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Thread: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

  1. #16
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    i wish I knew more about this stuff....I am so dumb when it comes to stocks and investing my money....I would love to get some advice on how to start small, and I mean really small, so I can learn on my own and not feel raped if I lose my investment....then as I learn and teach myself, hopefully more options will become available and I can actually learn from people like you all on here...but right now it looks like I am reading a forum in arabic or chinese or some foreign language.....haha.....

    if anyone wants to give me some advice on where to start and what to start with I would appreciate it...I understand this is not something you learn in a years time, its a lifetime of learning, but I really do have a "itch" to start learning how to invest, even if it is in small amounts. I am open to all ideas and advice..


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  3. #17
    Mailing it in Cyclone792's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    Quote Originally Posted by lidspinner View Post
    i wish I knew more about this stuff....I am so dumb when it comes to stocks and investing my money....I would love to get some advice on how to start small, and I mean really small, so I can learn on my own and not feel raped if I lose my investment....then as I learn and teach myself, hopefully more options will become available and I can actually learn from people like you all on here...but right now it looks like I am reading a forum in arabic or chinese or some foreign language.....haha.....

    if anyone wants to give me some advice on where to start and what to start with I would appreciate it...I understand this is not something you learn in a years time, its a lifetime of learning, but I really do have a "itch" to start learning how to invest, even if it is in small amounts. I am open to all ideas and advice..
    Buy a copy of this book (or grab a copy from a library or something) and read it:

    http://www.amazon.com/Bogleheads-Gui...5891195&sr=8-1

    My investment philosophy follows much of the premise of that book: save money, utilize tax-sheltered accounts properly (IRAs, 401k, 403b, etc.) and invest in low cost index funds.

    If you're able to understand and execute most of the concepts illustrated in that book, you'll do well for yourself.
    The Lost Decade Average Season: 74-88
    2014-22 Average Season: 71-91

  4. #18
    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    Quote Originally Posted by lidspinner View Post
    i wish I knew more about this stuff....I am so dumb when it comes to stocks and investing my money....I would love to get some advice on how to start small, and I mean really small, so I can learn on my own and not feel raped if I lose my investment....then as I learn and teach myself, hopefully more options will become available and I can actually learn from people like you all on here...but right now it looks like I am reading a forum in arabic or chinese or some foreign language.....haha.....

    if anyone wants to give me some advice on where to start and what to start with I would appreciate it...I understand this is not something you learn in a years time, its a lifetime of learning, but I really do have a "itch" to start learning how to invest, even if it is in small amounts. I am open to all ideas and advice..
    Just do it. If you have the funds available, you can set up a very inexpensive brokerage account through an online broker(TD Ameritrade, Schwab, ETrade, Scotttrade.) Once you have done that it is pretty simple to trade, its just finding the right stocks. Cyclone mentioned a Boglehead philosophy that I don't agree with fully but its something to consider. You can get your hands on all types of investment publications. Some are good and some not so much, if you have a kindle you can get all kind of investment books for around $1-2. I like to read Kiplinger, Money, SmartMoney and Fortune just for ideas. I also enjoy watching Jim Cramer (gasp) just to get his take on things and also for ideas.

    Its one of those things that you learn a lot more when you are acutally doing it, than when you are on the sidelines looking at it. Personally I think its something that you need to create your investment philosophy, get as much information as you can handle, and make your decisions based upon that.

    Oh, if you have a 401K max out the company match. Its free money.

  5. #19
    Member JaxRed's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    There are also places online, where you can have simulated investments and brokerage trading. I might suggest one of of those. I personally haven't used them so I don't have a link.

    However you go, it's important as Cyclone says to have a philosophy. That's what I was promoting in my original post. The philosophy of buying "Dividend Growth" stocks, (stocks that pay a decent dividend every year, and increase them every year), and reinvesting those dividends within an IRA. (preferably a Roth). This is to eventually produce an income string in future years and not touch the principle.

    I do most of my online reading these days at seekingalpha.com They put together a model Dividend Growth Portfolio. Here are the companies they chose:

    Our current portfolio consists of ExxonMobil (XOM), Johnson and Johnson (JNJ), AT&T (T), General Electric (GE), Annaly Capital (NLY), Southern Company (SO), Procter & Gamble (PG), Philip Morris (PM), Intel (INTC), Realty Income (O), Chevron (CVX), E.I. du Pont (DD), Duke Energy (DUK), Coca-Cola (KO), and Bank of America (BAC).

  6. #20
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    a simulated invested site would be cool to play with...do you have one that you suggest is better than the others?

    also, what is a good amount of money to start with as far as "newbie" investing is concerned? I have a PERS retirement at work and I currently put a puny weak 100$ a month into a deferred comp program that I dont even look at...I dont even know what type of fund the def comp is in, it gets taken directly out of my check bi weekly and I dont look no further into it....I want to start doing something other than what I already have and I want to actually be involved in the process and actually try to understand what i am doing at the same time....

    I have an ipad so I will start looking at some books in the store, wife has a kindle so I can find what itunes dont have there....

    basically if you have any suggestions on what type of minimum money to start would be, that would be great....I want to start small, so as when i screw something up or make a dumb move I am not feeling the hurt to bad.....once I start small and play with it for a few years I can then raise my investment amount as I learn more about whats out there and what works for me....

    would $100 a month be to little to start with to just play around and try? and with that $100/month could I just join say Ameritrade or any of the online accounts and keep it going each month? I guess I am confused on how to even get joined....do you have a account with them just like a bank account? how do you pay them the 100/month?

    like I said earlier, I am 100% stupid when it comes to this stuff but I am kicking myself in the nuts for not paying attention to my money when I was younger....i am 35 now so I have plenty of time to invest, but I want to have a bigger role in what I do...and I am truly starting as a green horn....I know NOTHING about this business. NOTHING.

  7. #21
    Member JaxRed's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    Like I said, I've never used on of those sites before so I don't know which ones are good or bad. Maybe someone else knows. I did Google to get a free site.

    http://www.howthemarketworks.com/trading/index.php

    I am almost positive $100 a month would be more than enough to get started. I also suspect if you call Ameritrade they will talk you thru what you need.

    I do my online banking with USAA (anyone can join the banking part) and it's awesome. They created my self-directed IRA brokerage account, and the first 50 transactions are free.

    I would find out what your PERS is invested in. If you find out, folks here can "interpret it".


    By the way..... I'm 60. You ARE young !!
    Last edited by JaxRed; 05-02-2012 at 11:18 AM.

  8. #22
    Score Early, Score Often gonelong's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    Quote Originally Posted by lidspinner View Post
    like I said earlier, I am 100% stupid when it comes to this stuff but I am kicking myself in the nuts for not paying attention to my money when I was younger....i am 35 now so I have plenty of time to invest, but I want to have a bigger role in what I do...and I am truly starting as a green horn....I know NOTHING about this business. NOTHING.
    Investing is a bit like reading women ... just when you think you have it figured out ... *wham*! Be careful. It's very easy to lose 10-25-35% in a hurry, but it's very difficult to make 10-25-35% in a hurry.

    I would suggest for $100 month you have a couple of avenues to get started:

    1. Find a company you would like to invest in and that has a DRIP. Invest and begin researching a company for your next DRIP. Once you have another one you can either move the $100 to that one, or split them. Depends on the minimum each company requires.

    2. Invest the $100 month in an index fund. Once you have a sizeable amount *and* a stock you want to purchase, sell the index fund and buy the stock.

    Since it will take a few months to get to a sizeable amount, take that time to learn to evaluate a company from a financial perspective. Read a few investment books.

    I will probably catch some flack for this one, but learn how to read a few charts. It is a tool in the toolbox and helps me decide *when* to buy/sell things, not *if* to buy/sell things. I find it very valuable.

    GL

  9. #23
    Waitin til next year bucksfan2's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    I don't have the right answer for how much is enough. If your going stocks or ETF's very few if any would requirer you to buy a certain amount (I can't think of any). So basically if you are going to invest you just have to consider the commission fee and how much you would need to make a profit. At Ameritrade fees are $9.99, so in order to make money you would need a $20 gain right off the bat.

    Mutual funds often require a minimum dollar amount in order to buy. If you don't have enough you may want to look at ETF's who mimick mutual funds. They are often cheaper ways to invest in an area that you want.

    As for Ameritrade it operates like an online bank. Once you get it set up you can ACH transfer funds the next day without an issue. I would however wait until you have enough saved to get some of their promo offers, like 30 days of free trading.

    Cyclone mentioned it above but if you are going to invest around $5000 a year you may want to look at a Roth IRA. Its a retirement account that there are penalities if you need to withdraw before a certain age (59?) but once you put after tax money into it, it grows tax free and there are no tax consequences once you start to withdraw your money.

    I agree with JaxRed for the most part. If you want to become a small time investor, pick one of those dividend stocks and invest in them. Its not the most diversified way but its a way to get your feet wet.

  10. #24
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    I can't talk about a lot of this stuff at work so I'll get back later, but I wouldn't be buying any stocks in your position.

    Most companies (TD, ETRADE, etc) have partnerships with some ETFs and they offer them for no commissions. Since I think you should be investing in ETFs anyways in your situation, given the amount you are investing cost is going to be extremely important. I would look into that.

  11. #25
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    And I'll agree with GoneLong. Do a DRIP. I've heard that Sharebuilder is an excellent online site for doing DRIPs.

  12. #26
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    You guys are a wealth of knowledge. Please keep this thread going. I'm gonna research some of the sites tonight and start this 100/month right away. I'll use this thread to fire questions at y'all as I go along. I'm sure I am going to need the help.

  13. #27
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    I do know that USAA does free DRIPs and you get 50 free trades when you start. So make sure you get at least that.

  14. #28
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    Here is what I'd do.

    1st things 1st, is any of this money you plan to use in the next 5 years? If so, don't invest it into the market. If this is truely savings for retirement or an extended period goal, then proceed forward. lets say you're planning on a down payment for a house with this money in about 5 years. What happens if the market gets cut in half and rather than having your down payment for your house at that point, you've got half of what you need?

    2nd, what kind of benefits does your PERS account give you? is there matching of funds you put in? I'm not familar with it, but sit down with your HR people and find out what kind of benefits you get out of the PERS program. For example, lets say they'll match 50% of whatever you put in up to 4000. Right now you put in $1,200 a year. You'd be passing up another $1200 of "free" 50% returns. I don't care what you invest in, you're not making 50% return over the long run. If Warren Buffett can't generate those type of returns, neither can anyone else (at least anyone honest). If your afraid of sounding stupid to your HR person or whoever handles that for you, get over it. Trust me, you're not the first person that has money put into a 401k, PERS, STRS, etc.. that has no real concept of what happens to it. Educate yourself first and formost on what you are doing today to make sure that is being taken care of.

    3rd, I don't know your financial situation, won't pretend to. Don't know your age, debts, job prospects, education, etc... Please don't take this the wrong way, but $100 a month is not very much to save up for your retirment (since your married I'll assume you're not exceptionally young, like college or HS age, at which point saving $100 month would be great) $200 a month really isn't very much either. Now perhaps you can't save much beyond that, like I said I don't know your financial situation, we've all (or at least most of us) have found ourselves in financial situations either currently, in the past or in the future that we wish were better. However, potentially there is room in your budget to save more. A few less trips to the stadium, more brown bagged lunches, a less expensive cell phone plan, etc.... Sadly $100 a month is much better than a large portion of America, so don't feel bad, maybe its all you can do. Maybe you've skimped as much as you reasonable can everywhere else in your life. If that is the case, then I completely commend you for scrapping out $100 each month, b/c certainly that $100 a month could be put towards something "more fun" Anyhoo, my point is take a hard look at your budget, get your wife involved, if you have kids, get them involved as well, you'll be amazed how much motivation kids can provide, how much more willing a kid is to skip that toy he "really" wants when he knows you doing everything you can to provide for your future. Don't cut out everything, you have a life to live, but 99% of americans have something more they find they can live with out (myself included, I should follow my own advice here more carefully)

    Now that you've done step 1, 2 & 3 and find that you have more to save outside of your PERS program go to your bank, set up a savings account, even if you have a savings account there already, set up a new one for the purpose of saving up some initial funds. Set aside the $100 dollars a month you think you can afford today (or whatever that sum comes to after steps 1, 2 & 3), having it automatically set aside into this savings account each pay period. After a couple of months, if you haven't felt much pain, try upping your savings an extra $25, $50 $100, or whatever you think the next savings step is logically in your budget and see how much pain that creates. Basically, save until it hurts.

    Step 5, if you don't have it right now, create a permanent emergency fund. Dave Ramsey suggests $1000 to his clients as they work their way out of debt. I've seen other places recommend 3-6 months of living expenses (Rent, mortgage, electric bills, food, etc...) Might as well read some Dave Ramsey while you're reading everything else. I don't now if you have credit card debt, or car loans, etc.. and I'll admit that he's "extreme" but you can't go wrong following his advice. As part of step 5, if you have debt outside of your mortgage, I'd recommend getting at least the high interest debt paid off before investing more into the market. The less debt you have, the more financial freedom you have.

    Step 6, finally you get to the investing part. I think too many people have skipped the steps above. They may not all apply to you, particually step 5 regarding the debt. I wouldn't start with just 1 Drip or ETF. I'd save up enough to buy a couple of different ones. Perhaps save up for 6 months to get to $600, then invest $200 into 3 different ones. A Coca-Cola or Altria DRiP has been a great long term investment for the last 30+ years, however each has suffered sizeable drops over a 2-3 year period. You don't want to put all your eggs into 1 basket, watch that basket get chopped in half then get discouraged by the end of the year. Having a couple of eggs will give you some diversity and protect you should one sound looking company suddenly reveal some naughty habits of cooking the books. While you take care of steps 1-5, study up and find several eggs that you think you like. You never know, b/w now and the time you get to step 6, that company might just go on sale (ie drop in price despite solid earnings, it happens and give you an opportunity to buy a stock cheaper than its real value)

  15. #29
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    Quote Originally Posted by medford View Post
    I have a handful of higher yield dividend stocks in my roth IRA. There are a handful of real estate companies that have been beaten down due to the market (and perhaps they're own balance sheets during this downturn) that are now starting to bounce back. REITs by nature have to offer out a high % of their profits in dividends to remain classified as a REIT and the tax breaks that come with it. You should be able to find a package of companies here that offer solid dividends that are now poised to bounce back (if they haven't done so already) that can offer a little growth as well.

    There are also some areas outside of REITs, one of my favorite stocks has been a small company called Medallion Financial (TAXI) which specializes in medallion loans in NYC. They've regularly paid out an above 5% dividend thru all of the markets up & downs.
    I'm hardly a professional, most of my retirements is funded thru my 401(k), actually my IRA recieves mostly just maintance work for the time being, but I've used my dividend stocks to help fund further purchases of stock when the market tumbled to cost average down.
    While we're talking stocks and dividends, just want to share my glee to have just found out (they reported 1st quareter results this morning) that TAXI has increased dividends 24% to $0.21 a share for the 1st quarter. yeah me

  16. #30
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    Re: Anyone want to talk stocks and retirement?

    Quote Originally Posted by medford View Post
    While we're talking stocks and dividends, just want to share my glee to have just found out (they reported 1st quareter results this morning) that TAXI has increased dividends 24% to $0.21 a share for the 1st quarter. yeah me
    Way to go...


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