6

This question seems to be explicitly asking for personal investment advice. Is this a road we want to go down? We already shy away from diagnosing people's medical or legal situation, and I think we should be (almost) as reluctant to diagnose people's financial situation.

Apart from the liability issue, I don't think we want to morph into the kind of site where people post their specific circumstances and get personal tailored advice. The answers won't be general enough to be useful to people searching.

7

I think personal investment advice is fine such as "buy an S&P 500 Index fund" or "buy a government bond", etc. In my opinion, I would leave this question open as I believe it fits the charter for Personal Finance and Money.

However, I think advising for or against specific funds or specific stocks makes the question too localized in time. A good buy now is not a good buy later. That is why I don't like questions that are: "These are the funds I have in my 401k: ABCDE, ABCFE, XYZAB - What should I contribute?"

2

I also agree with Alex B. In my answer to this question and other similar questions, I have tried to focus on the differences, pros and cons of different investment strategies and asset classes, as well as the suitability to the questioner's specific circumstances. On a secondary note, there is no formal liability for investment advice provided on a non-professional basis.

However, in the same way that we wouldn't want someone to seek or decline medical treatment based on a non-professional diagnosis of their medical condition, I wouldn't want someone to buy or sell assets based on the knowledge we are sharing with them here. Hopefully, that would be a starting point for them better understand their options and begin their own research.

I don't see a problem with sharing the general risks and benefits of certain asset classes, or with explaining general principles of investment. I think the important thing is to explain why we think something may be a good or poor fit, as everyone's situation is different.

I like answering these types of questions, but the health and reputation of the community is much more important to me. If there are any specific concerns about any of my answers, please comment on them.

1

I agree with your concern. At some point, the situation described becomes too specific and not readily applicable to other readers. And the answer quickly becomes a matter of opinion.

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