Nice YTD Return W !!! I'm not doing as well as that , but, I'm definitely NOT embarrassed or disappointed in my 29.77% return YTD, average of all accts. My best account is up 32.17%, Well , it's actually an account with one of my daughters, a joint account so I can peak at how she is doing. Beating me is how she is doing ........... just checked the Wifey account up 31.98% YTD ...... Beating me too
I like reading up on retirement and different studies on different generations. I have a feeling my generation is even more polarized at the moment than Gen X. It seems like most of the people I know have really excessive savings habits or non at all. I am in now way a keeping up with the Jones' type of person but I do like to see where I stack up retirement wise. My theory on that is if you have well above the average you should have all the buying power you need to conduct life after work in a very comfortable manner. The three best pieces of advice I have received from an old time when I started my career as far as retirement goes: 1) S&P 500, stay away from high cost Funds. I had a Blackrock 2050 for a short time when I started that underperformed the market AND charged me to do it! F*** those criminals. Think of the millions they make from the set it and forget it rat race workers. 2) Always put at least the minimum needed to get the full company max. If you can't adjust your lifestyle to contribute 6% you need to re-evaluate your situation. 3) Each raise take all or part and bump up your contribution. In my early 20's I wasn't making much so the 2% raise each year wouldn't mean anything in my monthly check but compounding over the next 4 decades in my 401k certainly will. Remember to save early and save often. There is alot of truth to the 'first $100k is the hardest'. The person starting off with $1000 invested made $200 on the S&P500's 20% return this year. The person with $10,000 made $2000, The person with $100,000 made $20,000. Not a small check but not life changing. The person with $1,000,000 made $200k playing the same exact game.
Seems like I remember before....that your wife was beating you oldmanram. Now your daughter is doing it too. You better sign them up for this thread so they can tell us all how they are investing their money. (I am sure much of that is you helping them)
What generation do you consider yourself TireSmoke.....MILLENNIAL? You have listed the basic rules for EVERY INVESTOR in that post above. 1. All it takes is long term steady investing and holding in the SP500. 2. Max out all matching money in a 401K or other vehicle. As you get raises........increase your 401K money ESPECIALLY if it will get you more match. 3. Each time you get a raise......pay yourself first....by saving at least half of the net...or better.....all of it if you dont need it. I have tried to emphasize to my kids the same thing about raises or out of the ordinary money. Save at least half of it. I try to do the same thing with Social Security cost of living raises. As I get raises I reduce the amount of money that I take out of my annuities for monthly living. That gives me more and more room in my budget each year for savings. I am probably going to reduce the amount that I take out of my annuities for basic monthly bills to $2300 when the next raise happens from $2400 now. If I live long enough and get good enough SS raises....I would like to get that down to $1000 per month from the annuities.....so SS will basically nearly cover all my normal monthly bills and living expenses. Of course......I have many other budget items. That first $100,000....is really hard......but.....we ALL went through that stage.
Speaking of my budget. Here are my particular budget items.....over and above monthly living expenses and bills. DOG HEART WORM HORSE DENTIST ART/MISC PLATINUM HORSE TRIM HAIR COINS BIRTHDAY ANIVERSARY MEDICARE SUPP HOA PROPERTY TAX INCOME TAX CHRISTMAS DENTIST AUTO/UMBRELLA HORSE SHOTS VACATION HO INSURANCE AC/HEAT TUNE PEST CONTROL HORSE SUPPLEMENTS & FLY SPRAY DOGS VET SAVINGS LOL.....PLATINUM......is not the metal, it is a horse supplement. Yes....I have hair.....that category is my wife's hair appointments. I budget a particular amount in each category and mark it off as partially or fully used.....as the year goes by. Managing cash flow is important to me.......month to month.....since some months we have a large amount of extraordinary expenses like Income Tax or Property Tax, etc, etc. I never used to keep an actual budget....but in retirement it is a big help. I try to keep each budget item at the actual cost per year and increase any item that goes up in a year.......so we are not trying to scrimp to meet a budget at our age.
Yup this year is looking great… SO FAR… not saying it shouldn’t be this way, but with election year around the corner, I really don’t have a good feeling about it. There are a lot of politics that got in the way of investors in the past 4 years. Covid and it’s political implication and excess stimulus got investors to live in a bubble. Then the fed came in and did the inevitable after all these ENDLESS handouts and upon hiking rates caused great fears in the markets so much so that big tech laid off tens of thousands of workers. BUT…. As it turns out, people made SO much money during the pandemic that EVEN THE FED couldn’t get in their way of investing even more in stocks AND real estate. Unreal. The ONLY thing that can bring this party to a close is elections and it’s consequences. And let’s not kid ourselves. By now, we already KNOW that our government, AND ONLY OUR GOVERNMENT can put an end to this REAL QUICK If I was to worry about anyone, it wouldn’t be the fed, it would be our leaders and their policies. …oh, and china ok drum roll please….. trrrrrrrrrrrr - TISHHHHHH 56.20% ytd Enjoy the weekend everyone!
Speaking of budget.. and bills… next week we’re in NYC to check on our properties NOT looking forward to that. Here’s what’s on the menu that week: Stucco up one building - 25k Roof gutter fix - 2k Termite station appliance - 1-2k there will probably be other little chachkas that I’ll come across when I’m there, but those are the big guns. We visit our properties once quarterly and accumulate enough work to keep the stimulus running and our clients happy. And all of that while building and opening a new location here in Ohio The fun never ends!
You know, I hesitate to even comment on the above since we have been so saturated with these little trolls now for the past year or so. I think the article is pretty spot on though. This is the same FOMC that ignored all of the warnings and watched inflation grow before their very eyes. They dismissed it. They even had pressers where they openly dismissed it on record. Until they no longer could. These are the same folks we have tinkering around with the economy now who so badly failed to recognize anything in the beginning. They have clamored about this 2% since they came to the game late. What they really want....is something they cannot say, but occasionally hint at if you read "between the lines." Job loss/unemployment. For them, something needs to break. Whether that is jobs, housing, banks, or the market conditions. That is just how they have always operated. They are the equivalent of that rude, obnoxious guest that overstays their welcome.
Anyway, on to better and brighter things. Some really good posts the last few days. Some really nice returns coming in by many. It is good to see the positive momentum. Some good discussion about plans, retirements, and savings. All great tips/lessons to accomplish financial freedom in the long run.
I just checked my YTD portfolio performance. Dang 58% increase! Of course last year was brutal, so it's mostly making up for losses.
Wow! You guys are slaying it on these returns. This is even more impressive being we are only 7 months in. I might should change my forum handle to “Smoked” instead…Lol. Last I checked, I was running around 24%. If I doubled it, I would still be behind you guys… I”m comfortable with what I have though and thankful for it. Nice job fellas, keep it rolling.
This is the future....which....will become the present starting tomorrow. Top 5 things to watch in markets in the week ahead https://finance.yahoo.com/news/top-5-things-watch-markets-063318873.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what i consider important content) "Investing.com -- More big tech earnings and the U.S. jobs report for July will be the main highlights in the week ahead. Investors will also be focusing on the Bank of England's latest rate decision and economic data out of the Eurozone and China. Here’s what you need to know to start your week. Nonfarm payrolls Friday's U.S jobs report is expected to show that the economy added 184,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate remained at a historical low of 3.6% and average hourly earnings cooled. The resilience of the labor market has been a key factor in shaping the view that the economy is heading towards a so-called soft landing of cooling inflation and strong growth. Investor confidence received a boost last week when Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank's staff no longer forecasts a U.S. recession and that inflation had a shot of returning to its 2% target without high levels of job losses. The Fed raised rates by another 25 basis points to their highest level since 2007 last Wednesday and did not rule out another rate hike, saying it would follow future economic data. Signs that the economy is growing at too rapid a pace could spark worries that the Fed needs to keep raising rates to contain inflation. Conversely, a steep drop-off in employment might rekindle recession fears. Earnings Earnings season rolls on with megacaps Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) due to report earnings after the market close on Thursday. Some investors are wary that a rally in tech stocks, which has been fueled in part by excitement over developments in artificial intelligence, may falter. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 is up nearly 44% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 information technology sector has gained nearly 46%. Optimistic forecasts from Meta Platforms and results from Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) last week bolstered the case for those who believe megacaps’ lofty valuations are justified. More than half of the firms listed on the S&P 500 had reported second quarter earnings as of Friday, out of which 78.7% have surpassed analyst expectations, according to Refinitiv data, cited by Reuters. Bank of England rate decision The BOE holds its latest rate setting meeting on Thursday and markets are split about whether policymakers will revert back to a 25-basis point rate hike after a 50-bps hike in June. Inflation hasn't accelerated since February and there are signs that widespread price pressures are starting to abate. But inflation, at 7.9% in June, is the highest among major economies and remains well above the BOE’s 2% target, so markets shouldn’t rule out the possibility of a 50-bps hike, particularly if policymakers think they may need to hike again in September. The BOE has faced criticism of being behind the curve from investors after inflation kept climbing higher than expected, despite 13 back-to-back rate increases since December 2021 which increased the possibility of a recession. Eurozone data The Eurozone is to release a preliminary estimate of July inflation and second quarter GDP on Monday that will be closely watched amid debate over whether the European Central Bank may raise interest rates again at its next meeting in September. The GDP data is expected to show that the bloc’s economy returned to growth in the second quarter, while inflation is expected to moderate only slightly. Inflation in the euro zone has halved since peaking last October but, at 5.5%, still remains well above the ECB's 2% target. The ECB raised its deposit rate to a historic high on Thursday but removed a clear hint at further hikes from its policy statement, meaning another increase at its upcoming September meeting should not be taken for granted. ECB President Christine Lagarde said what would come next was in the balance, even if the central bank was determined to "break the back" of inflation. China PMIs PMI data out of China at the start of the week are likely to point to a contraction in manufacturing activity for a fourth straight month in July, underlining the need for stimulus measures to support the post-pandemic recovery in the world’s second largest economy. The official manufacturing PMI, which largely focuses on big and state-owned firms, and its survey for the services sector, will be released on Monday. The Caixin manufacturing PMI, which focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises, will be released on Tuesday. Data on Thursday showed that industrial profits extended a double-digit pace of declines into a sixth straight month. China's economy grew at a slow pace in the second quarter as demand weakened at home and abroad, but most analysts say policymakers are unlikely to deliver any aggressive stimulus amid mounting fears over debt risks." MY COMMENT NOPE.....DONT CARE ABOUT.....the Bank of England, China growth or slowing, Eurozone or the FED and the jobs report. What do I care about? EARNINGS. That is what counts for the rest of the year. We are now half way done with earnings and.......drum roll please......we are at 79% BEATS. The experts and professionals......well.....WRONG AGAIN. They were not so vocal this time but obviously earnings are coming in better than they expected. It is a BIG STRETCH to talk about the EU and Bank of England when discussing next week. The poor financial media has NOTHING to talk about now that there is virtually NOTHING happening except for good news. When your business model is based on DOOM&GLOOM and FEAR MONGERING.....the good times are not so good.
We are nowhere near MAXIMUM MARKET ENTHUSIASM (MME)......but this little article does contain some truth. Stocks Are Doing So Well That It May Be Time to Start Worrying https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-doing-well-may-time-130000213.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "(Bloomberg) -- US stock market traders are almost completely fearless now, which has some strategists bracing for a possible selloff. The S&P 500 Index has gained 19% this year, pushing investors off the sidelines and into the market. Traders’ stock exposure is historically high, in the top 28% of all time, according to Deutsche Bank’s analysis of rules-based and discretionary strategies going back to 2010. Few, however, seem worried enough to hedge. Buying protection against dips in the options market is the “cheapest you likely have ever seen,” Bank of America strategists wrote in a Tuesday note. Trading volume of call options, used to wager on the market rising, outpaced puts earlier this month by the most since December 2021. But there are reasons to be worried. The Federal Reserve is looking to engineer a soft landing after a period of inflation and intense rate hiking, an effort that’s rarely successful. On top of that, September and August tend to be the S&P 500’s worst two months of the year. “Bullish sentiment and weak seasonality has made our contrarian antennas tingle a little bit,” said Jeffrey Hirsch, editor of the Stock Trader’s Almanac, who correctly forecast the rally after the financial crisis. “All the bears that came off the sideline are chasing this momentum and the ‘FOMO’ players are all in now, so that means it’s time to see this rally pause.” The S&P 500’s advance has defied consensus expectations for losses to start 2023 before an eventual rebound, forcing many to rethink their forecasts. Some of Wall Street’s loudest bears, like Piper Sandler & Co.’s Michael Kantrowitz and Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson, have adjusted their stances. In the options market, traders reacted to the rally in equities by showing a bias toward calls, partly fueled by an AI boom that supercharged a tech-stock advance. Across US exchanges, the volume of calls outpaced puts by more than 8 million contracts on a 10-day moving basis, the most since December 2021, Bloomberg data show. Of course, there are reasons for the S&P 500’s rally, now on pace for its fifth consecutive monthly gain. Inflation has been slowly subsiding while the economy has stayed relatively resilient in the face of the most aggressive tightening cycle in decades. Wall Street traders eventually got the memo, ditching downside protection and pushing the cost of hedging against drops to fresh lows. For every $100 in notional — the value an options contract covers — investors now pay only $3.50 for an S&P 500 put option expiring a year from now with a strike price 5% below current levels, data compiled by Bank of America show. That’s the least in the bank’s data going back to 2008. (Between the premium and the strike price, the contract will be profitable if the S&P 500 falls at least 8.5% a year from now.) Whether that will happen is yet to be seen, but momentum seems to be getting stretched. The Cboe put-to-call ratio that tracks the volume of options tied to individual stocks is at the lowest level in more than a year. This historically has translated into a flat performance for the stock market over the next three months, data compiled by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. show. Then, seasonal patterns can create an additional headwind. Over the past 30 years, September and August have been the two worst months for the S&P 500, with a 0.4% drop in the former and a 0.2% decline in the latter. Like many on Wall Street, Luca Paolini, chief strategist at Pictet Asset Management, closed a short position on US equities earlier this month amid a relentless rally. Now neutral on US stocks, Paolini still thinks investors are underpricing potential risks to the economy. “The market is giving us a clear signal that bullish momentum has been building,” he said. “There’s an incredible level of confidence that the Fed can manage a ‘soft landing,’ with weaker growth and lower inflation without a recession. But if something goes wrong, it will be related to that.” Preliminary data on Thursday showed gross domestic product unexpectedly picked up steam in the second quarter, boosting confidence about the state of the economy and simultaneously fueling bets that the Fed’s campaign against inflation could go on for longer than expected. The US central bank is taking a data-dependent approach to future interest-rate hikes, Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday. One potential concern is that the easy year-over-year inflation data comparisons will start to drop out later this year, says 22V Research’s Dennis Debusschere. Inflation swaps are pricing in a 3.2% advance in headline inflation in July from a year ago and a 3.6% gain in August. Higher inflation could translate into rates not falling anytime soon. “There is a ‘CPI-mission accomplished’ state of mind among many investors at this point, and it’s not the case,” said Nitin Saksena, head of US equity derivatives research at Bank of America. “There is this risk that the Fed will keep interest rates higher for longer, and it will cause something to ultimately break.”" MY COMMENT One nice thing about being a long term investor......is....I dont have to worry about the medium and short term "stuff" above. I just sit and wait.......and often enjoy the nice ride. Much of the stuff above is Trader and insider Wall Street stuff.....I dont care about them. They do not follow the same strategy of being fully invested for the long term that I do. They are on a different planet. There is some truth above that at some point we will probably see some weakness or even a correction.......but I do not buy the "bad month" superstitions. That is all playing with data and statistics.
The impact of REINVESTING dividends........which I always do. Lets assume someone put a nice CHUNK of money into the SP500 at age 24 (1978)........till.......age 69 (2023)......45 years. TOTAL RETURN without dividends reinvested.......+4,437% Total RETURN with dividends reinvested........+14,457% Average annual return without dividends......+8.847% Average annual return with dividends reinvested......+11.704% Seems like a no-brainer to me........invest those dividends and capital gains.....for your own good. I keep this calculator site on my computer all the time......it is very useful to illustrate returns for yourself and MOTIVATE yourself: https://dqydj.com/sp-500-return-calculator/ By the way....the site above.....has a TON of fun calculators relevant to money.....investing, net worth, income, health, personal finance, real estate, economics, and ....basically every sort of calculator you can imagine.....hundreds of them.
Haha, don't get too mad. You probably did not get as battered as I did last year. We're probably all closer than we think in terms of overall gains. I think my last 5 year average is about 13%. Not bad. Absolutely! Fantastic movie!
"Is anyone beating ZUKODANY on YTD return?" I am at 240% on the year. But remember that the start of the year was pretty close to rock bottom on chip stocks, and 2022 wasn't very kind to them!
LOL....I think you are locked in for best gain this year TireSmoke. I dont think anyone is going to beat 240%. Even with five months to go in the year. It would take an EPIC CHIP CRASH.
