Congratulations, you found me. Since you’re visiting my blog/web site, you probably already know that the San Diego Union-Tribune canceled my column to save money. As I mentioned in my last column that appeared in today’s newspaper, it was very touching to read the crush of emails from people, who spent a few minutes each Sunday reading what I had to say. I particularly liked the email with the tag line: Oh NOOOOOO! Actually that was my original reaction to the newspaper’s decision when the business editor broke the news to me a few weeks ago. It’s a rare person who likes change and I’m no different than anybody else who retreats into his or her routine. And that for me meant starting each column on Tuesday — and sometimes Monday — and then writing in fits and starts, as I worked on other assignments, until the darn thing was finished by Thursday morning.
Once I stopped feeling sorry for myself, however, I figured that moving online was probably smart. Sadly, there’s a shrinking universe of readers who depend on newspapers and far wiser people than I are struggling with how to correctly apply the tourniquet to stop the bleeding. When I’m writing online, I don’t get the feeling that I’m typing away in an intensive care unit.
My Goals
I decided to launch this site for a few largely selfish reasons. Here are the biggies:
1) I want to stay in contact with the people like you who have been reading my column in the Union-Tribune, online or through the 30 or so newspapers that syndicated my column. I’m glad I’ve been able to help people in some small ways and the feedback that I’ve received through thousands of emails and conversations have been a wonderful gift.
2) I’d like to attract more readers from around the country. I’m always amazed when I get email from people in places like New Hampshire and Maui and Texas. I’d like to attract a lot of foot traffic so I can ultimately find a way to make this site financially self-sufficient. One avenue would be to sell advertising so this venture won’t be a financial drain and a distraction from my paid freelance work.
3) I want a place to publicize my book on colleges, tentatively entitled, The 97% College Solution, when it is published by Prentice Hall next year. I’m EXTREMELY excited about this project because there’s no book on the market that explains, in easy to understand language, how to get teenagers into wonderful schools for the least amount of money. Bizarrely, all the books that focus on admission strategies dwell on getting teenagers into the Ivy League. Of course, the only ivy most kids will touch is the poison variety. In addition to admission approaches, my book will explain how to evaluate schools and even academic departments, obtain the best loans, negotiate better deals and much, much more.
Stick Around
To keep people visiting my blog/web site, I intend to post a column every Sunday. I also will periodically post some thoughts on the blog. Thanks so much for visiting my new online home. Come back again soon. And please pass this web address along to others!
cfs – The This Week’s Column section of the site is independant of the Ask Lynn section. It was set up this way so past columns and blog entries could be accessed with greater ease. To leave comments at the columns site, you need to register there also. I know this isn’t ideal but there are some benefits.
I was so sorry to learn of the Union Tribune’s short -sighted attempt to save money by firing someone who has given such excellent and sensible financial advice. Perhaps someone should teach them about being penny wise but pound foolish.
I am looking forward to reading your online columns and your blog. Thank you for all your past advice.
Very interesting – I can leave a comment on the “Congratulations” page, but my login ID and password is NOT working on the “column” page. Just wondering IF anyone else is experiencing this anomaly.
cfs
from San Diego
I am looking forward to reading your articles on the Internet. In adddition to reading your Sunday articles in the Tribune, I have enjoyed studying your RETIREMENT BIBLE, which I have found very useful. The Trib is not very bright to lose you. Thank you for continuing to help us individual investors.
Thank you for your past articles. looking forward to them here. I have a hunch that your readership will return and may even exceed today’s in time. Carry on!
I too echo the thank-you. I have enjoyed and followed the wonderful advice. I will continue to read your posts here. Any other strategies you recommend will be greatly appreciated.
How foolish for the UT to throw out good objective journalism to save money in the short term. Well, they just lost another subscriber.
Thanks for all you do. Read your column on the SDUT every Sunday. Good luck with your web site!
cfs
[from San Diego]
We are so very glad that we will have the benefit of your ongoing advice and counsel.
Patricia and Shain
I missed last week’s column, so just got the bad news today–one of the main reason I ever bought the Sunday U-T in recent years will no longer be there. Glad to see you’re going to continue offering sensible, easy-to-understand advice for personal investing that I’ve come to rely on. People I work with, friends and family all consider me the investing genius and ask for advice. I pretty much pass on what I’ve learned from your column, and refered them to the Sunday U-T. Now I’ll just send them all here.
You are my favorite finance writer and am so glad you are breaking into blogworld. You are on my favorites listBest of luck!
Jeanne
Lynn,
Congratulations. I think the SD U-T made a big mistake when they let your column go. You are one of a very few financial journalists with very practical down-to-earth advice — you are a RESPONSIBLE financial journalist.
I have my own financial advisor practice, O’Reilly Wealth Advisors, http://www.oreillywa.com. I advise my clients to avoid (like the plague) reading and watching financial journalism because it can lead you astray from a prudent long term plan. I never thought I would post links at my web site to articles written by a financial journalist — and yet I currently have links to three of your previous articles and another two articles will be linked there soon.
If someone reading this is a true “do-it-yourselfer” that wants to spend the study time and planning time on finances, or you’ve been burned so badly in past that you can’t have a trusting relationship with an advisor — then doing it yourself and using advice from Lynn’s past articles and this BLOG may work pretty well from you. Focus on basics, and do them well. (Please make sure unforeseen risks are appropriately managed and a long term plan is documented and monitored!)
If you are someone that goes cross-eyed at the thought of dealing with financial strategy, don’t have enough time to do the research and the planning, and you are able to have a trusting relationship with an advisor — then you need to figure out how to choose a great advisor that is a fit to you — and guess what — Lynn has written some great articles for you too! If you are able to work with an advisor, and have enough assets for an advisor to take you on as a client profitably – you will be much better off. Doing it yourself, even with Lynn, can be a dangerous place.
Best of luck to all! I look forward to listening in on the BLOG.
Great job Lynn. I will really miss you column which I always read — right after the Sports page!