Time To Reposition

Real estate is still a good investment as well. Although, I do wonder if we are going to see problems in this area soon. What with all of the renters who can't pay rent and businesses leaving behind vacant buildings, at least the real estate rental market might have a tough road ahead. As for the lotto, not yet. But I will keep playing. lol

@porwest Oh I am only renting so I meant buying things here and there. I do not own real estate. But my slumlord does. And guess what hahaha He cant sell this place..but he is greedy asking 1.5 million..idiot I saw it reduced by 50,000 dollars the other day..he had to, no one buying at least not for that price. Yeah with people not paying their rent it is not something I would be investing in unless I wanted it for myself.

@RebeccasFarm I gave up the landlord business about two years ago when I finally got rid of my last property and I will tell you, it is something I have absolutely no interest in ever doing again. Tenants for me were horrible people. Dirty, destructive, most never paid their rent on time, and four times I had to evict people. Holes in walls, busted toilets, broken faucets, one broke a ceiling fan, busted windows, one guy stored a motorcycle on the 2nd floor of a frigging duplex! I would not wish that nightmare on anyone. lol

@porwest thanks for sharing you've done good

@RasmaSandra I know what I am doing, but I have been doing it for years. Many times I have tried to convey that here, and other places. If I can "teach," I am always happy to try. I DO try to steer clear of "processes" and "terminology," because sometimes that confuses people. The world of investing is simple, but it can seem complicated. It really isn't complicated if you know where and how money is spent. If you know where and how money is spent, it's not that hard to find profits. It's like a simple assessment of a restaurant. "Is the food good?" I don't know... "How many cars are in the parking lot?" "Is the restaurant profitable?" "I don't know. Are the cars in the parking new cars or late model cars?" Because that will tell you what the average plate cost is and what people eating there can afford to spend.

I try to keep a bit "secretive" about who or what I am actually invested in. I think for good reason. I invest in individual businesses outside of the markets as much as I invest in publicly traded companies. I like oil, and I think even in the new environment oil should do well. I like retail, but what I will focus on there is "discount retail," since I think more people will be forced to watch budgets and look for bargains. I like things like Dollar Tree and Dollar General, and I actually think Walmart still presents a strong buy. Walmart continues to be a discount leader, they have had little impact from Coronavirus, and they are now going to be investing in fintech services which I think a LOT of people can benefit from since so many people have little access to banking and other financial services, Walmart can profit BIG TIME from this. I do own shares in Walmart. I also think companies like Kroger and fast food will do very well. I would be invested in companies like McDonald's (which always leads the way), and smaller players like Dominoes. I think delivery services will still continue to be a trend, so I am looking at companies like DoorDash, who recently IPOed. The big shift really is asking the question, "What must people HAVE?" In other words, what can people not live without? And who are the companies who deliver on those things? Food, toiletries, gasoline, cleaners etc. Clorox, by the way, is a great company. As for the lottery, I keep trying. Hopefully if I make the right assessments as to the "real world," I won't need the big win. But who knows? I just know where I want to put my money, and I think I have a pretty good handle on where any of even my own money might be spent right now, which should prove very profitable for me in the end.

@porwest When it comes to the stock market and trading I am a dummy. And so I don't feel comfortable putting money into it, especially when I can't really afford to do that anyway. I remember hearing a long time ago that bonds are safer than stocks. Is that true?

The stock market is only risky if you don't know what you are doing, so I generally disagree with that statement. There IS risk of course. But people savvy in the markets know how to MITIGATE it and COUNTER it, and can adjust their risk according to their personal tolerance. When I first bought Facebook at the IPO, it tanked. I still made money. Why? Because when it went up I bought shares. When it went down I shorted shares. In both scenarios I sold covered call options contracts on shares I owned and made money that way. Done right, it matters little what a stock does. It matters what you do with the stock regardless of what direction it is moving. THAT'S how you make money in the markets.

@lovebuglena Bonds are safer, yes. But worthless really. Hardly any return. And shame on you. Not knowing something is not reason not to learn. Before I could walk I couldn't. Before I could ride a bike I couldn't. Before I knew how to write a check I couldn't. Just giving you some jazz. It's always funny to me that so many people want more money...but when it's right there to get. No one actually wants it. And by the way, there is no such thing as "can't afford to invest." I always say, you can't afford NOT to. lol

@porwest I'm sure it is too. They have me invested in different funds.

@NJChicaa Aren't you even just a wee bit curious? I would be. But then, I AM a bit money hungry. lol

I am sure it is up, and up big time. The markets have been on a tear for at least the last four.

@porwest Yup. I remember when I was working, I played around with my 401k. Had it earning in the 20-22% range. Those were the good times!

@LindaOHio But 401ks are sooo limited. You can't really play the markets in them. But I know what you mean.

So long as you are comfortable. For MOST people, I recommend they do exactly what you are doing. For me, this will probably never be how I do it simply because I know quite a lot about all the inner workings of the markets, and that does make a difference for people like me to be able to hedge and hone and even continue to play. I have been extremely active in the markets (and all facets of it) for about 30 years. But I do also spend a lot of time doing it. For me it is almost like a 2nd job. And it pays VERY well.

Well, that stinks. lol

@Nakitakona Yeah. What gives? Are the the Filipino markets that bad there? lol

@porwest

I have considered doing that many times. Even started writing one. But I have yet to bring it to completion. Maybe one of these days. I think I can make the topic fun.

I think most people should be taking more care of even their 401ks. I always tell the story of my wife who worked at Walgreens when we met. She was a pharmacy tech there for many years. Her 401k was worth about $38,000 when I made some adjustments and took it over. By the time she left the company 8 years later that $38,000 was worth $150,000. Considering how long she was in it before I made the adjustments, in that same amount of time it may have been worth only $50,000. So paying attention definitely makes a big difference.

Some people never reposition their portfolios and do quite well. Heck, Warren Buffet is a good example of that. It all depends on what people are invested in and how comfortable they feel about the future of those investments, even when things cool down in one sector or another.

Yeah, I think value will be the strongest hitter in the coming four years. There are a lot of good companies to invest in in this area, and I think it's wise to have some cash handy to take advantage of bargains when you can find them. As for gold, I don't like physical gold, and prefer to invest in gold funds like GLD.