Thanks for a great forum (ER.org) and Moderators

[kevdude]

Here, here!

 

[street]

It is an amazing site. I wish I could of found it 15 year earlier I know I would of had a lot more money then I do today. Thank you for all the knowledge and great people.

 

[Scuba]

Our moderators and admins work hard and put up with a lot sometimes. I really appreciate all they do, so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

They are all good people, and most of them put a lot of effort into keeping this board a terrific and pleasant place to post.

Having been "behind the scenes" for 10 years, and back out front, now, I think you all would be surprised if you knew:

1) How FEW people are banned for any significant length of time; right now I can't even think of anybody who was although I am sure there must have been somebody.

2) How much work and diplomacy it takes behind the scenes to keep just a very few "bad boys" in line, so that they and others can enjoy the forum.

3) How unusually unbiased the mod team is, especially regarding politics. The team is pretty evenly divided in political leanings. They all know where the others on the team stand, and instead of pushing a viewpoint generally they bow out if they feel like their political viewpoint is motivating their moderating in any particular instance. They get called "Commies" and "Nazis" with equal frequency by those who chose not to obey the Community Rules.

4) All moderating decisions (other than deleting obvious spam, like "Buy Nikes"), are made by consensus, not by individuals. Nothing is done by a mod with a chip on his/her shoulder.

Thanks for sharing this, W2R. I can only imagine!

I too will add my thanks to the moderators as well as the forum members. This is the only online forum I use that is mostly free of politics. Excellent advice has been provided to me on many topics, ranging from major life decisions such as when to give my ER notice to somewhat trivial issues such as stylish but functional walking sandals. Thank you all!

 

[CDRE]

I'm truly thankful for the Moderators and for this resulting forum. Much appreciated!

 

[Maenad]

This thread is a great idea! Thank you mods and fellow posters. I enjoy the different perspectives here, this place helps keep me grounded!

 

[Dreamer]

Thanks for this site, the moderators and all of the forum members. I have learned so much here and appreciate all of the help that I have received over the years. This is the only site that I have been on consistently over the years. I like coming here and visiting with my "virtual friends".

 

[donheff]

Me too.

 

[LRDave]

This is the most civil and helpful forum I've ever visited - mostly due to the hard work and diligence of the mods. Thanks for all you mods do!

 

[athena53]

I appreciate this site, too. I retired at age 61, only a week after deciding the politics were too toxic at work, and someone suggested this site to me shortly afterwards. It's been so helpful- not only the general chats with escapees from MegaCorps but also the practical advice. I could never list it all, but Costco for hearing aids, Ting for cell phone service, requestatest.com for routine lab tests without having to go through a "gateway" physician and how to navigate ACA and Medicare.

This is a great community!

 

[MBAustin]

The mods are all blushing!

Thanks for all of the nice comments, but more importantly, thanks to all of the members here who make this such a friendly and helpful place for so many people.

 

[38Chevy454]

I'll add my thanks for the forum and the moderators. I have learned a lot here from the members, and hopefully have shared some insight to benefit others.

 

[gattara]

Over the last year or two I've noticed that I've often referred to this forum in conversation. A friend would ask, "how did you hear about that?" This forum is often the source. I rarely post but am a frequent lurker. Learning here that my husband was eligible to apply for VA disability benefits for hearing loss and tinnitus from his long-ago Navy days was a huge surprise. It sure is nice for him to get a little bit of disability income each month.

A heap of gratitude to all the moderators and forum members. I am embarrassed to admit I've been taking you for granted. I need to cut that out. I'd miss you all terribly if this forum ceased to exist!

Thanks, OP, for this important post.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Add me to the list of people that enjoy this forum and have learned many things from it.

 

[Koogie]

I'm afraid I have to disagree about the moderators..

I've been here 11.5 years and they've never brought me breakfast in bed, shoveled the snow on the driveway or bought me a birthday present.

So, for this poster, they have definite room for improvement...

 

[braumeister]

I'm afraid I have to disagree about the moderators..

I've been here 11.5 years and they've never brought me breakfast in bed, shoveled the snow on the driveway or bought me a birthday present.

Only for the members who signed up for the 1% AUM option. But there's still time to get in on the deal!

 

[NW-Bound]

Only for the members who signed up for the 1% AUM option. But there's still time to get in on the deal!

Aw, come on!

Most brokerages have a deal where special privileges or lower trading costs are offered to accounts of certain attributes, such as of a high balance or frequent trading.

May I suggest much less than 1% AUM fee, or even free, for frequent posters?

 

[Alan]

I joined the site some 14 years ago and have learned so much from the members here that it made my ER much more predictable and less daunting, lots of advice from many people - some of which I took

My thanks also to Moderators past and present who kept this site such a friendly, welcoming place to come that I wanted to be a part of it. A nice thing about the internet is that I have been able to relocate to another continent and still actively participate even though there is a time difference of between 5 and 8 hours between myself and most of the members.

 

[wmc1000]

Mods you do a great job! I agree that most of the posters to this site are very respectful and probably go out of their way to stay above the fray as it were.

 

[SumDay]

Ditto on all the kudos given above. As DH and I walked out of the SS office this morning, I said I'd never have known about the restricted spousal benefit if I hadn't joined this board. So, thanks!!!

 

[ownyourfuture]

Like almost everyone who posted before me, I've learned a lot here, at no charge! It's almost like having a personal financial planner/CPA available 24-7.

Thank You

That being said, I'd love to see a political forum where people could really take the gloves off. (unmoderated)

 

[sergio]

I have to say I (shudder) tried out the Fire subreddit on Reddit. Not worth the time or energy. Even when I get bored here and just skim the titles, I still find it a worthwhile use of a bit of time.

Agree 100%. Can't stand that place, as it seems to be 90% DINKS aiming to reach early retirement at age 35 at all costs possible. Same with Bogleheads - after the 10th post along the lines of "guys I make $10m/year, have a NW of $500m, is it possible to retire early? OMG WHAT AM I DOING WRONG", I gave up and rarely go there anymore.

This place is so much more relaxed than any other of the similar forums. Lots of diverse topics. Many members in the middle to upper-middle income levels, with families, debts, etc. where ER isn't trivial and there's a lot of interesting scenarios to discuss.

 

[Nature Lover]

....
My thanks also to Moderators past and present who kept this site such a friendly, welcoming place to come that I wanted to be a part of it...

+1000 Thank you to the moderators and the forum members.

 

[MichaelB]

There's a difference?

Of course! Shirt color is totally not the same.

Some of them are pretty shady but I think labeling them as "the rapists" might be carrying it a bit too far...

With friends like this ...

 

[Teacher Terry]

Own, you can talk politics on Mr MM and rarely do moderators get involved.

 

[MichaelB]

Thanks for the kind words.

A special thanks to the folks that share their knowledge tirelessly, repeatedly and free of charge. It makes me hopeful.