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“Do your own research” are words that pop up in many forum posts, and I agree it’s important for people to dig into various things before making a purchase or forming opinions on important matters. Research for an unbiased writer probably includes things like interviewing sources, checking their facts, citing references, furnishing bibliographies, and etc. At the other end of the spectrum someone like my friend Bubba down at the local watering hole might consider Facebook, CNN, or Fox news to be deep research.
Of the two examples above, my research probably falls somewhere between the two extremes. So feel free to slap me silly(er) if I ever claim to have researched something. Take my word…. I researched it!
In any research I do, I first consider my source. There are some really credible sources for some things: RTINGS.com for TVs, MattressUnderground.com for mattresses are two examples. All too often, websites will have a bias towards a given product or service. The internet is full of websites serving as shills for products and companies, sometimes in a veiled way.
I used to use best doctors in Charlotte for new doctors, but learned how they selected doctors and also was advised by one of my docs that was a bad way to select a new doc. Word of mouth may be dicey as referring people may have found their doctor from Bubba. I use my primary for referrals but also look at doctors’ training and experience.
Finding good trades people can be challenging. One of my criteria is to never use one of those companies that advertise a lot on TV. They are worse that used car salesman.
Bottomline. It is often a trial and error process to find the right product or service.
Doesn’t a lot of it have to do with WHAT you are researching, and WHY?
On the one extreme you have your brother-in-law’s opinion and on the other extreme you have paralysis by analysis.
It might also depend on your level of experience or expertise on various matters.
Example…God gives us all talents and abilities. NONE of my mine include the use of a hand tool of any kind. When I go to Home Depot, I look for a trades person and ask them their opinion.
Another example…I spent 30 years in financial services and another 15 as a college professor teaching financial services subjects. I embarked on a doctoral program at age 59, and quickly discovered that academics are world unto themselves. Most of what they “research” has the singular purpose of padding their resumes, to justify their having earned their PhD, hence the multitude of meaningless and wasteful grants you recently heard about in the news, uncovered by DOGE.
I have more professional designations than most people have letters in their full names. I authored/edited texts on Life Insurance, Annuities, Long Term Care Insurance and taught in Financial Planning and Retirement Planning programs, like the CFP, CLU, ChFC and RICP programs. I am smart enough to have learned that active investing is a sham and indexed products are the appropriate investment for 95% of Americans…but I also know that in America, you have the right to make bad decisions and pay high fees, if you so choose.
The answer in most cases of research is always consider the source and always look for the biases of the author…and realize and appreciate your own.
Are you looking for answers or are you looking for confirmation bias? As you may have heard before, many folks buy something and then look for reasons to support their purchase decision.
Consumer Reports and similar sources can be helpful. Ratings by other buyers or users of something I am considering are certainly worth reviewing. If it is something technical, the credentials of the person giving the opinion matters. But many times, at the end of the day, “You pay your money and take your chances.”
Good Luck!
I avoid the MSM because I concluded years ago that it was entertainment. Worse, the networks (or cable) filtered the news, discarding what they felt was “unworthy” of their audience. That’s blatant censorship in my opinion. When I first did business overseas I was surprised by what was going on all over the planet and was ignored in the US MSM. That’s when I began reading certain periodicals and other sources. I cross-reference different sources and one thing about reading is that it is far easier to spot untruths and bias. Even the newsprint is largely unworthy of my time. Social media has been largely a primary source of entertainment and propaganda and also unworthy of my attention. Today there are services which rate articles as an aid to determining the bias of the author or “news” service.
I spend I lot of time looking for good information. I read source documents whenever possible like the SS and Medicare trustee reports. I look at the summaries of scientific papers. I read reports from the CBO and other agencies.
When I read something on social media, I first think does that make sense, then I ask myself if it’s possible. Much of the time I can stop there. If it could be true, I then try to find three independent sources to agree or not.
I have to say, all too often I don’t have to go farther than exercising common sense which itself seems to be dwindling. The amount of misinformation and what people accept as true is scary.
Unfortunately common sense is not very common these days.
Your comment on social media is interesting. I use Facebook to keep up with friends. I’m sure the folks at Meta would be very unhappy with how quickly I scroll past anything related to news or politics on that site. I trust nothing (good or bad) that I see on FB if it isn’t about the personal life of a friend.
Interesting observation Dan. I’ve had several fermented-grape fueled conversations with neighbors in the past few years that have demonstrated that Bubba has relatives in South Jersey.
My personal process is similar to Jeff Bond’s earlier comment. I try to tailor the process to the issue. Some complex issues may take multiple sources for me to understand. I also am likely to run some numbers if appropriate, using a spreadsheet, software, or a publicly available calculator. Complex tax questions fit this category.
This post reminded me of a conversation I had some years ago with a good friend. The friend lamented that he couldn’t find one source that provided the unadulterated truth on the issues of the day. I responded that, if I really wanted to understand something, I dug into multiple sources, looking for both sides of the issue, and always checking numbers if possible. I also accept that sometimes I will be left with an incomplete understanding of an issue or topic, and I have to live with that.
Dan, I seem to be a magnet for folks that follow Bubba’s example in conducting their research.
If it’s a big purchase, I either go with my personal experience with a brand or a deep dive into Consumer Reports. If I’m looking for facts, I often start with Wikipedia, and then look up some of the referenced articles. Sometimes the references are obscure and difficult/impossible to find – which may be troubling. If I’m looking for opinions, I have a wide social net that I can cast that includes friends and family.