Russian, Ukrainian & FSU Information & Manosphere Discussion Forums
Information & Chat => Investment & Business Discussion => Topic started by: bigdaddy71978 on January 02, 2014, 06:24:13 PM
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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/renewed-interest-russia-could-pop-110806453.html
Not sure if I would invest or not (mainly because the only investment advise I got is a 2008 book by John "Bradshaw" Layfield of WWE, but he is a self made multi-millionaire!)
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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/renewed-interest-russia-could-pop-110806453.html
Not sure if I would invest or not (mainly because the only investment advise I got is a 2008 book by John "Bradshaw" Layfield of WWE, but he is a self made multi-millionaire!)
Any adequately diversified investment portfolio should have some money directed towards emerging markets. Investments in Russian stocks would certainly qualify in this catergory.
Personally I think the article author is using flawed reasoning for his advice. The Olympics are a short term event. Stocks are long term investments. One should never make long term investments based on short term news.
I've been invested in Russian equities via mutual funds since 1997. It makes up about 2.5% of my investment portfolio, about the same allocation I have for gold.
I would encourage everyone to have some exposure to Russia equities in their total investment portfolio. The value of their countries unharvested natural resources alone is reason enough to hold this opinion. Use a good mutual fund that tracks one of the Russian Equity Indexes rather than trying to pick individual Russian stocks or ADR's. The fund recommended by the author is a good one. I use LETRX myself.
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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/renewed-interest-russia-could-pop-110806453.html
Not sure if I would invest or not (mainly because the only investment advise I got is a 2008 book by John "Bradshaw" Layfield of WWE, but he is a self made multi-millionaire!)
Any adequately diversified investment portfolio should have some money directed towards emerging markets. Investments in Russian stocks would certainly qualify in this catergory.
Personally I think the article author is using flawed reasoning for his advice. The Olympics are a short term event. Stocks are long term investments. One should never make long term investments based on short term news.
I've been invested in Russian equities via mutual funds since 1997. It makes up about 2.5% of my investment portfolio, about the same allocation I have for gold.
I would encourage everyone to have some exposure to Russia equities in their total investment portfolio. The value of their countries unharvested natural resources alone is reason enough to hold this opinion. Use a good mutual fund that tracks one of the Russian Equity Indexes rather than trying to pick individual Russian stocks or ADR's. The fund recommended by the author is a good one. I use LETRX myself.
Really bad advice there Shakes, you shouldn't be advising anyone to do anything investment wise, perhaps with your financial position it sits well, but you are very high risk. The point about the small % of investment is good, but I'm guessing your total investment isn't the norm.
Anyone who wants to dabble here and there with a small investment fair enough, as long as you can afford to loose the lot, but if it's your life savings then that really isn't the way forward.
Get some proper advice from a local firm who know what they are doing, or read up and take an educated gamble, as long as you know what the risks are, otherwise what Shakes is saying is quite simply for the more educated or higher risk investor.
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Really bad advice there Shakes, you shouldn't be advising anyone to do anything investment wise, perhaps with your financial position it sits well, but you are very high risk. The point about the small % of investment is good, but I'm guessing your total investment isn't the norm.
Anyone who wants to dabble here and there with a small investment fair enough, as long as you can afford to loose the lot, but if it's your life savings then that really isn't the way forward.
Get some proper advice from a local firm who know what they are doing, or read up and take an educated gamble, as long as you know what the risks are, otherwise what Shakes is saying is quite simply for the more educated or higher risk investor.
ashbyclarke as usual, poor reading comprehension coupled with opening mouth without knowing what he's talking about.
When I worked for The Ohio Company and Merrill Lynch, I had a Series 7 securities license and held a CFP designation. Therefore I CERTAINLY DO have the qualifications to provide general investment advice.
Where did I suggest anyone invest their life savings in emerging markets stocks? My comment emphasized the importance of diversification within a portfolio. A small allocation in emerging markest adds to that desired diversification.
No qualified investment adviser would label 2.5% of a total portfolio value invested in emerging market stocks or mutual funds as overly risky, especially if it is held in a long-term investment vehicle like an IRA or 401k plan. A 2.5% holding has the same percentage impact on portfolio performance whether your portfolio is $10,000 or $10 million.
Somebody is giving bad advice here but I don't think it is me. :laugh:
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ashbyclarke as usual, poor reading comprehension coupled with opening mouth without knowing what he's talking about.
20 years in the business, advanced financial planning qualifications and worked heavily in trust and investment business for people far richer than yourself. Yes I know a thing or two.
When I worked for The Ohio Company and Merrill Lynch, I had a Series 7 securities license and held a CFP designation. Therefore I CERTAINLY DO have the qualifications to provide general investment advice.
You might be qualified but you certainly aren't authorised, and I seriously doubt you're up to date on recent regulatory changes. Unless there's no regulator in the US, I doubt that though.
So no you don't have the right to give advice to anyone.
Also Merrill Lynch is hardly for the normal investor, more for the high net worth client, I can't imagine that you ever sat down with a client who'd got life savings of $10 or $50k, Merrill Lynch just aren't interested in that type of client.
Where did I suggest anyone invest their life savings in emerging markets stocks? My comment emphasized the importance of diversification within a portfolio. A small allocation in emerging markest adds to that desired diversification.
It's very high risk, period. Russia in your own words is corrupt and business only operates with bribes, that would say to me that Japan is a less risky option, and as I'm sure you know from your time in the industry Japan was only for those who had a very long term view and already had high risk local investments.
Besides there's a currency issues in addition, not to mention other factors which I'm sure you are aware.
No qualified investment adviser would label 2.5% of a total portfolio value invested in emerging market stocks or mutual funds as overly risky, especially if it is held in a long-term investment vehicle like an IRA or 401k plan. A 2.5% holding has the same percentage impact on portfolio performance whether your portfolio is $10,000 or $10 million.
On a $10k life time savings investment then yes the risk is completely different, your inability to understand the risk associated with someones lifetime savings is what I was pointing out, someone with $100k is a completely different risk category to a someone with a lower life savings. Generally because of earnings, surely you read about that?
Somebody is giving bad advice here but I don't think it is me. :laugh:
I'd disagree :laugh:
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It's very high risk, period. Russia in your own words is corrupt and business only operates with bribes, that would say to me that Japan is a less risky option, and as I'm sure you know from your time in the industry Japan was only for those who had a very long term view and already had high risk local investments.
{sigh} Japan is not classified as an "emerging market".
Besides there's a currency issues in addition, not to mention other factors which I'm sure you are aware.
{sigh} Investing in Japanese stocks don't involve "currency issues"?
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I will take the middle road here. Personally I don't see anything wrong with the suggestion to have a small part (such as 2 or 3% of someones portfolios in emerging markets. Personally I would not go out of my way to invest in Russia or China. Russia because of the corruption and China because of the bookkeeping standards. I will agree that Sochi is a non event when it comes to the stock market. It will come and go with little impact on stocks.
Now to flip over to the other side, having a CFP designation only means you have been trained to understand the various investment types and to be able to present them to customers. It has little to do with the ability to pick stocks such as someone who was a stock analyst. That being said even most of the pro's seem to lag the market in total return so even that doesn't mean much. Flipping back the comments and suggestions you made seem quite good. Diversification is one of the important factors in investing. I will agree with Ashby however that for someone with a small portfolio emerging markets may not be a good choice.
There are a lot of forums for stock market investing and it is a topic that is sometimes discussed on other forums. Anyone has a right to share their ideas about investing and the readers are smart to make up their own mind about who to listen to. Even some of the articles that come out of professional sources is biased and off. I often see a day where there are 4 articles on a stock, two saying it is the best thing to invest in and two that say it is terrible and sell at once.
Japan for the past decade or so has not been a good place to invest and yes as commented it is not an emerging market but if someone is interested in Japan they do seem like they are getting their act together there and those stocks may (or may not) be a good investment over the next few years.
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It's very high risk, period. Russia in your own words is corrupt and business only operates with bribes, that would say to me that Japan is a less risky option, and as I'm sure you know from your time in the industry Japan was only for those who had a very long term view and already had high risk local investments.
{sigh} Japan is not classified as an "emerging market".
Besides there's a currency issues in addition, not to mention other factors which I'm sure you are aware.
{sigh} Investing in Japanese stocks don't involve "currency issues"?
Shakes, you didn't learn very much did you! You can put your text book away, I remember it all like a mother remembers giving child birth.
I was giving an example of risk, not specific to any investment category.
Do you think these Russia shares are dealt in $$$?? Ever noticed a fund go down in value when the stocks have risen? *sigh* :laugh:
Japan for the past decade or so has not been a good place to invest and yes as commented it is not an emerging market but if someone is interested in Japan they do seem like they are getting their act together there and those stocks may (or may not) be a good investment over the next few years.
It's looking rosy for the short term, Japan has been for a long time now a stock you hold for the short term, in when low out near the peak, I can't see that changing either. That is of course if you know what you're doing.
Personally I invest on the FTSE, I don't have a substantial portfolio so I tend to stick to what I can read about locally, and get a feeling on how it's doing by seeing it on the high street or similar.
I'm sure that's what Shakes is saying in reality, I was pointing out that the majority reading here don't have the insight or portfolio value of what Shakes seems to think is the norm.
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I stuck €10k into a Swedbank Russian fund about three years ago. A two year fund.
It was an interesting fund that you could choose the risk profile. I chose the lowest where the bank guarantees your original deposit if the fund loses money, but you share 50% of the profits with them if the fund makes money. That [zero risk to capital] seemed fair so I bailed in.
The firms didn't look terribly risky so I was optimistic of profit. I wasn't terribly bothered if it made nothing as interest rates were not much higher. Certainly not in Dollars or Euros (it is a multi-currency account).
As with these fixed term funds, the inherent risk is that if some sector is unpopular the week it finishes, and the stock is down, the fund loses profit. Russian sectors have been up and down and as it went my fund made a small loss, due to I think the oil sector being down due to the BP spill in the US. But the bank returned by original investment so no harm done.
The nature of that beast is had the fund finished a month later, a given sector might have been up and it can finish in profit.
My minimal amount of Royal Mail shares did a bit better. Swings in roundabouts.
I would do another similar fund if I had spare money sitting in a currency I don't need short term. I don't recall seeing anything similar with English banks. I avoid US listed shares now due to all that BS W1/W2 paperwork and the Dollar unstable currency fluctuation that can wipe out the profit. I used to buy Disney and other US stocks once upon a time but the dollar volatility often times wiped out the profits. The double risk when investing in £ Sterling: The stock may have gained 25%, but if the dollar has fell 30% you lose.
Anyone know a good UK execute only online trader? I used to use Sharepeople way back when. Hargreaves Lansdowne looked dear and Hoodless Brennan looked a bit shady when I last looked. Who is everyone using now?
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Manny - if you don't mind high risk investments take a look at Lloyds bank.
The government has a bundle of share to offload at a profit, that's around 80p now, take into account it's paying no dividend right now so no income trackers are placing money in it, that's about to change.
I've been in since 60-75p, as the government sold at 75p it's unlikely that it'll drop below that.
It is however very high risk, worth a punt though IMO, I imagine the price might drop to closer to 80p than it currently is, it's due to announce profits in Feb, and if you've seen it's website it's pretty impressive and offers credit based on income and expenditure, perhaps part the reason for the boom in car sales, can't be a bad thing for it's bottom line to be announced.
I'm not making a recommendation here, just saying what I am doing right now.
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I stuck €10k into a Swedbank Russian fund about three years ago. A two year fund.
As with these fixed term funds, the inherent risk is that if some sector is unpopular this week and the stock is down, the fund loses profit. Russian sectors have been up and down and as it went my fund made a small loss. But the bank returned by original investment.
Exactly!
Two years his a very short investment period for equities. I'd recommend holding periods of at least 5 years or longer for most equity investments.
The Russian equity market has been pretty flat for the past 2-3 years.
I've been in LETRX continually since the market lows in 1998. My first investments were at $2.40 per share. There have been years when it returned +60%. Long term it has returned about 20% per year on average. Not bad.
By diversifying your portfolio of investments. You'll be sure that you don't miss specific sub-market "up move" when it happens.
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I stuck €10k into a Swedbank Russian fund about three years ago. A two year fund.
As with these fixed term funds, the inherent risk is that if some sector is unpopular this week and the stock is down, the fund loses profit. Russian sectors have been up and down and as it went my fund made a small loss. But the bank returned by original investment.
Exactly!
Two years his a very short investment period for equities. I'd recommend holding periods of at least 5 years or longer for most equity investments.
You really shouldn't recommend Shakes!!! I am playing with you here BTW :laugh:
But I'll add - what Manny invested in isn't a direct equity investment, it had guarantees, very low risk.
Just for the record, equity investments for someone who doesn't trade them, should be held for a minimum of 10 years, a 5 year investment period would classify a Equity stock as very high risk.
Told you I remember those text books very well, might have been involved with writing a few, it's like a nightmare remembering it all :laugh:
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I've still got my grans BT shares from original float. Structure changes happened along the way but I still own something in something, be it MM02 or o2 or whatever those shares morphed into today. I remember seeing a £200 cheque due to some restructure a year or two ago. I don't think her original investment was much more........
I bought some Stagecoach in the 90's one day when £500 was burning a hole in my pocket and they were at about 80p. They were pence then and pounds now. I elected dividends in new shares. So I get periodical certificates telling me I have X new shares. That'll be a few grand one day. I just keep getting more free shares!
I once tossed £10k into Sharepeople and self traded for a few months. Thinking I was Gordon Gekko, I soon lost 30% of it. :chuckle:
I think I could do that again now and do better. I'd like to have a dabble if I could find the "new" Sharepeople that everyone is using. Somewhere I could bung all my old paper stuff into the CREST system and have it all online to buy and sell at will. And toss a few quid in to play with.
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I've still got my grans BT shares from original float. Structure changes happened along the way but I still own something in something, be it MM02 or o2 or whatever those shares morphed into today. I remember seeing a £200 cheque due to some restructure a year or two ago. I don't think her original investment was much more........
I bought some Stagecoach in the 90's one day when £500 was burning a hole in my pocket and they were at about 80p. They were pence then and pounds now. I elected dividends in new shares. So I get periodical certificates telling me I have X new shares. That'll be a few grand one day. I just keep getting more free shares!
I once tossed £10k into Sharepeople and self traded for a few months. Thinking I was Gordon Gekko, I soon lost 30% of it. :chuckle:
I think I could do that again now and do better. I'd like to have a dabble if I could find the "new" Sharepeople that everyone is using. Somewhere I could bung all my old paper stuff into the CREST system and have it all online to buy and sell at will. And toss a few quid in to play with.
Never use forums! Full of shit !!!
I used to follow the FT's recommendations, until I lost a few grand on Sopheon, the most highly tipped share on the planet... I got a cheque for £30 following a rather large investment..... Busted!
I always set a stop loss now, I know what I will gamble and that's it, each time the stock moves north i higher the stop loss, seems to work for me, I make about 20% per month, pays the mortgage! Dread the month it makes a loss, it's coming!!
I tend to use the advice of investment managers, makes research a little easier or I use my own inside knowledge, nothing is guaranteed though.
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I know someone who over the last year has lost £80k on latest the share dealing fad.
Also another guy I was working with implored me to buy Gold, Krugerrand's I think they where, the actual ones. He bought a few, about 5 at something like £800 each. That was 2009. I caught up with him 2012 on another gig and asked him about them, ended up selling them recently and made about £20 each on them.
I prefer to live off my brain and stick the profits from that in the bank and leave them there until I need them. Not interested in tying cash up for what may well be a tiny return or a negative one.
There are no guaranteed 20 or 30% ers!
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Also another guy I was working with implored me to buy Gold, Krugerrand's I think they where, the actual ones. He bought a few, about 5 at something like £800 each. That was 2009. I caught up with him 2012 on another gig and asked him about them, ended up selling them recently and made about £20 each on them.
Gold is about $1100 an ounce now. It peaked in 2010 at about $1800 an ounce.
There was a thread about gold investments on this forum. Many were recommending large purchases in the $1700-$1800 range. I've got about 15 ounces of gold; all proof collectables. I have a Queen Elizabeth 5 Pound coin from 1887 I think - MS-60 that has a significant collector value above the 1.2+ ounces of gold it contains.
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There are no guaranteed 20 or 30% ers!
Wrong!!! There's plenty of 20-30% ers!!! Problem is identifying them.
That's why you shouldn't dabble if you don't know what you're doing, or you can't afford to loose what you invest.
It takes lots of time and research, so the reward should come with effort, not always the case, but sometimes is, and that's the pleasure ;)
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Also another guy I was working with implored me to buy Gold, Krugerrand's I think they where, the actual ones. He bought a few, about 5 at something like £800 each. That was 2009. I caught up with him 2012 on another gig and asked him about them, ended up selling them recently and made about £20 each on them.
Gold is about $1100 an ounce now. It peaked in 2010 at about $1800 an ounce.
There was a thread about gold investments on this forum. Many were recommending large purchases in the $1700-$1800 range. I've got about 15 ounces of gold; all proof collectables. I have a Queen Elizabeth 5 Pound coin from 1887 I think - MS-60 that has a significant collector value above the 1.2+ ounces of gold it contains.
Think it was the brokering and the proper storage of the coins to keep them spotless that killed it.
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Also another guy I was working with implored me to buy Gold, Krugerrand's I think they where, the actual ones. He bought a few, about 5 at something like £800 each. That was 2009. I caught up with him 2012 on another gig and asked him about them, ended up selling them recently and made about £20 each on them.
Gold is about $1100 an ounce now. It peaked in 2010 at about $1800 an ounce.
There was a thread about gold investments on this forum. Many were recommending large purchases in the $1700-$1800 range. I've got about 15 ounces of gold; all proof collectables. I have a Queen Elizabeth 5 Pound coin from 1887 I think - MS-60 that has a significant collector value above the 1.2+ ounces of gold it contains.
I've a couple of old queen Elizabeth coins, not worth anything here, do they hold more value in the US Shakes? Got a couple of really nice ones I was given from a client many years ago, not that I want sell them, but be interested to know if they're likely to fetch more money abroad, might pay for another visa !!
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There are no guaranteed 20 or 30% ers!
Wrong!!! There's plenty of 20-30% ers!!! Problem is identifying them.
That's why you shouldn't dabble if you don't know what you're doing, or you can't afford to loose what you invest.
It takes lots of time and research, so the reward should come with effort, not always the case, but sometimes is, and that's the pleasure ;)
But the chances of spotting and benefiting from a 20/30% er is like 0.1% so knocks the average down a bit! (lot).
To me it's no different than cobbing it on a horse and that's never been a vice of mine either, and believe me, I've met soooo many people with cast-iron plausible-sounding systems for the horses yet they're all sat in the pub still at lunch with half a mild hoping for a winner today so they can upgrade to a full pint in the afternoon.
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Also another guy I was working with implored me to buy Gold, Krugerrand's I think they where, the actual ones. He bought a few, about 5 at something like £800 each. That was 2009. I caught up with him 2012 on another gig and asked him about them, ended up selling them recently and made about £20 each on them.
Gold is about $1100 an ounce now. It peaked in 2010 at about $1800 an ounce.
There was a thread about gold investments on this forum. Many were recommending large purchases in the $1700-$1800 range. I've got about 15 ounces of gold; all proof collectables. I have a Queen Elizabeth 5 Pound coin from 1887 I think - MS-60 that has a significant collector value above the 1.2+ ounces of gold it contains.
I've a couple of old queen Elizabeth coins, not worth anything here, do they hold more value in the US Shakes? Got a couple of really nice ones I was given from a client many years ago, not that I want sell them, but be interested to know if they're likely to fetch more money abroad, might pay for another visa !!
I've got a 1785 Shilling in the family heirloom box in the loft, it's well shagged though.....
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There are no guaranteed 20 or 30% ers!
Wrong!!! There's plenty of 20-30% ers!!! Problem is identifying them.
That's why you shouldn't dabble if you don't know what you're doing, or you can't afford to loose what you invest.
It takes lots of time and research, so the reward should come with effort, not always the case, but sometimes is, and that's the pleasure ;)
But the chances of spotting and benefiting from a 20/30% er is like 0.1% so knocks the average down a bit! (lot).
To me it's no different than cobbing it on a horse and that's never been a vice of mine either, and believe me, I've met soooo many people with cast-iron plausible-sounding systems for the horses yet they're all sat in the pub still at lunch with half a mild hoping for a winner today so they can upgrade to a full pint in the afternoon.
1/100 if you concentrate on the FTSE, at worst !!! It can be easy if you know what you're looking for, but it's a daily deal, or weekly, and you need understand graphs and trends.
Simple terms it's not for someone who doesn't understand it.
I've got a 1785 Shilling in the family heirloom box in the loft, it's well shagged though.....
Would still be worth a few quid, just for silver content. It's not likely to get you a plane ticket anywhere though, maybe Scotland if you're desperate LOL !!!
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There are no guaranteed 20 or 30% ers!
Wrong!!! There's plenty of 20-30% ers!!! Problem is identifying them.
That's why you shouldn't dabble if you don't know what you're doing, or you can't afford to loose what you invest.
It takes lots of time and research, so the reward should come with effort, not always the case, but sometimes is, and that's the pleasure ;)
But the chances of spotting and benefiting from a 20/30% er is like 0.1% so knocks the average down a bit! (lot).
To me it's no different than cobbing it on a horse and that's never been a vice of mine either, and believe me, I've met soooo many people with cast-iron plausible-sounding systems for the horses yet they're all sat in the pub still at lunch with half a mild hoping for a winner today so they can upgrade to a full pint in the afternoon.
1/100 if you concentrate on the FTSE, at worst !!! It can be easy if you know what you're looking for, but it's a daily deal, or weekly, and you need understand graphs and trends.
Simple terms it's not for someone who doesn't understand it.
I've got a 1785 Shilling in the family heirloom box in the loft, it's well shagged though.....
Would still be worth a few quid, just for silver content. It's not likely to get you a plane ticket anywhere though, maybe Scotland if you're desperate LOL !!!
1/100! So you are all millionaires then, wow!
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Think it was the brokering and the proper storage of the coins to keep them spotless that killed it.
Yes. mine are all in air-tight, water tight, tamper-proof plastic cases provided by the grading service.
But the prize of my collection is my 1909 VBD "S" MS-64 graded Lincoln Head Penny. Worth over $1700 at last appraisal.
I collected pennies when I was a kid. Owning one of these beauties was on my "bucket list" of things to accomplish in my lifetime.
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There are no guaranteed 20 or 30% ers!
Wrong!!! There's plenty of 20-30% ers!!! Problem is identifying them.
That's why you shouldn't dabble if you don't know what you're doing, or you can't afford to loose what you invest.
It takes lots of time and research, so the reward should come with effort, not always the case, but sometimes is, and that's the pleasure ;)
But the chances of spotting and benefiting from a 20/30% er is like 0.1% so knocks the average down a bit! (lot).
To me it's no different than cobbing it on a horse and that's never been a vice of mine either, and believe me, I've met soooo many people with cast-iron plausible-sounding systems for the horses yet they're all sat in the pub still at lunch with half a mild hoping for a winner today so they can upgrade to a full pint in the afternoon.
1/100 if you concentrate on the FTSE, at worst !!! It can be easy if you know what you're looking for, but it's a daily deal, or weekly, and you need understand graphs and trends.
Simple terms it's not for someone who doesn't understand it.
I've got a 1785 Shilling in the family heirloom box in the loft, it's well shagged though.....
Would still be worth a few quid, just for silver content. It's not likely to get you a plane ticket anywhere though, maybe Scotland if you're desperate LOL !!!
1/100! So you are all millionaires then, wow!
No, I'm poor, I don't have the cash and I don't understand graphs and trends, if only :laugh:
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I've a couple of old queen Elizabeth coins, not worth anything here, do they hold more value in the US Shakes? Got a couple of really nice ones I was given from a client many years ago, not that I want sell them, but be interested to know if they're likely to fetch more money abroad, might pay for another visa !!
The year and the grade is what determines the value. I'd suggest you send them away to be graded. Use only one of these four reputable grading services: PCGS, NGC, ICG, ANACS. The others are completely fraudulent.
If it is proof-graded (MS60 or higher) then they could carry a value of $700-$1000 over the gold value. Less than that the collector value will drop rapidly. Well circulated coins might carry a value of $50 per coin or less over the actual spot gold price value.
Again, the value depends on condition and the year.
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There are no guaranteed 20 or 30% ers!
Wrong!!! There's plenty of 20-30% ers!!! Problem is identifying them.
That's why you shouldn't dabble if you don't know what you're doing, or you can't afford to loose what you invest.
It takes lots of time and research, so the reward should come with effort, not always the case, but sometimes is, and that's the pleasure ;)
But the chances of spotting and benefiting from a 20/30% er is like 0.1% so knocks the average down a bit! (lot).
To me it's no different than cobbing it on a horse and that's never been a vice of mine either, and believe me, I've met soooo many people with cast-iron plausible-sounding systems for the horses yet they're all sat in the pub still at lunch with half a mild hoping for a winner today so they can upgrade to a full pint in the afternoon.
1/100 if you concentrate on the FTSE, at worst !!! It can be easy if you know what you're looking for, but it's a daily deal, or weekly, and you need understand graphs and trends.
Simple terms it's not for someone who doesn't understand it.
I've got a 1785 Shilling in the family heirloom box in the loft, it's well shagged though.....
Would still be worth a few quid, just for silver content. It's not likely to get you a plane ticket anywhere though, maybe Scotland if you're desperate LOL !!!
1/100! So you are all millionaires then, wow!
No, I'm poor, I don't have the cash and I don't understand graphs and trends, if only :laugh:
This is where we go full circle, my mate does understand graphs and trends, has a very good statistics-based degree earns £140k a year in IT yet still spunked £80k and pissed his wife off. He had the knowledge and the cash and still lost out. And I know why. He got the gambling bug because this is what it is, either he lost his faculties due to addiction or was unlucky.
Guess what - that £80k was late last year, can't remember the month, bet the loss is £120k now....
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I've a couple of old queen Elizabeth coins, not worth anything here, do they hold more value in the US Shakes? Got a couple of really nice ones I was given from a client many years ago, not that I want sell them, but be interested to know if they're likely to fetch more money abroad, might pay for another visa !!
The year and the grade is what determines the value. I'd suggest you send them away to be graded. Use only one of these four reputable grading services: PCGS, NGC, ICG, ANACS. The others are completely fraudulent.
If it is proof-graded (MS60 or higher) then they could carry a value of $700-$1000 over the gold value. Less than that the collector value will drop rapidly. Well circulated coins might carry a value of $50 per coin or less over the actual spot gold price value.
Again, the value depends on condition and the year.
1966 Royal Jersey 5 shilling coins, no idea what they're worth, but it was a good year for England, world cup winners!
Got given them after doing some investments for a client, the coins are sealed and come in a fancy red box, you think it might be worthwhile getting them valued?
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This is where we go full circle, my mate does understand graphs and trends, has a very good statistics-based degree earns £140k a year in IT yet still spunked £80k and pissed his wife off. He had the knowledge and the cash and still lost out. And I know why. He got the gambling bug because this is what it is, either he lost his faculties due to addiction or was unlucky.
Guess what - that £80k was late last year, can't remember the month, bet the loss is £120k now....
There is no logic with shares, never has been. You can read in the papers that the economy is doing well, mortgages on the up, car sales booming and share in banks go down.... go figure.
I had a friend years ago who had £500k in Vodaphone at 80p, he never bought a drink in the pub, owned 12 houses and earned over £100k per annum. His shares are now worth a few million, he's still a tight b*stard and still never buys a drink. Is he happy? Doubt it, richer he is the tighter he becomes, no kids and a fat mrs.
Life's just not fair!!
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1966 Royal Jersey 5 shilling coins, no idea what they're worth, but it was a good year for England, world cup winners!
Got given them after doing some investments for a client, the coins are sealed and come in a fancy red box, you think it might be worthwhile getting them valued?
Just saw one on e-bay - "buy it now" for 4 pounds.
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1966 Royal Jersey 5 shilling coins, no idea what they're worth, but it was a good year for England, world cup winners!
Got given them after doing some investments for a client, the coins are sealed and come in a fancy red box, you think it might be worthwhile getting them valued?
Just saw one on e-bay - "buy it now" for 4 pounds.
:laugh: I'll keep them then!!
Not that I was planning on selling them of course :laugh:
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I bought two fully populated IBM Bladecenters with 14 blades each, £200 quid for both each with ethernet switches and fiber switches, advertised in wrong section. Seen 'em on Ebay since, £5-8k.
But the market to sell them is so small there's no buyers! I'm hosting them now to make something back so on the face it there I made at least 7k with a click of a mouse, reality is I didn't.
Only real test is money in the account, not what might be or could have been....
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Also another guy I was working with implored me to buy Gold, Krugerrand's I think they where, the actual ones. He bought a few, about 5 at something like £800 each. That was 2009. I caught up with him 2012 on another gig and asked him about them, ended up selling them recently and made about £20 each on them.
Gold is about $1100 an ounce now. It peaked in 2010 at about $1800 an ounce.
There was a thread about gold investments on this forum. Many were recommending large purchases in the $1700-$1800 range. I've got about 15 ounces of gold; all proof collectables. I have a Queen Elizabeth 5 Pound coin from 1887 I think - MS-60 that has a significant collector value above the 1.2+ ounces of gold it contains.
I expect gold will go up a lot this year, $1600 by August would be my guess, but don't hold me to it :)
According to this, gold is about $1250ish USD / 756 UK / 912 Euro at the moment
http://www.kitco.com/market/
I have a small amount of gold and silver, but recently have got into "virtual" crypto-currencies, such as Litecoin and Dogecoin - will see how that pans out.
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Also another guy I was working with implored me to buy Gold, Krugerrand's I think they where, the actual ones. He bought a few, about 5 at something like £800 each. That was 2009. I caught up with him 2012 on another gig and asked him about them, ended up selling them recently and made about £20 each on them.
Gold is about $1100 an ounce now. It peaked in 2010 at about $1800 an ounce.
There was a thread about gold investments on this forum. Many were recommending large purchases in the $1700-$1800 range. I've got about 15 ounces of gold; all proof collectables. I have a Queen Elizabeth 5 Pound coin from 1887 I think - MS-60 that has a significant collector value above the 1.2+ ounces of gold it contains.
I expect gold will go up a lot this year, $1600 by August would be my guess, but don't hold me to it :)
According to this, gold is about $1250ish USD / 756 UK / 912 Euro at the moment
http://www.kitco.com/market/
I have a small amount of gold and silver, but recently have got into "virtual" crypto-currencies, such as Litecoin and Dogecoin - will see how that pans out.
Is it worth it? With a bit of effort just before Xmas I pulled 10k STG in two weeks by doing what I do as a normal job - was not the norm because I admit but better than guessing odds surely?
I prefer to tune my skills and sooner or later I get a boost, and if I don't I still get mega-more than Mr Wage-Slave...
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[But the prize of my collection is my 1909 VBD "S" MS-64 graded Lincoln Head Penny. Worth over $1700 at last appraisal.
Nice one to have. That was one of the two pennies I didn't have in my collection as a kid. Back in those days I could have bought one for $ 30-40 bucks. My prize would the the 37-D three legged Buffalo Nickel my parents bought me for a Christmas present for $ 15.00 now worth about half of what your penny is. The $ 10.00 gold coin they bought for the next year for $ 20.00 was also a good buy. I haven't looked lately to see what it is worth but about the same or more.
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I expect gold will go up a lot this year, $1600 by August would be my guess, but don't hold me to it :)
My suggestion is you don't put too much money on that guess. Moody's has a price target on gold of $ 900.00. I don't see any way short of war breaking out somewhere or some major act of terrorism for gold to hit $ 1600.00 this year.
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I expect gold will go up a lot this year, $1600 by August would be my guess, but don't hold me to it :)
My suggestion is you don't put too much money on that guess. Moody's has a price target on gold of $ 900.00. I don't see any way short of war breaking out somewhere or some major act of terrorism for gold to hit $ 1600.00 this year.
Agree with turbo, quick search on the old web brings this up from a pretty respectable source, can't personally see it rising.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101220299
Others aren't that positive about it either!
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Anyone know a good UK execute only online trader? I used to use Sharepeople way back when. Hargreaves Lansdowne looked dear and Hoodless Brennan looked a bit shady when I last looked. Who is everyone using now?
Up until a couple of years ago, when I pulled out of stocks more or less completely, I used Redmayne Bentley execution only service. (The Leeds office) they were always able to fill or liquidate my positions with no problems.
PS I managed it all myself, I have never used their managed services.
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I expect gold will go up a lot this year, $1600 by August would be my guess, but don't hold me to it :)
My suggestion is you don't put too much money on that guess. Moody's has a price target on gold of $ 900.00. I don't see any way short of war breaking out somewhere or some major act of terrorism for gold to hit $ 1600.00 this year.
I won't be putting money on it, but we will see if I am right. For the price to drop further means that the mines that have lower yields and thus higher per-ounce costs, will stop, leading to a reduction in output, leading to higher prices.
Between the Chinese, the Indians, and the Russians all buying gold, I don't think the price can hold at the lower levels.
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Anyone know a good UK execute only online trader? I used to use Sharepeople way back when. Hargreaves Lansdowne looked dear and Hoodless Brennan looked a bit shady when I last looked. Who is everyone using now?
Up until a couple of years ago, when I pulled out of stocks more or less completely, I used Redmayne Bentley. (The Leeds office) they were always able to fill or liquidate my positions with no problems.
PS I managed it all myself, I never used their managed services.
Missed that bit, www.iii.co.uk was the cheapest when i looked last month.
I use www.hl.co.uk not that much more in costs and i like the iPhone app, i can trade whilst on the move, bought some shares whilst stuck in traffic a couple of weeks ago and made a couple hundred by the time i arrived at destination!! Lost it the next day though :laugh:
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I expect gold will go up a lot this year, $1600 by August would be my guess, but don't hold me to it :)
My suggestion is you don't put too much money on that guess. Moody's has a price target on gold of $ 900.00. I don't see any way short of war breaking out somewhere or some major act of terrorism for gold to hit $ 1600.00 this year.
I won't be putting money on it, but we will see if I am right. For the price to drop further means that the mines that have lower yields and thus higher per-ounce costs, will stop, leading to a reduction in output, leading to higher prices.
Between the Chinese, the Indians, and the Russians all buying gold, I don't think the price can hold at the lower levels.
You are assuming it has to be mined to be sold, when in fact many are selling it to buy stock since the stock market is going gang busters due to Fed printing money, etc.
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I won't be putting money on it, but we will see if I am right. For the price to drop further means that the mines that have lower yields and thus higher per-ounce costs, will stop, leading to a reduction in output, leading to higher prices.
Between the Chinese, the Indians, and the Russians all buying gold, I don't think the price can hold at the lower levels.
Sounds good, we will revisit this in August. I do agree that as the price comes down the higher cost mines shut down but speculation moves the price of gold more than the ladies in India who need some new bling.
I do think if someone has a long term view buying gold when it is below 1100 will pay off to a small degree at sometime in the future. I will be quite surprised to see it at 1600 with current economic and political situations in the world and the run up the stock market has had. I could see gold at 1350 in August but that is about it.
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Up until a couple of years ago, when I pulled out of stocks more or less completely, I used Redmayne Bentley execution only service. (The Leeds office) they were always able to fill or liquidate my positions with no problems.
PS I managed it all myself, I have never used their managed services.
Good move in managing it yourself. People who still use a broker should always keep in mind that they make money on your trades. The more you trade the more they make. There is no tie in with your profitability. What I am saying is their goal is to get you trading more often than you should.
Some people need someone to tell them what to do and when to do it but anyone who can take the time to do it on their own can do much better than following others advice and most can do better than the pros. Most pro's lag the market in their return. If someone can't follow individual stocks ETF's are a good way to go.
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Getting back to the discussion about gold here is a new article out today that supports what I believe and basically says there is no chance of a rally in the gold price and over time it will likely drop under $ 1000.00. The explanations they give are basically in line with what I believe.
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/here-s-why-gold-s-drop-isn-t-done-yet-215654437.html
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Getting back to the discussion about gold here is a new article out today that supports what I believe and basically says there is no chance of a rally in the gold price and over time it will likely drop under $ 1000.00. The explanations they give are basically in line with what I believe.
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/here-s-why-gold-s-drop-isn-t-done-yet-215654437.html
It is an interesting article, the key paragraphs:
“Real interest rates are going up, the U.S. economy is improving, we’re in an environment where a return to normalcy is the course of the day. None of this is supportive of gold.”
The other problem facing the gold bugs from where Doll sits is that inflation just didn’t explode the way so many expected when the Fed got the printing presses cranked up in response to the 2008 crisis. Perhaps inflation should have happened. It’s simply very hard to find inflation at the moment, and with a taper happening time isn’t on the gold bugs’ side.
Doll has some closing advice for gold investors: “If somebody has gold in a tiny little corner of their portfolio for insurance purposes, my hope for them is that gold doesn’t do well because everything else in their portfolio probably is going to do well. It’s a hedge. It’s insurance. Have a tiny corner, at most.”
I would point out that it is debatable that the US economy is improving, there is no return to normalcy for plenty of people (but I am doing OK) and actual inflation is probably between 5 and 10% per year - see http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data .
Meanwhile, China and Japan are squabbling and rattling their sabers; all the while Japan is re-arming.
Europe is still not fixed (and won't be for a while, I think) - Greece and Spain are in trouble, Italy and France are probably next.
There is still a lot of uncertainty in the world ...
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The advice I would give to anyone, is to go to a coin shop, and actually hold in your hands, an ounce of gold and maybe an ounce or two of silver or a 10-ounce bar.
Find an ounce or so gold coin that you personally like looking at, like the Gaudens designed US coins, or a French "rooster" or a "Swiss Miss" - you might even like the Mexican 1.2 ounce 50 pesos piece.
Buy it and don't expect to become wealthy from it, just hold it as something you own. Same thing with silver - the US 1 ounce coins are, for an American who understands the symbolism, quite beautiful... the Austrian "Philharmonic" coins are also quite nice.
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My hesitation with buying gold coins from a coin shop would be that the coin shop is working on a pretty good markup, probably 25-40%. If you took the same coin you paid $ 1000.00 for and tried to sell it back to him my guess is he would offer you $ 700 +/- 100. That puts you behind the 8 ball before you even start.
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My hesitation with buying gold coins from a coin shop would be that the coin shop is working on a pretty good markup, probably 25-40%. If you took the same coin you paid $ 1000.00 for and tried to sell it back to him my guess is he would offer you $ 700 +/- 100. That puts you behind the 8 ball before you even start.
You can ask in advance what the premium is, usually on 1 ounce coins about $60 actually. If you only care about pure gold value, you can easily sell a 1 ounce coin for about 97% of gold melt value at any time - just don't go to those "we buy gold" places.
Call them up and ask what they would pay for a 1 ounce Krugerrand, in a plastic holder, with no marks but not graded (uncirculated condition) - then when in the store, ask how much a 1 ounce Krugerrand would cost (Krugs are the least collectible so they track gold the closest and thus this will show the premium). Items less than an ounce have greater markup.
Myself, I have made a good profit (should I choose to sell) on the 2008/2009 reissue of the famous "Double Eagle" but won't likely sell it except in greatest need - it is an absolutely beautiful piece of yes, art: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Gaudens_double_eagle#Reuse_of_the_design
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Just for kicks I looked on eBay to see what a 1 oz Krugerrand coin was going for compared to the spot price of gold and it looks like about a $ 100.00 premium. Gold is at $ 1253 and the Krugerrands were mostly around 1350 but ranged from $ 1339 to $ 1600 or more.
I am sure your advice will be good for many but at the moment I am thinking more of dumping my coins rather than adding to them. I was a pretty active collector in my teen aged years and have lots of stuff. My grandfather used to run a cab service and vending company and used to give me boxes of old coins dating back over 150 years. I had a paper route and added a lot myself. I will agree the new double eagle is beautiful.
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Just for kicks I looked on eBay to see what a 1 oz Krugerrand coin was going for compared to the spot price of gold and it looks like about a $ 100.00 premium. Gold is at $ 1253 and the Krugerrands were mostly around 1350 but ranged from $ 1339 to $ 1600 or more.
This is the company where I bought my gold collectables.
They offered good service for what I considered a fair markup.
http://www.apmex.com/category/502/gold
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That seems like a good choice for someone interested in buying gold coins. Roughly a 4% premium over the value of the gold.
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That seems like a good choice for someone interested in buying gold coins. Roughly a 4% premium over the value of the gold.
Yes, and they tell you up front, what they will pay for it should you choose to sell it back (of course this varies with gold price) - so basically you can figure out what the approximate spread is on any item.
This guy, has the absolute worst website in the world, but, he has a good reputation for dealing in gold and silver: http://www.tulving.com - for instance, his price on the Austrian Mint's Philharmonics is spot price plus $24.95, which is pretty decent. He does have high minimum purchase sizes however - about 10-20 ounces of gold or 500 ounces of silver.
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I never understood any reason to buy physical gold as an investment, yes I'm sure some of those coins, wings or whatever look nice and they might well increase in value over time....... but really, it's another high risk investment, only need to tell a couple of people down the boozer what you've got and before you know it some illegal immigrant breaks into your house and they're gone, and your Mrs nicker draw rummaged through, very high risk IMO.
If you want something nice to look at, might well increase in value in the future and give you some serious pleasure buy something that will make you smile every time you see it, it'll even give you a pleasure even when eyes are closed, listen to her roar!!!
[attachimg=1]
That's what I call a proper in your hand investment :thumbsup:
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I never understood any reason to buy physical gold as an investment, yes I'm sure some of those coins, wings or whatever look nice and they might well increase in value over time.......
Personally I agree with you Ashby. Gold is just a lump of metal that sits there doing nothing. As far as a pure investment I much prefer stocks which to some extent really do represent a share of ownership in a business that may with luck make some profits, pay some dividends and over the long haul have been a good investment for people.
At one time I was very active as a coin collector and that was ages ago in my teen years. I really gave it little thought as an investment but found it interesting to do and to show people what I had. I did have a little bit of gold, but more coins going back over a few centuries including lots of large cents dating back to 1798, colonial coins before the US minted coins, half cents, two cent pieces, three cent pieces, half dimes, 20 cent pieces, fractional currency issued during the civil war to save metal, broken bank bills, confederate dollars, foreign coins, roman coins and lots more. I still have them but have no idea what they all would be worth. Probably for the small amount I had invested a lot.
Nice car. I wish I would have saved some of my early cars that I got next to nothing for like the 54 or 57 chevy I had. Those can be a good investment but they can also be a lot of work. Still those cars have been a good investment for those who were into it.
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Nice car. I wish I would have saved some of my early cars that I got next to nothing for like the 54 or 57 chevy I had. Those can be a good investment but they can also be a lot of work. Still those cars have been a good investment for those who were into it.
Cars are a little like shares to me, if you know what you're doing you can over a long period make a profit, the dividend isn't paid as an income but in pleasure.
I nearly bought a RS Sierra Cosworth 500 as an investment for £5k in 1991 (I think), lot of money to me back then, would have made a tidy amount over the period. Insurance of all things stopped me >:(
There's others like a Lotus Elise 111s, original one, going reasonably cheap early 2000 but doubled in value since.
Had an Audi RS4 but some illegal immigrant stole that, insurance didn't pay out as I was a few months out on a speeding conviction, I do however have the memories, and a few more speeding points :laugh:
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Most cars are a bad investment, there is a few, if had for the right price
will go up in value. Very few. But if you enjoy, they do pay great dividends
for the head and heart.
This can be said for several different collectables.
As for investing, I do a little and now get better returns than a broker
but, mostly play at it and doing this way will never make me rich.
Investing to be rich, is a full time job.
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I never understood any reason to buy physical gold as an investment, yes I'm sure some of those coins, wings or whatever look nice and they might well increase in value over time....... but really, it's another high risk investment, only need to tell a couple of people down the boozer what you've got and before you know it some illegal immigrant breaks into your house and they're gone, and your Mrs nicker draw rummaged through, very high risk IMO.
{sigh} They're called safety deposit boxes. Banks rent them here in the USA for about $40 per year. They do a nice job protecting valuables that you don't want to keep in your home.
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I never understood any reason to buy physical gold as an investment, yes I'm sure some of those coins, wings or whatever look nice and they might well increase in value over time....... but really, it's another high risk investment, only need to tell a couple of people down the boozer what you've got and before you know it some illegal immigrant breaks into your house and they're gone, and your Mrs nicker draw rummaged through, very high risk IMO.
Gold has been "money" for 5000 years or more of recorded history. When the Russian expats got caught out during the Revolution, they were able to sell their gold and do OK.
Catholics from the Western Ukraine area, who traditionally had more gold, were able to better survive the hard times.
From my view, having enough in gold to be able to buy a plane ticket somewhere, or enough food for a month, is wise and just a way to diversify a bit more ... or do you trust pols like Peter Mandelson (spit) to have your best interests at heart?
While you are down the boozer, you don't give the lads your credit card numbers, do you?
So why talk about gold and where you have it in your house?
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{sigh} They're called safety deposit boxes. Banks rent them here in the USA for about $40 per year. They do a nice job protecting valuables that you don't want to keep in your home.
Makes the purchase seem even more pointless IMO of course, I'd rather invest in some gold fund, or buy something that I can get pleasure from. Buying some gold coin then putting it in a safe you hardly ever going to visit sounds nuts!!
Gold has been "money" for 5000 years or more of recorded history. When the Russian expats got caught out during the Revolution, they were able to sell their gold and do OK.
Catholics from the Western Ukraine area, who traditionally had more gold, were able to better survive the hard times.
From my view, having enough in gold to be able to buy a plane ticket somewhere, or enough food for a month, is wise and just a way to diversify a bit more ...
Historically when the economy is heading south gold has done well for similar reasons to what you say. I know there are many people of generally none british origins, that will be draped in gold which serves two purposes. 1 - look good and 2 - when in hard times can be cashed.
Personally I would prefer to have some cash stashed somewhere if I were that worried, or a few extra tins of beans in the cupboard. :laugh:
or do you trust pols like Peter Mandelson (spit) to have your best interests at heart?
I believe he has the best interest of his friends at heart, like all politicians. Bit like all police are corrupt and judges are just an extension of the police department, my emails are monitored and my phone is tapped, I don't think otherwise, it's one big corrupt system.
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{sigh} They're called safety deposit boxes. Banks rent them here in the USA for about $40 per year. They do a nice job protecting valuables that you don't want to keep in your home.
You do want to be a little careful what you put in a safe deposit box. The biggest no-no is the original copy of you Will since should you die it will take a court order to get it out. A copy is ok but not the original. Also you should never put anything in you may need to access fast such as a passport. Cash is another no-no since it isn't covered by the FDIC.
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Historically when the economy is heading south gold has done well for similar reasons to what you say. I know there are many people of generally none british origins, that will be draped in gold which serves two purposes. 1 - look good and 2 - when in hard times can be cashed.
Personally I would prefer to have some cash stashed somewhere if I were that worried, or a few extra tins of beans in the cupboard. :laugh:
I have never been much of a fan of gold but having a little is not a bad idea. Many gold bugs seem to be concerned that it will be the only viable currency in the event of an unparalleled disaster in which the whole of society ends as we know it. Personally, I think if we reach a point that the world as we know it has ended and people are starving and destitute the can of beans you talk about may have more value than an chunk of gold. A starving person would be much more inclined to trade something he has of value for food rather than gold.
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Most cars are a bad investment, there is a few, if had for the right price
will go up in value. Very few. But if you enjoy, they do pay great dividends
for the head and heart.
This can be said for several different collectables.
As for investing, I do a little and now get better returns than a broker
but, mostly play at it and doing this way will never make me rich.
Investing to be rich, is a full time job.
I would probably prefer investing in cars to gold. Cars however do rust, need repairs, the finish fades, the tires wear or rot if they are just sitting and do take time and effort that is more like work than pleasure. Gold as a lump of metal has little appeal. Collecting coins can be interesting but reaches a point where it gets tiresome. You also have to worry about theft. It is easier for someone to carry off a bag of coins than a 1965 Mustang although they can drive the car off.
From a pure investment standpoint my preference is stocks. I don't know that investing to be rich is a full time job. If you are going to pick individual stocks there are some that don't need a lot of attention and some that do but it does take time, perhaps a few hours a day. Not that being rich is one of my goals. I have no real desire to be rich. I also have no real desire to be poor. I do like not having to worry about money and having some security. I see experts who say the days when the individual investor can pick his own stocks and do well are gone. I think that is a bunch of bunk. I have been doing it consistently for many decades and like NS-1 I nearly always beat the pros. I do see a very strong tendency among investors to buy high and sell low. They see a stock that has gone from 5 bucks to 30 and want to ride the trend. They buy it and it starts dropping and they panic and sell low. Someone wanting to invest in stock would be wise to pay attention to some of the philosophies of Warren Buffet. Think about what I just said about people wanting to buy high and sell low and then think about Warren Buffets statement “Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful”
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Turbo I agree on every point, cars only work if its a passion, more often than not, they don't. Gold, I don't have any so and no great desire, but could see it, if you can buy at right time. Stocks to get rich take a lot of time. Stocks to improve your wealth, not as much, I tend to research and buy on a 5 year plan, Got that from the Motley fools:)
One of their approaches for the person who knows nothing, is pick a date, on that date buy stock in the top 5 fortune 500 companies. At the one year Anniversary. sell and re-buy, the top 5 again, rinse and repeat. the look backwards on this over 40 year cycle would net you between 15-25% a year, I am about to try it, so will let you know:)
As for the world ending, Again I agree with Turbo, having food or a useable commodity
would be the most valuable asset, if there is even anything left:)
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Turbo I agree on every point, cars only work if its a passion, more often than not, they don't. Gold, I don't have any so and no great desire, but could see it, if you can buy at right time. Stocks to get rich take a lot of time. Stocks to improve your wealth, not as much, I tend to research and buy on a 5 year plan, Got that from the Motley fools:)
One of their approaches for the person who knows nothing, is pick a date, on that date buy stock in the top 5 fortune 500 companies. At the one year Anniversary. sell and re-buy, the top 5 again, rinse and repeat. the look backwards on this over 40 year cycle would net you between 15-25% a year, I am about to try it, so will let you know:)
Keep me posted about how it works for you. Unfortunately, it will take so long to know that by the time you have results we will have long forgotten this thread, but let me know anyway. There are a lot of things that work well and that seems like it could.
I try to be fairly diversified in the stocks I have but one of the things that has worked well for me has been to buy stocks when everyone hates them. For example I bought some BP not real long after the spill. I thought they were big enough that it would not put them out of business and the stock has done fairly well. I got into some bank stocks a few years ago when everyone hated them. They have done well. A year ago I bought 1000 shares of Rite Aid for $ 1.08 a share. The company had been losing money but looking at the financials I could see they were turning it around. Not long after I bought it they turned profitable. The stock is now selling for $ 5.50 a share and I expect it to be over $ 20 in a few years.
I also try to find companies that seem like they are on the cutting edge of things. 3D printing stocks were last years big venture and most doubled last year. One that I am out of for the moment but plan to get back into is ONVO which is a 3D printer company that hopes to be able to print live human organs for transplant some day. Right now they are able to print liver tissue which will speed up the development of new drugs. Printing hearts and lungs is way off in the future but should they ever be able to do that it could be an interesting stock.
I have had off years but for the most part have been able to beat the market. I had one major goof (and a couple of minor ones.) over the years. My big goof was ages ago I bought 100 shares of Apple for $ 12.00 a share. At the time it was a small computer company with some strength in schools and graphics professionals. It went to $ 19.00 and I sold it. 20 minutes after I sold it an internet buddy of mine called and said, "Don't sell your Apple" Listen to the news. We a few minutes after I sold it Steve Jobs announced he was coming back to Apple. I did think about buying it back but was too hard headed to buy back at $ 28.00 a share a stock I had just sold for $ 19.00 a share. Well you could look at the current price and say I could have converted $ 1,200 to $ 55,000.00 but that doesn't take into account that there have been 3 two for one stock splits and one 3 for 2 split which means had I held that stock and kept it today as I did with most of the stocks I had then it would now be worth about $ 450,000. I guess you can't win them all but that sure would have been a nice one to win. I guess I did win but just on a much smaller scale than I could have. I do like to look back on that goof and laugh.
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Goofs where you still make something are easier to swallow.
I took a nasty hit in 09 like many, did not even open the letters or computer for 6 months LOL. I have tried the buy what everyone hates thing, not as lucky,
nortell, figure to big to go under, agh NO, and a couple others, but for the most part
I run around 16% return per year. but not on a huge amount.
I have two very high risk stocks, for low amounts at a time.
Sorta like a lottery ticket if they every hit :)
I don't devote near enough time to be real good at it, and will never be rich.
If I can improve my over all pace, better than the brokers, I am happy.
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I liked 09. Yes, my stocks went way down but I had been so busy with my business that I never even looked at my stocks. One stock I bought for $ 15.00 had been bought out for $ 50 so I had a little cash in there and did some buying right at the bottom. Picking up stocks like Macys for 8 bucks a share and DOW for $ 11.00 a share. I didn't have much in the market at the time but when I came back I was way up from where I had been.
I don't care if I ever get rich but my wife may not leave me much choice. She is so frugal we end up living on about 25% of what I make. For the past few years I have been adding a lot to my savings which is probably a good thing at my age anyway. I plan to work for at least another 8 years but thanks to her I will probably have some pretty good savings when I retire. Of course if she ever decides to divorce me then she may end up with a pretty good savings :laugh:
It can go the other way too. I recall back a ways when I had been more active in the stock market the girl friend I had at the time saw me doing well and decided to take her sons college fund and invest it in the market. She had seem me do well on a stock called Discrete Logic that did special effects software for movie producers (their software was used for the movie Speed for example). I had bought it for $ 6.25 and sold it for $ 35.00. She decided to buy it at $ 35.00 (I didn't understand why) and ended up selling it for $ 6.00. She bought Coke at her sons suggestion since they had just been awarded the concession for the Atlanta Olympics (which to me was not important) and lost a couple of grand and bought Planet Hollywood and Boston Market which both went belly up. She ended up wiping out her sons college fund in a year. The only good thing was he decided to be a pizza delivery guy rather than go to college, but it can go both ways. You can make money or lose money.
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You pay to play and must be prepared to lose also.
Many forget this, I have seen it with a few friends.
They do well on a few stocks, then think they are an expert.
next thing they have some huge losses.
If you don't want to lose, play safe, buy RRSP's or SUch things.
I have done ok and have been reminded enough, that one mistake
can take months to gain back. When I have time it is actually a little
fun to do, but there is always risks attached.
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I try to be fairly diversified in the stocks I have but one of the things that has worked well for me has been to buy stocks when everyone hates them. For example I bought some BP not real long after the spill. I thought they were big enough that it would not put them out of business and the stock has done fairly well. I got into some bank stocks a few years ago when everyone hated them. They have done well. A year ago I bought 1000 shares of Rite Aid for $ 1.08 a share. The company had been losing money but looking at the financials I could see they were turning it around. Not long after I bought it they turned profitable. The stock is now selling for $ 5.50 a share and I expect it to be over $ 20 in a few years.
Similar model as I follow, I tend to go for out of favour stocks that will do well over the coming years as the business rebuilds, banking sector has been one for the recovering economy, and lets face it if it doesn't recover we'll all be needing those tins of beans. I prefer to trade over a short period, buying low, selling high and repurchasing, it can work out to your advantage, but then you can miss out on bull runs and it all seems a little pointless.
As you said about Apple Shares, don't look at what could have been rather look at what has been, a profit, it's the only way.
Another approach is to latch on to the high income shares, those that have without fail paid an increasing dividend year on year, there's a few out there, not so many recently though. A little research and it isn't so hard to find the good paying stocks, and with a little sensible knowledge you can pick stocks that are unlikely to be hit by the financial climate of late, or will benefit from a recovering economy.
You can take things a step further and track a few of the more traded shares, generally they take a very good profit one day and a hard hit the next, if you time it right you can make a % or two every other day, it's all about tracking and making an educated guess on the daily or weekly trend. As way of example here in England Lloyds Bank (LLOY.L) has been a highly traded share as the fluctuations have been sufficient to cover the 0.5% stamp duty and broker costs. Additionally it is a safer business model so you can be a little assured the short term share price isn't going to sink overnight, but there's no guarantees.
Even Tesco's with it's poor results could make you a good return of 10% monthly if traded correctly. With tools available on the mobile phone and a little bit of a gambler in you, you could make a good monthly return. It takes a lot of daily monitoring and balls of steal if it's your life savings though.
NS, with your approach I hope you are investing with companies that have a good short term strategy, those companies who have a good new CEO or an opening that's going to give them market edge, even with a 5 year view it's pretty short term and needs careful consideration to stocks purchased.
Finally always remember to buy and repurchase shares annually to take advantage of your annual tax allowance, here in the UK shares are taxed at CGT rates, which has a separate allowance to that of income tax.
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I'm a buy and hold stock investor.
I use dividend reinvestment plans to accumulate positions. This allows you to make purchases and reinvest dividends usually at no cost. I started out in 1995 investing $100 per month. I now have 15 different stocks with a total portfolio value of over $160,000. My goal is to have the portfolio return $12,000 per year in dividend income when I retire.
Before I invest a penny in the stock market, I make sure that I maximize the contribution to my 401k and retirement accounts for myself and my wife. They are all in mutual funds. I re-balance maybe once every year.
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I'm a buy and hold stock investor.
I use dividend reinvestment plans to accumulate positions. This allows you to make purchases and reinvest dividends usually at no cost. I started out in 1995 investing $100 per month. I now have 15 different stocks with a total portfolio value of over $160,000. My goal is to have the portfolio return $12,000 per year in dividend income when I retire.
Before I invest a penny in the stock market, I make sure that I maximize the contribution to my 401k and retirement accounts for myself and my wife. They are all in mutual funds. I re-balance maybe once every year.
Ever thought of investing in UK stocks Shakes? There's a few that might take your fancy with your investment strategy.
Never looked into doing the reverse, would be interesting to share thoughts on shares across the pond.
On the old pension thing, it's something that I don't care for, we have pensions here in england that basically attract tax free (ish) growth until they're commuted to a pension or annuity as it's known, there are other options nowadays I know, but it's pretty limited.
I on the other hand prefer to save cash which i can choose to do with what i wish later, if I choose to purchase an annuity at retirement I get the tax relief then. It's slightly different as you get what is called capital content (basically say if you pay a lump sum of £100k then you get say £10k per annum returned tax free as part of the capital invested, based on life expectancy) as a tax free income with the remainder subject to income tax. Not sure if you have same in the US.
Personally i think it gives you greater flexibility, and should rules change with government policy, as it always does, I have the access to my cash to do with as I please.
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Ever thought of investing in UK stocks Shakes? There's a few that might take your fancy with your investment strategy.
I bought 500 shares of RBS-PT at $22.45 which locked in an +8% income. Stock is now trading near it's call value of $25 so I'll have a nice capital gain as well.
Never looked into doing the reverse, would be interesting to share thoughts on shares across the pond.
Plenty of information on Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRiP) on the internet. The Motley Fool is a great place to start your reseach on the companies that offer these low/no cost stock accumulation plans.
On the old pension thing, it's something that I don't care for, we have pensions here in England that basically attract tax free (ish) growth until they're commuted to a pension or annuity as it's known, there are other options nowadays I know, but it's pretty limited.
I on the other hand prefer to save cash which i can choose to do with what i wish later, if I choose to purchase an annuity at retirement I get the tax relief then. It's slightly different as you get what is called capital content (basically say if you pay a lump sum of £100k then you get say £10k per annum returned tax free as part of the capital invested, based on life expectancy) as a tax free income with the remainder subject to income tax. Not sure if you have same in the US.
Personally i think it gives you greater flexibility, and should rules change with government policy, as it always does, I have the access to my cash to do with as I please.
Here in the USA, to encourage lower paid employees to invest in pension plans (and avoid penalties for having top heavy participation), many employers match a certain percentage of an employees contribution to a 401k plan. My employer matches 50%. Therefore I have a 50% return locked in immediately upon investment. Hard to pass on that for any reason.
Contributions to a 401k are also made tax free. You pay tax on the contributions and capital growth when you take it out of the plan and your tax bracket will be significantly lower.
Contributions to an IRA are tax exempt for people under a certain income level. Over that level you can still make the contribution and the contribution is tax free upon withdrawl, but the capital gains are taxed.
ROTH-IRA allows both contributions and capital gains to be withdrawn at retirement tax free. My income is too high to allow me to participate in this plan.
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I'm a buy and hold stock investor.
I use dividend reinvestment plans to accumulate positions. This allows you to make purchases and reinvest dividends usually at no cost. I started out in 1995 investing $100 per month. I now have 15 different stocks with a total portfolio value of over $160,000. My goal is to have the portfolio return $12,000 per year in dividend income when I retire.
Before I invest a penny in the stock market, I make sure that I maximize the contribution to my 401k and retirement accounts for myself and my wife. They are all in mutual funds. I re-balance maybe once every year.
Shakespear, I just want to compliment you on your last two posts. The second was a great overview of the retirement options in the USA. You made a very good point in the first of the last two that a small savings in the stock market can produce big results over time. I was reading something in Money magazine a few months ago that was something to the effect that if someone adds $ 100 a month to the stock market starting in their early 20's by the time they retire it will grow to a half million. I could be a little off on my numbers but the end result was quite good. The important thing is to start early. It doesn't take much to save a little a month and in the stock market that can grow quite handily.
It is always smart if someone has a 401-K to max out things as much as you can. I never had one since I haven't had an employer since I was 21 but still it is a good way to go. Not all 401-K's are the same. The return is usually better on money you invest yourself but with the employer match it is a good way to go. I was reading another article where one guy analyzed his 401-K and his return on his and the employers money had been $ 1700.00 and he had generated $ 47,000 in management fees. Usually when picking a mutual fund or the like one of the really important things to look at are the fees. Usually the lower the fee the better the return.
Anyway nice posts and our goals are about the same. I hope when I do retire, if ever that my dividend income is about what your goal is. I am on target to hit that in the time frame I plan.
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You made a very good point in the first of the last two that a small savings in the stock market can produce big results over time. I was reading something in Money magazine a few months ago that was something to the effect that if someone adds $ 100 a month to the stock market starting in their early 20's by the time they retire it will grow to a half million. I could be a little off on my numbers but the end result was quite good.
Commonly known as Pound Cost Averaging here in the UK.
It's a good idea for those who don't follow the stock markets, if you know what you're doing and can spend a little time following things you should be able to increase your returns, there's an interesting article here for those who wish to learn a little more.
http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/96177/is-pound-cost-averaging-overrated.aspx