Don't be intimidated!
Coming to a new forum can be a daunting experience, especially when the numbers look like this:
Threads: 65,802, Posts: 1,484,641, Members: 27,574
Yikes... Where to start?
Do I belong here?
Who are all these people?
If I stay, how do I get caught up?
.... and depending on which thread/post you read first, it's a roll of the dice as to what you might find. Different if you're 62 and deciding to leave the workplace, or 35, and looking for the best way to plan for an early out.
On the other hand, maybe the subject will be foreign travel, or a specific health condition, the kind of pet, or a place to settle in retirement... or maybe just to find out if you have enough money to retire.
It's all here.
You'll find folks with more money than you've ever dreamed of, and po folks like me, who took a chance and decided to retire without a whole lot of money and are still happily unemployed, 27 years later.
Less than a million? It's a personal thing... appalling to some, hopeful for others, point being that with nearly 30 thousand members, there's a place for everyone.
While the numbers may be intimidating, the people aren't. You'd be hard pressed to find a friendlier place. Except for some friendly jabs between folks who have known each other for years... no snarkyness, no insults, and no intimidation. Just a place for mutual respect, and far away from politics and religion, which is what makes ER a comfortable place to be.
So... If you're new here, and happen on a post that asks for hotel suggestions on the Riviera... and you're thinking about a Saturday with the family at the State Park... just know that you'll be in good company either way. You'll like it here.
Coming to a new forum can be a daunting experience, especially when the numbers look like this:
Threads: 65,802, Posts: 1,484,641, Members: 27,574
Yikes... Where to start?
Do I belong here?
Who are all these people?
If I stay, how do I get caught up?
.... and depending on which thread/post you read first, it's a roll of the dice as to what you might find. Different if you're 62 and deciding to leave the workplace, or 35, and looking for the best way to plan for an early out.
On the other hand, maybe the subject will be foreign travel, or a specific health condition, the kind of pet, or a place to settle in retirement... or maybe just to find out if you have enough money to retire.
It's all here.
You'll find folks with more money than you've ever dreamed of, and po folks like me, who took a chance and decided to retire without a whole lot of money and are still happily unemployed, 27 years later.
Less than a million? It's a personal thing... appalling to some, hopeful for others, point being that with nearly 30 thousand members, there's a place for everyone.
While the numbers may be intimidating, the people aren't. You'd be hard pressed to find a friendlier place. Except for some friendly jabs between folks who have known each other for years... no snarkyness, no insults, and no intimidation. Just a place for mutual respect, and far away from politics and religion, which is what makes ER a comfortable place to be.
So... If you're new here, and happen on a post that asks for hotel suggestions on the Riviera... and you're thinking about a Saturday with the family at the State Park... just know that you'll be in good company either way. You'll like it here.
