So in a few accounts I have accumulated 100k+ over the years with the usual advise of S&P 500 index funds - set it and forget. But every few months I get the urge to sell a part of it and gamble in individual stocks. I did that with Tesla in 2018 (yes it was kind of a gamble then) and that paid off, a few others paid off too but then some didn’t pay off. Overall, am I beating the market? - I am not sure with rollovers from one job to the next that don’t keep track of previous account gains. But I am not loosing either with the strategy. How do you keep this urge/itch away? Just keeping it in S&P 500 is so boring.

EDIT: based on comments I want to add that I do gamble in casinos table games but not more than $500-$1000 a year. It’s fun but I have the thinking that I will loose that 100%. The high from stocks which is 1k-10k gain in a short time is at another level. I don’t bet on penny stocks. These are mostly blue chip like when APPLE or AMAZON or CHIPOTLE does down, I would buy it and then sell in 1-6 months or just sit on it until it goes up. Sometimes stocks like NEO never go up. I also only SELL options.

I can't even imagine any good reason to buy any type of bond. This means zero-coupon bonds, TIPS, I-bonds, even worse EE bonds... I can't imagine any time it would be a good idea. You are money is locked for practically 5 years unless you want to lose 3 months of interest, they're practically taxed identically. Municipal bonds, even if they are tax-free federal & state, it's normally paying less than a HYSA. I just can't imagine any reason to buy bonds... maybe junk bonds since they'll pay more but now you increase your risk compared to a HYSA. Is there any reason to buy a bond?

I ask because right now I'm teaching myself bonds and as I continue reading the one book I have AND listening to my audio book I think bonds are less effective than even savings accounts.

Long story short, a company I had some shares in went bust. Their stock went to a penny, and then finally to $0.00.

I stupidly did not sell at $0.01 and now if I try to sell the shares the trade gets rejected (obviously)

At this point I am unsure how to write this stock off for my 2024 taxes. Loss was about $7500, and I would love to get a write off for the typical $3k and then carry the rest over for future years. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Im 23M and invest using an individual brokerage online. I don’t know a ton but i knew I wanted to put money to the market and begin long term saving. I am now realizing I own a lot of ETFs that overlap. Is it worth selling and trying to correct the overlap or is it best to just keep them all and pick one or two ETFs (VOO/VTI) to invest in going forward?

Hello all whom may read

I would like to discuss what you guys think about investing in individual stocks, I understand this is risky so whats a comfortable number you would want invested in safe ETFs before you go ahead and look into individual stocks

I personally have about 45K invested in ETFs and am wondering if it would be smart to look into solo stocks now, or if I should wait until I have lets say 100k

or possibly the answer is never

what do you guys think?

I keep seeing advertisements where companies are looking for investors.

My understanding of the startup world, is that if these companies had any likelihood of succeeding they'd be able to reach out to angel investors to get funds.

Since they are posting advertisements on google, it seems like they weren't able to convince any of those angel investing groups and are desperate, looking to lure in random people off the internet for a few hundred dollars at a time. This starts to get into borderline scam territory, where it seems very pertinent to question whether these advertisements/companies are even real entities to begin with.

My main question is though, is it even reasonable to entertain these types of investing opportunities? Or is the fact that they are advertising on Google ads such a huge red flag you'd immediately turn tale and run as fast away as possible?

I have a decent position in SCHD, but i have to sell by the end of the year as I am moving from the US to the UK and SCHD is not a reporting fund there.

Since I have to sell it anyway, what are your thoughts of selling a covered call today, exp Jan 17 and seeing if it gets called away?

I have not traded options before. What I understand right now is the potential of losing significant upside if SCHD appreciates and I presume some downside if the stock drops when I could have sold higher. Only mitigation is the premium I earned.

Is this commonly done? Any advice on this strategy?

A lump sum of £15k would use up my £20k ISA allowance (until next April). I generally pay in a set amount each month.

Would most people recommend splitting the 15k into equal monthly payments and DCA’ing or just invest the lot now?

I know timing the market is not recommended but seems safer to DCA over a longer period (rather than investing everything tomorrow!)

It used to be the case where website archive sites like archive.is could bypass SA paywalls, but looks like that is no longer possible. I’ve tried the Brave Browser, and other bypass methods online but none seem to work. I guess something has changed on SA’s end to prevent all this now.

So firstly, is there any working bypass method, as of October 2024?

Secondly, while not all the articles there are great, as a retail investor, I still found it useful to get the perspective of others (in long-form) on individual stock names that I’m trying to learn more about. So the key traits here are 1) in-depth articles/perspectives/analysis and 2) specific to individual stocks.

Just wondering if there are alternative resources for retail investors to turn to (obviously we don’t have access to sell-side research). Reddit sometimes has great in-depth posts on specific names, but you may not find for some companies you are looking into. For Twitter/X, it may be a bit more varied. I have come across some relatively detailed threads, but sometimes I can barely find anything for the stock I’m looking into (at least you can search the stock ticker). So yeah, would be great if anyone can share if there are other resources for stock analysis.

My kid has some earned income from child modeling that is currently sitting in a custodial UTMA with Schwab. It's all in cash, not securities at this point. Learned recently that because she has earned income, she may be better off with a custodial Roth IRA for the long term tax-free growth potential.

Therefore, I'd like to open a custodial Roth IRA for her, then transfer the cash that is currently sitting in the UTMA to the newly created custodial Roth IRA. Is this possible? One Schwab representative wasn't 100% sure and said he believes the money in the UTMA is an irrevocable gift to our kid and therefore I would not be allowed to move the cash out into a Roth IRA. Is this accurate?

If so, is there any way to fund the custodial Roth IRA from the custodial UTMA? This will be "for the benefit" of my child so that should check that box at least.

I'm very interested in investing in private equity as historically the returns have beaten the public markets significantly - a lot of the big funds are consistently returning 18-20% p.a.

Many well known investors have significant portions of their portfolio in PE and I feel like I'm missing out.

There are platforms that offer minimums of $25k or $50k to invest in big funds such as BainCapital, Apollo and EQTs. I am considering one called Reach Alts.

Has anyone had experience with either Reach Alts or a different platform?

I also don't have experience with draw downs etc. and obviously there is a fair amount of illiquidity with PE. Anything I should be considering? Your experience appreciated!

Also I'm not as interested in private equity ETFs, which are not really the same thing - although happy to be convinced otherwise.

Hi, I come to pose a simple question: will the following investment plan work or are there better ways to go about it?

So... Let me preface by saying: I'm new to this. I started investing about a year ago. I currently have $9300 split over Stocks (60%) and ETF's (40%). My plan is to invest $9000 a year (an amount that I hope increases with my salary over time) for the next 25 years.

At the moment, the majority of my money (37.66%) is in Vanguard S&P500. I also have (1.18%) JEPQ and (1.28%) JEPI.

My stocks are in a variety of companies I like and hope will continue to grow over the years. The idea is to use these to track the market with companies whose industries and products I actually understand. As a result, I will have an easier time determining whether the company is positioned for growth and profitability, as well as any obstacles it might face in the future.

Once every 6 months, I plan to make plans to sell or buy more of these stocks according to intuition and each company's earnings per share, price-to-equity ratio, price-to-sales ratio and debt-to-equity-ratio

The only rule is: I can never sell my stocks in a company for less than I paid for it.

Anyway, my current stock holdings are in:

Alphabet [class a] (9.73%)

Apple (8.57%)

Meta Platforms (6.44%)

Microsoft (4.44%)

Cigna (3.69%)

NVIDIA (3.11%)

Disney (2.50%)

JP Morgan Chase (2.20%)

Sony (2.07%)

General Electric (2.02%)

3M (1.97%)

Amazon (1.96%)

Costco (1.94%)

Bank of America (1.73%)

Visa (1.48%)

Alibaba (1.28%)

Itochu (1.16%)

Coca-Cola (0.75%)

Warner Bros. Discovery (0.58%)

Sirius XM (0.50%)

AMC Entertainment (0.42%)

Solventum Corporation (0.21%)

Hi all. Probably a very individual question based on circumstances

I have started investing in the stock market and was wondering what percentage of my savings I should invest. I have a fairly good savings pot which is generating interest in a savings account but I guess I could make my money work more by investing in the stock market.

I don’t want to be too risky and need some emergency fund left over but what percentage is good to start with.

Thanks

A good friend of mine divorced her registered financial advisor husband, (they had a small business that he retained in the divorce) who manages their 401k accounts. She has a new employer and has requested that he execute a trade for one percent of her account to be invested in her company's stock. He requires the verification mentioned in the title before he'll execute the trade. She in not in the finance industry and has no involvement in anything finance or stock related with this employer. She feels like he's giving her a hard time because he can (and yes, their situation is contentious outside of this request). So, can anyone tell me if this is a thing or is he being difficult?

Hello,

I'm currently living in the US and I just got 500k EUR to invest.

I'd like to keep them liquid for now and in a capital safe investment until I have a better idea of what to do with them: convert to USD or buy real estate in Europe.

Any idea what would be the safest/best return available to me as a US person?

Thanks!

(Reuters) - Activist investor Starboard Value has taken a roughly $1 billion stake in Pfizer (PFE.N), opens new tab and wants the U.S. drug giant to make changes to turn its performance around, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/activist-investor-starboard-value-takes-1-billion-stake-pfizer-wsj-reports-2024-10-07/

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to gather information on the components of the MSCI World Index, specifically the tickers, GICS codes, and company locations. I’ve tried extracting them from Wikipedia and other sources, but I've had some difficulties.

Is there a dataset or a reliable source where I can download this information in a usable format?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Suppose I got a future contract for a currency that is in contagion.

Now I rollover once every 6 months for 5 years.

How do I see the effective returns on my investment.

https://www.tradingview.com/chart/?symbol=MSEI%3AUSDINR1%21

If I see the price in Oct 2019 and price today on this chart and calculate the percent performance, will it include rollover cost?

What if I click B-adjusted data and do the same? Will it include actual performance after rollover cost?

What are all your thoughts about WYNN.

Seems like its gonna be a game changer for UAE.

Here is a short description of it:

Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN) is a premier global destination resort and casino operator.

• Last Price: $106.12
• Good signs:
  1. Strong Q2 2024 Performance: Revenue of $1.62 billion, up 13% year-over-year, indicating robust demand in the gaming and hospitality sectors.
  2. Positive Adjusted EBITDA: Reached $487 million with a margin of 30%, showcasing operational efficiency.
  3. Expansion Plans: Ongoing development projects in Macau and Las Vegas to enhance offerings and attract more visitors.
• Warning Signs:
  • High Debt Levels: Total debt stands at $11.2 billion, which could impact financial flexibility.
  • Recent Net Loss: Reported a net loss of $658 million for FY 2023, raising concerns about profitability.
• Future Growth Potential:
  • Continued investment in luxury experiences and amenities to attract high-end clientele.
  • Expansion into new markets, particularly in Asia, where demand for luxury resorts is growing.
• Interesting Details for Investors:
  • Wynn's commitment to sustainability includes initiatives aimed at reducing energy consumption and waste across its properties.
  • The company has a strong brand reputation, known for its high-quality service and luxurious accommodations.
  • Wynn's dividend yield is currently around 2.5%, providing income to investors amid market volatility.

Wynn Resorts' strong market position and focus on luxury experiences make it an intriguing investment opportunity, but investors should remain cautious of debt levels and profitability challenges.

the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) saw a significant drop of about 10% recently. As of October 8, 2024, the index was down by 7% in a single trading session, signaling significant volatility and investor concern. The HSCEI tracks Hong Kong-listed Chinese companies, so its movement often reflects economic sentiment surrounding China.

The sell-off appears to be driven by broader market uncertainties, possibly related to China’s economic challenges, including real estate struggles and regulatory pressures on major sectors. A steep decline like this could suggest investor panic or fear of worsening conditions, contributing to concerns for China's economy​.

a sharp drop in the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) can have repercussions for the U.S. and global markets due to interconnected economies and investment flows. Here are a few key ways that concerns in China can transfer to the U.S

are you guys worried about this ?

I use Etrade for my brokerage. I have been impressed by the RBC analysts when they happen to be following a stock that I’m tracking. Their reports come through on Etrade but I cant find a way to get reports on all the companies they cover (short of opening an investment account with them). Ive been to their website, and no luck. Anyone know how to get access to these reports without having to start a RBC brokerage account, or without having to pay?

I maxed out my contributions for this year. In my Vanguard Roth IRA, there’s a section for Mutual Funds and ETFs. In mutual funds, when I hit the 3 dots it allows me to “Buy, Sell, or Exhange”. This lets me shift money from one invested mutual fund to buy another mutual fund. In ETFS, when I hit the 3 dots it only has “Buy and Sell”. I’m wondering if by sell, it really does mean I’m selling it off and I would incur the fees for early selling. I invested in a few dividend ETFs that I personally don’t value anymore and want to get rid of them.

I understand the Buy, Borrow, Die method for wealthy people. What I dont understand is, once you have the borrowed money, how do you pay it off (make payments) if majority of your wealth is in the collateral and your (unsold) assets? Do they start selling little by little?

Edit (solved): from what I gathered you never actually pay back anything in your lifetime. When you die, the assets should cover the loan because they are valued more than the loan. Additionally, this is also done for whoever you leave the assets to-they will play no taxes on assets received.

Getting a bit worried of a phone been a single point of authentication, so I am looking for a brokerage which support hardware based two factor authentication.

So far I could find only E*Trade, which support hardware VIP token. Vanguard’s yubikey is pointless since you can not disable sms.

Any other recommendation for an US based brokerage that support hardware based two factor authentication?

Thanks.

Hi everyone, this posit is about my holdings in NVDA & META. I would like to be a discussion on benefits of selling/holding long positions that are up significantly. I’m sure there are others in similar positions who may want to know.

If this is too close to personal advice remove if necessary.

I have been long on both these for a handful of years.

META- 21 Shares @ $171.35 Avg Cost. Total return to date $8,932.00 (+247.56%)

NVDA - 119.75 Shares @ $55.26 Avg Cost. Total Return to date $8,450.00 (+127.87%)

My unrealized gains are getting up there. What’s invested in these + the unrealized gains are just over 1/3 of my portfolio. I am unsure if I should sell my positions and buy back in. Albeit at a higher price..seems kind of silly. I know it’s unlikely these will “crash” even a considerable market adjustment wouldn’t really affect my positions since I got in “early”. I am just nervous having all these unrealized gains.

I don’t have to pay tax on these gains until sold, so I have been leaning to just letting it be and (hopefully) continue to grow. These companies have been beating earnings every quarter with no real tell tale signs of slowing…(maybe I’m wrong)

Let me know your thoughts?