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This is also a proposal to bring an existing SE 1.0 site, Basically Money, into the StackExchange 2.0 network. Please check out the existing site at basicallymoney.com. Your participation at Basically Money is also highly valued and appreciated! – Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 1:47

Is this meant to be US only (based on the questions so far) or international? As regulation and institutions are largely country specific many (if not most) Q&As will be country specific. – Richard Jun 2 '10 at 8:52

@Richard the existing site allows for questions to be marked as country-specific, but many of the questions are cross domain, or relate to cross-border issues. To my knowledge 5 of the top 10 users at basicallymoney.com are Canadian or British – Rich Seller Jun 2 '10 at 10:59

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85 Example Questions (13 closed)

active newest votes

up vote 2 down vote

added by Tim Sullivan Jun 18 '10 at 3:33

up vote 1 down vote

added by Rog Jun 2 '10 at 5:37

LOL! When I read this it almost mentally parsed as "Where can I get a feed of livestock prices?" (e.g. pigs, cows :-) – Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 23:52

Whenever you start an account at one of the bigger Online companies, you will get the chance to access their platforms. Yahoo finance; NASDAQ also offers partial feeds – AttilaNYC Jun 13 '10 at 12:46

Google finance is pretty good for being live, but if you need a data feed, they don't offer one. – C. Ross Jun 18 '10 at 18:01

up vote 1 down vote

added by nature Jun 2 '10 at 13:42

Should be a community-wiki type question, since there's no right answer .. looks like a survey type question. Would expect answers to justify why they chose a certain percentage. – Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 14:21

So maybe the question should be edited to say "and why" – justkt Jun 3 '10 at 13:16

"do you" questions usually lead to CW type answers. If the OP wants personal advice, it should be adked as "should you... and why" – Mike Sherov Jun 3 '10 at 18:52

Being a CW question doesn't make it a great off topic example, but it does make it not a great on topic example ... – C. Ross Jun 16 '10 at 14:32

up vote 1 down vote

added by David Basarab Jun 3 '10 at 21:24

I was going to add without fighting about it, but the question seemed long. – David Basarab Jun 3 '10 at 21:24

I like this question. – Chris W. Rea Jun 4 '10 at 1:03

up vote 1 down vote

added by Jaydles Jun 4 '10 at 15:40

I think this is a legitimate question. Sure it depends on some assumptions, but a good answer could certainly point to factors one should consider and maybe some helpful calculations (interest expense, expected inflation, value of savings from lower rent vs payment, etc). – Jerry Fernholz Jun 4 '10 at 18:03

up vote 1 down vote

added by Jerry Fernholz Jun 4 '10 at 17:23

up vote 1 down vote

added by Lee Jun 11 '10 at 5:58

up vote 1 down vote

added by Daniel X Moore Jun 16 '10 at 20:23

up vote 1 down vote

added by Lee Jun 17 '10 at 0:50

up vote 1 down vote

added by derobert Jun 17 '10 at 3:05

up vote 1 down vote

added by JohnFx Jun 17 '10 at 15:14

up vote 1 down vote

added by JohnFx Jun 17 '10 at 15:19

up vote 1 down vote

added by JohnFx Jun 17 '10 at 15:21

up vote 1 down vote

added by Eclipse Jun 17 '10 at 18:39

up vote 1 down vote

added by jhwist Jun 17 '10 at 18:39

up vote 1 down vote

added by Christopher Parker Jun 18 '10 at 2:24

up vote 0 down vote

added by Adam Davis Jun 2 '10 at 2:55

This seems a little vague. To me, at least. – d03boy Jun 2 '10 at 3:17

Vague, but I think the general issue (costs of living) is on-topic. – dbkk Jun 17 '10 at 9:11

up vote 0 down vote

added by Rog Jun 2 '10 at 5:38

That's a hard question. It'd might be valid, but I fell the real answer would be "Do not". That might be personal bias though. – C. Ross Jun 2 '10 at 14:25

up vote 0 down vote

added by nature Jun 2 '10 at 13:40

up vote 0 down vote

added by justkt Jun 3 '10 at 13:13

up vote 0 down vote

added by Aaronaught Jun 4 '10 at 0:26

closed as off topic by MrChrister, Chris W. Rea, Troggy, Kensai, C. Ross Jun 5 '10 at 14:46

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

Like it or not, the issue of consumer goods is going to come up. Best to decide the fate of these now. – Aaronaught Jun 4 '10 at 0:27

Agreed, this is a good off-topic example. – Chris W. Rea Jun 4 '10 at 1:02

up vote 0 down vote

added by Jaydles Jun 4 '10 at 15:45

up vote 0 down vote

added by Jerry Fernholz Jun 4 '10 at 17:19

up vote 0 down vote

added by Dave Swersky Jun 17 '10 at 1:48

up vote 0 down vote

added by derobert Jun 17 '10 at 3:04

up vote 0 down vote

added by JohnFx Jun 17 '10 at 15:18

closed as off topic by KeithB, pkaeding, Eclipse, Shane, Rich Seller Jun 18 '10 at 0:35

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

up vote 0 down vote

added by Leigh Riffel Jun 17 '10 at 18:51

That's a good question! – C. Ross Jun 18 '10 at 18:02

up vote 0 down vote

added by Leigh Riffel Jun 17 '10 at 18:52

up vote 0 down vote

added by Leigh Riffel Jun 17 '10 at 18:53

	This question has seven up votes and 118 views on BasicallyMoney.com, but perhaps the stackexchange site should be more focused. – Leigh Riffel Jun 18 '10 at 12:59
	I would say this question is not a great example of an on-topic question, but it should be on-topic. Discussion of standard manufacturer warranties for purchases should probably be off-topic, but discussion of extended warranties falls under "insurance" or "money scam" (depending on how you look at it) each of which ought to be valid subject matter. – Chris W. Rea Jun 18 '10 at 13:43
	@Chris W. Rea I agree with your assessment because I posted it here, but I can see it both ways. – Leigh Riffel Jun 18 '10 at 17:31

up vote 0 down vote

added by Leigh Riffel Jun 17 '10 at 18:53

up vote 0 down vote

added by Tim Sullivan Jun 18 '10 at 3:35

up vote -1 down vote

added by Adam Davis Jun 2 '10 at 2:57

	I hate to feed the gold bugs, but I do think this would be an on-topic question. – Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 3:05
	@Chris It's a good question. The answer just happens to be no. – C. Ross Jun 2 '10 at 14:28
	It really isn't specific enough. Investments are good or bad depending on preferences – Casebash Jun 3 '10 at 1:37
	@Casebash, Not depending on preferences. Depending on goals, risk tolerance, available capital, diversity of investment, etc. – C. Ross Jun 3 '10 at 12:12
	Too broad as it stands, but something like "I'm looking for a low risk investment. Is gold a good one?" would seem to be on topic – Mike Sherov Jun 3 '10 at 18:38

up vote -1 down vote

added by Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 13:00

closed as off topic by MrChrister, Kensai, C. Ross, Jerry Fernholz, brainimus Jun 9 '10 at 17:09

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

I don't think buy or sell recommendations for individual stocks should be on-topic, otherwise the site may degrade into yet-another-stock-board with the longs, shorts, and trolls making a mess of the place. – Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 13:01

@Chris I agree. The site is supposed to be about personal finance, not day trading. I'm pretty sure professionals don't look at stock boards. – C. Ross Jun 3 '10 at 12:15

@C. Ross: Not all trading is day-trading; it's perfectly reasonable to have medium-term (3-6 month) investment goals without being a professional, and I'd definitely consider that an aspect of personal finance; if you're not investing your money, you're not managing it properly. That said, I still voted off-topic, but my reason would be Too Localized because it refers to a specific symbol. If allowed, it would also lead to a slippery slope of stock pumping, so such questions would have to be closed and deleted in order for the site to succeed long-term. – Aaronaught Jun 3 '10 at 13:30

We should pick this or my similar "google" question (area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/1721/…). We don't need both. – C. Ross Jun 5 '10 at 20:11

up vote -1 down vote

added by C. Ross Jun 3 '10 at 17:26

closed as off topic by Ganesh Sittampalam, MaurizioPz, Daniel X Moore, Adam Davis, BCS Jun 17 '10 at 3:56

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

Actuarial is finance but not personal. – C. Ross Jun 3 '10 at 17:26

This is a question for a different field, but also not one I would expect someone to go to a personal finance site to ask about. – The Real Bill Jun 16 '10 at 18:28

up vote -1 down vote

added by C. Ross Jun 3 '10 at 17:27

closed as off topic by The Real Bill, Sverre Rabbelier, Dave Swersky, derobert, Michael Todd Jun 17 '10 at 3:53

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

This finance but not personal. – C. Ross Jun 3 '10 at 17:27

To make it a better example of an off-topic question, I'd remove "Fortune 500" and just leave it at "your company". Whether it's Fortune 500 or not is not material to the off-topicness. – Chris W. Rea Jun 5 '10 at 0:19

up vote -2 down vote

added by Jerry Fernholz Jun 4 '10 at 17:34

up vote -3 down vote

added by Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 2:05

closed as off topic by C. Ross, brainimus, David Fullerton, Daniel X Moore, Joel Spolsky Jun 16 '10 at 22:07

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

This is not related enough to personal finance. More appropriate for the proposed Economics site, perhaps. – Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 2:06

This question needs one more vote and we'll be in the commitment phase ... – C. Ross Jun 18 '10 at 17:57

I have a free "off-topic" vote, but I can't vote my own question up :-( – Chris W. Rea Jun 18 '10 at 18:57

@Chris Someone got it ... now just waiting for something to tick <http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/54213/how-often-do-sites-move-into-the-commit-phase> – C. Ross Jun 18 '10 at 19:20

up vote -3 down vote

added by Jeff Atwood Jun 2 '10 at 4:06

This needs more specifics about "should I...." – Good Person Jun 2 '10 at 12:52

I agree with @Good Person, as it stands this is similar to my "Should I buy a car" question. Without knowing more about the mortgage costs, rental costs, your other financial commitments etc. I don't think this works. I think it would be on topic if phrased in terms of pros and cons or in terms of LTVs and interest rates – Rich Seller Jun 2 '10 at 13:37

up vote -3 down vote

added by Gelatin Jun 2 '10 at 18:52

closed as off topic by C. Ross, Kensai, Chris W. Rea, Jerry Fernholz, David Basarab Jun 7 '10 at 20:25

This question does not relate to the topic of the proposal.
It was closed as part of an automated migration of off-topic to close votes on September 29, 2011.

Is stock trading really personal finance? I guess that's a matter of opinion. – C. Ross Jun 2 '10 at 18:59

Trading can be done by individual investors or by pros. I think it's acceptable, especially since people sometimes just use "trading" to mean "buying and selling", not to imply they are performing it professionally. – Chris W. Rea Jun 2 '10 at 19:16

@Chris I think you run the "stocks board" risk you mentioned earlier though. – C. Ross Jun 3 '10 at 12:16

This question runs the danger of "I bought XYZ stock... What a dud!" also, due to the personal nature of the question, even as a CW, the answers would probably be too subjective. – Mike Sherov Jun 3 '10 at 18:55

I agree with @Mike; this is one of those edge-case questions, technically on topic but invites too many uninformed in-before-the-lock answers. I vote "no" on S&A grounds, but in practice the actual question content would probably dictate my decision. – Aaronaught Jun 3 '10 at 21:03

show 1 more improvement suggestion

up vote -3 down vote

added by justkt Jun 3 '10 at 13:12