Is now the time to invest your $1,200 into stocks?

[BigmanPigman]

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/04/04/3-stocks-thatll-turn-your-1200-stimulus-check-into.aspx

"3 Stocks That'll Turn Your $1,200 Stimulus Check Into a Money Machine
Put your stimulus check to work in these rock-solid, high-yielding dividend stocks....
Innovative Industrial Properties, 3M and Philip Morris International"

"...for folks who have ample emergency funds, spending their stimulus checks may not be prudent. Rather, investing it could be the smarter move. After all, every bear market in history has proven to be a surefire long-term buying opportunity. The question is, what stocks will you buy with your $1,200 stimulus check?"

"Keeping in mind that risk levels vary by investor, perhaps the best move you can make is to turn your $1,200 stimulus check into a money machine. By that I mean to seek out high-yielding, rock-solid dividend stocks that'll put money in your pocket on a regular basis. Here are three such stocks that'll do exactly that for investors."

*I wish I fell into this category "ample emergency funds".

[Steelrolled]

1. I can't agree with them.

For the average Joe, the best place is a broad market, low fee, index fund. If you are fortunate to have "not gotten around to" putting money in the market, count your blessings and do it now. Could the market have another big drop? For sure, but it will recover, and it will hit new highs, eventually.

[Major Nikon]

3. I agree, but even that isn't a great move right now

The Buffett indicator is at 113.8 right now which means that despite the current bear the market is still overvalued.

Volatility is high and the market could easily lose another 20% before it starts heading back up.

[uponit7771]

13. THIS !!!

[uponit7771]

12. Do not do it now, we're 2 weeks into a 2 - 8 month process by original CDC projections

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/considerations-for-school-closure.pdf

Birx is full of shit, she's still now showing her model assumptions

[Steelrolled]

22. By the time we know we are out of the woods, the market will have already responded.

The market generally doesn't move based on the current conditions, it is always about the expectation of the future.

[Wounded Bear]

2. I have more important things to do with it than long term investments...

[Yavin4]

4. Sure. Use your stimulus checks to bail out those assholes who bought into the market at

record highs for the last three years.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. Please explain the mechanism of how that would work.

Use your stimulus checks to bail out those assholes who bought into the market at record highs for the last three years.

How? How does a completely unrelated individual buying into the market at this point "bail out those assholes"?

Because rest assured, some of those "Assholes" are just regular, working folks who regularly contributed to their 401(k)'s.

[Yavin4]

6. From 2017 thru earlier this year, the markets posted artificial highs.

Those highs were artificial because they were based on low interest rates, corporate tax cuts, and buy backs. Now, as the entire global economy is shut down, there are people hawking buying stocks now when the markets have a long, long way to fall.

If you buy now, you're buying at high prices and bailing out those asses who bought at record highs. The market will fall in the weeks to come as more negative economic news from this lockdown is reported.

The best move is to wait until it truly bottoms out.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. I understand what you just wrote, but I don't see how that's an answer to my question.

I know why the market was rising, and I know why it has fallen, but what I don't understand is how it would actually work that buying in now is bailing anyone else out?

Are you suggesting that the buying will move the market back up and thereby keep those "asses" from realizing losses?

Is that it?

No one bails anyone out of anything when they buy or sell shares of stock. I'm sorry, but I just don't see what it is you are trying to get at, other than a sort of angry point that some assholes don't deserve to make any money.

And BTW, if and when you are prepared to "call the bottom", i.e: "truly bottoms out", please let us all know.

The OP simply quoted an article from a group that one can subscribe to, and they will suggest buys and sells. They might have some decent analysts, but they don't have a crystal ball, not by any stretch.

[uponit7771]

11. Buy now helps increase their already artificially high stock prices

[former9thward]

15. Someone buying $1200 of stock does not move a stock price even a tenth of penny.

Or $12,000 or $120,000 of stock. Stock prices are moved up and down by extremely large buys of millions of dollars of a stock. Pension funds, hedge funds, Buffett, etc. Everyone else is just on for the ride up or down.

[uponit7771]

16. The amount of movement isn't relevant to the posters answer that it does help is relavent even

... if the help is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction.

[Steelrolled]

8. "The best move is to wait until it truly bottoms out."

I agree 100% - could you let me know when we are there?

[Yavin4]

18. When you start seeing only negative stories about the market

When everyone throws up their hands, that's when you buy.

[Steelrolled]

21. That happened about 10 times in the last month or so.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. I'm one of those assholes.

Wait a minute; that didn't come out right.

Also, the managers of union pension funds.

[Voltaire2]

9. Pretty much nobody who qualifies for

the full 1200 has 1200 to risk in the stock market.

[Major Nikon]

20. It's not that much of a risk

Even if right now isn’t the best time to buy, 5 years from now $1200 invested in a S&P index fund is certainly going to be worth more. As Warren Buffett said, “If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.”

[uponit7771]

10. NO !! A flat curve helps the hospitals not the economy or normality

[Chainfire]

14. The best possible return on the money

Will be to invest in America's future; invest it in Democratic elections.

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his soul?" -Mark 8:36”

[backtoblue]

19. As Wanda Sykes once said...

I don't want to put my money to work.

I want it at home, barefoot and pregnant.