Investing 102

[CRCRFT78]

BTW I thought this was an Investing website you mean to tell me I can learn about cars too.

Love this thread, thanks again Trey for lighting a fire under some of us.

[toy71camaro]

Wow fella's... finally.. like 5 days later... i finished the thread.... lmao.

Now, on to do some research before I pose any questions...

My "To Do" list...

1. Review my Roth account, see what i am holding, what sectors they are in, and if they are really, the "best of the breed". I have little in there, but am putting in enough monthly for the past 6 months to max my yearly contribution amount. I do own mostly dividend stuff, but not all great stuff (I do have a handful of some MCD tho! hah)

2. Find what "sectors" I need to be in, for the coming future.
3. Find the best of breeds for these sectors.
4. Then tackle my 401k (which, i'd been paying into since i was 19 (not a max, but company matched max)... 30 now.).. but last time i checked, its roughly +4% since i started it. (better than down i suppose!)

My 401k is via John Hancock, anyone know if you can do the "brokerage link" for it to get away from only picking Mutual Funds??



Again, I want to say thanks. I dont have a schwab account, but wished i did for what sounds like their tools are top of the class. I'm currently using Sharebuilder (dont shoot me) for my Roth (and i have a personal account, which has like $150 in it. lol. but i did buy like 0.2 shares of apple thats up like 260%. hah).... The good side of sharebuilder is that i can auto-buy my stocks on Tuesday for $2 a buy (thanks to costco membership) - and quite often I can find "promotions" for free stock buys.

[Bucketlist2012]

Well I said it and I meant.

If only one person gets something out of this thread, then it is a success.

I started the thread somewhere else and only ToyCamaro seems to be the one from that thread...

Good enough for me...

[toy71camaro]

Originally Posted by solarguy09

Well I said it and I meant.

If only one person gets something out of this thread, then it is a success.

I started the thread somewhere else and only ToyCamaro seems to be the one from that thread...

Good enough for me...

Thanks again for pointing me towards this thread here. I had an "idea" of the "concept" of dividend/drip investing, but thats all. I've heard people promote it, but they've been "big wig TV people" or "some random investment firm dude across the country ".. i dont feel comfortable "acting on their advice" (just like it was mentioned here, the "upcoming hot stocks" style reports are just "noise" and you cant base everything off that one dudes opinion.

I've always tried to be as smart with my money as i could. since i was little. Never been a "credit card debt" guy. Always paid it off. Got into the housing market when i bought my first house in early/mid 2000's... but gave it up in the divorce in 09 (and still trying to get my name off the damn loan).. so in the meantime, i'm debt free, renting a decent house for a decent price, trying to "invest" now into my retirement, and better my long term future. Been doing 7% or so of my salary into 401k since 19, so its "something" but not much.

if only i could get that damn house out of my name and get my own house again. lol.

Went thru and noted all my investments after last night. documenting what i have, how much, how it pays, etc. so i can "review" them, and see which fit, which down and where to go from there. i will have questions... just not yet. hah


Also... I am doing this for more than "just me".. as in, im trying to learn as much as i can so i can help my parents with their future. They dont have much at all, but i dont want them to lose what they do have. My dad is medically retired (two time cancer survivor, now medically retired due to congestive heart failure from the chemo drugs). - (fellow car guy, almost done restoring a 65 Malibu ) I need to figure out how to manage his 401k so he is prepared with it and not be in a "volatile" market for the balance of his retirement (a lot of his "funds" are higher risk, and i dont want him taking a long downward slope again if the market does turn). And lastly, to help my sister (a little younger than me, im 31) plan her familys future, as they have basically little to no retirement.

so again, i cant thank you enough.

[Bucketlist2012]

71ToyCamaro.

I commend you on all your efforts..

You are on the right track...I have had and lost everything in a Divorce, so I feel you on that one..1993.

The parents thing...I wish I knew THEN what I know now..I missed that opportunity to help my parents by 10 years. They passed before I became smart and successful.And it fuels me now to be on the TOP of my game, in money management, Investing, and Bucket Lists.. My Mom and Dad spent and did not save...Fun times but lessons learned.. Should of, would of , could of, been a millionaire. but instead they died not in good shape...10 years off. I would have ....could have...should have..But again, no rearview mirrors....

So, as I always have said, I am just the conduit for people to find the Tools and Motivation to do this stuff, and check where they are at, and where they are going...And just a dash of where you been, so you don't repeat it, but not much on the rear view mirror..Life is warp speed and you best be looking forward with your head on a swivel...Life is happening fast...

So you are welcome. I swear this stuff makes my day.. I am on the road to just help give back.
I knew this thread had a lot to offer, and that is why I started the other dead thread. Yes, it is dying.
I hoped people would get motivated to study. I am a nobody in the Investment world. I am no pro or investment advisor.. Just a Car Guy obsessed with controlling his life on his terms and not the crooks in power...

[GregWeld]

One of my favorite sayings....


Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

[toy71camaro]

Finding "Total Return"....

So, Trying to "track down" my current investments so i can analyze them and compare them to what choices i should make when i rebalance my account.

I see Greg mentions schwab having an awesome "Total Return" chart. Trying to find something similar, I ran across MorningStar's 10k growth chart (which, after finding while reading this thread, it was mentioned a few pages later. )

Anyhow, I am just not sure i am reading it right, and want to make sure I am reading it right before i start trying to calc the total return on my current/future investments...

Lets take KMP for example, as it was one tossed around here fairly often for review purposes. I pull up the KMP "$10k Growth" Chart. Under the first chart section it has "History", which for 2011 shows 27.43. Is that the "Total Return" that I am looking for (obviously, just for the one year. I'd have to average them out).

Below that chart, is another chart named "trailing total returns", which has a lightly different value for the "1 year" mark of 29.00 (perhaps one year being today minus 365 days, as opposed to just 2011?).

Anyhow, I just want to make sure I am reading this properly, and also, does that report match up with what Schwab is saying for Total Returns (DRIP included)? (if someone with a Schwab account could help, that'd be fantastic!)

Thanks, and told you i'd have questions.

[Bucketlist2012]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

One of my favorite sayings....


Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

No matter how much you plan, something will come up..We adapt or Die..

My Wife and i have the balance now to enjoy the fruits of years of plans..

Not too much planning as enjoying now days...feels good...

Young enough not to need a walker to get out to the Z/28.

But old enough for compound interest to have done it's magic.

[toy71camaro]

Originally Posted by toy71camaro

Finding "Total Return"....

So, Trying to "track down" my current investments so i can analyze them and compare them to what choices i should make when i rebalance my account.

I see Greg mentions schwab having an awesome "Total Return" chart. Trying to find something similar, I ran across MorningStar's 10k growth chart (which, after finding while reading this thread, it was mentioned a few pages later. )

Anyhow, I am just not sure i am reading it right, and want to make sure I am reading it right before i start trying to calc the total return on my current/future investments...

Lets take KMP for example, as it was one tossed around here fairly often for review purposes. I pull up the KMP "$10k Growth" Chart. Under the first chart section it has "History", which for 2011 shows 27.43. Is that the "Total Return" that I am looking for (obviously, just for the one year. I'd have to average them out).

Below that chart, is another chart named "trailing total returns", which has a lightly different value for the "1 year" mark of 29.00 (perhaps one year being today minus 365 days, as opposed to just 2011?).

Anyhow, I just want to make sure I am reading this properly, and also, does that report match up with what Schwab is saying for Total Returns (DRIP included)? (if someone with a Schwab account could help, that'd be fantastic!)

Thanks, and told you i'd have questions.

On a side note, I found a "Total Return Price" chart on ycharts.com (under their "interactive charts tab then check the "% option)

Says for KMP the returns is 75.90% for the past 5 years. That obviously doesnt quite match up with what MorningStar reports. So i feel i am not reviewing it correctly.

[Bucketlist2012]

Originally Posted by toy71camaro

On a side note, I found a "Total Return Price" chart on ycharts.com (under their "interactive charts tab then check the "% option)

Says for KMP the returns is 75.90% for the past 5 years. That obviously doesnt quite match up with what MorningStar reports. So i feel i am not reviewing it correctly.

I am off to do some things, but just remember to be careful of how much you buy of what...

Some of these are added to our mix and not in large % of the total.. Just don't get too heavy in an area because of it's return...

You may buy it for the return, but balance it out ...