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I’ve been thinking of how I got interested in the HD ecosystem and was wondering your take. What proportion of your ideal HD would be dedicated to retirement content vs investment content (that’s general and not retirement related)?
Anything to do with money!
I’m interested in anything that contributes to my financial success. I realize retirees might be more interested in wealth preservation. Younger people might be more risk tolerant and interested in wealth accumulation. There are, however exceptions to all rules, and I assume the HD readers range from those attempting to get the most out of social security to those interested in a full range of investments.
I don’t mind personal stories and vignettes that provide illumination.
I’ve been thinking of exactly this – and have a topic on the Pralana / PRC forum asking the same question. I ended up THERE because of their “retirement calculator” name but I’ve since discovered that it’s mostly wonky financial analytics.
So I come here for the discussion around retirement “strategies” – looking in particular for anything I might have missed (I’m “that close” to retiring). I did just start a business around a STR we acquired, and plan to build an ADU (they didn’t even know what ADU stood for on PRC), and I love the additional perspectives here (like “How the Other Half Live”) so many threads are serendipitous pleasure.
The easiest thing to do might be to have a dedicated sub-forum.
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STR. Short Term Rental
ADU. Granny Flat i think 😂
ADUs may be a relatively recent thing – but in the Seattle area (where I reside) “nearly 70% of new single-family permits in Seattle include one”. On the Washington Cares fund page for “Seniors and the Housing Crisis” it is the first listed option. They are part of every West Coast state’s “Growth Management Plan”.
TIL (things I learned) – not everyone knows what STR and ADU mean. I would think, though, that literally everyone on this forum should be familiar with ADUs and DADUs (Detached ADUs).
If you are in an area where the population is growing, they enable you to get money out of your house without selling up and moving (or take out a reverse mortgage). If perhaps your children are in an area where the population is growing (because, you know, jobs) then they can provide an option for you to live near – but not exactly with – them.
If you are in an area where the population is NOT growing, you’re going to have a separate problem as health care options decline and health care workers disappear.
You can operate the ADU as a short term rental (STR) or a long term rental (LTR), or even a medium term rental (MTR). Some municipalities are regulating or prohibiting STRs, none of them can limit LTRs.
For us – the ADU will provide MTR/LTR income (STRs are not allowed on Mercer Island – yet) and become the residence for a care giver later in life as we intend to age in place.
ADU is Accessory Dwelling Unit – a granny flat in a separate building. It was PRC and STR I didn’t know. And Pralana, for that matter. I wouldn’t have a rental unit as a gift…
Please don’t use acronyms without explaining them first.
From the front page of Humble Dollar is this description: “About HumbleDollar: OUR GOAL IS TO TELL you everything you need to know about money—all in one place, and without the hype and hollow promises that characterize so much financial writing.”
I like a balance of financial topics. A steady diet of only one subject has no appeal to me. I hope to continue to see a good variety of topics, as well as the occasional topic that inspires debate on numerous sides.
I’m open to and enjoy almost all the content on HD. The financial posts have educated me, while the personal posts make the website, well, personal. A few of the posts are too technical for my beer truck driver brain, so I just pass them by.
My preference and what I have written about for eight years is life experiences and the impact of money and financial decisions.
In other words people and all aspects of their relationship and actions dealing with finances, sometimes in major ways and sometimes in minor ways.
Some of those decisions go way beyond the individual and affect others directly and indirectly.
My working life was all about that and trying to figure people out … which I never did.
“My preference and what I have written about for eight years is life experiences and the impact of money and financial decisions.”
Many of Jonathan’s writings were in the same realm.
My preference would be for almost exclusively investment content, even though I am retired.
i have little interest in personal stories, zero interest in personal rants, and zero interest in argumentative or endless back and forth comments.
As Jonathan wrote
”Managing money may be simple, but it isn’t easy. Most of us struggle to save diligently, invest intelligently and figure out what will make us happy. HumbleDollar aims to help readers make rational financial decisions, especially when it comes to retirement. But we’re also acutely aware of the human side of money.”
Jonathan’s mention of “the human side of money”has, in my view, Become an infinitely elastic phrase that has resulted in contributors writing about all kinds of things that focus much more on the personal and much less on the financial. I recognize that my perspective is a minority point of view among HD contributors and the small band of regular HD commenters. Mr. Yokum asked for reader preferences, and I shared mine.
Gary, I think anyone who takes the time to contribute articles to the forum can only write from their own retirement experience and within their technical and writing abilities. If you threw out some suggestions and ideas for original content, maybe someone could pick up the baton and turn your ideas into articles. If others added their suggestions too, we could build an idea bank of possible content.
Thanks for the interesting invitation.
🤔
No problem with sharing your views. That’s what commenting is for.
I’m equally interested in both. If I were to lean towards one or the other, I would say retirement since I am retired. But, I am still an investor and I will be for life
Also, is I were to give percentages of Interest I would say 90% retirement/index investing & 10% personal stories
I assume you mean HD? If so, I get the most out of the “retirement experience” and “how I got here” articles—those personal stories really enhance my enjoyment of the site. I also appreciate the general financial pieces that tackle everyday concepts from a fresh angle rather than rehashing the usual advice.
As a non-US citizen, I don’t dig deeply into the Social Security and healthcare articles for practical purposes. But I still read them because they highlight fascinating differences between two democratic, English-speaking western nations. That comparative perspective, seeing how our systems have diverged, is something I find genuinely fascinating.
What is the “HB ecosystem”? If you’re asking about content on HumbleDollar.com, I am retirement age and come to the HD.com site for updated money investment and budgeting tips as our world continuously changes, since I have to plan to fund another 30 years of living (possibly). So “general investment” articles would be of interest, but mostly if they are written by someone with some real knowledge and experience and are not written for those just beginning their savings and investment journeys.