The real essence of labour is the harvest. In relation to the forum, the beginning stage is not easy as a newcomer needs to be patient. Atleast for a newcomer they should be getting no matter how little some reward for their resources in terms of time and materials. The harvest is the benefit (merit)...
Merit is not the only reward you can receive on this forum. More important is to gain new knowledge about trading and investments that you can convert into dollars. And when you have sufficient knowledge, you will be able to give useful advice and share your knowledge, receiving merit in return.