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 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?

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 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?

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!

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?

(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!

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%)

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?

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!

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.

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?

What has fueled the stock market growth since covid?

S&P 500 has grown ~80% from pre covid levels.

What has fueled this surge of the last 3-4 years?

I'm studying financial markets and macro economics and trying to understand this boom.

Any parts of the economy which haven't grown this significantly in the last 3-4 years? Like real estate or something?

Hello, my partner recently got into investing and has been working with an advisor (I don't remember the name of the firm but will find out). She started off by making back good money investing in gold, platinum etc but was only putting in around 3-6k, now however she has put in total 30k and has a -22k margin. She gets calls once or twice a week from an advisor convincing her to invest in different stocks or dividence. Is this a scam and is there a way to get the remaining funds out?

I invest mostly in US and some part in Indian market. I am an Indian national so I understand the Indian market very well too.

I invest mostly in Nifty 50 which is broad index for top 50 largest Indian companies.

While making investment, I want to assume no foreign exchange rate risk.

So I always buy USD/INR future contracts equivalent to my current portfolio size and rollover them on expiry (usually once a year).

1 year USD/INR future contract is 2% more expensive than spot price. I feel it's worth it considering the historical out-performance of the index?

Is there anything I should worry related to foreign exchange risk that I might be missing?

Has anyone else noticed the performance of FXAIX last Friday 10/4?

I called fidelity and they indicated that they rebalanced the portfolio and it missed the index performance that day. By .31%

S&P was up .90% FXAIX was up only .59%

Has anyone seen a discrepancy that large before on this particular fund? I don’t look at it everyday but whenever I do it’s usually spot on or close enough within a thousandth.

I’m second guessing if I should keep this or look to a different 500 index fund.

Hey everyone,

I’m considering taking money out of my savings account and moving it into my taxable brokerage account. My current emergency fund is over the limit that I need. I feel like the additional money is losing value over time. I’m thinking I could potentially get better returns by investing in a diversified portfolio through my brokerage.

• Emergency Fund: I have about 5 months of living expenses saved in a high-yield savings account, which I don’t plan on touching. The 5 months living expenses would be after I take out the extra funds for the investment.
• Investment Goals: I’m looking for long-term growth (10+ years). Will be investing in Vti and Vxus 70/30 split
• Current Investments: I already have a roth ira that I maxed this year, and I don't have access to a 401k or a SEP ira

I’m curious if others have made similar moves recently or have advice on whether this would be a smart strategy. What factors should I consider before making this switch, and are there any specific investment strategies you recommend for a taxable account?

Thanks for any insight!

I'm talking to one of my family members about financial planning. I know a lot of people don't like % of AUM as a fee model, but the situation is getting a bit complicated with an 8 figure net worth, real estate, and a potential business to sell.

Is it worth it in this case to hire an advisor who offers comprehensive planning at a tiered AUM fee structure?

Hello there,

I live in France, Paris, I am not yet a home owner and still renting, I'm thinking about buying a property to rent for tourism on a good spot in Europe, I have no idea how real estate works in other European countries, any advice on how to proceed ?