User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 4:53:24 PM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I need to work more on investments. I don't know enough to get crazy with it, plus I'm worried too much about screwing up and losing what I do have, which is too bad, because in the hands of someone knowing what they're doing, it could be doubled in a couple years I'm guessing. I've got some Ameritrade funds (much of which is sitting in a cash fund and not really doing shit), Roth Ira, mutual funds, couple stocks, etc. Barely started getting into PMs, and stopped. I will assume your goal is long term financial stability, particularly in retirement. That IRA - are you maxing it each year? My advice is always to max that, then think about other fun games. For your IRA, the options are limitless. I prefer Vanguard funds/ETFs, but they are one of many doing low fee plans that are having great results over the last few years. CDs, Stocks, PMs and otherwise require, in my opinion, much more careful watching*. The money is there, but where Mutual Funds have experts running them, you've got to do it on your own. That said, winners can be found by just about anyone with a pulse. Just don't put more in any pot than you are willing to lose. *This isn't day trading, but vigilance. Hiring someone is easier, but for some the individual stock side is a hobby that happens to have the potential to produce money. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:03:31 PM EDT
[#2]
A parent with a special needs son investing in all-or-nothing stocks is, well, maybe a little special needs themselves.
Zero sympathy for someone so reckless - it's not like there aren't 25,000 "don't do this" articles out there from professionals. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:08:15 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Shitload better than a lot of people. A friend of mine has been working for 20 years (for the most part), is out of work as of last week, and made a comment about not even being able to afford to change out the cat litter. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
He's been saving for 25 years for retirement and he had a grand total of less than 87k saved up? A friend of mine has been working for 20 years (for the most part), is out of work as of last week, and made a comment about not even being able to afford to change out the cat litter. yep, I have friends with ZERO retirement savings....fucking idiots |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:10:42 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Is this an actual question, or are you demonstrating the logic he used? If serious: anybody can go broke. There's no such thing as a sure thing. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I know a guy who worked for Lucent. He was worth 725,000 USD all Lucent stock. It crashed and his shares were worth 25k. Dude was FUCKED. I asked why he didn't sell at 700k or so and buy tax free muni's or T bills. I never ever put my money in one stock. Not even as a small portion of my money. What was his answer? One of the worst things a person can do for their future is have all their retirement savings in the stock of the company they work for. If the company goes under, you get double fucked when you lose your job and your retirement savings. It was Bell Labs. Bell Labs invented the dial tone. How could it have gone broke? Is this an actual question, or are you demonstrating the logic he used? If serious: anybody can go broke. There's no such thing as a sure thing. I should have put in a quote box. That was his reasoning. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:14:50 PM EDT
[#5]
They also hung out on a forum dedicated to other investors in the same company - a recipe for groupthink. This is extremely self destructive behavior. I believe the victims are people who were never very popular in the first place, but feel like they are part of some thing larger than themselves. Which they may be, but who wants to be the losing part of a stock scam? Nothing wrong with index funds. I own some myself. Nothing wrong with owning individual stocks either, remember, each and every one of those index funds is made up of individual stocks. Just don't get carried away. Don't let people fool you into thinking that bonds/real estate/precious metals/etc are safe. If it is risky enough to make money, it is too risky to be safe. If it is truly safe, then it is a terrible long term investment. Remember to keep taxes in mind. I occasionally take short term profits, but when I do, Uncle Sam is the real winner, not me. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:17:37 PM EDT
[#6]
My successful trading story. I bought about 25,000 shares of Sirius stock at a whopping 5 cents a share. I sold it all at about 65 cents a share. Even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then
 . But I only threw money at it that I could afford to lose. I was very tempted to throw about $75,000 at it but couldn't afford the risk. I knew nothing about trading. It was all just a wild stab. Sounds a lot like this lady but she actually pulled the trigger.
Btw: Sirius closed at 3.43 today. Dayum 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:20:58 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: yep, I have friends with ZERO retirement savings....fucking idiots Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: He's been saving for 25 years for retirement and he had a grand total of less than 87k saved up? A friend of mine has been working for 20 years (for the most part), is out of work as of last week, and made a comment about not even being able to afford to change out the cat litter. yep, I have friends with ZERO retirement savings....fucking idiots Not everyone is stupid for arriving at such a predicament. Sure, lots of people don't save or plan, but others encounter all sorts of set backs that strip them of savings or investments. I lost 15 years worth of savings when saddled with medical issues and got furloughed on top of it. Wasn't stupidity, it was life. I'm back to saving, but I got wiped out. Can happen fast, lemme tell ya.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:22:28 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My successful trading story. I bought about 25,000 shares of Sirius stock at a whopping .05 cents a share. I sold it all at about .65 cents a share. Even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then . But I only threw money at it that I could afford to lose. I was very tempted to throw about $75,000 at it but couldn't afford the risk. I knew nothing about trading. It was all just a wild stab. Sounds a lot like this lady but she actually pulled the trigger.
Btw: Sirius closed at 3.43 today. Dayum 5 cents or .05 cents? |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:23:12 PM EDT
[#9]
5 cents. Actually 5 and a half
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:27:39 PM EDT
[#10]
In principle I'm anti-capitalist, but since the system isn't changing anytime soon, I'm perfectly happy to play the investment game.
These are the rules that have worked for me: 1. Diversify. 2. Invest in companies that pay regular, and hopefully increasing, dividends. 3. Stick to well-known, large-cap companies. Household names. 4. Own at least some international stocks. 5. Avoid mutual funds because their fees eat into your profits. In a stagnant or down market, the fees will wipe out your profits. 6. Use a no-commission or low-commission broker. For example, Merrill Lynch gives you 30 free trades a month if you maintain at least $25,000 in any combination of Merrill Lynch and Bank of America accounts. (If you have less than $25,000 disposable, you have no business doing this kind of investing.) 7. Pay off any debts, including your mortgage, before you even think about investing. 8. Equities are the place to be as long as savings accounts, CD's, and bonds are paying less than 3%. 9. Don't forget the timing of your transactions for tax purposes. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:35:16 PM EDT
[#11]
For an anti-capitalist, you play a pretty good capitalist game.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:37:20 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I know a guy who worked for Lucent. He was worth 725,000 USD all Lucent stock. It crashed and his shares were worth 25k. Dude was FUCKED. I asked why he didn't sell at 700k or so and buy tax free muni's or T bills. I never ever put my money in one stock. Not even as a small portion of my money. Because not everyone is risk averse to the point where their real return is in the crapper. No one ever thinks "their" stocks suck, they all think it is going to go up and up and up, until it doesn't. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:39:53 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is why I don't invest, because I have absolutely no fucking idea what you just said. Off to buy more ammo and 550 cord. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
LOL GTAT is worth about $.47 a share as of this morning. $18 down to $.47 is a hell of a beating. Now, If he'd had protective puts on his shares he'd be just fine. Or if he'd purchased puts outright he'd be a fucking multimillionaire right now. This is why I don't invest, because I have absolutely no fucking idea what you just said. Off to buy more ammo and 550 cord. Amen. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:43:13 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
In principle I'm anti-capitalist, but since the system isn't changing anytime soon, I'm perfectly happy to play the investment game. These are the rules that have worked for me: 1. Diversify. 2. Invest in companies that pay regular, and hopefully increasing, dividends. 3. Stick to well-known, large-cap companies. Household names. 4. Own at least some international stocks. 5. Avoid mutual funds because their fees eat into your profits. In a stagnant or down market, the fees will wipe out your profits. 6. Use a no-commission or low-commission broker. For example, Merrill Lynch gives you 30 free trades a month if you maintain at least $25,000 in any combination of Merrill Lynch and Bank of America accounts. (If you have less than $25,000 disposable, you have no business doing this kind of investing.) 7. Pay off any debts, including your mortgage, before you even think about investing. 8. Equities are the place to be as long as savings accounts, CD's, and bonds are paying less than 3%. 9. Don't forget the timing of your transactions for tax purposes. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:44:23 PM EDT
[#15]
A few days or a week ago a member posted that he worked for GT but couldn't say much. He was talking about a recent article talking about the company being in trouble.
Anybody else remember that thread? |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:45:12 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Amen. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
LOL GTAT is worth about $.47 a share as of this morning. $18 down to $.47 is a hell of a beating. Now, If he'd had protective puts on his shares he'd be just fine. Or if he'd purchased puts outright he'd be a fucking multimillionaire right now. This is why I don't invest, because I have absolutely no fucking idea what you just said. Off to buy more ammo and 550 cord. Amen. You get your stock concentration defensive strategies out of here right noW!!!! Those puts would have cost money, arf says not to pay anything to anyone so that's a no go. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:46:42 PM EDT
[#17]
Quoted:
I've been watching this stock since a buddy gave me a tip about it in September. He was certain it was going to bounce back once Apple bought them out. Now the company is bankrupt. I saw a blog post this morning that linked to This Thread a sample: I am totally numb. Just got home after working. I saved this money for over 25 years and it is gone in a day. I haven’t sold my shares because I just don’t know if the shares will be worthless soon or any chance that they may come back. I bought at $18 and 18.25 and have about 4700 shares. This is everything. My retirement and my savings for my son and me. This is so hard for me to take in because my son has special needs and this was for him and his future, especially when I’m not here any longer. He is getting of the bus soon so I need to dry my tears and put on a smile. He is the best son a mother could ever wish for. I just feel and know that I have failed him and trying to figure out what to do. Should I sell now and at least have a couple thousand for us to at least have a few weeks to figure out what to do. I feel for everyone on here who lost. I was advised by someone who I trusted dearly not to sell. My instincts told me otherwise but I put my trust in this individual because I just felt so inept at trading and believed he knew much more than me. I will more than likely have to sell our home and struggle with this only because change is so difficult for my son. I apologize for venting but I am too ashamed to share this with my family or friends. I shared this with the person who advised me to hold and my messages go unanswered. Playing stocks os for spare money that you dont need to live on. No pitty is fealt for her. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:46:48 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
A few days or a week ago a member posted that he worked for GT but couldn't say much. He was talking about a recent article talking about the company being in trouble. Anybody else remember that thread? nothing like having the SEC up your ass for trading on non public info. You can have that info all you want, but you better not trade on it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:52:30 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/1091/08/1091_1376946001.jpg It's too bad there's never been advice on do's and don't's of investing. Quote HistoryQuoted:
I am totally numb. Just got home after working. I saved this money for over 25 years and it is gone in a day. I haven’t sold my shares because I just don’t know if the shares will be worthless soon or any chance that they may come back. I bought at $18 and 18.25 and have about 4700 shares. This is everything. My retirement and my savings for my son and me. This is so hard for me to take in because my son has special needs and this was for him and his future, especially when I’m not here any longer. He is getting of the bus soon so I need to dry my tears and put on a smile. He is the best son a mother could ever wish for. I just feel and know that I have failed him and trying to figure out what to do. Should I sell now and at least have a couple thousand for us to at least have a few weeks to figure out what to do. I feel for everyone on here who lost. I was advised by someone who I trusted dearly not to sell. My instincts told me otherwise but I put my trust in this individual because I just felt so inept at trading and believed he knew much more than me. I will more than likely have to sell our home and struggle with this only because change is so difficult for my son. I apologize for venting but I am too ashamed to share this with my family or friends. I shared this with the person who advised me to hold and my messages go unanswered. http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/mlib/1091/08/1091_1376946001.jpg It's too bad there's never been advice on do's and don't's of investing. What are you talking about Willis? 
This is one of many... 
http://www.amazon.com/The-Intelligent-Investor-Definitive-Investing/dp/0060555661/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414792301&sr=8-1&keywords=benjamin+graham+the+intelligent+investor |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 5:58:47 PM EDT
[#20]
Jesus, invest every fucking cent you have in a single stock? Genius. What could possibly go wrong?
Diversification is the FIRST thing every fucking article talks about. Damn. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:02:28 PM EDT
[#21]
You really cannot retire with just $ 85-86,000.
Your friend is stupid. Stupid hurts. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:06:11 PM EDT
[#22]
This is what I think of when it comes to the stock market:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnvGWHbPtZ0 |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:08:07 PM EDT
[#23]
For anyone interested in playing the stock market here is a good bit of advice.
Do all the research you care to do. Make up any strategy you want. Then write yourself an imaginary check for the amount you have to "invest" and start buying imaginary stocks. Track you progress over the course of a year and see how you feel about playing the stock market. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:11:39 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Amen. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
LOL GTAT is worth about $.47 a share as of this morning. $18 down to $.47 is a hell of a beating. Now, If he'd had protective puts on his shares he'd be just fine. Or if he'd purchased puts outright he'd be a fucking multimillionaire right now. This is why I don't invest, because I have absolutely no fucking idea what you just said. Off to buy more ammo and 550 cord. Amen. Zaphod, I hear you man. Your just this guy and Douglas Adams (God rest his soul) died of stomach cancer. Great writer......... 
On the investment forefront, maybe I can help you. I'm no expert but not stupid either. Good advice to know what your buying or don't buy at all. But don't be afraid either, if you have disposable income to invest. All Income invested in the market will compound over time on solid investments, same as it ever was. I'm no expert but happy with the VFINX I bought 4yrs ago. Just a mutual fund that tracks the market, very low fees as Vanguard runs, Up $80 per share in 4 yrs, my buy in time. Sure as we speak QE is ending or throttling back. Not soo much $ to slosh around, what will hold its value?
Doesn't matter, if your Fully diversified, you hold shares, stocks, bonds, precious metals, currency's of the nation's you choose. And all of it, you OWN that simple...Hopefully in something tax deferred
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:12:33 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: In principle I'm anti-capitalist, but since the system isn't changing anytime soon, I'm perfectly happy to play the investment game. These are the rules that have worked for me: 1. Diversify. 2. Invest in companies that pay regular, and hopefully increasing, dividends. 3. Stick to well-known, large-cap companies. Household names. 4. Own at least some international stocks. 5. Avoid mutual funds because their fees eat into your profits. In a stagnant or down market, the fees will wipe out your profits. NO! Then you are investing in the wrong mutual funds that fuck you. 6. Use a no-commission or low-commission broker. For example, Merrill Lynch gives you 30 free trades a month if you maintain at least $25,000 in any combination of Merrill Lynch and Bank of America accounts. (If you have less than $25,000 disposable, you have no business doing this kind of investing.) 7. Pay off any debts, including your mortgage, before you even think about investing. No! If potential returns exceed the interest rate you are paying, then the investments get priority over paying off the loans. 8. Equities are the place to be as long as savings accounts, CD's, and bonds are paying less than 3%. 9. Don't forget the timing of your transactions for tax purposes. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:16:40 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
For anyone interested in playing the stock market here is a good bit of advice. Do all the research you care to do. Make up any strategy you want. Then write yourself an imaginary check for the amount you have to "invest" and start buying imaginary stocks. Track you progress over the course of a year and see how you feel about playing the stock market. Good advice. I would add that there are play accounts on the internet where this can be easily done. Compare your performance to that of the equity index funds. I would use SPY, as this will include actual expenses, thus more closely resembling what you can expect to actually achieve. (Buy SPY for real, and you will also have commissions, but the expenses are low, and reflected in the price). No shame in index funds. I own some myself, I also do a lot of things that make the "experts" tremble. But, to be honest, my performance is just a bit over what some one invested in index funds will achieve. Of course, small advantages compound over long periods of time. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:19:54 PM EDT
[#27]
This, good story about not putting eggs in one basket. Think Enron, many lost life savings or at least all 401K as well as a job.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
LOL GTAT is worth about $.47 a share as of this morning. $18 down to $.47 is a hell of a beating. Now, If he'd had protective puts on his shares he'd be just fine. Or if he'd purchased puts outright he'd be a fucking multimillionaire right now. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:25:21 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I owned and watched AMD go down so bad I was out $20k, then watched it creep up, and sold it at a midday high that they haven't seen since. $10k profit and ran away, never looking back. Buying individual stocks is a game. Sometimes you lose games.
I owned AMD about a decade or so ago and luckily got out ahead, same with Goodyear. Bought some tech stock in a company called Puma once, lost 50% and then the company decided to go private and was able to send market value at the time to all shareholders, for some reason shareholders couldn't keep their ownership in the company. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:25:54 PM EDT
[#29]
You often see this advice for those who rely on "hot" stock tips:
"Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered" And of course the derogatory term for those left holding the worthless shares of a pump and dump: "bagholder" Unless you are very, very lucky, stock picking, especially with just 1-3 stocks is a sure recipe for failure. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:31:21 PM EDT
[#30]
Wow thats dumb putting it all on one stock.
I'm gonna invest in Powerball and Mega millions. but for real, you need to spread out your stock purchases, over different sectors, and over long periods of time. put some in US treasuries, high yield bond funds, index funds, etc...do like a few thousand ( or whatever you can not worry about losing)every three months or so. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:38:49 PM EDT
[#31]
I bought into some mutual stock/bond funds last year. Within days the fund was down $10,000 and I was panicking. I had dropped out of the market just before the economy tanked in 2008 and had got my investments into cash funds. Last year I decided to get back into diversified funds, which also pay dividends. It has come back and increased nicely though it isn't too stock heavy. Probably a 50%-50% mix.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:46:56 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's approximately $85,000. It took him 25 years to acquire that? And he dumped all of it into a single stock? Yowza. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:49:57 PM EDT
[#33]
Back in the day my parents both worked for AT&T before it was broken up. They bought stock in the company at reduced prices through an employee plan. AT&T was broken up and for every share of AT&T stock they owned they got shares for every new company that was spun off.
Mother also bought stock in General Telephone back in the 1960's when she worked as an operator. Never sold any of that stock. We grew up poor as all their money went to buying stock and some multiple family houses for rentals. My mother was buying tech stocks all through the 80's and 90's until she got cancer and died at a fairly young age worth millions. My father is 93 and is making every effort to spend every dime before he goes. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:56:42 PM EDT
[#34]
I did a play Monex account as there was a thread here a couple of years ago about guys doing well with currency trades.
I quickly realized that the currency exchanges were not a place for me. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 6:57:00 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That's approximately $85,000. It took him 25 years to acquire that? And he dumped all of it into a single stock? Yowza. "It's a sure thing! They have a contract with Apple!" Obviously the guy paid for an expensive recal on his BS meter. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:01:09 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Unless you are a member of Congress.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Never invest in a single stock. Invest in mutual funds. Unless you are a member of Congress.
Yeah - they have the power to create winners and losers in business through the laws they write. The ultimate in insider trading. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:10:00 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
For anyone interested in playing the stock market here is a good bit of advice. Do all the research you care to do. Make up any strategy you want. Then write yourself an imaginary check for the amount you have to "invest" and start buying imaginary stocks. Track you progress over the course of a year and see how you feel about playing the stock market. Yup, 100%, what leads bleeds. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:12:52 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
LOL GTAT is worth about $.47 a share as of this morning. $18 down to $.47 is a hell of a beating. Now, If he'd had protective puts on his shares he'd be just fine. Or if he'd purchased puts outright he'd be a fucking multimillionaire right now. Its stuck at $0.47 because its stopped trading. I believe its being de-listed. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:13:03 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
nothing like having the SEC up your ass for trading on non public info. You can have that info all you want, but you better not trade on it. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
A few days or a week ago a member posted that he worked for GT but couldn't say much. He was talking about a recent article talking about the company being in trouble. Anybody else remember that thread? nothing like having the SEC up your ass for trading on non public info. You can have that info all you want, but you better not trade on it. Serious question, if you read the info on a public board and then act on it, how could they ever possibly know that you were acting on inside info? Seems impossible. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:16:03 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That is the really brutal part about the market. If you personally don't have the time to seriously research stocks then funds are going to be much more beneficial. I listen to what others say, but even if Buffet came and said this will triple your money guaranteed I wouldn't dump everything I own into it. I played around some with GTAT but I got into it over a year ago when it was in the $5 range and out when it was at $19 so I still made some money. I didn't pour my life savings into it either, which is something I would always advise. Diversification is extremely important. A lot of seasoned investors lost a lot of money with GTAT. I think Fidelity lost somewhere in the hundreds of millions. Insiders were pumping this stock while selling off their shares. Investors are getting wiped out but management will probably face some kind of trial. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:29:47 PM EDT
[#41]
My friend has 263,936 shares in Monster Energy. Did he make a mistake becoming so heavily invested in a single company?
. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:45:31 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
For anyone interested in playing the stock market here is a good bit of advice. Do all the research you care to do. Make up any strategy you want. Then write yourself an imaginary check for the amount you have to "invest" and start buying imaginary stocks. Track you progress over the course of a year and see how you feel about playing the stock market. Fidelity has a tag function where you can pretend invest and track your stocks. At one time I had 50 stocks tagged. I was up over 20%. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:45:45 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
For anyone interested in playing the stock market here is a good bit of advice. Do all the research you care to do. Make up any strategy you want. Then write yourself an imaginary check for the amount you have to "invest" and start buying imaginary stocks. Track you progress over the course of a year and see how you feel about playing the stock market. Fidelity has a tag function where you can pretend invest and track your stocks. At one time I had 50 stocks tagged. I was up over 20%. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:51:08 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Fidelity has a tag function where you can pretend invest and track your stocks. At one time I had 50 stocks tagged. I was up over 20%. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
For anyone interested in playing the stock market here is a good bit of advice. Do all the research you care to do. Make up any strategy you want. Then write yourself an imaginary check for the amount you have to "invest" and start buying imaginary stocks. Track you progress over the course of a year and see how you feel about playing the stock market. Fidelity has a tag function where you can pretend invest and track your stocks. At one time I had 50 stocks tagged. I was up over 20%. Harvest will also let you have a play portfolio. One note of warning. To make it into the top ranks you will have to take what most of us would consider unreasonable risks. So, you could pick up some bad habits if not careful. It is lots of fun, though. Educational also. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 7:56:27 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My friend has 263,936 shares in Monster Energy. Did he make a mistake becoming so heavily invested in a single company? . He runs the company, has since it stopped being Hansen or what not. That hardly applies to this discussion. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 8:07:44 PM EDT
[#46]
No! If potential returns exceed the interest rate you are paying, then the investments get priority over paying off the loans. The prudent thing is to pay off debt first before you invest. The reason is that the interest rate you are paying is fixed, whereas the investment returns are, as you say, "potential." And in the real world, there are very few investments, with reasonable risk, whose returns exceed what you pay on debt. Especially credit card debt and consumer loans. Mortgages are iffy, because mortgage interest is deductible. But, there's nothing like the feeling of security from living in a house that's paid for. As far as I'm concerned, the first prerequisite for retirement is having a paid-off house. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 8:17:39 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
In principle I'm anti-capitalist, but since the system isn't changing anytime soon, I'm perfectly happy to play the investment game. These are the rules that have worked for me: 1. Diversify. 2. Invest in companies that pay regular, and hopefully increasing, dividends. 3. Stick to well-known, large-cap companies. Household names. 4. Own at least some international stocks. 5. Avoid mutual funds because their fees eat into your profits. In a stagnant or down market, the fees will wipe out your profits. NO! Then you are investing in the wrong mutual funds that fuck you. 6. Use a no-commission or low-commission broker. For example, Merrill Lynch gives you 30 free trades a month if you maintain at least $25,000 in any combination of Merrill Lynch and Bank of America accounts. (If you have less than $25,000 disposable, you have no business doing this kind of investing.) 7. Pay off any debts, including your mortgage, before you even think about investing. No! If potential returns exceed the interest rate you are paying, then the investments get priority over paying off the loans. 8. Equities are the place to be as long as savings accounts, CD's, and bonds are paying less than 3%. 9. Don't forget the timing of your transactions for tax purposes. Good advice here guys in my .02, Except for the word "potential"... If your mortg. is guaranteed at a certain rate, are YOUR investments Really going to be above that? Year by year? |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 8:17:57 PM EDT
[#48]
5. Avoid mutual funds because their fees eat into your profits. In a stagnant or down market, the fees will wipe out your profits.
NO! Then you are investing in the wrong mutual funds that fuck you. I have experience in this. I put money in a mutual fund when the market was stagnant, and month after month I saw my balance going down because of the maintenance fees. I finally got out of it at a substantial loss. Besides that, I've come to the conclusion that mutual-fund managers are no better at picking stocks than I am. Like other sorts of money managers, they have incentives to "churn" your investments. Anyway, I'm retired and I have lots of time to track and manage my own investments. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 8:18:57 PM EDT
[#49]
I haven’t sold my shares because I just don’t know if the shares will be worthless soon or any chance that they may come back.  I bought at $18 and 18.25 and have about 4700 shares. This is everything.  Should I sell now and at least have a couple thousand for us to at least have a few weeks to figure out what to do. |
|
|
|
Posted: 10/31/2014 8:19:14 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Good advice here guys in my .02, Except for the word "potential"... If your mortg. is guaranteed at a certain rate, are YOUR investments Really going to be above that? Year by year? Didn't think so...l  Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
In principle I'm anti-capitalist, but since the system isn't changing anytime soon, I'm perfectly happy to play the investment game. These are the rules that have worked for me: 1. Diversify. 2. Invest in companies that pay regular, and hopefully increasing, dividends. 3. Stick to well-known, large-cap companies. Household names. 4. Own at least some international stocks. 5. Avoid mutual funds because their fees eat into your profits. In a stagnant or down market, the fees will wipe out your profits. NO! Then you are investing in the wrong mutual funds that fuck you. 6. Use a no-commission or low-commission broker. For example, Merrill Lynch gives you 30 free trades a month if you maintain at least $25,000 in any combination of Merrill Lynch and Bank of America accounts. (If you have less than $25,000 disposable, you have no business doing this kind of investing.) 7. Pay off any debts, including your mortgage, before you even think about investing. No! If potential returns exceed the interest rate you are paying, then the investments get priority over paying off the loans. 8. Equities are the place to be as long as savings accounts, CD's, and bonds are paying less than 3%. 9. Don't forget the timing of your transactions for tax purposes. Good advice here guys in my .02, Except for the word "potential"... If your mortg. is guaranteed at a certain rate, are YOUR investments Really going to be above that? Year by year? Didn't think so...l There are tax implications as well you are not considering. Most people would be outright foolish to put off investing until they have paid off a standard 20-30 year mortgage. |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
