Have you ever been trolled online?

Darryl Brown, investment planner, You&Yours Financial, Toronto

I’m mostly on Twitter and haven’t been trolled. I don’t engage with those who refute ideas without evidence or reasonable arguments. I’m trained as an analyst, so I seek opinions that differ from my own, but evidence is a prerequisite for any debate.

My posts aim to offer a different viewpoint of investments and the markets so that people better understand the decision-making process and potentially become better clients or investors. To generate discussion, I post about ideas I’m considering that might be contentious. A mix of people respond, including industry types and people with a genuine curiosity about investing.

I also distil complex topics into bite-sized pieces. Fixed income is a professional focus of mine — and one that people are more interested in as the cycle winds down.

Marie DeLauretis, financial planner, DeLauretis Wealth Management, Calgary

Posting on social media requires courage because I don’t want to be on the receiving end of negative comments or be forced to defend my professional reputation, though most advisors are respectful of, and polite to, one another.

I mostly post to my corporate Facebook account, calling attention to the need for insurance and a will, and to cash flow and estate planning. I ensure my posts are factually correct and that the information falls within my designations, licenses and regulation. My political posts, which reflect prudent financial planning, such as not spending when you don’t have the money, tend to garner the most negative responses. I ignore these, because everyone is entitled to their opinions.

Brian Shumak, financial planner, Brian Shumak Financial Services, Toronto

I peruse articles and comments on LinkedIn, and post if I have something to add. For example, I’ve posted about saving at least 20% for a down payment on a home so that a client can make mortgage payments and still save for retirement and surprise expenses. I received unprofessional, negative comments for the post, mostly from mortgage brokers and real estate agents.

Where my experience differs from that of commenters, I agree to disagree. Generally, I engage with commenters only for intellectual debate, not to be argumentative.