Happy 10th birthday FWF

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Peculiar_Investor
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Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Happy 10th Birthday FWF and thanks the the founders and all those who have contributed to make FWF arguably one of the best Canadian financial websites.

A decade ago, seeing a window of opportunity to help Canadians, the original FWF gang of four, Bylo Selhi, Norbert Schlenker, Shakespeare and yielder were working very hard on building a new financial discussion forum, to be called the Financial Webring Forum (FWF), and now known as the Financial Wisdom Forum.

The forum software records the board was started 15 Feb 2005, 21:09 MST, the first 'outside' member joined 18 Feb 2005, 07:54 and forum post #3 Links on 16 Feb 2005, 03:55. Norbert's recollection is that the forum was unveiled on February 18th.

I'm guessing in their wildest dreams they didn't expect FWF to still be alive and flourishing 10 years later and that it would have spun-off a companion wiki, finiki, the Canadian financial wiki, plus provide an archive of the gummy stuff tutorials. All while operating completely free of commercial interest and ads. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

To give you an idea of how large this has become, in 2014, there were just under a million visits to FWF, and over 10.6 million pages served. Add in a quarter million visits to finiki and 1.5 million pages served and that's pretty impressive. As I write this the forum statistics show: Total posts 434006 • Total topics 14557 • Total members 6642.

Any guesses on what the next decade holds?

For those who may have missed it last year, Norbert provided some insight into FWF's history, take a look at History of FWF.
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longinvest
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by longinvest »

All my thanks to the founders and owners of this fantastic forum. Thanks, also, to all the members and contributors that make this the best Canadian financial forum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FWF!
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by HardWorker »

I was a lurker for a while, then decided to join and start posting, and almost a decade has passed since. In that time frame, many life events have lead to increased demands on my time, to the point of losing regular contact with some friends, dropping some hobbies I loved, and likely sleeping less. BUT, I still make time to check this forum almost daily, and it's 1 of the only 2 forums I belong to. But I'm still not a billionaire, what gives :rofl:

Thank you to the founders and contributors, it's a great forum, it's commercial free, and CANADIAN :thumbsup:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by chufinora »

Congratulations and thank you to all the founders and contributors. A special thank you to the moderation team (Whoever you are :wink: ) The signal to noise ratio here is well above any other forum I visit, and I don't recall ever seeing any moderator/contributor spats which is quite something.
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by scomac »

Congratulations to all the members of the Financial Wisdom Forum for making the forum what it has become; well done!

A special thank you must be reserved for the founding four and the many other individuals who have tirelessly given of their time and expertise to provide us with this venue and keep it running to the standards we all have become accustomed. Bravo!

:thumbsup:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Arby »

Thanks and congratulations to the founders and moderators. The number of visitors and page views for FWF is a testament to their effort and dedication to this forum. I've been a member since the first week. I'm sure that my investment success has been greatly improved by the education and advice I received from this forum over the past 10 years.
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by kcowan »

I discovered this place in April 2006 and have been a regular ever since. It has a respectful feeling which makes me comfortable. And the level of expertise is amazing. I also like the diversity with people who adopt a variety of investing styles.

Congratulations to the founders and to all of us who have helped along the way. :thumbsup:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by DenisD »

Yes, happy 10th FWF. And thanks to founders, moderators, management and participants for making this the best online forum in Canada, if not the world! The place to discuss investing and life in general. :thumbsup:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by optionable68 »

I recall many of us were converts from "fundlibrary.com" back in the Jon C days some 15 years ago (remember that Bylo?) and I personally have found many of the regulars here to be generous with their knowledge over the years. Thanks for the continuous learning this forum provides. :thumbsup:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by LadyGeek »

As a resident from "south of the border", I've certainly enjoyed the challenge of learning different aspects of investing.

I also enjoy the collaboration with the Bogleheads forum, which is celebrating their 8th birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BOGLEHEADS FORUM

This is a case in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Congrats to everyone involved! :thumbsup:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Norbert Schlenker »

Who knew? Ten years, made terrific by all the wonderful members who have contributed selflessly here to help other Canadians searching for financial answers. Thank you all. Thank you also to our dedicated volunteer moderators who keep this forum 99.95% spam free and conflict minimized.
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Mel Lindauer »

Happy 10th birthday to our sister forum. And a special thank you to bylo and Norbert who were so helpful in getting our bogleheads.org forum up and running.

We also appreciate the FWF members who continue to provide behind-the-scenes help to our forum.

It just so happens that we're celebrating our 8th birthday today. So let's raise our glasses and celebrate together!

Best regards to our Canadian friends. Keep up the good work.

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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Bylo Selhi »

optionable68 wrote:I recall many of us were converts from "fundlibrary.com" back in the Jon C days some 15 years ago (remember that Bylo?) and I personally have found many of the regulars here to be generous with their knowledge over the years. Thanks for the continuous learning this forum provides. :thumbsup:
Yup, I remember.

Also down south there was MutualFundsInteractive and Morningstar forums. I'm sure Mel remembers those fondly.

The growth of the Internet in the mid-1990s resulted in a revolution in the financial services industry, especially for DIYers, as it became possible to learn and profit easily and inexpensively. We've all benefited enormously from that.

Like others who have posted upthread, I'm grateful for the considerable efforts of all participants, from those working behind the scenes to keep the place running and the conversations civil, to those who post and share their knowledge and experience here. A special thank you to those who ask the questions that prompt the great discussions that ensue.

To the rest, i.e. to the lurkers: Please dip a toe in the water. Ask a question. Share an experience. Etc. The water here is warm. (Despite the winter raging on outside.)

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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by planB »

optionable68 wrote:Thanks for the continuous learning this forum provides. :thumbsup:

+1
Bylo Selhi wrote: To the rest, i.e. to the lurkers: Please dip a toe in the water. Ask a question. Share an experience.
For sure. Thanks and congrats from a long time lurker. :beer:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by ockham »

I wasn't present at FWF's birth. I don't know where I first read about it -- maybe Rob Carrick at the Globe. The ratio of what I have learned over what I have contributed is humbling, no, humiliating would be closer. I am easing into a financially comfortable retirement (fully diversified, for Flaccidsteele's information, if he's reading) while surrounded by friends still working and becoming anxious, perhaps too late, about their finances. I cannot measure the extent to which my being comfortable with my financial condition is due to this forum. There's a thread here on the role of luck. I feel very lucky to have FWF. Thank you to all.
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by AltaRed »

:beer: :thumbsup: Congrats to FWF and especially to the founding four who had fortitude and vision to stay the course. I too remember first lurking and then participating in FundLibrary which came of age with the Internet and then progressed through eventually to FWF. As per others, I have benefited immensely from the wisdom and knowledge I have gained through all the contributions and wisdom of FWFers. Pretty certain I would not be in the financial position I am today without FWF. Accolades to our current owners in keeping this forum commercial/profit free and to the contributors which help keep a high signal to noise ratio relative to other forums.
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by CROCKD »

My congrats also to FWF, its founders, moderators and many contributors which help make this forum among the very best well managed and informative online forums.
I have benefitted mightily in knowledge on many financial subjects from it.
I do not remember what happy circumstance brought me here but I am now in my 7th year as a member. It is as integral to my daily routine as my 5km walk.
:thumbsup:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by parvus »

Well, 10 years in. I came here as a lurker. I didn't have anything much to say. Eventually I did find some things to say -- not terribly important in retrospect, but the important thing is to ask and ask back. You always learn. I am quite grateful to Norbert, Bylo, Shakes and Yielder. There is just so much to learn when you ask, and if you're afraid to ask, when you can listen. No question is wrong or stupid. Every answer says something. And is helpful. There's no tunnel vision, but instead, a spirited back and forth. My many thanks for that, for perspectives, and for respect.
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Insomniac »

Well, I was going to send FWF a birthday cake, but that might not work too well. Hint: light candles after taking the cake out of the box..

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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by always_learning »

As I've said before, this forum is a an absolute gem. My heartfelt thanks to the founders, as well as the moderators, posters and wiki-creators over the last ten years. I have learned an immense amount from you, and I am very grateful. Thank you for volunteering your time and effort.

I am particularly grateful to the fellow posters who have been willing to answer my specific questions in depth and detail.

And let us not forget that this forum has an offline impact: I bet I'm not alone in having taken what I have learned here and passed it on to friends offline. :thumbsup:

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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by northbeach »

FWF is a place to go to help make our way in the financial world today.
I do thank the management and all FWF contributors.
You have helped me understand the financial world and contributed to my investing success.
Cheers!
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by ockham »

northbeach wrote:FWF is a place to go to help make our way in the financial world today.
I do thank the management and all FWF contributors.
You have helped me understand the financial world and contributed to my investing success.
Cheers!
:beer: :beer: :beer:
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by poedin »

northbeach wrote:FWF is a place to go to help make our way in the financial world today.
I do thank the management and all FWF contributors.
You have helped me understand the financial world and contributed to my investing success.
Cheers!
:thumbsup:
+2
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Thegipper »

Agreed . It has certainly helped me through a lot of issues and decisions.
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Re: Happy 10th birthday FWF

Post by Peculiar_Investor »

Happy first anniversary of the 10th birthday :lol:

Still going strong after all these years thanks to the ongoing participation and contributions from you, the membership. Thanks!
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