Investing 102

[96z28ss]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Total S&P 500 UP 9.19%


So if you're stock is up MORE than 9% you're beating "the market".


Total S&P 500 WITH dividends reinvested - UP 10.504%


Using the period December 2011 to September 2012

I'm not doing that good, but from April 15 till today, I'm up 6.7% with dividends. I was doing a fraction of that with the 401k mutual funds.
Thanks for showing us how simple it is to make our money work for us.
I wish I had moved my money out of my 401k years ago to a self directed IRA.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by 96z28ss

I'm not doing that good, but from April 15 till today, I'm up 6.7% with dividends. I was doing a fraction of that with the 401k mutual funds.
Thanks for showing us how simple it is to make our money work for us.
I wish I had moved my money out of my 401k years ago to a self directed IRA.

Well.... as we've discussed here many times --- it's all about compounding. So 5% compounded over 20 years is just HUGE compared to 1% compounded...

The key is to take control and do just a smidgen of thinking and research -- and almost anyone could beat the performance of the average Mutual Fund.

[RECOVERY ROOM]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

So it's been 10 months since this thread was started.... and where are we now?

We've talked about all kinds of stocks.... even though this is NOT a stock picking thread... but let's just see where some of the names tossed about here are.

Kinder Morgan Partners (KMP) UP 4.42%

Enbridge Energy Partners (EEP) DOWN 5.86%

Philip Morse (PM) UP 21.3%

Altria (MO) UP 14.9%

Chevron (CVX) UP 12.96%

Annaly Capital Management (NLY) UP 5.73%

AT & T (T) UP 29.7%

Verizon (VZ) UP 17.28%

Home Depot (HD) UP 48.7%

Lowes (LOW) UP 20.21%

McDonalds (MCD) DOWN 5.31%

Con Edison (ED) UP .56%

High Yield (HYG) UP 8%

Junk Bonds (JNK) UP 7.54%

Gold (GLD) UP 8.10%


THIS IS STOCK PRICE ONLY -- NOT TOTAL RETURN -- TOTAL RETURN WOULD BE HIGHER.

There looks to be more UP than down. Not bad at all

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by RECOVERY ROOM

There looks to be more UP than down. Not bad at all

It's why I don't work for a living....

[WSSix]

I hate to say it but I have no idea how to find a percentage on the Vanguard site for how my stocks are doing. All I do know is that overall, I'm green. I'm happy.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by WSSix

I hate to say it but I have no idea how to find a percentage on the Vanguard site for how my stocks are doing. All I do know is that overall, I'm green. I'm happy.

You could use Google Finance. If you pull up a chart of a particular stock --- you'll see in the upper LEFT HAND of the chart -- right under where you can select a time frame (1 day - 5 days - 1 month etc) there is a beginning date and ending date -- if you mouse over those - you can change the dates.... so you can put the date you bought the stock.


Or you can use this math calculation:


(Price Sold - Purchase Price)/(Purchase Price)


So using Chevron (CVX)

If you bought on Jan 1 2012 @ 106.40 and todays price is 116.97

116.97 minus 106.40 = 10.57 divided by 106.40 = 9.93%

[Bucketlist2012]

Hello all. I was doing some calculating and I am up about 15.7 % this year..

WOOT... That is some large coin..Not Greg Weld coin, but hey, I am working on it...My bucket is smaller...

Now I do think that we are in a very uncertain time with the election, the fiscal cliff, and Bernanke being an absolute fool, but I am in it to win it, and if things go south in early 2013, I may scale back like I did in 2008.

Just on certain assets, and then buy more of others. I still have friends who got out in 2009, at the bottom, and never got back in..Boy did they miss the party...

It has been a great run this year, but remember that things NEVER go in a straight line up....I call it shaking the tree like early in the year with 400 point swings...Only the strong hang on..The little man will test our balls...

But pay attention to the politics and the economics surrounding it..Just in case.

I wish i had as much passion for everything in life as I do for money..Making money just juices me up....Yes, it is an addiction.

One of the best one's I ever had.

[Bucketlist2012]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

It's why I don't work for a living....

Hey now, we work...Just not as hard... Retirement is a full time job...

And you darn sure play hard...

[bdahlg68]

Originally Posted by Bucketlist2012

Hello all. I was doing some calculating and I am up about 15.7 % this year..

WOOT... That is some large coin..Not Greg Weld coin, but hey, I am working on it...My bucket is smaller...

Now I do think that we are in a very uncertain time with the election, the fiscal cliff, and Bernanke being an absolute fool, but I am in it to win it, and if things go south in early 2013, I may scale back like I did in 2008.

It has been a great run this year, but remember that things NEVER go in a straight line up....I call it shaking the tree like early in the year with 400 point swings...Only the strong hang on..The little man will test our balls...

But pay attention to the politics and the economics surrounding it..Just in case.

I wish i had as much passion for everything in life as I do for money..Making money just juices me up....Yes, it is an addiction.

One of the best one's I ever had.

According to Fidelity,

"Personal Rate of Return from 01/01/2012 to 09/18/2012 is 17.6%"

Has definitely been a good year - and this does not include some dividends which are owed but not yet paid. Hoping for a smooth finish to 2012.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by bdahlg68

According to Fidelity,

"Personal Rate of Return from 01/01/2012 to 09/18/2012 is 17.6%"

Has definitely been a good year - and this does not include some dividends which are owed but not yet paid. Hoping for a smooth finish to 2012.

You're killin' it!!


Do that for 2 years in 3 and it has an amazing multiplying affect!