2nd Meeting 7/26 - Greenville Metro Bogleheads

[Snow Boarder]

8 people attended the 1st GMBH Chapter meeting at the Simpsonville Public Library this weekend. We had such a good turn-out that we maxed out the conference room I reserved. Since new people are contacting me each week wanting to join GMBH I reserved a much larger room for our 2nd meeting. Thanks to everyone for making our kick-off meeting so successful.

You are more than welcome to bring your spouse/friend/coworker/neighbor etc but it is really important that you send me an RSVP with the # of people in your group so I can make sure there are enough seats. Send your RSVP to: greenvillebogleheads@gmail.com.

There was a really good mix of investors (novice as well as tenured). Everyone's point in their investment journey will be different but when those experiences (good and bad) are shared it is like your putting up a sign that says "Road Construction Ahead. Alternate Route Advised".

I was really impressed by the desire of the GMBHs in attendance to learn more about fiscal responsibility / freedom. I was planning on meeting every quarter but when we got around to planning the next meeting date the group said they like the educational / sharing meeting format I proposed so much and that they wanted to meet monthly so not to 'lose the momentum' GMBH has built up. GMBHs will be learning at a turbocharged pace. The next 3 meeting dates are: July 26th, August 23rd and October 4th so mark your calendar GMBH.

2nd MEETING DETAILS.
Date: Saturday July 26th, 2014
Time: 9:30am - 11am (90 minutes).
Place: Simpsonville Public Library
Phone: (864) 963-9031

Agenda.
9:30 - 9:35 Introductions (Names, Vocations etc).
9:35 - 9:45 Tips, Tricks & Traps - from your experiences.
9:45 - 10:15 1st Topic: Your Favorite Book.
10:15 - 10:45 2nd Topic: Emergency Funds.
10:45 - 11:00 Choose 2 topics / designate Discussion Leaders & schedule next meeting.

For our first interactive meeting I came up with 2 "lighter" discussion topics that would engage both the novice and tenured investors in our chapter.

Quotes from your favorite book.
Everyone has read a financial book of some kind. Share something you have read that influences how you act or how you make decisions.

The Basic Principles of Emergency Funds.
Everyone either has an emergency fund or is in the process of building one or are learning about why you need one and how to build it.

I am looking for more discussion topics, that are important to you, for upcoming meetings. Please send me an email if you have a topic that you want to learn more about or one you are well versed in and are willing to lead a discussion.

Remember to RSVP,
Snow Boarder

[Mel Lindauer]

Hi Snow Boarder:

Thanks for sharing that exciting news about your first meeting. Thanks, too, for stepping up and agreeing to get this new Chapter off the ground. Sounds like you're off to a great start and I can feel the momentum building.

Under your leadership, I'm sure your new group will be a huge success, just as your previous Detroit Local Chapter was.

My very best to you and all the GMBH Local Chapter members.

Mel

[rakornacki1]

Thanks for your initiative & organization of our 1st meeting. I felt the content was valuable, the discussion rich and the ambiance was productive. I will plan on attending our July & August meetings; however, I am unable to attend our October meeting. I can arrive early to help with the room setup.
Allow me to make one other suggestion/reminder for our future meetings: a brief section on 'Investing Tips, Tricks & Traps'. I would allot no more than 5 minutes, a volunteer(s) could briefly describe a helpful personal investing tip, trick or trap that is easy to implement.
Thank you.

[Gillisjp]

The 1st meeting was everything I was hoping it was going to be. As a novice investor and new to the Boglehead way of investing this is shaping up to be exactly what I need to further my development. A big shout out goes to Snow Boarder for getting this all set up! The drive was short about 10-15mins from down town Greenville, SC and is right off of I-385. The one thing that really stuck out to me was the groups eagerness to go into detail of everything we spoke about. It is good to see that seasoned investors are always wanting to learn more. Thanks again for getting this started and I have already booked those dates in my calender.

[oysterboy]

Colum,

I plan to be at the 2nd meeting and will come early to help set up.

Thanks,
Chuck Dunn
Cdunn825@gmail.com

[LoudounGent]

The first meeting went very well and I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout. Looking forward to the 2d gathering. I'll be there to set up/tear down as well.

[Snow Boarder]

Good News. This week 2 more Bogleheads asked to be added to the GMBH email list. To get on our distribution list send me an email at greenvillebogleheads@gmail.com.

A special thanks goes out to rakornacki1, gillisjp, loudoungent for your feedback on our 1st meeting. We have big plans for our 2nd one on July 26th so don't miss out. To make sure I have enough seats at the 2nd meeting post an RSVP here or send me an email.

Snow Boarder

[Snow Boarder]

Hello GMBH,

Here is your 2 week reminder for our 2nd Greenville Metro Bogleheads (GMBH) meeting on July 26, 2014.

Place: Simpsonville Public Library
Date: Saturday July 26th, 2014
Time: 9:30am - 11am (90 minutes).
Phone: (864) 963-9031

Agenda.
9:30 - 9:35 Introductions (Names, Vocations etc).
9:35 - 9:45 Tips, Tricks or Traps - from your experiences.
9:45 - 10:15 1st Topic: Emergency Funds.
10:15 - 10:45 2nd Topic: Your Favorite Book.
10:45 - 11:00 Choose 2 topics / designate Discussion Leaders & schedule next meeting.

I made 2 permanent changes to our agenda based on feedback from the GMBH kick-off meeting.
1) Football season is coming up so we will meet 1 hour earlier. The start time will be 9:30AM so people can get home and watch their favorite teams.
2) The "Tips, Tricks & Traps" section was added. 2-3 people will volunteer their individual experiences. You can learn a lot in this section.

Here is an example of a trick that I experienced when closing on my mortgage with Bank of America. Read the fine print when deciding on your payback increment (monthly, bi-monthly etc) at closing. Bi-monthly sounded good to me until I read that the 1st 1/2 payment is not applied to the principle until a full mortgage payment can be made. That 1st 1/2 payment sits in a BofA short term escrow account collecting interest for them. It did not build home equity faster. It did not reduce the total interest paid on the loan. It did reduce my monthly cash flow. The people who would benefit from this option are those who are prone to spending the 1st 1/2 mortgage payment that they set aside in their own self-governed escrow account.

Quotes from your favorite book.
Everyone has read a financial book of some kind. Share something you have read that influences how you act or how you make decisions.
This is an open discussion. All GMBH members are encouraged to contribute.

The Basic Principles of Emergency Funds.
Everyone either has an emergency fund or is in the process of building one or are learning about why you need one and how to build it.
Snow Boarder will lead this interactive discussion.

I am looking for more discussion topics for upcoming meetings. Please send me an email if you have a topic that you want to learn more about or one you are well versed in and are willing to lead a discussion.

Thanks to those who are coming early to help set up the room.
Snow Boarder

[Snow Boarder]

Hello Bogleheads,

This is a 4 day reminder of the 2nd GMBH meeting. See above for meeting details.

It was supposed to be a 1 week reminder but I forgot to send it out. Sort of ironic isn't it.

[Snow Boarder]

Reminder: The 2nd GMBH meeting is tomorrow.

It will be in the Simpsonville Library, same as last time, but in a different room - the bigger conference room.

About 10 feet after you enter the library (you are in the library foyer) turn right and enter the conference room. It is adjacent to the restrooms.

If you pass the sliding doors with the metal detectors then you went to far.

See you tomorrow,
Snow Boarder

[temwil]

I will be there tomorrow.

[Snow Boarder]

We had a really good meeting that day.