Tundras live: Dumb Dad Jokes, Incorrect Opinions, Relationship Advice, and Parking Etiquette

Are you managing your own investments, or do you have an account mgr or a firm making your investment decisions for you??

Regarding the 'market' it's the long haul that matters; if your investments are diverse you'll be fine... at least for now!!! If you're at the point of dealing the long haul, don't watch the up and down trends unless you are managing your own funds/accounts and need to move higher risk investments periodically...

Depending on how far out you are from retirement, will determine your risk/reward analysis. The further out you are, the more the needle will swing toward moderate to moderately high risk investments for up to about 35%ish of your portfolio. About 50% will be on the higher end up of low to the very lower end of moderate... The other 15% will depend on the type of person your are, so that 15% is either high risk/high reward or low risk/low reward

As you move toward retirement, that needle will shift to about 85% stability low end to high end of low risk, and the other 15% can go into high risk or moderate risk as (play money)....

Depending on the current administration, sometimes investments are highly predictable and it's eaiser to take higher risk because you know where the market will trend...

Finally, don't forget to create and invest into an HSA (I keep my at the high end of low risk) and expect that money to be there. My returns on that account see on average about 6-8% which is better than a CD or savings account, but slightly riskier... This account is nice because my medical expenses don't come out of my 'fixed income budget'... I pay these out of my HSA

Also, spend the time/money seeking tax advice on all of your accounts, so you fully understand what happens in terms of tax obligations under the various parameters of your various accounts. Each type of account has different protocols and are subject to tax law a bit differently depending on how the money is going in and coming out. Sometimes timing matters; sometimes it doesn't...

And what ever you do, DO NOT follow the financial advice of the Forum's Unofficial Finanacial Advisor @larry!!!!

 

@nobodyintexas

If you had 200k to put into an investment account right now now, and that money was not your 'nest egg' money, what sectors would it go into???

@Boneskull420

Watch how decisively this answer comes back....

PS>>> If you're not paying for financial advice, you're probably not getting good financial advice

This is why if you have an account mgr or investment firm, they are generally shaving a percentage of your account each year, 1/4, etc.. (usually about 1-2.5% of the account value); which is no big deal if your investments are making 14-18% annually....

 

Ok, so whatever @larry says fact check it or just do the opposite as far as the 401k it is setup through empower and i have it set up on a low risk i think and it does what it does. I've looked into diversifying it myself but not quite there yet. Im probably looking at about 20 years give or take for retirement. If my wife doesn't kill me 1st for spending money on my toy truck

 

I've got a Nissan, however its the gas guzzling 5.6L V8 Armada school bus without a CVT. Has been good to us since I didn't have Sequoia money.

 

something VERY conservative. a Bond/T-Bill/CD/MM fund.

that's because I'm at the end of my journey.

If I was young - I would put it:

half in a S&P500 mutual fund
Half in a "Retire in 2050" fund.


I love S&P 500 funds....NOBODY beat's them.

but I think the market is a bit oversold right now....wait a bit for the market to settle.

 

The armada is cool.

I don't even consider that a nissan.

the engine & Trans are old school nice.

 

I'll add:

when we set up our kid's Schwab accounts....
I put it half in Schwab's S&P500 fund
Half in Schwab's Dividend fund.

both have done quite well.

 

Sectors?

Look, I'm an operational accountant. O&G/trucks/trains/boats, etc.

I don't know about financial sectors - other than what I deal with.

so, knowing my limitations...I stay in mutual funds.

the no-load funds at Schwab have been my go-to....because.

I've tried a bunch of different crap...but the S&P 500 funds always do better.

some folks get all complicated (IPA drinkers) with investments. and do no better.

some folks pay 1% to an "advisor"....and still can't outperform the S&P.


here's is what I told my 24yr old son....
put your spare $ in a no-load S&P fund & a no-load Dividend fund. (reinvest int & div)
and let it ride.

make a plan to succeed
start a family.

 

I like it risky.
I've got 100% of my employer 401k/457 in this.

 

This is great advice. To diversify a bit more, I got into a NY Life fixed annuity a few months ago.

Also, especially if you’re young enough: stay invested. There’s that old saying, people lose more money by staying on the sidelines than trying to time the market.

If your retirement money stays in diversified mutual funds, there can be great benefits by leaving it alone for years/decades. Dividends received get reinvested, interest compounds.

Don’t try to time the market, just “ladder in” by making consistent contributions over time.

Wealth building takes decades. It’s the plan/stewardship for the kids and grandkids, and thinking long term.

Also, another important thing I like to think about: 3/4 of invested wealth could go away and never come back. So some money needs to be in a less risky bucket. CD’s, money markets, mattress, floor safe, treasure map, etc.

 

and, let's talk to the other side of the equation:

stop paying auto loan interest
stop paying CC interest
stop wasting $ on fast food

These 3 items are the bane of the middle class.

They keep you down. by design.


whatever $ you save, use half to pay down your mortgage.

 

Save money by not spending it is a great strategy.

A few strategies that I’m really familiar with but don’t recommend:

Working insanely long hours and weekends;

Fixing everything around the house yourself and never hiring anyone even if you can afford it;

Buying rental property or house flips as a side gig and doing all of that work yourself.

Then ending up on a random Internet forum talking about exciting antisocial hobbies such as gardening.

 

Good luck with that, if you want I know a guy that can sell you one for real cheap..... no service, no fees, no silly battery to keep charging and best of all no payments
Only $100

 

reviving a previous subject:

Electric Lawnmowers

My 40v Ryobi can't cut this tiny-ass, lush St Augustine lawn worth a shit.

you can't see from this picture, but there are stripes of uncut grass.

because the weak ass mower can't handle 5" tall lush turf.

it goes into "turbo" mode when it hits a thick part...and somehow the cutting blades lay the grass over and swaths of grass go uncut.



and no, I don't need instruction on how to remedy this...I'm getting a gas mower.

 

Well, I WAS considering a Ryobi....now not as much.

 

for comparison...this is how janked up the lawn was before we bought the place.

 

This is why I’ve been holding out on getting a battery mower. Power when you need it. I think the higher end Toros have a lot of power, but I’m still going to wait and see.

 

I gave it a shot.

I remain unimpressed.

 

The edging looks good though. Almost too good.

 

good eye...

I brought my old school gas edger up from the house to give it that straight cut.

a string trimmer can't do that.

 

Well fellas, I got some good news and some bad news...

Good news, I have an interview this coming Thursday.

Bad news, I'm coming down with a cold so the potential for me to totally shit the bed during the interview has just quadrupled...

I have been told that this org seems to be big on projecting "positive energy", so I'm not sure if the vibe is my fit. I'm a pretty even keeled person who doesn't exude much in the way of emotion in the workplace so I tend to come across as reserved and quiet.

I have been told that this is the first of a potential 3 separate interviews. The number of interviews seem a bit excessive for a non-management role.

 

Yeah, a good edger seems like a must with those grasses. I had one for a long time, we had Zoysia when we lived in Atlanta.

Gotta have a good edger for those spreading rhizome grasses.

 

Just tell them you're 'positive' for coronavirus, and that's all the energy you can muster. Should be a shoo-in.

Remember that the hiring manager may have a completely different set of criteria than the recruiting office. If I wanted a highly skilled person, they'd get three interviews: one with me, one with a management peer to check my sanity, and one with at least a couple of my direct reports to check whether there's good chemistry.

Good luck.

 

Yeah that makes sense. When I was a hiring manager, I would typically have my team do the first round and I would do the second and final round and then we would all meet to make a decision.

The overemphasis on positive attitude just seems weird. Accounting folks are not going to be the office cheerleader and if they are, then I won't be a good fit. I'm a focused professional who while polite doesn't go out of my way to talk to others about non-work related stuff. I don't gossip, I get my work done and move onto the next task, get my shit done and go home.

I just want to focus on my own tasks and performance in the workplace. It's why I am not applying for management roles anymore despite being a manager on some level most of my career.

I could be reading too much into what the recruiter told me. I imagine they just want to make sure whoever they hire isn't some anti-social weirdo.

If only they saw my Tundras live posts, then they would know for sure the level of crazy they are dealing with...

 

Your blade needs to be sharpened.