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As you’ll read tomorrow (or Monday), I’ve entered a new phase in my life. After years of hard work and long hours building this blog (time that I’ve enjoyed), I’ve been shifting things around so that I have more free time. As a result, I’m going to have more time to devote to creating quality blog posts, instead of rushing around at the last minute looking for something to write about.
Because of this, it’s time yet again to take requests. I do this about once a year, and it’s a great way to get a feel for what GRS readers are interested in. I’d be grateful if you’d take the time to leave a comment below with topic suggestions or article requests. It doesn’t matter if we’ve covered the subject in the past. If you’d like me (or one of the other GRS staff) to write about it, let me know.
Have there been too many articles about credit cards? Too few articles about credit cards? Would you like to know more about individual savings accounts? Do you like the articles about the psychology of spending? Would it be helpful to have somebody come in to explain insurance concepts in plain English? Should I try to persuade my wife to share more of her recipes now and then? Let me know what you’d like to read about!
While you’re all providing feedback about the site, here are a few recent articles of note:
Over at The Simple Dollar, Trent and his readers had a thoughtful discussion about the obligations of wealth. “I think there is some inherent distrust of the rich in the mainstream of American society,” Trent writes as he describes how a wealthy person can keep from alienating his friends. There’s so much to say about this topic; I’m tempted to write an entire article about it.
GRS reader Steven writes a blog called Hundred Goals, which is about achieving your goals while managing your finances. After Sierra’s post this morning about travel, he dropped me a line to let me know that he has a recent article about how to have a great vacation.
Speaking of vacation, my pal Jason over at No Credit Needed spent time compiling day-use fees and free days for state parks across the United States. Handy page to bookmark!
And here’s more travel! At The Art of Non-Conformity, my good friend Chris Guillebeau has posted a beginner’s guide to travel hacking. I’ve been asking him to share this info for a long time; now I’ve got to take responsibility to use the knowledge he’s shared.
Finally, I’ve been giving a lot of interviews lately. I’m much more comfortable with these than I used to be. (They used to scare me to death!) Some examples:
- Colleen from The Frisky interviewed me about how to save money even when you’re living paycheck to paycheck. This is a tough quandary, something I’m asked about a lot.
- In an interview with BeFrugal, I discuss frugality, happiness, and conscious spending. (Note: “the ballot” should be “the balance” — I must have mumbled.)
- Jeff Rose at Good Financial Cents also interviewed me. This interview is very much about the process of writing a book, which may or may not interest you.
- I also spoke with Beverly Harzog from Card Ratings. We chatted about credit cards, of course, but also about other aspects of personal finance.
- Finally, USA Weekend has a short piece on how to give your 401(k) a midyear check, for which author Richard Eisenberg interviewed me back in May. This is a perfect example of how much work goes into even a small newspaper article. Eisenberg spent 20-30 minutes on the phone with me, and I’m sure he did the same with the other folks he quotes. Plus, I’ll bet he spent a lot of time writing. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 4-6 hours in this small piece.
Okay, one last thing before I go. Tim pointed me to a two-year-old New York Times series about the debt trap, which includes an interactive infographic showing average household debt loads over the past century.
That’s enough links for today. Please do leave a comment with topic requests or other feedback. Meanwhile, it’s time for me to go do some yardwork…
This article is about Spare Change Thursday, 15th July 2010 (by J.D. Roth)
I’d like to see articles speicifically detailing how to start on a budget - it can seem overwhelming when you’re first starting out.
Many resources lay out a plan to get out of debt, how to save, or how to invest, but too few truly explain how to set up a budget from beginning to end.
Could you please do an article on saving for your children to go to college? What are all the options and what are the best options? I have looked into 529 plans, savings accounts, bonds, trust funds, etc, but I feel like I am missing something or like there’s more to it that I’m just not seeing.
Thank you!
I would be interested in your thoughts and research on the social responsibility that comes with being wealthy (relative to most of the world), particularly the ideas of giving time and giving money to those less fortunate (both close to home and abroad).
I would love to read more nuts and bolts articles on where/how to stash your cash when you’re saving to buy a house. Even after all the reading we’ve done, I’ll confess we’re at a loss.
For example, say you’re debt free (with the exception of “good student loans” perhaps), have a solid emergency fund saved up, and are in a (very happy) position to start saving for your first house. You’ve got a bit of money to put away each month for this goal. And you don’t intend to buy a house for 3-5 years. What vehicles are best (safest? most profitable? easiest?) for investing your house savings in the meantime?
(Completely unrelated - if you have any travel questions, I’d love to help out! My husband and I went on an 18 month trip around-the-world in 2005/06, and continue to travel internationally frequently each year. We’re avid fans of traveling and of the idea that anything is possible!)
I’m always interested in more and better ways to organize my finances, track them, etc.; I would love to hear anything you and your cohorts have to say on the financial organization front. Thanks!
Hi J.D. This is not a request for a specific topic, but more of an interest in seeing more posts in a general area. I’d like to see more posts for those of us in the later stages of personal finance. That is, people who have no debts and are saving towards retirement or other long term goals or else people that are already financially independent. Thanks!
JD, it’d be great to hear about 529’s and saving for college for your kids in general. I don’t have any yet, but my wife and I are planning to start in about a year and I’d like to start figuring out how to pay for their education.
I like your variety of posts in general, but I do wish you would write a post (or have someone write a post) about how terrible debt consolidation companies are, because I think a lot of people in the early stages are easy targets to those companies.
Wow, I thought at first you were going to stop updating the site! Glad to hear the opposite is true.
I been trying to get rich slowly in the stock market (for retirement) since 2000. It has been really discouraging, as that supposed magic of compounding interest has never worked for me. These dollars invested in my twenties were supposed to have tripled by now, instead I have earned just about 0%. How are we responsible, buy-and-hold investors to deal with this 10-year (and going) bear market?
I would love to see an article about the pros and cons of investing yourself. I don’t mean like maintaining a 401k but actively managing individual investments. It seems like an engaging way to manage extra money if you don’t mind the risk, but I don’t even know where to get started.
I would be interested to see an article on how to establish credit as a recent immigrant with no credit history. I have good income, but that means nothing when applying for a credit card. I am treated exactly like someone who has no credit history because they declared bankruptcy or something.
J.D., I agree more writing about post-debt finance would be great.
In particular … probate?! I have a friend who recently passed away, and I’m her executrix. I went to Nolo Press to buy a CA Probate book, but a checklist and other “things to think about” AS the probate person, or to AVOID probate could be good.
For example, many people don’t seem to know that Life Insurance or investment accounts with a designated beneficiary pass OUTSIDE of the estate.
Lots of meat in this topic, especially for those of use in our 40’s - we’ll be dealing with parents’ estates soon (if we haven’t already!)
Keep up the good work.
One thing to note: These requests for more advanced topics (which I think is a good idea, by the way) will likely mean that I have to tap outside experts. I’m okay with that, but want to let you all know that in advance. As an example, I recently asked my lawyer to answer a question about what happens to your stuff when you die (especially your debt). That’s a much more effective way to get this info than having me read a dozen books and then regurgitating the info.
Ideas:
EBRI constantly shows that a huge percentage of current/former retirees will run out of money. Articles speaking to this would be great.
Giving to charity wisely - either with money or time.
Basic estate planning and what to know when it comes time to handle your parents stuff.
More [guest] posts for living on the cheap with kids - esp. traveling
Any new tax changes that affect Joe Blow starting in January (esp if changes not made to estate tax or AMT before then)
Researching 401k fees
Buying vs. making, when is it worth it (ie: making bread is much cheaper, but what about losing all that time you could be spending with your kids or doing something else?)
Living on one average/modest income w/ a family…cases w/ rural/suburban/urban families..
I’m with Patrick @ 9.
Everyone continues to tell me the virtues of putting money into my Roth or 401k but my money would be worth just as much under my mattress. While I understand that historically that money should eventually grow I feel like its very much dependent on “hoping” the market is good near my retirement.
Are there other vehicles I should be investigating to diversify that risk?
I’d like to see more on the differences among singles, married with completely separate finances, married with half joint/half separate, and married with totally joint finances. There are so many options out there and I think it’s interesting to see how others make this work for them.
Hi,
My favorite posts deal with living better on less. The garden, cooking, and other ideas that lead to saving AND a better quality of life.
Maybe an in-depth post on the costs/benefits of buying an older car with higher miles vs a newer car with lower miles. I’ve been in the market for a “new” car for a couple of months now and have debated back and forth about this topic for awhile. Heck, maybe I will write it myself and send it in to you, and tell you about my own buying experience and why I chose what I did.
Other than that, I prefer articles dealing with the psychology of money over how-to articles that could easily just be static links.
Try this again…
Maybe an in-depth post on the costs/benefits of buying an older car with higher miles vs a newer car with lower miles. I’ve been in the market for a “new” car for a couple of months now and have debated back and forth about this topic for awhile. Heck, maybe I will write it myself and send it in to you, and tell you about my own buying experience and why I chose what I did.
Other than that, I prefer articles dealing with the psychology of money over how-to articles that could easily just be static links.
I don’t have any particular topics of interest, but I know I would like to see more “meaty” posts. What I mean is, I feel like a lot of posts by folks other than JD are sort of obvious, the kinds of things people can think of off the top of their head. I would rather see quality over quantity.
I would like to see posts that either begin a discussion about a subject (like the How Do You Define Financial Independence post) or posts that are actually original work, rather than a regurgitation of information available elsewhere, or via common sense. I don’t mean to sound harsh at all, I’ve just been thinking about that recently.
Any posts specific to your “third stage” of personal finance would be great. There are plenty of get-out-of-debt blogs, but fewer about what to do when you get there.
I would love to see more articles on what do to after you are out of debt. If you are maxing out retirement accounts, what else can you do with your money to save for the future/retire as soon as possible.
I’d like to see a post from a health insurance broker about different options for family insurance plans, especially given the new legislation. My work plan is free for employees, but I’m paying around $1,000 per month for family coverage, and it may go up $300+ in a few months - talk about a budget buster! Since we are a healthy family, I’m considering a catastrophic coverage plan outside of my work plan, and then just pay for our doctor visits ourselves. If I can cut my insurance costs in half, that would be a huge benefit to our monthly bottom line.
I’d like to see something on Health Savings Accounts. It’s the one tax-advantaged savings vehicle that I don’t believe has EVER been covered here.
Budgeting, please! And yes to Insurance in plain English. Maybe the beginner’s guide to understanding the stock market?
I’m with Jen W. Regarding retirement savings, what about that period between 5 and 10 years out? Where to put $, what does “keep more money in cash as you get closer to retirement” mean? What do you do if you can’t get long-term care insurance? I guess I’m all about retirement and the scary question “do I have enough?” How do you really figure that out given all the unknowns?
I second the HSA suggestion. I just opened one this year and there are a lot of benefits to it for healthy folks who don’t want to overpay on their premiums. It’s an incentive to stay healthy for me and when I am 55 or 65 I think I can use all the money (tax free) on whatever I chose.
I also would like to see more on tax strategies. With only one out of two americans paying taxes I feel a little like a sucker sometimes. Living in Texas really helps my tax situation in that it is consumption based.
Also, there is a lot more to bonds than just buying debt off of treasury.gov. I would like to see an article with the general run-down on what exact to look for and invest in.
Finally, do I dare resurrect the life insurance debate? I have a whole life policy to supplement my overal wealth portfolio. Many would cringe, but as comment #9 alludes to, compound interest can only work in theory.
+1 to Jen W.’s request for “latter stage” posts on what to do AFTER the mortgage has been paid off, etc.
It sounds like folks are all over the board, as I suspected. We still need some articles on intro stuff like budgeting and how the stock market works. But there are also folks who want more advanced topics, including what to do in the “third stage” of personal finance.
This is actually how I’ve been trying to balance GRS for a while. I’ve been trying to offer a mix of posts. I’ll keep doing that.
I agree that we could see some more advanced stuff around here, especially stuff about the third state. One problem, though, is that those articles often make people in the earlier stages grumble. “Why are you talking about hiring a housekeeper?” they ask. “It seems like a waste.” But once you reach a certain point, you realize there are times to trade time for money (or vice versa). Not really something to worry about when you’re digging out of debt, but something to consider when you’re already firing on all cylinders. And this is just one example. A lot of financial decisions at later stages seem, well, out of reach for folks who are just beginning to put their life together.
Still, I’d love to explore some advanced topics. Sounds like there are at least a few of you who would like that, too.
I’m always up for more discussion about investing.
How much money does one need to retire?
In what cases might an annuity make sense for a part of a retiree’s portfolio?
How should one go about managing a portfolio during retirement? (Both from an asset allocation standpoint, as well as which accounts — taxable, Roth, or 401k — should be liquidated first?)
Or for younger investors:Why is a Roth typically promoted instead of a traditional IRA? (And does that make sense?)
Is a 529 a better way of saving for college than a Roth IRA?
What’s an appropriate asset allocation for college savings (which tend to have a much shorter time frame than retirement savings)?
My daughter (20 years old and a college junior) asked me just yesterday how she should go about learning what to do to keep her financial house in order from the very start. I recommended this blog because you can begin learning things in digestable bites. Ignore posts that don’t apply to you and follow links, comments and posts about subjects of relevance/interest. But the time she takes that leap from being supported by her parents to supporting herself, she should have a good grounding in practical personal finance.
That being said, I’m certain she would benefit greatly from posts that address what you should (and shouldn’t) do when you make that great big leap.
I want to know what do I get beyond enough and reach is too much. I wasn’t happy when I was spending my whole paycheck, but having millions of dollars isn’t going to make spending my entire paycheck feel any better.
If I had millions, I can’t see myself buying a brand new car, or paying for lots of redecorating at my house, or buying a lot of food that I would throw away. I’m not going to have millions (unless inflation gets a lot worse), but I will have “enough” at some point.
What happens to me when I reach my goals, and I have enough money to retire when I want? Should I take a break, and earn less? Should I increase the giving to those in need? Should I just turn it into more money? Should I buy a yacht?
I love this site particularly for the range of topics it covers. And even though I am far from the 3rd stage, it helps me to read those posts and imagine.
I’d love any tips on the breakdown of costs for a cross country move (US).
I also dig the psychology themed posts. Broad themes that interest me lately are money/control and money/power from the dark to the inspired.
I’d like to see an “Ask the Readers” piece about methods parents use to teach their children how to handle money, similar to the one you posted on 6/17/10 where folks shared their money management methods. We already have techniques we’re using with our two kids, but I’m always interested to hear other real-world stories about what works and what doesn’t for different families.
Things I’d like to see: more on investing, retirement savings, college savings, how to get kids through college without going broke, starting over financially (after divorce, new career, etc), creative travel on the cheap (not just how to save on a hotel or have a staycation but ideas for budget friendly vacations like trading a play to stay for volunteer work)
One thing you did that really stood out to me was the recent video contest … I learned so much from those videos!
Thank you.
Articles on the psychology of finances are great. How about something on “falling off the wagon” and ways to recover (I’m going through that myself right now). Also, ways to have fun for families & teens this summer without breaking the bank would be useful to me. And recipes are always welcome.
I love the blog, you guys keep me thinking about my finances every day.
I’d like to hear about how much a stay at home parent should save for retirement. I do some consulting so I make a little bit of money and I already have some money in a 457b from before I was a parent. My husband has a 401k through his work & will have a pension as well. If he is sufficiently covered, am I as well? I understand it doesn’t make sense to have all our money in his name in case we were ever to divorce or something.
I also find it hard to guess how much money I’ll spend in retirement. I can’t imagine my life at 65 will look anything like my life at 29. I don’t even know where I’ll be living except that it won’t be where I am now.
I’d be interested in reading how people have changed or what they have learned having gone thru this recession. Also would be helpful to have a post on financial planning when you have a child with a disability.
I’d be interested in reading more about getting started on the right foot. It seems that all the financial places and people I’ve heard are talking about how to get yourself out of debt, away from credit cards, etc. Well, my fiancée and I don’t *have* any debt except for our student loans, and we’re not worried about paying those until we’re out of school, of course.
What should we do to get started off right?
What sorts of things should we put our money into (investments, Money Market Savings, CDs, ESAs for our future kids, etc)?
What should we look for in our first apartment together?
I’m seconding the requests for:
-saving for a house
-401K
-married vs. separate finances
-making vs. buying / time vs. money
-giving to charity wisely
My own request - what to do with a windfall.
Health insurance (including high deductible plans and HSAs)
Flexible spending accounts
Retirement savings
Saving for college
I love the range of topics from people from all levels of personal finance. I don’t mind the complaining from people from different groups– it is good to see how other people feel even when they disagree with you (and it is good for them to see that people disagree and what is possible in the future).
I also agree with getting outside experts on the more advanced topics, but only if they’re outside experts who aren’t trying to sell something. I also know that these factual posts don’t get many comments (usually around 35), but I still find them to be very valuable. I think of them as the meat of GRS, and something I can forward to other people, while the ones with 200+ posts are generally more fun but not necessarily as useful.
@Jenzer (#33)
Send me the question, and I’ll make the post!
It would be great to see articles in series for example:
- Budgeting for beginners
- Saving for beginners
- Getting started for those deep in the hole, ie in debt & living paycheck to paycheck
- Advice for people who can’t make ends meet - what to do when your income is not enough
- Continueing on the road to success in savings/investing etc. for those who are thankfully out of the hole or steadily climbing upward
- How to protect good credit
- How to improve a bad credit score/how to recover from financial irresponsibilty & bad habits
- What to do in crisis - lost job/long-term unemployment/facing bankruptcy & foreclosure
Thank you!
Since you’re in a different stage of financial health, I’d love to see a post from you on the obligations of wealth.
I’ve loved Kris’ posts on everything she’s written about, but - since you’ve frequently mentioned that she was years ahead of you in this arena - I would love to hear her side of the story of the time when you were turning your financial life around. How did she react? What were her thoughts?
I’ve recently been thinking about a Health Savings Account - is that something you or any of the other writers could write about?
My husband and I have separate money accounts (a very controversial thing, so I read!) and I’d love to see more on how you two manage that.
I’ll stop with 4 suggestions.
Hi. So glad to be a part of such a great website.
My “need” topic is in single parenting. As a single parent (3 children) working two jobs, I am frustrated that we still live paycheck to paycheck. No support is received from the other parent. After doing this for over 15 years, I would love to see financial comfort (not luxury), in our lives. While my income covers expenses, I don’t find enough money to save, go on a vacation, repair/update the house.
I don’t want to whine, because I am better off than others, but I want to enjoy life and not just exist. Is there help out there that I can use?
Second: My favorite posts deal with living better on less.
For the love of all that is good in this world, explain life insurance to me. Life insurance as an investment tool versus life insurance and, well, insurance… and how the various types of life insurance can serve different types of people.
Please and thank you!
I would love to hear how retirement savings goals should be altered or not altered, if you’re guaranteed a pretty substantial pension. Just as an example, my husband is a police sergeant and while it’s pretty thankless work, it comes with a great pension. I’m sure there are others in the same boat.
J.D., first, I loved the book. Very helpful.
I feel like my situation doesn’t come up often in books like this. I’m in my early 30s, and my wife and I both have a crushing amount of student loan debt (200k or so between us). The payments consume about $2,000 a month just to stay current, which is a lot of our income (about 100k combined per year).
Anyway, I’d love to read a bit about dealing with large amounts of student loan debt.
I’d be interested in reading the psychological aspect of “third stage” of finance.
Most articles that talk about this stage advise where to invest, especially for retirement, but no one talks about the “why” or the personal aspect of it.
I would really like you to investigate and help with one particular money problem. It affects me and many other people suffering through this recession.
Currently many employers are denying jobs to applicants with poor credit histories. This puts an unfair burden on people who need jobs the most. Oregon recently passed a state law prohibiting employers from checking applicants’ credit histories, even with their permission. But in most other states, well qualified job seekers are refused jobs due to poor credit.
So how can the average guy, unemployed and with debts caused by unemployment, get around this roadblock? I’ve been hunting for jobs for months and months, I cannot find anything but the most menial employment, because I am disqualified due to credit problems.
Yes, I know the credit issues. I spent many years working up good credit ratings, only to see mine ruined instantly after a local economic disaster (massive unemployment due to a flood) and then the recession. And there are many more like me. How can I dig myself out of a hole, how can I get a job, when the reason I really NEED a job is the same reason they won’t give me one?
I also second: My favorite posts deal with living better on less.
I prefer the posts on smaller ‘frugal’ type things we can do, rather than the detailed financial ones. (Although that is mainly because I’m Canadian so most of them don’t apply to me). Any interest in looking into Canadian financial products and investments, such as RRSPs and TFSAs?
I’d like to see more of these types of articles:
- money management for people who have no debt
- retirement strategies for singles
- whether to convert to a Roth IRA
- investment ideas other than the stock market
As a DVM I think people need to know more about pet health insurance/planning for medical emergencies with their pets which can easily go into thousands of dollars.
Also, I think it would be helpful to know more about charity–suggestions on when to start, how to do it responsibly, how it affects taxes (when can you write it off?) etc.
- house purchasing timeline; different resources for figuring out how much house you can afford; maybe a look at how much “house” you get for your buck in a few major and minor cities to discuss relative value (I was the one who emailed in about co-buying with a friend and your answer and the comments were helpful but I initially was looking for a timeline of when we apply for mortagages, do we have to do it through the same lender, do we have the same realtor, what if one loan stalls when the other goes through - how do we work on the timing? guess we should both be pre-approved but does that mean it will go through right away? will sellers want to deal with people who are buying with 2 loans? experiences of folks who’ve co-bought before?)
- building a pet trust; what kind of atty involvement do you need; what kind of things can you put in a trust; picking people (executors and the folks who are the caretakers) who are going to respect the trust and not want all the money to go to people
- maybe a spectrum of people who dress well who’ve gotten the retail and huge-closet clothing monkey off their back and how (the clothing discussions are often okay but when I look at the authors their style is either not presented or is just arts and craftsy that I assume more stylish folks just ignore it as a “homey”/hippie thing to do?) or even how developing a signature style helps cut down on the number of pieces you need in your closet; how to pick things you’ll actually wear/that fit you
- what can tailors do; what can cobblers do to extend the life of your shoes or create better clothes for you? what shouldn’t we ask them to do?
While you have a pretty ample selection of articles on the trials and tribulations of home ownership, I notice there’s a definite lack of “How To Get Started” if you’re looking to buy your first home.
No one really explains exactly how a mortgage works for a house of any given price (i.e. if a home is selling for $100,000 and I bring a down payment for $20,000, how much of a loan should I get? What can I expect in closing costs? How do I calculate my true monthly payments etc?). As someone looking to purchase in the next year or two, these are all things I’m very curious about.
But in general, more “How To” articles on common financial issues, milestones and decisions would be a welcome addition.
love to keep seeing Reader Stories, so much to learn from real stories (both good and bad stories).
JD-
I’d love to hear a post on cost of living & salary differences throughout the US and abroad…I think this could be really interesting and & don’t remember anything like this being posted in recent memory.
Thanks,
Joel
I’d be interested in reading how people have changed or what they have learned having gone thru this recession. Also would be helpful to have a post on financial planning when you have a child with a disability.
Count me in for HSAs - I’m really interested in those but can’t quite decide if they would work for me. I’d love to see a nuts and bolts info piece and then maybe interviews or opinions from those who have used them successfully and those who haven’t found them to be workable.
Also, #33 suggestion is great - knowing how folks teach their kids about money could be really helpful.
would be interested to see an article on how to establish credit as a recent immigrant with no credit history. I have good income, but that means nothing when applying for a credit card. I am treated exactly like someone who has no credit history because they declared bankruptcy or something.
Please do an article about funds i.e. mutal and index. In the next nine months, I’m going to be diving into investing, and although I’m doing plenty of research and learning a lot along the way, I still feel as if I don’t know enough.
Where does investment come into play for the long term goals of members of Get Rich Slowly? Is it necessary at all in order to achieve financial freedom and success? What are the moral implications and responsiblities of investors? What sort of discipline is needed for long term investors?
HSAs and #33!
I’d love to hear a post on cost of living & salary differences throughout the US and abroad…I think this could be really interesting and & don’t remember anything like this being posted in recent memory.
Also, since you’re asking, it would be great if you wrote on the need for young people to save for their own college funds, and not just rely on the “bank of mom & dad.”
I’m starting graduate school in the fall, and after the initial sticker shock, I was able to find scholarships to get me through my first year.
However, after reading your blog and the books of John Bogle, I discovered the miracle of compounding interest.
I’ve been working since I was 11 years old (I’m turning 24 this summer), and if I saved just 10% of what I made from odd jobs and put it into an educational fund for myself, I probably wouldn’t be worrying about the possibility of taking on debt to pay for school.
This question is for J.D., and any other GRS reader out there (especially for those who have kids). Once kids start working and making their own money, should they be the ones to start saving for college, or is this something that can wait until they are older. Thanks!
I would like more articles along the lines of the recent one on target-date funds - not SUPER advanced, but good info. As long as you can find experts with a good voice, and who “get” your audience, I’d like to hear from others with more advanced knowledge.
Maybe you could consider a “third stage” spinoff/micro-site or quick one-paragraph reviews of good “third stage” articles to direct your readers to. Or you could decide to be come a CFP and take your readers through the learning process!
A very specific topic I think would make a great article would be exploring a concept raised by a book review on NPR’s marketplace last week, which found that there is a positive correlation between being a “cheapskate” and high self-confidence.
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/07/09/mm-im-a-cheapskate-out-and-proud/
I also agree with Deborah above — learning about different family structures and how they handle finances is interesting to me.
Other than that — Agree on the “living better on less”. I’m most interested in CREATIVE approaches - budgeting, frugality, shopping, saving, psychology, goal-setting - any of these topics are great as long as the concepts are fresh and I can maybe get some “ah-ha!” insights.
Finally, I’d love to see more on increasing income - especially from reader stories / concrete examples. Sorry for the super-long response!
I’d be interested to see an article about the implications of not raising your kids to understand the implications the jobs and careers they choose have on their ability to maintain a lifestyle their parents might have provided.
I encounter peers (i’m 27) all the time with very large debt who aren’t necessarily living an extravagant life but a life they got a customed to when living at home. Now the they are in the real world it’s hard for them to accept that the job they chose is not able to provide them with the life style they were used to. So they continue to live in a ‘nicer’ apartment, go out for dinner and drinks more then they should.
How do parents, who are well off, handle providing their kids with the comforts and stuff they may not have had when they were younger while also raising them to be responsible later on.
I’m part of the “sandwich generation” and my husband and I are facing two sets of parents who, in the next five years, will reach retirement age with no savings and significant financial problems. I’d like to know what options we have for helping them stay comfortable in their golden years without destroying any chance we have for financial peace! Thanks for all your great work - we love your blog and read daily.
I’d love to read posts about couples in which one partner makes significantly more than the other and how they handle things. It’s all well and good to say that “we’ll both put X% in the kitty and pay our fair share” but in reality, I’m learning that the most honest and well-intentioned of couples have trouble with this in a practical way. How do they handle retirement planning, household expenses, budgeting, establishing financial goals, etc?
I also vote for more “living better on less” posts and psychology of money posts!
Any article is good, if it is in simple layman language. The less jargon the better
Hmmm, every single thread is about yet another way to save money. While I’m actively saving my pants off, I guess I’d love to see an article about how to increase income as well. Maybe some ways to scrape out a few hundred dollars a month so I don’t have to feel bad about not using a coupon to buy toilet paper. I’m all for saving, but making a little extra sure sounds good to me too.
My two cents.
With so many people unemployed, myself included for six months (employed now however).I would like to have any help on how to get back in the black. I have already cut everything to the bone, including living with a broken air conditioning unit in Texas in the middle of the summer. Some fresh insight would be great. Keep up the good work, love GRS.
I would love to see an article about retirement plans when you don’t pay into social security. There is a state retirement for us plan but I know it won’t be enough for us.
@Laura (#47):
In case your question regarding pensions doesn’t get addressed (as it’s not exactly a topic that applies to everybody), this article I wrote a while back may be helpful.
@Claudia (#61):
Regarding index funds vs. other mutual funds, either this article or this article from GRS may be of use.
What’s it like not having to work?
What’s a vacation?
-Making ends meet when your income isn’t enough.
-life insurance, term vs whole.
-putting your kids through college.
-valid work at home options.
I’d be interested also in managing money once debt free.
And topics more specifically for Canadians - investing and also savings on groceries, etc.
Also changing careers mid-life (which relates to savings and being debt-free).
Pet insurance is a good topic.
More specifics about managing money as a couple - especially when some accounts are separate. And financial implications of marriage.
I’ll leave it at that.
I have just bought my first home, and there’s a lot I didn’t know! I second the request in #55 for a good article or series on buying a first home. For example, the difference between the APR and actual interest rate on your mortgage (I still don’t quite understand that part), all the other expenses you have to plan for, and to-do’s that are vital for getting started on the right foot. Setting up new utilities service, making sure your closing/escrow company gets everything right, insurance issues, and all the rest. I was surprised to learn, for example, that I’ll pay almost $600 up front to start propane service to my house because the tank-placement fee, first fill-up of 400 gallons, required safety check, and first year’s tank rental all must be paid at once when the tanks are delivered. There have been several little “surprises” like that, and if I hadn’t kept a big enough cash reserve on hand I would be in trouble now!
My vote is on the Health Savings Account (HSA) and comparison to standard HMO/PPO coverage.
Mike @48 totally feeling your pain! Just concentrate on snowballing your debt and realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel! We came up with a 5 year plan that meshed saving with paying off our own six figure student loan debt. We still have some time to go, but it helps to know we are at least making strides! We try to live cheaply, find small cozy cheap housing in a safe neighborhood, budget for trips, and every other source of “found money” goes directly to student loans!
I have two suggestions!!
A) what steps to take once you have launched yourself out of step #1 (paying off all debt and you have a healthy emergency fund) and the best ways to go about creating true wealth (at least sources and types of people to talk to). I find there is ample amount of writing about the first stage, but then transitioning to the second stage tends to be glossed over other than “save, diversify, and invest wisely”.
B) how to continue relationships with people (or how relationships are affected), for those who are on “the plan” and those who are not. For example, we have close friends that now have seemed to resented the fact we have changed our lifestyle, that we can now afford to go on a cruise or two a year etc. I keep explaining what we are doing, I don’t hide anything, but it feels like I am loosing long time friends just because of the way I relate to money and how they relate to money. I do have other friends that are more in line with our new lifestyle, but don’t necessarily resent us for what we have accomplished. It sounds easy to just get new friends, but we get along in every other aspect of our lives except when the topic of money comes up. At this point, I have literally known them half my life, they are geniuinely wonderful people, but HORRIBLE money managers! LOL.
Love the blog and looking forward to more articles!
When you’re doing the HSA article (or an expert is doing it), I think one important thing to note is that a lot of people get the Health Savings Account mixed up with a Flexible Spending Account. The flexible spending account at my university for health is actually called an HSA, but the S stands for spending and not for saving. I was recently on a forum and someone was asking about an HSA combined with a high deductible policy and how that worked and all but one person responding talked about her own flexible spending account, which is similar but different in very important ways.
I would love to read articles about the influence of commercials and marketing, especially the impact that it has on our children and their developing minds.
Lots of great ideas here. This might be something where you have to get someone to guest post, but I’d like to some posts on religion and money. Religious beliefs have a pretty big impact on a lot of people’s lives and spending habits, so I think it would be useful to have a few posts to discuss this from a few different perspectives.
1 - Roth 401K. What is it? When it is offered, who should use it? How is it like a 401K vs Roth IRA with funds, fees, penalties, etc
2 - Taxes and finances living abroad. I’m an American living and working in Singapore and I see so much mis-information from bloggers about this topic that I want more accurate and helpful posts to overshadow the inaccurate ones.
3 - Might be out of your topic range, but saving money to start a small business. How much do you need to offer yourself to get a loan (20%?)? Where should the money be saved?
4 - How to find value good contractors/service providers for your home to make your money count for more and make your repairs/services last longer
First, thanks for giving us input! Here are some things that sounded like they might be interesting to others as well.
I’d love to see some information about retirement planning for couples who have very different life expectencies - for example, they may be more than 10 years apart in age or one might have a health issue that the other doesn’t. In my case, I’m eligible for retirement at a younger age, but my husband’s family all live to be 112 (and then only die because they fall off the roof when repairing a 2nd story window). I want a retirement, but I don’t want him to outlive our assets! How have other people dealt fairly with this?
I second the idea about figuring out how the government pensions affect your retirement, especially social security.
Another idea that might be interesting for folks (esp. those with older parents) is detecting signs of financial abuse/protecting your loved ones from financial abuse/recovering from financial abuse.
Last, it might be helpful to have a reader story on getting fired ‘for cause’, and how you deal with that. For example, how do you get a new job when you can’t use your last boss as a reference, what should you expect psychologically if you feel victimized, and since this might be out of the blue, what should you do first? What should you not do? (For example, I’ve heard that you should take the first job you can get, just to get some cash flow; and I’ve heard that you should never take a “filler” job because it affects your unemployment.)
Love the reader stories and would love to keep seeing those — would be nice if you could profile some people who have retired or semi-retired early and have them explain how they did it. (The early retirement forum has lots of good candidates). Also profiles of people whose solid financial foundation allowed them to make dramatic and positive life changes — change to a different career, take time off to travel the world, etc. The more inspirational the better.
On the student loan question, it would be interesting to do a profile of recent graduates in similar careers but who followed different paths and accumulated different levels of debt to get there. I think it is often assumed that to get to X job you have to go to Y school and take on Z amount of student loans, but there are lots of people who prove this wrong. So if you could find four different investment bankers/lawyers/doctors/professsors/etc. who are in relatively the same professional position but got there very different ways, that would be really interesting to see/hear what they say about how their financial choices during school affect them now.
More posts from and about Kris (the latter with her permission, of course) would be great — especially ones where she gets to tell her version of your story. I love narrative…
More posts that incorporate reader input. You have developed a really great, supportive community here, and should maximize the benefit of it/to it.
Generally I really like the more philosophical posts, the ones where you dig in and explore the deeper meaning/role of money in our lives. You are an excellent, engaging writer, J.D., so I hope you will be giving us more as the result of this transition.
Oh, one minor quibble. As an overseas reader, I really don’t like the video posts that baker has been doing lately. I can’t watch them most of the time due to access issues, and it means one less GRS post to enjoy every day.
Thanks for seeking our feedback! GRS is one of the first sites I go to every day, and I really appreciate all your hard work and the great results it produces.
Alex @ 79 - many thanks.
I’ll also second your idea regarding dealing with friends in different financial situations. I am trying to live like a student, which means that when I go out with friends, I nurse a coke. So I am feeling the opposite end of your divide - where my friends tend to be spending a lot more (in some of their cases, potentially above their means).
I agree with @lhamo - keep the philosophy coming.
Additionally, having too much money can be as bad as not having enough, especially when we have kids and they don’t ‘do without’ like we used to. How do we pass this ethos on to the next generation when they have no experience of the consequences of not having money, and then squandering it? It seems like a have-have-not cycle over generations.
Just my 2-cents (pardon the pun) and you have a great blog. I think this is my first comment, but I’ve been reading you for about 18 months. Good luck with your new phase of life!
A post on the good, the bad, and the ugly of educational debt, when, in this economy, there aren’t so many scholarships/grants, and you don’t want to take on a lot of debt to go back to school…
Hi JD,
It would be great to see some articles of an international flavour. People get rich slowly all over the world, I’m doing it in the UK - so when it comes to posts on a 401k or tax dollar spending breakdowns, or indeed Health Insurance; I tend to skip over those posts as the principles may well apply but the technical details don’t.
So what about a look at the international equivalents, variants and possibilities???
Regards,
Stephen.
Hi I’m a European who lived the last 10 years in Asia, so probably not really the demographics this blog caters to. It’s very biased towards the American system, which is natural. But I think your readers would benefit from seeing how things work in other developed countries (retirement systems, investment alternatives, income tax, cap gains tax etc. etc.). From Hong Kong which is exceptionally liberal and has a low flat rate tax to Sweden who is bordering socialist but have a very well functioning society.
I am a current college student who reads your site on a regular basis. While a lot of the advice here can help me now or once I finish school, I find that on this blog, as well as others, student loans are thought to be “good” debt. However, with some of my loans at 6.8% or higher (and federal ones being some of the worst), which adds up to far too much interest for my liking, I find that I struggle with things such as creating a budget for my very irregular, sometimes non-existent income, as well as balancing paying for school for the current semester with minimal loans and getting a head start on paying off the ones I already have. I would also appreciate LESS articles on how students should go to state schools and their parents should refuse to cosign loans. While that was fine about 8 years ago when my sister was attending college, I find that at my private school, I am receiving more scholarships and paying the same or even less than many of those in state schools. My major also does not exist in most state schools, and I do not know of a single person my age who has been able to get a loan without a cosigner, as federal loans only cover so much, and some of us have only minimal help from our parents from various reasons.
J.D., perhaps you can find someone to guest post on these topics? Preferably someone who understands student life now, instead of 10 or 20 years ago.
I would love to hear about finances when entering into a relationship - how to merge? Especially when one or both people have debt and make different amounts of money? Thanks!
I’d like to see more posts for the divorced or never married single parent of kids.
We’re a big group and we have significant financial issues to deal with, but it seems like all the personal finance sites are aimed either at young childless singles or traditional married couples.
Our risk calculations have to be quite different than those of intact families because we are the sole support of our families, and we may have to pay child support (or pay lawyers to deal with ongoing custody issues) even if we lose our jobs. We also have to deal with figuring out how to share costs of raising children including college costs with a co-parent, and figuring out how to financially deal with a potential new spouse and/or stepchildren. Estate and life insurance, ie figuring out how to leave money for your kids that’s not going to be under the control of your ex-spouse, are also very critical for us.
I’d like to see a post about what to do early on to have a secure financial future. My boyfriend and I are both in our 20s and in grad school, so our income is very limited, but we keep hearing that choices we make now make a big difference later on in life. What are those choices, and how can we make the right ones?
I really like the psycology of spending articles. I would also like to see your thoughts on borrowing money to start a side business.
Information on Long-Term disability insurance and social security disability benefits.
How much to purchase?
Purchasing an invidual policy
Factoring in potential SSDI benefits when purchasing a policy
What to look for
Thanks
I’d love to see some articles about investing. I know not everyone is out of the, “in debt,” phase of their journey to being rich slowly, but I think the next step when you’re out of debt should be researching and learning more about investment and you don’t see a lot of that on most PF blogs.
I’d like to see more posts on the psychology of money. For a personal example, I’m carrying student loan debt, but have an emergency fund with enough to cover a year of expenses (it’s enough to wipe out the debt and still have some left over). I know that technically I should wipe out the debt at 3.5% interest since that would be a guaranteed return greater than I could earn in the MMA, but I feel like cash is king right now and its comforting to me to have that cushion. I am making triple payments on the debt so it should be paid off in the next 1-2 yrs.
A second for these:
#67 - Taking care of parents who have few or no resources as they age. This was a hot button topic on another blog and many baby boomers are facing retirement this way so I’d bet it would appeal to a broad spectrum of folks. I’ve been doing research on this for my parents and there are lots of programs for seniors to help so that even with just social security they actually can do it in on their own. But I know this is a major source of stress for many adult children of seniors and of course the seniors themselves.
#88 - Could not agree more on helping people understand the magnitude of student loan debt, along with the potential income their degrees will produce. This feel like dream killing to lots of people but I believe in telling kids you can’t always go to the college you want even if you get in. This is also applicable to graduate and professional school - lots of real life reader stories involve trying to figure out how to pay off six figure debt for degrees they went for because they didn’t have anything else to do. Chase your dreams but don’t mortgage your future to do it maybe?
I think #93 about single parenting is interesting but even if it feels too specific a request for you it would be nice to see single parents addressed in postings about the kid issues if advice to them would be different.
I’m excited to see what comes next!
Wow, lots of comments already! From what I saw, I’m with the Beginners Group. I actually feel that a lot of articles have a lot to do with people who are either on a solid path to financial freedom or already there (which is AWESOME & gives me hope) but I usually have to go to the Searches for Basics. I personally love the hacks. Like others, I’d like more info on types of budgets, how to budget, etc. I have a huge problem with that.
Oh and one thing I noticed, there does seem to be a lack of information for really young people. The other day on the forums for instance I posted asking if anyone knew of any good finance books for a high school senior. He’s about to start the most vulnerable year of his financial life but seems to have a good head on his shoulders at the moment. I’d like to encourage the behavior. Well, no one responded so either no one cares or no one KNOWS.