School me on investments?

[mantis]

amazon targeted to see 953.00

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by mantis

amazon targeted to see 953.00

So bet everything on it?

This kind of post is an example of terrible advice.

[mantis]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

So bet everything on it?

This kind of post is an example of terrible advice.

so bet everything on it , lol, no. just sit back and watch it

[HyeWarrior]

I just found out my employer is no longer matching 401k contributions this year

[David70]

Originally Posted by HyeWarrior

I just found out my employer is no longer matching 401k contributions this year

For 2016 or are you talking about next year? Would be really odd for it to be this year as most match it per pay period.

In the end the 401k match is part of your overall package and if the package isn't as good as other places you make a decision.

As a former owner of a house with apartments I did pretty well overall with it as an investment but one thing people should consider is unlike stocks and bonds it is lot more work. You can get a company to manage it but then they are taking part of the profit and even then it's not like a stock where you just look at it when you want and can sell it today for market rate if you don't want it anymore.

[HyeWarrior]

Originally Posted by David70

For 2016 or are you talking about next year? Would be really odd for it to be this year as most match it per pay period.

In the end the 401k match is part of your overall package and if the package isn't as good as other places you make a decision.

As a former owner of a house with apartments I did pretty well overall with it as an investment but one thing people should consider is unlike stocks and bonds it is lot more work. You can get a company to manage it but then they are taking part of the profit and even then it's not like a stock where you just look at it when you want and can sell it today for market rate if you don't want it anymore.

Yea the benefit is no longer offered for the 2017 year.

My personal end goal is to own property, but that's much further down the line

[Joekerr]

Bumping an older thread.

What is everyone's outlook on ETF's vs mutual funds? To me, seems like ETF's with the lower MER are the way to go (along with other factors). Any specific ETF's everyone likes?

Anyone using a robo-advisor - which platform if so?

I'm torn, because I don't think mutual funds are the way to go, but at the same time, I have a decent chunk of change I want to invest but I don't have enough knowledge about ETF's I feel. So I'm debating robo advisor, just because then I can pick a basket that satisfies my risk tolerance, but I don't like the only bank that does robo up here, and I don't know that I trust Wealthsimple and others.

[JohnnyCanuck]

One thing I don't see mentioned in here (unless I missed it) is the use of sponsored DRIP's as a wealth accumulation tool.

In short, if you invest in equities, many companies offer sponsored dividend reinvestment plans (DRIP) to registered shareholders. Instead of receiving dividends cash, they are reinvested by the transfer agent in the company stock, often at a discount (I've seen as high as 5%) from the trading price. The real advantage is the ability to accumulate through partial shares.

For example, if the stock is trading at $30, and the per share monthly (or quarterly dividend) is $.20 and you own a 100 share block, your cash dividend is $20. However, through the DRIP, you would receive .66 shares instead of the cash (and if discounted let's say @ 5% it would be .70 shares). Next month/quarter you would be paid the dividend on 100.70 shares and which would then be reinvested. The compounding effect over time is significant.

My father accumulated significant holdings through this method from initial small investments. Especially as stocks split because your plan holdings double too.

It is an investment strategy I am following as well. Computershare is one of the major transfer agents and the list of available DRIPs is here. AST is another, their list is here.

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by Joekerr

Bumping an older thread.

What is everyone's outlook on ETF's vs mutual funds? To me, seems like ETF's with the lower MER are the way to go (along with other factors). Any specific ETF's everyone likes?

Anyone using a robo-advisor - which platform if so?

I'm torn, because I don't think mutual funds are the way to go, but at the same time, I have a decent chunk of change I want to invest but I don't have enough knowledge about ETF's I feel. So I'm debating robo advisor, just because then I can pick a basket that satisfies my risk tolerance, but I don't like the only bank that does robo up here, and I don't know that I trust Wealthsimple and others.

ETFs trade like stocks, have no load, and typically have cheaper expense ratios. Mutual funds settle at the end of the day so the price only changes once per day, not every second like an ETF or stock. There is nothing wrong with owning them.

For example:

VTI - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (ETF)
VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (Mutal Fund)

They have identical performance. The only difference is VTI costs 0.04% to own, VTSMX costs 0.15% annually. You can also buy VTI at no commission if you hold it at least 30 days. Essentially a no brainer.

I own both VTSMX and VTI, but I've transitioned over to almost all ETFs. Just easier to buy, cheaper (in some cases), and easier to trade since they are like stocks.

You can enroll in DRIP in both. You cannot buy partial shares of an ETF (as you can in mutual funds) unless it's part of a DRIP. Mutual funds also typically force you to have a minimum amount invested. Now that I wrote all this out, mutual funds are pretty worthless in comparison. Their prices might be a bit more stable in a moment of panic (doesn't matter over time).

[///M Power-Belgium]

Gold Rush .

[Joekerr]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

ETFs trade like stocks, have no load, and typically have cheaper expense ratios. Mutual funds settle at the end of the day so the price only changes once per day, not every second like an ETF or stock. There is nothing wrong with owning them.

For example:

VTI - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (ETF)
VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index (Mutal Fund)

They have identical performance. The only difference is VTI costs 0.04% to own, VTSMX costs 0.15% annually. You can also buy VTI at no commission if you hold it at least 30 days. Essentially a no brainer.

I own both VTSMX and VTI, but I've transitioned over to almost all ETFs. Just easier to buy, cheaper (in some cases), and easier to trade since they are like stocks.

You can enroll in DRIP in both. You cannot buy partial shares of an ETF (as you can in mutual funds) unless it's part of a DRIP. Mutual funds also typically force you to have a minimum amount invested. Now that I wrote all this out, mutual funds are pretty worthless in comparison. Their prices might be a bit more stable in a moment of panic (doesn't matter over time).

Well, that's basically what I've come to conclude based on my research as well. I suppose at the end of the day I'm hesitant to pull the trigger and potentially lose. Yet I don't want the miserable returns of a safe investment like a GIC which pays next to nothing.

I guess basically I need to grow a pair and pull the trigger.

I'm seeing ranges on the ETF's from around 5% to 13% (depending on timing and other factors, and only looking at one year growth which isn't indicative all the time. Have to do more research before buying.

Are those percentages in line with what you are seeing as well? Any other investment vehicles I should be considering that don't require active day to day management?

[1MOREMOD]

Buy a new Ford gt wait

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by Joekerr

Bumping an older thread.

What is everyone's outlook on ETF's vs mutual funds? To me, seems like ETF's with the lower MER are the way to go (along with other factors). Any specific ETF's everyone likes?

Anyone using a robo-advisor - which platform if so?

I'm torn, because I don't think mutual funds are the way to go, but at the same time, I have a decent chunk of change I want to invest but I don't have enough knowledge about ETF's I feel. So I'm debating robo advisor, just because then I can pick a basket that satisfies my risk tolerance, but I don't like the only bank that does robo up here, and I don't know that I trust Wealthsimple and others.

I have been thinking about this recently too as I have been investing a little over the years into a dividend equity mutual fund from Schwab. I realized they have a very similar dividend equity ETF that seems to make more sense as an investment.

[bimmer456]

Buy and Hold. Don't put too much in your 401k rather roll everything into a Roth IRA or non retirement account with your own brokerage. Then you can buy and trade individual stocks on your own. Apple stock is a good choice as it is going up all the time and it's the most valuable company in the world.

[NFiftyWon]

Sell heroine on the dark web

[BayMoWe335]

Originally Posted by Joekerr

Well, that's basically what I've come to conclude based on my research as well. I suppose at the end of the day I'm hesitant to pull the trigger and potentially lose. Yet I don't want the miserable returns of a safe investment like a GIC which pays next to nothing.

I guess basically I need to grow a pair and pull the trigger.

I'm seeing ranges on the ETF's from around 5% to 13% (depending on timing and other factors, and only looking at one year growth which isn't indicative all the time. Have to do more research before buying.

Are those percentages in line with what you are seeing as well? Any other investment vehicles I should be considering that don't require active day to day management?

Far more capital is lost waiting for a correction than the corrections themselves.

There are all kinds of ETFs with varying risk.