Moving Forward With This Website: A Request of You

Well folks, I have a confession. After two+ years of posting here every single Monday, trying to keep a weekly schedule on this website is starting to be draining, for reasons I’ll discuss below. But I have a request of you. Please read on to see some of my thoughts and ideas on how to make this a better resource.

A Request: Too Much of the Same Thing?

I want to take a second here to be blunt with you. I feel like I’m regurgitating a lot of the same talking points across various posts, week after week. As I’ve always said, getting the money part dialed is frankly easy with some knowledge and intentionality, which can enhance the margin between money in and money out. There’s not that many nuanced complications involved in saving more and investing those savings in a broad-based index fund. Once you are consistently saving more and investing those savings, you will almost certainly build lasting wealth. Am I being too flippant?

I’m honestly at a point where I’m conflicted on how to progress this website. I know a bunch of you might be signing up for tips and tricks on how to save and invest. There aren’t that many hacks, and I’ve probably written about them five times over, at least. I’ve posted every single week for over two years. I’m considering cutting back on that schedule significantly, but you know how I am about a schedule.

Themes I Enjoy Discussing

The most fascinating aspect of this journey to me is not the wealth aggregation phase, but the “after” phase. Perhaps not coincidentally, it’s the phase I’m now in.

What are we supposed to do with this great gift of financial independence?

If you’ve been lurking around these pages for a while, you have perhaps picked up on my incessant themes of contentment and happiness. How do we build our best life? What are the required elements of contentment? Hint: It’s more than a high net worth or a great 8a.nu pyramid.

I don’t believe, and never really have, that quitting my job to go travel and adventure will create lasting happiness. Yet, here I am, doing just that! This period of my life is a good phase as part of a longer journey, but this too is unsustainable for almost anyone.

I find it fascinating to consider the balance of adventure, hard (and deep) work, psychological challenges, and building community. All of this is obviously facilitated by a strong financial position, a topic I discussed in last week’s post on contentment.

The Origins of Clipping Chains

I started this website because I thought that climbers were ripe and hungry for information on how to build financial security, and perhaps full financial independence. Here’s the post that started it all.

Climbers love freedom, but I sensed a growing imbalance in pursuing happiness, propagated strongly through climbing magazines and social media, in particular. Quit your job, climb, and you will be happy forever.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) for all of us, life is much richer than that. So, I’ve always viewed this website as somewhere where I could muse on a slice of that decadent, rich chocolate torte and espresso that is our lives. However, I also want to be a resource. I realize many readers in this space are early in their careers or financial journeys. You probably don’t care much about what to do with financial independence, because you can hardly imagine it to begin with! I understand that notion, and I felt the same way years ago.

A Request of You

So, I have a request: what content do you want?

Do you need help saving money?

My hunch from interactions with some of you is that tips on saving money aren’t really the issue. I always suspected that climbers were a frugal bunch, and so far, that assumption seems to be holding. Am I wrong?

Do you need help investing?

I still see a transition to investing to be the biggest hurdle for most folks. Do you need technical information on how to do it? Or is the burden still a psychological one? Do you view investing with contempt?

I believe that a large portion of Americans still view the stock market as a slimy affair, where Wall Street Fat Cats and overpaid CEOs rub elbows and whip wet towels in the locker room. I’m trying to change that. Saving 50% of your income won’t help much if you can’t get the compound snowball rolling.

Is there anything about the layout of this website that could be more helpful in finding what’s already there?

How About Podcast Interviews?

I’m also debating turning the interviews into a podcast format. Do you guys prefer the long-format podcasts, or do you like written interviews? I’ve always been a fan of the written word, but I realize that podcasts have the advantage of packing much more content into an easily digestible format. For a sense of what that might be like, you can hear me ramble over at The Nugget or the Power Company Podcast. For something more along the lines of the Financial Independence community, I’ve also appeared on the Financial Independence Forum Podcast.

What Else?

Is there anything about life and the pursuit of financial independence that just doesn’t make sense? Do you really want to rant at me about something? Please do! I love feedback, good or bad.

Until Next Time

So, please, let me know in the comments below or direct with my Contact Page how I can use this platform to help you achieve your goals. My hope is that, with a renewed focus and perhaps a bit more breathing room between posts, I can make this website far more meaningful for us all. Seriously, I can’t thank you all enough for making this so damn fun.

Oh yeah, put this down and vote!

Best wishes,

Mr. CC

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