If you look at almost any chart -- you'll see why I went with WFC over BAC... The 10 year is one of the worst charts out there = With BAC's share price DOWN 61% while WFC is UP 73% over that same 10 year period.


Those numbers are HUGE by WIDE... and can make one hell of a difference in your investment portfolio.

Totally agree with you Greg. And if I were broadening my portfolio and looking to add another bank stock - I would look at WFC.

That why I mentioned this is a short term stock for me. Like 2 months pending FEDs findings with BACs books. Its only 620 shares worth. Not 15000.

I mean, Im not lookin for much. Just 20% lol.

I've personally dealt with both banks many times throughout my real estate career. B of A's name is mud in the business. Agents don't want to accept offers from buyer's that are obtaining mortgages from them. They tend to close way late. On the short sale side of the equation (debt forgiveness), they are a bit weak in my opinion. They just don't fight very hard.

Wells Fargo isn't perfect on the lending side but I've had more good experiences than bad. I've also dealt with them on short sales and they have required cash contributions to short sale, even in hardship situations.

I do bank with Wells and have for 15 years. I've always been happy with them and many times I'm greeted with a smile and hello when I walk in the door.

Sounds like a company that meets the conditions Greg has laid out.

Speaking of BoA...

http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/...ica-citigroup/

Very good insightful info Todd!


I've always said that investing is made easy - if you just look around at what you do every day.... and who you deal with on a regular basis. Gasoline - cars - banks - stores. Do you like the way they do business? Do you like the feel of the store and the merchandise? Are they busy? Do you feel good about doing business with them. Nothing too rocket science about that... because chances are if you do -- others feel the same way. Then you dig a little deeper and see how their stock stacks up to the competition...

Just waiting for a CNBC report on --- "you need way more than a million dollars to retire on".... will be interesting to see what they say.


I have been saying this for a long time... A guy can only make 5% or so on a million bucks -- that's 50 grand a year GROSS.... you will be paying taxes on that gross! 50 grand a year -- is now NET 40 grand or less depending on where you live. Add some Social Security -- and factor in INFLATION.... Retirement isn't going to be the golden years. You're going to need a RISING income -- and capital growth... in order to live for an additional 20 plus years after retirement.


I know this info sucks - but facts sometimes suck.

Quick question. On a Roth IRA account, are all gains tax free(growth and dividends)? I believe it would be hard to get to a million$ in a roth IRA given annual contribution limits, unless you made some lucky picks.

FIRST ---- YES all growth and dividends are completely TAX FREE... at withdrawal. ROTH IRA was the greatest gift from the tax man - EVER.


Second - Yes you're correct. Unless you began contributing the maximum to a ROTH IRA in your teens or early 20's. But this is just ONE AVENUE for retirement planning. ROTH contributions are AFTER TAX = which is why they come out tax free... You can still participate in a PRE TAX retirement account to it's maximum as well... And there's nothing saying you can't also invest outside the ROTH and IRA/401K type accounts to reach your personal goals.

That's the whole thing that is wrong with "people" in general -- they get focused on only being able to save in one account or the other - to the exclusion of other proper investing. Too bad -- because it's THEIR future and it will suck if they don't put money away for when the gravy train stops.

Here's a point that was made on CNBC when discussing the current interest rate environment -- and how this affects retired people and retirement plans.


With low interest rates -- the returns on capital have been pretty terrible... as the safer investments that used to be good for retirement accounts are paying crap rates of 2 and 3%... That's killing spending and income for a large segment of the population.

With HIGHER rates - comes better income... at the same risk level. What people have had to do is to raise their risk level to get the same income. This is why you can really only "expect" to get 4 or 5% because you have to trade off the income potential with the risk potential. This might seem easy to do but it's not. Once you have no more ability to generate income other than off your investments... you become a different investor. You do not want to lose capital! You don't have the ability to replace it if you do. That's why you take more risk when you're YOUNG... because you have many years to stage a comeback and you just might end up being a big winner if you've made good investments.

Personally I'm always hoping for raging inflation... I'd love to invest and make a 10% return in relative safety! That would double my income... WTF would be wrong with that?! But I'm not buying stuff where the inflation that comes with that, would hurt me. It kills everyone else - and especially those with businesses to run and overhead and rents etc.

WE WILL SEE RISING RATES... period - end of story. They're not going lower from here. What will kill EVERYONE is if they rise too quickly. If they just inch up and hold steady and then inch up a little more -- that's good because it means business is good - and people have time to adjust to the costs etc. So it's the RATE AT WHICH THEY RISE is what's important. That's what the FED is trying to control right now. We'll see if they can contain it.

This is pretty cool stuff! It doesn't make the shares worth more.... but if you go back to the days of Dell and Microsoft and Intel et al --- the splits were what made people really rich. They'd split and double and split and double. Not saying that is going to happen here... because the company is already "fairly" valued. But it's still kool for you NEWBS to watch and see what happens -- and if you own it - you're going to have 7 times as many shares! Then - if the shares just go up 50 cents -- that's really $3.50 and that's what you want to see.

This stock is already "volatile" -- in that it moves 5 or 6 or 7 dollars now... but let's see if you get a $5 move --- and it's multiplied by 7!! EEEEEEHHHHHAAAAA









Apple, Inc to split stock 7-1 after Friday June 6 market close