Looking for Feedback for Green Retirement Site

[Retire Blogger]

Wow,
Thank you for this opportunity! I have started a retirement planning company that offers a new approach to retirement planning. One based on conservation, as opposed to the current method of consumption, which could save people hundreds of thousands of dollars and allow them to retire early.

It's new, only three months old, and has yet to get the attention it deserves. I would really appreciate some feedback on the site and blog. Positive or negative, it's all helpful, and I can use your suggestions. Dumb idea or great idea, good site or bad site, have you thought about this? Or I didn't understand that?

Retirement Planning - Save your Retirement and the Planet-Retire Early

I really do appreciate the opportunity, to not only share the idea, but more importantly get some constructive criticism and advice.

Cheers,
Ramsay

[rolltimer]

Originally Posted by Retire Blogger

I really do appreciate the opportunity, to not only share the idea, but more importantly get some constructive criticism and advice.

Cheers,
Ramsay

Ramsay,

I think you need more explanation on your assertion that conservation-based retirement is better than consumption-based retirement. Put some things on the site that make people nod their heads and say, "he's right about that, I wonder what else he has to say" so they'll be more inclined to take the next step and give their e-mail address for the freebie.

You may also want to do a search on your pages for "seperate" and "seperating". The correct spellings are "separate" and "separating". Easy way to remember is that separate has " a rat" in the middle.

[Retire Blogger]

Thanks Rolltimer:
You mean more examples Like: It will require an additional $45,000 in retirement savings to maintain a mini-storage unit. Or your starbucks coffee habit will cost you an additional $15,000 in retirement savings. Quit the gym, walk instead, and reduce by $25,000 the amount you need to save for retirement?

Thanks for catching the typo, I used to be an editor and was excellent at catching miss-spellings, but I'm a terruble self-editor...

[beren]

Originally Posted by Retire Blogger

Or your starbucks coffee habit will cost you an additional $15,000 in retirement savings. Quit the gym, walk instead, and reduce by $25,000 the amount you need to save for retirement?

I would love to read something like that.

[Julie Rains]

I think a green retirement site is a great idea. My parents are retired and my dad has started to talk about inflation and how his savings just are keeping up with unexpected expenses such as replacing old refrigerators and ovens. Other than saving enough money, I had been thinking about ways to control costs. Here are the big expenses: medical (even though my parents have Medicaid, his medical expenses are $7,000 per year, their highest expense); transportation; food; and energy. So then what can you do about those expenses?

Green solutions would be to
1) grow your own food (my parents have a small garden and are regulars at the farmers' market)
2) generate your own energy and/or reduce energy consumption through the use of solar energy/wind energy, install a thermal HVAC unit, etc.
3) live in an area that does not require a car to get around

So, I would have thought a site on green retirement would cover issues such as 1-3. If someone started now (say in their 30's) on these techniques then they could save money for retirement and easily make a transition to green living b/c they were already in that lifestyle. I didn't see any of those topics covered in the site, or perhaps you can point me to that section.

I haven't come up with the medical solution yet.

[rolltimer]

Originally Posted by Retire Blogger

Thanks Rolltimer:
You mean more examples Like: It will require an additional $45,000 in retirement savings to maintain a mini-storage unit. Or your starbucks coffee habit will cost you an additional $15,000 in retirement savings. Quit the gym, walk instead, and reduce by $25,000 the amount you need to save for retirement?

Exactly. Put some more of your personality (and humor) on the site so people will know they are dealing with a human being with ideas, suggestions, and a new perspective from what everyone else is trying to shove down their throats and not just someone who is out to make a buck on them. Maybe you're already doing that on your blog but someone not coming from your blog's site may not make the effort to click over to your blog and see it.

[moneymatters]

Originally Posted by Retire Blogger

Wow,
Thank you for this opportunity! I have started a retirement planning company that offers a new approach to retirement planning. One based on conservation, as opposed to the current method of consumption, which could save people hundreds of thousands of dollars and allow them to retire early.

It's new, only three months old, and has yet to get the attention it deserves. I would really appreciate some feedback on the site and blog. Positive or negative, it's all helpful, and I can use your suggestions. Dumb idea or great idea, good site or bad site, have you thought about this? Or I didn't understand that?

Retirement Planning - Save your Retirement and the Planet-Retire Early

I really do appreciate the opportunity, to not only share the idea, but more importantly get some constructive criticism and advice.

Cheers,
Ramsay

I like the idea of the site, the only thing I might add is that the site was slightly hard on the eyes. I didn't really find it easy to look at or read. You may want to think about doing a redesign, or finding one of those free to use templates out there.

[Retire Blogger]

Hi Everyone:
Thank you all for your suggestions. They were all useful and helpful. I took your suggestions and made changes to the website. Hopefully it is a more powerful website because of your feedback. The site is only 3 months old but it is already getting 3,000 visitors a month.

Wisebread is a great resource, I'm lucky to have found it, and I thank you all for the opportunity to share the Green Retirement message.

Thanks,
Ramsay