I know minimalism has a bad reputation for some people, as often it feels like the idea is built around stripping away the small things that make life fun to the point where the world just seems sterile. Personally I think that’s the wrong mindset altogether. It’s not about eliminating the happy belongings around you. Like preferring loyal pets over decorative pillows, it’s simply about prioritizing the things that actually matter to you and moving on from the things that don’t.
I apply that productive minimalist approach in many aspects of my life, from my home surroundings to the activities I choose to fill my time. And even without me pointing it out, you can probably see it reflected in Portfolio Charts. In an online world where popups, banner ads, and distracting videos are the norm, a clean visual slate for helpful data has always been important to how the site operates.
I’ve been working a lot recently on the mechanics of the site to streamline the experience, make some nice improvements, and cut a few unimportant things away. Some of them are obvious, while others are a bit more subtle. In the spirit of minimalism I’ll keep it short and sweet, but here are a few changes to be aware of.
Updated Patrons page
Look at the top of any page, and you’ll see a link to a dedicated Patrons page. That’s not exactly new as I’ve had it before, but the page itself is much nicer and is finally a true hub for supporters. It’s the place to go to manage your member account, buy a cool T-shirt, or donate to the cause.
PayPal for memberships
One of the more common requests I’ve received for some time is the ability to use PayPal to pay for a membership. That feature is now active! So if you ever thought about signing up but felt uncomfortable sharing your credit card info, PayPal is now an option.
Simple My Portfolio access
One of the major benefits of becoming a member is to access the My Portfolio tool that lets you create every chart at once. Because of technical limitations, that used to require a somewhat awkward system of monthly access codes shared in the member news feed. I’m happy to announce that the system is much nicer now and those access codes are no longer required. Just sign in with your member account and you’re good to go.
No more affiliate links
I have long included book links in the Portfolio pages to help you find more information on each concept straight from the portfolio authors. You may have noticed the disclosure near those links that I am part of the Amazon affiliate program and make a small commission when you buy something.
That was an interesting experiment, but after collecting enough data I reached the conclusion that the tiny amount I earned was not worth the potential tradeoff in trust that comes with peddling affiliate links. So from now on, all links are profit-free.
To be clear, the same book recommendations are still all there! They’re just not monetized at all. I genuinely recommend them with no profit motive on my part. In fact, be sure to look for them in your local library.
Less Instagram, more X
Social media is a big part of life now, and it makes sense to branch out to reach as many people as possible. That said, I’ve also been reevaluating the pluses and minuses of different platforms to maximize both my reach and personal enjoyment for the effort. Long story short, I’ll probably be moving away from Instagram and focusing more on X. And for focused chat, the Portfolio Charts Discord is also a great place for a helpful conversation.
In summary, I’ve added several genuinely helpful features that make the experience better for all of us and trimmed a few where the cost/benefit ratio was out of whack. That’s the type of effective minimalism I can get on board with. If you have any suggestions for other tweaks that you feel can make the site better, please let me know.
As you evaluate your own life for opportunities for improvement, my hope is that Portfolio Charts continues to make the cut on things that truly matter. Let’s keep moving forward together.
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