Threads we think could be moved to the Early Retirement Board

Dunnit

As you say your requirements are a lot different from mine in my late 50's.
While I was careful with my money, I find the driven aspect of the MFW as quite off-putting. I have had a mortgage for over 36 years and have always been quite easy with it. Now I am on a flexible, paying less than 1% I am quite happy for it to continue. I have no desire to pay off the mortgage and have to find somewhere to store the deeds.
In a way I see the MFW's as dieters and bulimics who are fixated with their finances and driven towards a goal often with relapses. As with a diet I think it is important to have a balanced diet (mortgage, pension, cash, funds) rather than just concentrating on one aspect (rid of carbs only ; how do I get away form this food metaphor )
Pensions in particular are long term investments and if you are fiddling with it more than a couple of times a year are more likely to be running up costs and taking short term decisions rather than having long term faith and strategy.
There is space on the board for all just us old-timers have made the decisions and our considerations are different. We are tinkering with the timing chain rather than stoking the engine.
This is not meant to offend anyone but the older you are the less you want to see change for change sake.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi all!

We thought the people asking for it on the Site Feedback board (there were quite a few) were from the relevant boards. Happy to hear your thoughts here

Karmacat

Dunnit wrote: »

As you say your requirements are a lot different from mine in my late 50's.
.....

There is space on the board for all just us old-timers have made the decisions and our considerations are different. We are tinkering with the timing chain rather than stoking the engine.
This is not meant to offend anyone but the older you are the less you want to see change for change sake.

I'm 60 tomorrow :rotfl::eek: I've had 3 career changes, time spent abroad, a business collapse, and several health issues. I'm not an old timer thats sitting back this isn't entirely about age, though it is to some extent, of course.

I've always needed a diary on mse to help me focus, and there don't *seem* to be any on this board, maybe thats why I've been sort of frightened off it. On the other hand, to openly call members of another board "dieters and bulimics who are fixated with their finances and driven towards a goal often with relapses", as in the previous post which I've part-quoted above, thats none too friendly. A few other comments are like that too. Maybe this isn't the right board?

mgdavid

Karmacat wrote: »

Kangoora, I don't quite see the what the problem is, that the MFW board is about clearing the mortgage?

The problem is that Financial Independence needs to be a *parent* board of MFW. MF is just one objective on the way to FI, Investing and Retirement planning are others. It can and is argued that MFW places too much emphasis on a single approach.

mgdavid

torbrex wrote: »

I already did and it was him that suggested postponing my plans until April when the new rules will allow me to do what I actually want to do.

I may have misunderstood your previous post when you said 'I want advice on what to do with my various pension funds.'
But now you say you have plans to be put in place in April when the rules change, which sounds like you are all sorted. If not I suggest you start your own thread on here.

Dunnit

Karmacat wrote: »

I'm 60 tomorrow :rotfl::eek: I've had 3 career changes, time spent abroad, a business collapse, and several health issues. I'm not an old timer thats sitting back this isn't entirely about age, though it is to some extent, of course.

I've always needed a diary on mse to help me focus, and there don't *seem* to be any on this board, maybe thats why I've been sort of frightened off it. On the other hand, to openly call members of another board "dieters and bulimics who are fixated with their finances and driven towards a goal often with relapses", as in the previous post which I've part-quoted above, thats none too friendly. A few other comments are like that too. Maybe this isn't the right board?

Anything that is part quoted can be seen as unfriendly. I did qualify the statements by saying "in a way", "there is room on the board for everyone" and "not meaning to insult people". The fact is that most on MSE will be light years in front of those that are not. You just have to be aware of how many PPI cases there have been; pay day loans and annuities taken without comparison to see there are major financial educational issues in the UK. If you want me to I am quite happy to go through the MFW thread and show you examples of "yoyo dieting" behaviour. I think a thread which concentrated on a balanced approach to finance rather than single elements would have better results. You are on the right board, it is just a question of the thread.

Goldiegirl

Dunnit wrote: »

If you want me to I am quite happy to go through the MFW thread and show you examples of "yoyo dieting" behaviour.

People aren't perfect, and the fact that people have kept a diary will show highs and lows.



I'm sure that if you looked back over the years you may have tried things that worked better than other things, but you haven't written it all down in a public forum for people to pick over.

I think it would be very wrong, and rather patronising to quote peoples diaries in the way you describe.

If you read other diaries on the MFW board you will see people with a very balanced attitude to their finances and their life.


Incidentally, I never made a mortgage overpayment in my life. It didn't seem wise, as I always had a bank staff mortgage on a very low rate. I only paid it off in 2011 when I had concerns over the administration of my account after I was made redundant from my job.


But over the years we have paid into our pension, saved, invested etc, and have also lived, enjoying lots of holidays


In the run up to early retirement, I wanted to find out whether it was possible to lead the life we wanted on our projected early retirement income.


I wanted to have a diary to chart my progress.


This board is good for facts and figures and advice, but it's not so good about day to day living and feelings.


This board was so not the place for a diary, so I went to MFW where I was made very welcome.


I envisage an early retirement board to be a place for people in my situation, who wanted to talk about their day to day activities in their journey to early retirement or financial independence.


But to be honest, I'd hesitate to move my diary after reading some comments on this board



PS - All my planning has worked out ok - I retire in two days time at the age of 54

atush

But to be honest, I'd hesitate to move my diary after reading some comments on this board

The comments here, about others trying to change things without asking, or to make themselves more comfortable are not really popular (with me or others here as you can see). We kinda like things as they are, and there is a Diary- perhaps you should read Marine Life's one?

And although there are many balanced individuals over on MFW forum, there are many more who are, shall we say, obsessed. To the detriment of their overall financial independence I believe.

Personally, I would welcome early retirement diaries here, but would not want a subforum that took away ML's very informative thread, nor THE Number, another really really good one for early retirement.

I get the feeling from this thread, that those who want this that MSE Andrea speaks of are not regulars here.

Goldiegirl

atush wrote: »

here as you can see). We kinda like things as they are, and there is a Diary- perhaps you should read Marine Life's one?

.

Sounds a bit cliquey to me


I have read Marine Life's thread - but it's not the sort of diary I wanted to do, that's why I went elsewhere

gallygirl

I'm sorry to have upset so many people with what I thought was a sensible suggestion for an area myself and others feel is lacking. Perhaps the fact it didn't occur to me to ask on here suggests this isn't necessarily the right place for it?

Not everyone on the MFW is obsessed with paying their mortgage off to the exclusion of everything else - though it is often that initial goal that spurs people on to take a wider look at their finances and change tack - I personally have done that, as have others I could name. The problem is that the board is MFW and the focus is on that. I don't talk about what I am paying into my pension, where it is invested etc as that doesn't seem appropriate on there.

Jamesd you were one of the people I thought of as being a source of very useful advice, including why focusing on the mortgage was a bad idea, and I don't really see why you seem so antagonised by the idea of separating out a section. I've always seen this board as a helpful and friendly place and to be honest your attitude has taken me aback. I'd have thought you'd be more against the board being potentially 'clogged up' with diaries where new requests for help could be overlooked?

I wish I'd kept my mouth shut.