In other words, living within an income-sharing community like Twin Oaks means letting go of all but a modicum of financial independence.

But for some, giving up financial freedom also means a liberation from something else: the fear of some unseen nightmare – job loss, serious illness – resulting in financial ruin

Blue says Twin Oaks hit its current 91-member population cap in 2008 and has been at capacity since, after years of membership numbers fluctuating between the low 60s and high 80s. Member turatically since the financial crisis, he adds: Before 2008, roughly 25 people joined and left the commune each year; since 2008, the number has fallen to between five and 10.

For all its vision of economic separatism, Twin Oaks hitched its growth through the 1980s and 90s on the expanding success of a hearty little company called Pier 1 Imports. (suite…)