A retirement forum, please

I like the idea also. DH can retire in a couple years if he wants, but I can't retire for 7 years and 4 months. :o)

We've been thinking and planning for retirement though, and I'd love to hear what others wish they had done differently in their planning.

I am just a few years from retiring and would be very interested. A forum like that could likely answer a lot of my questions as I get near to the big day.
I think having the forum open would be a great idea as I am sure many folks have questions and now that dg-ers always have the answers!
Got my vote! Just tell me where to go and when to be there.

Great idea! I retired in 2004 and it was a big transition. I agree with leaf that some of our concerns are different than working folks.

closed please.....

This is a HUGE topic; do you notice on TV where the morning talk shows are featuring this topic constantly? Every where you glance, someone is addressing the issues; Money Magazine, Consumer Reports, etc. Direct TV has a channel just for the subject; DIY, HGTV, Fine Living channels touch on it.

Us Baby Boomers (the largest, most influential segment of the population in the USA) are reaching or have reached retirement age and many need help with the transition. I am surprised that someone here didn't think of this excellent idea sooner.

DH has been consumed with studying it the last 5 years. How soon should one apply for SS etc. - trying to decide what he will do.

On the other hand, I don't even want to think about it; I don't ever want to retire from anything! But if poor health were to force me to it then I would also need a back-up plan.

Prefer a closed form for subscribers only.

closed. Only because of the sensitive info that may be exchanged and the tendency to prey on the elderly and those on fixed incomes.

jadajoy makes a good point re. a closed forum. There are lots of folks eager to prey on senior citizens. I would like to think this could not be accessed, but, nothing is impossible these days.

Either open or closed, I am for it. I worked with forms, paperwork, and government reports for nearly 40 years, yet had not a clue as to some of the things I would be facing while wading through SS and Medicare, other health insurance, plus my retirement plan with my employer. Wish I had a forum to post with then for help.

GG

JDJ and JH, raised a good point. Closed forum makes sense to me.

I asked before but I'll ask again - I don't see the advantage of having it
open. Many of you have voted for open - why? I sure would prefer closed
but want to understand if I missing something w.r.t. the advantage of having
it open?
Tam

Maybe for it being a draw for new people.

Thanks Pelletory. I just couldn't figure out the advantage. That makes
sense if we think we don't have enough folks here in DG to make it a
lively and useful forum.

To me. it feels like we've got a good sized community already. I'd still
stick with "closed" for my vote

I believe that the newsletter listed 6600+ subscribers as of this last Monday.

Thats great!

How many of that group would be interested in being on a retired forum? Probably not many. That's why I voted for open. I'd rather broaden things. These forums while not moderated are overseen, and any untoward stuff that goes on could be dealt with. And I think the legitimate members of the forum could police the scam artists. I still vote for open.

We'll go with whatever the group wants. To summarize, what I've seen so far is this.

The pros to it being open would be:

1) It probably would draw from a wider range of people (many of whom may not be current members - let alone subscribers - familiar with DG);

2) Retirement is frequently associated with fixed income, which may not lend itself to spending money to try out a new, unfamiliar forum.

The pros cited for closing it were mainly that it makes it a bit more private.

Please keep in mind that an audience of 6,000-plus is far from private or exclusive, and a $20 annual fee isn't going to thwart anyone who sets their sights on infiltrating the forum. It's far better to remain circumspect and discreet when posting any personal information in a forum (not just here.)

Alright then lets keep it closed. :-)

Wow Terry. I thought Daves was completely safe. Call me nieve. (sp) Then is it safe for us to have our addresses in the member section? Think I'll take mine out.

Terry, I can see the point of getting more people to Dave's but I can't imagine a retirement forum being a huge draw on a garden site.

I would not have joined Dave's if I had not seen a question asked and I didn't have access to the answer. If I could have seen the answer I would not have subscribed at that time.

I think I'm still voting for closed.

Drapelady, you have to be a paid subscriber and have your own address in the member address section in order to have access to the list.

I think the addy exchange is pretty safe--nothing's 100% secure, but as elsie said you have to be a subscriber, and you also have to put your own addy in there or else you can't access it at all. And it's not like the link to it is right on the home page in big flashing letters, you have to know where to go look for it. If someone was out there was up to no good and trying to get lists of addresses there are WAY easier ways out there to find addresses, I don't think they'd bother here.

I vote for closed. It can always be opened if the members find a need for more input at a later date. There are thousands of retirement "experts" out there all waiting to attract more clients. The purpose of this forum should be to stimulate one's own knowledge of these often complex discussions rather than be assumed to be completely factual information. What works for one may not work for another. And, one can quickly suffer from "information overload".

Sometimes I can't even get an accurate answer from the representatives of an entity like AARP who you should be able to count on for sound advice. In the end, it's YOUR decision that you have to live with.

I think a retirement forum is a good idea but "advice" must be carefully evaluated. I'm sure everyone knows that .......

Okay, let's go with the closed forum.
Twin lakes you make some good points, this is a topic to be thoroughly investigated before making the decision.

I would like to have a retirement forum, and I think it should be closed. I am a boomer who took early retirement when my husband took regular retirement a bit over a year ago. We had done years of planning to be able to spend our winters in my childhood neighborhood in Florida, and summers in my DH's childhood summer home in NH. As well as we planned, we still have had many unexpected things arise that could be shared with others, and I could benefit a lot from hearing what others have experienced, and what tips can be shared.

I agree that retirees have a completely different perspective and life experience than those in the "family" circle.

Thanks to Dave and the DG Administrators, especially Terry, for always being open and for approaching these requests with thoughtful analysis that attempts to satisfy more than fewer of us. As I have said many times.....Class Act!!

I'm interested in a retirement forum, as my DH & I are approaching retirement (rapidly, I hope)! I'd prefer a closed forum...

I don't get a "vote" I'm not getting to retire anytime soon. BUT I will say, having enjoyed the benefits of the parenting forum which suits my life these days I am all in favor of a retirement forum. It will give me something to look forward to! Here's to hoping Dave hears ya. :)

What is the next step in getting a forum started?

I vote for closed membership too.

Ruby

Getting Dave's attention to initiate the setup of the forum is the next step if we have generated enough interest.

I think this will be a great forum for everyone, not just those who are retired.

Imagine all the great info those that will be retireing (sp?) will already have under their belt w/ this forum!

The new forum is set up here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/retired/all/

Thank you, Terry. Once again, Dave's Garden is the most supportive gardening site on the 'net.


Karen

Thanks, Dave and Terrye. This will be a great addition to the site.

I am just now seeing this thread and am thrilled we have a retirement forum!
Thanks administration!

Dave, Trish, and Terry: Thank You! This forum is already ramping up! I'm sure as the Baby Boomers get older, their parents are, too, and this is becoming (already) an excellent resource!

Pat

Great! We're happy to provide a resource for a VERY large group of the population (at large, and within DG ;o)

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Finally, a resource that isn't trying to sell me something.
Dave, Trish, Terry - you're the best !