Paid Services or Free with help...

Sort by newest Sort by date
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

Let everyone have a paypal donation button, like a tip jar. When they give good advice, Tip them. I am sure I could quit my real job with all the tips I would get (NOT):nuts:
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

Maybe we could start a pyramid scheme or a chain letter! :D
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

RunningFool said:
Let everyone have a paypal donation button, like a tip jar. When they give good advice, Tip them. I am sure I could quit my real job with all the tips I would get (NOT):nuts:
Click to expand...
Yeah, people won't donate. A few will at first. Some are very generous. But then it stops. Been there, done that.
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

MY FELLOW CO-MEMBERS, MODERATORS, TOM AND EBBNFLOW...

Donations may work when there is an HONOR CODE to be followed. That is, give according to how much $ your TSP earned in a day because of Tom and Ebbnflow, and/or according to your present situation.

We all know that the thousands of members are a very diversified bunch. From happy retirees with very nice portfolios, to retirees who are not as well off, to members in the middle of or near retirement and are being very cautious about every single penny spent due to the uncertainty of retirement, to those who just started with the Fed and are ahead of the game by starting early. If we all gave an honest donation there would be no need for a set fee. Granted, we may all not be able to give the same $ amount or % but, again, it will be according to our individual financial gains and present situation.

We need to be honest and give Tom and Ebbnflow what is due to them. If it were any of us spending all the energy, time and $ on something to benefit "the FED mankind", certainly we would want to be reimbursed. After all, they are working for us 'FOR FREE'. It's fair and just.

My two cents... centavitos... and let's keep the integrity of the group by appreciating the work they do for us. I send e-mails and tell friends (active/retired mil/civilians all over the world about tsptalk and will continue to do so. Let's set ourselves a goal of telling at least so many people a week about our site, with the right enthusiasm and the right attitude we will have thousands logging in daily.

Let's give it a try. Agreed???

;)
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

nsurf9 said:
And, lastly, clarify Ebb page as to when when the interfund transfer needs to be made. NSURF9
Click to expand...

This is not an EbbTracker issue, so much as it is an IFT (inter-fund transfer) issue. Fund transfers must be completed by Noon EST for the following trading day (usually the next business day, but when we have a holiday, then the next business day).

So, if the tracker indicates I fund for a Thursday, the IFT to the I fund must be made before Noon EST on Wednesday, so on and so forth...

The EbbTracker only tells you what the position for a particular day will be, you must assure that you make the IFT in a timely fashion for it to be in effect on that day.

However, the EbbTracker gives you at least a day advance notice regarding what the allocations will be for any particular date.

Good Luck!
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

tsptalk said:
That's good. Thanks for sharing.
Click to expand...

I don't think you can compare this site to a "news/opinion" site. On one hand, this site is providing a great service to all Fed members, on the other hand, IMHO, the "news/opinion" site is really for the writer to express his/her need to express, whether I agree with it or not is up to me. I have seen many sites that provide a service do well with donations. My suggestion:
- Make this site into a nonprofit site
- Have a page summarizing your cost/income (from Adsense??)
- Allow members to donate at their will

I totally appreciate the camaraderie on the site, and would love to make all information available to everyone. As one member points out, those of us who "really" appreciate the help of other members would not mind give more. And on the exuberance I have seen from a lot of members on the days the market went up, I have no doubt that they would be happy to click the donation to Ebb/Tom.

I certainly don't want Tom to loose out by providing us with this great web site, but I think making the advice available to everybody who gets on the site is very important. I value the input of a lot of members, and just because their input does not have a clear system does not lessen their value. Once you start charging for some, then others will follow.

Personnally, I love my job, and don't even want to have to go through the hassle at work to report a secondary income, and have someone watch over my shoulder for every click I make on my computer.

My own $0.02 :D
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

CorMaGa34 said:
MY FELLOW CO-MEMBERS, MODERATORS, TOM AND EBBNFLOW...

Donations may work when there is an HONOR CODE to be followed.

Let's give it a try. Agreed???
Click to expand...
CorMaGa34 - Thanks for the college try. It is much appreciated. But read the post (with link) above your and you will see the problem. People expect things for free and will complain if they don't get it. There will be those who will donate, but not many, and not for long. The attitude is why donate when you don't have to? Asking for donations is a futile endeavor.
 
We could do what Public TV and Public radio do every so often. Have a week long donation drive every once in a while, where the site is constantly popping up with donation reminders every couple of minutes. It should get so annoying during that week that most of us will donate just to shut it off. You could do the donation drive on very key economic weeks, where tons of economic data are coming out and everybody is scrambling to TSP Talk to read what people are saying.
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

Tom,

Thank you for this website - It has certainly enhanced my TSP Account. I read your commentary, Trader Fred's charts (at least I try to read them) and look at the Ebb Tracker daily. Paying a fee is not a problem.

My concern is guys like Griffin, 12%, Fundsurfer, Paladin, and a few others will discontinue posting. Why would they pay to give advice? I'm not sure what is the best approach but maybe in addition to a fee, consider creating an advisory board of the "Market Smart" gang and treat them special (not the short bus special);

Maybe a bonus for the top 5 producers each year;

I think the donation idea would work if the system was easier; Maybe a "Tip Jar" thread where all you had to do was post in the thread stating "I would like to give a $10 tip to Person X for their TSP tip on Tuesday". The money would then be automatically debited from your account. It would be kinda fun watching the tipping thread.

.....Just writing out loud. Thanks again, Clay
 
tsptalk said:
Or, there is something to be said about keeping our group small (and paying the fee). For the reason JTH mentioned but also things like, how will TSP react to 4 or 5 tims the tranasactions? What if they make changes? Right now we are impacting things. Can you image what happens if we quadruple in size?
Click to expand...

I'd have to guess that all these IFTs are pis_ing off the TSP Gods :D
The biggest concern I have about that is if we start getting charged IFT fees as those fees would have an impact on our gains.

On a side-note... I've noticed some forums restrict guest from viewing attachments and sections of the Forum. This could motivate guest to sign up. Members may be more likely to visit more often then guest, especially if you sent out a weekly automated email to ALL members.

While I'm at it, please allow me to criticize the website from a newbies point of view...

I spend 90% of my internet time on various forums. Some of the better forums have Stickys for all the most common questions the Newbies have. It must get old hearing the Elders answer the same question over and over again. When I first joined I had to spend a great deal of time digging through old threads and the search feature was not so kind to me.

From my perspective a lack of understanding can equate to a lack of commitment. Some newbies may get frustrated if they can't grasp the basics. If the newbies can get educated quicker, they may be more likely to hang around and even participate.

That's all for now, I'm off today :D
 
JTH said:
I'd have to guess that all these IFTs are pis_ing off the TSP Gods :D
The biggest concern I have about that is if we start getting charged IFT fees as those fees would have an impact on our gains.
Click to expand...

Very few Gov't employees manage their accounts actively, with many going into L accounts or leaving it in G funds. So, while there is some talk of charging fees, the truth is, the cost associated with setting up a system to track and assess fees is way outsized to deal with this issue.

So, this is a minor annoyance to them.

It would take most of the Gov't employees trading at one time (in the same direction) on a light volume day to even register a blip for the market. I don't think any system anywhere related to TSP funds will do that.
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

Some of us are aware that the closer is always close by and things can cool at any time. Just be cognizant of that possibility. There will always be members that will travel the road less traveled and seek their own edge.
 
Tom and Ebb,

I think that anybody using the information from this site and making moves with their account should not have an issue paying for site access. I gain more than $20.00 per month of information from this site. For somebody to trade stocks with Fidelity there is achargs of $19.95 per trade. I think the $20.00 per month for the subscription is a good deal. Three weeks after I found this site I started my subscription. If we get more people onto this site then maybe there will not be a need to charge. Tsptalk deals specifically with the TSP funds. I do not know of anyplace else to get this info without have to sift through other outside information. I have put up signs at work and explain how to follow the systems on the phone in the evenings.

Tom, Ebb, Divot,and Fred please keep up the good work. I would not be making TSP trades without the info you provide.

Thanks guys,

Whitemingo
 
whitemingo said:
Tom and Ebb,

I think that anybody using the information from this site and making moves with their account should not have an issue paying for site access. I gain more than $20.00 per month of information from this site. For somebody to trade stocks with Fidelity there is achargs of $19.95 per trade. I think the $20.00 per month for the subscription is a good deal. Three weeks after I found this site I started my subscription. If we get more people onto this site then maybe there will not be a need to charge. Tsptalk deals specifically with the TSP funds. I do not know of anyplace else to get this info without have to sift through other outside information. I have put up signs at work and explain how to follow the systems on the phone in the evenings.

Tom, Ebb, Divot,and Fred please keep up the good work. I would not be making TSP trades without the info you provide.

Thanks guys,

Whitemingo
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, Whitemingo! Printing up a page of the ebbchart and posting it in the locker room's message board for everyone to see. :)
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

tsptalk said:
I forgot to mention, and I hope he doesn't mind me saying while I make my point, since EWGuy (EW_ret) wasn't getting any donations (donations don't work) I have been giving him $200 a month to do the tracker. People get tired of giving without getting back. He didn't want to do it anymore. If Ebb doesn't get compensated he may give up one day too.
Click to expand...

I guess my big question is, what was the original reason for starting up TSPTalk? Was it a labor of love that grew too large to dote on like a loving parent? or Was TSPTalk born for purely capitalistic reasons? (Absolutely nothing wrong with that!) If it's the former...hey, I love my sailboat, but do you know how much it costs to keep that thing afloat and seaworthy? Hobbies cost money. If it's the latter then you need to pick a time and a strategy and just go for it. TSPTalk will either fly or flop. I tend to think you've got a good thing and it will fly...

EW, thank you for taking care of the Tracker! and Tom, thank you for providing such an awesome forum.
 
Re: ebbnflow's Account Talk

Remo said:
I guess my big question is, what was the original reason for starting up TSPTalk? Was it a labor of love that grew too large to dote on like a loving parent? or Was TSPTalk born for purely capitalistic reasons? (Absolutely nothing wrong with that!)
Click to expand...
Investing and trading have been hobbies of mine for a long time and I saw the opportunity for a business doing something I enjoyed. I believe I was one of the first, if not the first TSP sites, and others have jumped on the bandwagon. If I died today I'd go knowing a lot of people are more knowledgeable about investing and their TSP because of an idea I had - whether they got that info from here or another site that popped up as a copycat site. But I definitely saw it as a capitalistic opportunity in the end.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

tsptalk
  • Article Article
Did we just just witness another Friday low - or not?
Replies
0
Views
135
tsptalk
tsptalk
tsptalk
  • Article Article
Can Friday make it 5 in a row, or are we due for profit taking?
Replies
0
Views
144
tsptalk
tsptalk
tsptalk
  • Article Article
After all that, the S&P 500 ends November with a gain?
Replies
0
Views
95
tsptalk
tsptalk
tsptalk
  • Article Article
Another dip - is this the big one or just another buying opportunity?
Replies
3
Views
395
tsptalk
tsptalk
tsptalk
  • Article Article
Bitcoin bounces back helping stocks rebound modestly
Replies
0
Views
64
tsptalk
tsptalk
Back
Top