Do you invest in the stock market?

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Space
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27 Jan 2008, 6:59 pm

I am thinking about starting to once it begins to rebound a little, right now it seems too dangerous with the possible recession. At the moment all my money is in mutual funds and bonds.



twosheds
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27 Jan 2008, 7:21 pm

You want to buy stocks after they rebound? Most investors prefer to buy low. :wink:

Seriously, though, I'm a big believer in the efficient market hypothesis. Don't attempt to time your purchases or pick individual stocks unless you have a very concrete reason to believe your prediction skills are better than the market's. Just put your money into a broad, low-expense index fund and let it grow over the long term. Don't deviate from your strategy in response to short-term price fluctuations. Invest a consistent portion of your income every month and let dollar-cost averaging work in your favor.



Adrie
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27 Jan 2008, 8:56 pm

I did for a couple years. I made a bit of money from it, but not much, because I hardly had any money to put into it in the first place. In the future I might try it again, though...

Good luck!



bobert
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27 Jan 2008, 10:20 pm

My wife and I have a fair amount in the stock market, but most of our assets are in real estate.

I agree with Twosheds, get in the market while it is down. The market has averaged about 10% over the years, but it is a long term investment, not something you jump in and out of. I would get into a low fee, index fund and research the prospects of sheltering your money inside of a tax deferred retirement account. Do the "dollar cost averaging" thing and forget abut your money for 10 years or longer.

If you are so inclined, you may consider investing in real estate, especially if you have a lot of liquidity in your current portfolio.



psych
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27 Jan 2008, 11:48 pm

I started researching yesterday. shares & precious metal.

I think ill be buying at least some metal, even if the timing isnt perfect - its value is insurance as much as investment.



wsmac
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28 Jan 2008, 2:15 am

I'm currently trying to get my daughter to pick a stock to buy.
It's her Christmas present from me.
I figured that if she gets interested in saving money and investing at the age of 14, she'll do far better than I have so far in my life.

I want her to pick a stock she'll be interested enough in to follow it.
She sat and got a little education on stocks from my financial advisor two weeks ago.

I agree that you should get in now if you have the money. But don't drop all your mutual funds and bonds just to invest in straight stocks.


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psych
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28 Jan 2008, 10:28 am

Ive been thinking about platinum mining companies - Platinum might still have 5 years+ left on the upswing - its only about half its previous high (after adjusting for inflation).

I really dont have any idea what im talking about! :lol: I did alright sports betting, so hopefully ill be able to pick this up.



9CatMom
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28 Jan 2008, 9:32 pm

I used to, but it got me nowhere. After ten years of very little return, I got out.



viska
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30 Jan 2008, 1:34 am

A great book to read about success and failure in the investing marketplace is Fooled By Randomness.



bobert
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01 Feb 2008, 3:26 pm

Thanks for the book tip, Viska. I've checked out "Fooled by Randomness" and it is a very good read.



richie
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01 Feb 2008, 5:33 pm

I do most of my investing through a tax-deferred savings plan offered by my employer, I put a small amount every
week into two different mutual funds and I have seen a 14% growth in value over the past year in addition to my
contributions and my employer's contributions.


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viska
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01 Feb 2008, 11:41 pm

bobert wrote:
Thanks for the book tip, Viska. I've checked out "Fooled by Randomness" and it is a very good read.


I'm glad you're enjoying it. I hope you didn't finish it, because it would be a little bit embarrassing if you finished it before I did ;)



Syd
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02 Feb 2008, 12:06 am

As a "spiritual supporter" of anti-consumerism, no - I'm not much of a market man.

I seldom invest, partly because my grandfather did the work for me. He worked in accounting and investing, set up mutual funds, savings plans, and other investing ventures for our family.

Achieving a highly self-sufficient lifestyle is one of my goals. I spend very little, and everything left over goes into savings. I'm probably too young and naive to use it wisely at this point in time.



psych
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02 Feb 2008, 12:48 am

Syd wrote:
As a "spiritual supporter" of anti-consumerism, no - I'm not much of a market man.


Thats why i wont open any fancy savings account where someone 'invests' on my behalf. I reserve the right to b***h about arms dealers, human rights abuses and environmental devastation by corporations - 'no snowflake in an avalanche ever felt responsible' - So any investment i make in the future will be MY choice, and ill feel responsible for it.



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02 Feb 2008, 11:19 pm

You don't buy stocks when the market is rebounding, you buy them when it is crashing. Buy low, sell high is how money is made investing in stocks. This is a good time to buy both stocks and real estate but you have to have the liquidity and the guts to ride out the storm.


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03 Feb 2008, 12:24 am

All the time


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