Investing 102

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

My favorite saying --- Better lucky, than smart.

Our small company had a Defined Benefit Pension Plan for the 3 of us back in the late 90s. We were very aggressive in the early years with the contributions and investments in it and had done VERY well...so well in fact that our actuary that took care of the plan explained to us that if we earned ANY more money in the plan, the Government would take the extra in taxes. So we sold everything and put 100% in treasuries. The Dot com bust happened about 3 months later.

The distribution from that Plan after it's 10 year life was the seed money for my current retirement plan. #Lucky

[Try2paz]

Another big bitcoin hack.

https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...hash-passwords

Whats interesting is seeing the rise in the bot trading for bitcoin.

www.Cryptotrader.org

Essentially you're paying someone a percentage who wrote a script to buy/sell/short/hedge etc.

I've got a few friends heavily into it and I've been tempted a few times but looking over how everything is shaking out seems like more and more risk everyday.

[AU Doc]

I think Bitcoin prices are going to come down. Whether that is soon or after another 10%, 100%, 1000% run is anybody’s guess. Sooner or later governments are going to decide they need a piece of the pie and they’re going to start regulating it (I don’t know how, but I’m sure they’ll figure it out). That will put a damper on things for sure.

Now if you’re an optimist, you might consider that the total value of bitcoin at the moment is only around $200 billion US. That’s what you’d be worth if you owned ALL of the Bitcoins currently available. Companies like Apple and Amazon are worth two, three, four times that. So if you think Bitcoin is intended to be a currency to replace whatever currency your country uses, then its WAY undervalued.

[SSLance]

I have another question about tracking investments...

Once you sell a holding, do you track the gains or losses of the holding and continue to track it's performance?

Or are you a sell and don't look back investor?

I realize sells have to be recorded for income tax purposes but I'm mainly just referring to investor research with this question.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by SSLance

I have another question about tracking investments...

Once you sell a holding, do you track the gains or losses of the holding and continue to track it's performance?

Or are you a sell and don't look back investor?

I realize sells have to be recorded for income tax purposes but I'm mainly just referring to investor research with this question.

I personally like to continue to look at some of them -- not all.... but it's mostly to see if I was "right" on the sale. Sales are like buying -- you just don't get them all right -- it's okay - we just need to get about 50% right.

[AU Doc]

I keep an eye on them to see if the price does something that makes them attractive again. The stocks I own, I bought for the company behind them. I only sell them when I feel like they become overvalued (e.g., they suddenly become trendy), or the business takes a turn I don't like. If I see what looks like an overcorrection I might reinvest in those companies if I still like them.

I don't track any of that in a spreadsheet or anything formal like that, though.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by AU Doc

I keep an eye on them to see if the price does something that makes them attractive again. The stocks I own, I bought for the company behind them. I only sell them when I feel like they become overvalued (e.g., they suddenly become trendy), or the business takes a turn I don't like. If I see what looks like an overcorrection I might reinvest in those companies if I still like them.

I don't track any of that in a spreadsheet or anything formal like that, though.

DITTO

[SSLance]

This last little uptick has been good to help me rid myself of some stragglers...A few more to go before I start deciding where to reinvest now.

Most likely I'll just add to my holdings I already have and like, even though it'll be at higher prices than current cost basis.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by SSLance

This last little uptick has been good to help me rid myself of some stragglers...A few more to go before I start deciding where to reinvest now.

Most likely I'll just add to my holdings I already have and like, even though it'll be at higher prices than current cost basis.

It is NOT a bad thing that you have to raise your cost basis! Far better than when you have to lower your cost basis! LOL

I've never understood the problem people have when their stocks GO UP! LOL


Keep in mind ------ the FED is raising rates -- therefore when looking for DIVIDEND payers - you might want to raise the bar - and always keep in mind that TOTAL RETURN. Right now - we're in growth mode so the growth stocks are in favor -- it's easy to fall in line and then if things don't go perfectly as planned - you end up sitting on losers that don't pay you to hold them. So in periods like this -- I try to be a LOT more on top of what's going on. I don't want to be complacent. If I start to sprinkle in some of the growers - I do so with more or a "temporary and be prepared to take some gains" kind of thought process.

So ---- I buy a 1000 shares of "X" growth stock - pays 0 dividend - but I have a 10% gain (I want to hold for a year plus 1 day - to make it long term - but this doesn't matter so much if they're in retirement accounts)..... a 10% gain would be a terrific dividend wouldn't it! So I might sell off 100 shares and think of that as my "dividend". IF they run more than that --- I take a larger % off the top and so on.

[GregWeld]

And another exchange bites the dust.... leaving it's wealthy Bitcoin holders in the tank.....




On Monday, a Youbit spokeswoman told Reuters the company had not been targeted by North Korean hackers, and on Tuesday the company announced it had suffered another cyber attack that cost it 17 percent of its assets, forcing the exchange to halt operations and file for bankruptcy.