]

I finally signed up in 2006 after lurking without logging in for at least a couple of years, likely longer. Finally posted something almost a year later (and have been complaining about my OMY syndrome ever since).

Over the years, I have lurked on many Usenet and web boards over the years; but, this is the only one where I have consistently returned. I have posted more here than everywhere else combined by at least one order of magnitude. This is the one I find myself missing when I have not checked in for a few days.

I rely on you not only for facts but also for insight and analysis of those facts, whether it be related to investing or current events. You also provide my main social interaction on many days, definitely the most enjoyable. Like many here, I am firmly INTJ with an above average IQ if either of those measures are really accurate. The combination just seems to make me socially awkward in most situations but very comfortable here.

In some ways, I feel a bit like those characters from Cheers who were sitting just off camera most of the time, rarely involved in a scene but likely enjoying their evening at the bar.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I found this site about a year or so before I joined at the end of last year. I am not much of a "joiner" so it took me a while. For the year and and a half before I retired (beginning of this month!) I read everything I could find about retirement, the financial part, but more importantly the psychological part. How to adapt. What I really wanted to learn from others who had "been there, done that" that were not also trying to sell me something. How did they adapt, what do they do, how do they feel. I think I have gained more information and help from this site than from anywhere else. It helped remove my fear of retirement and I have recommended it to others.

Like others have mentioned I was first interested in the FI and SWR strategies, but then later more interested in the other topics, what people are doing, thinking. This tread is a bit of a pat yourself on the back, but it is well deserved. The moderators do a great job here. There is no place else like it.

Also agree that there is a degree of maturity, intelligence and respect not found elsewhere. There are many people here I have come to admire and respect greatly, even when we have different opinions, and many I would like to meet in person. I am proud to be a member, and hope I won't lower the overall intelligence of the group to too great a degree.

The moderators work hard and deserve a lot, A LOT of thanks.

 

[steelyman]

According to my test, I am INFJ. I feel like the odd man out around here!

... but I can play the blues

 

[Elbata]

Enjoy this thread. Reading it makes me realize there's a whole lot more to this forum.

I've probably have been snarky or trollish a time or two, but honestly, when writing it comes out that way but not meant.

I'm appreciating how many on this board have become friends or respect the posts of some of the members. When I read a thread I just look at the content. Every now and then someone posts something I find fascinating and I go and look at some of their previous posts, but I don't pursue it farther. Just shows there's a lot more depth here than I realized.

Yesterday looked at a post about a guy 29, NW $6MM, and he was wondering if he should quit his job. I thought it was a no brainer question, but after reading the comments, I realized it wasn't such an easy answer after all. For me, that's what I love about this board, a lot of smart people sounding off on ideas I care about.

 

[marko]

I joined in March of 2011 after stumbling in here via Firecalc. Nearing my 1,000th post!

I try to check-in daily and usually visit once or twice a day. I've found the discussions and information here quite valuable and has honestly saved me tons of money.

For me, ER-org has become sort of a club with familiar names (faces) who I look forward to hearing from. ("Norm!!") I felt at home enough here to announce my 60th birthday and received a welcoming response.

Imoldernu always has an interesting topic and I can almost predict what certain familiar posters will push back on or take an alternate perspective.

I also enjoy the civilized discussions that don't get hijacked into name calling or negativity. A lot of good, decent people who are often quite helpful.

Kudos to the mods who keep everything in line...they've whacked me a few times and it was well deserved! The whacking made me realize how much I value this forum and don't ever want to get banned!

 

[NW-Bound]

According to my test, I am INFJ. I feel like the odd man out around here!

Three out of 4 is not bad. And we do occasionally make exceptions.

 

[Lsbcal]

...
My questions for you are -

How long have you been here, and how does E-R.org fit into your life? Is it a place you come to occasionally to see the latest chat on financial issues, or does it mean more to you than that? How long was it before this place felt like Cheers - or maybe you're not there yet? ...

Apparently I've been at this since 2006 according to the stuff under my avatar. So that was about 3 years after leaving full time work. As to Cheers, I never got into that TV show so don't know how to respond. Did I miss something?

I really enjoy reading many of the posts here and the variety of views is refreshing. You can be a Boglehead type or a market timer or an all cash person too. Lots of tolerance for variable viewpoints.

There are not so many threads that they flow off page 1 after one day. The number of members seem to be just about right.

Thanks to everyone and especially the moderators for making this such a great forum.

 

[Options]

I found this site about a year or so before I joined at the end of last year. I am not much of a "joiner" so it took me a while. For the year and and a half before I retired (beginning of this month!) I read everything I could find about retirement, the financial part, but more importantly the psychological part. How to adapt. What I really wanted to learn from others who had "been there, done that" that were not also trying to sell me something. How did they adapt, what do they do, how do they feel. I think I have gained more information and help from this site than from anywhere else. It helped remove my fear of retirement and I have recommended it to others.

Like others have mentioned I was first interested in the FI and SWR strategies, but then later more interested in the other topics, what people are doing, thinking.

...

Explains my situation exactly. I'm not much of a joiner either, so it's a bit surprising I joined here, and even more surprising I post. Must be my obsession with retirement.

 

[robnplunder]

the content here being incredibly rich - without any of the juvenile snarkiness and emotional bullying that is so prevalent on most internet forums.

True. There are still few bad posts time to time but they get deleted, or closed by mods. It's extremely well moderated forum. Kudos to the moderators for doing their job well!

 

[tryan]

Soo I had NO idea when I joined ... then I looked under my avatar (very clever !)

I really enjoyed "sparring" with some of the BS artists. Particularly regarding real estate as an investment. No emotion, no bullying. But let's get the FACTS right so someone doesn't make a life changing MISTAKE.

Funny thing (to me) the BS artists are gone.

 

[Alan]

I joined 9 years ago. I had recently found out that I could retire at 55 with a pension, not 58 like I thought. WOW, that was only 5 years away, I needed to get down to some serious planning, so I did some Googling and found this forum. I had never joined any online forum before so I was very much new to this. It didn't take me long to appreciate the folks and the advice they gave, and I learned a lot and the folks here, present and past, definitely made a big difference to how I prepared for ER, and not just from a financial standpoint.

After joining ER.org I did look at other forums and soon appreciated how well run this site was, and how well behaved were the members. The month before I retired I was invited to join the Moderator Team and it has been a privilege to be able to give back to a site that has become so important to me. I have also had the chance to meet several members in person which has been an added, enriching, bonus.

DW and I do an awful lot of traveling since we have been retired so I go "missing" at times for long periods, but I always come back.

 

[foxfirev5]

I joined in March of 2009, the absolute bottom of the great recession. The forum helped me hang in there and not panic which got me over the hump to FI. I also signed up with the Bogleheads, however while I find it informative, I see no compelling reason to post there.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

I still feel like a noob around here sometimes, but this has always been a great forum. I didn't realize FUEGO's blog as his for a little while, but it was really cool to connect the dots on that one. And I must agree, the quality of the posts and regulars here crushes almost all other forums. The maturity and non-troll nature of this place is truly outstanding. As the local Navy officer with an eye on not working once the 20 year mark hits, I sometimes feel like Nords's little brother.

 

[Willers]

I joined less than a year ago and am still more of a reader than a poster. Still a true newbie. I found this site while I was looking for a retirement calculator and stumbled upon a FireCalc thread. It's become the forum I read the most.

I also appreciate the work of the moderators to control the forum and keep the politics out. They do an awesome job.

I've picked up a few tips already and look forward to continue learning. I also hope that I'll read enough RE stories to finally convince myself to climb out of the OMY trap.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I love the advice I can find here on all kinda of subjects, not limited to ER.

And the chance to get to meet some of you very cool folks in person! I've been lucky to get to meet quite a few and it has always been a pleasure.

This is a nice home for me to find like-minded people, and I've been very grateful for the support in good and bad times from many of you.

 

[RetiredAndFree]

I discovered this board last year, about the time I finally came to terms with the fact that we really did appear to have enough in our portfolio to see us through our remaining years. At that point I hung up my 'frugality' mindset and started looking for someplace to, well, just rejoice in being FIRE'd. I think I even said as much in my first post here.

It's interesting to me that there are tons of forums and blogs on how to achieve FI, but virtually zero that discuss what to do once you arrive. And yet that's the funnest part! So finding others to party with here at E-R.org was a nice day indeed.

 

[38Chevy454]

I am a relative newbie, but do feel like an accepted member. I have learned a lot from the board, and hopefully have contributed back to help others. I got real interested when my job had major change and had to make some significant life and career changes. found the forum here and saw the value for myself. I believe in giving back, so now tend to be more answers and less questions.

I do appreciate the level of maturity and knoweldge that is available here. I hang out on several forums, but the others are related to my hobbies. This is my primary financial and life planning resource. I think that says a lot about the content here. Or it says we all think alike!

It sure would be a different world if more people would follow the general advice of members here on E-R.org

 

[braumeister]

It just occurred to me that another thing that sets this forum apart is the consistently good grammar and spelling. I know that we have a number of members whose first language is not English, but the posts don't show it. Careful editing before posting? Looking up questionable words or phrases? I don't know, but the effect is wonderful!

OK, it's a very small point, but it's very much appreciated.

 

[Walt34]

It just occurred to me that another thing that sets this forum apart is the consistently good grammar and spelling.

Probably since most are detail-oriented and plan ahead, a requirement to FIRE. Admittedly a spell checker helps.