Author Topic: Suggestion for New Category  (Read 9444 times)

fields

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Suggestion for New Category
« on: January 03, 2015, 03:03:52 PM »
I'd really like to be able to read about people in my own income/net worth category.  So it'd be great to see posts separated into those categories:  "50,000/year," "Net Worth <50,000" etc.  Anyone else like to see this?

deborah

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2015, 03:15:13 PM »
Definitely not in favour of this. You'd get a lot of posts in the wrong category for several reasons:

- people have trouble putting posts in the right category now
- the moderators do a lot of work changing categories of things already. You want to increase their workload?
- people change their net worth, so long lasting posts will almost automatically be in the wrong category after a while

Also, when I look for a post, I remember what it is about and search the appropriate category. Breaking it into net worth would mean I couldn't find things!

What category would this be replacing?

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2015, 03:36:08 PM »
I'd really like to be able to read about people in my own income/net worth category.  So it'd be great to see posts separated into those categories:  "50,000/year," "Net Worth <50,000" etc.  Anyone else like to see this?

Why? Diversity of experience has been far more instructive to me.

fields

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2015, 04:04:34 PM »
No, deborah, definitely don't want to create more work for the moderators, didn't realize it would do that.

goblinchief, at my age I just can't get much out of reading about 35 y/o's who have $500,000 in investments.  Good for them, but it's never going to be me, and I come here primarily to learn how to improve my own situation, within the boundaries of reality.

Is there a way to search for posts with specific income/net worth?

JetBlast

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2015, 04:17:12 PM »
I don't think there needs to be new forum categories, but perhaps you could start a thread inviting those in the income and/or net worth range (and those that used to be) you are in to share their experiences and advice. Might work well in Ask a Mustachian.

NinetyFour

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2015, 04:19:33 PM »
If it helps, fields, I don't think I will have $500,000 in investments until the ripe old age of 55--twenty years later than those young whippersnappers you are referring to.

There are lots of late bloomers (like me) around here who didn't become mustachian until their 40s or 50s.  Maybe you could check out some of the journals?

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #6 on: January 03, 2015, 04:37:29 PM »
The best way for the forum to help you improve your own situation is to post a case study :)

Johnez

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2015, 06:57:37 PM »
Not in favor. The diversity here is what I like most. I do second the idea of putting a career field sub forum in tho. Maybe a big career sub forum with seperate sections for engineers, lawyers, trades, law enforcement, etc.

I find the investment section and Ask a Mustachian section holds lots of answers for people seeking specific advice concerning their income or net worth.

swick

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2015, 07:18:26 PM »
- the moderators do a lot of work changing categories of things already. You want to increase their workload?

Thanks deborah! As a Mod (and it is all volunteer) I kinda shuddered at this suggestion :)

The suggestions for starting your own case study and journal are your best bets.

I love being able to learn from and interact with everyone, but f you are looking at something smaller and more focused, you could put the word and and see if anyone would be interested in forming a mastermind group with you and take it off forums, or use a journal as such?

arebelspy

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2015, 09:47:43 PM »
goblinchief, at my age I just can't get much out of reading about 35 y/o's who have $500,000 in investments.  Good for them, but it's never going to be me, and I come here primarily to learn how to improve my own situation, within the boundaries of reality.

Really?  Is there nothing you can learn from them?

I absolutely get inspired and learn from those a decade+ below me coming on the forums and posting about how they're doing, and sure learn from people older, whether in a better or worse financial position than myself.

Anyways, I think the above pretty well answers why this idea probably won't work out that well, but wanted to throw that thought out there.  Even if you're not going to be in that situation, is there nothing from them you can apply to your situation?  :)
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fields

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2015, 07:38:40 AM »
Just want to clarify that I have learned from those in much better financial situations than mine, and I have posted a case study, but I'd like to follow those who are closer to my current situation, because they are the ones whose current practices I may be able to implement. 

Paul der Krake

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2015, 08:02:48 AM »
The problem with this approach is that the next logical step is to start controlling for COL, number of kids, alignment of stars, and so on.

Anecdotally when I first started posting on this forum I was netting $840 after taxes per month, well below poverty level with no assistance programs whatsoever, sleeping on the floor and eating peanut butter by the spoonful as a meal. That income has since been multiplied several times, and I still get the same value from reading others' case studies.

ChrisLansing

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2015, 09:03:04 AM »
goblinchief, at my age I just can't get much out of reading about 35 y/o's who have $500,000 in investments.  Good for them, but it's never going to be me, and I come here primarily to learn how to improve my own situation, within the boundaries of reality.

Really?  Is there nothing you can learn from them?

I absolutely get inspired and learn from those a decade+ below me coming on the forums and posting about how they're doing, and sure learn from people older, whether in a better or worse financial position than myself.

Anyways, I think the above pretty well answers why this idea probably won't work out that well, but wanted to throw that thought out there.  Even if you're not going to be in that situation, is there nothing from them you can apply to your situation?  :)

Agreed. 

I'm 58.   I found out about MMM (and ERE) from my son, less than a year ago.    I've already benefited greatly from reading about people much younger than myself who already have a NW bigger than I'll ever likely achieve.     

I've also found out about other websites in the links people provide, http://www.joshuakennon.com for example.    This wouldn't happen if I only read posts from people my age, or only posts from people with similar NW (I doubt there are many here with a NW as low as mine)   

We have to face facts, the younger generation is smarter and better educated than we are (which is as it should be, if our schools are improving)  and people with high net worth obviously have habits worth emulating.    Let's learn from those who know more than we do.   

Perhaps focused posts on a topic that you are having concerns about would be a good solution.   

APowers

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2015, 06:00:47 PM »
I'd really like to be able to read about people in my own income/net worth category.  So it'd be great to see posts separated into those categories:  "50,000/year," "Net Worth <50,000" etc.  Anyone else like to see this?

Maybe this purpose would be better served by allowing people to set a value for their net worth on their profile, and then the member list could be searched/sorted by net worth. But still, I think that'd be a lot of work for the site administrators to implement.

innerscorecard

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2015, 09:44:26 PM »
There's already category creep. One of the biggest dangers to forums is having 20 categories, only 2 of which actually get posted in.

Dicey

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #15 on: January 04, 2015, 11:21:58 PM »
Too many variables...It would be a total nightmare for the unsung (and unpaid) heroes of this joint, the moderators.

This forum presents a wide variety of information. Not everything you learn here will have immediate relevance, but it could be useful in the future. Much of what we know comes from the experience of others. To narrow the parameters to your specific point on your journey is to eliminate the valuable perspectives of others who have successfully navigated the road ahead.

If you think you can only learn from people in your identical situation, stop reading now. Mustachians are people who are willing to embrace the non-traditional path to the goal. Forget the road less traveled, for us, there doesn't even need to be a road. With a general outline and a little guidance, we'll figure it out.

ChrisLansing

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2015, 06:55:40 AM »
I wanted to give your OP and subsequent posts a bit more attention.     I agree that sometimes it's hard to see the relevance between your life and someone 35 with half a million in their retirement account.     Look deeper. 

Distill the lesson from other people's stories even if the numbers have no relevance to you.    It pretty much all comes down to some basics.   High savings rate, investing, and frugal living.     If your income doesn't allow you to live on 25% or 50% don't be discouraged, just save as much as you can.   Advice on investing can be had in the investing thread.    Frugality tips pretty much apply to everyone.     If you came to Mustachianism late in life, as I did, then you'll have to accept that some opportunities have passed us by.   There's no longer 40 years ahead of us for compounding to do it's magic.   (But it still does it's magic if you only have 10 years, just not as much magic)    For those of us nearing traditional retirement age earning significantly more money probably isn't in the cards.   Focus on frugality, saving, and investing. 

Track you spending.   My wife and I did a budget and to our shock we found our expenses were $1,000 per month lower than our income (and our income is modest)  We hadn't been tacking spending so we didn't really know how well off we were and we were not saving/investing the $1K.     Now we are saving and investing most of the money.    We save about 1/3 of our income which is not bad on a modest income.   

For those of us who are older paying attention to our health will probably pay bigger "dividends" than any investment.   Nows the time to loose weight, get fit, and stay that way for the rest of our lives.   

A certain amount of "badassity" is necessary.  We aren't going to achieve anything extraordinary by following convention methods.   

fields

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2015, 05:15:06 PM »
Thanks, ChrisLansing.  I'm wondering if you've posted a case study or journal?   

ChrisLansing

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #18 on: January 05, 2015, 07:44:07 PM »
Thanks, ChrisLansing.  I'm wondering if you've posted a case study or journal?

Neither.   I should at least start a Journal.   I'd be happy to talk with you about specific ideas for people our age and our NW.   

arebelspy

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #19 on: January 05, 2015, 09:01:10 PM »
Thanks, ChrisLansing.  I'm wondering if you've posted a case study or journal?

Starting your own journal fields might net you what you're looking for with this thread.  You'll tend to attract other people in similar situations posting in it (and others, obviously) to chat with and learn from.
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DollarBill

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #20 on: January 07, 2015, 08:34:15 AM »
I'd like to see a travel or food section.

swick

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #21 on: January 07, 2015, 12:56:52 PM »
I'd like to see a travel or food section.

I'd be in favour of a food/grocery section. It seems like it is one of the biggest variable budget lines that people can do something about and there are food topics spread throughout many of the categories.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Suggestion for New Category
« Reply #22 on: January 07, 2015, 02:22:12 PM »
I'd like to see a travel or food section.

I'd be in favour of a food/grocery section. It seems like it is one of the biggest variable budget lines that people can do something about and there are food topics spread throughout many of the categories.

Probably throw gardening in there. And heck, if the dumpster diving thread is still active, that too! :P

Oh, and gleaning/foraging.

 

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