Any Investors Here?

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Truth OT

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Are you comfortable with the markets and how have your portfolios been doing?
 

Enoch111

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Are you comfortable with the markets and how have your portfolios been doing?
The markets should simply be ignored. They are manipulated daily by the big players. Focus on real estate. Everyone needs housing.
 

FHII

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I am a new and very small investor. How new? March will be my 1 year anniversary as an investor. How small? Well, I am looking forward to a portfolio with 4 figures! But hey... I do not despise the day of small things.

I actually started following and training to enter the market on Nov 1, 2020. It was interesting and perhaps not the best time to follow, because it boomed after that. Great time to get in, not a great time to learn what can happen.

Now, early this week I sold about 80% of my portfolio. So momentarily, I don't have a lot of confidence. I sold at a loss, but so far I have cut my losses. I am watching... I tend to watch futures but they are deceiving. Today looked like a great day at 9:29 AM, but it didn't end well. I held my ground and didn't enter. It was a good gamble.

I took about a third of that money I got from selling to pay some bills. I think its a wise choice. Investing should be with what you have extra... Bills and interest rates from crdit cards usually will be more than you make off the market, even when its good.

In short, I don't have a lot of confidence in the market in the short term. But in the long term I do. We may be entering a recession, but it won't last. Eventually the DJ, S&P and even NASDAQ will rebound.

In short, I'm on hold but watching like a hawk.
 

Cassandra

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Hey if interest rates rise a lot, you can always buy bonds or invest in a mutual fund made of bonds.

First trust has a pretty good set of unit investment trusts.(They used to anyway.) I don't know if they still do it but some of them traded on secondary market. I'm sure they are, but not sure how they handle that, or if you have to go through a broker. I'm surte someone there would love to talk to you about their products.

The top of this link has a heading for UIT. If you click on it, iat the bottom of the list that comes up is a pdf telling you about them.
You might check it out.

First Trust - www.FTPortfolios.com
 

Truth OT

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Watching too closely can be stressful, but not taking advantage of what the market provides over time can be detrimental to one's wealth preservation. Now may actually be a better time to buy into the markets since so much has fallen in value from the all time highs achieved in the last year. Probably wouldn't advise selling out of positions right now as that would lock in some losses. I personally advocate for a long0term investing strategy that utilized a diverse and low-cost mix of assets to buy and hold like index funds or ETFs.
 

GRACE ambassador

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OP: investing?
Yes, as we are to "walk by faith, not by sight" and "Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth.":

I invest in ETERNAL things! Amen?

God's Simple Will!
 

GEN2REV

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Now, early this week I sold about 80% of my portfolio. So momentarily, I don't have a lot of confidence. I sold at a loss,
I did the same this past week. Possibly higher percentage. I'm almost certainly going to sell the rest this next week. Held onto a couple stocks that weren't completely tanking, but they are not showing much promise.

In short, I don't have a lot of confidence in the market in the short term. But in the long term I do. We may be entering a recession, but it won't last. Eventually the DJ, S&P and even NASDAQ will rebound.

In short, I'm on hold but watching like a hawk.
I will wait until things begin to steadily rise again and buy back in. I know it's not what veteran stock market junkies do, but I got tired of watching my money disappear. I will get back in IF the market ever restabilizes.
 

FHII

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I did the same this past week. Possibly higher percentage. I'm almost certainly going to sell the rest this next week. Held onto a couple stocks that weren't completely tanking, but they are not showing much promise.

I will wait until things begin to steadily rise again and buy back in. I know it's not what veteran stock market junkies do, but I got tired of watching my money disappear. I will get back in IF the market ever restabilizes.

Just remember that time in the market is more important than timing. It will come back, and perhaps now is a good time to buy... Stock is cheaper than it was 10 days ago.

I am such a small investor that it doesn't make sense to let bills go unpaid and take the penalty for it. I lose more money in late fees than I make in the market at this point.
 

GEN2REV

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Watching too closely can be stressful, but not taking advantage of what the market provides over time can be detrimental to one's wealth preservation. Now may actually be a better time to buy into the markets since so much has fallen in value from the all time highs achieved in the last year. Probably wouldn't advise selling out of positions right now as that would lock in some losses. I personally advocate for a long0term investing strategy that utilized a diverse and low-cost mix of assets to buy and hold like index funds or ETFs.
Not at all meant as an argument with you, but this is a very common perspective in the stock markets in general. And many long time investors are claiming this very wisdom.

The problem is that this is not at all a normal situation. Things are not operating in the markets at all like they should, or like they have been in decades past. There are many on the fringes who are telling it like it is and claiming that things could very likely become worse than they have in many years. There are lots of articles online explaining how the market will surely correct itself soon and if you look at the date the article was released, it goes back multiple years.

Stocks rise and fall all the time, but the vast majority, of even completely unrelated stocks, being so low altogether at once is not all that common.

Personally, I'm taking a step back and putting my funds into short term cash reserves until I start seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.

Again, I'm no expert though. Just trusting my gut and all the signs as a whole.
 

GEN2REV

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Just remember that time in the market is more important than timing. It will come back, and perhaps now is a good time to buy... Stock is cheaper than it was 10 days ago.
I am hearing this a lot, but I guess I'm just a bit shell-shocked. I'll keep an eye on things for a bit and see how it all plays out.
 

FHII

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OP: investing?
Yes, as we are to "walk by faith, not by sight" and "Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth.":

I invest in ETERNAL things! Amen?

God's Simple Will!
I hear you, and I don't disagree. But despite what many may think, God is not against his people prospering; even financially.

So yes, its more important to give TITHES to your Church than to invest in the stock market. After all, when you give TITHES to your CHURCH you are investing in heavenly things.

But investing in the market is not a bad thing. In fact, God somewhat approved of it. And before you get all upset and stuff... Yeah, I have verses for everything I have said! So be careful!
 

FHII

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I am hearing this a lot, but I guess I'm just a bit shell-shocked. I'll keep an eye on things for a bit and see how it all plays out.
Have you invested in the market or followed it?

If not, investopedia.com has a simulator. It may be good to go there and learn.
 
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GRACE ambassador

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...before you get all upset and stuff...
Precious friend, why would I do that? Thanks for your input; I used to be a "church accountant" and the "deaf minister" there was Constantly "bringing in a little extra" to Catch Up with "trying to Keep the OT Tithe." Guess he did NOT "know this,"
Under God's PURE GRACE, eh?:

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which
soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let him give
; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for
God loveth a cheerful giver. And God Is Able To Make All GRACE Abound
Toward
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to
every good work:" (2Co_9:6-8)

Of course, there are Certainly some who can give WAY MORE than a 10% tithe, eh?
But, Even That could be a (LEGALism) problem; at another time/place I met "a sabbathKeeper" who GAVE the OT "triple" tithe. But, of all things, he was dishonest, "NOT paying" his bills.

Go figure...

Grace And Peace.
 

FHII

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Precious friend, why would I do that? Thanks for your input; I used to be a "church accountant" and the "deaf minister" there was Constantly "bringing in a little extra" to Catch Up with "trying to Keep the OT Tithe." Guess he did NOT "know this,"
Under God's PURE GRACE, eh?:

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which
soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let him give
; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for
God loveth a cheerful giver. And God Is Able To Make All GRACE Abound
Toward
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to
every good work:" (2Co_9:6-8)

Of course, there are Certainly some who can give WAY MORE than a 10% tithe, eh?
But, Even That could be a (LEGALism) problem; at another time/place I met "a sabbathKeeper" who GAVE the OT "triple" tithe. But, of all things, he was dishonest, "NOT paying" his bills.

Go figure...

Grace And Peace.
While I am precious in that you will probably not find a lot like me, I doubt we are friends.
 

Truth OT

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I made myself do some buying last week because all of my non-emotional voices said it was a pretty good time. It's so easy to buy when things are up and sell when things are going down, but doing that is the OPPOSITE of what we should do. For me, (and I've been investing 20 years), a properly diversified portfolio has helped to grow my savings and build wealth while at the same time protecting me from dramatic losses in years like 2008, as well as months like this and March of 2020.