I am retired and have a question...

[g0lden3agle]

If people are on MUScoop looking for investment advice then they probably don't know enough to make up their own minds about their investment choices. Controlling your spend, increasing your income and managing the risk/reward potential of your investments are all things that are very important. Not everyone wants to put the time and effort into becoming an expert in these things, at which point you pay an expert a fee.

Edit: To come completely clean, I'm attempting to retire within 10 years (projected at 8 years from now) on a comfortable salary due to being a very aggressive saver. I'm in my mid 30s and my wife is in her early 30s, and we're on pace to save 50% of our take-home this year.

Because of this my saving habits, my investment goals and the amount of risk I'm willing to take on is different than someone that's looking for traditional retirement 30 years from now or 5 years from now.

I wouldn't want to get preachy about how I think people should invest or how they should live their life. Investing for retirement (or even for your heirs) is a deeply personal thing. If you aren't an expert in it and you don't want to spend the time to research it besides reading MUScoop, then paying a professional is probably the best option, as long as they aren't unnatural carnal knowledgeing you by taking a percentage of your portfolio, or selling you on their company's products that they make a commission on. Hope that makes sense!

Very much so!  I was interested in where you were coming from telling people they should get an investor when you yourself look to be mostly an indexer, which is really how I've gone about things as well.  Thanks for the further explanation.

[Coleman]

If people are on MUScoop looking for investment advice then they probably don't know enough to make up their own minds about their investment choices. Controlling your spend, increasing your income and managing the risk/reward potential of your investments are all things that are very important. Not everyone wants to put the time and effort into becoming an expert in these things, at which point you pay an expert a fee.

Edit: To come completely clean, I'm attempting to retire within 10 years (projected at 8 years from now) on a comfortable salary due to being a very aggressive saver. I'm in my mid 30s and my wife is in her early 30s, and we're on pace to save 50% of our take-home this year.

Because of this my saving habits, my investment goals and the amount of risk I'm willing to take on is different than someone that's looking for traditional retirement 30 years from now or 5 years from now.

I wouldn't want to get preachy about how I think people should invest or how they should live their life. Investing for retirement (or even for your heirs) is a deeply personal thing. If you aren't an expert in it and you don't want to spend the time to research it besides reading MUScoop, then paying a professional is probably the best option, as long as they aren't unnatural carnal knowledgeing you by taking a percentage of your portfolio, or selling you on their company's products that they make a commission on. Hope that makes sense!

Pretty sure no one is coming on here and taking a fellow Scooper's financial insight as Gospel; I certainly am not. Its a message board, no one here is under any illusion that it should take the place of a qualified investment advisor. Some of us are interested in personal finance and are using the board as a forum to shoot the chit. Sometimes I go on Yahoo Finance message boards, but I'm never under the impression that my time there should somehow replace working with a real finance professional. Sometimes its just fun to talk about. If you aren't interested in the conversation then don't participate.

[Skatastrophy]

Pretty sure no one is coming on here and taking a fellow Scooper's financial insight as Gospel; I certainly am not. Its a message board, no one here is under any illusion that it should take the place of a qualified investment advisor. Some of us are interested in personal finance and are using the board as a forum to shoot the chit. Sometimes I go on Yahoo Finance message boards, but I'm never under the impression that my time there should somehow replace working with a real finance professional. Sometimes its just fun to talk about. If you aren't interested in the conversation then don't participate.

I'm glad we finally hired an MUScoop Hall-Monitor. Keep up the great work, man!

[Coleman]

nm. not worth it

[rocky_warrior]

nm. not worth it

Hey!  You didn't even inquire about what the Hall Monitor position pays!  Talk about poor financial planning...

[Jay Bee]

Pick individual stocks and live a little, you skirts.

My latest pick has gone up 49% in the past 6 weeks. Holla

[warriorchick]

Pick individual stocks and live a little, you skirts.

My latest pick has gone up 49% in the past 6 weeks. Holla

That's not investing, that's gambling.

[Jay Bee]

That's not investing, that's gambling.

What's the difference? Do you have some magical investments that can't lose their value?

There are different levels of risk. What level you choose to accept is up to you. But all of it has risk. 

[JWags85]

What's the difference? Do you have some magical investments that can't lose their value?

There are different levels of risk. What level you choose to accept is up to you. But all of it has risk. 

Agreed, no offense chick, but that's is antiquated thinking. There are plenty of ways to invest besides buying mutual or index funds.  I have coworkers who I've talked financial markets with who told me that holding anything less than 2-3 years is "gambling".  Buy and hold is no longer a guaranteed "safe strategy".  Different strokes for different folks.

[MU82]

That's not investing, that's gambling.

Not necessarily.

In Jan 2014, I bought Kraft Foods, a solid, boring, dividend-paying company; it had been knocked down after a disappointing earnings report. Since then, through some ebbs and flows, its price moved up about 20% in the 14 months or so I owned it -- pretty nice but not a rocket ship to the stars given that we're now in Year 7 of a bull market.

Then, last week, Warren Buffett and a private equity partner decided to buy Kraft and merge it with Heinz, another old, "boring" company that he bought and took private last year.

In less than a week since the news, Kraft has shot up from $61 to $90, and my original investment is up 73%. That's not some cutting edge biotech or a risky solar venture or anything crazy like that. It's a freakin' mac & cheese company!

Buying Kraft wasn't a real gamble. It's a solid, old-world, blue-chip company. But I nonetheless was rewarded handsomely for having patience and not selling during its ebbs.

I also take exception to those who think we can't learn from each other even though we aren't "financial professionals." Many of us have real life experience in a variety of things. Thinking that way is like a former prep basketball player thinking he alone has some special insight into how college hoops works.

My mind is always open to new ideas. If I decide they don't suit me, I just say thanks and move on to the next one.

[chapman]

Bought Disney at the beginning of 2014.  Up 108%.  I just wanted to own ESPN and Star Wars.

[g0lden3agle]

Bought Disney at the beginning of 2014.  Up 108%.  I just wanted to own ESPN and Star Wars.

Am I missing something or would you have had to have bought middle of 2013 to be up 108%?

[chapman]

Am I missing something or would you have had to have bought middle of 2013 to be up 108%?

Ah yep, beginning of '13:    01/02/2013

[g0lden3agle]

Ah yep, beginning of '13:    01/02/2013

Impressive nonetheless! 

[Coleman]

My dad bought me 1 share of Disney when I was 10 years old (almost 20 years ago). I have no idea how much it is worth now. I still was getting paper dividend checks in the mail until a few years ago. I have no idea what happened to it.

Any idea what it would be worth and how I could track it down?

Obviously, if there were no splits, it would only be worth $105.97, which is what it is trading at. Just wondering how I could find out the split history.

[JWags85]

My dad bought me 1 share of Disney when I was 10 years old (almost 20 years ago). I have no idea how much it is worth now. I still was getting paper dividend checks in the mail until a few years ago. I have no idea what happened to it.

Any idea what it would be worth and how I could track it down?

Obviously, if there were no splits, it would only be worth $105.97, which is what it is trading at. Just wondering how I could find out the split history.

Look at Yahoo Finance.  But also here...https://www.stocksplithistory.com/walt-disney/

Split 3-1 in 1998 and marginally in 2007.  So your position is likely worth about $320.

[Badgerhater]

What's the difference? Do you have some magical investments that can't lose their value?

There are different levels of risk. What level you choose to accept is up to you. But all of it has risk. 

Buy quality, dividend-paying stocks over the long-term is not gambling.   Buying speculative stocks in what is hot at the moment is gambling.  Investing is part understanding economics and part understanding human nature.  People will stampede in and out of a stock for stupid reasons and create opportunities for others.   I bought Target in the 50s right after their data breach because everyone dumped it right away.  It was bad and it did impact business short term, but Target is still Target and soccer moms and Walmart-haters still spend money there.  It has since rebounded into the low 80s.

A year later, Home Depot had a data breach, but by that time, the public didn't think of it as a huge deal and the stock continues to charge ahead like this season's Kentucky basketball team.

[Jay Bee]

Buy quality, dividend-paying stocks over the long-term is not gambling.   Buying speculative stocks in what is hot at the moment is gambling. 

This commentary is stupid.

What is the definition of "quality?"
What is the "long-term?"

It's all gambling.

More importantly, buying certain dividend paying stocks will result in limiting your upside & opportunity.

There are arguments that can be made for various strategies & decisions... but it all gets down to the specifics of the investor.

[LAZER]

Not necessarily.

In Jan 2014, I bought Kraft Foods, a solid, boring, dividend-paying company; it had been knocked down after a disappointing earnings report. Since then, through some ebbs and flows, its price moved up about 20% in the 14 months or so I owned it -- pretty nice but not a rocket ship to the stars given that we're now in Year 7 of a bull market.

Then, last week, Warren Buffett and a private equity partner decided to buy Kraft and merge it with Heinz, another old, "boring" company that he bought and took private last year.

In less than a week since the news, Kraft has shot up from $61 to $90, and my original investment is up 73%. That's not some cutting edge biotech or a risky solar venture or anything crazy like that. It's a freakin' mac & cheese company!

Buying Kraft wasn't a real gamble. It's a solid, old-world, blue-chip company. But I nonetheless was rewarded handsomely for having patience and not selling during its ebbs.

I also take exception to those who think we can't learn from each other even though we aren't "financial professionals." Many of us have real life experience in a variety of things. Thinking that way is like a former prep basketball player thinking he alone has some special insight into how college hoops works.

My mind is always open to new ideas. If I decide they don't suit me, I just say thanks and move on to the next one.

I don't think there's anything wrong with your philosophy, but wouldn't you be better off getting an index instead of trying to pick out one Blue Chip?

[4th and State]

I don't think there's anything wrong with your philosophy, but wouldn't you be better off getting an index instead of trying to pick out one Blue Chip?

For 98% people, yes.  These guys are telling you about how they bought kraft, DIS, AAPL, etc., how about the one's they flopped on?  If you don't have the time and financial acumen just go into index funds.

[Jay Bee]

If interested in a risky play, SNTA is trending toward it's upcoming offering price of $1.75 today. Now at $1.93.

If it drops just a bit more, I may in - with the intent of holding at least 18 months.

Risk / reward heavy on this one. Go for it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Biggest question for me is how much are the markets propped up,due to the Fed actions....

[g0lden3agle]

Biggest question for me is how much are the markets propped up,due to the Fed actions....

That is a question, but when will said Fed actions start to be pulled back?

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

That is a question, but when will said Fed actions start to be pulled back?

The day after I move completely out of cash.

[g0lden3agle]

The day after I move completely out of cash.

Too true