Investing Your Cash!

Off Topic
1

Question for you older, more experienced people! So I have about $6000 that I have set aside and right now it’s all sitting in stocks, and while I get a decent benefit from that I’m looking for something with a greater yield.

What do you guys invest your money in?

I keep hearing about Money Markets, but I have not researched them yet, that’s on my list of things to do. Any suggestions on where I should maybe put that money?

Just looking for some ideas other than the stock market, so many ups and downs. I started with 2k, had close to 10k, then the market pretty much crashed and I had to start from square one again. Fortunately I gained a good bit back, but I’m just looking for other options, thanks.

2

Be prepared to yank your money out of stocks and mutual funds pretty soon. The next wave down in the market could start pretty soon, but then again I’ve been saying that on every pull back since March. LOL! been fooled every time! So don’t take my advice. The market internal stats do look pretty weak right about now.

You might want to look in to ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) instead of mutual funds. You could wait for a pull-back and invest in GLD (Gold.) Or in one of the Proshares short funds that goes up when the market goes down.

This is not investment advice BTW. It’s your responsibility to find somebody qualified to guide you. (Not me.)

3

Sit down with a financial planner. Most mutual companies have them as agents. They do life insurance, annuities, etc. Do you have a retirement plan yet? It might be a good time to start up an IRA or something similar. $6k is not a bad start.

BG

4

The one thing im sure you should do is keep on saving…a large percentage of people have no money saved or owe money so the day they lose their job they are fucked.

5

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
Question for you older, more experienced people! So I have about $6000 that I have set aside and right now it’s all sitting in stocks, and while I get a decent benefit from that I’m looking for something with a greater yield.

What do you guys invest your money in?

I keep hearing about Money Markets, but I have not researched them yet, that’s on my list of things to do. Any suggestions on where I should maybe put that money?

Just looking for some ideas other than the stock market, so many ups and downs. I started with 2k, had close to 10k, then the market pretty much crashed and I had to start from square one again. Fortunately I gained a good bit back, but I’m just looking for other options, thanks.
[/quote]

  1. How long do you plan to invest this money (ie: are you going to cash out and buy a car in two years?)

  2. How much longer are you going to be in college?

  3. What does your continual, reportable income look like? (You don’t have to list number publicly, just need an idea.)

  4. What do you have for an emergency fund?

EDIT:
5) Do you have kids?

6

Do the opposite of what I do. I invested my reenlistment bonus months before 9/11. Then I invested a bunch more a couple years ago. Looking back now, I should’ve just put the money into my bank account and bought myself a new Corvette a couple years ago. I sure as hell would’ve been happier with the outcome.

7

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
waylanderxx wrote:
Question for you older, more experienced people! So I have about $6000 that I have set aside and right now it’s all sitting in stocks, and while I get a decent benefit from that I’m looking for something with a greater yield.

What do you guys invest your money in?

I keep hearing about Money Markets, but I have not researched them yet, that’s on my list of things to do. Any suggestions on where I should maybe put that money?

Just looking for some ideas other than the stock market, so many ups and downs. I started with 2k, had close to 10k, then the market pretty much crashed and I had to start from square one again. Fortunately I gained a good bit back, but I’m just looking for other options, thanks.

  1. How long do you plan to invest this money (ie: are you going to cash out and buy a car in two years?)

  2. How much longer are you going to be in college?

  3. What does your continual, reportable income look like? (You don’t have to list number publicly, just need an idea.)

  4. What do you have for an emergency fund?

EDIT:
5) Do you have kids? [/quote]

If he had kid(s) he sure as hell wouldn’t have 6 grand laying around. At 20, no less.

:slight_smile:

8

Gold.

India is dumping the dollar, expect the rest of the world to start soon.

Gold reached over 1100 today. is sitting at 1097 right now.

9

[quote]leaftye wrote:
Do the opposite of what I do. I invested my reenlistment bonus months before 9/11. Then I invested a bunch more a couple years ago. Looking back now, I should’ve just put the money into my bank account and bought myself a new Corvette a couple years ago. I sure as hell would’ve been happier with the outcome.[/quote]

LOL, do you chase the market by any chance?

10

[quote]imhungry wrote:
countingbeans wrote:

EDIT:
5) Do you have kids?

If he had kid(s) he sure as hell have 6 grand laying around. At 20, no less.

:)[/quote]

Good point.

11

Good for you for being so frugal and saving that kind of dough at your age, and while being a level 3 too. You’re obviously not spending your cash on women.

Money markets are safe places to park your money, not places to put it when you are looking for a better return. They tend to be invested in US treasuries and focus on asset preservation rather than income or growth. I trust you know that investing in individual stocks is more risky than mutual funds.

I would put it into a mutual fund that is not holding exclusively US stocks. Look at Fidelity.com Right now I have my 401K pointed at a Europacific growth fund and a low priced stock fund.

12

[quote]countingbeans wrote:
waylanderxx wrote:
Question for you older, more experienced people! So I have about $6000 that I have set aside and right now it’s all sitting in stocks, and while I get a decent benefit from that I’m looking for something with a greater yield.

What do you guys invest your money in?

I keep hearing about Money Markets, but I have not researched them yet, that’s on my list of things to do. Any suggestions on where I should maybe put that money?

Just looking for some ideas other than the stock market, so many ups and downs. I started with 2k, had close to 10k, then the market pretty much crashed and I had to start from square one again. Fortunately I gained a good bit back, but I’m just looking for other options, thanks.

  1. How long do you plan to invest this money (ie: are you going to cash out and buy a car in two years?)

  2. How much longer are you going to be in college?

  3. What does your continual, reportable income look like? (You don’t have to list number publicly, just need an idea.)

  4. What do you have for an emergency fund?

EDIT:
5) Do you have kids? [/quote]

  1. I would like to save it to either pay off college loans when I’m done or use it as a down payment on a house later on

  2. At least 2 years, no idea if I will be interested in grad school or not though.

  3. I’d say in the range of 12-15k right now. Sad huh? haha

  4. The 6k is the “emergency fund” haha.

  5. Yah I have 2 sons.

Jk, no kids :wink: haha

13

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
Question for you older, more experienced people! So I have about $6000 that I have set aside and right now it’s all sitting in stocks, and while I get a decent benefit from that I’m looking for something with a greater yield.

What do you guys invest your money in?

I keep hearing about Money Markets, but I have not researched them yet, that’s on my list of things to do. Any suggestions on where I should maybe put that money?

Just looking for some ideas other than the stock market, so many ups and downs. I started with 2k, had close to 10k, then the market pretty much crashed and I had to start from square one again. Fortunately I gained a good bit back, but I’m just looking for other options, thanks.
[/quote]

Yes waylander. First of all, congratulations to be entering the world of financial instruments at a young age. Imagine the capital you can accumulate when you’re 30.

Stocks are a great option to jack up your saved money. There’s leveraged instruments (futures, options), but it’s recommended to have a solid foundation of financial results in your non-derivative investments (it’s like the steroids in finance). FOREX is another good option, but macroeconomic analysts can help you better with this one.

I hate to talk shit about the market, because ALWAYS half of the analysts are wrong and the other half is right, making the other’s claims’ ridiculous in the future, but ok. The market seems to have entered a correction period inside of a bullish market (something natural). IN my opinion, it’s really difficult for it to have a mayor pullback, because macro data is reversing. Some really bad news about finantial statements, H1N1 (anyone saw pharmaceuticals in the first spring of the disease?) could make it pull back a bit more. Macro data (economic cycles) makes mayor movements, the other movements are corrections and rallies.

Search “How to trade stocks” by Jesse Livermore, this will help you a LOT.

Good luck and be patient.

14

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:

  1. Yah I have 2 sons.

Jk, no kids :wink: haha[/quote]

u should have thought by now that if you have financial goals, and family planification goals, they don’t mix.

15

Strippers! who wouldn’t invest in strippers? The math is there.

16

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:

  1. I would like to save it to either pay off college loans when I’m done or use it as a down payment on a house later on[/quote]

This would tend to make me stay away from the market. Only because your not thinking long term. Unless you are going to educate yourself, and learn the shit the last two dudes are talking about, the risk might be too high for your purposes.

[quote]2) At least 2 years, no idea if I will be interested in grad school or not though.

  1. I’d say in the range of 12-15k right now. Sad huh? haha[/quote]

That rules out real estate, which typically pays back slow, but is a great long term investment if your not a retard and can use a hammer and screw driver.

This is where and why I would suggest CD’s. Stagger their maturity dates to take advantage of changing interest rates, and avoid massive penalties if you need the funds. You won’t keep up with inflation, which may or may not explode soon. Depends on which article you read. But you will at least hedge against it, and it’s guaranteed and FDIC insured. You can buy T-Bills or Muni Bonds too, but that is going to have fees associated with it.

Thing is, when you say invest you mean stash away and make some money for free for a few years. When I say it, I mean put my money somewhere for the next 40 years. Nothing wrong with your way, you’re in college. You’re not ready for the risks of the market, nor do you have a true long term focus.

When investing in the market, as a small guy not day trading, you have to think in decade long blocks, not day-to-day.

[quote]5) Yah I have 2 sons.

Jk, no kids :wink: haha[/quote]

LOL! at 15k a year, try and keep it that way. But I had a great time in college making just over 12k, so you are fine man.

17

[quote]countingbeans wrote:

LOL, do you chase the market by any chance?[/quote]

No. I invested when I had the means and will to invest. Like I could’ve invested for the few years after 2001 while I was still in the military, but the hit 9/11 did on my current investment discouraged me from investing. Instead I spent lots of money on my cars and outdoor gear, which I do not regret.

18

Cool thanks guys. Appreciate the responses.

Meymz, you are speaking gibberish! haha

19

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
Cool thanks guys. Appreciate the responses.

Meymz, you are speaking gibberish! haha[/quote]

hope it helps man, specially the book.

20

http://investopedia.com/university/stocks/
is a good start. I’ve begun research on stocks recently as well.

Also been making good cash off of liquidation buying and re-selling over the net. I do drop shipping, so I don’t even have to go package shit.

Or you could set up a drop shipping account; there are lots of companies that do it, but do some research before you invest any cash. Start out with like a $500. buy tops. Like some silverware sets or some shit. And sell on lots of sites, not just Ebay. Amazon, Ebbay, Craigslist in every major city

Just some shit to look into…