How much money do you have in the Stock Market?

[ThomWV]

Here's an awful personal question, how much money do you have in the Stock Market? Consider individual holdings, IRAs that are invested in stocks, Mutual Funds, maybe even "investment clubs" if any such things still exist. I ask because its commonly thought that only the rich own stocks, but in fact lots of us have savings in vehicles that eventually lead to equity ownership. So, what you got?

[kirby]

1. All my money went into Treasuries a long time ago...

I just do not trust the stock market.

[ThomWV]

6. That's where ours is heading about a week and a half from now

and depending on how the election goes it just might stay there for a long time. If the Republicans take either house the economy will fall straight into the shitter and I don't want my money going with it.

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. If I may....

Just make sure you ladder properly, and at this point, the bias should be to the very near term. Not too much in the longer term paper, as a 2.39% yield on 10 year bonds is pretty low. Keeping maturities tight and short allows you to reinvest in new paper at the end of the ladder that will have a higher coupon and higher yield as rates will trend upward..

All T-Notes and bonds are trading at a premium right now, so the return is pretty slim. If you weight the bond ladder too long, you are going to have to put up with that long portion of the ladder fluctuating wildly as time goes forward.

Just something to keep in mind.

[ThomWV]

10. Thank you ...

And I agree, rates will trend upward. Question is at what rate and for how long.

Just as an aside, don't you long for the days when you could actually get some sort of handle on how much money there actually was in the economy? On a bit of a personal note; for a number of years I was an Analyst for the Department of Energy. After 2000 the information which was the life-blood of my ability to do my job started to become less and less reliable, and then after about 2003 it became less and less available. By 2005 it was impossible for me to do my job at all because the underling economic information I needed was either not available or it had become utterly unreliable.

[A HERETIC I AM]

32. The answer to your question.....

"don't you long for the days when you could actually get some sort of handle on how much money there actually was in the economy?"

You know Thom, I never really saw the need for being made aware of that figure as it never had any effect on any investing decisions I have mde. I suppose it is certainly useful to some, it just never was to me.

An awful lot of hay has been on DU over the years about the fact that the M3 is no longer published and that haystack leans toward the conspiratorial side (not suggesting that is YOUR lean). Silly me, I am inclined to take their word for it, and the reason is, because the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank is not populated by Conspiracy minded DU'rs.

M3 does not appear to convey any additional information about economic activity that is not already embodied in M2 and has not played a role in the monetary policy process for many years. Consequently, the Board judged that the costs of collecting the underlying data and publishing M3 outweigh the benefits.

From; http://www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/h6/discm3.htm

[MilesColtrane]

2. 82% of my IRA portfolio is composed of stocks.

[Ineeda]

3. My 401k might be enough

if I live very frugally for ten more years and the market doesn't crash. After that, I'm SOL, and I hope to have at least another twenty-five years.

[hobbit709]

4. Money?

[w8liftinglady]

5. mine went to shit when I got sick...um,that's what happens.

which is why I support universal health care-you shouldn't go broke because of an illness-but it happens all the time.

[uncommon]

13. That's awful. For others who find themselves in this situation - please do not liquidate your retir

ement to pay medical bills. Medical bills are fully dischargeable in bankruptcy AND your retirement savings, if it is in a retirement plan, 401K, IRA, is exempt from being liquidated to pay your debts.

I know people want to do the "right thing" but the real right thing is to help people who are sick and not bilk them out of their retirement savings.

[closeupready]

16. Thank you for this. Many people are not even aware of

what is and what is not dischargeable, if bankruptcy becomes necessary.

[w8liftinglady]

24. it wasn't to pay medical bills-it was to survive

you know...rent,electricity...that kind of thing.One can only pawn so much.

[handmade34]

7. ...

:rofl:

[HappyMe]

9. What money? nt

[cbdo2007]

11. Question for those of you with no money in the stock market....

Do you not have extra money to invest? If you do invest, what do you prefer? Were you in the stock market until the 2008 crash and then got out? Just curious.

[closeupready]

17. Like a lot of people, I've seen too much Wall Street crap and shell games

that I have absolutely ZERO trust in what ANY of them say about the direction of the market, or what stocks are likely to rise or fall.

You have to remember - the paramount concern of every Wall Street banker is #1 - i.e., themselves and their own wealth.

[cbdo2007]

18. I'm with you, in that I don't trust what others say about the Stock Market....

so I took it into my own hands and started reading Stock Market books to learn how to pick good stocks myself. It takes some time and some practice but is now very rewarding, so it's working out well for me.

I'm just curious of the people not in the market then, where do you invest? In bonds or currency or gold or real estate or just a savings account?

[closeupready]

19. Money market for me. I have a friend who has a 401(k)

invested in a "conservative" mutual fund - over the same time frame in absolute terms, I've gained something like 4%; he's lost 30% (or more).

[HappyMe]

20. No extra money to invest.

If I had a few extra bucks, I would not invest it. Can't afford to lose even a dime.

[InvisibleTouch]

22. No knowledge of investing. Wouldn't know where to start. n/t

[cbdo2007]

25. Here is a good place to start:

http://www.amazon.com/Neatest-Little-Guide-Market-Investing/dp/0452295823/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286393472&sr=8-1

The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing by Jason Kelly - $10.88 at Amazon and worth every penny!

Over the past few years I've read or at least glanced through just about every book on stock investing at my local library and on Amazon and this is by far the best one in helping you understand the market and how to get started without having to spend hours and hours a week researching companies and stocks.

Really, there is no better way to make money over the long term so even if you just start small and keep adding money through the years you'll be amazed at how much you can accumulate.

[InvisibleTouch]

30. Thanks for the reference!

I will check it out. Hope it's written for someone who truly knows absolutely *nothing* about finances. I know when I'm broke and I know when I'm not-broke, and that's about it. :)

[A HERETIC I AM]

31. cbdo2007 touches on something very important for you to remember....

Really, there is no better way to make money over the long term so even if you just you'll be amazed at how much you can accumulate.

One point he alludes to, a method actually, is called "Dollar Cost Averaging" and he refers to when he said "start small and keep adding money through the years".

The primary reason most equity mutual fund owners that are 401(k) participants or regular contributors to any investment account see large gains over time is that basically they buy constantly, through ups and downs. The use of 401(k) plans is one perfect way to Dollar Cost Average because you are buying shares of the same thing every single paycheck, so when prices of mutual funds are low, you get more shares for a given contribution. You reinvest dividends, capital gains and any interest payments from your investments and the return over the span over a decade or two can be dramatic.

[cbdo2007]

40. I thought it was a good read when I was starting out....

but if it is still too advanced for you, then here's a much easier strategy.

Go to www.Fidelity.com and open an account with them. Pick out one of their ETF's and have a set amount transferred from your bank account each month directly into the fund. Wait 40 years and retire semi-rich. This is very easy and is free for each trade.

You may or may not as big of gains you would see with individual stocks, heck, I even think individual stocks are FUN because it's exciting to research the companies and then to profit when you've made a good choice, but you should see fairly consistent gains over the long term and through dollar cost averaging.

Good luck!

[cbdo2007]

42. Sorry, I meant www.Vanguard.com not Fidelity, though many places will work ok.

I just happen to prefer Vanguard and had Fidelity on the brain because of some old finance stuff I was looking through last night.

[InvisibleTouch]

43. If I wait 40 years...

...I will be 80! :)

Still, I need to educate myself a bit about this stuff, and will definitely look into your references. Thanks!

[cbdo2007]

44. Hahaha, sorry!! Ok, put more $$$ in each month and sell in 20 years.

Sorry, bad assumption on my part. :)

[Dappleganger]

27. No. Yes, we were in it and had to get out.

My husband was off work and we had to pay for health insurance (huge bill), plus other expenses due to possible moving which never happened. We had a decent savings account and went through that as well. We did not buy "in the bubble" but took a large paycut and our utilities costs have tripled over the past 9 years. We're doing our best to stay a half-step ahead.

[slackmaster]

12. Nice bimodal distribution developing here

Peaks at slim-to-no stocks and $100K - $500K.

[ThomWV]

14. 'Betcha if you looked at the age distribution you'd see a match

[closeupready]

15. Zero.

Money market only. And I'm glad it is.

[mcollins]

21. I stopped gambling some time ago. nt

[ThomWV]

23. Really? And how is investment in the Stock Market a form of gambling?

Other than that nothing in life is certain just how is savings by way of investment a gamble? I would think that not putting something away would be a much greater gamble, sort of like folks who think a Lottery Ticket is their best bet at a retirement plan.

[Dappleganger]

26. That would be all of it...

which is a big fat NADA. :shrug:

[bvar22]

28. We listened to the "sky is falling" people in 2006.

Cashed out.
Sold everything.
Bought Bubble Proof rural Property.
Moved to The Woods.
Planted a BIG Garden.
So far, so good!

[bemildred]

29. Nothin' but cash-like things, not since 2008. nt

[donheld]

33. HA!

[Billwelles]

34. How much money do you have in the Stock Market?

If you are investing in stocks on your own, I would say that $2,500 is a good start. That way you could have $500 in five different stocks and be diversified. But even $500 to begin with is okay

[hyphenate]

35. At about $14,000 a year, it would be ludicrous for me

to even think about the stock market.

I do, however, succumb to buying SuperLotto or Mege Millions tickets every now and then.

[Swamp Rat]

36. Even if I was a brazillionnaire, I would not invest one cent in the U.S. Stock Market.

Not one peso... not even a wooden nickel.

[petronius]

37. I know how much we put in our IRAs etc each month, but I've been afraid

to look at the bottom line for a few years now. Pretty sure I chose the accurate option...

[Rex]

38. None. As far as I am concerned Wall Street is an evil failure of economics.

Now commodities...

[miyazaki]

39. I have half of what I used to have. The other half went down the toilet.

USA! USA!

[JustAnotherGen]

41. I'm in the

100K club. Partly due to a single women's investment club I belong to, some are inherited, some my dad transferred to my brother and I when he retired (stock from one company options we acted upon from another), I used to work for a Pre-IPO VoIP PBX manufacturer and made peanuts - so they paid me in stock and ca-chinged when they were bought out by a larger company . . .and 10% of my 401K is in stocks.