I am the guiding voice of Get Rich Slowly. Over the past six years (and one month), I’ve been the one who has written the bulk of the articles here, the one who has edited 95% of the material on the site, and the one who has decided which topics we cover and which topics we ignore.
That said, I like to think I’m responsive to the needs of the readers. As the audience has changed, so too has the material I’ve covered. (And, of course, my own financial life has changed too, which influences the direction of the site.)
From time to time, though, I feel out of sync with the readership. I feel like your needs and my needs have diverged. When that happens, I make a post like this one, a post that asks explicitly: What topics would you like to see Get Rich Slowly cover?
Rather than simply guess at this stuff, I’m asking you to give us feedback about what you need and want from a personal finance blog.
- Do you want to see more articles about the psychological side of money? Or would you prefer to see fewer of these?
- Is it useful for you to hear about the lateest bank and credit card deals? Or should we keep these sorts of articles to just a couple of times per year?
- Would you like more reader-contributed material or less of it?
- What about non-financial stories, stories about success and achievement?
Basically, anything you can tell us about what you like about Get Rich Slowly — and what you don’t like — will help us build a better blog for the future. So, please leave a comment below to tell us how we can better help you. (And, if possible, point to some recent articles you love and/or some recent articles you hate.)
While we’re talking about administrative stuff, let me note that we’ll soon be doing another round of hiring for staff writers. As we bring new people on board, what’s important to you about their content and writing style? Do you like personal stories? More academic pieces? Do you a younger writer who reflects your experience? An older writer? Somebody who’s struggling with debt? A millionaire? How important is the writer’s voice? Their writing skill? Basically, tell us what sort of staff writer you think would appeal to you
I know many of you would prefer that I wrote every post here, and that’s flattering. But, as several astute readers have noted lately, I’ve burned out. It’s time to inject some fresh blood into this site, and your voice will help us determine how we do that.
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As someone who lost well-paying job and is now temping in a rural area (so not a ton of work to do), I would love to hear more on “getting by”. Personally I don’t care about a great credit card deal or special loans as I avoid both, but I enjoy hearing more about how to get through tough financial times.
I like reading all the various authors on GRS, but I don’t find it as helpful when it seems the author just guessed their way through their situation. I find it more helpful when someone lays out their choosen strategy and the thought process behind it all.
Thanks for all your work!
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I’d like to see some stories aimed at those who have been getting rich slowly…for quite some time (call it the “Got Rich Slowly” column). So, posts appropriate for those who are now doing fairly well, but are maintaining the general philosophy – while engaged in activities that those starting out might not be ready to consider (smart investing, early retirement, family travel, rental property, trading money for time, etc).
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I agree with Tom. More personal stories relating how folks are managing and/or succeeding. I don’t read the articles talking about credit cards and loans.
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I had asked that this accidental reply to comment #1 be deleted in favor of my root-level comment #7, below.
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Personal stories are perennial winners. They pull you in better than any other writing, IMHO. I’ll chime in with another ‘Tell More Storeies!’ request.
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I agree with Tom also. I don’t read the debt or credit card stories because I see how some people abuse them to live beyond their means and then complain they are broke.
I would like to read about more quickly growing my savings so I have more for retirement.
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+1. While I’m fortunate to be gainfully employed in an urban area, the jobs I see listed are different from just 6 years ago – the lower-tier jobs are largely gone, and the listings require extensive experience and higher degrees. I think a LOT of people are just getting by, many more than the official unemployment rate and media spin would have us believe.
(Personally, I believe the boom times of the second half of the 20th century was an anomaly, and I believe it’s come to an end. I think you’ll see the middle class continue to disintegrate and a return to a “pyramid” economic class system with a few rich at the top, a few more in the middle, and most on the bottom. To change this pattern would require huge shifts in society, government policies, and how business is done, and people don’t change until they have to.)
Likewise, fewer stories on great credit card deals and more stories that question whether we should be using credit in the first place (how that attitude of “just use credit” impacts society in the U.S. and worldwide).
Also likewise, staff writer and reader stories are great, but only when they explain the thought processes, motivations, plans and strategies. “I just fell into it” isn’t useful.
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Yes, I too would like to see more ideas on ‘getting by’ with less. For some of us, in this present ecomomic climate, times are tougher than they have ever been and it would be great to hear some ideas on stretching our resources and living on less.
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I’d like to see personal “now I get it” stories. A lesson wrapped in a story is still a lesson – and that lesson tends to stick with me when I can imagine a real person having lived through it.
I’d like to read about what it’s like to have money and freedom and wisdom regarding financial choices. I find it inspiring. I want to have a lot of money in the near future and am working toward it – learning as I go how to handle having it and making choices for me and my family.
I don’t care about credit card or loan deals. I use the credit card for emergencies (had one recently on the road that included an overnight stay and a $500 engine repair bill). And for when I purchase online.
The style: conversational yet professional. Keep the grammar correct, but don’t write as if for a book. Writing for a blog means keeping it concise and succinct.
Young or old doesn’t matter – it’s the story that matters and we all have a story. I learn from the articles and from the comments – proving that it’s not necessary for me to have experienced the situation to learn from someone else’s experience.
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I’m interested more in the “third stage” stories, as well as the behavior/psychology stories.
I also mostly enjoy happy and successful stories!
How about a different format – i.e. the front page does not just have one article, but has the latest articles and/or groups articles (based on “stage” or something else?).
I don’t know – part of me likes this idea and part of me thinks it may make the discourse in the comments less valuable. But this could keep conversations on topics going, whereas now each new story really pushes down the previous one.
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I agree with Bon. I benefited greatly from reading GRS, but would like to also know more on the “3rd” stage. Perhaps a dedicated section on which groups articles on investment strategies, 529 and retirement planning.
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I completely agree! I have already paid off the debt but know nothing of the next phase….investing. I would love super basic articles about investing as well as reader stories about successful investing. I love reader stories.
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there is a dedicated section for 3rd stage at “guide to money”
http://www.getrichslowly.org/guide-to-money/
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I agree that breaking down content by stages of net worth would be an ideal change.
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+1. While I have student loan debt and a car payment, I don’t have credit card debt. I make more than I spend by a sizeable amount. “How to save money on X” just doesn’t do it for me anymore.
I really am at the stage in my life where I need to figure out what to do with my extra money, not find ways to make more.
I like the idea of having the main page organized by stage or something like that.
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You’ve written about challenges with your mom’s mental health and finances. As someone who struggles with being bipolar, working and managing my finances I would like to read more about this topic generally (doesn’t have to be from you.)
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As an international reader, less of the latest bank and credit card deals, but that is purely selfish. The generic style articles which mention the deals at a much better fit.
Maybe its just me, but there has been a lot of articles on the frugal side of finance lately. Cutting back can only take you so far, and in todays world of stagflation, cutting back merely delays you from going backwards.
I do like the more personalised stories as well. For example your latest dancing monkey story. While I’m not in a position that I’m wondering if I should take on another writing gig (and I’m sure most other readers aren’t with), the core decision around why we work is definitively central to all of our lives.
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I’d still like to see about half of the articles on frugality.
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I’d like to see some stories aimed at those who have been getting rich slowly…for quite some time (call it the “Got Rich Slowly” column). So, posts appropriate for those who are now doing fairly well, but are maintaining the general philosophy – while engaged in activities that those starting out might not be ready to consider (smart investing, early retirement, family travel, rental property, trading money for time, etc).
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… to add to that, I want real life details of what successful readers are doing or did to grow their money. How frugal is their lifestyle? I want to hear about lessons they learned and applied. I want to know what to emulate about them.
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I agree – I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of how to be super frugal lately or how someone got rich quickly with some luck and now is traveling/writing/working 1 day a week etc. Those stories are inspiring to see that it can happen. But I’d love more about the people who are your readers, which my guess is a lot of people like me working regular 9-5 jobs (that we don’t necessarily hate!), saving, contributing to retirement, maybe investing, and not running up debt. We’re the boring ones, but we are the ones (hopefully) getting rich slowly.
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I would like to see advice for those of us that started saving for retirement later in life and have a hard time catching up. Time is NOT on our side if we start saving for retirement at 42 like it would be if we started at 22, so what do we do other than wishing we could go back in time?
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I’m in that boat, too, addoc. Started saving at 37. The late start seems to call for a combination of being frugal and sending as high a percentage of one’s salary to a retirement plan as possible.
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In a similar vane, how about those who might not by a house until they are 40? I’ve got the retirement thing down ok, I think, but between $100k in student loans and living in suburban Washington DC, it’s going to take me several years to pay down significant chunks of my student loans and save a good down payment for a $300k townhouse.
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I liked the series we used to read about helping a reading make a decision. Should I buy a house or just rent type of thing… for example.
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strategies for those of us who started families at age 40+ and are playing the retirement vs. raising kids vs. college savings game
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Hey, I resemble that remark!
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likewise, some articles for the late-starters? For people who have changed their career in the mid 30s, burn through the savings to do so, and not really having steady income or have kids or can buy a house until they are in their 40s…what to do?
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This is a fantastic suggestion. By the end of 2012, I will have paid off all of my debt (including student loan, credit card, etc) and Get Rich Slowly has been a great support in this endeavor. However, I only started saving for retirement at 39 (2 and a half years ago) and I rent an apartment (which is fine for now) but I think I might be interested in saving for a down payment and buying a house. I’d love to hear specific strategies for saving for retirement while also making other decisions with how to spend money (buying a house, going on a vacation). As I increase the amount I contribute to retirement (a goal for 2013) how do I decide whether I should increase the contribution to my my 403B beyond my current match or open a Roth IRA? I’d LOVE to hear more about making smart allocation decisions.
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I’d like to see some starting right now so to speak. ie laying it all out now – their debt and how they plan to achieve their goals etc.
Monthly updates on changes made and progression also…
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I agree with Paul but I’d also like to see any setback that they may have had and the reasoning for it and how they plan to get back on track. It might be a lesson to us all on why the wrong decision was made or why it was forced upon them. Love GRS! Thanks!
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I don’t know if the GRS forums are still active, but they were terrific place to lay out financial goals and work toward meeting them. I used them for a couple of years as I finished paying off my house and set other goals. Very motivating.
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A forum for those of us who want to know how to move into a new stage. We are great at saving, watch our spending, are saving for retirement, and have bought a house that we now are trying to pay off ASAP. But… What we in this group lack is good investment strategies and how to start small. Stories, examples, and forums for us would be great. I know investing is a good way to play catch up in terms of retirement, but where to start? How to start? How much should I save first before i start? And given that I’m in my 50′s and don’t want to work until my 70′s at my job what are some strategies I can use now? And who has done these things? How did they approach it? How has it worked for them and what hasn’t worked for them?
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These are the Get Rich Slowly forums, but I’ve found that the Bogleheads forum is great in giving guidance, and has lots of threads to peruse on what previous people have done, benefits of various investing strategies, etc.
http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/index.php
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As a writer who would so completely be all over a gig here, I will second this idea. I’m just starting out, making plans, working on them slowly…
And I’d rather read about that, too. Especially follow-ups. I’d like to know I’m not the only one who slips up, or worse, gives up.
I think there should be something similar to Ask the Readers, but different. When there’s a question that could be addressed on many different levels, there should be a few different writers from different stages that can provide their input. Just like Ask the Readers, but more organized and with consistent people.
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THe psychological side of money is good. Bank/credit card deals should be just a couple times a year because honestly, I have my bank and who wants to go through the hassle of switching (unless they’re literally going to give me like $500 to do it)? Non-financial stories about success and acheivement are good, becuase to get rich slowly I think all areas of your life should be successful and well-balanced (in fact, my favoriate recent article was “Making the Choice Not to Decay.”).
For staff writers, I think it’s important to have people from both ends… struggling to pay off loans, etc, like my wife and I, but also the other end of having acheived loan payoffs, etc. People sturggling like me are inspiring and helpful and help me think of other ways to handle things, but sometimes I fear when I get our loans paid off I won’t know what to do with money! How do I invest? Where shoudl we invest? What investment company shoudl we use? For writing skill… well, it’s nice if you can hear someone’s personality. I don’t care what experience they have.
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Find someone to do garden articles and other around-the-house DIY projects. That’s definitely dropped off the rotation. Stuff about exercise and how to do it cheaply. Basically, a bit more about hobbies that isn’t ‘drop them and sell your stuff to avoid spending money’ or ‘spend all you want, you have tons of money.’ Stuff for people on a budget, but who do have some spending money, who want to do as much as they can on the fun side without going over-budget.
Also, or alternatively, people who are willing to talk about their personal lives/journeys/problems. GRS is most engaging when it isn’t abstract.
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I like to read about these things too. Another site that does this sort of thing is Mr. Money Mustache.
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I hated the weekly gardening update. That’s probably the best thing for GRS about the divorce. It’s way too targeted a subject for a single post. If you want a post like that an additional general-type post would be appreciated as well.
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The garden updates only showed up on Saturdays when there normally isn’t a post. So free disposal.
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Purely personal, but being part of a couple solidly in the accumulation phase, articles about people with more money are nice. Do we make this decision or retire a year earlier? When and how should we transition to part time? How do you decide how much and how long to work? What are you frugal with so that you can afford luxuries in another area?
I like personal stories as well, or at least examples. For writers definitely want a more conversational style and a variety of ages.
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I really enjoy the personal stories showing the path to financial success. I also appreciate topics related to being an entrepreneur (or starting a side business) and how to earn additional income.
Thanks for all the great articles! Cheers!
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What exactly is the process for submitting a sample piece of writing to GRS to be in consideration for a reader article spot/possible staff writer position?
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Hover over the “more” tab on the top bar of the page and then click “Submit your story”. Alternately, this is the page: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2012/01/26/spare-change-submit-your-story-edition/
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I’m a big fan of the variety of writing here, and I think reader stories and the crowdsourcing articles are my favorite, because it shows how many paths there are to live a prosperous life.
Just keep doing the opposite of what’s happening at The Simple Dollar, and you’ll be fine
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Tom, on a slightly different, albeit very interesting topic, I listed to a podcast yesterday on crowdfunding from NPR. Worth a listen if you’re interested:
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/18/139754422/yancey-strickler-co-founder-of-kickstarter
Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with NPR or Kickstarter.
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By crowdsourcing, I meant the Ask the Readers series, where JD gives advice and people add commentary.
Though I do find kickstarter to be very interesting too!
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Understood. I’m still a little bit of a newbie to the site. Cheers!
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I agree, I used to love The Simple Dollar but for the past several months it has been so redundant and boring!
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I couldn’t agree more….except that you left out PREACHY!
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I second that … I took Simple Dollar off my reader and added GRS, because I noticed the articles here were getting better and TSD has clearly become a low priority while Trent explores his novel writing–NOT that there is anything wrong with him doing so, as he has advocated many times to do what you have to do in order to follow your passion. However, it’s disappointing to a longtime reader like me who sees the site (and formerly insightful comments) wither away–and so quickly!
As for stuff I’d like to see here, I agree that I don’t care about credit card deals, “infographics”, or basic guides without specific examples of individuals’ success. I do like the reader stories, money psychology insights, etc.
Right now, I’m starting a family in an OK financial position, and so I would be happy to hear from people who can share experiences similar to mine that i can relate to. Additionally, my parents are getting older and still working, but will probably be retiring in a couple years and I’m sure I’ll be helping them in some ways, perhaps financially or just for stability. Would also like to hear how people are dealing with that situation.
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I just wanted to second the request for information where people are needing to support their aging parents financially. Even though I had a financially savvy upbrihging, I married someone who’s family was not as financially successful, and I’ve never really thought about how to incorporate that into our lifestyle.
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Yes please – more about having kids (we have a toddler and I would love to know what to expect from those whose kids are older), families (like that amazing article you did months ago where the daughter had an incredibly-prepared father who made sure that when he died she was 100% up to speed, knew all of his “people,” etc.), and investing. Once you have some money, what do you do with it? Sure we have an emergency fund in cash/CDs and investments in index funds etc., but would love to learn more about this.
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at first i didn’t see a difference, then i realized GRS generally had more useful articles (although i love the mailbag at TSD). then it started getting more and more _generalized_ and i noticed how dude _bolds_ every other _word_ to try and get attention? i don’t know, when _every other sentence_ is bolded, i skim that mfer like tv dinner directions. plus it’s such vague, useless feel-goodery, there’s just nothing of substance on the site anymore.
and then something happened to the site where i can only view it in safari and they didn’t bother to address it? so now i have to go to a different browser to read a crummy blog? nah. i check in once in a while to read the snarky comments but that’s just my schadenfruede kicking in.
in any case, thanks for being attentive to the site, i would hate to see it go the way of the simple dollar.
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The mailbag on The Simple Dollar is unintentionally HILARIOUS (and the comments section is even better).
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The comments section used to be the best, most useful, part of some of the articles. Now the most comment you can leave is like 1 sentence :/
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what do you mean by ” one sentence comment”. there is no such limitation on comments. pls contact webmaster, if you encounter technical issue.
clearing the cookie / caches generally solved the tech problems for our users in the past.
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As a female graduate student setting off on my own I would love more advice for young people. What should be my first move when I actually have enough money to start saving/investing/401k-ing etc.? I read your blog every day and I feel disconnected from the entrepreneurial and/or wealthy people posts.
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Completely agree. It would be nice to have a student voice on here. I also agree with everyone wanting a European perspective too. This is a global world with a closely linked economy.
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No interest in credit cards.
I like the stories that keep me encouraged.
I was never one to get in debt. But, never one to save much either.
The idea of finding fun in saving has caught on. Finally. But, I like posts that keep that in the forefront of my mind. This is a new lifestyle for me. I don’t have others in my social circle that care about saving. Too, my husband it not quite on board.
Anything that encourages frugal behavior would be great! I want this new behavior to become concrete in my mind.
Love stories of living on less and, enjoying life more.
*Eating well/spending less
*Great food fast and, frugal
*Celebrate in style on a dime
*Vacations that give back
*Opportunities to make side income
*How to articles on typical repairs
*Book reviews
*Great places to park your savings
*Keep up with latest/greatest insurances
*Government Policies that change/apply
*Best places to retire
*Investing in solar, is it worth it?
*Build your own compost, easily.
*Harty garden veggies that give back.
*Who says you need a green thumb?
*Success stories
*Lessons learned
Many of the above topics could be a weekly/monthly topic. Thus our knowledge would continue to build in these areas.
Thanks for asking.
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I really like the idea of serialized stories on certain topics. Maybe we could also have someone who reports in monthly on getting out of debt? Maybe you could have a monthly report from folks at different stages of the financial journey? I would like to hear from other couples in their 30s with kids/jobs/house etc, sounds like students would like to hear from other students, etc.
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OK, as a very very long term reader, I’m going to say it- since you ASKED. Remember you ASKED.
Could we have more staff writers that don’t talk about how they just need to do “yoga” and drop money on a “studio” for it? It comes across as snotty to my midwest ears. And the whining about how to figure out how to pay for it.
Why can’t they just call it a “gym membership” like regular people and be done with it? And admit that paying for a gym is a want, not a need, cause you could learn to exercise without a monthly fee.
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ok, I disagree with K, who cares if someone calls a yoga studio a studio, that is simply what they are called, it is not snobby, it is correct.
that is beside the point though – this prompted me to say that I really enjoy the articles on health and wellness; and I like K’s point of what is a want vs need for these types of purchases and choices.
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I’d like to see greater diversity in staff writers as well. The problem could be that those interested in being a blogger are the 20 and 30-somethings living a more “non-conformity” lifestyle.
Perhaps an older, near-retirement or retired couple to give reflection on the GRS philosophies throughout different stages of their lives.
Perhaps an American who’s working abroad, or a foreigner working in the US talking about how money is dealt with in different cultures and give advice for those that will be living in new places and cultures.
More geographic diversity in writers.
I do like the staff writers, and I’m not necessarily saying you need more staff writers, but I would like to see some “contributing writers” in the above areas.
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I am older and I agree with Chase – I remember many things my European-born parents, who lived through WWII, had to do to survive and these tips and frugal measures have helped me immensely throughout my life. I would love to hear from my peers if they have any memories/stories of their parents/grandparents talking about the Great Depression, and recipes, gardening ideas, making over clothes ( I could actually contribute a lot of articles about mending and darning, which have become lost arts in today’s society) etc.
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i finally bought a little box to hold all my sewing stuff, as the economy has gotten worse and worse, i’ve been repairing more and more of my clothes. if i fix up the holes in it, i can get another few months of wear out of it.
then i feel like poor little match girl or some laura ingalls wilder BS, but then i have my garment back with less holes and more buttons after sewing it up, so i guess it comes out even.
still, i’d like more money for new clothing
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I am an international reader (in UK) and one of those who might have been cruising towards retirement now (if not in it) had I not taken a wonderful five years off to travel, buy real estate (in the noughties -on credit- duh!) and live on credit. OK, don’t tell me, I know.
Now my issues are quite different than they would have been. I’m looking at huge debt, which is crazy at this time of life and working hard at a management job to keep myself in recovery in the situation, which is where I’ve been since 2008, although the situation has gradually improved so I allowed myself a good overseas trip this year to see family and friends. I live in a cash economy so credit cards and investments are mostly of no interest. There must be plenty of others who find themselves in my situation now – seeing retirement moving farther away to a distant elusive horizon. I’d like to see more for us – the active older workforce. Thanks
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I’m a Nebraska girl myself but I don’t think Yoga is snotty if anything its become more accessible to the middle and working class.
You can get a Yoga dvd, a mat and do it at home.
Or you can go to a gym and find a yoga class. Its one of those things where its as affordable or as expensive as a person wants to make it.
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I’d like to see more on the “macro” view. I feel the Euro crisis has a direct impact on our personal finances (interest rates down, lack of hiring, etc…). Pointing out what individuals can and can’t control is important as it can be depressing to be doing all the right things and still see your net worth drop along with the market (here I agree with Buffett – I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing). Finally, a discussion on the unique opportunities that are available right now (buying some stocks/assets at garage sale prices) would be welcome.
I know this isn’t an investment site but I believe the above do have a serious impact on personal finances and deserve a more thorough treatment.
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Blogs tell stories, educate, and disperse information. In addition to those things, my favorite blogs are the ones where I get to know the writer(s)better as well. For example, I currently enjoy Mr. Money Mustache because his personality emerges in his writing and the content he posts challenges my thinking and informs me. For the same reason I have stopped reading the Simple Dollar Blog. Originally I could relate to Trent and his “sitting beside the crib of his son realizing that he must change” moment. For quite some time he has not responded in the comments section and his content is impersonal and mundane.
To summarize, in addition to the solid content GRS provides, I want to get to know the writers, I learn from their mistakes as well as successes, I want to be informed and challenged, and I like writers who respond to comments. I also enjoy the reader stories posted on Sundays.
Thanks for the check-in J.D.
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Yes to all of this.
To add: This website tends to trend towards the SINKS and DINKS. That’s fine, but I want to hear more stories from people like me – suburbanites trying to make a little extra while also raising small kids.
And may I make a request? Maybe cut back a bit on the travel-related articles.
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Or have family-travel-related articles… I’d LOVE to read about that!
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OK, I’ll show my age. I’m 54. I read this blog everyday and think it’s great. However, I would like to see more articles for those closer to retirement or retired that are not in the best financial position to retire but still want a life. I would love to read how others are doing it. Perhaps you could have your core and then sections with articles for different stages of life. Often times I read the articles about those in their 20s and only have regrets. Perhaps cast a wider net?
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I’ll second this. I’m 49 and only started saving for retirement several years ago. I’d like to see articles with people in the same boat, and what they are specifically doing to catch up as best they can.
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I don’t know if these will be well received, but for folks who didn’t start thinking about retirement until 10 or 15 years beforehand, you might check out the (now retired) Early Retirement Extreme blog or Mr. Money Mustache blog. Both have a similar theme (cut expenses and save as much as possible, retire in 10 years time). In their case, that meant retiring early, but its really just about retiring in a short time frame. They have a certain flavor to them that I like, but others may not. Just a thought…
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I like everything except credit card offers!
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I think a more diverse cast of writers would be helpful. I like to read posts and stories from different facets of life because it helps me get ideas for things I could do/change about my financial situation. I am young (24) and newly married. My husband and I have set the goal to pay off our debts so that I can quit my job when we decide to start a family. Though I love reading success stories from people who have accomplished similar goals, it would be nice to read more about how others are currently working toward these goals–like trying to make ends meet when saving/paying off debts or living on a budget in retirement.
I don’t necessarily want a bullet-point list of ways to save at the grocery store, but a real story of someone learning to save and trying different methods that reveals a writer’s personality. I guess I’m not as interested in someone reflecting/listing/explaining something they’ve done that was successful as I am in following people through these different experiences.
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More BROKAMP!!!!
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And cat pictures!
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Yes!!! He is MotleyFooltastic!!!
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Yes! As long as Robert Brokamp stays, I don’t really care who else is brought on board.
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By reading the comments from the people, most who are saying not to do posts on credit cards is more of a reason why you should. People who are avoiding these because they are scared or don’t understand how they work are really missing out on a good opportunity and amount of extra money that they could have. Personally I have two credit cards, one that gives me 6% back on groceries and 3% back on gas (which I just by gas gift cards at the grocery stores so I get 6% back on gas as well – will work for any big purchases at other stores you wouldn’t normally get a discount on too, or just 1%) and I the other card gives 5% back on dining out, entertainment and Amazon, which are my big expenses. With just those two cards I receive over $500 extra a year as a single 32 year old guy, the savings for families most like would be much more. Credit cards are not the devil. Not sure who couldn’t use an extra $500 a year or more, granted I can understand some people lack the will power to use credit cards properly, but I don’t think that is most people. I think most people have just a negative perception of them instead of using them to their advantage.
Also, what keeps me from coming to GetRichSlowly often is I find it hard to find articles to relate to. Again I’m a single 32 year old guy who lives in a condo in Miami, articles about making jams from your garden and buying in bulk at Costco don’t really apply to me. With the title GetRichSlowly I read a lot of concepts on the idea of money, but find there are few posts that actually help lead to the title of getting rich slowly (I understand this is not an investment blog but it kind of goes hand in hand.) Would be interesting if you go over different things to do with your money, I’ve seen some about having your own business which is great and think you should put more articles into (it really is a great way to get financial freedom, and at the least a learning process) but maybe more into investment opportunities we aren’t aware of.
An idea maybe, since you have a diverse group f readers is to have QA where you have people post in questions and someone who can relate to the question answers(ie like what do you wish you would have done differently to be more prepared for retirement where someone who is retired can answer instead of in a forum format). A lot of the time I read the forums and though many people are trying to be helpful, most don’t directly relate to the topic.
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With due respect, I would like to see stories on credit cards that explore
(a) Whether using them actually improves (not just simplifies) our lives,
(b) How the desire to “make money” off of rewards cards changes our spending,
(c) Whether this product (rewards cards) has any impact upon people and society,
(d) Whether use of rewards cards creates dependency upon the bank because that bank has now inserted itself as an intermediary between us and our purchases (e.g., we use the card all month for purchases to make money so the monthly paycheck goes to the bank to pay the charges), and whether that creates any problems,
(e) How attitudes towards credit cards have changed and whether or not that’s a good thing, and
(f) A balance of stories where for those that tout how great rewards cards are and how much extra money we can make off of them, we also see stories about people who got caught in a trap and lost money on that particular gamble, or otherwise found that rewards cards didn’t work for them.
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As a former small business owner I can tell you that overall prices have to be raised in order to pay the fees for having the ability to process credit/debit cards.
It really doesn’t pay anyone but, the bank.
The business raises prices to cover processing. The banks receive their fees. They reward customers back some of the elevated prices they had to pay in order to
use the card.
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Prices are higher whether I personally use a credit card or not. The fact is a lot of other people are using them. As long as I’m using my credit cards just like cash, I’d be crazy not to take the rewards. If I don’t use my rewards card, aren’t I subsidizing those who do?
Someone a few posts down from here writes that credit card companies are the figurative, if not the literal devil. I don’t know – for sure I think they cause a lot of very bad things to happen in people’s lives.
I might even be convinced to participate in a massive boycott campaign, but my own participation would be predicated on the condition that enough people would participate to cause lower prices. I don’t see a boycott on that scale happening any time soon so I guess we’ll just keep using our rewards cards.
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Absolutely, Laura! I’m so tired of the one-sided touting of credit card awards without the introspection needed to explore whether they’re really economical.
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You should be aware that many retailers won’t let you buy gift cards with credit cards. I know my Safeway will not allow it.
Now, maybe if you have $100 of food on the belt as well its a different story..
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“Credit cards are not the devil..”
Not sure I agree with you, Dan. The banks that provide the cards are not offering rewards out of the goodness of their hearts.
In my opinion, whether one believes in a literal devil or not, it’s certainly a devilish thing to tempt people into habits that may eventually harm them. The “devil” makes things look so pretty on the surface–the rewards–while distracting you from all the stuff underneath–increased spending, temptation to get into debt, penalties and fees if you don’t follow the complicated rules, etc.
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Also a long time reader that enjoys the pyschological aspects of personal finance and the stories that touch upon that subject. But I have to say, my favorite articles and the most useful to me have been the “ask the reader” questions that you post on Friday and the how-to articles. Regarding the how-to articles, my particular favorites were how to open an Roth, how to negotiate the purchase of a car and how to purchase a mattress. I consulted the Roth article when choosing which company I would open my own Roth with and would’ve never known about the various fees if not for that article. I printed out the mattress one this year and it was great in helping me purchase a quality mattress at a good price. And although I’ve never purchased a car, I know someday when I need one, I’ll consult that article as well. I just feel like sometimes I actually want to buy things like a mattress or a television but I want to do so in a financially savvy way. Those articles are immensely helpful. And the “ask the reader” questions like how much you spend on food or entertainment, etc. are just nice to force me to evaluate my spending compared to others and the various ways other people cut costs that might be useful to me.
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I enjoyed the articles mentioned here as well, because they were “how to” and offered concrete advice for the next time that issue comes up for me. That’s part of the reason Donna is so popular, I think; she talks about real-world examples.
At the same time, I also enjoy the more philosophical articles, like the one April (I think?) wrote on FOMO. It was an interesting read.
No matter what you decide, you’re going to get flack from some people. Even in the comments here, some people want more of the “I’m broke” articles where others want “I’m wealthy.” Some want articles catered to young people; others want to hear from retirees. You won’t be able to please everyone, but maybe you can give us articles from both ends of these spectrums? Keep it mixed up a bit?
Thanks for all your hard work.
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As an “older” reader who has a decent handle on the first couple of phases, I’d like to see/hear how I can grow the money I’ve saved. We’re in our early 50′s and our kids are through college and on their own, and we’re growing our nest egg! Alternatively, does anyone know of any other blogs/websites that offer this kind of advice? Thanks in advance.
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As a starting point, you can check out Mike Piper’s blog “Oblivious Investor” for some ideas about simple ways to invest and grow your money. I really enjoy his articles and he’s also very responsive if you email him with questions like I have done.
As far as GRS, I would also like to see more articles about different investing strategies and techniques that will actually get you to financial independence. Real estate? Commodities? Options? Sure you need a book to adequately explain these topics but I would love a nice article to at least explain the basics and refer to some trust worthy resources for further learning. I realize that these articles may not be for the majority of GSR readers so they don’t need to be frequent. But I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants more sophisticated ideas and strategies about growing my money so I could actually be financially independent someday.
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Greetings. I generally read the blog about 4 times per week and, for the most part, find the articles informative. However, what I am looking for are more “how to” and “DIY” type articles as it pertains to managing money, investing and investing strategies, financial education resources, real estate, evaluating/purchasing stocks and/or mutual funds (generated either by staff writers or readers). The present content is interesting and I don’t mean to suggest that it be limited or eliminated but I would very much like the addition of discussions on specifics of how one can create financial independence. That may not be possible or practicable in the sites current format and that is understandable. However, since you asked for feedback I thought I would broach the topic.
Best Regards,
RSB
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I completely agree with the idea of more how to articles. While the philosophy topics have helped me develop a solid foundation of spend less than you make. I often feel like the articles are missing the next action steps. I feel like the site has moved toward less practical and more psychological. I would also like to see less penny pinching articles.
Just my 2 cents
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I’m not so interested in the best new credit cards or banks, but more in how to increase your income in general. I like to read stories about asking for a raise, or how to start contracting on the side. Especially how to start contracting on the side with a technical skill. Reader stories are also fun to read.
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Hands down for making extra money, negotiation, etc read I Will Teach you to be Rich. At least once he gets off the gender thing.
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I’d like more articles on being money smart as a 20-something professional with a good job in an expensive area. It’s fine to talk about getting out of debt and stretching smaller paychecks, but there are still those of us who have “enough” money but would like to be smarter about how to spend it.
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I’m interested often in tips for those who are just beginning. Often, I feel that many of the stories are patronising which at times has made me question continuing reader. I’m a married man, work two jobs and in debt due to medical problems with my daughter and wife. Homestays and doing your dreams are nice, but my dream is to keep my family alive, while providing a nice lifestyle and leaving debt. I enjoy the sucess stories, the back to foundations, the nitty gritty of budgiting and DIY, and getting out of debt while managing your money. The others would be nice in a perfect world, but I can’t relate to that in my middle class existence.
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I know. What’s so wrong about going to a 9-5, weekends and nights off, holiday vacations, personal vacations, PTO, 401 (k) contributions and matches, and contributing to the U.S. economy?
What if you actually like your company and your job. Oooh. Does that make me a corporate drone? Many people in the third world would kill for what we have.
Anyway, like you I don’t appreciate the fact that the writers here look down on our nose for working at a 9-5.
I’m sorry if they hated their 9-5, but not everyone does, some people like going to work, socializing, and instead of looking down on the 9-5 people, they should respect the fact that we’re out there contributing to the world economy.
We’re not sitting home watching daytime tv and living off welfare.
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More information needed on student loan repayment and how families can become more frugal.
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I would like to see more articles geared toward young professionals who are looking to increase wealth rather than save money. Anything more along the lines of generating side income either through business or investing.
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As a younger reader (just a few years out of college, not married) I don’t much identify with most of the current writers. I’m not trying to pay down my mortgage or raise kids, I’m trying to learn what’s realistic in terms of money goals, spending, what my electric bill should look like, etc. I’d love to read more of the nitty gritty on setting your financial household up and striking out in the world. I think this might also attract some younger readers if they felt like there was a writer they could relate to.
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Will you be hiring writers through getrichslowly.org or through other means?
I prefer the personal stories of relatively esoteric financial situations. I may not always be able to glean direct advice from those stories, but they are the most interesting and inspiring, especially since the backlogs cover the basics of personal finance so well.
And I always want to know which credit cards/bank accounts are offering sign up bonuses.
Good writing is crucial.
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I’d like to see better use of the forums. Linking comments to forum topics would bring more attention to this valuable [community] resource.
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Stories on archiving financial documents. Specifically which ones to keep and for how long. I’ve got a good system (Freedom Filer – no affiliation) for managing bills, insurance and taxes. But I can’t find any good advice about managing student loan paperwork (promissory notes, consolidation documents, quarterly and annual statements) and investment papers (those five page quarterly and annual investment reports from multiple different accounts). Most articles I’ve read suggest just keeping every.single.piece of paper in these two categories, which seems excessive. Especially since I’ve been doing that for 15+ years now, it’s starting to take up a lot of space, and I’ve never needed any of these papers. Why should we save them? In what scenarios do these documents get used? Which ones can I safely shred? Would be great if you could you invite or interview a few experts on these two specific topics – I’ve been scouring the interwebs for years looking for guidance and haven’t found anything useful.
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Katie, I can’t advise you on how long you should keep the original *paper* documents, and I agree that expert advice stories would be great – but I scan all my important paper documents as PDF’s and store them on a USB stick (with a backup – really crucial to have a backup). I also save things from the web as PDF’s that go on the stick as well. I use folders and naming conventions to make it relatively easy to find what I’m looking for, often much easier than trying to find the paper.
I don’t have student loans so can’t advise there, but when we bought a house several years ago, this habit of mine came in very handy. The realtors quickly realized that if they couldn’t find a crucial document that had been run by me, I had a scan of it that I could e-mail to them.
Scan everything and store on a 16 or 32GB stick with another back-up. Then you just need to determine what paperwork must be kept in its original form versus for what a copy (PDF scan) is sufficient.
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As a high income earner ($150K plus) who also has high debt ($150K plus), I’d love to see more advice that caters to this group of people, but understand if I’m in a rather small section of your readership.
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Please don’t post too much about specific bank/credit card offers. They are of zero interest to your international readers.
Please write more about psychological aspects of money.
Please write more about what you call the third stage.
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I would like to see more on international issues, though – and not just of the “I ran off to Costa Rica woohoo” type that seem to crop up.
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Purely selfishly, I’d like to see more international stuff – I appreciate most readers are American, but even one post a month from a foreign staff writer would be great. Especially if they were British
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I don’t want to see the credit card and loan deals because I get enough of those elsewhere — snail mail, TV, spam, web ads.
I’d like to see more stories on how to get started, especially how to overcome the psychological impediments.
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I like the stories of people who started with less than most and started a business or saved efficiently to become rich. There thoughts/teachings usually resonate with me.
Also investing advice seems to be diminishing lately. Maybe bring on a financial investor to talk about good investments aimed at people who have more “cash” to invest. I know it’s not an investment site but I feel like this is a very important topic in personal finance. It is also a place where people struggle to get started.
I would also like to see an article on student loan repayment vs. investing. As someone just graduating and making 3x what I made before school there is a lot of extra room in my budget. Should that extra income be put toward the repayment of the loan’s principle or toward investing for retirement/first house/ etc…
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I’d like to read a story about how to evaluate a company, and how to read financial reports. What is a good investment? What risks am i taking? I think that most people focus too much on stock prices and past performance of said price.
When too many investors only look at the price and past performance of stock, not the sales or financial health of a company or changes in the market for whatever product they make, how can the market then set real prices for stock?
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Well, I’m writing a book on sabbaticals now, so I would be interested in hearing stories from people who took a year off, and how they worked out the finances for that. (Also, if you’re burning out, J.D., you may want to consider taking some sort of a break yourself.)
Another thing I’d like to hear about is how to make the transition from the first job in one’s career to the next one.
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Are there any blogs on this topic? I’m very interested but don’t want to wait until your book is published, unless that’s going to happen very, very soon! Great idea!
Re: Comments – there are so many good points that I’m just going to scroll through and “like” all the ones I like, LOL.
My vote is for NO INFOGRAPHIICS!!!!!! EVER! AGAIN!!!
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Psychological side of money – yes!
Bank and credit card deals? – no.
Would you like more reader-contributed material or less of it? – less
What about non-financial stories, stories about success and achievement? – I like these but perhaps it’s best to stick to your niche.
Recent articles loved:
- JD’s struggle with health insurance (more on this would be good)
- war on stuff update
- now that I’m looking, all my favorites are JD’s – sorry!
Recent articles didn’t love:
- $100 startup (I know you’re friends but felt so marketed-to)
- dollar coins
- professional sports
(these all felt slightly off-topic, perhaps?)
Writing skill, organization, and voice are very important to me. I think that may be why we gravitate to JD’s posts. There is something geuine and yet professional/expert about his writing.
I like personal stories that then incorporate research and/or a broader application of lessons learned and an invitation for readers to add their own wisdom. Straight personal stories – not so much. (Again, JD’s articles seem to fall into this category.)
Academic could be good.
Might be cool to have writers of different ages focusing on their age-specific circumstances. I’m 29, married, saving quite a bit and eager to learn about the things ahead of us (cost of raising children, mortgage, insurance, retirement savings).
Thanks for asking! I am a big fan and RSS subscriber who also jumps to the home page.
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Oh, and when there is a story about “how I did this or that”, I would like to see actual numbers.
I saved $20 a week by not using X product for example.
The “reader stories” are always so vague and I really dislike them.
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I don’t know if others would like to see this, but I would like to know how to use spreadsheets to make different assumptions about how your retirement money can grow (or not)!
I am not very good at excel for this specific purpose. I don’t even know if that is a reasonable expectation.
I also just enjoy hearing about where JD is in his financial journey. I am sort of in that stage where I need to take things up a notch – I have paid off debt, have ample savings, but am not working at a standard job right now, and need to hear about someone who has gone before me with some perspective. Did they get a full-time gig? Start a business?
I also want to hear stories of failure – even if they don’t come with a tidy ending. I think we can all benefit from hearing ways that things can go bad.
I also like when we can hear someone’s entire financial philosophy. For a very simple example, someone who has ample money in the bank can take more risk on with less repercussions than someone who has less money. But all of these stories are interesting, no matter where you are on the spectrum.
Ugh. Enough already. Love the site, though, JD.
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I think this is kind of a cool idea, using common programs to help manage you money.
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oh, and book reviews! I like those.
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I love the book reviews, too. When I first ‘found’ your blog I can remember making a list and checking out as many as possible. This blog/site has made a big difference in our lives!
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I’d like to see some articles on investing, the slow path or in minute amounts, and generating additional passive income. For example, does investing make sense (cents?) if I can only contribute $50 a year because I’m still paying off student loans, trying to fund retirement, living with a new baby, all on one income? These loans are not going to be paid off any time soon, but I don’t want to spend my 30′s hustling to pay off these loans, only to spend the rest of my working career hustling to make up for not saving for retirement because I was paying off loans.
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Yes, this. My personal story is that I had started saving for retirement and then I went back to school – now I have a ton of student loan debt and I don’t know where to go from here. Do I funnel a bit of it to my savings? my retirement? all of my loans? I’m just clueless.
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Kaytee,
My wife and I were in about your same position 30 odd years ago. We’re both in our mid 50′s now. We had 2 kids and both undergrad and law school loans that, at the time, seemed insurmountable. Even tho $ was exceedingly tight, some weeks we were scraping out the fridge to feed the kids, we always put money into our 401′s. It wasn’t a lot to begin with, but it was automatically deducted from our paychecks so we never could put our hands on it. We lived as cheaply as we could. Now, 30 years later, we have been able to pay off all those loans, put both our kids thru college debt-free (as well as a lot of extra curricular activities while they were in grade school and high school)and we bought our dream house. Our house will be paid off at least 7 years before we retire in our early 60′s and we have no other debt. Because we did not ignore our retirement funds 30 years ago, our retirement should be very comfortably funded. Do not ignore your retirement funding. The best thing you’ve got going for you is your youth. Let that money build with compound interest and you’ll be very, very grateful that you did. It’s the same advice we give our kids. I know when we were your age we didn’t see the wisdom in doing that (but did it anyway ’cause my parents advised us to do so). We are very grateful for that advice. You can do this and you won’t regret it. Those school loans will just be part of your budget and one day they will be paid in full. Throw yourself a party when that happens.
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More “third stage” posts!
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Thank you for asking and making sure to keep your readership in check. For me, I do not like a lot of articles that focus on how to scrimp and save more by reusing wrapping paper. You can only save so much. For me, I’m trying to balance the concepts of enjoying the life I have and making sure I fully live my life, but trying to ensure I make wise choices and pay off debt. It’s what drew me to your site initially–let’s get financially savvy but don’t go so extreme that you can’t enjoy yourself.
I LOVE reading a variety of stages (like yours who have made it and ones who are close), but I would really like to hear from people in my position where they are still engaged in the climb up. Perhaps you in the early day. I love your posts because I feel like I know you. I want things personal. I want to read a person’s story and struggle. Interestingly, I feel like I get more of this from reader questions rather than staff writers. Many of the staff writers feel like research articles. One of the exceptions are the posts from Robert Brokamp, who often seems more personal (but not always). I love his articles. I really love the mix–some reader-pieces but some from writers we know and wait for. I also love predictability–Friday is Reader Question Day.
But perhaps I’m not typical of most of your readership. I’m newer to the site and perhaps most of your readership has been here since the beginning and already out of debt and just looking to get further ahead.
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I’m a big fan of the occasional book reviews – it’s a big help to have someone separate the wheat from the chaff.
As a long-time single, I’m especially interested in reading about how those of us without partners can most effectively manage our finances.
I get to GRS via Google Reader, so I can generally skim the headline/summary and skip posts that don’t appeal to me.
Thanks for asking!
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