Moderator deletions of commodity/futures/trader posts

[John G]

This message board has seen a recent surge of posts that seem to be a combination of promotional statements and some esoteric questions about commodity/futures/trading issues in Roths.

As one of the moderators of this message board, I have chosen to delete all of these message threads because: (1) narrow appeal of these topics, (2) misinformation and misleading information, (3) highly exagerated claims of performance, and (4) the "promotional" nature of some of the posts.

We don't want this message board to devolve into its Yahoo equivilents. Folks are welcome to post questions and exchange information. We ask that those offering information and advice be restricted to people with significant experience, personal case studies, technical knowledge, or professional training in law/accounting.

Moderators have censuring powers. They are rarely used. Some of the reasons a post may be deleted or a message thread closed include: inappropriate language, psuedo expertise, self promotion, soliciting business or advertising, inaccurate information, spamming, etc. An author that persists in posting inappropriate material may be blocked from participating.

This site is generally self policing. All readers are urged to consider the limitations in confirming material annonymously posted on the internet. This site is not exempt from these problems. All of the hours spent by professionals posting responses is volunteer time.

The comments on tax code, retirement plans and investment options that are found here should not be your only source of information.

Think of these threads as a starting point in your research process. Many of the transactions (like rolling over a company plan, IRA conversion, distribution decisions and inheritance planning may involve thousands of dollars. Making a mistake or missing a deadline can have huge consequences. Buying a few hours of professional assistance from a tax preparer or tax lawyer is highly recommended by everyone here.