RetireJapan Remastered
A few years ago I published a master plan for RetireJapan.
The original plan was as follows:
Step 1: share information on the site/blog
Step 2: run a forum so people can ask questions and share information
Step 3: create in-depth Guides on specific topics
Step 4: provide personal coaching
Step 5: provide assistance with opening accounts, etc.
Step 6: provide financial services
When I wrote it we were doing 1-3, and 4-6 were just pipe dreams.
Now we are doing steps 1-5 from the plan, and after learning more about what is actually involved, I have decided not to pursue step 6.
So far so good
I’m happy with how things are going.
I think we will continue providing as much information as possible through the blog and website. We’ll also continue running the forum and publishing new guides. The coaching has been interesting and fulfilling so far, so I’ll also continue with that (and one of the more common requests is to help people get set up with a broker so they can start investing).
So that is all good.
What is next for RetireJapan?
Well, I would like to continue to grow our reach. I love the community here, and I think we have helped a lot of people, but there are many others in Japan who don’t know about RetireJapan who would definitely benefit from the information and support we can provide.
Our mission is still to help as many people as possible learn more about personal finance and investing in order to improve and get more control over their lives.
Getting my financial house in order has transformed my life for the better, and there is no reason that pretty much anyone couldn’t do the same. They just need to know it is possible, practical advice on how to do it, and support while they learn about it.
A new plan
Partly I think we need to do more of the same: more blog posts, more Guides, more forum users, more coaching.
But there are also some new projects I think might be fun and helpful.
In no particular order, here are some of the things I am thinking about:
- Online conferences/seminars, both free and paid. We’ll be trying this out on November 23rd this year with our first free online conference. After a couple of years under Covid, pretty much everyone is now comfortable online, and this removes a lot of the barriers we had before when trying to organise events (booking venues, covering travel costs, etc.).
- A podcast. I’m not a fan of listening to podcasts (I prefer reading text to listening or watching videos) but I’ve been on a few and enjoyed the experience. I also know a lot of people like the format so it probably makes sense to have a RetireJapan podcast. This is something I will explore next year once I finish at my day job.
- More videos on our YouTube channel. I’ve got a lot of ideas for useful videos we could make, and of course any engagement there would just feed back into the main site.
- Online courses. I have an idea for the first one I want to make (The First Ten Million), and an online course based on videos seems both possible to do and potentially valuable for the people taking it. Also uses the same skills as making videos for YouTube, so two birds with one stone and all that.
- More outreach, in the form of guest posts, interviews, appearing on other podcasts, and trying to write in different places. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.
- Improving the website so we rank better on Google etc. Make it easier to find good blog posts from the past. Organise things better so that people can find information on the site quicker. Maybe do another redesign.
Phew! That actually seems like quite a lot when you type it out. I wonder what the next master plan post will look like (in 2024 or 2025).
What do you think? Any suggestions or requests?
Thanks for sharing. It definitely “sounds like a plan,” meaning that your approach seems logical.
Good choice not to become a bank. It was the downfall of the fictional Bobby Axelrod (Billions), as you probably know.
The online learning modules sound particularly good.
Don’t count Herr Axelrod out quite yet there -I’m sure he’ll be back in series 6 😉
WOW the first 10 million…? Please tell me this is 10 million yen and not dollars.!
OMG
Ha, ha, indeed. Anyone with a realistic shot at 10m USD certainly doesn’t need any help from me 😉
One small improvement might be to add a more visible link to the Supporter Memberships page. Like in the top banner next to “Online Coaching”. Or on the “About” page if you want something less intrusive.
I had to remember what it was called, find the not-very-visible search box, then search for those words in order to find the post that links to it. Not very intuitive! If it’s more visible then you might get more financial support for running the site.
Thanks!
That’s a great point!
(and thank you for your support) 😀
Thanks for all the hard work so far.
-I’m interested in the online seminars but can’t make this one. Will it be recorded?
-I like listening to podcasts on my drive to work. Could definitely get into that.
-Didn’t realise you had a youtube channel so will get onto that.
-Online course sounds interesting too. Your site has already taken me a long way from where I was a couple of years ago. But I still feel like a novice in many ways. Would be interested.
Looking forward to it all. Especially as there is not much English information out there specifically geared towards people living in Japan.
Thanks! We’re hoping to record all the sessions, pending permission from the presenters. I’ll have an event page up soon with all the details.
Your Forum search seems not to work. I searched for MONEX. It says that word is so common that it can’t find it.
Where is this info for people living in Japan:
How do Japanese people buy J stocks?
How do Japanese people buy foreign stocks?
How do foreign people buy J stocks?
How do foreign people buy foreign stocks?
Thanks!