Anyone understand stocks and investments?

[Vodstok]

I know this look slike russian spam, but no, its me. I was wondering if the current state of things made it an ideal time to start buying stock. Some big companies are finally affordable, and will probably come out of this relatively unscathed, so this seems like it would be a good time to get the "coke" stock before it blows up (again), is that the case?



I understand the inherent strangeness of asking financial advice on a horror forum, but there are some pretty smart people here, and the crowd is very diverse, so....



Is it?

[ChronoGrl]

It IS an ideal time to start buying stock. The stock is plummeting for a LOT of the big companies and the last time this happened, the government bailed most of them out (causing shares to rise again).

The problem is that there is still an inherent gamble in it; we're not sure IF the government is going to bail out these companies or, if they DO, which ones they will bail out.

Interesting that you bring up this topic. The boyfriend and I were discussing the same last night. We're going to open an ETRADE account and purchase a bunch of shares of a particularly big name... But, again, it's still a gamble.

[Vodstok]

So dont dump everything into stocks, dont risk more than you can afford. :)

Which is pretty much the regular rule of thumb anyway. Cool.

I guess the next thing we need to do is find a budget that works for us...

[ChronoGrl]

Yeah, that's our plan.

We've already picked our investment and what we're willing to spend. We're splitting it down the middle, but the amount we're putting in is something that both of us can afford individually and wouldn't kill us if we lost it.

[urgeok2]

buy low risk stock.

the high risk stocks are the ones taking the beating .. and may never recover

[Vodstok]

buy low risk stock.

the high risk stocks are the ones taking the beating .. and may never recover
Low risk as in Coke and Microsoft? (IE, companies that would still be around selling drinks and software to roaches after a nuclear holocaust)

[urgeok2]

well, from what i've been hearing - stocks that have been stable for ever ..
there isnt a lot of growth - but you sacrifice that for safety.

unless you're an informed gambler - then you can grab lowball stock and pray that it goes back up after the recession..

[Papillon Noir]

Stocks are really risky unless you really know what you're doing. If you want to gamble your money, go to vegas, you'll have more fun and probably win more.

[pinkfloyd45769]

I have never had much intrest in stocks...never fully understood them much either.I'm am really careful with my money and i hate taking risks,which is why i usually keep mine in the bank.I started my kids college funds already,by the time they are going to college who knows what that will cost.Good luck with your decision on this:)

[urgeok2]

.I started my kids college funds already,by the time they are going to college who knows what that will cost.Good luck with your decision on this:)

lets see ... 25 years old and you have 4 kids.

lets say you have another 6 by the time you're 30 ..

I figure you'll need about 1.5 million to get them all through post secondary education :)

[Vodstok]

lets see ... 25 years old and you have 4 kids.

lets say you have another 6 by the time you're 30 ..

I figure you'll need about 1.5 million to get them all through post secondary education :)
Pinky, i have one word, 2 syllables:
Powerball :D

[Bub the Zombie]

The best man to ask this question is on vacation right now.

Financial Analyst cum Investment Banker, our very own V, who works for Northwestern Mutual Finance Corp. He deals in insurance investments too.

[Vodstok]

The best man to ask this question is on vacation right now.

Financial Analyst cum Investment Banker, our very own V, who works for Northwestern Mutual Finance Corp. He deals in insurance investments too.
Damnit!


He needs to break from vacation and read this...

[novakru]

Go ahead and buy coke stock if you have the money to burn right now.
When the market recovers- and it will, your stock will do well but it will take time.

The fear of buying is what perpetuates the downward spiral.
Dumping stock just makes matters worse.

I hate times like this because of the panic factor, it will be bad no matter what, but people panic and it gets worse unfortunately.

And to you daytraders. Please just educate yourself on the companies you buy stock in.
You can't buy and sell in a week or a month and make money- FYI: unless you are wealthy to begin with, you are really just wasting your time and making the market zigzag.

I had a bit of money in some mutual funds and after 9/11 lost maybe 95% of it.
It tripled what I intially started with after a few years and a few diversifications.
Right now it has dropped maybe 45%.
Also right now, my Roth IRA is looking dismal.

The market always has large dips like this every so often and some financial people have seen this coming. It's a 'market trend'.
The only question is, how long will it last this time?

If you are worried, just save as much as possible out of your paychecks and use cash for everything , downsize, consolidate and buy store brands.If you have a financial advisor, now is the time you find out if he/she is worth their salt.;)
A good one will tell you exactly what you need to do and to NOT PANIC:)



The good news is, gas prices have to go down, and if they don't....well, now we will have proof that our gas co. are just fucking us up the ass:D

[Vodstok]

The gas prices around here are plummetting, as much as 10 cents a gallon per week.

We are trying to save and pay off our credit cards, but it seems like now is the perfect time to start investing in stocks because if the bottom falls out completely, the ionitial investment was low to begin with, but if they recover, then we can only go up.


For the record, i am not interested in making my fortune in 3 weeks of stock trading, i am interested in making money over time so that in the next few years i can breathe easier.

i have been putting this off for years and feel like a moron every time someone makes a killing on something. i have known 2 peopl ewho made $200,000 and $700,000 respectively by investing smart.

[urgeok2]

the canadian dollar lost 10 cents in the last 10 days.

i lost $20,000 in stocks so far ... but i'm not touching anything - i'm pretty sure there will be a rebound eventually ..

but yes indeed - it is the panic that sends us deeper into recession.

people are scared - they stop investing, they stop spending.
the economy needs to be stimulated - without spending - people are laid off - less people can afford to spend and the spiral goes lower and lower tightening all the time.. the ultimate vicious circle.

[Vodstok]

the canadian dollar lost 10 cents in the last 10 days.

i lost $20,000 in stocks so far ... but i'm not touching anything - i'm pretty sure there will be a rebound eventually ..

but yes indeed - it is the panic that sends us deeper into recession.

people are scared - they stop investing, they stop spending.
the economy needs to be stimulated - without spending - people are laid off - less people can afford to spend and the spiral goes lower and lower tightening all the time.. the ultimate vicious circle.
Blame Dr Phil.
I had his "how to survive this financial bullshit" on last night, and it was an hour of "ITS GOING TO GET WORSE!!! SAVE YOUR MONEY, PAY OFF YOUR CREDIT CARDS AND BURY YOUR HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

incidently, his "panel" was made up of the fruit from Mad Money, plus Ben Stein and some lady, both who happen to have relevant books that recently hit the shelves.

And I'm sure Jim and Phil just had people's best interests in mind and werent trying to drive up their ratings by cashing in on the panic and making their wallets more full....

[novakru]

And I'm sure Jim and Phil just had people's best interests in mind and werent trying to drive up their ratings by cashing in on the panic and making their wallets more full....

Of course not, that would be immoral and unethical.

[Vodstok]

Of course not, that would be immoral and unethical.
And we all know that the currently uncertified and non-practicing psychologist Dr Phil McGraw is all about helping people and not the money ;)

When life gives you lemons, do a special show about the lemon crisis and boost your ratings with a family that got screwed in the lemon market because they were stupid about it.

[DraculaInDallas]

Buy low, sell high..........simple as that.

This is ol' Drac being serious for once, don't panic and pull out just because of the current economic situation. You'll play hell trying to recoupe the losses. Ride it out, things will turn around, they always do........this will pass and the DOW will stay above 10,000 for a very, very long time.

For some of you youngsters, this is the time to start investing, get in while it's down, you'll be glad you did.

Now, back to the regular Drac.....where are all the hotties tonight.......and a big
STFU to the n00bs!!!!!!!!! :cool:

[Festered]

You know, this is just a hunch, but if you're trying to get financial advice on a film forum, you probably shouldn't be fooling with the stock market.

[Vodstok]

You know, this is just a hunch, but if you're trying to get financial advice on a film forum, you probably shouldn't be fooling with the stock market.
I am just smart enough to be able to tell if peopel know what the hell they are talking about or not.

And its not just a film forum, mr nitpicker ;P



I also figured i'd bump this since someone mentioned that V is a finance guy....


Hello V, well?...