Thoughts from FinCon 2018
Earlier this year I decided to attend FinCon 2018 - its a financial bloggers conference that’s been held for the past several years and has been growing rapidly in attendance in popularity. 2200 people descended on Orlando last week to discuss blogging, social media, online courses, public speaking and other forms of financial communication.
I learned a lot about the methods they use and the issues that they are working to help people solve. There was a lot of talk about eliminating debt. I never realized there was this culture of people who focus on what they call FIRE - Financially Independent, Retire Early. From what I can tell, these folks tend to shun debt and extravagance in an effort to save money and become financially independent at an early age to retire ASAP.
The people in this group are definitely well-intentioned and I believe that a lot of their principles are sound. However, I would caution people to take a deeper-dive into any specific strategies from this group. Many of the bloggers do not have the experience of having lived through market and economic cycles that would test their principles. They may consider themselves to be experts during good times, but that’s only half of the story.
Nonetheless, the concept of financial independence is certainly a worthy goal. Who doesn’t want to free of the man and work if and when they want to; to live their passions. I believe that minimizing consumer debt is a worthy goal, but that longer-term debt allows you to leverage your current situation. It is also important to have a certain amount of liquidity to cover unforeseen issues such as replacing the roof on your house or an appliance that breaks down unexpectedly. Remember, there’s always a balance, folks!
As you may know, I was selected as a member of the 2018 Investopedia 100 - the 100 most influential financial advisors in the United States. I had a chance to meet Caleb Silver, the Editor in Chief of Investopedia.
He gave me these nifty socks for their #GetaLegUp campaign that I proudly wore back in the office this week!
And he let me know about their Advisor Insights section where advisors can answer questions posed by investors. Check out my Advisor Insights profile and make sure to follow me to receive updates!!!
So some of the things I came away with were that I should start a podcast focused on responsible investing and business. I should write on a book with the same focus and I need to continue writing my blogs. I’m also looking at creating an online course on socially and environmentally responsible investing.
Would you be interested in any of these? Would love your feedback on whether you would listen to the podcast, read the book, take the course, and definitely continue to read my blog! Thanks for your input!!!
I don’t get to see my brother and sister-in-law very often, but I took the opportunity to drive over to St. Pete’s and spend an afternoon with them. So grateful to be able to re-connect with family, catch up on the latest news and gossip, enjoy a local craft beer and check out their beautiful condo. I love my family!
