2024 Investment Thread

I'm trying to do better about making my non-retirement money work better for me.

1) I recently invested in index fund VFIAX.

2) I also opened a 9 month CD @ 5.45% APY.

3) I just moved savings from a so called "high yield" on line savings account that I've had for a long time, at a rather pathetic current 1.49% APY, to a new high yield on line savings account with Marcus by Goldman Sachs, which has a current 4.50% APY.

If anyone is looking to open a high yield on line savings account with no minimums and no fees, I put my referral code below. We can both get an extra 1.00% for 3 months.

https://www.marcus.com/us/en/savings/referral?referralcode=DAV-TRY-9FZB
 
Solid moves, particularly locking in 9 months at 5.45% imho.

We have had our cash (too much) at Star One CU for ages. Since opening Apple's savings account I have been shoveling excess cash there instead. I might pull a chunk from Star One and go hunt down that 9 month CD..... :thumbup
 
I abandoned funds back in the crash of 08/09. Only individual stocks for me from now on, got to gamble if you want to make a buck.

Been holding: v, cmg, msft, aapl, for over a decade. They’re each up multiples over what I paid for them.
Bought meta & goog five years ago. Both have over doubled in that time.

The one long term stinker I have is Citygroup which has been flat for a decade. I never put much into it so just ignored it. Gonna dump it this week and add to msft.

Been watching invidia for a few years and never pulled the trigger. It’s run up a lot but I’m gonna bet thats not over and will be jumping in if any sort of pullback happens in the next few months.
 
FWIW, the treasury market is safer than high yield lender accounts. 3 month treasuries are great value at current.
 
Troof.

Well, that and btc/gme of course. To the moon!
 
bojangle said:
I'm trying to do better about making my non-retirement money work better for me.

1) I recently invested in index fund VFIAX.
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Rolled some of my IRA money into a Roth and put it all on my first ever index fund as well; SCHG.

While we had one massive home run 20 or so years ago with a stock buy, Apple, the gift that keeps giving, I've had enough failure with individual stocks to know I suck at choosing them so I think I'll be putting all my Roth money as we move forward into index funds which is what my FIL did so successfully and Buffett recommends for us peasants.
 
Sure not all funds are the same but sure sucks when you look at the published performance vs the actual return shown in your account. Too many fees bleeding off any gains you think you’re making.
 
Holeshot said:
FWIW, the treasury market is safer than high yield lender accounts. 3 month treasuries are great value at current.
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This. I've never owned a fraction of the T bills I have now. :thumbup
 
..and the risk index for banks is getting spicy. Leverage ratios are the highest in 10 years, by a factor of 1.3. And...that leverage increase is all in the last 24 months. Some lenders are doing well managing the ratios, but most have equity increasing which is a tip to inflation and treasure rates. I'm not sure most Americans watch these metrics. Instead, they get the dog and pony show of "the NASDAQ is up. THE DOW is UP". Of course it is. Inflation's up and capital's being spoon fed into the top of the funnel. What do people expect to happen? The first tier (rich) to pay down the tiers with .gov funds or hold onto it in the form of securities?

https://www.financialresearch.gov/bank-systemic-risk-monitor/

Wanna know how to tell a full of shit politician? Look for any reference to the "robustness and growth" of the stock market in an economy the US public is wary of. Those government dollars all end up there...in the market, floating it higher and higher. Bubble? Nope. Stock Inflation.
 
Holeshot said:
..and the risk index for banks is getting spicy. Leverage ratios are the highest in 10 years, by a factor of 1.3. And...that leverage increase is all in the last 24 months. Some lenders are doing well managing the ratios, but most have equity increasing which is a tip to inflation and treasure rates. I'm not sure most Americans watch these metrics. Instead, they get the dog and pony show of "the NASDAQ is up. THE DOW is UP". Of course it is. Inflation's up and capital's being spoon fed into the top of the funnel. What do people expect to happen? The first tier (rich) to pay down the tiers with .gov funds or hold onto it in the form of securities?

https://www.financialresearch.gov/bank-systemic-risk-monitor/

Wanna know how to tell a full of shit politician? Look for any reference to the "robustness and growth" of the stock market in an economy the US public is wary of. Those government dollars all end up there...in the market, floating it higher and higher. Bubble? Nope. Stock Inflation.
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Bingo. Bill Gross, the "Bond King" of Pimco, did a great analysis on this.

He basically said that monetization has replaced performance in equities. There is no carry trade in equities, no real dividends, only ever upward prices pushed by endless swamps of cheap money. A look at the Dow or Nasdaq or S&P indices over 30 years reveals almost a J curve of prices. Now equities are pushing equities higher, and value has long since left the playground.

I'm down to a core of equities and a shit ton of T bills. Until this market is deleveraged, it's an amazing dog and pony show, but it's an equity trap for far too many people. I've always been worried about the market and equity inflation, but now I'm just resigned.

The economic situation in America is total shit. Far too much corporate debt, far too much consumer debt, and productivity is no longer a metric. The only metric now is stock price. This reminds me of 2008 only scarier, because we didn't fix the economy in 2008 and on, we just kicked the can down the road with $30 trillion of QE.

Always good to hear your measured opinion, Berto, thanks.
 
There’s always been an argument for the market being on the verge of a big crash, all through the bull run. Someday it might and if it does it will rebound.

Looking at the long term performance of almost any equity looks like a J curve if viewing on a linear graph. Of course they’re going to take on that shape. Log charts are the only practical way of viewing such data.
 
Blankpage said:
There’s always been an argument for the market being on the verge of a big crash, all through the bull run. Someday it might and if it does it will rebound.

Looking at the long term performance of almost any equity looks like a J curve if viewing on a linear graph. Of course they’re going to take on that shape. Log charts are the only practical way of viewing such data.
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I disagree. Most of the movement on the J curve of the Dow or S&P 500 has been in the last 20 some years.
 
Blankpage said:
There’s always been an argument for the market being on the verge of a big crash, all through the bull run. Someday it might and if it does it will rebound.

Looking at the long term performance of almost any equity looks like a J curve if viewing on a linear graph. Of course they’re going to take on that shape. Log charts are the only practical way of viewing such data.
Click to expand...

Evidently the sky is falling despite you net worth rising.

I've taken quite a bit of that "fake" money out of my IRA and used it for tangible things.

But maybe they are fake too?:laughing
 
GAJ said:
Evidently the sky is falling despite you net worth rising.

I've taken quite a bit of that "fake" money out of my IRA and used it for tangible things.

But maybe they are fake too?:laughing
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Asset inflation is what the process is called. And it's very real. It's why so many wealthy people have gotten much wealthier, while those without assets haven't. However, anyone who think an endless gravy train is real may have a surprise coming. I certainly see and enjoy the increase in my wealth, and I certainly am not fully invested in stocks. I'm very happy to plod along while everyone else gets "rich."
 
afm199 said:
Asset inflation is what the process is called. And it's very real. It's why so many wealthy people have gotten much wealthier, while those without assets haven't. However, anyone who think an endless gravy train is real may have a surprise coming. I certainly see and enjoy the increase in my wealth, and I certainly am not fully invested in stocks. I'm very happy to plod along while everyone else gets "rich."
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My RE has not grown as fast as my investments and the paper investment gains have been moved to more boring but safer non stock investments as we withdraw and pay tax now before SS kicks in.

Should have all of it out by age 70 or 71.

But I still think our RE was a wise move on many levels including diversifying away from the market.

Not let's just hope the "big one" earthquake event holds off!

Mind you we do have earthquake insurance and earthquake retrofitted our two 1950s houses near the Rogers Creek fault.
 
Gotta wonder if the big one hits would insurance cover it. That would be a fat bill for the BA.
Would they pay or default and declare bankruptcy.
 
Blankpage said:
Gotta wonder if the big one hits would insurance cover it. That would be a fat bill for the BA.
Would they pay or default and declare bankruptcy.
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In California you need earthquake insurance. I have it and it cost about $5,000 a year for me with a $50,000 deductible. it works because I own my home outright, if you owe a lot it might not make sense. The insurance is is subsidized by the state of California I believe.
 
Anybody here buys Treasury BILLS? Not taking about bonds.

I am trying to start a ladder of Treasury bills and want to compare what ppl are doing 1/3/6/9/12month etc
 
afm199 said:
Always good to hear your measured opinion, Berto, thanks.
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Likewise Ernie. I value experience over education, ESPECIALLY on economic cycles, etc. You've always been reliable here.
 
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