diff --git "a/reddit_finance_43_250k_464.txt" "b/reddit_finance_43_250k_464.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/reddit_finance_43_250k_464.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,10000 @@ + + + + +**EDIT: Wow, I was hoping for maybe 3 or 4 people to weigh in. Thanks to everyone that responded, I'm reading every single post! Lots of good stuff to think about. Here's what I have gleaned so far-** + +* Emergency fund. Emergency Fund. **EMERGENCY FUND**! A pretty big one, but not too big. Got it. +* Pay off the 401K loan. +* Talk to a real professional like a CFP. +* There is no rush to take further steps, research, know what I am doing before making any snap decisions. + +After that, consensus is a little less clear. + +* Investing the max amount of the inheritance possible is the best way to maximize the money. Doing otherwise I'm a chump giving up hundreds of thousand in "theoretical" gain. +* Paying off the mortgage is safer for the security of my family baring unforeseen disaster. I'm a gambler playing with my family's future I don't do this. +* I definitely should sell the condo. Its in the way of everything! +* I definitely should NOT sell the condo. Its the only way of making any money at all! + + + + +I have been trading for a while and for the past few months I've been going especially hard and making great profits. but now i feel worn out, and whenever i look at charts i don't see anything and feel confused therefore since september i have not opened a position. do any of you ever go through the same? If yes, how do you deal with it? +I just got crushed from seel. But guess what? Bought at a point with no support, seen the uncertainty of the price action but still held. Emotions is something you learn over time, I'm trying to calm myself as im in trades. They got the best of me and my mental stop loss went down the drain and I didnt sell. Good thing im only messing around with a small amount of money otherwise my loss woulda been tramendous. To all the new traders, you may think you're on top one day because you had a 2% winner, reality will strike you. Learn from your mistakes, make a spreadsheet with every trade on it. Mark what you did right and what you did wrong. Continue your strategy, refine it, refine yourself, and anything is possible. Dont let losses kill you, losses should be the best learning tool you have, it's all part of the game. + +Sorry for rant... + +Tldr: learn from your losses +Hi! I'm just curious to see people's opinions on trading morning vs afternoon. + +I'm working my day job until 1pm currently and don't even sit down at my trading desk until about 1:30 - 2:00 these days. + +Back when I was trading the morning It was pretty easy to be profitable, but now it feels like I'm working twice as hard to maintain that same profitability, although nothing really seems to change about the stocks I'm trading. + +Al I know is I definitely feel more pressure to perform well when I sit down and only have like 90 minutes to trade after the time it takes to set up. + +Have y'all experimented with trading AM vs PM? If so what are your opinions on it? Would love to know if there's any factor of the market at play here or if it's soley psychology. + +Thanks! +Harness the power of the DAO's crowd wisdom via predictive forecasting. We have probably more than 10,000 voting members. If possible, or if it makes sense. We should build our own custom voting platform, something like Gnosis or Augurs predictive forcasting platform to vote on proposals ? +Welcome to the **/r/EthTrader** Daily Discussion thread. The thread guidelines are as follows: +*** + +- Discussion topics include but are not limited to general discussion, details related to events of the day, technical analysis, Ethereum Classic, and minor questions. +- Important content should be posted as a separate thread. +- Be excellent to each other. + +*** + +Thank you in advance for your participation. Enjoy! + +As the title says, my parents have a large amount of money in low-interest bank accounts however, they are considering investing around 100L AUD probably half in BTC, Half in ETH. What would be the best way to trade, store the crypto and manage taxes. +I understand that bitcoin went up and that ETH is pegged more to the $ price and therefore lowers in satoshi's but 12k is insanely low. I lost like 250 BTC worth in this last month due to the bitcoin price rising. I am getting kinda worried even though I invested an amount that I can affort to lose. Any pro tips? +My friend uses a script to trade and wire transfer via Gemini (wire transfer done through saved Gemini banking profile). **Gemini has since changed their banking info and have not emailed people about the change**. You would have to manually do wire transfers to see that their info has changed. + +* If you complete a wire transfer by mistake, then expect a -$30 (initial wire transfer) + -$40 (refund transfer) + -$30 (second wire transfer) fee resulting in a net loss of -$100. + + +Welcome to the **/r/EthTrader** Daily Discussion thread. The thread guidelines are as follows: +*** + +- Discussion topics include but are not limited to general discussion, details related to events of the day, technical analysis, Ethereum Classic, and minor questions. +- Important content should be posted as a separate thread. +- Be excellent to each other. + +*** + +Thank you in advance for your participation. Enjoy! + +Welcome to the **/r/EthTrader** Daily Discussion thread. The thread guidelines are as follows: +*** + +- Discussion topics include but are not limited to general discussion, details related to events of the day, technical analysis, Ethereum Classic, and minor questions. +- Important content should be posted as a separate thread. +- Be excellent to each other. + +*** + +Thank you in advance for your participation. Enjoy! + +I’ve been losing money non stop the last couple of months. I know growth stocks have been hit the hardest while everything else is going up. Has anyone else been hit hard the last couple of months? And does anyone know when this shit storm end? Man I’ve been getting pummeled continuously and it’s just honestly sad. I’m about to sell everything and just dump my money into VTI or VOO and forget about it for the next 3-4 years at this point. Stocks in holding such as IPOE, XONE, STEM, MP, and FCEL have been continuously getting pummeled and I just feel annoyed at this point. I don’t know how much longer this shit storm will last. Even ARK ETFs have been struggling. +We FI/REd last year. I'm 42, and was vaguely concerned that I was robbing myself of significant future SS retirement benefits. But I was so sick of work, I pulled the plug before really looking into it because, well, we were FIRE. + +So I finally did the Social Security math today. + +**Methodology:** I used http://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/AnypiaApplet.html and plugged in my earnings record from a 2010 SS statement + earnings for subsequent years. I swept the following: + +* SS retirement ages from 62 to 70 +* annual salary for just *one* additional year of work from $0 to $150k +* annual salary for going back to work every year 2016+ from $10k to $150k (until I begin taking SS payouts). + +FYI: I've paid into SS for 27 years, 19 of which were for career level, regular FT jobs. (Edit: 16 of which were years where I maxed out SS contributions. 8 of the 27 years ranged from $100 to $3000, so effectively zero dollar years for the purposes of the 'average earnings over top 35 earning years' calculation) + +**The main take away:** waiting a year to take SS is more lucrative in terms of monthly payment than is going back to work for ONE year. However, going back to work full time until retirement at 70 has the largest effect (well, duh). Here are some numbers. + +**Other Take-Aways:** + +* Baseline: If I never work again and collect SS retirement benefits at age 62 I'll receive $1425 a month, but if I wait until 70 I'll receive $2500 a month. +* If I work one additional FT year* between now and taking SS retirement benefits, I'll boost my monthly payout by $50-85 ($50 if I take benefits at 62 y.o., $85 if I take benefits at 70). +* Each year I delay taking benefits adds between $92 and $160 per month ($92 delaying from 62 to 63 y.o., and $160 delaying 69 to 70 y.o.) +* If I go back to work *very part time* and make $10k per year going forward, I boost my SS payout approx the same level as going back to work FT for one year. +* Going back to work FT and then taking benefits at 62 increases my monthly benefit by ~~$300~~ $500. +* Going back to work FT and then taking benefits at 70 increases my monthly benefit by ~$900 versus not working another day in my life and taking benefits at 70. +* Going back to work FT and then taking benefits at 70 increases my monthly benefit by ~$2000 versus not working another day in my life and taking benefits at 62. + + + +\* Working FT = earning a wage where, by year end, I max out SS withholding. + +$2000 per month sounds like a lot to be leaving on the table, but it comes at a cost of 26 years of full time work! + +I just thought I'd share since this has been nagging at me, and it's not some simple calculation like the 4% SWR or the rule of 72. I thought some of y'all might have wondered the same thing. + +edits: formatting, ordering, a couple typos ... and this data I typed up in a reply: + +Some data: + +Col A *WorkWork* is me working to ~~full~~ early retirement age (36 yrs by 62) + +Col B *One Year Break (OYB)* is me taking 2015 off then work til retirement age (35 yrs by 62) + +Col C *One More Year (OMY)* =FIREing Dec 2015, never working again + +Col D *Freebird* is me FIREing Dec 2014 and never working again (my actual scenario) + +You can see that the difference of columns A and B are only a few dollars / effectively the same. I believe that is because for both cases, I've done my 35 max out years prior to hitting 62, and the $150k I assume I earn in 2015 is just slightly bringing up my average. Here: + + work 2015+ work 2016+ work thru work thru + ($0 2015) Dec 2015 Dec 2014 + A B C D + *WorkWork* *OYB* *OMY* *Freebird* + --------- ---------- --------- ------------ + 62 $1946 $1940 $1473 $1425 + 63 $2078 $2073 $1569 $1517 + ... + 65 $2408 $2405 $1813 $1753 + ... + 68 $2826 $2823 $2119 $2050 + 69 $3053 $3049 $2287 $2212 + 70 $3466 $3462 $2594 $2509 + +This chart tells me that if I work just one additional year in my life (Column C vs D), it will boost my SS payment by between $48 (age=62) and $85 (age=70). + +Whereas, never working again, and delaying SS payments by a year can boost monthly payout by $93 or $300 depending which year to year sequence I choose (62 to 63 = $93) ... (69 to 70 = nearly $300) + +As far as I can tell, there's no way to tell the calc that I want to pay into the system til 62 but not collect benefits til 70. + +Super sad about what happened...he had a heart attack and was only 55 years old. That got me thinking about my family. We just bought a home in Southern California and def need 2 income for us to pay mortgage. I started worry if something awful happened and one of us died, we would be able to pay off the house not even with the insurances we got through our employer. Plus we have a 18 month old toddler to care for and 2 Goldens. Should we be having another life insurance outside of our employer? If so what package should we be buying? How do we ensure that the other will not feel the burden especially our daughter? Many thanks +While I’ve made and lost money here and there on option trading spy and blue chips, I categorized my P/L the other day and found penny stocks was where all my money was really coming in from. From SPEX to AYTU to UAVS to now MVIS, THANK YOU!!! To those looking deep for random fucking press conferences that make irrelevant companies noon out of no where!! +I dont get why more people dont do this. + +I dont have savings account, no emergency fund. + +All my savings is in bitcoin, bitcoin is my savings account yet i see most people allocate 10-20% of their money to bitcoin. + +I dont do stocks, no real estate too. + +I am 100% in bitcoin, am I being dumb ? +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +My girlfriend works 3 days per week and is terrible with money, literally 2% SR if even. + +I'm busting my a$$ 60% SR and I get constant side remarks about my saving habits, I'm not stingy I pay for meals, holidays etc I'm just not dumb with money and buy shit I don't need... This has made me consider dumping her, I've thought about it over the past few days and I think long term it is not feasible to keep it going. + +Have any of you broke up with someone over their saving habits ? +I hate the feeling but at the same time I'm relieved it finally happened. We all knew a 30% dip was coming. If not now it would have happened at $100K. Probably will happen at $100K! This price action is totally normal for bitcoin, my resilience atrophies during the bull runs. +Hi everyone, I am hoping someone can tell me if I have the ability to change my current mortgage lender. Back story, wife and I bought a home 4 years ago and recently refinanced to lock in a lower rate. After the refinance we had Wells Fargo and everything was fine. We could set up automatic payments, pay bi-weekly to help pay the mortgage off sooner all the good stuff. Well after a few months they sold our mortgage to another lender. It happens and I wouldn’t normally care accept now we can’t do anything that we could do before. Like make no-weekly payments. They actual sent a letter saying we know what your trying to do, but we don’t allow that. We also can’t set up an automatic payment for just the full balance every month. It has just turned into a pain in the ass to have to remember to pay the mortgage every month. So my question is can I request a different lender? Or am I stuck until someone it’s out my loan from these twats? +I posted a while back about getting a second full time job and you guys were very supportive and a few asked for an update so here goes. Not sure to make post long or short but I can elaborate if anyone’s interested. + +Pros: +1) Paid off roughly 1/4 of my overall CC debt in three months which turned my 3 year plan into a 1.5 year plan. + +2) My credit score shot up over 60 points as I prioritized my highest balance to available credit instead of paying off my smaller cards first + +3) Made my short term goal of having 1K in my savings account. I constantly would deposit into my savings just to withdraw it shortly after to pay bills before + +4) Got to splurge on my wife and I a little bit without using any credit cards + +Cons: + +1) No sleep lol literally 2-4 hours of sleep on most days with some back to back to back shifts which was honestly insane + +2) Less time with the wife which sucks big time but did make the time we spent together more meaningful in a way + +3) Postponed a vacation due to not having any time off in the 2nd job + +4) Gained like 10 pounds from eating more fast food and got away from my prepped meals which in turn led to generally spending more on food + +Conclusion: + +My body responded better than I anticipated with the extra work load as I managed to stay awake without a problem but I did have more headaches and heartburn. I definitely feel for those that have to do this out of necessity and can’t just walk away like I’m about to do. Overall I would have wished I did this sooner when I was just a bit younger but I do believe the pros outweigh the cons as long as you’re feeling healthy and not driving sleepy. My #1 job is in retail so I’ll have to resign from my #2 job soon as in the hours will start interfering and I can’t risk losing my main job. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and be safe everyone! +**$1.6B +** incoming Bitcoin buy incoming and people are selling 🤣🤣 + +&#x200B; + +[Bloomberg caption](https://preview.redd.it/w7lm5klsr3471.png?width=680&format=png&auto=webp&s=1a32c2fb022a7d6b2e6530789df39fd1c29b8a81) + +Source: [https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/microstrategy-boosts-bitcoin-linked-junk-bond-to-500-million](https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/microstrategy-boosts-bitcoin-linked-junk-bond-to-500-million) + +&#x200B; + +Related: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/nvbktx/microstrategy\_mstr\_bond\_offering\_to\_buy\_bitcoin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/nvbktx/microstrategy_mstr_bond_offering_to_buy_bitcoin/) +I’m working your typical 9-5 scientist job going in and out everyday only to play games and be with the miss on weekends and life has been pretty monotonous. Ever since I started actually buying stocks and ETFs my life has been more... exciting? I don’t think I’m necessarily enjoying seeing my portfolio go red like it is now but the highs of seeing a 20% green always makes the next day exciting. I hope I’m not getting a gambling addiction or something. +BTC is widely considered to be a strong hedge against inflation and a failing economy (as is crypto in general) - primarily due to capped total supplies or deflationary tokenomics. + +In extreme scenarios i.e. third-world, developing or war-torn nations, this is undoubtedly true. BTC offers an economic lifeline to those in, e.g., Venezuela, who experienced +65,000% inflation in 2018. + +But what about in developed nations? Is there any evidence for this assertion? + +Historically, BTC's correlation to traditional assets has been low to non-existent, as tabulated and visualised below: + +|*Year*|*2020*|*2019*|*2018*|*2017*|*2016*|*2015*|*2014*|*2013*| +|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-| +|**S&P 500**|0.22|\-0.09|0.04|\-0.01|\-0.01|0.01|\-0.03|\-0.12| +|**U.S. Bonds**|0.07|0|\-0.03|0.04|0.04|\-0.06|0.04|0.1| +|**Gold**|0.34|0.14|\-0.02|0.01|0.07|0.04|\-0.08|\-0.04| +|**U.S. Real Estate**|0.17|\-0.09|\-0.03|0.04|\-0.03|0.01|\-0.01|\-0.1| +|**Oil**|0.23|0.02|0|0.06|0.03|0|0|\-0.03| +|**Emerging Market Currencies**|0.25|\-0.02|0.07|\-0.04|\-0.07|\-0.04|\-0.03|\-0.07| + +[Annual correlation to BTC. Source: VanEck, Feb 2021.](https://preview.redd.it/f78ysycyhre71.png?width=1221&format=png&auto=webp&s=f386fad5d1a75ae7bfb38bb9d9e5a360de2b4d24) + +However, in 2020, this correlation began to strengthen - with BTC now displaying, in particular, a moderate correlation (0.34) to Gold (a classical hedge). Interestingly, these correlations, so far, have weakened in 2021. + +To put this into perspective, the S&P 500 showed a correlation to U.S. Real Estate and Oil of 0.73 and 0.34 respectively (between 2012-2020). + +**Conclusion**: BTC typically moves independently of the wider economy, as expected for a niche and nascent market. But as institutional investment increases and the space grows, this may no longer be true going forward. + +Does this mean you can safely ignore the wider economy? **NO!** + +The above data shows *global* correlations. BTC has and will always show *local* correlations: + +[Correlation between S&P 500 and BTC. March-August 2020 i.e. COVID-19.](https://preview.redd.it/vctr37h2jre71.png?width=860&format=png&auto=webp&s=c31c5f8dcd42daa67c2c19a7b88ac761502208be) + +There is no causation here. The S&P 500 and BTC simply respond to the same macro-economic stimuli - inflation/liquidity injections, world events (e.g. COVID-19) and so forth. **In times of economic uncertainty, people will liquidate assets regardless of what those assets are.** + +It's also important to remember that BTC was created in response to the last, significant crash (2008). BTC will be battle-tested now going into 2022 - arguably for the first time - as the full effects of COVID-19 and reckless federal reserve policy hit. + +Ultimately, if the economy crashes, so will BTC. There is no way around that - the economy will take everything with it. + +**Is BTC truly a hedge against a failing economy?** IMO, not yet or it remains to be seen, but it has potential. This subreddit is an echo chamber and it's easy to have tunnel-vision when investing in crypto - as if no other economies or assets exist. My advice to you is to avoid this, educate yourselves and keep an eye on the wider economy. It *will* affect your portfolio. +Given the current environment and with the past two days wiping out many new traders, I feel that it is appropriate to post my Rules of Risk Management, which have been requested by others on previous posts. + +As a former fund manager and trader/investor with two decades of experience under my belt, here are the rules I have developed for myself concerning the trading of options: + +**1) Never invest with money that you cannot afford to lose.** This is the cardinal rule of risk management. + +**2) Limit your overall exposure in any single position** (this includes multiple directional positions on the same underlying) to a maximum percentage of your portfolio that does not exceed 1% for larger accounts ($100k+) and 2.5% for smaller accounts ($10k and below). + +**3) Always analyze the direction of implied volatility prior to entering a trade.** Only look at debit strategies when IV percentile is low and only look at credit generating strategies when IV percentile is high. In situations where you decide to take a directional trade (bullish or bearish), the use of spreads is recommended when IV is elevated as this will negate much of the risk associated with both Vega (volatility decay) and Theta (time decay). + +**4) Longer time horizons are advisable in selecting expiration dates for debit positions** and the use of shorter duration credit spreads can significantly reduce your risk, thus elevating your probability of profit. + +**5) Where liquidity is concerned - only trade options that are highly liquid**, meaning that they have high open interest and, thus, tighter bid and ask spreads, which will significantly lower the slippage on each trade you take. + +**6) Asymmetry of risk - only enter debit positions that offer 2 or more units of potential reward for every unit of risk.** This means that if you're risking $1 on a trade, your potential return should be at least $2. For credit positions, this is not feasible, thus, the tradeoff becomes taking in a credit with an exceptionally high probability of profit, which provides a positive expected value on the trade (for those of you unfamiliar with the term expected value - there's this thing called Google). + +**7) Maintaining a cash position of greater than 50% of your portfolio value is always advisable** (I personally maintain 80% cash at all times). You never know when a position is going to go against you or when an exceptional trade/investment opportunity will arise, thus you want to be in a position of optionality with respect to taking a new favourable position or adjusting an existing one. + +**8) Scale into your positions by laddering your orders.** This is especially important for those with larger account sizes since you can attain much better average prices on your positions by buying incrementally (or selling credit positions incrementally). For example, if you have $1,000 to allocate to a single position (assuming a portfolio value in excess of $100k), you can allocate $250 in 4 separate orders (or $500 in 2 separate orders). Conversely, when selling your positions, you should always scale out, which will allow you to ride your winners much longer than you normally would by incrementally taking risk off the table, which detaches you emotionally from your trade. + +**9) Manage your emotions and avoid FOMO.** Option trading is a strategic game that should be done with much care, patience, and discipline. By managing your emotions and working strategically, as a trader, you will develop a pattern of decision-making, which is integral to your profitability and success over a long time horizon. FOMO is a terrible thing because it causes you to chase trades that have already passed you by. Focus on your trades, not what everyone else is doing. + +**10) Put aside money for taxes and live within your means.** Assuming you follow the above rules (and have a solid fundamental understanding of how options and the financial markets work), you should see profits in the long run, which means that you need to be disciplined in squirrelling away money for tax purposes (so that JPow and his band of merry morons can continue giving it away to those of you who are living off of everyone else). Read up on the tax laws where you reside and if you're generating enough profits, hire a proper accountant to take care of your taxes for you. + +**Bonus rule:** Document all of your trades in a trade journal - if you DM me, I'd be happy to send you a copy of the excel template I use. + +\----- + +Godspeed and if you're serious about making your money work for you long-term instead of working for your money long-term, memorize these rules and apply them. Or don't, and continue chasing tendies like the majority of undisciplined individuals I've come across while repeatedly saying "would you like fries with that?". + +The choice is yours. + +TL:DR - SPY 300P for 09/08 (this is a joke, of course). +# Phoenix Rising Companies + +Presently Resort Savers INC, or RSSV on OTCQB. + +Phoenix Rising is an acquisition and investment company with its home in Puchong Malaysia which operates in three segments, the e-commerce platform **Admall** centered around health and wellbeing, and its energy sector, composed of **Tieshan Oil** and the **Wandi coal mining project.** + +&#x200B; + +# The amazing financials + +To understand why I have such high hopes for RSSV it's important to understand the **share structure:** + +RSSV curently has **128 million outstanding shares,** of which around **60%** **are restricted** (76 milllion)**,** leaving it with a total of **52 million unrestricted shares,** which at the current price of 0.11 a share, **makes the market cap 14 million USD,** keep this number in mind as it will be proof of how undervalued the company is. + +&#x200B; + +**The revenue:** + +I am going to first cover RSSVs pre-covid results, starting 2018 the company reported 39 million in revenue, in 2019 this number became 37 million but with a much higher profit margin of 1,8 million and in the last available anual report in OTCMARKETS.COM starting 2020 it **reported 30 million in sales with 1,5 million profit.** + +I believe these numbers are representative of the amount that RSSV can pull in with Tieshan Oil and Admall during regular activity, not counting its upcoming Wandi Coal Mine project. This I why I believe that the company is extremely undervalued, **with Assets far outweighing the Debt and its sure recovery from the COVID disaster there is no reason why a company that can bring in 30 million in revenue in a single year, without the new projects and catalysts, should be worth a measly 14 million.** + +&#x200B; + +**The impact of the COVID pandemic:** + +RSSV has had huge price spikes in both directions due to stock splits, but what is less noticeable in the chart due to it's huge highs/lows in the **enormous impact the pandemic had on its finances**, bringing the price down from 2-3 usd to where it currently sits at 0.11. Revenue reflects this as the enormous decrease in the demand for Oil and its tremendous price plunge puts RSSV revenue as a speck of what is was pre-pandemic, however **the company has not only survived the pandemic but it continues to have revenue and even operating profits**, and has a strong outlook for the future. + +Furthermore this data is very encouraging as its proof that, with **oil prices steadily rising as they are**, RSSV will soon start the steady rise of it's own, making it a great opportunity when coupled with the downfall that all penny stocks have had in the last week. + +&#x200B; + +[Oil prices per barrel since 2016, guess where the pandemic hit?](https://preview.redd.it/3fpub3hnwui61.png?width=840&format=png&auto=webp&s=296ff45813d12e16e922b3a74d37558008c44a81) + +&#x200B; + +# Some great catalysts: + +# Guaranteed catalysts: + +&#x200B; + +**The Big Boy, the Wandi Coal Mine:** + +**Fully acquired** by stock in 2020 the Wandi Coal mine is the next big project for RSSV and it is set to become the company's biggest money maker by a long shot, it consists of a resource deposit of 24.005 million tons of clean, low-sulfur, thermal coal, most of which is (80-90% is attainable). The production scope is 0.9 million tons/year which would **bringing the company an estimated 100 million in revenue per year** in addition to that produced by Admall and Tieshan oil. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/1501m9dbsui61.png?width=452&format=png&auto=webp&s=39a94f5f7badd11b218bb0dba18cc37d21c41f93 + +In addition, china is moving towards a green future, which seems negative for the project but is in fact the contrary as **Wandi meets the requirement to operate under the new clean energy guidelines** which will wipe out a lot of its competition and further rise its revenue as coal still has huge demand in the country. **China has already closed over 1200 ilegal coal mines** in the country and more are sure to follow as the government cracks down on those that don't meet the standars. + +&#x200B; + +Furthermore, the business plan for the mine reflects the Phoenix name change(below) as it incorporates a modern and efficient strategy, by contracting **some of chinas best miners as subsidiaries** in order to reduce expenses and risk, and **having coal pre-sold** in order to further lower extracting expenses and optimizing production. In addition there is little investment in machinery as the stock adquisiton of Wandi includes a lot of the assets required for coal mining. + +&#x200B; + +The announcement of the opening of the mine is expected sometime this year as preparations are already on their way. + +&#x200B; + +**The name change to Phoenix Rising Companies:** + +RSSV is currently waiting on **FINRA approval** for it's official name change to get rid of the current Resort Savers name and change to Phoenix rising so it can better reflect its business strategy, even if it looks like a simple name change, investors have been waiting for some time for this name change to be processed and it has become representative of the positive outlook and change for the company. + +The name change could occur at any time. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/g92dc9strui61.png?width=567&format=png&auto=webp&s=0e225c2e2ea17523da4f29b1aaf97a8cee404272 + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +# Possible current catalysts: + +**The adquisition of 99 Technologies:** + +In 2020 RSSV expressed its interest of obtaining **99 Holdings and 99 Technologies**, which **specializes in decontamination and disinfecting**, it currently has 27 pattents and is based in Europe, which would turn Phoenix into a global company with it's first physical expansion out of China. + +With the global impact it is needless to say that a company like 99 **has huge potential** as goverments world-wide will become paranoid with the though of another pandemic and spend enormous quantities in desease control, such as the innovative products of 99, which include **The HyperDRYMist ®,** a non-toxic, non-corrosive, and environmentally safe disinfectant solution based on hydrogen peroxide which is dissolved in the air through high-level automated bio-decontamination devices, generating an ultrafine biocidal mist to kill numerous patogens, basically an airborne and safe disease killer which would be prefered by the European Union. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +**Conclusion and TLDR:** + +Phoenix Rising Companies (RSSV) is an acquisition company that is in the process of coming back from the pandemic downfall and also has new and exciting projects and catalyst ahead, I believe this is a mid-long term hold and is currently extremely undervalued, even when ignoring catalyst. + +&#x200B; + +**Note**: I will probably be doing a bigger DD specifically of the **Wandi Coal Mine**, as I believe I don't do it justice here. + +**This is not financial advice, I am no financial expert and always, ALWAYS do your own DD before buying Pennystocks as they carry a significant risk.** + +&#x200B; + +EDIT (sources): + +[https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/RSSV/overview](https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/RSSV/overview) \- For financials and trustworthiness. + +[https://phoenix-cos.com/](https://phoenix-cos.com/) \- For basic info + +[https://phoenix-cos.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/RSSV-Investor-PPT-5.7-pdf-version-1.pdf](https://phoenix-cos.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/RSSV-Investor-PPT-5.7-pdf-version-1.pdf) \- for additional info and future projects + +[http://www.99technologies.ch/investors-relations/restricted-access-section/](http://www.99technologies.ch/investors-relations/restricted-access-section/) \- 99tech website + +[https://www.gem.wiki/China\_and\_coal#Peabody\_Energy\_announces\_large\_coal\_project\_in\_China](https://www.gem.wiki/China_and_coal#Peabody_Energy_announces_large_coal_project_in_China) \- For information on coal production in China + +[https://www.macrotrends.net/2516/wti-crude-oil-prices-10-year-daily-chart](https://www.macrotrends.net/2516/wti-crude-oil-prices-10-year-daily-chart) \- for the current oil price + +[https://admall.life/](https://admall.life/) \- Admall website +Hi guys, as you probably know I'm Venezuelan "living" here, been posting these updates since 2018. + +Last weeks exchange rate increased from less than 6 Bs. per USD to almost 8 Bs. per USD. + +Monthly minimum wage has been a wild ride, from 1 USD monthly to 30 USD and now around 16 USD. + +Average wage is around 100 USD monthly. + +For weeks now the average BTC trade is around 30-35 BTC, remember this is only measured using LocalBitcoin not because I want, they are the only ones that make stat public. Binance, Airtm and Reserve are also used here. Years ago the value reached 2,000 BTC. + +One BTC is around 160,000 Bs. (Bolivares) right now! Almost a year ago government removed by law 6 zeroes, so it would have been 160,000,000,000 "old" Bs. + +People use crypto to escape Bolivares, also some people receive remittances from abroad like that, and miners to exchange they payments (as electricity is technically free). + +Some sources, + +[https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2022/04/21/is-venezuela-doing-better/](https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2022/04/21/is-venezuela-doing-better/) + +[https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2022/04/20/the-bizarre-figures-of-venezuelas-economic-recovery/](https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2022/04/20/the-bizarre-figures-of-venezuelas-economic-recovery/) + +[https://coin.dance/volume/localbitcoins/VED/BTC](https://coin.dance/volume/localbitcoins/VED/BTC) + +[https://coin.dance/volume/localbitcoins/VED](https://coin.dance/volume/localbitcoins/VED) + +[https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2020/10/23/you-need-285-minimum-wages-in-venezuela-to-feed-your-family/](https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2020/10/23/you-need-285-minimum-wages-in-venezuela-to-feed-your-family/) + +[https://localbitcoins.com/country/VE](https://localbitcoins.com/country/VE) + +[https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-venezuela-cafe-con-leche-index/](https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-venezuela-cafe-con-leche-index/) +I'm shopping around for a mortgage and have been talking to three different lenders. + +I went in to see one guy and have him run my numbers and see what he could offer me. + +When he finished calculating he asked me how his interest rate compared with other offers I had gotten and I told him honestly that it was in the ballpark, but slightly higher than the other two. + +Then he said, "well, give me a reason why I should give you the best rate possible." + +And I honestly didn't know what to say to that. In the end I think I said something like, "well wouldn't you want to offer me the best rate possible so I have an increased likelihood of using you for my mortgage?" + +And he kind of laughed at that and started talking about how he hates working with people who only care about the numbers and people need to understand that there's a lot more to a mortgage than just the lowest interest rate, etc. + +To be honest, it was really strange and off putting to me. Why would he tell me to "give him a reason" to give me the best interest rate possible? + +Was the number he gave me not the best he could do? What could I have said to him in that situation that would have satisfied his question? + +I'm just a little baffled and looking for advice about what he meant by that and how I should respond in the future if I'm ever asked a similar question. + +I'm assuming this is something to do with mortgages that I must not be understanding. It's my first time buying a house, so this interaction really caught me off guard. +https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/oip4mi/if_you_want_to_join_me_in_watching_metamask/ + +Edit: TL,DR---> This guy is a 6 year Hodler. He looks like tech-savvy and understands what's gong on. Clicked on a link to validate his MM wallet. Entered his seed phrase and the hacker activated a script that is slowly draining a quarter million dollars in front of his eyes with nothing he can do to stop it. +I'm too late to be an early adopter of BTC, I screwed around in my CompSci classes a decade before the Genesis block instead of helping. +I'm too late to mine BTC on my CPU, by almost a decade. +I'm too late to mine BTC on my GPU, by several years. +I'm almost too late to mine BTC on my ASICs, they'll be out of date in a few years. Maybe less. +I've made TWO purchases with BTC, both to buy another ASIC. +I'm sold some BTC. Ok, I'm too early there, but regret it just the same. + +I just spun up a testnet BTC node and installed the Eclair Lightning Network client. + +I did it on an OS I'm really not familiar with, Ubuntu is just different enough from Win10 to make me struggle. I could have done it on Win10, I chose the harder route. + +I'm NOT too late to do my little part to make this happen. I opened a channel between a testnet Core wallet and an online testnet wallet and bounced Lightning transactions back and forth for an hour, taking only a few seconds between transactions. Paid only 2 miner's fees. + +I could have sent transactions to anyone running a connected Lightning client just as fast. And vice versa. It took half an hour to fund the channel, yes. And another half an hour or so to secure my funds when I closed the channel. Had I done those transactions without Lightning, it'd have taken most of a day. Not even Bitcoin Cash's large block size could have done that, its limited by the same 10 minute heartbeat Bitcoin has. + +THIS feels like the future. I am NOT too late. Noone is. + +Edit: Holy moly my inbox. Thank you for the Gold, now I have something more to research. :) I did NOT expect this post to get that many hits overnight! It took me a while to read thru the comments, every one of them to this point, and I'm glad to see so much agreement, discussion, arguments, and even veiled insults to my username. Its all good, I get far worse on a good day IRL. A few more people know about LN, some good explanations were given, that is the kind of thing we're going to need to bootstrap the LN network. The complexity is a problem compared to standard bitcoin transactions and wallets...but you realize just how complex those wallets and transactions are? Maybe not, well-designed software hides all the gorey details. I imagine LN wallets will be the same given more development, all the channel business hidden to anyone using Easy-mode and the refunding of channels handled behind the scenes. + +Probably not the best place to put something like this, in an edit, but oh well. Again, thank you everyone, I'm gonna go do something not-BTC related for a few hours now, have fun! +Capitulation....that point where no matter how low the price dips, people will come out and tell you "it will probably go even lower". + +Even people who used to be bullish. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/dd587er72i591.jpg?width=360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5222a022b79e765365f90c1d0da53e85be4a27f8 + +The confidence in the market and in the price holding up has faltered. And now it's no longer "we'll probably crab at $30K" or "$28K still has good support". + +That has changed to "I'm just waiting for the drop below $20K" or "it might even dip below $10K". + +And how many times has the suicide hotline been posted now? I almost know the number by heart now. + +&#x200B; + +[Here's what the last capitulation looked like.](https://preview.redd.it/6rj1tagtuf591.jpg?width=1896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9361989a2d19f3d6eb29a176e46e84079dfd1b81) + +I remember when we dropped below $4k in 2018. + +While it's beginning to smell a lot like the same capitulation, this doesn't mean it's the full bottom yet. + +It was reeking capitulation when we dropped below $4K, and we still continued all the way to $3.2K. But at the same time, the drop was fueled by a Bitcoin selloff from the Hash war. + +We aren't fueled by any huge sell-off from a Hash war this time. But there is the fuel from inflation fears, and a little of CEL fear added to that. + +And a better log chart, shows that if we follow 2018, we probably still have a tiny bit more bottom to make. + +&#x200B; + +[Log chart comparison of capitulations, with moving average ribbon.](https://preview.redd.it/knv7almjvf591.jpg?width=1380&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27088843452ab3137959f8c24ec8bac2aabe8253) + +When we capitulated in 2018, it seemed like the drop was never gonna end. Any optimism was gone. Even when we dropped below $3.5K, people were talking about "it will probably go lower than $3K". + +Even bulls were saying that. + +In fact the difference between bulls and bears, is bulls believed it would drop to only $2K, while bears believed it would drop to $200. + +Today, it's starting to look like we have 2 camps: the bulls who believe the bottom will be somewhere below $20K...maybe around $15k. And the bears who believe it will go even lower than $10K. + +But let's not forget about one important thing. + +The market movers, the whales, big players, with their quants and bots, are still playing the market, and they are still interested in making money. And just like after every major crash we've had in the past, there is a period of accumulation. Because people never run out of desire to make money, especially not in this crazy and volatile market. + +Volatility and chaotic markets offer the biggest opportunity to make money. And right now, this one is deep in fear and with lots of blood on the street. + +And perhaps, like the stock market, everyone is holding their breath right now for one little thing: whether this week, Jerome Powell will talk about .50 or .75 basis points. + +That could be the difference in how bloody the rest of June will be. And if crypto will go much lower or not. +In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, for example: + +Why is the share price of all the companies that enter it/are already in it assumed to be constantly increasing? + +Is a large part of the assumption driven by the constant encouragement of passive investing in IRAs/Index funds/employer based 401k’s which constantly invests in these companies thereby increasing their stock price? + +Seeing as many companies in the DJIA are said to be overvalued at the moment, I was wondering what truly gives passive investor’s peace of mind. +Hey guys and gals, just a quick little idea I thought I should post. Lately I’ve been saving every coin. From pennies to quarters. Well tonight was just my luck. Being on my own making a low wage makes it difficult at times to keep up with things. Well my car payment hit me hard today and I had 3 dollars to my name and a gas tank with 30 miles until empty. But guess what, I had saved about 2-3 weeks of change in a container that was worth 13.67. ALWAYS SAVE YOUR CHANGE. Go to a Walmart or bank or any location that will exchange your coins for cash. Now I can make it to work until my pay day again. Close calls like this I tend to try to avoid, but sometimes life hits hard and you have to find a way. Moral of the story : SAVE EVERY PENNY +I mean, compared to AMD and Nvidia Intel seems to be quite... undervalued? + +For example, Intel's market cap is 190 bilion, AMD's market cap is 110 bilion but while Intel had revenues for 78 bilion in 2020 (which has been an increase compared to last year's 71.9 bilion revenue) AMD had just 8.6 bilion, Nvidia has gone to the moon with a market cap of almost 320 bilion but a revenue in 2020 of "just" 10.9 bilion (although it is worth mentioning they recently bought ARM, the most used architecture for RISC chips). + +Things for Intel right now are quite dark ngl with Microsoft designing their own ARM CPUs, Apple ditching them for their M1 chip and it looks like future ain't too sure for intel's x86 architecture... but if we're wrong and x86 architecture is gonna last in time then Intel's not gonna be so cheap for long, opinions on this? +considering that its still up 20 percent in the past 2 years, how much of an "opportunity" is this really? + +I'm not saying if it is or isnt. I will start to dca into SPY soon, but is this really the opportunity that some posts claim it to be? + +fyi, i dont know jack. +Hell.00 again! If you haven't heard of ".00 Guy", know I’m obsessed with the appearance of .00 Open, Close, High, and Low price points in GME. + +No way is this financial advice. I’m just a guy that like’s mapping the appearance of his favorite number in his favorite stock. + +Let’s get this out of the way first: + +Did GME have an Open, High, Low, or Close price point ending in .00 today?  +**YES - GME saw an After Hours close of $219.00** + +Is GME Trending above average for .00 appearances? +**YES, in June GME is currently seeing a .00 Open Price rate of appearance of 25%.** +**A normal stock in the $200 - $300 price range typically see a .00 Open price appearance rate of 3.96%.** + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/kj1wjue59x671.png?width=552&format=png&auto=webp&s=d813a0a3ab941c31c0bec52bde2b3bfcd0cffb3b + +Now, let’s get right into what’s new: + +If you missed [my last post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/o1gn2u/i_processed_16_years_of_data_across_8_stocks_to/), I took a deep dive into the appearance of GME Open, Close, High, and Low price points ending in .00. I *felt* I was seeing .00 more than other stocks, and I proved that to be true. A Double DD too much? Just know that GME is seeing 5-10X more price points ending in .00 than the stocks I compared it to. + +At the completion of my last DD, I wrote a note on my desk, “*research GME’s .00 v. the FTD cycle - release findings regardless*”. Let’s take a look at what I uncovered. + +**TL;DR: This DD is broken into two segments. The first explains that I see no direct correlation between the FTD cycle and .00 appearances and that it’s unwise to say the FTD cycle is causing an increase in .00 appearances. The second segment details why it’s always important for apes to be critical, ask questions, and understand that data can be manipulated.** + +\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +**.00 | The Data** + +I’ve exported all my data from Yahoo's historic price exports. I love transparency. + +I pulled FTD data from [https://gme.crazyawesomecompany.com/failures-to-deliver.php](https://gme.crazyawesomecompany.com/failures-to-deliver.php) rather than the SEC directly ([https://sec.report/fails.php?tc=GME](https://sec.report/fails.php?tc=GME)) to speed up data processing. + +I then marked critical FTD dates with the T+Cycles. I marked if the stock opened at a .00 price point. I tracked a 60-trading-day average for rate of .00 appearances. Finally, I marked the % change from that day’s open to the prior day. + +[You can view my data in Google Sheets here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FHN6YvK8S3Iu5pCOaj5d0hVVo4wkLQCfffiVek6EUp0/edit?usp=sharing). + +&#x200B; + +**1.00 | My .00 and FTD Theory** + +Before I started my work on this DD, I wanted to have a clear understanding of what I wanted to research. I’ll summarize as follows: + +I am interested in determining if there is a correlation between the T+Cycle and the appearance of .00 price points. I want to see if there are any trends in .00 price points mapped out to certain T+Cycles. + +My new FTD theory would be deemed true IFF I could connect a .00 trend to a T+Cycle. Perhaps I would see a cluster of .00 price points around a FTD date. Perhaps I would see .00 appearances just at, before, or after big price movements. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, but the .00 and FTD relationship would only be confirmed if there was something unique to connect the two together. + +&#x200B; + +**2.00 | What the Data Shows** + +I’ve stared at this data for the past few days and see no correlation between the FTD cycle and .00 appearances. + +I’m playing with a limited data set of 118 trading days and 5 key FTD dates…but in that limited data there is just nothing I can confidently point to and say “that’s unusual”. + +My data does show that as each FTD cycle passes, the rate of opens at price points ending in .00 increases. However, this **does not** uniquely connect the FTD cycle to .00 appearances. + +&#x200B; + +|FTD Date|60 Day Avg. of .00 Opens| +|:-|:-| +|1/15|3.33%| +|2/24|5.00%| +|3/25|8.33%| +|4/26|13.33%| +|5/25|21.67%| +|6/24|Currently at 25.00%| + +My previous DD clearly stated that the rate of .00 appearances has increased throughout 2021. Therefore, the increase in relation to the FTD dates is not a unique connection and I do not feel comfortable with making any claims tying the T+Cycle and FTDs to the appearance of .00 price points. + +Bummer, I know. It’s nice to have additional confirmation bias but I also feel like it’s just as important to come out and say, “*I did my due diligence and I saw nothing*”. + +In summary, the .00 rate is steadily increasing and while there is no connection to FTDs, **my original theory holds true**. I will continue to monitor .00 appearances for abnormalities. + +\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +**3.00 | GME, Data, and You.** + +Apes, be cautious. + +Since my first post on the increasing trend of .00 appearances, I have been tagged in and noticed more posts about “.00 Guy” and my original theory. I’ve seen Apes that have understood and correctly shared my data. I’ve also seen Apes that have misunderstood or have used my data to misdirect others. + +**Be critical of data!** + +Just because someone says a number and shows a chart or data set doesn’t mean their conclusion is correct. It would be wrong of me to have come in here and told you that FTD and .00 appearances are related and since .00 rate is increasing, we should see an increase in the next cycle. That’s an incorrect conclusion that could be pushed with my data. + +Ask questions, push back, and don’t accept anything as gospel if you can’t verify it yourself. This is why I include access to my data sources and data itself. + +**Understand Data Can Be Manipulated.** + +https://preview.redd.it/wdxsdx2y9x671.png?width=1058&format=png&auto=webp&s=2a504b25caa8f2991d9b7b7799ea3fdd281e2b91 + +Maybe it’s not as direct as a made-up fact, but biases are everywhere. From the questions we choose to ask to the data we choose to include in our data sets, we are biased. Just the fact you’re reading this on Superstonk means you are most likely biased to pro-GME conclusions. + +As people, we continually build on a foundation of knowledge. While the foundation can be expanded or replaced, it’s important that accurate and verifiable information be easily accessible to new apes to prevent that foundation from being built on falsehoods. + +Overall, this subreddit does an amazing job of filtering content via the Knights of New to our amazing mod team and community that works to ‘debunk’ DD that has been proved inaccurate. But, FUD can slip through. + +**Ask Why Am I Seeing This?** + +New DD or Data is the good stuff. I can’t get enough of it myself. But, next time you see a top post by a new name, ask why. Why this data set? Why this conclusion? Why now? + +As a sub, there is somewhat safety in numbers. Content from shills is often easily filtered from New, but every now and then something gets through. “Ban me”, “I’m Tired”, “I’m Homeless and Hold GME”, etc has all been content we’ve seen on this sub and have said no more. These were easy to identify as FUD. The purpose? None. The conclusion? None. The value? None. + +Do you know what’s trickier? + +Receiving countless *direct messages* to research certain stocks to include in my .00 comparisons. I believe this is an avenue taken by shills to insert themselves in a stealthy way. They told me it would be “the next stock to moon” and that these are “stocks that are on the precipice of super squeezing”. They thought If they messaged me about these stocks now, I might include them in my next update. + +All it would take would be for me to include and mention one stock you may not have heard of and how it’s trending similar to GME to satisfy the shills. They didn’t have enough karma to post and even if they did, it’s more work to write DD than it is to slide certain stocks into the DM’s of DD writers. + +**Wait.** + +This might just be the simplest of all techniques if you’re unsure about a new post - just wait. It’s as easy as Buy & Hold and requires no effort on your part. If something doesn’t seem right, don’t instantly upvote it because it fits satisfies that confirmation bias. Let others take a read and counter or confirm the DD. + +**There is no ape that has every wrinkle, but every wrinkle exists across all apes.** + +Much L.00VE. +This could be the scariest day in crypto history + +12th March 2020 - Never forget + +If u went through that day and still survived till now, you must be strong & rich! + +https://preview.redd.it/nka4v3v6a0n81.jpg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e25f424686507bda017be2d6de2efe549ba62c2 +Hello, + +Here is a tiny, super undervalued gem that also has an actual product that is used all over the world (**+100 customers (binance is one of them**). With a market cap of only $10 million, this has room to go up at least **5-10x before it reaches fair value**. In case you're wondering, this is what the opportunity looks like! Currently, this french gems ( **Blockchain Certified Data Token** $BCDT) is sitting at $0.30. + +EvidenZ is the most widely deployed blockchain certification framework in the world for higher education. At the core of EvidenZ: the power of smart contracts from the latest generation blockchains and an innovative utility token, the BCDT. After a successful ICO early 2018, **the project is in production, deployed on 4 continents and referenced in the Azure marketplace: it is a real use case of the blockchain.** + +A couple of days ago they hire another full-time developer & a marketing manager. The team (non-anon) has nearly doubled in size in the past monh. Once they start doing marketing this project will sky rock. Also, Binance Academy & CZ tweeted about them a couple of weeks ago. High possibility to get listed on Binance soon. + +This is a project where you can let your money sit for a couple of months and not be scare to get rug pull or exit scam. + +**The case for investing in Blockchain Certified Data Token $BCDT** + +1. BCDT has achieved **widespread real-world adoption**. It is required for issuing BCdiploma, digital academic credentials that are already being used by >100 institutions in 16 countries across 4 continents. These include the elite French *Grande Écoles* (Arts et Métiers ParisTech, École des Ponts Business School etc), leading universities in Canada (University of Toronto, McMaster University etc), and other colleges in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. +2. BCdiploma has a **growing list of use cases**. Apart from academic credentials, artists also use it to produce certificates of authenticity for their artworks, and the French national organization for standardization AFNOR, the Big 4 accounting firm KPMG and the Swiss banking compliance training center VisionCompliance use it to certify professional credentials. +3. The business is **expanding extremely rapidly**, with a **400% increase** YoY in 2020 despite COVID restricting business travel. Now that institutions have woken up to the need for digitization, BCDT is poised for even more explosive growth. To capitalize on the opportunities, and launched a Chinese & Spanish version of their website to target those massive markets. A rebranding is on this way with the new marketing manager. +4. This breakneck growth directly benefits BCDT because of the **strong token model**. Currently, 25% of the cost of the tokens required to issue every certificate is burnt and bought back from the market, creating constant buying pressure that will only increase as the business expands. Close to 4% of the 40.8 million max supply of BCDT has already been permanently removed from circulation, so any BCDT you hold is only going to become more and more scarce. +5. The team has a co-sell **partnership with Microsoft**. The BCDT-powered BCdiploma is a “preferred solution” on the Azure marketplace since Sep 2020, which means that Microsoft’s sales teams are incentivized to close successful deals for BCdiploma. Now consider the fact that Microsoft has sales offices all over the globe, and it becomes obvious how this partnership will fuel even more growth for BCDT usage. +6. EvidenZ also has a **strong relationship with Binance**. In fact, Binance contacted the team to issue certificates for their Binance Masterclasses and Webimarathons. Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of Binance himself, tweeted about receiving his own BCDT-powered blockchain certificate just 2 weeks ago. This is where we veer into speculative territory, but since Binance clearly recognizes the quality of the project and the team is already building a bridge to the Binance Smart Chain, a future listing of BCDT on Binance is well within the realm of possibility. + +**Tweet from Binance Academy :** “Over 10k #Binance Masterclass & Webimarathon certificates like the one of CZ have been published on #BSC thanks to #EvidenZ & $BCDT technology. Let's continue to share blockchain knowledge around the world 💪” source + +**Tweet from CZ :** "Just got my[ \#EvidenZ](https://twitter.com/hashtag/EvidenZ?src=hashtag_click) blockchain certificate from[ \#Binance](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Binance?src=hashtag_click)" [source](https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1357002561039949826) + +1. BCDT is still **very undervalued**. Its fully diluted market cap is only around 10 million. As one of the rare crypto solutions that has already been implemented at scale, and considering the enormous potential for future growth, BCDT’s fair value is at least 5-10x more than it is now. + +**How to buy ?** + +You can buy $BCDT here : + +**1inch:** [https://1inch.exchange/#/ETH/BCDT](https://1inch.exchange/#/ETH/BCDT) + +**Uniswap:** [https://app.uniswap.org/#/swap?inputCurrency=ETH&outputCurrency=0xacfa209fb73bf3dd5bbfb1101b9bc999c49062a5](https://app.uniswap.org/#/swap?inputCurrency=ETH&outputCurrency=0xacfa209fb73bf3dd5bbfb1101b9bc999c49062a5) + +**Balancer:** [https://balancer.exchange/#/swap/ether/0xacfa209fb73bf3dd5bbfb1101b9bc999c49062a5](https://balancer.exchange/#/swap/ether/0xacfa209fb73bf3dd5bbfb1101b9bc999c49062a5) + +**Loopring :** [https://exchange.loopring.io/swap/BCDT-ETH](https://exchange.loopring.io/swap/BCDT-ETH) + +**Sources:** + +1. EvidenZ clients using BCDT [https://www.evidenz.io/issuers-list.html](https://www.evidenz.io/issuers-list.html) +2. BCdiploma certificate for a HEC Paris graduate: [https://certificate.bcdiploma.com/check/CE1227EE946489BD409C03D4D0D83524463083BFD73B3D29C2D26BF408E2D155RmF6d3VwcUt3RElxSDk1YnE2c1lBTmxRS1RMKzJHNnhCMVhZSHIxQXZKMmVZS1JV](https://certificate.bcdiploma.com/check/CE1227EE946489BD409C03D4D0D83524463083BFD73B3D29C2D26BF408E2D155RmF6d3VwcUt3RElxSDk1YnE2c1lBTmxRS1RMKzJHNnhCMVhZSHIxQXZKMmVZS1JV) +3. Microsoft partnership: [https://medium.com/bcdiploma/powered-by-evidenz-bcdiploma-becomes-a-microsoft-co-sell-partner-d567a99a66ae](https://medium.com/bcdiploma/powered-by-evidenz-bcdiploma-becomes-a-microsoft-co-sell-partner-d567a99a66ae) +4. CZ’s tweet about EvidenZ certificates for Binance[https://twitter.com/cz\_binance/status/1357002561039949826](https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1357002561039949826) +5. Burn wallet: [https://etherscan.io/token/0xacfa209fb73bf3dd5bbfb1101b9bc999c49062a5?a=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000001](https://etherscan.io/token/0xacfa209fb73bf3dd5bbfb1101b9bc999c49062a5?a=0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000001) +6. Blockfire report : [https://blockfyre.com/evidenz/](https://blockfyre.com/evidenz/) +AMA Today at 5pm With [u/thecryptostalkers](https://www.reddit.com/u/thecryptostalkers/) + +SMEGMARS is a legendary new token that will blow your socks off. We are a community of believers in a theory known as the “Moon Cheese” theory. Essentially, we believe that the moon is made out of cheese.. And we’re gonna land on it to take a big bite of it 🧀 + +Join the community on telegram: + +Take a look at the website for all the links and white paper. + +Website: [https://SMEGMARS.space](https://smegmars.space/) + +Voice chats get huge so make sure you hop in there 🔥 + +Some factors of success for the token are the fact that it.. + +⁃ has a 7% tax and distribution among holders. + +⁃ 1% burn fee ⁃ Max transaction sizes so no big whales jumping in early. + +⁃ Rug screen of 0.2 + +⁃ hit an ATH of 2M in 13 Hours and has held steady at $3.5M+ + +⁃ About to blow up on COINHUNT + +⁃ 50% tokens 🔥 + +⁃ 50% into lp + +Plain and simple looks like it's going to the moon. 🌙 + +Website: [https://SMEGMARS.space](https://smegmars.space/) + +\- Discord and Telegram links on website + +Ownership renounced + +[https://bscscan.com/token/0x62c2a6f57a65e1e4b1d9e31b3e3511c8c36841a8#balances](https://bscscan.com/token/0x62c2a6f57a65e1e4b1d9e31b3e3511c8c36841a8#balances) + +Buy link [https://exchange.pancakeswap.finance/#/swap?inputCurrency=0x62c2a6f57a65e1e4b1d9e31b3e3511c8c36841a8](https://exchange.pancakeswap.finance/#/swap?inputCurrency=0x62c2a6f57a65e1e4b1d9e31b3e3511c8c36841a8) +Delta has replaced its fleet of jumbo jets with Airbus A350s, one of a new breed of smaller, ultraefficient long-range airliners. Nearly every other airline in the world is doing a version of the same thing, replacing huge jets with smaller ones. [https://stockmarketnews.today/2018/12/29/airlines-dump-the-boeing-747-transforming-international-travel-the-newer-planes-which-include-the-boeing-787-dreamliner-are-redrawing-the-map-for-global-air-travel/](https://stockmarketnews.today/2018/12/29/airlines-dump-the-boeing-747-transforming-international-travel-the-newer-planes-which-include-the-boeing-787-dreamliner-are-redrawing-the-map-for-global-air-travel/) +I lost 3 months of wages because of this (£10k) at my dream job I was due to start, and will have to pay £3k to redo some qualifications as they expire before I am able to start again. +I bought a pre owned car a couple months ago. Loan is $22,349. 12.6% interest. Before I made the first payment I asked an agent from the bank a few questions. + +Me: "If I make a payment that is more than my regular payment will the extra amount go towards principal." + +Agent: "Yes its a fixed interest rate. Any extra or +additional payments will go to the principal." + +Me: "Ok so if my payment is $444 and I pay $500 +then $56 goes to principal?" + +Agent: "That is correct." + +Pretty straightforward. + +Regular payment is $444.65. I made a $500 payment on October 15th. $272.81 went to principal and $227.19 went to interest. I made another $500 payment last week. $148.39 went to principal and $351.61 went to interest. Loan is down to $22,051.80 + +I emailed the bank asking to them to explain this to me since I was confused. This was there response. + +"To make a principle only payment you will need +to add the amount that you wish to go to the +principle to your monthly payment. If the +payment is sent separately for principle only +and is not received on the same day that the +payment is made, interest will be taken from +the payment and the remaining would then go +to the principle. When the principle only is +added to the payment all the funds intended +for principle are then processed to the loan +balance. The loan is a simple interest loan, +which means that the interest is accrued on a +daily basis. If you have further questions +please call into the contact center at...." + +Look, I'm not very smart. I'm not saying the bank is being deceptive but I'm very confused about their explanation. I know I'm simply not understanding something. So I welcome any ELI5 comments. + +Thank you. +No idea what to flair this as, so I'm going with Discussion for now. If I need to change it, I will. + +I've posted about local/state regulators before, partly because I've been talking with mine since Jan about all the manipulation with GME. But mostly, I've posted about them because I know a state regulator personally. (Mods, feel free to ask for proof if you need it. I don't mind sharing with mods, but he has asked me to keep our relationship private for anonymity purposes) + +I'm on vacation and had a chance to talk a bit with my contact there and, of course, we started in on GME. I brought up the usual things, market manipulation, giant crash coming, etc. Then RH and their shenanigans came up. He said it's really weird because he can't find anything out from his contacts at the SEC. I obviously asked what that meant cuz it seemed a little sketch to me. He said it's not super unusual when they're working on bigger and more serious cases. + + +I don't know what it is, but they're working on a massive investigation into January's shitshow. The reason we won't hear anything is the same reason you don't hear about police investigations; they can't talk about them until they're finished investigating. + +Don't get me wrong, I love the memes shitting on them as much as anyone, but I actually am a little more optimistic about them doing their job and I'm positive that GME was the catalyst for this. + +I also pitched the idea of Ryan Cohen working directly with them (especially since he was in their neighborhood a couple months ago) and he said that is absolutely what has to be going on. + + +Edit: Thanks to u/lionbernd1 for linking [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/oflfs3/foia_appeal_update/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) post from u/nmorngan81234 about a denied FOIA request +It's a pity that picture posts are not allowed anymore at all here, but I still want to share how genius and not at all super dumb some scammers, like my good friend u/paulryker work here! They are totally not thrown off when you don't follow their script! [Enjoy!](https://imgur.com/a/E0j45zK) +I don't even need to say any context to the title, if you are smart enough you will crack it! You can't even call it an FUD anymore. +This is going for a huge mess and the market has fluctuated to dump huge way. +Nobody knows how this will go overtime, and this is my advice that look for market to recover, DO NOT blindly buy into the market right now, save your capital wait for the market to stabilize, it doesn't matter if you think this is the bottom, this is the bottom, + + +People who have enough money can throw around but this is for those who have limited capital +Stay away from buying in at this moment! +Patience is the key just save it up! +Wait for your moment then go for it! +Hi all, + +Is anyone here on an electric car Salary sacrifice scheme? I'm looking to put forward a presentation to the company I work at to persuade them to implement this benefit. So am wondering: + +How much saving have you actually made? + +Do you consider going in this policy worth knowing that it's now likely going to lock you in place with the company you're at for a while? + +What type of car have you gone with? + +Etc. +Just imagine there are no naked shorts, no FTDs, no swaps and brazilian puts - only those \~13% short interest and the price is sitting between 150$ and 200$, some time late 2021. + +Now imagine a Hedgefund manager looking at this company with a billion in cash, an extremely passionate shareholder base, a looming NFT/crypto/turnaround announcement and an already ongoing transformation in the core business, with top executives and specialist hires. + +Edit: we are not a cult. I wrote cult-like earlier, but it's beside the point. Good arguments in the comments, though + +How can anyone with more than two two brain cells left think that this company is a great target for a short "attack"? How would anyone actually looking to make gains really decide to invest money in shorting this company further? A bet with infinite losses? Not just some puts for a couple millions that might print or not. + +It´s so braindead, that there just can´t be any other explanation than **they needed to get the price down to survive.** It´s not necessary to understand or believe anything beyond this. In no scenario this makes sense. + +And a SI% of 13 is actually already big, 20% is huge. + +> In early 2020, Tesla was the most-shorted stock on the U.S. exchanges, with more than 18% of its outstanding stock in short positions. + +([https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/shortsqueeze.asp](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/shortsqueeze.asp)) + +It just makes no logical sense, at all. + +If the SI% would have been really in the 10% to 13% region, they would have tried to slowy bring it down and close out, share by share - with fuckery and tricks. + +**If they would not have had a very very good reason to make this price drop to < 100 necessary, they wouldn´t have done it.** + +They made their loss bigger to win a few weeks or months. Someone else will carry their bags, thats why they probably dont care about this anymore, as long as they can survive another day. + +**DRS is the way.** +As the title says, it annoys me that bitcoin is following the nasdaq. Because Bitcoin and other cryptos are supposed to be a hedge against the stock markets corrections. But bitcoin basically follows the stock market. And if a recession happens I want to be making money on crypto so that I doesn’t have to worry about a recession or inflation. I hope it will change in the future so that Bitcoin becomes a digital gold that can be used to hedge against stock market corrections and recessions. + +Does anyone agree with me on this or am I delusional for thinking that crypto should have been the ultimate hedge against inflation and recessions. +If I only knew... + +--- + +EDIT: Shit, I just realized I could've been in the 21 Bitcoin Club... + +--- + +^(EDIT in response to some comments: Guys, chill, I know everyone can say that if they bought BTC in 2010 they be rich. The point is that it's absolutely insane how much bitcoin blew up in just 4 years and for anyone reading this: **HODL!!!**) +https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-yuan-exclusive/exclusive-guarding-stability-china-likely-to-slow-yuans-slide-to-7-per-dollar-sources-idUSKCN1N0167 + +https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/26/first-read-on-us-q3-2018-gross-domestic-product.html +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Hi UKPF, + +I was approached about a job by an agency who offered me a similar job to one I am currently in but for significantly more money (I will put the details below). Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of what current issues I am likely to face and what has been their experiences? + +&#x200B; + +Current Salary (Gross): £32,500\~ + +Current Contract: Permanent + +&#x200B; + +Contractor Salary (Gross): £266/day / £69,160/PA (Quoted by agent) + +Proposed Contract: 6 Months with option to extend (Inside IR35) working through umbrella company + +&#x200B; + +My current thoughts were wow, thats a lot of money turn down and even if it was only 6 months it would almost double my current annual take home? I do currently enjoy my job however I am concerned about the lack of possible opportunities in the future and this seems to have appeared coincidentally at the right time. I was also concerned about possible holidays but in a template payslip it showed I could either take my holidays in advance or have them accrued, I am assuming this is a standard option under the new IR35? + +&#x200B; + +Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated!! +I've built this google sheet, where you can simulate any retirement cohort, even going forward. I'm a big fan of BigERN's retirement series, hence I've incorporated his data, and a CAPE-based SWR and an optional Bond-Tent. +Also I've included charts of the overall portfolio value and more important the monthly passive income stream. + +A lot of times I am reading in this sub about timing the market or fear of downturns, and I think this sheet can take your fear away. It shows that even if you are in cash, you are much much worse off, than just simply DCA into stocks. + + +You can find the sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/132n1-k0VufW3hXs6Wy95hMTdP48zEXD4A7v1K-tj5p0/edit?usp=sharing + +Please let me know any feedback or questions ;) +My wife had identity theft last year. It was a bad one -- they got a gmail account with over a decade of personal info in there and were able, in around a day, to worm through a bunch of accounts. TFA y'all right now if you don't have. This prompted several weeks of pretty intensive phone and certified mail conversations. We followed the PF wiki to the letter, froze everything, but we are still dealing with a few repercussions that have been stubborn. + +The most serious of these is that the fraudsters managed to secure a $10,000 loan in the first days before everything was locked down from SoFi. SoFi wanted a whole fraud packet filled out, which we did, which required a full police report. The full police report took over a month to get and of course SoFi lost the first one and we had to resend. By this time, the account had been sent to collections. They conducted a fraud investigation (which took another month or so) and concluded that indeed the money had been sent to an account of my wife's, so this was not fraudulent. They have been unable to identify that account, however. We then filed a CFPB request specifically asking for that info, and they came back and said "it was transferred to an account in your name and we can't divulge more" essentially. + +It's been over 6 months now, my wife's credit took an enormous hit, the colllection agency is calling regularly (we tell them it is fraud and won't pay). At this point, we are stuck. SoFi won't divulge more. As I see it, we either retain a lawyer and start a legal proceeding, or we suck it up and we negotiate with the collection agency and hope her credit recovers. My question to PF is which makes more sense. The justice of the thing favors the lawyer, but in the end I can see how that could end up more expensive than just paying the thing. However paying the thing assumes liability for the debt and it could hang on her credit report for another 7 years, right? Would love some sort of guidance. +As promised on this morning's pre-market community talk, here is our first prediction tournament! + +Vote on whether you think the FOMC Press Conference will have a positive, zero, or negative, impact on SPY! + +\--- + +You can watch the FOMC Press Conference live today at 2:30PM EST here: + +[https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents.htm](https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents.htm) + +[View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/rh1lb9) +Because this is getting ridiculous + +[https://fortune.com/2021/09/28/currency-of-alt-right-how-white-supremacists-and-far-right-use-bitcoin/](https://fortune.com/2021/09/28/currency-of-alt-right-how-white-supremacists-and-far-right-use-bitcoin/) + +followed by + +[https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-tool-for-social-justice-ex-government-regulator-turned-crypto-adviser-123417764.html](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-tool-for-social-justice-ex-government-regulator-turned-crypto-adviser-123417764.html) + +At least polar groups can agree that it fucks the government. +My mom passed away over 2 years ago when I was 22 and my brother was 8. My dad (who is addicted to drugs) was turning left into the neighborhood after school when her car door got hit. Because she was sitting in the back with my little brother, her body saved him. She bled internally and died later at the hospital. My dad waited 4 hours to call my younger sister (f18) and me (f22). It was the saddest day of my life. + +My brother, then moved in with family. He slept on the couch and got verbally bullied. + + +Fast forward to a year ago, he moves in with our dad. He has gone all day without my dad home or food. I’ve brought them food multiple times and often bring more than 1 meal at a time or groceries (kid friendly). + +He’s going to middle school next year and will start to experience the social hierarchy. (Ah I remember those days.) + +It has become apparent that I cannot let my brother continue to live with family or dad. Alone, I currently make $60k annually in Tx and am looking for 2b/2b apartments with my bf (m26). I don’t make a lot at the moment but I know my future is bright and this is a sacrifice I’m willing to make. + +Is my brother too young for antidepressants? +Am I making the right decision? +Should I get an apartment for just him and I? How would I pay for it? What should I do and how do I proceed/move forward? +I was looking at GME option data today in TOS and came across an interesting trade. It appears to me that a 284 x 140P were sold and 284 x 410c were purchased. + +Is this a good way of playing the potential GME squeeze for massive gains with limited downside (it appears the trade would cost only around $2000)? + +Screenshot attached. [https://imgur.com/a/RdoBuCQ](https://imgur.com/a/RdoBuCQ) +Taproot! Everybody wants to have it, somebody wants to make it, nobody knows how to get it! + +(If you are asking why everybody wants it, see: [Technical: Taproot: Why Activate?](https://old.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/hrlpnc/technical_taproot_why_activate/)) + +(Pedants: I mostly elide over lockin times) + +Briefly, Taproot is that neat new thing that gets us: + +* Multisignatures (n-of-n, k-of-n) that are just 1 signature (1-of-1) in length!! (MuSig/Schnorr) +* Better privacy!! If all contract participants can agree, just use a multisignature. If there is a dispute, show the contract publicly and have the Bitcoin network resolve it (Taproot/MAST). +* Activation lets devs work get back to work on the even newer stuff like!!! + * Cross-input signature aggregation!! (transaction with multiple inputs can have a single signature for all inputs) --- needs Schnorr, but some more work needed to ensure that the interactions with SCRIPT are okay. + * Block validation - Schnorr signatures for all taproot spends in a block can be validated in a single operation instead of for each transaction!! Speed up validation and maybe we can actually afford to increase block sizes (maybe)!! + * `SIGHASH_ANYPREVOUT` - you know, for Decker-Russell-Osuntokun ("eltoo") magic!!! + * `OP_CHECKTEMPLATEVERIFY` - vaulty vaults without requiring storing signatures, just transaction details!! + +So yes, let's activate taproot! + +## The SegWit Wars + +The biggest problem with activating Taproot is PTSD from the previous softfork, SegWit. Pieter Wuille, one of the authors of the current Taproot proposal, has consistently held the position that he will not discuss activation, and will accept whatever activation process is imposed on Taproot. Other developers have expressed similar opinions. + +So what happened with SegWit activation that was so traumatic? SegWit used the BIP9 activation method. Let's dive into BIP9! + +### [BIP9 Miner-Activated Soft Fork](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0009.mediawiki) + +Basically, BIP9 has a bunch of parameters: + +* **bit** - A field in the block header, the `nVersion`, has a number of bits. By setting a particular bit, the miner making the block indicates that it has upgraded its software to support a particular soft fork. The **bit** parameter for a BIP9 activation is *which* bit in this `nVersion` is used to indicate that the miner has upgraded software for a particular soft fork. +* **timeout** - a time limit, expressed as an end date. If this timeout is reached without sufficient number of miners signaling that they upgraded, then the activation fails and Bitcoin Core goes back to the drawing board. + +Now there are other parameters (**name**, **starttime**) but they are not anywhere near as important as the above two. + +A number that is ***not*** a parameter, is 95%. Basically, activation of a BIP9 softfork is considered as actually succeeding if at least 95% of blocks in the last 2 weeks had the specified **bit** in the `nVersion` set. If less than 95% had this bit set before the **timeout**, then the upgrade fails and never goes into the network. This is not a parameter: it is a constant defined by BIP9, and developers using BIP9 activation cannot change this. + +So, first some simple questions and their answers: + +* Why not just set a day when everyone starts imposing the new rules of the softfork? + * This was done classically (in the days when Satoshi was still among us). But this might argued to put too much power to developers, since there would be no way to reject an upgrade without possible bad consequences. For example, developers might package an upgrade that the users do not want, together with vital security bugfixes. Either you live without vital security bugfixes and hire some other developers to fix it for you (which can be difficult, presumably the best developers are already the ones working on the codebase) or you get the vital security bugfixes and implicitly support the upgrade you might not want. + * Sure, you could fork the code yourself (the ultimate threat in the FOSS world) and hire another set of developers who aren't assholes to do the dreary maintenance work of fixing security bugs, but Bitcoin needs strong bug-for-bug compatibility so everyone should really congregate around a single codebase. + * Basically: even the devs do not want this power, because they fear being coerced into putting "upgrades" that are detrimental to users. Satoshi got a pass because nobody knew who he was and how to coerce him. +* Why 95%? + * Suppose the threshold were lower, like 51%. If so, after activation, somebody can disrupt the Bitcoin network by creating a transaction that is valid under the pre-softfork rules, but are invalid under the post-softfork rules. Upgraded nodes would reject it, but 49% of miners would accept it and include it in a block (which makes the block invalid) And *then* the same 49% would accept the invalid block and build on top of *that*, possibly creating a short chain of doomed invalid blocks that confirm an invalid spend. This can confuse SPV wallets, who might see multiple confirmations of a transaction and accept the funds, but later find that in fact it is invalid under the now-activated softfork rules. + * Thus, a very high threshold was imposed. 95% is considered safe. 50% is definitely not safe. Due to variance in the mining process, 80% could also be potentially unsafe (i.e. 80% of blocks signaling might have a good chance of coming from only 60% of miners), so a threshold of 95% was considered "safe enough for Bitcoin work". +* Why have a **timeout** that *disables* the upgrade? + * Before BIP9, what was used was either flag day or [BIP34](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0034.mediawiki). BIP34 had no flag day of activation or a **bit**, instead, it was just a 95% threshold to signal an `nVersion` value greater than a specific value. Actually, it was two thresholds: at 75%, blocks with the new `nVersion` would have the new softfork rules imposed, but at 95% blocks with the old `nVersion` would be rejected (and only the new blocks, with the new softfork rules, were accepted). For one, between 75% and 95%, there was a situation where the softfork was only "partially imposed", only blocks signaling the new rules would actually have those rules, but blocks with the old rules were still valid. This was fine for BIP34, which only added rules for miners with negligible use for non-miners. + * The same activation process for BIP34 was used for [BIP66](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0066.mediawiki). After BIP66 reached 95%, [however, a single miner mined an invalid-for-BIP66 block that still signalled BIP66 support](https://bitcoin.org/en/alert/2015-07-04-spv-mining). It turned out that of the 95% signaling BIP66 support, only about 50% were actually imposing the BIP66 new rules. The rest signalled support ***without upgrading their software to support new rules***. This lead to many chainsplits and chaos with SPV nodes. + * The reasons miners signalled support was because they felt they were being pressured to signal support. So they signalled support, with plans to actually upgrade later, but because of the widespread signalling, the new BIP66 version locked in *before* upgrade plans were finished. Thus, the timeout that *disables* the upgrade was added in BIP9 to allow miners an escape hatch. + +### The Great Battles of the SegWit Wars + +SegWit not only fixed transaction malleability, it also created a practical softforkable blocksize increase that also rebalanced weights so that the cost of spending a UTXO is about the same as the cost of creating UTXOs (and spending UTXOs is "better" since it limits the size of the UTXO set that every fullnode has to maintain). + +So SegWit was written, the activation was decided to be BIP9, and then.... miner signalling stalled at below 75%. + +Thus were the Great SegWit Wars started. + +#### BIP9 Feature Hostage + +If you are a miner with at least 5% global hashpower, you can hold a BIP9-activated softfork hostage. + +You might even secretly *want* the softfork to actually push through. But you might want to extract concession from the users and the developers. Like removing the halvening. Or raising or even removing the block size caps (which helps larger miners more than smaller miners, making it easier to become a bigger fish that eats all the smaller fishes). Or whatever. + +With BIP9, you *can* hold the softfork hostage. You just hold out and refuse to signal. You tell everyone you will signal, if and only if certain concessions are given to you. + +This ability by miners to hold a feature hostage was enabled because of the miner-exit allowed by the **timeout** on BIP9. Prior to that, miners were considered little more than expendable security guards, paid for the risk they take to secure the network, but not special in the grand scheme of Bitcoin. + +#### Covert ASICBoost + +ASICBoost was a novel way of optimizing SHA256 mining, by taking advantage of the structure of the 80-byte header that is hashed in order to perform proof-of-work. The details of ASICBoost are out-of-scope here but you can [read about it elsewhere](https://www.mit.edu/~jlrubin/public/pdfs/Asicboost.pdf) + +Here is a short summary of the **two** types of ASICBoost, relevant to the activation discussion. + +* Overt ASICBoost - Manipulates the unused bits in `nVersion` to reduce power consumption in mining. +* Covert ASICBoost - Manipulates the order of transactions in the block to reduce power consumption in mining. + +Now, "overt" means "obvious", while "covert" means hidden. Overt ASICBoost is obvious because `nVersion` bits that are not currently in use for BIP9 activations are usually 0 by default, so setting those bits to 1 makes it obvious that you are doing something weird (namely, Overt ASICBoost). Covert ASICBoost is non-obvious because the order of transactions in a block are up to the miner anyway, so the miner rearranging the transactions in order to get lower power consumption is not going to be detected. + +Unfortunately, while Overt ASICBoost was compatible with SegWit, Covert ASICBoost **was not**. This is because, pre-SegWit, only the block header Merkle tree committed to the transaction ordering. However, with SegWit, another Merkle tree exists, which commits to transaction ordering as well. Covert ASICBoost would require more computation to manipulate two Merkle trees, obviating the power benefits of Covert ASICBoost anyway. + +Now, miners want to use ASICBoost (indeed, about 60->70% of current miners probably use the Overt ASICBoost nowadays; if you have a Bitcoin fullnode running you will see the logs with lots of "60 of last 100 blocks had unexpected versions" which is exactly what you would see with the `nVersion` manipulation that Overt ASICBoost does). But remember: ASICBoost was, at around the time, a **novel** improvement. Not all miners had ASICBoost hardware. Those who did, did not want it known that they had ASICBoost hardware, and wanted to do Covert ASICBoost! + +But Covert ASICBoost is incompatible with SegWit, because SegWit actually has two Merkle trees of transaction data, and Covert ASICBoost works by fudging around with transaction ordering in a block, and recomputing two Merkle Trees is more expensive than recomputing just one (and loses the ASICBoost advantage). + +Of course, those miners that wanted Covert ASICBoost did not want to *openly admit* that they had ASICBoost hardware, they wanted to keep their advantage secret because miners are strongly competitive in a very tight market. And doing ASICBoost Covertly was just the ticket, but they could not work post-SegWit. + +Fortunately, due to the BIP9 activation process, they could hold SegWit hostage while covertly taking advantage of Covert ASICBoost! + +#### UASF: BIP148 and BIP8 + +When the incompatibility between Covert ASICBoost and SegWit was realized, still, activation of SegWit stalled, and miners were still not openly claiming that ASICBoost was related to non-activation of SegWit. + +Eventually, a new proposal was created: [BIP148](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0148.mediawiki). With this rule, 3 months before the end of the SegWit **timeout**, nodes would reject blocks that did *not* signal SegWit. Thus, 3 months before SegWit **timeout**, BIP148 would force activation of SegWit. + +This proposal was not accepted by Bitcoin Core, due to the shortening of the timeout (it effectively times out 3 months before the initial SegWit timeout). Instead, a fork of Bitcoin Core was created which added the patch to comply with BIP148. This was claimed as a User Activated Soft Fork, UASF, since users could freely download the alternate fork rather than sticking with the developers of Bitcoin Core. + +Now, BIP148 effectively is just a BIP9 activation, except at its (earlier) timeout, the new rules would be activated anyway (instead of the BIP9-mandated behavior that the upgrade is cancelled at the end of the **timeout**). + +BIP148 was actually inspired by the [BIP8](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/fcd34618d7ce594db2a7e9badc4e70f1a2fab6db/bip-0008.mediawiki) proposal (the link here is a historical version; BIP8 has been updated recently, precisely in preparation for Taproot activation). BIP8 is basically BIP9, but at the end of **timeout**, the softfork is activated anyway rather than cancelled. + +This removed the ability of miners to hold the softfork hostage. At best, they can delay the activation, but not stop it entirely by holding out as in BIP9. + +Of course, this implies risk that not all miners have upgraded before activation, leading to possible losses for SPV users, as well as again re-pressuring miners to signal activation, possibly without the miners actually upgrading their software to properly impose the new softfork rules. + +#### BIP91, SegWit2X, and The Aftermath + +BIP148 inspired countermeasures, possibly from the Covert ASiCBoost miners, possibly from concerned users who wanted to offer concessions to miners. To this day, the common name for BIP148 - UASF - remains an emotionally-charged rallying cry for parts of the Bitcoin community. + +One of these was SegWit2X. This was brokered in a deal between some Bitcoin personalities at a conference in New York, and thus part of the so-called "New York Agreement" or NYA, another emotionally-charged acronym. + +The text of the NYA was basically: + +1. Set up a new activation threshold at 80% signalled at bit 4 (vs bit 1 for SegWit). + * When this 80% signalling was reached, miners would require that bit 1 for SegWit be signalled to achive the 95% activation needed for SegWit. +2. If the bit 4 signalling reached 80%, increase the block weight limit from the SegWit 4000000 to the SegWit2X 8000000, 6 months after bit 1 activation. + +The first item above was coded in [BIP91](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/fcd34618d7ce594db2a7e9badc4e70f1a2fab6db/bip-0091.mediawiki). + +Unfortunately, if you read the BIP91, *independently* of NYA, you might come to the conclusion that BIP91 was only about lowering the threshold to 80%. In particular, BIP91 never mentions anything about the second point above, it never mentions that bit 4 80% threshold would *also* signal for a later hardfork increase in weight limit. + +Because of this, even though there are claims that NYA (SegWit2X) reached 80% dominance, a close reading of BIP91 shows that the 80% dominance was only for SegWit activation, without necessarily a later 2x capacity hardfork (SegWit2X). + +This ambiguity of bit 4 (NYA says it includes a 2x capacity hardfork, BIP91 says it does not) has continued to be a thorn in blocksize debates later. Economically speaking, Bitcoin futures between SegWit and SegWit2X showed strong economic dominance in favor of SegWit (SegWit2X futures were traded at a fraction in value of SegWit futures: I personally made a tidy but small amount of money betting against SegWit2X in the futures market), so suggesting that NYA achieved 80% dominance even in mining is laughable, but the NYA text that ties bit 4 to SegWit2X still exists. + +Historically, BIP91 triggered which caused SegWit to activate before the BIP148 shorter timeout. BIP148 proponents continue to hold this day that it was the BIP148 shorter timeout and no-compromises-activate-on-August-1 that made miners flock to BIP91 as a face-saving tactic that actually **removed** the second clause of NYA. NYA supporters keep pointing to the bit 4 text in the NYA and the historical activation of BIP91 as a failed promise by Bitcoin developers. + +## Taproot Activation Proposals + +There are [two primary proposals I can see for Taproot activation](https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2020-July/018043.html): + +1. BIP8. +2. [Modern Softfork Activation](https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2020-January/017547.html). + +We have discussed BIP8: roughly, it has **bit** and **timeout**, if 95% of miners signal **bit** it activates, at the end of **timeout** it activates. (EDIT: BIP8 has had recent updates: at the end of **timeout** it can now activate or fail. For the most part, in the below text "BIP8", means BIP8-and-activate-at-timeout, and "BIP9" means BIP8-and-fail-at-timeout) + +So let's take a look at Modern Softfork Activation! + +### Modern Softfork Activation + +This is a more complex activation method, composed of BIP9 and BIP8 as supcomponents. + +1. First have a 12-month BIP9 (fail at timeout). +2. If the above fails to activate, have a 6-month discussion period during which users and developers and miners discuss whether to continue to step 3. +3. Have a 24-month BIP8 (activate at timeout). + +The total above is 42 months, if you are counting: 3.5 years worst-case activation. + +The logic here is that if there are no problems, BIP9 will work just fine anyway. And if there are problems, the 6-month period should weed it out. Finally, miners cannot hold the feature hostage since the 24-month BIP8 period will exist anyway. + +## PSA: Being Resilient to Upgrades + +Software is very birttle. + +Anyone who has been using software for a long time has experienced something like this: + +1. You hear a new version of your favorite software has a nice new feature. +2. Excited, you install the new version. +3. You find that the new version has subtle incompatibilities with your current workflow. +4. You are sad and downgrade to the older version. +5. You find out that the new version has changed your files in incompatible ways that the old version cannot work with anymore. +6. You tearfully reinstall the newer version and figure out how to get your lost productivity now that you have to adapt to a new workflow + +If you are a technically-competent user, you might codify your workflow into a bunch of programs. And then you upgrade one of the external pieces of software you are using, and find that it has a subtle incompatibility with your current workflow which is based on a bunch of simple programs you wrote yourself. And if those simple programs are used as the basis of some important production system, you hve just screwed up because you upgraded software on an important production system. + +And well, one of the issues with new softfork activation is that if not enough people (users and miners) upgrade to the newest Bitcoin software, the security of the new softfork rules are at risk. + +Upgrading software of any kind is always a risk, and the more software you build on top of the software-being-upgraded, the greater you risk your tower of software collapsing while you change its foundations. + +So if you have some complex Bitcoin-manipulating system with Bitcoin somewhere at the foundations, consider running two Bitcoin nodes: + +1. One is a "stable-version" Bitcoin node. Once it has synced, set it up to `connect=x.x.x.x` to the second node below (so that your ISP bandwidth is only spent on the second node). Use this node to run all your software: it's a stable version that you don't change for long periods of time. Enable txiindex, disable pruning, whatever your software needs. +2. The other is an "always-up-to-date" Bitcoin Node. Keep its stoarge down with pruning (initially sync it off the "stable-version" node). You can't use `blocksonly` if your "stable-version" node needs to send transactions, but otherwise this "always-up-to-date" Bitcoin node can be kept as a low-resource node, so you can run both nodes in the same machine. + +When a new Bitcoin version comes up, you just upgrade the "always-up-to-date" Bitcoin node. This protects you if a future softfork activates, you will only receive valid Bitcoin blocks and transactions. Since this node has nothing running on top of it, it is just a special peer of the "stable-version" node, any software incompatibilities with your system software do not exist. + +Your "stable-version" Bitcoin node remains the same version until you are ready to actually upgrade this node and are prepared to rewrite most of the software you have running on top of it due to version compatibility problems. + +When upgrading the "always-up-to-date", you can bring it down safely and then start it later. Your "stable-version" wil keep running, disconnected from the network, but otherwise still available for whatever queries. You do need some system to stop the "always-up-to-date" node if for any reason the "stable-version" goes down (otherwisee if the "always-up-to-date" advances its pruning window past what your "stable-version" has, the "stable-version" cannot sync afterwards), but if you are technically competent enough that you *need* to do this, you are technically competent enough to write such a trivial monitor program (EDIT: [gmax notes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/hqzp14/technical_the_path_to_taproot_activation/fy3j9dg/?context=3) you can adjust the pruning window by RPC commands to help with this as well). + +This recommendation is from [gmaxwell](/u/nullc) on IRC, by the way. +Hi all, + +Sorry for a potentially repetitive question. But the rating of this fund has gone down on fidelity platform and I wondered if it is still a good bet for someone who can't be bothered with investing but wants to put into a good diversified portfolio. + +Or are there better funds out there? I personally think the top 10 companies in there atm (excluding Tesla) look pretty solid, and they adjust these don't they depending on size of companies or something? + +Thanks :) just trying to set up a monthly junior ISA contribution for my 3 year old and don't want to pick a dud fund if things have changed! +Wednesday I bought 8/20 $14 CLOV calls and have watched them bleed every hour since I bought them. Now down about 3.5k on them. I can't decide if I want to sell them on Monday or just hold for a little while longer. I've thought about doing some poor man's covered calls while I wait, but I also know theta will be eating my ass away every day it stays below my break even price ($17.58). + +CLOV seems to be one of the weaker meme stocks. Not sure why. WISH, CLNE, and lots of the others were green on Thursday and Friday, but not my stupid CLOV. I should have bought shares, but here I am 2 months away from expiration date and already like 45% down. Not sure what I should do, so I'm looking to see some others' thoughts on how they see CLOV working out in the short term. +I am just starting out my venture into FI and am curious what your projected FI number (the amount you need before you reach FI) and what your projected yearly expenses are in FI (to put it in perspective). +* Also, did any of you have a particularly interesting/revelatory lesson that stuck with you. I teach in a predominantly high poverty school and I want to focus on the most important lessons for my particular students, state standards be damned. + +* Also, ideas for game based learning would be awesome, I've got a PF RPG rolling around my head but since I have no experience with paper RPGs I'm a little daunted. + +Edit: Thank you everyone! I'm blown away by the response! I will do my best to give you an update in 2 months after the unit! +What I've shared is Part 3 in the The Penny Stock Chronicles. I've yet to read all the parts, but this one nonetheless has parts that are very relevant to the GME story. I'm sharing this so that our reddit can discuss, while wrinklier brains have more info to connect the dots. + +Second, the author may be interested to know and respond to the DD done here, and possibly it may be a good idea for the Mods to reach out for an AMA. + +Lastly, no tldr because it's just so well written and worth your time (link to the original is directly below). Without further ado... + +# [NAKED SHORTS CAN’T STAY NAKED FOREVER](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/24/naked-shorts-cant-stay-naked-forever/) + +## Who engages in massive trades in penny stocks on the industry’s own “chill list”? And what happens when you sell a stock you don’t have? Victimized investor Chris DiIorio finds the answers in plain sight and wonders why no one else seems to care. + +[David Dayen](https://theintercept.com/staff/davidd/) September 24 2016 + +## [The Penny Stock Chronicles](https://theintercept.com/series/penny-stock-chronicles/) + +[PART 1](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/22/the-money-is-gone/)[The Money Is Gone](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/22/the-money-is-gone/) + +[PART 2](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/23/big-players-little-stocks-and-naked-shorts/)[Big Players, Little Stocks, and Naked Shorts](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/23/big-players-little-stocks-and-naked-shorts/) + +[PART 3](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/24/naked-shorts-cant-stay-naked-forever/)[Naked Shorts Can’t Stay Naked Forever](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/24/naked-shorts-cant-stay-naked-forever/) + +[PART 4](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/25/calling-the-sec/)[Calling the SEC](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/25/calling-the-sec/) + +[PART 5](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/26/turning-up-like-a-bad-penny/)[Turning Up Like a Bad Penny](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/26/turning-up-like-a-bad-penny/) + +[PART 6](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/27/were-paper-losses-the-goal-all-along/)[Were Paper Losses the Goal All Along?](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/27/were-paper-losses-the-goal-all-along/) + +[PART 7](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/28/the-half-billion-dollar-glitch/)[The Half Billion Dollar Glitch](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/28/the-half-billion-dollar-glitch/) + +**Part 3** + +David Dayen, a persistent chronicler of how oligarchs exploit the financial system to enrich themselves at the expense of others, writes about Chris DiIorio, a stock analyst who for 10 years has obsessively investigated how exactly he came to lose $1 million on one penny stock. A remarkable story ensues. + +A FEW YEARS into his personal quest to understand how he had lost a million dollars on a penny stock, Chris DiIorio developed a sweeping hypothesis involving Knight Capital, the mammoth brokerage company that frequently traded in them. + +Knight [earned $333 million](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1060749/000119312511052082/d10k.htm) in pre-tax profits in 2008, and another $232 million in 2009. But DiIorio didn’t think Knight was making that kind of money simply from executing transactions for clients. + +As a market maker, Knight was in the rare position of being able to legally sell a stock it didn’t have (the principle being that it will get that stock soon, so no worries). That’s called naked shorting. It’s illegal when regular people do it. + +DiIorio suspected that Knight, either on its own behalf or on behalf of clients, made a practice of artificially increasing the number of shares available in a stock through naked shorting, thereby depressing the price. + +His suspicion grew when he noticed that Knight often traded in securities that were red-flagged on the [Depository Trust Company’s “chill list.”](https://www.sec.gov/investor/alerts/dtcfreezes.pdf) + +The [DTC](http://www.dtcc.com/about/businesses-and-subsidiaries/dtc.aspx) is an obscure financial industry-owned company that manages the custody of more than $1 quadrillion in securities annually, recording the transfers with journal entries and guaranteeing the trade. The company makes it easy for people to buy and sell securities without needing to exchange paper stock. + +But when the DTC senses trouble, it will stop clearing trades on a stock temporarily. + +A chilled stock can still trade — as long as the market participants handle the physical certificates themselves. But it can be a sign that something is gravely wrong. The DTC states on its [website](https://www.dtcclearning.com/learning/assetservices/products/issuer-services/how-issuers-work-with-dtc-faqs/678-what-does-it-mean-when-a-security-is-chilled-at-dtc.html) that it chills stocks “when there are questions about an issuer’s compliance with applicable law.” + +That doesn’t stop Knight from buying and selling them, though. Its chief legal officer, Thomas Merritt, [acknowledged](https://www.sec.gov/spotlight/microcap/microcaproundtable101711-transcript.txt) at a 2011 Securities and Exchange Commission roundtable that the company actively traded chilled stocks, saying that as long as the security still trades, “we are going to be involved in that business.” And DiIorio found numerous examples of Knight trading chilled penny stocks. + +“I didn’t know they did that,” said Jim Angel, a Georgetown University business school professor. “I’m kind of shocked to think that Knight would be working with paper stock certificates.” + +He suggested that Knight might simply want to accommodate customers trying to get out of chilled stocks. “Or maybe they feel there’s enough interest in a security that they can trade profitably, even if they have to shuffle the certificates.” + +Because most other market makers flee chilled stocks, however, this means Knight can assume even more control over the stock price. + +## Naked Manipulation + +The thing about naked short sales is they can’t stay naked forever. + +Even if you don’t have the stock when you sell it, at some point it is expected that you hand it over. + +And even with its market-maker exemption, Knight is required by SEC rules to eventually deliver the shares in a naked short transaction to the buyer and close out the trade. + +Not doing so results in a “fail to deliver,” which DiIorio describes as the securities version of an IOU. And that IOU comes with rules: Under the SEC’s  [Regulation SHO](https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/regsho.htm), short sellers have to cough up the stock within one day of incurring the fail. Routine failures to deliver can lead to [fines by the SEC](http://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2014/33-9522.pdf), or even a ban from the securities markets. + +Instead of complying with the rule, however, DiIorio alleges that Knight circumvented it by manipulating an obscure process within the machinery of the nation’s clearing system known as the “[Obligation Warehouse](http://www.dtcc.com/clearing-services/equities-clearing-services/ow).” + +This service facilitates the matching of self-cleared trades (often known as “ex-clearing”) that don’t go through the DTC —  for instance if the stock was chilled. + +The Obligation Warehouse instead simply asks the buyer and seller of these ex-cleared trades if they “know” the transaction. If they both agree, the trade gets confirmed with a journal entry — and the buyer receives their stock purchase. *It actually shows up in the buyer’s brokerage account.* + +The trades still have active IOUs, but according to DiIorio’s theory, buyers wouldn’t clamor for the trades to be closed because they would’ve already received their purchase. + +If true, this would allow Knight to bury its naked short trades. + +“They set up a shadow clearing system,” DiIorio said. + +Furthermore, DiIorio recognized what he considered a persistent cycle in the stocks Knight traded. After being beaten down through what he suspected was naked shorting, they would often engage in a reverse stock split or reverse merger, like E Mobile did with Best Rate Travel in the trade that ended up losing DiIorio over $1 million. + +This, he observed, could enable Knight to rerun the scheme over and over again, pummeling the stock price and then letting it move back up like a yo-yo. + +Laura Posner of the New Jersey Securities Commission said constant reverse splits would require a coordinated relationship between the penny stock issuer and the broker-dealer. “I know that there are situations in which fraudsters will take advantage of a stock split to commit fraud,” Posner said. “But it’s different than a typical pump-and-dump, where you don’t have to have a personal relationship.” + +Alternately, the cycle could be a cat-and-mouse game playing out between the short sellers and the stock issuers. Hawk Associates, a consulting firm to small companies, recommends that penny stock issuers victimized by naked shorting engage in reverse mergers and/or reverse splits to stop the rapid degradation of their stock price. “It may be useful as part of a larger strategy to deter naked shorting,” [the firm writes on its website](http://www.hawkassociates.com/ir/white/shorts.cfm). “This may be more trouble than it’s worth, however. Once the new shares are in circulation, there’s nothing to stop a new round of naked shorting by determined parties.” + +Knight’s involvement with suspicious stocks following this same pattern kept cropping up. + +For example, NewLead Holdings ([NEWL](http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=NEWL)) — a shipping company with a mining concern on the side that was [accused in federal court](http://www.plainsite.org/dockets/13ac3koo6/new-york-southern-district-court/transasia-commodities-limited-v-newlead-jmeg-llc-et-al/) of having “no coal mines, no coal, and no ability whatsoever to engage in the coal business” — engaged in 1-1,125,000 worth of [reverse splits](http://www.stocksplithistory.com/?symbol=newl) over nine months in 2013 and 2014, meaning that 1,000 shares prior to the splits were equivalent to 0.0008 shares afterward. NewLead did another [1-300 stock split](http://finance.yahoo.com/news/newlead-holdings-ltd-announces-1-131500494.html) just this spring; it now trades as [NEWLF](https://www.google.com/finance?cid=698789), at 0.00030 as of August 23. Its [2015 annual report](http://www.newleadholdings.com/annual-reports.html) admits, “There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.” + +FreeSeas ([FREE](http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=FREE)), another penny stock, did a 1-60 [reverse split](http://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/FreeSeas+(FREE)+Announces+1-for-60+Reverse+Split/11221193.html) on January 15 of this year, and then another [1-200 split](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1325159/000121390016012468/0001213900-16-012468-index.htm) on April 13, changing its stock symbol to [FREEF](http://finance.yahoo.com/quote/FREEF?ltr=1). The company has engaged in seven reverse splits in the last five years; someone with 900 million shares five years ago would have one share today, trading at less than a penny. The company’s [annual report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1325159/000114420415026586/v408409_20f.htm) says it currently has no employees. Private equity firm Havensight Capital [made an alleged bid](https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2016/06/16/849242/0/en/Havensight-Capital-makes-Tender-Offer-for-Free-Seas-Inc-and-Launches-theSuperMallofWebsites-com.html) to purchase FreeSeas in June at $0.43 a share, about 80 times its price at the time of this writing, which FreeSeas [called](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1325159/000121390016014304/f6k061716ex99i_freeseasinc.htm) “false and misleading.” + +While one might think this cycle of splits and price declines would trigger red flags with federal regulators, Joseph Borg of the Alabama Securities Commission doubted they would pay attention. “It’s like asking the SEC, of all the 35,000 private placements issued, you look at how many? And if they were telling the truth they would say we’re putting them in a drawer,” Borg said. “Anything like that on miniscule levels, they just get filed away.” + +Furthermore, while there are “circuit breaker” rules preventing short sales when a stock loses more than 10 percent of its value in a day, these swings were more gradual. Knight made a lot of money on these plays, not just from the spread in trading profits, but because it often traded on its own account rather than on behalf of customers, DiIorio concluded. When the stock dropped, Knight got rich from the short. And it could rerun this repeatedly + +“He’s got a theory that, without studying it, I see theoretically where he’s going with it,” concluded Borg. “It’s an interesting idea.” + +Knight is now known as KCG. Its spokesperson Sophie Sohn declined to comment when asked about this and other matters. + +Attempts to reach spokespeople at FreeSeas have proven unsuccessful. Elisa Gerouki, corporate communications manager at NewLead, asked me to prove I wrote for The Intercept; after I did so, Gerouki failed to respond to questions. + +## Where Naked Shorts Go to Die + +DiIorio also spotted a significant, seemingly toxic byproduct of this sort of activity. + +Reverse mergers and reverse splits typically result in a change in the [CUSIP](https://www.sec.gov/answers/cusip.htm), the nine-digit identification symbol assigned to a public stock. + +Once that CUSIP changes, the naked shorter has no apparent way to close out the naked short position. No stock under the old CUSIP number exists anymore; it all automatically converts to the new CUSIP. + +Those trades can sit in the Obligation Warehouse forever, in theory. But the “aged fails” — essentially orphaned naked short transactions — remain on the naked shorter’s balance sheet as a liability to be paid later. + +By DiIorio’s reckoning, then, the cycle of naked shorting and reverse splits would inevitably result in an ever-increasing number of aged fails. And if that was happening, and those liabilities grew bigger and bigger, then federal regulators could see the outlines of the scheme on any financial statement. + +DiIorio believed Knight accounted for its aged fails in the “sold not yet purchased” liability on its balance sheet. That’s supposed to be an inventory of stocks for use in future market making, which goes up and down as orders are filled. But DiIorio says it was a hiding place for a billowing structural liability. + +And consider this: According to its [own financial reports](http://www.zonebourse.com/KINGSPAN-GROUP-1412393/pdf/299641/Kingspan%20Group_SEC-Filing-10K.pdf), Knight’s “sold not yet purchased” liability jumped from $385 million at the beginning of 2008 to [$1.9 billion](http://www.secinfo.com/d14D5a.q6JC3.htm#1r02) by mid-2011. + +Jim Angel, the business professor, said there could be other explanations — such as Knight’s growth as a company during that period — for why the “sold not yet purchased” liability ballooned. But, he said, market makers are typically “in the moving, not storing, business, and like to keep their inventories as small as possible.” + +DiIorio had no such doubts. He saw the fact that Knight was blowing a hole in its own balance sheet as undeniable evidence of the naked shorting play. + +KCG spokesperson Sophie Sohn was asked specifically about that claim and declined to comment. + +If DiIorio was correct, Knight was driving penny stocks down over and over again with naked shorting, then not actually closing the trades, and racking up enormous paper liabilities. + +This was even more complicated than he thought. It was time to call the cops. + +## CONTACT THE AUTHOR: + +[David Dayen](https://theintercept.com/staff/davidd/) [ddayen@​prospect.org](mailto:ddayen@prospect.org) [@ddayen](https://twitter.com/@ddayen) + +&#x200B; + +edit1: My first attempt at this post was removed since the source for the quote " The company has engaged in seven reverse splits in the last five years" had a link to an investing website that is banned by this reddit. I will not try to circumvent the rules and provide the link here, however if you wish to know just go to the original article. + +edit2: a fellow ape made a fair point about The Intercept's relationship with Glenn Greenwald, and so their record is not unblemished....so oopsies about being too absolutist dear apes. The spirit of it was to simply pre-empt a discussion in here about The Intercept (or the news itself), as a means to dismiss the article out of hand. + +edit2b: I've moved the original opening down here for recordkeeping...there was no real usefulness other than it being unnecessarily combative. *"First off, I will not accept any backhanded criticism of this news source. The Intercept is one of the best and most vigilant investigative reporting journals in the world. Their integrity is not up for debate imo."* +A friend in the pub was asking why my hoodie had a light on it, I didn't realize that not everyone knows that heated clothing is a thing. I've been using [one of these](https://www.sgs-engineering.com/milwaukee-m12hhgrey3-0-grey-premium-heated-hoodie-medium) in my freezing cold workshop for the last few winters, and its amazing! + + It uses an electric drill style battery and gives about 6-8 hours of heat depending on what temp you set it to. +Just to be clear I'm presenting a doomsday scenario here and am not expecting my lovely wife to fail. + +Some context: wife owns a café, it has done great trade for 30 years (since long before she owned the business). Some uncertainty now, at least in my mind, due to inflation and energy costs. She is, I believe, VAT registered, but the business is not a limited company so I think that means she's operating as a sole trader. + +From my perspective, I've got a full time job, no kids, our car is cack. Therefore, in my view we have absolutely nothing to lose but the house if her business were to implode. We have a joint mortgage and have probably 60-80k of equity in the house. I make all mortgage payments, always have done. + +So yeah, I'd just like to know if the house would be up for grabs if she ended up in crippling debts relating to her business. + +Thanks! + +Edit: Thanks for replies, just to clarify, some people here are offering advice as though we're already sinking. The business currently has 0 debts and is profitable, it's just something I've always had at the back of my mind. I will encourage wife to set up a limited company. +Advertisers pay Brave to buy BAT to run ad campaigns on the Browser. Users can earn BAT by viewing these ads, and Brave keeps a cut (30%) to run their operations. This process has been steadily regressing, with more and more issues this month and seems to be capitulating. + +https://community.brave.com/c/brave-rewards/71 + +Their community forum is full of people experiencing Brave's terrible payout system. Basically, Brave tells you you'll get paid the 5-7th, but that isn't happening. Your rewards seem to disappear, and then you hope one day you get paid. The Brave Team seems to expect their millions of users to individually PM them to get it resolved on a wallet-by wallet basis, and as you can imagine, they aren't able to keep up. Now they're rolling people's rewards over to the next month, essentially just holding people's money until they look into it more. + +https://www.bravebat.info/brave_initiated_bat_purchase +Brave touts 54 million active monthly users, but has failed to convert those numbers into revenue. The link above shows that for 54MM users, they've never done more than $3MM in monthly BAT sales, which they only keep 30% of. This is pennies a month per user, and means that Brave is massively cash flow negative, as they claim hundreds of employees. They have completely failed to effectively monetize their massive user base, and now we're seeing they're completely in over their head. + +If you head over to r/batproject, you'll see that the Brave Team has stopped engaging their users, unless they have a very canned response. Their "Director of Engagement" posts very rarely, and they refuse to respond to questions of users. The red flags are adding up, and my guess is that Brave is failing. + +Investing in BAT I'm realizing is like investing in a private company, and is actually a regressive way to invest. They don't disclose their runrate, revenue, all revenue sources, executive compensation and many other key metrics that you can see at any publicly traded company. However, Brave touts "transparency" every chance they get, while being about as transparent as milk when it comes to any issues with the payouts. + +Perhaps the most damming metric is the 0 growth in ad campaigns in the US. + +https://www.bravebat.info/brave_ads_campaigns?country=United%20States + +Shows 2 years of flat US ad campaigns, so US advertisers don't want this. plenty of big names have come through, and very few of run repeat campaigns. If you use the browser, the ads you'll get now are from very low quality companies, similar to when the browser first started. + +I think it's clear that BAT is failing. Most people on here get maybe a couple of quarters a month, after being told how valuable their data is. Most people think the rewards are a complete joke on here, and I guess they are, and the team's response is certainly telling of a team in complete disarray. The idea of privacy browser that compensates you for your ad viewing is brilliant, but this team's execution of that concept ain't it. It's been years, they won't talk about what's going on, and it's getting worse. Take a look through that first link, it's not good. + +These issues have gotten worse over the years, and clearly Brave isn't going to be "transparent" about the problem. I would advise any investors to assume that if the team won't answer their questions, it's because the answer is really bad. The Brave Team won't answer these questions on r/batproject - go take a look, they've been asked for years, the team will engage and then ghost any question they don't like. + + +EDIT: To the people saying they have no problems, that's awesome. I think for a lot of people that's the case. However, please look below at how many people that isn't the case for, and consider how small the sample is. Dozens of people have responded that they're having the same issues, and that means that a large enough % are that this is a big issue. 80% success is a failure here, they cannot address these issues as one-offs. Brave / BAT as is, is not sustainable, and it's a major concern for a browser we shill constantly on this sub, myself included. +Hey Guys. + +For the first time, it is starting to get chilly here at night. Cold enough where you really are going to need a blanket. When we were doing meals today we had a bunch of people express their concern that they weren't going to have any blankets tonight. + +This is murky territory here. Sleeping with a blanket outdoors on public property is a crime here in Pensacola. And giving them the blanket is aiding and abetting a crime. + +I'm happy to say we were able to hand out 12 blankets to people that had no other way to stay warm tonight. We even had help from John Stahl from the Bitcoin Foundation who's down here checking out the outpost and Satoshi Forest. + +Bunch of criminals, the lot of us. Especially John, he is cold blooded. + +Thank you all for supporting our crime spree. We have no plans of stopping. + +Jason +First big move since COVID for the Oracle of Omaha. He is finally digging in his 137 billion wallet. + +This suggest that the game of waiting might be paying off in the long run. Better opportunity will unequivocally come at the right time. Also good news for overall market conditions. It suggests that retesting march low’s is off the table. + +David day trader global GLOBAL think he’s washed up. Its a bold move to go against the pinstripe suits. +My friend is currently paying 1500/mo and has to pay up front 4500 for first last and security this is in central mass. Now the new landlord is asking for the same deposits. Does the old landlord just get to keep those deposits, or do we need to pursue legal action to get them back? +[2008 Flashbacks ](https://preview.redd.it/lrv969lt7vg91.jpg?width=955&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e6cf7e62afe1350f4dc454e483de3697f570fb4) + +&#x200B; + +**Respected Traders and Investors,** + +( Yah yah ik CPI was so bullish but just give this a try. Could be worth your time in case you didn't know your history and also when everyone's bullish you gotta be careful. ) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +**Disclaimer :** Sasuke isn't here for at least 2 weeks because he is busy writing his last newsletter 11. Yes you heard it right the last coz we are ending this season. So this is me his friend the "Illuminati Guy" from whom he takes opinions regarding Stock Market. Tbh, Sasuke doesn't understand markets like i do. He is just better in T.A. stuffs. He is also not that confident while speaking as you might have observed in his recent talk over here on Wsb. \*\*Cough lot of 3.4%. Lol. + +&#x200B; + +**Tl;dr :** + +&#x200B; + +[September = Trouble](https://preview.redd.it/20v52il1tvg91.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8375b503cd85ad21796ce7335ad61b910226be1) + +&#x200B; + +**So moving on :** + +I'm sure that title must have made you felt like a clickbait but i can assure it's not. We don't do these kind of stuff here. We leave that kind of stuff for Youtube guru's. What we do here is present you the data and what you should be prepared of in the upcoming months. So yes the stock market is about to collapse on the head of Democrats and the worst Fed chairman in history called "Jerome Powell". Powell if you're reading no hard feelings but you should resign. Seriously. + +Guys the government will soon blame this on wallstreetbets. I am not sure but they could come guns blazing out towards reddit to stop this community temporarily or forever if the stock market crashes pretty bad in upcoming "Bearish September". They pressure companies like Meta, Google, Amazon Microsoft and Apple so what's stopping them to go after Reddit. Just so you know guys i love every single one of you. Whether you hate me or resent me wont change my feelings towards each and every one of you. Personally i believe Reddit should go public by 2029 :) It is such a wonderful platform. + +&#x200B; + +So guys enough chit chart lets dive in this what i call the "Illuminati data" on stock market crash that will make your mind blown part. Are you ready ? If yes then lets beginnnnnnn. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +# Stock Market Collapse Analysis + +**( When Everyone's bullish that's when you have to be extra Careful )** + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/597345flavg91.png?width=1598&format=png&auto=webp&s=06b0d37b6e835027c2e7f4cb024cb8bb847a9524 + +"Dude what is even this ? " "I'm not joining your cult" "Get back to your meds" Guys guys guys have a bit of patience. Please. It's not what you think. Allow me to explain this very important concept called "Shmita" before we actually dive in the data. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +**So what exactly is Shmita ?** + +&#x200B; + +[Don't get confused with your sabbatical year after school. Lol](https://preview.redd.it/wui6d5lcavg91.png?width=1806&format=png&auto=webp&s=cda75d81d57399063e8618e2404f53862a2b1cf7) + +&#x200B; + +During Shmita there are the rise of empires, the fall of empires, the beginning of wars, the ending of wars and the financial collapse. Almost all of the financial collapse occur during Shmita year. So let's look at past 100 yr where all Shmita year have been impacted financially. + +Here we will be discussing political, economic and financial collapse all the way back to the signing of declaration of independence and the beginning of revolutionary war. So guys i'm sure the teacher of your school must have taught you history so well. So i will try to keep it concise and just give you few flashbacks from your history class. You can read about them in depth later on and please fact check them. + + +&#x200B; + +**Here's the data** + +&#x200B; + +1. 1777 : Declaration of Independence signed. (Beginning of Shmita yr) +2. 1783 : Revolutionary began after Independence and ended in 1783. (Beginning of Shmita yr) +3. 1846 : Mexican american war began. (Beginning of Shmita yr) +4. 1861 : Civil war began. (Beginning of Shmita yr) +5. 1873 : Black Friday on 9th May at Vienna Stock Exchange. (Beginning of Shmita yr) +6. 1896 : Panic of 1896 in depth of Economic Depression. (Heart of Shmita yr) +7. 1903 : Panic of 1903. (End of Shmita yr) +8. 1917 : World War 1 & Russian Romanov family Empire collapsed. (Last month of Shmita yr) +9. 1931 : Dow collapsed 88% ushering Great Depression. (End of Shmita yr) +10. 1938 : Still in Great depression stock market collapsed another 50% after it had risen ushering in a Severe Recession. (End of Shmita yr) +11. 1945 : WW2 ended. Austria Germany Japan Poland were in ruins. (End of Shmita yr) +12. 1966 : Stock market collapse of 1966. (End of Shmita yr) +13. 1973 : Stock market crash of 1973. (End of Shmita yr) +14. 1979 : Collapse begin and went until 1982. Oil prices peaked and there were gasoline shortages. +15. 1987 : Stock market crashed 33% on Black Monday. (End of Shmita yr) +16. 1994 : Bond market collapsed. (End of Shmita yr) +17. 2001 : Attack on World Trade Center. (End of Shmita yr) Stock market closed and reopened on September 17 and dropped -7% on last day of Shmita yr. +18. 2008 : Largest stock market loss in history i.e. 777 points. (Occurred on last day Sept 29th. End of Shmita yr) +19. 2015 : Shanghai stock market crashed 30% in three weeks. (During the heart of Shmita yr) + +&#x200B; + +Link for top 10 crash : + +[https://www.finance-monthly.com/2018/12/the-top-10-biggest-market-crashes/](https://www.finance-monthly.com/2018/12/the-top-10-biggest-market-crashes/) + +&#x200B; + +**Note :** + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +* The difference is usually b/w 6 to 7. +* "Crashes" were called "Panic" in history. +* At the beginning of history we collapsed at the beginning of Shmita year but later on it was usually at the end of the "Shmita" year and mostly around September. Hence September is the worst month in history. + + +[Calculate September returns. xD](https://preview.redd.it/h4qwk5nvqvg91.png?width=787&format=png&auto=webp&s=1096791888e69d2e8f4e93fbcbc7c61939be4eb1) + +\- + +&#x200B; + +**Result :** + +In 2022 exactly seven years after, the stock market of United States or could be United Kingdom ( As these two have high inflation. Hey could be China as well ) will get obliterated before the end of Shmita year. Currently we are approaching the end of Shmita year. + +This Shmita year began in "September 2021" and will end on "September 25th 2022". So prepare yourself for a collapse and please don't say afterwards you weren't warned before. As for people working in institutions and hedge funds you probably must have had a nice talk about this at lunch didn't you. + + +&#x200B; + +**Additional Context :** + +Today is what 9th august 1947 we are 47 days away from end of Shmita year. Btw guys this is not only a Shmita year ( The seventh year in a cycle ) but this year is also known as "Super Shmita" year (Everything bubble collapse xD) which is the seventh year of seven "7 year" cycle. + +So its the 49th year and of course this occurs every 49 yrs. Hence it has heightened importance on Jewish calendar. You maybe thinking this is all weird. I ain't believing this hocus pocus and thinking "What has letting land rest and forgiving debts have to do with all of this". + +Guys just see the chronicles of events. The beginning of wars, Ending of wars, Financial stock market, bond market going back couple of hundred years. They seems to correlate and i don't know why. They just do. It's not like i'm BS'ing you. I just read you the data which you could find on your own. Even Peter lynch and Warren buffet talk about all of this. + +Watch one of Peter Lynch seminar in 1991 where he talked about the most important thing that everyone should especially GenZ need to know about stock market in last 100 year. Stock Market go up in value and they go down in value. And when they go down they can go down a lot. He further adds in last 100 years stock market had 51 corrections of 10% and more. That means every 2 year there is a correction. And out of these 51 corrections 15 had crashes of 20% or more. That means roughly 7 year out of 100 year you get a severe crash. So guys all i wanna say is you don't have to time it but you gotta position yourself just in case. Coz that's the most important job of every traders and investors. + + +&#x200B; + +**Positions :** + +So guys i cannot give you my positions but hey i will send you the Uchiha positions. He might have talked about this in his guest appearance here on Wsb. Lol + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +[Emerging market short coz he cannot do puts on USA.](https://preview.redd.it/crdumae4svg91.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73122c3c771285de2c25d5037a6b8b0e0b6c8a6b) + +https://preview.redd.it/fhqk6fe4svg91.jpg?width=1069&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8c345610b2679026927d9e3f296ffcb49f3a6ed + +https://preview.redd.it/lpqrfae4svg91.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1583beb0d0c07c17d0251615605da90299dba6e + +So + +Investors : You buy massively at vix 40+ or hedge a lil bit portion of your portfolio. +Traders : You buy 2m puts till oct 29 in case to be safe. If you wanna go aggressive go buy it for sept 29. But please dont blow your whole money. Just a small portion of it. + + +We have already given you dates in WS-10. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +**Conclusion :** + +Just remember it isn't precise. It doesn't happen exactly in the last month or last week or last day exactly. But it usually happens in "Shmita" year and more often than not it does occur in last month toward the end of "Shmita" year. + +I'm not here to scare you or be negative. I'm just here coz Uchiha has gone somewhere and he basically told me to write something interesting. I'm your guy who inform and prepare you for what has happened historically. ( I just tell him and he tells you ) + + +&#x200B; + +**Invalidation :** + +This Sept 2021- Sept 2022 if you look back from the future let's say 2029 ( End of Shmita yr. xD ) that this year was indeed Shmita year and maybe the collapse occurred in first 6 months of this yr and maybe the fact that stocks and bonds collapsed during 6m period would make it unusual and stand out as reset or collapse. This is what will be then called as collapse in the "Heart of Shmita yr" ( We exceeded more than 20% crash ) + + +Or Perhaps i could be right and + + +In the next 47 days we are looking to a period of time where we will have a greater collapse in front of us. + + + + +**Advise For :** + +This advise perhaps is best for financial advisor managing an active portfolio and for people who hire a IA. So if your guy hasn't told you about all of this. Fire him immediately. + + +Personally i love history and believe in historical cycles. Hence that June 15 bottom was such a fabulous entry but this Sasuke man. He wasn't convinced enough and flip flopped. Feel Sorry for him duh. + + +It breaks my heart that these kind of information will never be covered by Bloomberg, Cnbc or some other popular websites because it has certain religious component to it. But its important to take a note of this since the correlation is just incredible. + + +&#x200B; + +\-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--x-x-x-xx-x--x-xx--x-xx-x-x--xx--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x + +&#x200B; + +That's all i have to say guys. I know i know you must be thinking Cpi is coming down and the report is so good. Therefore i'm posting this bearish post in a market where everyone suddenly thinks its A-okay and we are going for a new bull market. But i still have to believe we could be shaping up for a collapse by Sept 25. Hey, at least a double bottom. + +&#x200B; + +With lots of love guys. I bid my farewell. I also made a short video for you guys. Keep an eye on it when it releases :) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Thank you + +Regards + +Itachi +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. + +On April 15th 2020, buying Bitcoin with $1,200 at ~$7,000 would have been a great investment yielding a 760% gain today, or a total of $10,300. + +This goes to show how much can be gained in a bull market. Will cryptos meteoric rise continue? Nobody knows. + +People say the best time to buy was yesterday. The second best time is today. In reality, many assets appreciate over time so planning longterm and not investing more than you can lose is recommended. +I calculated today, my wife and I currently have enough money in investments, that on average we can pay for all of our expenses using investment money. (Note that this is an average. Sometimes we make more money. Sometimes we make less. It would be unwise to completely depend on investment money only.) + +Both of us have high paying jobs.. all of this income is just going to add onto the investments, since we already cover all of our costs with the investment income. + +I am having a "midlife crisis" about what my future job should be. I work as a software engineer. I have always been the smart computer kid in school, but over the decades, technology has been changing so much, it has been hard to keep up. I am wondering how long I will be able to keep this up before employers start just going for someone younger. + +We have a family. Time with the kids is important. I am starting to look at my typical job, with 8 hours + 1 hour for lunch + 1 hour commute in each direction, that is 11 hours used for work, that I am wondering if I can reduce significantly. + +I don't really care about the pay too much.. But I am not ready to work for free. I just want to be productive, and mentally challenged at work, but then be able leave all of that and not deal with it when I come home. + +I don't like the idea of being a freelancer, because then I need to negotiate how much money I will be paid, which I don't really care about. I'd prefer a project where I don't have much responsibility to a deliver a project, and instead I would prefer to be an advisor or teacher. + +At the same time, I recognize, we can now afford certain services that we previously have not done much because we felt it was too expensive. A few examples: + +1. Having people clean our place. (Because it gets overwhelming with kids to keep it clean.) +2. Having prepared foods be delivered to us regularly. (Although we try cooking once in a while, it is not something we really enjoy doing. And we are concerned about our kids eating healthy.) +3. Going on more vacations. +4. Getting a nanny/babysitter supplimenting the daycare. +5. Donate more money. + +Currently we continue to go the same path and accumulate wealth, and are starting to spend more on the things listed above, but as the wealth accumulates, I keep getting a stronger urge to change my job to something else.. but I don't know to what. +Its very easy to overlook the fact that bitcoin was created over 12 years ago. Ethereum nearly 6 years ago, and currently we are going through our second major bull run. There has been a lot of progress in this market and a lot of money enter the market but after 12 years this market is still extremely hard to navigate. + +Its one thing to load your bank account onto coinbase and buy $50 worth of bitcoin, but its an entirely different world to take out a CDP through maker or sign a transaction with your ledger through metamask on uniswap. Just the other day I had to spend about 4 hours walking a competent career professional through the steps to get his tokens off an old binance account and rebalancing stuff that had been de-listed on most exchanges through uniswap. It was a very complicated and tedious process for me, and I would consider myself an expert at this. For him, he had thousands of dollars that he had no clue what to do with and needed help, and I was one of the only people he could find by going through mutual friends. + +So this brings me to my point of this thread which is the overlooked or unspoken narrative which is the crypto user layer. For cryptocurrencies to become mainstream people are either going to have to learn all of this stuff, find something that bridges the gap, or be able to use cryptocurrencies without knowing they are actually using them. Its a tall order, but I think there are some solutions. I have used [crypto.com](https://crypto.com), celsius, galagames, etc and I think they are pretty good products and im sure theres a good chunk of them that im missing, but user focused crypto applications are crucial and a crypto has to have user layers if it wants to survive as anything other than a b2b tech tool or financial tool for whales and speculators. + +One of the applications that does have my eye though more so than others is the brave browser. This is going to sound like a shill post and you can easily check my history, but hear me out on this for just a moment. While everyone has been aping into foodtokens and animalcoin rugpulls brave has silently been building away and is yet to have the spotlight. Unless you are actively following Brave/BAT you would not know that they have grown to 29 million users, have onboarded some of the worlds largest advertisers, and that they are expanding their product and feature suite. If you didn't catch any of that then you definitely missed what im about to show you which I think is a massive boon when it comes to creating a crypto user layer. + +https://preview.redd.it/sfpu6hx0a2r61.jpg?width=947&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a66b754bf28d84fefcf247ead597115983a0489e + +What you are looking at is an unbelievable amount of crypto applications all rolled into one neatly packaged and accessible product. Were you to get someone new to crypto started with a comparable product suite you would end up making their head spin, and potentially put them at a security risk via phishing attempts etc. Getting a new user started on brave gives them access to earning BAT at no cost to themselves, and a huge chunk of products featured in the picture I have posted. They have multiple fiat gateways, an exchange, the BAT rewards program, a decentralized exchange that will reduce fees if you own BAT and allow for easy swaps, a wallet that supports multiple crypto chains and the ability to send crypto p2p, a portfolio tracker, and an app store that allows you to easily discover some vetted crypto applications like compound, rarible, opensea, maker, etc etc. + +So with all that being said, keep some of this in mind. Crypto needs a user layer, and I think brave has a pretty good shot at being one of the top applications towards making crypto a little bit more accessible. Being in crypto for nearly 6 years now I have seen a lot of wallets, exchanges, products come and go and brave is looking like it might be here to stay and thrive for a long time. Should brave keep growing at the rate its been growing I can easily see it becoming one of the leaders in crypto user onboarding that lifts all of our boats from defi,gaming,nfts etc etc. +Ethereum gas prices are this high and people are still using it because Ethereum is a network that delivers. Most other "ETH Killers" would have similar transaction fee's if they had anywhere near the traffic that Ethereum has and the real Investors know it. Bitcoin is Gold and Ethereum is Oil - deal with it. + +You can bet on what network you think is going to kill Ethereum just like you would try and bet on what coin you think is going to kill Bitcoin but at the end of the day your going to eat dirt and wake up and realise people have their bags loaded for the best already and are riding the entire market to even higher heights. The shitcoin gambling phase has nearly come to an end for this cycle and it's becoming more and more prominent every day. +For the past year, the sentiment around memecoin holders has been *”I feel bad for them — pouring their life savings into this and will lose it all”* but anyone still holding is likely into large profits on a few of them. They didn’t take your advice, they didn’t apply your logic and it worked out for them. + +If you truly felt bad for them before, be happy that it worked out. If you’re upset for not doing what they did, that’s kinda silly.. coins pump everyday without us on board some of us just have a less chaotic strategy. + +This isn’t unique to crypto, people invest their time, energy and money into risky things that pan out all the time. In life there will be daily choices you make and don’t make that land you more or less money — it’s just less measurable than it is in Crypto, you’re less aware of the exact decision and what the alternative would have gained you. +## We were the first exchange to have a full physical allocated gold trading pair, + +## we were the first exchange to build a full transparency protocol called the glass books protocol after Mtgox Goxed everyone, + +## we were the first exchange to push for the UASF and now... + +## we are the first exchange to offer lightning network payments on the mainnet. (SUPER BETA). Feel free to AMA us + +[https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/vaultoros\-bitcoin\-gold\-exchange\-implements\-lightning\-network\-payments/](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/vaultoros-bitcoin-gold-exchange-implements-lightning-network-payments/) + +NOTE: I'm at chainges conference in Amsterdam where we announced it so I will be back online later. \*Joshua Scigala CEO + +CryptoAnarchy is alive and growing everyday. Peace. +Disclaimer: this post claims an alternative point of view on the current events, after several removals from [r/bitcoin](https://www.reddit.com/r/bitcoin/) I want to say that we do have different opinions but this censorship needs to end if we want cryptocurrencies to be taken seriously. + +&#x200B; + +All right folks for those of us who bought very cheap for a few thousands, "last chance to buy at 30k" can also very well be "last chance to sell at 30k". + +So reality is -25% is nothing for a bitcoin correction so if you believe you want to sell part of your portfolio to rebuy cheaper, just do it, and if you want to HODL for ever without taking this risk, good for you we will meet again at 150k anyway but don't spread intox like this. +This sub becomes "unbearable" when the market is down and it's the same thing every fucking time. Here is a summary of 99% of what people post : + +People whining about losses and freaking out + +People asking to stop whining about losses and freaking out + +People pretending that they knew the market will go down + +People giving the same health advices every damn time + +Hodl type posts + +People reminding us how hard it is to recover after 10% losses (thanks) + +People giving the same statements that we already know + +People giving friendly reminder about pretty much everything we already know + +And the deeper it goes, the worst it becomes. + +Can we just pretend it's normal for a cycle to go up and down and talk about something else ? + +Thank you. + +Edit : by posting this, I don't expect people to shut up, don't be dumb. All I'm trying to make you aware of is that we need to post better content and not repetitive shit. Y'all need to shill the fuck up and learn to read before hurrying up to your keyboard and comment. + +Edit2: didn't expect this post to reach hot despite the hundreds of downvotes. Thanks for the few elites of you that actually read these few lines (and in between) and understood my point. I'm not gonna respond to the others. +Ive watched the stock market, crypto market, and precious metal market for a the past 5ish years. One thing I always found fascinating is the way the markets move together, most common example, one going up while another goes down and the third not doing anything noteworthy. + +Since this whole GME thing last year, I’ve watch the crypto and stock markets move almost in tandem with each other, but metals markets still did their independent thing…until lately. + +All three markets are down and look like they are starting to Synchronize and start moving in tandem. And I will tell you I don’t know what it means but it scares the hell out of me. +Pleasantly surprised to see that we didn't have to wait until March 31 for this. Lots of interesting information in here. Some good, some bad, some new, and some I don't understand: + +https://sec.report/Document/0001493152-21-006283/ + +Good + +• ⁠As of March 17 there are 1,749,302,040 shares outstanding. Same as the S-1 told us effective Feb 22 and a few more than Dec 31 which was attributed to the conversion of $170k in debt. So we are not actively being diluted +• ⁠If you go through their list of notes payable and convertible notes payable, a lot of them are valued at $0 as of Dec 31 so they have done a good job of paying off old debt. If you recall in one of my previous posts I was worried about Bellridge debt, that is also noted as a $0 balance +• ⁠Despite having quite a few properties under lease (and showing in their expense report) they note they are subleasing most of these (and recording them as other income) +• ⁠As of Feb 22 Shypdirect had 37 employees, as of today Shypdirect and Shyp FX have approximately 65 employees. I can't imagine they all came from DDTI so hopefully this is a sign they are continuing to add and expand (note they were at 127 between Shypdirect and PrimeEFS on Sept 30, 2020) as supported by their hiring adds on their website +• ⁠They intend to apply for uplist to OTCQB in April +• ⁠Their profit margin increased this year despite the reduction in revenue and the turbulence the year has brought: For the year ended December 31, 2020, our gross profit was $2,542,392, or 9.8% of revenues, as compared to $2,603,362, or 8.3% of revenues +• ⁠It looks like they have been successful in expanding Shypdirect beyond just Amazon; especially in Q4. They note: Through our subsidiary, Shypdirect LLC (“Shypdirect”), we also do a limited amount of last-mile delivery (our minivan or “last mile” business) for a different customer. Later in the report they note that year on year they had an increase in revenue from other customers of $441,658. On Sept 30 Amazon accounted for a combined 97.5% of their revenue which meant $587,584 was from other sources. By Dec 31 Amazon accounted for a combined 96.7% of revenue which meant $852,279 came from other sources. It also means they did $264,695 in Q4 which is about a 35% increase from the average of the three previous quarters. It's not much but it shows that they have been gaining success in generating revenue for Shypdirect outside of Amazon. Also this revenue is almost the same as what DDTI was doing. Further adding credence to the fact they have stepped it up in Q4, Amazon accounted for 85.6% of their Dec 31, 2020 A/R vs 93.6% in 2019 +• ⁠On February 21, 2021, we formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Shyp CX, Inc., under the laws of the State of New York (“Shyp CX”) + + +Bad + +• ⁠They were really hurting for cash at the end of December before the sales of Series E that went through: On December 22, 2020, the Company’s chief executive officer advanced the Company $30,000. The advance is non-interest bearing and payable on demand. On December 31, 2020, amount due to the chief executive officer amounted to $30,000 and has been included in due to related parties on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. On January 29, 2021, the Company repaid this advance +• ⁠Shypdirect defaulted on lease payments on their box trucks (approx 20 of them based on comparing vehicle numbers). They have recorded a liability of $2,871,272 in relation to this as Ryder is demanding they pay for the trucks but they are in the process of returning the vehicles and are attempting to dispute this number: On March 2, 2021, Shypdirect received a demand letter from Ryder Truck Rental, Inc. (“Ryder”) related to a breach of the Truck Lease and Service Agreement between Shypdirect and Ryder, dated October 9, 2018. Pursuant to the letter, Ryder terminated the Truck Lease and Service Agreement for failure to pay invoices due. Pursuant to the letter, Ryder elected to require Shypdirect to purchase all of the terminated Vehicle(s) in accordance with the agreement for $2,871,272. In connection with this breach, as of December 31, 2020, the Company wrote off security deposits of $164,565 and has a recorded contingent liability of $2,871,272 which is related to the default on truck leases for non-payment of monthly lease payments and the lessor’s demand for payment of the trucks for an aggregate contingency loss of $3,035,837. The Company intends to dispute this demand and has been attempting to return all of the trucks to Ryder as Shypdirect is no longer using the trucks and accordingly, the trucks are not included as assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet +• ⁠The Bellridge legal battle is not over despite the dismissal we saw posted a few weeks ago. Rather than file an amended complaint in federal court, on February 19, 2021, Bellridge dismissed the federal case without prejudice. We anticipate that Bellridge will refile a substantially similar civil action in state supreme court in New York shortly. Furthermore they are claiming they are owed a ton more shares: In a filing with the federal court made on February 23, 2021, Bellridge as asserted that the value of the undelivered shares under the Exchange Agreement was $8,610,750 as of the date of execution of the Exchange Agreement . TLSS intends to fight this vigorously. +• ⁠Despite Q4 being the busy quarter for shipping, revenue from Shypdirect associated with Amazon was significantly down: For last five (5) reported fiscal quarters, those revenues have been as follows: quarter ended December 31, 2020 - $1,851,825, quarter ended September 30, 2020 - $2,400,597, quarter ended June 30, 2020 - $3,209,314, quarter ended March 31, 2020 - $3,565,858 and quarter ended December 31, 2019 - $3,435,317. +• ⁠They do not expect Amazon to extend the agreement with Shypdirect beyond May 14: We do not expect Amazon to renew the Program Agreement upon expiration which will have a material effect on the Company’s operation in the seconds quarter of 2021 and beyond. Further reiterated in their lawyer's assessment letter of their 10K: Additionally, the Company lost a contract with its primarily customer effective September 30, 2020, and management anticipates the non-renewal of another contract with that same customer in May 2021 + + +Questions + +• ⁠How many warrants did their placement agent receive in connection with selling Series E. In the S-1 they quote the placement agent received 457,142,857 warrants but in this 10K they note the agent has received 45,714,285 warrants. Details on the individual Series E sales lead me to believe the number in the 10K is correct and makes a lot more sense, otherwise they were getting 2084.36 per unit of Series E. This also means our potential dilution is quite a bit less than expected. The down side is the math in my Shares, Share Structure, and Dilution post is now all screwed up. + +The Gist + +• Overall good news. Cougar acquisition is truly happening. They are attempting a rapid expansion, and looking to be successful in doing so. I’d expect this stock to go up 50-100% these coming weeks at least. I'm still not done combing through the 10k, but it seems like the big pieces are all there for me to stay 100% on board as planned. Uplisting attempt #2 coming soon, buying all of Cougar with a shiny new, purpose-built subsidiary. Yet again gobsmacking amounts of reduced debt, and a much stronger income than I was braced for with no amazon. Wow, and that's without the two new acquisitions contributing to it. This combined with the last few good news breaks about lawsuit progress is all looking great for longs, OG and new alike. +I see a lot of penny stock companies brought up. And they are supposedly in hot sectors like cannabis, renewable energy, shrooms, block chain, etc. + +When I do my DD, lot of these companies used to be in the mining industry or oil exploration. CNBC and yahoo finance usually still has them listed in those sectors lot of the times. Then all the sudden they are in the cannabis industry. Or maybe even blockchain or renewable energy. + +A prime example is Minecro, ticker $MINE in the US. They still have the"mine" name. But now, they are supposedly in cannabis, shrooms, and have their own crypto coin. +Hey all, + +I was promoted in July of this year and got a 7% raise. The way my company does our raises due to promotion is in three bumps. One immediately, one at 6 months, and one at a year in position. I spoke with my director 2-3 weeks ago about my January raise and he said I'd be getting 5% in January and in July to put me at about 50k per year, where he wants his supervisors. + +Today, I got news from my manager that it came from the top that anyone under senior director cannot get more than 1% in 2017 or 3% for a promotion. It's honestly laughable. For reference, 1% won't bump me enough to cover my Netflix and Hulu payments. + +I'll also add that my company is moving 30-40 minutes further away from me in July and my lease is up in March. I had planned to move to be close (literally right down the street) to the new building. + +So I'm kinda pressed to make a decision. I can stay with the company and hope that my raises come in 2017 and this is temporary or I can find a new job. + +My issue with finding a new job is 1) I seriously love my current job and 2) it's going to be hard to find a position with similar pay to what I'm getting. + +Any advice is appreciated. + +------------------------------ + +Edit: Awesome support, everyone. Seriously, it's great. I've read every reply so far and have replied to a handful with some extra details. + +It seems like my best option is to test the market and see what I can potentially earn elsewhere. I have never had a job that I truly loved before, so it's tough, but I understand why leaving is probably the best financial decision IF I can find somewhere with better pay. I just run the risk of hating my job. Bleh. I'm still undecided, but I think I'll at least try to get an offer or two to see what that may get me. + +------------------------------- + +Another edit: So I talked with my manager this morning, just her and I. I still haven't been able to get in with my director, but I'll be checking throughout the afternoon to see if he has any spare time to chat. + +I asked my manager about getting something in writing, and she said that they NEVER put raises in writing. Big, huge, flapping red flag there. So I asked if there was some way to increase some benefits such as work from home days, and she said that being a supervisor, working from home isn't really an option since we need to be visible to the team. Makes sense, but I don't have any other ideas of forms of "compensation" for the interim while I have to wait for my raises. + +I've been reading replies all morning, most of which talk about how I need to bail as soon as I find a comparable job. Makes sense. Company is really screwing with me over this. But I'm torn still. So I made a pros and cons list to staying. Here is that list. + +Pros - Love my team including my leadership, love the schedule flexibility, feel valued by my team for what I know, have an office, 3 weeks vacation and 10 days sick per year, acceptable pay, gaining leadership experience + +Cons - "Forced" to move, have to take everything with a grain of salt, company is doing poorly, low vertical pay/career path mobility, old school culture + +So you can see why I'm torn. On one hand, the job itself is great and gives me great experience. On the other, I'm not really sure where the future is with this company, both with my career path and the path of the company as a whole. + +I really do appreciate all the advice and feedback, especially those who give me examples of what to say to my director and those who are encouraging me to get enrolled into college. This is an awesome, very helpful community. +Most of the people on this sub are newer and haven't been tested by a major prolonged dip in bitcoin. Keep in mind that last time bitcoin had a meteoric rise like its had this year was it 2013 when it went from < 100 to > 1000. After that it crashed about 80% and took years to reach a new all time high. + +Only a few of the HODLers survived that decline, and as we celebrate a new ATH we should be mindful that the market may fluctuate and that we'll need to be strong in the days to come. + +edit: had the dates on the duration of the crash wrong, thanks commentators +My best guess is a flat or very slowly rising US market over the next decade, based on many of the popular valuation measures. Could be a fast fall and slow rise, or a flat market for years- and I acknowledge I might be totally wrong in that tech stocks don't act like tradional stocks, and they have come to dominate. + +Nevertheless, I can't find a good summation of what worked for Japanese investors over those 2-3 decades when the Nikkei dropped an incredible amount, and didn't reach the old peak until a few years ago. I know real estate still hasn't reached the peak from 30 years ago. Bonds probably went up a little since 10 year yields dropped from around 3 to around .5, but I can't find a price chart, just a yield chart. Did anything work? +I'm hearing more and more how a tank is right around the corner and then at the same time we're reaching record highs. Is this just setting the stakes higher? Last time the economy tanked in 2008, I was 13, so what should I do to safeguard now? I've been investing in individual stocks, which is the number one thing I've been told. Any resources that I could use for this topic? +Hi there, I’m a younger fellow who has grown increasingly concerned about the financial state of his parents and also that of the nation. + +I just had a lengthy discussion wherein I found out she only has one year of middle class salary in her retirement accounts. She does want to buy a house eventually, but she still has a lot of debt and also is really dumb (pardon me) about finances. + +I found out she is co-signed onto my sister’s student loans which are about $130,000 and her own student loans equal about $130,000. She told me she hates the idea of credit cards, yet is somehow totally okay with pulling out paycheck loans that charge between 100%-300% interest. I advised to immediately get a credit card this weekend and consolidate any high interest debt and to consider getting my sister’s loans off since the Public Service Loan Forgiveness system is only applicable to my mom’s debts and not my sister’s and my sister is adult enough to be carrying that under her own name and not affecting my mom’s credit. I asked my mom if she is matching her employer and she isn’t, because she wants to work on debts instead. My adult brother lives with us and she pays for all of his food and his portion of rent. I live here but I pay rent (albeit a minimal amount). + +I know at retirement age there is social security, but with the state of politics, I doubt that’ll be a for sure thing. She is in her very early 60s and is aiming to retire by 70, but I can’t see any possible way that is feasible for her? + +What are her options? What can I advise? I don’t want to bank on the idea that I might have to take care of her when she’s old, because what if I have my own kids by then? I make a decent amount now, but I for sure don’t have a solid plan to advance my career or make money. It just feels like she’s in denial about her situation, and I feel so hopeless because I want to help them but don’t understand how? +Fewer-than-expected listeners tune in to Pandora in third quarter. With serious competition from Spotify, Apple, Sirius, and Amazon wouldn't they be an obvious takeover candidate? +Edit: Thank you all for your feedback. Based on your input...for now, I've done a 180 on my plan to go back to college to teach. You all may have helped save me $40k, maybe 2,500 hours, and the heartache of not being able to get the job I want. I'll need to figure out a Plan B, which is likely a simpler thing: just get a different job...which carries different risks. + +\----- + +I would love to hear about those that have jumped off the FI-or-die approach to use their funds to improve their flexibility/their standard of life ***before*** they hit FI, and what their feelings about it were. Mostly, I hear stories about how people felt about either their reactions to achieving FI or those that are in the struggle to get there. No need to read the rest if you have an applicable story, but my background and current thoughts are below if you want to give specific advise to me. + +For my background, I'm 40 with a large, expensive family. I discovered FI around 2014 and kickstarted my efforts to maximize savings to achieve FI as fast as possible. I already had some savings and was probably on track to hit FI in my late 50's and at that time targeted 59.5 due to US retirement access reasons. + +My target for retirement is between $2.2 and $2.5M depending on when I retire due to the expenses of raising 4 kids that will (at some point) dissipate drastically. I'm currently at about $1.1M in retirement assets and look to be on track to hit FI in about 6 years. Even that feels like a VERY long time away, especially with work getting more and more stressful and my kids all deciding they would defy the space time continuum and grow up even faster than expected (they are ages 6-12 right now). + +My goal is not necessarily to retire in 6 years, though...I more expect that I would want to retire in \~12 years when my youngest graduates high school. I don't desire to be fully retired before then because my "why" revolves around long term backpacking trips that I wouldn't be taking with kids still in high school. But I DEFINITELY don't want to stay in my current career beyond FI. If I hit FI...I'm exiting and finding something else to do. + +So that gives me some flexibility. I don't really need to hit my number in 6 years, I have more than double that time...and based on my current assets, I assume I'll hit my number by age 53 even if I don't invest another penny. So the flexibility I'm seeking is a new, lower stress job. + +My expenses are still high right now, so I do need significant income. Here is my current plan: + +1. Go back to college to get my MBA in an evening program over the course of 3.5 - 4 years (application is almost done) +2. Then get a full time job as a JC instructor. +3. I'll take a significant pay cut and would need to dip into some savings to maintain our quality of life. +4. I'll get 20 weeks off a year, do something I feel I will enjoy exponentially more, and significantly reduce my work stress and improve work/life balance to tip way in my favor. + +By this timing, I'll pretty much be hitting FI during my first 12-18 months of teaching, anyway, so the risk seems pretty low to me at this time... + +But I'm wondering if I want to take it another step...I'm considering just quitting my job and accelerating my efforts on the MBA to push me into that career faster. I'd likely have to work some kind of a job in that meantime so I don't "over dip" into my savings, and perhaps my spouse would need to get something that makes more salary (she makes maybe $10k/yr?), but I do think that I can still achieve my goals even if I had to pull out $200k-$300k from my retirement savings (most of which I can access tax free!) to float me through that stage. + +This greatly changes my trajectory to the point that I haven't thoroughly analyzed...but the point would be that it would just be a permanent lifestyle change for me, I wouldn't be reviewing my spreadsheets every day to see how many more years I have to work. I literally keep track of how many weeks I have left! Instead, I can hike/travel with my family for a month in summers! coach their teams! set my own schedule! It all sounds amazing. + +Anyone have stories they can share about how they used their retirement assets to give them a larger sense of freedom that they acted on? A plus if you're in the child raising stage, like me. I'm trying to think of what Future Me will think of all this. Will I be 48 years old and kicking myself because if I had just stuck to the current plans, I'd already be FI? Or will I wish I had just made the change earlier in life because I was happy and content to the point that FI isn't even important to me, anymore? + +My risks are that a) getting full time instructor jobs is hard. Requires some luck...so I'd likely have to work as an adjunct instructor making less money and getting less benefits. I can still float that in 4 years if I keep on my current plan, but if I make a change now, that makes my outlook a bit shakier. b) health benefits plays a role. Not excited about the idea of not having them and my spouse would likely have to pick up a job that gives benefits (she used to work at Starbucks and could go back). c) part time work would take time for me to set up. I think I'd get a home appraiser license. I could flex my work there to make extra money when I wanted to and maybe make similar salaries to what I would instructing while I finish my MBA. That would take me 15 months, perhaps...and would only work out if I quit my current full time job. I'd make a little bit while getting the license. +Many commenters were absolutely sure they were in a definite bear less than 60 days ago. I hope no one got crushed by the ensuing rally if they were actually short. + + +https://np.reddit.com/r/investing/comments/a976fd/the_sp_500_is_in_a_bear_market_now/ + + +No one knows nothing +NOTE: This is a repost of https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceCanada/comments/3xnncz/at_25_yrs_old_should_i_rent_a_room_or_buy_a_house/ + +Hi, I was wondering if it would be more financially savvy to rent a room to live in for say $500/month or buy a house (by making a down payment, since I'd only have about $10,000 to $15,000). + +I am only planning this from when I am 25 until I am 30. At age 30, I will probably buy a moderate to small sized house. + +From what I understand, real estate rises, on average, 6% a year, while an index fund, such as one following the S&P 500 (e.g., VOO) rises ~9% per year. I am assuming that if I bought a house at 25 years old, I would be paying $1,200 per month to live in it. On the other hand, I could rent a room to live in for $500, and use the leftover money ($700) to invest in an index fund that grows 9% per year. + +According to my calculations, if I went with buying a house at 25 and paid 1,200 per month for 5 years, it would amount to a total paid of $72000. If I went with renting for $500/month, I would have $42000 to invest into an index fund. Now, in both cases, I am planning to leave the investment for about 35 years. So, if I left $72,000 grow at 6% per year for 35 years, it would grow to $522,073.82. If I rented a room, and invested the $42,000 into an index fund and let it sit for 35 years, it would grow to $786,593.26. + +Therefore, it seems that I should be renting a room from the age of 25 until age 30. + +What do you guys think? Should I just "bite the bullet" and buy a home at 25 instead, or follow my "renting" strategy? + +(NOTE: I am in Calgary, AB, Canada) +Recently I've had a large influx of packages delivered to my place with some key identifies that lead me to believe that someone is stealing cc info and picking up the packages from my place. I currently intercepted a few packages but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. + +Edit: the packages were meant to be sent to my address, but they are labeled as to: OP's address, apt X. Each name is unique, each apt label is a random letter of the alphabet. One package was from Target, three had the words "thrive" on it. There was one from coach, 3 from CVS, and maybe 3 that had no label on it. I don't have all of the boxes as they were taken. My own packages have never went missing. Also I don't plan to confront anyone directly for the sheer reason that they know where I live. +I’m looking at a loan of around $1.5MM because of renovation expenses, but I don’t want to sell appreciated assets (particularly this year, when my AGI is already higher than normal). This is a comfortable amount for me to have on a loan, but I’m wondering what companies offer the best deals on these. I would prefer low rates (fixed could be great, but I know this is more rare), and a firm that’s not likely to liquidate everything in the event of a sudden crash or to suddenly change the terms of the loan on you, but rather give you time to push in additional assets (Talking to people it sounds like Interactive Brokers is very unforgiving, while other big firms are more likely to give you some leeway to preserve your relationship with them, but maybe this is wrong). + +What has been everyone’s experience finding the best company for a pledged asset line? +Just curious if anyone here is doing this or planning on doing this? I would love to hear what your stock portfolio looks like and what dividend yield percentage you’re getting. +https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/05/us-stock-futures-dow-data-trump-and-politics-on-the-agenda.html + +How long do we think these trade war market rattles will go on? I wonder if the market will stay rattled for months even if the tariffs get rescinded. +https://www.tomshardware.com/news/globalfoundries-files-patent-lawsuits-tsmc,40240.html + +"GlobalFoundries (GF) today announced that it filed lawsuits against Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in the U.S. and Germany over the alleged infringement of 16 patents. The company said that it's looking to halt the import of processors made with the technologies and is seeking "significant damages from TSMC based on TSMC’s unlawful use of GF’s proprietary technology in its tens of billions of dollars of sales." Impacted companies include Nvidia and Apple." +With bitcoins next halving a mere 621 days away let’s take a look at some of the past halving’s… + +**2012 the first halving** + +* happened on November 28th 2012 ++ the price on the date: $12.35 +- price 150 days later: $127 + +**2016 the second** + +* happened on July 6th 2016 ++ the price on the date: $650.63 +- price 150 days later: $758.81 + +**2020 the third** + +* happened on May 11th 2020 ++ the price on the date: $8821.42 +- price 150 days later: $10,943 + +**The next one 2024 is estimated for APRIL 4th 2024** + +If anyone is wondering “what is a halving?” + +New bitcoins are issued by the Bitcoin network every 10 minutes. For the first four years of Bitcoin's existence, the amount of new bitcoins issued every 10 minutes was 50. Every four years, this number is cut in half. The day the amount halves is called a "halving" or "halvening". + +In 2012, the amount of new bitcoins issued every 10 minutes dropped from 50 bitcoins to 25. In 2016, it dropped from 25 to 12.5. In the most recent May 11, 2020 halving, the reward dropped from 12.5 to 6.25 BTC per block. + +In the 2024 halving, the reward will drop from 6.25 BTC per block to 3.125 BTC. + +Plenty of time to stack up those sats! +Happy investing! +Follow up to the DD I posted when $CBBT was trading at $0.011. + +For the record I am invested in this, with a cost avg of $0.008. + +Long post, TL;DR at the bottom + +$CBBT has already been a game changer for a lot of peoples portfolios and I think it still has a lot of room to grow. Here's why: + +- CBBT is about to acquire PKG manufacturing, A privately owned company with an estimated 2020 revenue of 14.9mm during the pandemic, down from an estimated $30mm in 2019. + +https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.pkg_inc.d156b80f100a783756cde91e55815d5c.html + +This acquisition has been confirmed by both companies. + +https://twitter.com/PKG_UIS/status/1315845090556801026?s=19 + +https://twitter.com/CerebainBiotech/status/1355915206824775680?s=19 + +https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pkg-user-interface-solutions_cerebain-biotech-on-twitter-activity-6761851877358403584-beMj + +https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200903005085/en/PKG-Inc.%E2%80%99s-CEO-Excited-With-the-Potential-Acquisition-by-Cerebain-Biotech + + + +-PKG Inc has been in business since 1989 and is the key manufacturer of the only FDA approved ClearMask, the revenues tied to this could be anywhere in the $20mm to $40 mm range for 2020, and in the $40mm to 100mm range in 2021. + +https://twitter.com/theclearmask?s=09 + +https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201125005429/en/Cerebain-Biotech-Announces-PKG-Inc.-to-Become-Key-Manufacturer-for-ClearMask%E2%84%A2-and-Xometry + +- Cerebain Biotech is looking to get FDA approval in 2021 for their Omentum implantable (patent pending) ALZHEIMER'S treatment device. A revolutionary , minimally invasive*, day surgery that is the first of its kind. + +https://cerebain.com/technology/ + + + To battle a disease that affects over 5,200,000 families worldwide, costing an estimated $305bn in 2020 for the U.S alone. + +https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures#:~:text=conditions%20to%20society.-,In%202020%2C%20Alzheimer's%20and%20other%20dementias%20will%20cost%20the%20nation,trillion%20(in%202020%20dollars). + +https://cerebain.com/disease/ + +"Unless a treatment to slow, stop or prevent the disease is developed, in 2050, Alzheimer's is projected to cost more than $1.1 trillion (in 2020 dollars). This dramatic rise includes more than four-fold increases both in government spending under Medicare and Medicaid and in out-of-pocket spending." + +$1.1 Trillion! + +As many already know, and others will soon find out, Alzheimer's treatments are becoming a focal point of the medical field and governmental bodies. Most recently, Joe Biden has stated publicly in one of his speeches that he will increase government spending in this field. + +In a letter to shareholders by $CBBT CEO Eric Clemmons, he stated that they will update the companies financials and become current immediately following the acquisition of PKG INC in order for reflect their current revenues. This would be a huge catalyst as users of Fidelity and institutional ownership will have access to the stock. + +https://twitter.com/CerebainBiotech/status/1348671894615191554?s=19 + +They also have plans to uplist to a major exchange, NYSE, NASDAQ in 2021. + +On January 27th, 2021 EMA Financial LLC filed a SEC 13G/A to increase share ownership of Cerebain Biotech to 70,920,235 of common stock, or 9.9% class of securities. Translation: Institutional investment. + +https://sec.report/Document/0001213900-21-004597/ + +CBBT and PKG has also stated that they are actively pursuing additional acquisitions and that there will be more transactions announced "right after" the acquisition of PKG INC. + +A good overview of this email can be found here: + +https://twitter.com/5555academy/status/1346672835268231169?s=19 + +Other companies with Alzheimer's treatments have seen a huge increase in market cap and stock price upon FDA approval. Look to + +$SAVA- Casava Sciences Inc who's shares jumped from a low of $1.11 on OCT 5th 2020 to a high of $138.50 on January 31st 2020 (+12,400%) upon FDA approval, which the data shows wasn't all too promising. + +Edit***: Cassava Sciences soared last week after the company reported positive results from a clinical trial with mild to moderately affected Alzheimer's disease patients.2 days ago not FDA approval + +$BIIB- Biogen INC who's market cap increased by $15bn $15bn upon FDA announcement, with controversial treatment. + +$CBBT's device is thought to look much more promising than either of the aforementioned. + + +Many have wondered as to how PKG, a private company with real revenues, could be acquired by a micro cap biotech company in CBBT. It has been speculated that PKG has wants to go public and instead of an IPO, is doing so under the $CBBT umbrella. As to why they would be doing this, again out of speculation, PKG has seen CBBT's omentum Alzheimer's device, thinks it will be massive and is going to manufacture it. They have wanted to get into the medical field as well. Along with PKG's government & aerospace, medical, industrial and fortune 500 contracts along with the omentum Alzheimer's device, Cerebain Biotech looking to become a powerhouse in the field. + +One of the things I love about $CBBT and one that I believe will draw the eye of many investors is that, no matter what your investing strategy or niche is, CBBT has it covered. They fall under all categories including, Acquisition, SPAC, Biotech, financials, revenues, Updating financials, Uplisting, FDA approval and fundementals. + +I understand the people who are going to say it's already up 4000% since October and therefore doesn't have much room to grow. To those people, I would encourage you to read the entirety of this DD, check the resources, do your research and come to your own conclusion. In my opinion, this company has so much potential and the run has barely started. + +As of this post $CBBT is trading at $0.35, up 52% on the day. + +I am not a financial advisor and this is not financial advice. Always do your own DD and invest with caution. + +Thanks for reading. + +TL;DR: $CBBT has been in fire but through multiple catalysts expected a major acquisition and promising medical applications, this still has a ton of room to grow. + +P.S. Don't say I didn't warn you before the run up, as I have been posting about $CBBT since October. + +Edit: 5,000,000 of U.S 50,000,000 affected by Alzheimer's worldwide + +https://www.brightfocus.org/alzheimers/article/alzheimers-disease-facts-figures + +Edit: Forgot to mention PKG manufacturing agreement with Xometry, who has some serious revs and contract with big companies, is expected to net $100mm in revenue for PKG. + +https://www.xometry.com/?utm_term=xometry&utm_campaign=PB:G%7CNT:SN%7CAN:Manufacturing%7CCN:Branded&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=3789459769&hsa_cam=608070446&hsa_grp=67613041575&hsa_ad=425504589745&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-297018084385&hsa_kw=xometry&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQiA34OBBhCcARIsAG32uvO71GmNaC_eag-8Soh2M_GjvjRoh21YEk3SLGhNr8YnEnrJmKzyaW8aAqMdEALw_wcB + + +They also have an agreement with: + +Megaforce Company Limited: professional plastic components and opto-mechatronics service provider that specializes in the integration of precise plastic injection molding, micro-precision structure mold development, electronic assembly, spray printing, etc., from the front-end process to the back-end process.  + +https://www.megaforce.com.tw/en-global/Home/Index + +Megaforce and PKG sign memorandum of understanding for strategic cooperation and user interface product development + +https://www.megaforce.com.tw/en-global/News/Article?y=2019&sn_id=15 + +Also: + +"PKG INC enters into an agreement with Adventus Ventures to finalize the development and manufacturing of the next-generation products for Allevion Therapeutics and Pressao Medical" + +https://www.pkguis.com/news-content/2020/9/30/pkg-registers-with-fda-and-announces-manufacturing-compliance-certification-from-tv-sd-wglmd + +More confirmation of Acquisition: + +https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201112005773/en/Cerebain-Biotech-Announces-General-Business-Update#.X62WgFKERZ0.twitter + +Edit 2: CBBT Eric Clemmons has had success in previous endeavors: From Cerebain Biotech website. + +"Eric Clemons, President and CEO +e-mail: clemons@cerebain.com + +Mr. Clemons has a long history building and growing companies across multiple industries. Prior to assuming leadership of Cerebain, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer for GTC Telecom Corp, a publicly traded Nevada Corporation that operated out of Costa Mesa, CA. During his tenure, Mr. Clemons was instrumental in growing the company’s annual revenues from $500,000 per year to over $17 million per year. + +It was Cerebain technology, which offers a completely new way of approaching the development of an effective Alzheimer’s disease treatment that captured Mr. Clemons’ imagination, triggering his move into the life sciences arena. + +“While there have been some very recent key learnings in the Alzheimer’s treatment space, the fact is that the disease remains the only top ten killer in the United States with no effective treatments currently available and no way to halt or slow progression,” Clemons said. “We are hopeful that our device, which will focus on the impact of omental stimulation and cognitive function in Alzheimer’s Disease patients, can change that.” + +Edit#1: Made a mistake on $SAVA that was pointed out. + +Edit#2: to add: (Thanks to u/Comfortable-Ad4022 ) + +Brad Vroom is invested in cbbt as well + +https://fintel.io/so/us/cbbt/vroom-brad + +Brad Vroom is a former Apple executive who held senior finance management positions in Operations, Sales, Marketing, R&D, IT, and Facilities from 1983-2013. + +Edit#3*: Changed non invasive to minimally invasive day surgery + +Edit#4: CBBT CEO Eric Clemmons visits PKG headquarters. Pictured here with PKG CEO Almir Garibovic and shared by both companies. + +https://twitter.com/CerebainBiotech/status/1362521423667863552?s=19 + +Edit#5: Cerebain Biotech and Mossakowski Medical Research Centre Sign Memorandum of Understanding (From 2016) Device could be closer than anticipated since they've been working on it for 5 years. + +Link: + +https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2016-06-23/cerebain-biotech-and-mossakowski-medical-research-centre-sign-memorandum-of-understanding +https://m.facebook.com/PKGUIS/posts/4173403606006115 +3 years ago, investing in bitcoin was a huge risk. Almost nobody knew about it. Nobody really knew if the technology can scale and if people will get it. Back then, it was totally plausible that bitcoin would be worthless anyday. I don't think we're there anymore. + +Since then, everything played better than anyone in bitcoin could ever dream. Millions of people are using it. Some of the biggest players in online payments are adopting it. Bitcoin startups rise tons of money and recruit employees from the biggest companies in the world. The most influential vc's in the world are talking about bitcoin all day. Quoting Fred Wilson - "Our 2004 fund was built during social. Our 2008 fund was built during social and the emergence of mobile. Our 2012 fund was built during the mobile downturn. And our 2014 fund will be built during the blockchain cycle. I am looking forward to it." + +The bitcoin market has always been manipulated. The news about China is being recycled again and again for over a month. The same type of people, those who buy during the upswings, freak out and sell in the down swings. You were manipulated when you bought in overpriced and you are being manipulated again selling low. Don't shit your pants. It's now the third or fourth time this is happening and I've seen the exact behaviour. + +I don't see how China maybe banning bitcoin changes anything long term. They fucking censor the internet. + +"Games are won by players who focus on the playing field – not by those whose eyes are glued to the scoreboard." + +Peace +**Q:** What do JFK, Soybean Oil, fraud and Warren Buffet have in common? + +**A:** They were all involved in the stock market correction of November 1963 and one of the weirder stories from US stock market history. + +Rather than type out the whole story, here's links to better summaries with better writers than me. + +--------------------------------------------------------------------- + +[Investopedia - "What is the salad oil scandal"](https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/salad-oil-scandal.asp) + +[NYT - "The Vanishing Salad Oil: A $100 Million Mystery"](https://www.nytimes.com/1964/01/06/the-vanishing-salad-oil-a-100-million-mystery.html) + +[Business Insider - "How The Salad Oil Swindle Of 1963 Nearly Crippled The NYSE"](http://www.businessinsider.com/the-great-salad-oil-scandal-of-1963-2013-11) + +*Cross Post from /r/TheWallStreet* +Those of you with multiple residences, how do you maintain your houseplants when not home? I recently purchased a second home in another state that has a few expensive indoor trees I would hate to lose. They require significant water. We expect to use the home every 3-4 months. +Have you ever wondered how to maximise contributions? How much and how long would I need to contribute to use all previous years caps? What are the tax savings? + +I started salary sacrificing $2,500 a month from this month. I’ll use all of my caps by June 2024. I used [this spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wX_mX6lj6iM4U56Owwlsjo0stMSVOuX_6aaPkwx-nCs/edit) to help me calculate this. Basically I take deductions away from this years cap until it goes negative (this is the orange cell). Then I deduct this from the earliest years caps (the green cell). When the new financial year starts I use the new cap (the blue cell). I then rinse and repeat this until I’ve run out. I slow down the contributions towards the end of FY 2024 to make sure my SG contributions don’t put me over the limit. + +These limits expire after 5 years. So why not use them? I’ll also be withdrawing up to 50K of these added funds under the [first home savers scheme](https://www.savings.com.au/home-loans/first-home-super-saver-scheme). + +I would save up to 5.5K in taxes each year by doing this. Say my income tax before the salary sacrifice is $46,395, after the salary sacrifice I reduce my income tax to $37,145. I pay $3,750 in taxes on the extra contributions into super. This nets me 5.5K better off (46,395 – 37,145 – 3,750). You can copy [this spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10poQV7M3ExQwBu0GK0X8ySKu8h99fXe8kly-Rxlht00/edit) if you’d like to calculate tax savings on extra contributions. + +Originally posted on [this blog post](https://bughuntersam.com/maximising-superannuation-contributions/), but modified for the awesome community here. +Hi there, so I'll keep this pretty brief, I wrote off my car last month after hitting wildlife. I still had around 11 months remaining on this policy which insurance will "consume" as it's non-transferable. On the phone last night they also said that I will not be able to cash in my 11 months of Rego - this part certainly doesn't seem right? The value is around $750-800 + +PS my plates are up in SA where the crash occurred, whilst I'm in Melbourne +I recently came into around 70 000 due to a court settlement . I have never had this much money in my life. + +The first thing I did was move it into my savings account which has an interest rate of 2.85%pa + +However I really want to make the most of it. My idea is to eventually use it as a down payment on a house as I’m currently renting, however with how things are at the moment I have a feeling I’ll be waiting at least a year before I do that. + +I’m pretty illiterate when it comes to investing however I’m not irresponsible with money. I never have less than 10k in savings for example. + +What should I be doing for the next year to ensure I make the most of it? + +Sorry if this breaks any rules and please remove if it does. +“Short seller Hindenburg Research published a report on electric truck maker Nikola Inc. on Thursday, accusing it of being an "intricate fraud" built on lies told by its Founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton over many years. Nikola shares fell 3.7% on the news. "We have gathered extensive evidence-including recorded phone calls, text messages, private emails and behind-the-scenes photographs-detailing dozens of false statements by Nikola Founder Trevor Milton," said the report. "We have never seen this level of deception at a public company, especially of this size." Nikola has misled partners by making false claims about the company's technology, including its hydrogen fuel cell batteries, which Hindenburg says never existed. The company is now planning to use General Motors Co. battery technology after signing a deal with GM this week, under which it will issue $2 billion of new shares to GM. Nikola did not immediately respond to a MarketWatch email and telephone request for comment.” + +[Source](https://finance.yahoo.com/m/e2744fb5-baa3-38b8-8bb4-d235e63bc422/short-seller-hindenburg.html) + +TLDR; + +Nikola/Trevor === scam/fraud. + +Positions: NKLA $30p 9/18 +I told him I'd have to think about it. It's a terrible idea, right? + +Is there any way to structure this sort of request as an investment where it's justifiable risk? + +I think I'll say no but wanted to ask the Reddit if there was a way it could be sane. +For those of you who haven't read my possible DD last week, here is the link: + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/n27l05/i\_may\_have\_just\_figured\_out\_the\_margin\_call/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/n27l05/i_may_have_just_figured_out_the_margin_call/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +It basically examines the trend line created from the peaks on January 28th and March 10th. Friday's closing price of $173.59 remained just $1.99 below the descending slope of $4.8035. The theories within that post have continued this week with the falling price. Here is an update to the table within my last DD with this weeks prices: + +https://preview.redd.it/gw8f3pzx37x61.png?width=637&format=png&auto=webp&s=1753bfb81f0c42c697a534f57c115c9509b38563 + +The daily peaks for last Friday and this Monday were $8.22 and $6.71 higher than their prices along the slope, respectively. Both of these peaks occurred at the very beginning of the day and the prices fell thereafter. After the big drop on Monday, they bought a little more time. **HOWEVER,** the after hours price on Tuesday closed at $161.89 (per Yahoo Finance), which is $0.72 **HIGHER** than the price on the slope for tomorrow. Since the March 10th peak, we have yet to close above the slope. In fact, this slope was created using those two peaks to begin with soooo, GME has actually **NEVER** closed above the slope. Given the big triangle, bull pennant, bull flag, whatever the fuck you wanna call it, it appears inevitable for it to come to a head this week. They would have to continue to really drop the price to avoid this. In sum, if GME has any sort of green day tomorrow on **Cinco de Buyo** or if the price falls no more than $0.72 from today's closing after hours price, GME would close above the slope for the first time and it would also appear that the bull pennant has finally come to a close. + +On top of this, y'all know what else is going on right now!? + +* The DDs talking about the T+13 cycle for options that have led to big run-ups on February 24th and March 10th. Guess when T+13 is for the April 16th options? **Cinco de Buyo** + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/n4h832/major\_deep\_itm\_call\_option\_dates\_a\_massive\_net/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/n4h832/major_deep_itm_call_option_dates_a_massive_net/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +* Ever since SR-NSCC-2021-801 came out, it has appeared that MOASS would not happen until it could be implemented. Well, it was approved without objection **today** and now they just need 002 in place to cover dey bitch asses, which will happen by the time the MOASS appears to start. + +* Also, Superstonk hit 250,000 today and WSB also hit 10,000,000 today. Bias confirmed. + +This is all speculation apes, **NO DATES** and **NOT** financial advice. It just feels like the stars are aligning. + +💎🙌 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 🚀 + +RC likes Pultes chirp! + Remember this tweet, it will be very important one day. +“Only the Young” + +as others have mentioned this is a Taylor Swift song… Here is where it gets interesting. +On NOV 18th Taylor Swift Slams ticket master for overselling 2 million tickets…. sound Familiar???? +Is RC Acknowledging GME being oversold? Or are we going to see tickets for sale on the GME NFT Market place?? Or both????? +Update finally: Resolved and Coinbase promises that such errors will never occur again. I always trust coinbase, but from now on I won't trust coinbase's system as much as I do before. + +I hope coinbase can give an explanation why this error happen and how they can make sure such things will not happen again, as well as how they can make sure such error did not happen to other users. (it seems they would not give any explanation, perhaps due to security concerns.) + +Till now, Coinbase is a model in Bitcoin field. We all hope it have a bright future. + +Thanks for all your upvotes. + + + +. + +. + + +. + +. + +. + +Case #: 388782. + +-------- +Image: http://imgur.com/srt9tkk + +In my coinbase's account history, All BTC I received is 21.7, and I sent is 19.7. But now the balance is 0. +---------- + +I received 2 BTC about 10 days ago. + +Immediately it showed in the transaction history of my coinbase account. + +But it never added to balance of my coinbase account. + +Immediately I contact coinbase. + +And the man on live chat said he marked it as important issue for me. + +But. + +10 days passed, That 2 BTC still doesn't show on the balance of my coinbase account. And I nearly received no response, although I send more than 7 emails to coinbase support. + +Everything about coinbase is good, until bad things occur. + +. +. +. + + +------------------------ +Updated: + +Thank you for your upvotes. Coinbase just replied to my email: +Very sorry for the delay in response, we will get to the bottom of this ASAP and make sure your funds are posted correctly! It’s currently being reviewed by our team and I will personally monitor this case until it gets resolved. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, + + + My mom bought my younger brother (19) a car and took a loan out to afford it. Its under her name, he was supposed to pay off the payments on the loan. But being the mess he is, he never started paying her back. + +Now she wants to take the car from him and give it to me, along with the rest of the loan ($18,500) AND the down payment ($4000) she already made. The payments are $292 a month. + +I (21) just started a new career as an industrial inspector. I'm only making $810 a paycheck now but I expect to be making more in the years that come. + + I dont know what to do. + +I have no one to discuss this with and have so many questions. + +I kinda want to go through with it, but it already looks like my brother has scrape marks on one of the corners... He's the poster child for bad decisions and reckless mistakes you make as a teenager. + +And $22,000 in total is worth more than both cars I've owned growing up. I'm annoyed that she did this for him, but then again she did buy my current $2,500 car for me. So I can't do much but be petty about that. She's also trying to guilt me into it which annoys me more. + +I have bad credit from when my savings ran out the last year of school. That said, I'm wondering if the best decision is to have her transfer the loan to my name and I pay it off myself (this builds credit right?). Buy dash cams for my car cuz my brother is going to be super pissed I'm betting. AND tell her that I wont pay the down payment, just whats left on the loan. + + +**Edit:** So far it seems like this would be a terrible idea. + +Which is a shame cuz my cars an ugly clunker... + +What about asking for a lower price? +Just wanted to say thank you to the legends who recommended a few companies. I went from $500 to $6K, the most amount of money I've ever had in my entire 24 years of living, at once. Just in time for my baby boy's birth and my missus' birthday as well... + +So from the bottom of this stranger's heart, thank you for being right. + +Love, + +Hopeless online retard x + +EDIT: For those wondering the companies are PLTR, NIO, XPEV, DKNG (a couple of other outliers like airports.) + +EDIT 2: WOW. Thanks for the awards and the amazing discussions! I hope we all have good luck in the coming months! + **The pseudonymous creator of the popular stock-to-flow (S2F) bitcoin price model, Plan B, has published his “worst-case scenario for 2021” predictions on social media on Sunday. The analyst says there’s also a “more fundamental reason” to why bitcoin prices have been dropping in June and how the month of July may see “weakness” as well.** + + **Best Case Scenario: $450K Worst Case Scenario: $135K** + +**Five months ago, bitcoin (BTC) prices went parabolic and the value of the leading crypto asset seemingly was following the well-known stock-to-flow (S2F) model. At the time, the S2F creator said: “bitcoin stock-to-flow model \[is\] on track… like clockwork.” The price of bitcoin skyrocketed over $64K per unit but has since lost more than half that value.** + +**At the end of April, Plan B remarked that the downturn was a “mid-way dip” and stressed that “nothing goes up in a straight line.” This past Saturday, Plan B further discussed the infamous death cross pattern in the BTC/USD chart and remained optimistic.** + +**Then on Sunday, Plan B gave an update on his “worst-case scenario for 2021.”** + +**“Bitcoin is below $34K, triggered by Elon Musk’s energy FUD and China’s mining crackdown,” Plan B tweeted. “There is also a more fundamental reason that we see weakness in June, and possibly July. My worst-case scenario for 2021 (price/on-chain based): Aug>47K, Sep>43K, Oct>63K, Nov>98K, Dec>135K,” the analyst added.** + + **Of course, Plan B make sure that people read his tweet carefully when people asked if they should disregard his model. “Please read my tweet more carefully,” Plan B replied. “I said this is a worst-case scenario, not a base case, let alone best case. I am still on the S2FX track for my base case. I have explained my personal (non)selling strategy in several interviews,” he added. Furthermore, someone asked Plan B: “What’s the more fundamental reason?”** + +**“Great question. I \[intend\] to publish later this year,” the analyst replied. Additionally, the popular bitcoin dubbed “Parabolic Trav” said that he likes a bearish Plan B tweet and said “Bullish.” Plan B also responded to Parabolic Trav’s statement and said:** + + **Plan B: ‘Bitcoin Distribution Looks a Lot Healthier Now’** + +**Plan B is a popular analyst and has more than 570,000 Twitter followers. The stock-to-flow price model has also grown in popularity during the last 12 months and it is referenced often in technical analysis. Plan B has been getting a lot more criticism in recent times since bitcoin’s price has been dropping lower. The sell-off, Plan B said this weekend, has led to better bitcoin distribution.** + +**“60% of bitcoins sold in May-June were bought in March-April and sold at a loss,” Plan B wrote. “40% was bought earlier and sold at a profit. Of total 18.7M bitcoins \~2,5M bitcoins are bought at** + +***What do you think about Plan B’s worst-case scenarios for 2021? Let me know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.*** +Happy Sunday to all you Superstonkers, Apes/Apettes/Apeothers and those too regarded to realize the whole pack of crayons don't fit in their noses all at once. + +This is my first, and likely only, attempt at a DD as I find myself in the regarded camp more often than not, but had a moment of clarity while sneezing out the waxy remains of the last 2 years from my cranium. I'll keep it simple and to the point, as it's mainly comprised of major points of previously vetted DD with a conclusion drawn between them I have yet to see brought together. + +As everyone should be aware of now, the Powers That Currently Be (PTCB; you heard it here first folks!) are testing out and probably fully plan to implement a CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency), of which you can learn more about here: + +https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/zatkel/hyperinflation_is_coming_the_dollar_endgame/ + +As well in other fine posts on SS and elsewhere on the Internet. + +We know *WHY* they would want to roll out such a system to replace the quickly failing and degrading USD, but the thing that is never addressed or been satisfied to a high degree is *HOW*. How would you get a population of people who are already on high alert or entirely turned off on digital currencies/cryptocurrencies, centralized exchanges and a steep learning curve for some to engage in such a system willingly? Especially if said system isn't backed by anything real and essentially worthless just like the current USD fiat? + +Well, what if they planned on backing the CBDC with an asset? + +Not just any asset, but one that has been in use for centuries as a means of global trade, up to and including the USD? + +**What if they were considering bringing back the Gold Standard as a means of securitizing the CBDC?** + +For this to make much sense, we'll have to go... Back To The Future! + + +https://imgur.com/a/OhUVoSR + + +About 6 months ago, many of you will remember a massive discovery in Uganda; an estimated $12 trillion in gold deposits: + +https://www.ntu.edu.sg/cas/news-events/news/details/major-gold-deposits-discovered-in-uganda + +As stated in the article, something that should be mentioned at this point is the validity of these gold deposits appears to be exaggerated, and possibly outright fraudulent. But then, when have the claims of actual assets to back a financial product or instrument ever had to be actually real to be used in the great economic casino or, in this scenario; used to effectively coerce a nation to adopt their new Gold Standard CBDC for long enough to prevent a total collapse as the current world currency? + +Now, this discovery on its own might not be very interesting to most of us unless you happen to be trying to get a handle on how the global economy and all the international scumbaggery, skullduggery, and dumbfuckery that occurs in (and consists of) our collective economies and, ultimately, our societal structure. + +That's why *you're* here reading this. + +It wasn't long after that one of our main jet tracking apes, u/bellweirboy, found the jets of Mayo Force One and other major villainous players such as Jeff Bezos and Paul Tudor Jones were converging in the area mere weeks/months after this discovery, in Mwanza, Tanzania which is just a few hundred kilometers away from Uganda: + +https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/vqp46x/update_easter_egg_for_the_superstonk_sleuths_jets/ + +Mayo Force One specifically then spent the next month frantically flying from place to place in the European regions: + +https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/wcvtpe/update_mayo_force_one_heads_home_from_nice_c%C3%B4te/ + +Corporate media has been essentially radio silent on this discovery since then as well. Attempting to find any further sources that contradict initial surveys done by Uganda/Africa or finding independent surveys done to confirm these claims has come up fruitless... please let me know if there is something out there. + +Because it's unlikely none of us know what will actually happen until it does, we only have our continued research and theories to guide us through to a probabilistic end. So, let's go over what is most likely to conclude this little trip through time: + +- Attempting to implement an assetless backed CBDC would be a failure and unlikely to ever reach the masses. Using the USD as an asset to back it would be even less effective and pointless. + +- Bringing back the Gold Standard to back the CBDC would be effective, but would likely come with many restrictions and a continued Trust Me Bro framework to prevent bank runs and the like since there would never be enough actual gold in existence to trade for all the minted CBDC IOU's and the USD supply/debt/derivatives. + +- Since the CBDC would then be directly tied to the singular market value of gold itself, it would be *much, much easier* for them to manipulate and control the overall value, volume and supply of the CBDC rather than being spread over entire markets in thousands of stocks, various investment vehicles, etc. + +- The main reason I suspect a resurgence of an asset like gold to back the CBDC is that if it works one way to save an economy by switching to an assetless based currency, then surely switching back at an opportune (and/or desperate) time using new tech and financial tricks would also work to whatever degree needed. + +I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of things and not quite understanding the complexity of said economic systems, so I'd love to hear from anyone willing to take a crack at the big question mark that is *WHAT* will be backing the CBDC, if anything, since the CBDC itself (or backed by USD) would be unlikely to save them as-is? + +Thanks for taking the time to read and, as always: **BUY, DRS, HODL** +I don't give a flying fuck anymore to be honest. MSM could start talking about insider bankruptcy claims and I wouldn't bat an eye. I barely look at the ticker anymore, I don't wake up middle of the night anymore to check for new DD, I am just constantly feeling so relaxed. I'm currently traveling through Europe and we missed our train the other day, I remained ever so chill. + +It's like the GME saga has finally provided me with the stoicism that I had been searching for. I just don't mind anymore. I can handle it just fine. In the past I got so anxious, but now I'm Zen. + +I can't be the only one feeling this. And this means that psychology won't serve the hedgies anymore. Not one bit. I'm not fucking leaving! +So, last year I started mining for the first time. I ended up getting around $1200 dollars worth of ETH, ETH which I planned to use for my fiancee and my wedding. Etherium that I will now.. never get back. + +I fell for a simple bot scam where I transferred out of my wallet. I'm too embarrassed to actually say how. I.. can't. (I ended up adding this in the comments) Just, don't be me. Don't be an idiot. + +I'm writing this as a method to help myself cope. It's cathartic, but I don't know what else to do at the moment. This is probably one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced. + +Edit: I'd also like to add this isn't meant to be a pitty post. I can't actually explain how I feel currently outside of them term "numb". I think I'm trying to rationalize it more so with writing this out. + +Edit 2: Thank you to some very kind folks. I'm going to "double" down and get a part-time weekend job to pay this back to myself. Deserve it. But that's my way of making this a true lesson, with a good result in the end. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Thanks for all the great advice reddit friends. My wife and I read through the comments last night and discussed some very good points that were made. Thanks to everyone that took the time to write something! +Remember when GameStop mentioned it would sell a maximum of 3,500,000 shares, or $1bln, whichever came first? Many did some reverse maths and determined they *MUST* expect the share price to hit $1b/3.5m=**$285.71428571**. Others said "or just 1m shares at $1,000 each." Still others (now this is the group I belong to) said this means fuck all for price expectations. This had nothing to do with GameStop peeking through the veil and determining a short squeeze was imminent and everything to do with seizing the opportunity to raise cash. + +Welp, the [3.5m shares came and went today](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/gamestops-latest-big-day-picks-up-steam-after-hours-with-551-million-stock-offering-11619474789), and the price went UP. + +[Cramer actually sided with AMC and GameStop](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/06/jim-cramer-amc-gamestop-share-offerings-are-longterm-positives.html) about this being a good move, although we saw the sentiment on Reddit having great disdain for AMC's version and overall the sentiment was a majority positive for GameStop and realizing RC's vision, although [GME stock price took a **-12% hit** when this was initially announced](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/05/gamestop-shares-drop-12percent-after-announcing-plan-to-sell-up-to-3point5-million-shares.html). + +GME is currently **up +12%** for the day (coincidence? *Cohencidence?*) and an additional +9% in AH with a peak that tickled the idea of breaking $200 at around... get ready for this... 4:20pm. + +Edit: removed additional details about AMC as it's irrelevant to the topic. +This sub and every other crypto sub is a dangerous echo-chamber aimed at one thing, blasting you with enough information to keep you crawling back. + +Every post in a bull-market that is even slightly bearish gets downvoted to hell. Which leaves the remainder of posts bullish, and popular opinions. That is unsafe and dangerous. Having dissenting opinions downvoted to the point that casual viewers never see them is a one way ticket to portfolio pound town. + +And much worse, with the advent of moons for upvotes. Not only are we incentivizing popular and up-votable opinions, but worse, we are disincentivizing posts that negate the hivemind. Nobody wants to make a post that will get 3 upvotes, so instead they make a post that will get more even though it’s just regurgitated bullish buzz words. + +Be fucking careful if this subreddit is the only source of information you rely on to form opinions for YOUR financial future. + +Know the signs of an echo chamber. +1.is there only one perspective on the front page? +2.is the viewpoint supported by rumor or incomplete evidence? +3. Are facts ignored when they prove a dissenting opinion to be true? + +Do 5 minutes of research in the s****oon subreddit or the SHIB sub. All 3 of the above points are laid out heavily and often. + +How to avoid an echo chamber. +1. check multiple news sources to make sure you are getting complete and objective information. +2. interact with people who have different perspectives. +3. JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT SOMETHING TO BE TRUE DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS FACT. + +Have a good rest of your day. +Hey everyone, it’s Adam (Yea my name is actually Adam, original right?) + +I’ll start off by saying that I’ve always been terrible at public speaking, even in a written form, so apologies if this all seems like the ravings of an introvert. + +Disclaimer: Grammar police be warned. + +I’m just an ordinary guy from Canaduh who loves drawing retro pixel art. + +Most of my projects are based around parodying real world events & essentially shit-posting. + +My collections are growing in terms of scope, utility & direction, but their origins stem from parodying this wild journey we’ve been on. + +&#x200B; + +* **How did your project come to be? Where did you draw the inspiration from?** + +[My fav childhood store!](https://reddit.com/link/y5mljt/video/m1lxm6cks7u91/player) + +The origins of my project stem back to the annual shareholder meeting earlier this year. Leading up to the meeting I thought it would be fun to put out a couple of giveaway NFT’s on twitter to hype people up about the meeting itself. After posting both the local game store and the headquarters NFT’s the reception was unexpectedly insane. + +From the age of 11 years old I had always been dabbling in indie game development starting with RPG Maker, moving to BYOND (If you ever played Never Ending Quest, that was me) and then Game Maker followed up by Godot. + +[Buckle up](https://i.redd.it/4tpid4xos7u91.gif) + +I always failed at the programming aspect (I’m pretty smooth) so I always drew mock-ups of games I’d love to make or I’d try and just fail making one in general, this got me pretty good at whipping up scenes that never would come to fruition. + +When making my first NFT’s I drew a lot of inspiration from my previous experience as well as using some previous art from one of my failed projects that was heavily influenced by Earthbound. + +&#x200B; + +* **How did you find out about the GameStop marketplace and what made you apply?** + +I’ve been invested in Gamestop since March 2021 so I’ve had my finger on the pulse ever since then. Initially I found out about the marketplace through the leaks that were found via Loopring’s code (Found right here on r/SuperStonk) I got super hyped up about it and even posted a big tinfoil hat theory about it. I still often think about how crazy it is that not too long ago I was on the other side looking in and now I’m apart of this journey in a different way. I initially applied due to the community yelling at me to apply with zero expectations of getting in. + +&#x200B; + +* **How much experience did you have with NFTs going into this project? What are some things you know now that you wish you knew when you started?** + +To be honest, my NFT experience was essentially zero. I had heard about NFT’s a while back and tried grabbing a cheap from Open Sea for fun, but was hit with a massive gas fee which ended up being 5x the cost of the NFT itself… Basically a nope. + +Not until I joined the GameStop train, did I find out about all the future utility, low gas fees & transaction speeds. + +I started this whole journey in May, and since then I feel like I’ve gained at LEAST a Few wrinkles. + +At the beginning it was a lot of just creating funny art to make people laugh and give them a token of history, I hadn’t thought a whole lot about utility at that time. + +Since I’ve launched, I’ve pivoted a few times to both move with market and what my collectors have been asking for. + +It’s tough staying on top of it all but I’m having a blast and learning new things within the space every day. + +&#x200B; + +* **What is your favorite NFT in your collection? Why?** + +[Card 023: Moon](https://reddit.com/link/y5mljt/video/et1fwwsqs7u91/player) + +It's really difficult to pick one, but if I had to choose - It'd be the Card 023: MoonThis was apart of my first charity project I did with NFT's where I had people donate any amount of LRC to me and in return I would draw a pixel character of them based on the description they gave me. I was able to raise 3,000 LRC for a Gaelscoil fundraiser that was in dire need of funding. + +This card means a lot to me as it represents the incredible community behind GameStop and Loopring. + +&#x200B; + +* **What is the current stage of the ‘What Lies Beneath’ game, can people still join the puzzle?** + +[Ethan's Apartment](https://i.redd.it/dprhmt9vs7u91.gif) + +What Lies Beneath is currently being developed between a programmer and myself right now. The movement/navigation mechanics are complete and right now we’re working on the UI of the game. As far as mechanics go I’d say we are 30% there. + +Once all the mechanics are in place, I’ll be building out the rest of the game myself. + +I’m really hoping to hit a 2023 release date (No promises) – I may have a small demo out before Christmas so people can try it and see it’s an actual thing. To add here the funds from the collection are not intended to fun the game, the game is a product of me pursuing my passion. + +And for those who don’t know, What Lies Beneath is one of my collections based on a game I was attempting to develop years ago. + +In this collection you can collect NFT’s that contain puzzles, if you solve those puzzles by visiting my website (ordinaryadam.com) you will find a form you can submit (if you can locate the slug) + +If you submit the right answer, you’d get an NFT that may or may not contain the next hint + +The project itself is a collection of scattered scenes from the game along with items earned from completing puzzles. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/p2pszvl6t7u91.png?width=491&format=png&auto=webp&s=fcfcaefeb2906b28a30f32bb11e7bbae980c41bd + +* **Besides the puzzles, is there any present or future utility planned for your NFTs?** + +Currently I do have some utility with my Card Collection & Furry Friends.As the GameStop NFT Marketplace doesn’t support candy machine functionality at this time, I designed a system to replicate the feeling of pulling a rare card when opening a pack of trading cards. + +Collectors can pickup cards, cards are worth a certain number of pixels. Collecting pixels gets you into tiers which increases your chances of pulling unique cards. + +[Card 072: Space Goose | Legendary Edition](https://preview.redd.it/usjmp0q8t7u91.png?width=363&format=png&auto=webp&s=0ae38c83d38e70351e4a59a7567e68920e057280) + +&#x200B; + +However, you could pull a legendary card by just holding 1 pixel (if you’re very lucky)So anyone could participate regardless of entry level. + +Pack opening days are essentially random airdrop days where I send out all the unique cards at random, being in a higher tier increases chances of multiple pulls. + +So far, it’s been a success and people have been loving the new system, it’s been more fun for myself seeing people get hyped about pulling a rare card. + +For Furry Friends, collectors can have their pets portrait wood burned onto a piece of live-edge wood by my fiancé (MapleArtisTree) We then ship the physical piece to the collector’s home and send a 1/1 NFT of their pet for them. Majority of the funds made from this collection go towards animal rescue. + +[Furry Friend: 001: Shylee | Owner: BadNewsLlama](https://reddit.com/link/y5mljt/video/qfr65j3ct7u91/player) + +&#x200B; + +I do have plans for my other collections as well but I’m unable to make any promises due to the nature of regulations surrounding NFT’s – Only once I can demonstrate what I have planned will I be able to speak more on what’s in the pipeline. + +* **Where do you see NFTs/web3 going in the future?** + +Big places, + +A lot of gamers right now are very anti-NFT, if you ask them why they usually will just say “It’s a scam” or “it destroys the environment” Or my personal favorite “No one asked for this” + +I believe the sentiment will change soon when gamers realize they can earn or re-sell assets they’ve already been paying for. DLC & Micro-transactions are not going anywhere anytime soon, so why not have more control and freedom to what you own? + +We just need a company to do some wide-scale onboarding into the space so folks understand that NFT’s are not just digital art. + +I also feel it will make its way into proving ownership for physical items such as rare collectors’ items, designer brands, etc. + +I truly believe that all of us are still really early to this party. + +&#x200B; + +[Anyone know of any companies leading the charge? ](https://i.redd.it/dzdr2pset7u91.gif) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +* **Any future projects planned for the GameStop marketplace?** + +My issue is that I have a LOT of ideas but only so much time to create and maintain what I’m doing. I have a few more projects that I will eventually get to but will speak more on that at a later date. For now I’m going to focus all my energy on my current collections & continue to grow as a creator. + +My Fiancé who makes Monkey Business, BB’s “R” Us, Furry Friends & Witching Hour also has some fun plans for a new project – Will be revealed later + +* **Last one, besides yours, any other GameStop Creator project you are looking forward to seeing?** + +I’m really looking forward to seeing what Puzzle Gang comes up with, they’ve got an amazing team and the work they’ve done already is fantastic. I'm also looking forward to what other stuff LoffyLlama comes out with, his collection is incredibly wholesome. + +&#x200B; + +[Chef Golblum likes to watch you in pain](https://preview.redd.it/s3iqtt1ht7u91.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46210d69ffc05671aea7db338c41d2ee6a5b1e35) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Lastly, I want to sincerely thank every single person in my community, on r/Superstonk and those who’ve just purchased my NFT’s just because it made them laugh. + +It’s difficult to articulate how grateful my Fiancé and I are for the unwavering support we’ve had from the community - I also want to thank my small crew (AllHallows, BadNewsLlama, Litharium, KC) They've been instrumental in helping not only myself, but other creators as well by doing a massive amount of giveaways to lift up other creators pre-launch and they continue to assist me with ideas. (I love you guys) - Additionally thank you so much to the GameStop NFT team for being incredibly patient with me and allowing me to pivot my collections into a more ToS friendly area. + +Not only have our lives been changed, but through the communities support we’ve changed and will continue to change lives through our chartable efforts. + +My Fiancé and I always spoke about our post-moass goal of living out my late mother’s dream of building a school in Africa. + +Because of you all we’ve funded the entire school and construction has already begun.The school itself will house 300 students to start and will continue to intake more students as time goes on. + +Not only this, we were able to give a size-able donation to Korean meat trade rescue & also went on a shopping spree at a local GameStop for SOS Children’s Village BC. + +This December we plan on going on another shopping spree for Burnaby Children’s Hospital, this one is incredibly special to me as I was born and fought cancer at that Hospital. + +We won’t stop there either; we’ll continue to keep giving. It’s such a cool idea that people can get an NFT for supporting charitable causes. + +And all of this has led to me doing something I love to do full time, which is draw and create... Never something I thought I'd be able to do. + +I’ll be hanging around to answer any questions that I’m able to, or if you want just stay and say hi. + +Socials: + +Creator Link:[https://nft.gamestop.com/user/OrdinaryAdam](https://nft.gamestop.com/user/OrdinaryAdam) + +Twitter:[https://twitter.com/Ordinary\_Adam](https://twitter.com/Ordinary_Adam)[https://twitter.com/mapleartistree](https://twitter.com/mapleartistree) + +Discord: - Come hang out, we have game nights as well where you can win stuff[https://discord.gg/Ru8rnF77](https://discord.gg/Ru8rnF77) + +OA Website:[www.ordinaryadam.com](http://www.ordinaryadam.com/) + +Charitable work:[https://www.ordinaryadam.com/charity-work](https://www.ordinaryadam.com/charity-work) +Intro: explicit language, opinions, and non financial advise. + +Seriously, the “catalyst to moass” “crypto this” “coins” “100% guarantees” “ Ryan doesn’t care” + +It’s all obvious FUD statements found on TOP posts today and yesterday that are NOT tied to $GME!!! + +All guaranteeing “moass will happen from this instead” or shit like “we should also invest in this” “cohen would have already dropped an NFT” + +We know DRS IS THE WAY, what in the fuck are we doing getting distracted. + +I’m fucking sorry but I’m not a retail investor that gets a boner from shiny objects. + +I’ve dropped $1000 into $GME every 15 days for 6 months straight. Personally I’m NOT buying anything that’s not $gme, it’s the ONLY play that’s getting me $50m a share. + + +Hold, buy, drs. + + +I’ll be back later, but this sub has pissed me off for today with the blatant FUD being disregarded everywhere.. +I’m curious if there have been studies/experience out there that show the long term impact of withdrawing x% of whatever base you have that year vs withdrawing x% in year one and then adjusting subsequent years based on inflation? E.g. if you have $1m year one, you take $30k out (at 3%), if year two the stock market goes up 10% you take $33k the following year, and if it goes back down to $900k the third year, you take $27k that year. Obviously this allows to never run out of net worth, and some years could be brutal, but how brutal, and could it actually be manageable? +I’m early in my career and have finally gotten to the point where my next job will make me serious money (from my perspective). Ironically I’m kinda burned out from tech/corporate and full-time work in general. + +I’ve been playing with the idea of taking a decent paying part time to free up time to pursue my interests. Many of which are entrepreneurial in nature and have the potential to grow into something bigger. + +For context, in the start of the year I made a 5 year Fi plan that included working full time in corporate to save enough to essentially hit Coastfire by 30. So this would certainly impact that plan. + +My main hangup with my plan is that I’m at a point where my earning potential is higher than it’s ever been before so it feels difficult to turn down the pay and benefits that come with working full time corporate. + +Has anyone done anything similar? Is it a dumb idea to go part time early in your career? I would really appreciate any advice you all might have! + +TLDR: Burned out after getting to the point of high paying jobs. Trying to figure out if part time work could be a good move or a terrible idea for FI. +I got carried away today and bought a lot of SPY puts although they aren’t as autistic as u/WSB_Autism. They are 🏳️‍🌈 and for May 1st, but OTM. + +https://imgur.com/a/0fKvNTb + +11:18 am Edit: current profit on day $233k, current remaining positions, screenshot of max profit at open which I didn’t take https://imgur.com/a/PiYxNWY + +11:58 am edit: chilling out before trump speaks ready to plunge again https://imgur.com/a/dqcOJtm + +1:41 am edit: closed out for the day about $273k so $200k+/- net. https://imgur.com/a/SYNQwjJ +I lie in bed and think about all the good things I plan to do once the great wealth transfer takes place. + +When I’m driving I think about it to. + +It’s such a pleasant hope to have and share with a number of great people. The actual concept of change taking place because those who are going to get wealthy aren’t entrenched in the ugly system that keeps everyone who’s already wealthy happy. They have everything to lose while we have everything to gain. + +How exciting it feels to know that if this goes the way anticipated, we can orchestrate change in our families lives, and our communities lives. It’s so damn powerful to feel that change is coming. + +Stay humble when it happens coz you know what it looks like when you don’t (you end up with what we’ve had for a century or two). + +Much love ❤️❤️❤️ +I'm turning 18 in April and was wondering what advice you can give me in order to help me out further on in life. + + +I've seen mixed opinions on whether or not to get a credit card but I think I will get a credit card but dont know how to use it effectivly to gain credit. + + +I save the rest of my wages that I don't spend each month, which comes to around £70-120 depending on how much I spend. I earn £250 a month but will be looking to go into work around September once I finish college, hopefully in IT. + + +I have a licence but no car since it costs too much to operate, should I start saving up to buy a car or does it not really matter, within walking distance of most things and can get the bus most of the time so travel isn't really an issue. + + +Any advice you are able to give to help someone turning 18 would be great. + +If you need more details would be happy to provide. Thanks + + + + +EDIT: Thank you for all the advice you have given me, I will be sure to read and follow what you guys have said. Thank you. +As the title says... + +It's £575 in the UK per annum. What do you use it for mainly? + +Air miles - Amex points are attractive and this is the main thing that draws me to an Amex card, although not necessarily the Platinum. + +Travel Insurance - this is meant to be comprehensive which is what I value really. + +Lounge Pass - they are with Priority Pass, who don't have access to the best / premium lounges. And travelling has dropped significantly recently. + +Hotels - Apparently you get Hilton Honours Gold status (aswell as Melia & Shangri La) which is great (free breakfast, room upgrade) but their base prices are so much higher than on websites like [Hotels.com](https://Hotels.com) and [Booking.com](https://Booking.com) that you're better off ordering directly. + +So is there really any value? Am I missing something here? +So I usually manually close my positions, this requires being at the computer watching the charts. Can yall explain to me the difference being trailing stop losses/limits so I don't have to watch it like a hawk while at my regular job. Which I want to quit BTW +Throwaway just in case. And sorry if this type of post isn't allowed, I just needed to get it off my chest. + +So my brother's car was recently written off in an accident that wasn't his fault and he's waiting on hearing from his insurance how much he'll get for the car. + +He's therefore in need of a new car. He messaged me yesterday asking to borrow £3k for a deposit on a car he wants to get on finance, and that he will pay me back whenever he gets the money for the written off car (the value of which is still unknown, btw. He's said he will give me that and anything he still owes to me he will pay back in 6 months time once he's paid off a holiday he's booked!!!!) + +It just pisses me off that he spends so irresponsibly. Holidays abroad, home improvements, takeaways, days out every single weekend, weekend getaways with his wife every few months. And then when something like this happens, it's always me that has to pick up the bill (even if it's only temporarily). It's as if he just continues like he does because he knows if he fucks up he's got me to come in and save the day. + +I've tried to impart advice to him but it's obviously fallen on deaf ears because he has absolutely no savings. + +It isn't just my brother either, my mum and aunts/uncles are frequently borrowing off me, 20 here, 30 there. To me, £20/30 is nothing so I end up caving in and lending it to them. They pay it back whenever they next get money but the cycle just repeats. + +Am I being unfair here? I'm getting fucking sick of acting as the family bank when something goes wrong or when they fuck up and use me as their back up plan. I always get the money back but I just feel like I'm being punished for being sensible with money. Has anyone else experienced this? How do you deal with it? +When it comes to investments, I only want to buy something that has long term potential. Not interested in pumps/dumps/shills and all that. I want something that has solid use case over the coming years. Something I am comfortable holding for a decade regardless of how the market is doing. You’d think that based on this mindset, one would be comfortable ignoring price action, just research, buy and go about your daily business right? Right??? + +Well, fuck me I’ve been so wrong! I must be checking my portfolio like at least 10+ times a day, and it’s so fucking pointless. I don’t learn anything new about what I hold, I get distracted from real life, stress myself (both when things go up or down, or sideways for that matter), see price patterns that tell you jack shit, and get tempted by my animal spirits to make stupid decisions on the whims of the moment. Lots of people here who say they do “research”, when in reality they basically just look at lines and candles all day and think they’ve learned something when in reality all they’ve been looking at is market volatility visualised. + +So I want to try avoiding checking prices/my portfolio for a week, and thought perhaps others here want to join too as a challenge, and to keep each other accountable (well, at least in spirit). I’ll update the post in a week on whether I managed or how long I lasted lol. Others could do the same in the comments with reminders if interested, and then see how badly we all fuckup :p + +Will be interesting to see what portion of people actually get through 7 days, and whether we are all just a bunch of degenerate crypto addicts ;) + +**Post Challenge Edit:** oh boy, wasn’t easy to control the impulse, but glad I managed, phew! Made me realise that I use crypto as an excuse to get distracted from stuff in life, almost like a form of entertainment, rather than anything else. + +As quite a few people pointed out in the comments, the healthier approach is to set a specific time of the week or days of the week to do anything crypto related. + +Well done to everyone who managed, hope it was an interesting learning experience. Maybe we can make it a habit ;) +I see a lot of posters on here, social media, friends and family, saying the same stuff (especially new "investors"). "This market is bs!". + +Many people are pissed, because according to them, the market is reacting correctly. + +These people think because when there's a global pandemic, the market has to plummet, and you just buy everything at a discount and get rich, right? Shocker... 99% of investors are thinking the same thing. + +All I can say is, when there is a true bottom and fear, buying won't be easy at all (unless you and your family are already rich with job security and healthy). Once most people burn through their savings; have to make decisions like which bill to pay first, should I keep on investing and take on debt, or pay my debts first?.... Once those kind of scary decisions arise and most people lose their faith in the market is when we will be in true bottom territory. + +Just a little rant because people think it's as easy as just being an opportunist. It's not. Because once the opportunity finally comes, you probably won't have the resources to make the moves. + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 1: + +Looks like I offended a lot of people, which was not my intention. I am not trying to predict the bottom at all. I know I don't know. + +All I was saying was is, when this "bottom" happens, it will be at a point where most people are scared. Whether it be because they are in debt or because they have lost faith in the market. It's not going to be as easy "this is cheap, buy now, I will get returns a few years from now". There's a lot of new investors thinking it's that easy. + +Risks aren't easy. Those 10% drops we saw several weeks ago was child's play. You'll know what I mean if/when it happens. When you are legit scared to put money in because you lost faith in the market and economy. + +I'm an Average Joe. I'm continuing do DCAing and buying at my usual rate. + +&#x200B; + +EDIT 2: + +I guess I offended people with this as well: + +"unless you and your family are already rich with job security and healthy" + +That definitely came out wrong. I didn't mean that to rich shame. + +I still believe in America. And there will still be opportunities. But once again, I think the idea of just buying at this bottom is easier said than done, especially for people who aren't already wealthy or financially stable. And for those that do have the ballz to buy big in a fearful market, I think 9 out of 10 (and that's being VERY generous), will get burnt trying to make it during these hard times. But that's another topic. + +Good luck to everybody. Invest smart. +OK basic points: + +* Layoffs ARE coming, but I am not sure if I am one of them. + +* I do not know when it will happen. Could be anytime between now and July. + +* I am married with no children. + +* I have no emergency fund. I spent it on an emergency. + +* Other than my 401k, (which cannot be borrowed against) I have no savings to speak of. + +* I have high debt, but am actively working to be out of debt. If everything stayed the same as it is now, I would be out of debt with the exception of my mortgage sometime in early 2019. + +* I have many medical issues and depend on my health insurance. It really is the best benefit that my job offers. I know that COBRA exists, but I'm not sure if I could afford the cost. I will be in SERIOUS trouble medically speaking if I lose my health insurance. + +* My wife does work, but what she makes is only enough to pay mortgage and part of our debt. There would be nothing left for other bills. + +* We could trim spending some and maybe clear up an extra $100, but our budget is already very tight. + +* Some sort of severance would most likely be offered. I have heard $1000 dollars for every year employed and I have heard $5000 for every year of employment. That would give me either $12,000 or $60,000. + +* I am looking at other positions, but most with my skill set would require moving. With our financial situation right now that would be difficult. My credit score sucks currently. Given the market and the amount of work needed to fix up our house, selling it would be very difficult. + +Questions: + +* What should I start doing now? + +* What are my options for health insurance? + +* What is the best way to use severance? Savings? Pay off some debt? Other? + +* Generally, how helpful would employment pay be? + +* Given that I would be unemployed and my wife makes so little could we get any other sort of government assistance? + +* Is there anything else that I should know/do? + +Again, this MIGHT NOT happen, but it is a possibility and I need to be prepared. I would most likely look to leave the job once my finances are in order, but right now any change would really be a hurdle. + + +Thank you. + +Basically my job doesn't start until September but my wife and I won't have enough money to pay the bills for August. We're barely making it through this month. I don't think I can start a job for one month only to quit in Sept., but I'm starting to get a little desperate. Anyone have any suggestions or places to sell items? Any advice is appreciated. +You've got your job, your second job, your asset allocation, your savings etc. + +You don't spend excessively, you budget. + +Paycheck in, bung it into whatever you need it to pay your bills. + +Looks at clock "20 more years" to retirement. +I have been watching banks very closely over the last 6 months and have been relatively disappointed till recently with JPM. + +[Looking at the 1 year chart](https://i.imgur.com/ly8aSjM.png), it looks like it's about to explode back to its previous mean around 155, and I am looking to profit from it. + +Banks have historically low P/E and during times of increase rates (rates have been artificially low for the last decade) they should be money making machines. + +Assuming JPM goes up 10 or 20, would the best strategy be something way OTM like Jun 17 150 C, or should I do ITM for safety reasons? + +150c is only 0.05 right now, which seems so low risk what's the harm vs a sizable investment ITM in a volatile market. +I tried hard to stay out of the public dispute between OKCoin and Roger Ver, hoping they would resolve themselves, over a contract relatively small in size. + +I know anything I add publicly simply throws more gas on the fire, which is not helpful for resolving the dispute. I have also always refrained from saying anything bad about my previous employer. But the situation has left me no choice but to make a public statement. + +Gentleman’s Agreement + +I made the mistake of using a simple gentleman’s agreement as the contract. Roger and I are friends. We have enough respect and trust for each other that we both thought a simple gentleman’s agreement would suffice. I did not expect OKCoin will delay or default on payments of $10k in size. For this I apologize. I also did not expect OKCoin would not pay my salary for the time I spent there. + +The Deal + +I personally still think it is a good deal as the site attracts 2500 unique new visitors each day, mostly from users googling “bitcoin”. The $10k per month is far cheaper than running a Google Adword Campaigne to the same effect. + +When I resigned in Feb, I asked strongly to Star Xu for me to take over the bitcoin.com contract as is, as a contract I would execute on my own, separate from OKCoin. Star refused. Another OKCoin partner was present at this discussion and can confirm this. + +OKCoin internally planned to charge $12,000/month for two top ad spots, $8000/month for 6 middle position spots, and a number of $4000/month ad spots below the first scroll. These numbers were given by Star Xu himself, in a chat group. A few ex-employees can confirm this. Also, to my disagreement, a number of potential sponsors were turned away because they wish to pay via a PPC model, instead of the monthly model. + +I signed version 7 of the contract with Roger. It was sent via email with my PGP signature. I do not recall a version 8. + +With either version of the contract, OKCoin is seriously violating its obligations. + +Ben McGinnes + +Ben’s analysis seems illogical at best. He concluded that “document F [version 8] was either created with an entirely different software package or modified after the fact.” Doesn’t this only further prove it is unlikely a document created by me? + +Ben also concluded because he could not change the date of a PDF without leaving a trail, so, it’s impossible. As Vitalik Buterin and J. Maurice both quickly point out. + +http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/37m553/ver_okcoin_bounty_rewarded_to_ben_mcginnes_video/cro76df + +One simply has to change the system date on a machine to create a PDF document with the said date. + +The fact that OKCoin paid $20,000 USD for this “analysis” demonstrates the level of quality in their “proof” or “evidence”. It may also show a sign of desperation and/or stupidity. I am not sure which. + + +QQ Chat Logs + +It is unclear to me how this video was generated or notarized, or if it is notarized at all. A few possibilities come to mind. +1. It’s a fake / edited video. +2. The notarization process was flawed, or a “bounty” was applied. Star Xu publicly stated OKCoin “spent” more than 100,000 RMB on this notarization process. +3. I once gave my QQ password to an employee at OKCoin, He Keren何可人 (Sorry to drag you into this). She wanted to use my QQ account to access the list of people in a QQ chat group. The group’s name is “peace restaurant” by literal translation (和平饭店). The group was said to have big traders, and I happened to be the only one at OKCoin allowed into that group. Now, I have spoken with Keren and she reassured me she only used my account that once. I trust her, and think she would not intentionally give away my password. However, it is possible that my QQ password may have leaked through this incident unintentionally. +4. My QQ account was hacked in another way. I don’t use QQ often. +5. Another reason that I don't know yet. + +Having a piece of evidence notarized does not automatically win a case. The true validity and influence of the evidence will be determined in a court hearing. + +Signatures + +I now know that OKCoin have used my physical signature to conduct multiple bank transfers from bank accounts, after I left the company, and without my knowledge. Verifying this is a simple matter of confirming with the bank. And a lawyer is in process of doing just that. + +If they can fake my signature with the bank, then how hard would it be to fake my physical signature onto a document? + +I have been using PGP to cryptographically sign my emails since 1998. As a “leading” bitcoin company, OKCoin should know cryptographic evidence is impossible to fake. So far, they have not been able to produce any cryptographic evidence. + +The Lawyer? + +Verifying a lawyer is far simpler than going through the trouble of notarizing QQ chat logs. Why was OKCoin so reluctant to provide contact details for Li Yajun, or let Daniel talk to him in Chinese, even now, whiling publicly claiming to have paid over 100,000 RMB to notarize QQ chat logs? + +If OKCoin lied about their lawyer, would they hesitate to forge a document? We will let a court decide that. + +Motives + +Why on earth would I forge the contract? What benefit is there for me? As Star Xu has openly disclosed my salary, I was making more than $20,000 USD per month in salary (plus double digit equity options). What incentives do I have, to forge a contract valued at $10k per month? + +OKCoin, however, have repeatedly shown they want to cancel or modify the contract throughout the email transcript, going as far as claiming OKCoin does not exist. + +This post explains the inconsistencies from OKCoin quite well. +http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/37b94m/truth_behind_the_dispute_between_roger_ver_and/ + +Full Transparency + +I have suggested multiple times to settle this matter as professionals privately or in court. But OKCoin insisted on displaying this whole dispute publicly. So let’s go full transparency then. + +As much as it hurts my reputation to disclose these, I feel the community has a need to know. Again my apologies, to any former colleagues who are now dragged into this. + +Bots + +I can confirm OKCoin runs bots on their exchanges, under instructions from Star Xu. These bots are managed by Chen (business and operations), Yu (programming), Wang (database admin, “funding”). Many employees and ex-employees of OKCoin are aware of these bots. I will not name them all here. + +Fake Volumes + +I can confirm some of the above bots are designed to pump up volumes. During certain periods, these bots have also been used in a manner to create orders that will only trade against themselves, not with user orders. This mode of operations was strongly resisted by even Chen and Liu (programming, matching engine), but Star Xu insisted on executing it. + +Fake Proof-of-Reserve + +I can confirm OKCoin removed a number of accounts (used by OKCoin bots) to pass the Proof-of-Reserve audit in Aug 2014. In essence, these bots trade on fractional (or fictional) reserves. Stephan Thomas was lied to during the audit. This is an unfortunate limitation of the proof-of-reserves method. + +As a side note, Stephan Thomas specifically did not want any compensation for his audit efforts. Before the audit, OKCoin offered to make a donation in his name to a charity of his choice. He named a charity. After the audit was carried out, OKCoin never made that donation. Zane is aware of this. In fact, Zane followed up with Star several times after the fact, Star refused. + +Cold Wallet Security + +Up until the time of my resignation, Star alone holds the private key to the OKCoin code wallet. The backup of the private keys were held by Star’s wife and mother, both of whom are non-technical. Such was the state of OKCoin’s cold wallet security. I have insisted many times to switch to a multi-sig solution. Star said yes, but always delayed the task. + +OKCoin have published a post for cold wallet security after I left, still not using multi-sig. I cannot comment on how much was actually implemented or not. + +Employees are Encouraged to Trade + +Star Xu openly encourage employees to trade on its own exchange. The goal is to “learn the product”. This is a known fact in OKCoin, and there are easily more than a dozen employees who can confirm this. + +Opaque Financials + +As the 2nd largest individual shareholder in the company at the time, I was never allowed to see a bank statement, even though my name is associated with several bank accounts of the company. In Jan, I asked strongly to see the bank statement where the VC investment money transfer was received, I was denied. I left shortly afterwards. + +As many were curious before, this is the meaning of “different directions”. I could go on for a while. But will stop here. I feel sad we had to come to this. + +Let me state clearly, most of the employees at OKCoin are very very good people. They are simply following orders. Many of them have fought back on many occasions, to no avail. Many of them have left the company. + +Lastly, I want to add that one bad apple does not spoil the bunch. OKCoin is not representative of other Chinese or bitcoin companies. It is unfortunate that OKCoin’s unprofessional conduct is damaging reputation of other Chinese companies. Please do not generalize. This is a not a “culture difference”. I have had the pleasure to work with a large number of great bitcoin (and other) companies in China. + +Last time we hit an ATH there was an influx of newbies looking to get into bitcoin. + +Whatever you do DON'T take out loans, DON'T max out your credit cards and DON'T FUCKING REMORTGAGE your house to buy crypto. + +Only invest money you're willing to lose. There's no guarantee it will continue to go higher. And you definitely won't have the stomach for when there's a pullback. + +You can invest small, you don't need to buy a whole bitcoin! + +If you have waited 3 years for this ATH, then congratulations on hodling and enjoy. That is all. + +Most of this information will be known to veterans of crypto. This is mainly for the newbies. + +K thanks bye. +*Disclaimer: Remember that everything discussed here is strictly for educational purposes only. Do your own homework and manage your risk accordingly. I am also long PLTR at the time of this writing.* + +**Expected move:** \+/- $7.20 by Friday Feb 19 + +**Upper Expected move:** $41.20 + +**Lower Expected move:** $26.80 + +**Potential move:** \+/- $9.20 by Friday Feb 19 + +**Upper Potential move:** $43.20 + +**Lower Potential move:** $24.80 + +**Historical Volatility:** 128.32% + +**Implied Volatility:** 122.3% + +**Daily implied move:** \+/- 7.64% + +**Put-To-Call Interest:** 0.87 + +**1-year high:** $45.00 + +**1-year low:** $9.18 + +**Bullish Trade idea for Feb 19 expiration:** + +* Purchase a $35/40 call spread for a debit of $1.32 +* Sell to open a $30 cash secured put for a credit of $1.55 +* This trade generates a net credit of $0.23 +* Max profit on the trade is $5.23 per contract and is achieved if PLTR remains above $40 at expiration + +**Neutral Trade idea for Feb 19 expiration:** + +* Purchase 100 shares of stock at $34.00 (for half the position you would like to own) +* Sell a cash secured put at the $30 strike for $1.55 credit (for the other half of the position in PLTR that you would not mind owning) +* Sell a covered call at the $40 strike for $1.90 (you can sell 1 call option per 100 shares you own) +* Your effective cost basis is $34.00 (price you paid for the stock) less $1.90 (covered call premium) less $1.55 (cash secured put premium) = $30.55 +* If Palantir trades below $30 on expiration, 100 shares will be assigned (per cash secured put sold). This will bring the effective cost basis down to $30.28. +* If Palantir trades above $40 on expiration, the stock will be called away for a realized gain of $40 less $30.55 = $9.45. This represents a maximum potential return of 30.93% over a two week holding period. + +**Bearish Trade idea for Feb 19 expiration:** + +* Purchase a $32/28 put ratio spread for a debit of $0.71 +* This trade is created by: + * Buying to open 1 $32 strike put + * Selling to open 2 $28 strike puts +* 1st Breakeven on this trade is $32 less $0.71 = $31.29 +* 2nd Breakeven on this trade is the short strike less the spread width plus the net debit = $28 - $4 + $0.71 = $24.71. +* A key factor of this trade is that the trader is comfortable with owning Palantir stock at $24.71 since 2 puts have been sold while only 1 is owned, which will result in the assignment of 100 shares if the stock remains below $28 at expiration. + +**Trade Adjustments:** + +* Bullish trade idea modification - turn the bull call spread into a combo spread by selling the 45/50 call spread prior to expiration if PLTR rises to $40 prior to earnings as this will significantly reduce the net debit on the position. +* Neutral trade idea modification - if PLTR trades below $30 at expiration, sell covered calls 1 month out above the breakeven price to further reduce cost basis. +* Bearish trade idea modification - close 1 of the short puts out if PLTR trades significantly higher prior to earnings, which will remove assignment risk on the 2nd put that is sold. + +**Other considerations:** + +* Earnings will be released on Tuesday February 16 before market open +* Palantir insiders were able to sell just 20% of their holdings when they direct listed +* Lockup period expires in mid-February (Feb 19th confirmed date) where insider shareholders will be permitted to sell the remaining 80% of their holdings +* Just announced a new 5-year deal with BP + +For those of you who would like to watch the video discussing the information above, the link is here: + +[https://youtu.be/E-S-aOTmRe8](https://youtu.be/E-S-aOTmRe8) + +Please let me know if you have any questions. + +Stay safe and healthy and trade well! +*Disclaimer: Remember that everything discussed here is strictly for educational purposes only. Do your own homework and manage your risk accordingly. I am also long PLTR at the time of this writing.* + +**Expected move:** \+/- $7.20 by Friday Feb 19 + +**Upper Expected move:** $41.20 + +**Lower Expected move:** $26.80 + +**Potential move:** \+/- $9.20 by Friday Feb 19 + +**Upper Potential move:** $43.20 + +**Lower Potential move:** $24.80 + +**Historical Volatility:** 128.32% + +**Implied Volatility:** 122.3% + +**Daily implied move:** \+/- 7.64% + +**Put-To-Call Interest:** 0.87 + +**1-year high:** $45.00 + +**1-year low:** $9.18 + +**Bullish Trade idea for Feb 19 expiration:** + +* Purchase a $35/40 call spread for a debit of $1.32 +* Sell to open a $30 cash secured put for a credit of $1.55 +* This trade generates a net credit of $0.23 +* Max profit on the trade is $5.23 per contract and is achieved if PLTR remains above $40 at expiration + +**Neutral Trade idea for Feb 19 expiration:** + +* Purchase 100 shares of stock at $34.00 (for half the position you would like to own) +* Sell a cash secured put at the $30 strike for $1.55 credit (for the other half of the position in PLTR that you would not mind owning) +* Sell a covered call at the $40 strike for $1.90 (you can sell 1 call option per 100 shares you own) +* Your effective cost basis is $34.00 (price you paid for the stock) less $1.90 (covered call premium) less $1.55 (cash secured put premium) = $30.55 +* If Palantir trades below $30 on expiration, 100 shares will be assigned (per cash secured put sold). This will bring the effective cost basis down to $30.28. +* If Palantir trades above $40 on expiration, the stock will be called away for a realized gain of $40 less $30.55 = $9.45. This represents a maximum potential return of 30.93% over a two week holding period. + +**Bearish Trade idea for Feb 19 expiration:** + +* Purchase a $32/28 put ratio spread for a debit of $0.71 +* This trade is created by: + * Buying to open 1 $32 strike put + * Selling to open 2 $28 strike puts +* 1st Breakeven on this trade is $32 less $0.71 = $31.29 +* 2nd Breakeven on this trade is the short strike less the spread width plus the net debit = $28 - $4 + $0.71 = $24.71. +* A key factor of this trade is that the trader is comfortable with owning Palantir stock at $24.71 since 2 puts have been sold while only 1 is owned, which will result in the assignment of 100 shares if the stock remains below $28 at expiration. + +**Trade Adjustments:** + +* Bullish trade idea modification - turn the bull call spread into a combo spread by selling the 45/50 call spread prior to expiration if PLTR rises to $40 prior to earnings as this will significantly reduce the net debit on the position. +* Neutral trade idea modification - if PLTR trades below $30 at expiration, sell covered calls 1 month out above the breakeven price to further reduce cost basis. +* Bearish trade idea modification - close 1 of the short puts out if PLTR trades significantly higher prior to earnings, which will remove assignment risk on the 2nd put that is sold. + +**Other considerations:** + +* Earnings will be released on Tuesday February 16 before market open +* Palantir insiders were able to sell just 20% of their holdings when they direct listed +* Lockup period expires in mid-February (Feb 19th confirmed date) where insider shareholders will be permitted to sell the remaining 80% of their holdings +* Just announced a new 5-year deal with BP + +For those of you who would like to watch the video discussing the information above, the link is here: + +[https://youtu.be/E-S-aOTmRe8](https://youtu.be/E-S-aOTmRe8) + +Please let me know if you have any questions. + +Stay safe and healthy and trade well! +I'm very new to day trading and have only read one book on the topic. I've recently had the Dunning-Kruger slapped out of me with -$15k so I'm ready to be humble and learn. + +My day job is in IT and I'm self taught in that field. The way I did that was by looking up the syllabus for reputable courses and using that as a study guide. + +If you were to design a syllabus for day trading, what would it look like? + +Thanks!! I'm looking forward to getting into paper trading soon. +I'm sitting at a nice hotel having buffet lunch with family, thinking 'i don't deserve this, I can't afford this myself..and I'm 28' + +Some weeks ago I made a lot of money in crypto futures and I was hooked. With the years of trading experience I thought I could beat the market by reading charts TA and being aware of news and trends. Last week I lost it all as I got liquidated for a short position. + +My own brother and many friends have Bitcoin and since the Bitcoin rally, they are all very .. euphoric (even this is an understatement). + +I can't help but to acknowledge my failure at risk management, the lack of patience, and the inevitable comparison to my own brother and friends who have done much better. I know I should not dwell on past performance, but what can I do? + +I see charts and I feel this heart wrenching pain, when they mention Bitcoin I feel left behind.. anyone can relate? +I'm the cliche, longtime viewer, first time poster. I'm alway interested in reading the posts of individual finacial scenarios and the feedback recieved. + +I'm teeing up a meeting with a financial advisor and am after some ideas to take to the meeting. + +**Personal Circumstances**: + +Partner and I are both 34 with 2x kids aged 1 and 3. We live in regional NSW + +**Financial Situation:** + +\-I earn around $90,000 before tax can fluctuate monthly due to bonuses. Work in sales. + +\-Partner is currently only doing the odd shift here and there due to being home with the kids, may start 1\-2 days a week later in the year. + +**Assets and Liabilities** + +\-This month we paid off all but $1 of our home loan \(keeping it open for time being for redraw\), house has been valued @ $550000 + +\-Bought an investment property last year valued @ $310,000 it's across 2 mortgages $65,000 variable @ 3.97&#37; and $220,000 @ 3.75&#37; fixed. The tenant pays the 90&#37; of the mortgage. + +\-Dipped toe into cypto last year with approx $1000 in Ethereum and Ripple, mostly due to FOMO. Am now satified I'm not or already have. + +\-We have around $75,000 each in super funds + +\-Own around $5,ooo worth of Medibank Shares + +\-Have set up savings accounts for the kids, only have around $500 each though. + +\-Don't currently have our own savings accounts, use redraw for bigger purchases. + +**Ideas and Plans** + +**Short Term** + +\-Setup a share trading account and make monthly trades when paid \(monthly\). Have been tracking shares for the past year without taking the jump and have been reading with interest on here about ETFs. + +\-Build a new house as an invervestment property in my name to negatively gear. + +\-Buy a positively geared investment property in partners name + +**Medium Term** + +\-When the kids are older would like to buy a to bigger property these are currently $800,000\+ in our area + +\-I'm not career orientated and when would like to take a year break to travel with the children in around 5 years so would like to build to have passive income/savings to fund this. + +**Expenses** + +Besides the usual Insurance, Petrol, Rates, Food etc Don't really have many out of the ordinary expenses besides + +\-Partner would like to get a mummy car this year, ideally would only spend $16k for a used although the finance rate deals around on some new cars look attractive before looking researching the fees. + +\-$150/week childcare + +\-Like to take at least 1 overseas holiday per year. Around $5\-6k + +Also don't currently have any income protection insurance or the like and I'm sure that is something a financial advisor will raise. + +Thanks for reading and for any feedback recieved. + +Happy to answer any questions as well +&#x200B; + +So I just signed an offer on a small studio apartment in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The first question I asked the agent before I even went to see the place was, is this student accom only? As most places around this area are. They answered via email "anyone can live in it". I'm not a student so can't live in it if I buy it which I've just agreed to do. I want to live in it. + +&#x200B; + +But the agent also told me that the current tenant is a student, who is on a month to month contract, the sale of contract has a vacant upon settlement part too. Then I found out today that the tenant is actually on a fixed lease until Feb 2023. Does that mean I have to honour the lease agreement? + +&#x200B; + +So now I'm not sure if I can trust the agent and I'm suddenly paranoid that this IS really student accom only! What else has the real estate agent potentially misled me on? + +&#x200B; + +I only signed the offer yesterday so I have a 3 day cooling off period in which to bail out. Any advice would be appreciated. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +**Update:** So today (Mon 4/7/22) I spoke to my conveyancer as many people suggested. She agreed with me that things felt very dodgy with the agent not being upfront about the tenant. She advised me against taking on a tenant, I agreed. She also was able to find out for me that this is NOT student-only accomodation, so at least that was correct. However with the tenant being on a lease until Feb, I would then have to ask them to vacate 60 days from then, giving me a move in date arounf April 2023. She also said it's pretty impossible to get them out any earlier. With all that, plus her advising me not to take on a tenant, she asked me if I wanted to continue or bail out within the 3 day cooling off. I took an hour to weigh things up and then went back to her to ask that we end the contract. She then sent this decision to the real estate agent. + +&#x200B; + +The agent called me immediately and tried to convince me that they could gaurantee the tenant would be out by settlement in Sept and to reconsider. They would offer them a few weeks rent-free to break lease and maybe move them to another apartment in the same building or something. I thought about it again for a bit and then called them back and said no, my decision still stands. I am now out of the contract. A part of me is a little sad/dissapointed, I was looking forward to finally owning my own home. But everytime I think about getting back into it/changing my mind again I'm like NOOOOOOOOO!!! I would've had anxiety about it everyday and whether the tenant would've been leaving or not and along with my conveyancers reccomendations to get out. So that's it, no more new home, but no more anxiety about the tenant situation either. + +&#x200B; + +Thanks to everyone who has commented, I didn't expect to get so much feedback! But it was all taken in and appreciated. This has been a HUGE learning experience for me! +Yesterday I received a text from Barclaycard thanking me for letting them know about my new number. I wasn't me so I phoned them up and it turned out that someone had my details, had passed verification and had changed the telephone number on the account. + +As I was on the phone to them she blocked the card, and put a password on the account..... simultaneously the fraudster was trying to spend £1000 on Apple Pay using the card. Somewhat unbelievably whilst I was on the phone still, they phoned the other line to complain to BC that the payment had been declined and that they were genuinely me. However, they didn't know the password. The fraudster phoned up three times and came unstuck because they didn't know the password. + +What worries me is that someone out there has all my details and is able to sign up for something in my name and also leave me stuck with a bill or a poor credit rating. Am I overthinking it? If they were to sign up for a legitimate credit card in my name then I would imagine it would have to be sent to my house, wouldn't it..? +[As reported by Benzinga: +](https://www.benzinga.com/news/21/05/21120647/nio-grabbed-23-share-of-chinas-all-electric-suv-market-in-april-ahead-of-teslas-17) + +> Nio Inc (NYSE: NIO) grabbed the largest market share in China's all-electric SUV market in April, higher than its U.S.-based rival Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), according to China Automotive Technology and Research Center data. Nio clocked a total of 7,404 SUV sales in April — with the ES6 model selling the most at 3,302 vehicles, EC6 sales were 2,484 units and ES8 sales at 1,618 units, the report said XPEV made up for 7% of the all-electric SUV market in the month. +The typical rule of thumb I've heard is that you should have 20% down to avoid PMI. That's about $40,000 cash for a 200k house, and that's a pretty modest sized house in today's market. I imagine you'd also want a good $10,000 for unexpected repairs, furnishing, appliances etc that you may need in the first year after buying the house. + +So basically I need $50,000 in cash. Wow. + +I currently make about $60,000 a year and am still in the process of paying student loans. I am on track to have them paid off by mid 2022, and at that point I can start saving for the down payment. But even with aggressive frugality, it would take about 2.5 years to save up $50,000. So I'm looking at 4 years from now, and in those 4 years, I can't have any unexpected expenses, I can't contribute my $6,000 to my Roth IRA (or if I did, I'd have to wait even longer for the down payment), and can't make any expensive life choices such as getting married (even if our parents theoretically paid for it, I'd still need money for a ring and other various expenses, at least $5,000 out of my own pocket if I had to guess). + +Maybe I'm just discouraged because I have friends who are buying houses now, or because my parents bought a house when they were 23, but it's just weird to think that I would be almost 30 before I could afford even a modest sized house, assuming my finances stay on track with no hiccups. + On Thursday, Elon Musk was sued for $258 billion by a Dogecoin investor who accused him of running a pyramid scheme to support the cryptocurrency. + +In a complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, plaintiff Keith Johnson accused Musk, electric car company Tesla Inc and space tourism company SpaceX of racketeering for touting Dogecoin and driving up its price, only to let the price tumble. + +Read full article: [https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/elon-musk-sued-258-billion-over-alleged-dogecoin-pyramid-scheme-2022-06-16/](https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/elon-musk-sued-258-billion-over-alleged-dogecoin-pyramid-scheme-2022-06-16/) + +**Elon Musk, Tesla (TSLA) & SpaceX have been sued by some individual investors for $258 billion over an alleged Dogecoin 'pyramid scheme.'** + +**Musk has publicly endorsed Dogecoin on his Twitter several times. Do you think this lawsuit might affect DOGE and TSLA?** + On Thursday, Elon Musk was sued for $258 billion by a Dogecoin investor who accused him of running a pyramid scheme to support the cryptocurrency. + +In a complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, plaintiff Keith Johnson accused Musk, electric car company Tesla Inc and space tourism company SpaceX of racketeering for touting Dogecoin and driving up its price, only to let the price tumble. + +Read full article: [https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/elon-musk-sued-258-billion-over-alleged-dogecoin-pyramid-scheme-2022-06-16/](https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/elon-musk-sued-258-billion-over-alleged-dogecoin-pyramid-scheme-2022-06-16/) + +**Elon Musk, Tesla (TSLA) & SpaceX have been sued by some individual investors for $258 billion over an alleged Dogecoin 'pyramid scheme.'** + +**Musk has publicly endorsed Dogecoin on his Twitter several times. Do you think this lawsuit might affect DOGE and TSLA?** +[Source CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/11/papa-johns-shares-crater-after-report-that-founder-used-a-n-word.html) + +Shares of [Papa John's](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=PZZA) slid on Wednesday after a report surfaced alleging that founder John Schnatter used the N-word during a conference call in May. + +[According to an article by Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2018/07/11/papa-johns-founder-john-schnatter-allegedly-used-n-word-on-conference-call/#549f60fb4cfc), Schnatter was on a call with marketing agency Laundry Service when he tried to downplay comments he made about the National Football League and allegedly said “Colonel Sanders called blacks n-----s," and complained that the KFC founder never faced public backlash. The call was a role-playing exercise for Schnatter to prevent future public-relations fumbles. + +Shares fell by as much as 5.9 percent in intraday trading Wednesday following the report, erasing $96.2 million in market value. Papa John's is down 13.5 percent year-to-date while [Domino's](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=DPZ) shares are up 47 percent over the same time period. + +"Papa John’s condemns racism and any insensitive language, no matter the situation or setting," a company spokesman told CNBC. "Our company was built on a foundation of mutual respect and acceptance." + +Laundry Service, which is owned by sports agency owner Casey Wasserman, reportedly cut ties with an unnamed client in late May due to "the regrettable recent events that several employees of Laundry Service witnessed during interactions with a client’s executive,” [according a letter obtained by Bloomberg.](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-11/papa-john-s-founder-s-alleged-slur-use-spurs-agency-exit-forbes) + +Shelley Lewis, a spokeswoman for Laundry Service, declined to comment. + +The Forbes report comes just seven months after Schnatter abruptly exited the C-Suite. Schnatter faced backlash in November for critical statements he made about the NFL that ultimately caused the league to remove Papa John's as an official sponsor. + +He blamed the NFL leadership for hurting the company's performance because it hadn't resolved the ongoing controversy over players kneeling in protest during the National Anthem. + +While Schnatter is no longer the CEO of Papa John's he is tied with the brand's image and is featured prominently on the company's pizza boxes. + +“The past six months we’ve had to take a hard look in the mirror and acknowledge that we’ve lost a bit of focus on the core values that this brand was built on and that delivered success for so many years,” CEO Steve Ritchie said in an internal memo sent Wednesday to team members, franchisees and operators, according to Bloomberg. "We’ve got to own up and take the hit for our missteps and refocus on the constant pursuit of better that is the DNA of our brand.” +As the title suggests, it looks like we have a few weeks of doing very little and this will ultimately be quite boring. Now feels like a good time to try develop a habit and pick up some new skills. So, what skills have you picked up over the years that have been most valuable to you? For those like me in the same boat, what are you planning on starting to learn ? +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. + +Hey Reddit +My girlfriend and I (18-19) have recently moved out of home to follow a job opportunity i received, she has followed me down and secured a job. +I am on a yearly salary of $45,000 (aus) before tax ($1,410 a fortnight), she is on weekly wage which has been approximately $650 a week +http://prntscr.com/aw6x82 + +We were just hoping for some general advise on how best to budget save and all around best way to manage our money and make the most of it +Thanks +So, I remembered last week that I had opened a pension for each of my sons more than a decade ago, I seem to remember I put in £2,880 a year and the government topped it up to £3,600? I was able to put in about £20,000 for each of them before I needed the cash for other things. So I asked them about it and they told me their pensions had over £44,000 each in them! + +Shows you how an early start can really make a huge difference and it made me so pleased to have done it while I could for them. +Comrades, + +The next few days will likely be a wild ride. It’s very easy to spend all day reading our retarded posts on wsb and watching the minute by minute price action. Just please make sure, for your own sanity, to **take some time away from your phone** + +Go for a walk, have a wank, lick your wife’s boyfriend’s toes. I don’t really give a fuck. Just do something other than incessantly watching the price. It’s not healthy + +Positions: a measly 20 shares of GME 🚀🚀🚀 +A few weeks ago, I shared my [Excel Stock Tracker](https://www.reddit.com/r/StockMarket/comments/aocm1c/im_sharing_my_excel_file_with_microsofts_new/) with Excel's new "stock features" on it. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people who couldn't use it due to MSFT's different Excel platforms (Student and older versions couldn't use it). + +**Today I'm sharing my** [**Google Sheets Stock Tracker**](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sjeeUNas-r5NIxA8mznZxrvfXUo22sDyeKxzjplGdvM/edit?usp=sharing)**.** I must say I like this one better. + +The original ideas came from a [Canadian Cannabis Stock Tracker](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TdZokbMx3z8oW3ba7V5yJCb1jVwtD6frGWIYXlVS8RU/edit?usp=sharing) that I got somewhere on Reddit. Sorry, I can't find the original post that had it in it. + +&#x200B; +So, I have never had a great relationship with money. It was a get it = spend it mentality just like my family. A 4 yr financially toxic relationship saw me spend all of my savings (close to $10K). + +Last year, faced an unexpected layoff coupled with hounding them for $4,000 in backpay, had to quit nursing school, then took a $6.00 paycut for a job. Got promoted in November, and have been living on about $670 every two weeks. + +I have been very frugal; and in doing so, managed to save about $710 in my cash ER Fund (and $500 in a bills ER Fund!!) + +My car needed a repair that cost about $350.00; so there goes most of my ER Fund. But dear god I could cry happy tears because I've not has this type of security in a very long time. + +I just wanted to share. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I am determined to be better. +I’ve closed several positions and looking for longer term (3 months - 3 years) turnaround plays - I like the current poor sentiment around Intel with their earnings / outlook, and feel that they might be a good candidate. I like their dividend as a support for price along with the benefits to a long term hold. + +Are there any opinions or bull bear cases for playing Intel long? Or any current holders? + +Any other positions you may want to pitch, I am willing to listen. + +Thank you. +I’m Liz (better known as Mrs. Frugalwoods) and I write the blog [www.frugalwoods.com](http://www.frugalwoods.com/) about my journey as an ex-urban, rookie homesteader finding contentment and financial independence on 66 acres in rural Vermont with my husband, daughter, and dog. Joyful, extreme frugality made our dream a reality. My husband Nate, Frugalwoods’ behind-the-scenes tech guru, will join me for today’s AMA. Feel free to start throwing out some questions! + +Edited to add: we'll be checking in throughout the afternoon, so feel free to kept your questions coming :)! +Looking to replicate target date funds by buying ETFs, funds, and bonds. I want to slowly buy more and more bonds to replicate a target date fund (but to avoid tax implications of investing in them in a taxable account). Holding for 20-25 years. + +This is all after maxing out tax advantaged accounts. +I sent my green card, SSN, and a signed w4 form to a scammer, what can they do with it? + +I added a credit fraud alert, is that enough? + +edit: I freeze all 3 credit agencies, thanks guys! +I know most of you scoff at the idea of storing BTC on Coinbase, but I am not nearly as technologically inclined as most of you. Each storage suggestion I read looks to me like this: + +1. Download armory and Electrum and run armory from an offline underground bunker. + +2. double encrypt using Eorepadaeuium with 4 USB drives running Linux UEc.3f3.c2q1 + +3. backup with Efekjwsf and wefkjlfe + qt and create a public key, private key, and semi-private key. + +4. print private key and public key, but not semi-private key. Laminate printed copies and store in a vault along with 3 of the 4 USB drives. But be sure not to run EFkjlwef foeropwerk. + +5. Use a submarine to bury the vault in the ocean. + +6. A hacker who is %1000 times smarter than you is watching your every move and will steal all your bitcoin if you slip up. + +More near computer illiterate people like be are going to be buying BTC, and Coinbase seems like the safer and simpler option. +so I bought tsla call leap expiry Jan/21,2022 in jan 2021 for $230 premium, current premium is $55. +Strike price $800 +Currently leap is -90%. +Is it good to sell covered call against the leap and if yes then @ what price and quantity? + + +Thanks +1. More specifically, do you prefer to familiarize yourself with a particular sector or group of tickers (e.g. Financials) and then determine which tickers are best suited for specific plays on any given day? + +2. Or do you simply use volatility to determine which tickers you play (perhaps across sectors)? + +3. Or do you choose which plays you want to make first, THEN find a suitable ticker to match? + +4. Something else? + +I've been leaning more toward the first option, so I'm curious as to what you guys think. +I'm trying to understand option flow better and how to interpret it. I'll often see trades like this that make no sense to me. Why would someone do a sweep and sell 50-strike puts when the underlying is $41? Isn't the chance of those being exercised pretty high? What's the play here? + +https://preview.redd.it/o6fj0sxi0jj91.png?width=3786&format=png&auto=webp&s=7b8c57ff1161e0a3556ed8df94502498f0c5b2fd +I know with the high volatility the iron condors is not the preferred strategy but I find with appropriate wings you can still use it on the right underlying. Any thoughts? +Opened a PMCC position early June on AAPL only to have my short call deep ITM last week when i had to close on 25th June - there was a hugeee run up the last 2 weeks. How do you guys decide when to close your short PMCC position? +Cross posting from r/activeoptiontraders + +Hey y’all, + +I am about to attempt running the wheel for the first time. Given how bullish this past two weeks have been, I am looking to include some bullish positions in my portfolio (been losing quite a bit with my bearish ones). + +Is it still a good time to perform the wheel? I am mainly looking to start it on AAL/CCL, an affordable stock that I plan to buy once the market is stable again. However, given how volatile it has been, I am not sure if it’s the best strategy right now. + +Thanks! Any feedback or discussion is welcome. + +Edit 4/8/2020 5:21 PM: AAL is also on my watchlist as pointed out by u/jswats92 +I sold a CC on CRSR at a $45 strike price expiring 3/19 for $0.95. The cost of the call is now sitting at a pretty $0.05. + +In this situation, I think most of the sub would tell me to buy it back. But what then? Do I immediately sell a new covered call at a new date and price? Do I wait for the price to go up? + +If I'm going to wait for a better time to sell a new covered call, wouldn't it be more beneficial to just sit on my covered call at the moment and wait for it to expire worthless? When do you guys usually sell a new option? +Keep it friendly and civil; this is not WSB and automod will censor your posts at will for unsavory and unfriendly remarks. Try to keep shit posting and bragging to a minimum. +I bought a leap in BB during the craze that was GME and AMC. I am now holding a BB Jan 20, 2023 Call for $17. I bought for $800 and its now sitting around $200. + +What would be a good way to take advantage of the situation? Can I sell calls against my leap, thus only risking the difference in strike prices? + +I have a Feb call option with a strike of 10$ that I bought for 1.5 and is now trading for 11 and the stock price is now around $20. I have about 900$ profit in this option. I’m thinking of exercising the option so I can own the stock. My understanding is that I just have to pay $100 to get the 100 shares at the $10 strike (900+100=1000$). Is my thinking correct? I’m wondering cuz every video on YouTube telling you not to exercise the call options, so just want to check if someone here can advise? Thanks!! +Hey all, I wanna be cool like you guys but I have a question. Is now a bad time to invest in selling options and spreads? The markets had some crazy swings up and down, and while it looks like it might be settling down I wouldn’t doubt we could see those swings again in the near future. +last week when RKT was around 22 or whatever I sold 2 21.5$ PUTs for may 7. + +then RKT tumbled down to 18. + +for now I rolled to a may 14 21.5$ call for almost the same premium (I think I made a small amount on it, it wasn't at a loss) + +but I'm not sure what to do next. Looking at the option prices for the next few weeks the put premiums don't seem to increase at all, or very slowly. + +what am I missing? has the IV dropped in the past week? + +should I keep rolling at a small gain to avoid being assigned, or allow it to get assigned and sell covered calls? I think I could recover my loss in about 10 weeks of covered calls, assuming premiums stay in a similar range (right now RKT is at 18.09, I am basing myself on the may 14 19$ call premium) + +any other possibilities? +Position: **SOLD** **PUT 02/19/21 $12.50** + +Premium: **1.78** + +Date: **11/9/20** + +As of right now the premium is 0.5 (12% gain). I did not expect this stock to become a huge meme and go up from $15 to $30. Looks like we finally hit a pullback and am wondering if it is worth closing my position and allocating the cash somewhere else? I just joined the theta gang recently and would welcome any advice. +For the record I've been off RH since February, but couple buddies of mine are mad and throwing a fit about RH freezing DOGE trading AGAIN. + +*EDIT 2: Even better, as u/Mobridge80 points out, it was in fact ALL of their crypto trading services that went down. All 7 coins prevented from trading. I'm really not even surprised.* + +I honestly find it humorous that after their many statements that they're "working on it" like clockwork it goes down again when DOGE shoots up. + +Back when DOGE launched from 0.01 to 0.09 in Feb trading froze and I submitted multiple tickets because it tanked over 40% by the time I could trade again making me miss out big on profits. They basically told me to F off and its not their problem. + +Learned my lesson. Left RH and never looked back. + +RIP to any DOGE traders on RH right now. + +Gotta love it + +*EDIT: I really think most newbies, myself included months ago, need to personally be on the receiving end of RH's horse-cockery to truly get the memo. I had heard all the problems but sat in ignorant bliss till it happened to me.* + +*Great thread from u/the_far_yard for alternatives to RH!* + https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/mtqi5v/looking_for_an_exchange_that_sell_the_coins_that/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share +https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2022-02-03/sec-s-meme-stock-response-coming-next-week-gensler-says-video + +SEC Chairman, Gary Gensler, spoke on the 'plumbing' of the markets, explaining a majority of retail orders are not met with buy-sale matches. Instead, they are completed in 'dark pools' as brokerages handle a Payment for Order Flow system. +My dad has a $5 million portfolio and would like to sell stocks to buy a home. Should he sell like $1 million worth to pay for it in cash or just take out enough for a 20% down and pay off the monthly mortgage? + +He does not want to pay for an advisor because he thinks they usually don’t give great advice and they’re expensive. +2 yeas, many books and countless articles, paper account, real account, backtests, wins/losses of no significance and too many hours on reddit later: + +I can say I've learned the ropes but I find myself every morning and night looking at my carefully selected news sites, custom scanners and trigger indicators **without the ability to come up with actionable ideas**: Like sure, certain security's volatility is high, so maybe I should be on the sell side and take advantage of the inevitable IV crush just to find the market decides otherwise and delta overshadows Vega. Or waiting for SPY to hit the 50EMA close to OpEx to go long, to see it fail to deliver during Aug OpEx and miss out on a good run. and I find it harder and harder to come up with macro narratives. + +Every thesis feels biased and intuition based more than a systematic approach. + +How are you all putting the pieces together? Are you deep in certain industry sectors? Gambling for the sake of the rush? Covid case tracking? long term macro plays? What suggestions/books can you throw my way? I feel like I've graduated "Random Finance 101" and can't figure out what's on the next course's curriculum. + +For instance, I'm reading about market inefficiencies between vix forward swaps and futures....sounds like a good dinner conversation!! but completely useless for a retail trader. + +Any guidance is appreciated. + +&#x200B; + +Edit: Thanks for your inputs...there's solid advice here to unpack...I specifically can relate to analysis paralysis and information overload and my tendency in trying to eliminate risk which is inherently impossible... +I realize that the reddit crowd trends younger, and that the younger cohort in general might tend to be more distrustful of social security (I know that I was when I was younger). They also might not understand it as well as those who are starting to see social security peeking over the horizon. I thought I’d create a post about a benefit of social security that most are probably unfamiliar with; I certainly was until recently. For me, this discovery was actionable: I will be able to cancel my term life insurance before I had otherwise planned, because the survivor benefits more than make up the gap between our current retirement stash and our FIRE number. In addition, the knowledge gives me a great deal of comfort moving forward, as my wife is ‘uninsurable’ due to being a cancer survivor. + +Social Security is actually made up of several components. You’ll note on your paychecks that it is designated ‘OASDI.’ This is three benefits in one – Old Age, Survivors, and Disability (Insurance). Most of what is discussed when we talk about Social Security is the Old Age benefit. I’d like to discuss the Survivors benefit. Note that I’m not going to proclaim myself an expert on Social Security, so I’ll welcome any corrections. + +I’ll assume you know the basics of Social Security and won’t rehash them here. The relevant information is that each of us who has earned income and paid OASDI taxes (employer+employee) has accrued a benefit level known as our Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is calculated from our Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). Your PIA is the monthly benefit you would receive if you retired today at Full Retirement Age - typically 67 - assuming you have accrued the minimum level of credits. For Old Age insurance, this is 40 credits, of which you generally accrue 4 per year. For Survivors insurance, you actually need fewer than 40 credits in most cases. + +The survivor benefit level is 75% of your PIA. If you’ve accrued a PIA of $1000, your survivor benefit level is $750. Not too bad, since normally you’d have to reach 67 to get 100% of your PIA. Easy peasy, right? Well, not quite…read on. + +Who can receive benefits? + +From [https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/ifyou.html](https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/ifyou.html) + +*Certain family members may be eligible to receive monthly benefits, including:* + +* *A widow or widower age 60 or older (age 50 or older if disabled);* +* *A surviving divorced spouse, under certain circumstances;* +* *A widow or widower at any age who is caring for the deceased’s child who is under age 16 or disabled and receiving benefits on their record;* +* *An unmarried child of the deceased who is:* + * *Younger than age 18 (or up to age 19 if he or she is a full-time student in an elementary or secondary school); or* + * *Age 18 or older with a disability that began before age 22.* + +**So…for the FIRE crowd, this generally means that your spouse will receive benefits if you have children 16 or under AND each of your children who are in high school, or younger, will ALSO receive benefits.** + +That’s the key point of this entire post. Each one of your spouse and your children, subject to the age ranges described above, will receive benefits. + +With 1 child, family receives 150% of your PIA. 2 kids, family receives 225%, 3 kids, family receives 300%. 12 kids, the family receives 975%. Ok, not really, because there’s a family cap: + +(a) 150 percent of the first $1,226 of the worker's PIA, plus + +(b) 272 percent of the worker's PIA over $1,226 through $1,770, plus + +(c) 134 percent of the worker's PIA over $1,770 through $2,309, plus + +(d) 175 percent of the worker's PIA over $2,309. + +Still, that cap is substantial. My current PIA is just under $2,000. With that formula, this results in a family cap of $3626.88. That’s a pretty hefty monthly check for the FIRE crowd, and in my opinion should absolutely be considered in our planning. + +There’s one final fly in the ointment: income-based reduction of benefits. + +*If you are under full retirement age for the entire year, we deduct $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit. For 2020, that limit is $18,240.* + +If my wife continued to work at her current job after my demise, that would kill off her survivor benefit for years she worked (though our current plans wouldn’t require her to work). However, the kids’ benefits - we have two - would continue. Since we’d bump up against the family maximum with all 3 receiving benefits, the reduction wouldn’t be so bad, down from $3636.88 to $3000. + +There are some other stipulations, but mostly they don’t apply to this sub. The spouse remarrying would be one that does apply, but I’ll leave worrying about that to the new guy. + +Hopefully this information is useful to others with kids out there, or at least will generate some discussion! I'd prefer that it not devolve into the politics of social security and/or its prospects for the future. For the purposes of survivor insurance discussion, it's worth noting that social security is currently fully funded through 2037 without changes, so presumptions about the long-term viability of the program aren't that relevant for any kids currently in existence. +From 2019 to 2021, my net worth went from \~$1.0M to \~$1.7, as of the close of 2021. This is from investing in index funds and benefiting from the bull market. I own very few individual stocks and only \~$4k in Crypto. This is updated from a [post I made in the beginning of 2020.](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/il8ux4/my_path_to_11m_at_age_39/) + +&#x200B; + +[Here is the updated chart.](https://i.imgur.com/lWkZyHX.png) + +Changes to visualization: + +* Combined everything into one image +* Separated the label for Assets and Liabilities +* Added “Property” as an asset in the net worth chart +* Added annotations for topics that drove discussion last time + +If you are curious how I made the Net Worth chart, it is a combination of a line and stacked area graph in excel. Plotted on two axis. [This figure should explain how it’s set up.](https://i.imgur.com/JGoJ3D4.png) + +End of 2021 Balances: + +* Assets: $1,872k +* Liabilities: $159k +* Net Worth: $1,713k +* Investments: $1,555k + +My portfolio (excluding property) right now is 81/11/7/2 (US\_Equities/International/Bonds/Cash), but I am due for rebalancing because my target is 70/20/8/2. + +I had been pretty frugal for the 15 years after graduating college. I bought a cheap ($60k) house in a crappy neighborhood and lived with a roommate. For the price, this home could not be beat. It’s an older 1800sqft home with a large newer addition on the back, and after renovating a couple of rooms, it was the perfect space for living and occasionally entertaining. Also, the crappy neighborhood really wasn’t that bad. We were right next to the police station, which kept away the riffraff. And only a couple blocks from a nicer area with walkable streets and mixed use trails. I went out for a run several times a week and have only been chased by a pitbull once. After aggressively paying off the mortgage in 2013, the rent I collected basically paid the taxes, utilities and upkeep for the property, making my housing expenses essentially zero. + +I kept other expenses low, buying inexpensive used cars and cooking my meals at home. Though I still spent money on hobbies and enjoyed life. I would go on a trip almost every year alternating between domestic and international travel. The best was when 3 friends and I bought an old van and spent 4 weeks driving across the US. Doing a lot of camping made it cheap and memorable. I ended up selling the van for more than I bought it for since I put some work into it. I was single for all of these years. This was not an economic choice; it’s just where I was in life. + +More recently, I came to the realization (thanks to this sub) that I had achieved financial independence, and I am happy to begin spending more on things I value. + +I purchased a new (to me) 2019 model car. I also said goodbye to the bachelor/roommate life and purchased a new home with my SO. This required withdrawing \~$60k from my brokerage account for down payment. Most of this was bonds, and the rest were individual stocks without much in capital gains. I did not show this as spending because it didn’t come from my income. This is still a modest $200k home, but it has everything we need. + +Moving forward, I don’t see spending getting too much higher. I plan on taking more vacations and possible start working part time to allow time for that. Only other big expense in the 5-year plan is a wedding, but neither of us want anything big. 10+ year plan way include moving to a warmer, higher cost of living area. But we have time to plan and save for that. + +&#x200B; + +**TLDR**: Classic tale of making a good wage, keeping expenses low and saving consistently. +[Original thread here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AusFinance/comments/4lu36t/i_havent_lodged_a_tax_return_in_11_years_how/) + +So I did my walk of shame on to the tax accountants office who, quite surprisingly, told me that I was far from the laziest person they'd ever seen. People who'd waited longer with huge HECS liabilities weren't as uncommon as you'd think, it seems. My returns were a very straightforward process and all eleven tax returns were done in about five hours. Ten of them were returns, one was a debt. Where the scary part was is the ~$11k in penalty units that I was liable for, as well as the interest on the year I was owing. + +A few days later I receive a letter from the ATO telling me that I am liable for all the penalty units... However as it's my first offence, they've waived them, and next time please submit your tax return time! Amazing! A day or two after I received my notices of assessment and a big fat refund, with the year owing and about $200 in compound interest already deducted. + +All that panic over the years for absolutely nothing. + +A huge thanks to all in /ausfinance for your advice, it was very much appreciated. I'm never filing a late return again! +Here's a change from the boring old ETF and property talk! If you had to split your portfolio into only three ASX stocks and hold until 2020, which would they be and why? + +My top 3: + +- CSL. Huge barriers to entry/moat, massive investment in R&D and senior management are very shareholder value focused. Massive opportunities for growth from China if they can get a plasma donation network up and running. + +- Ramsay Healthcare. Extremely savvy senior management with the know how to grow their share of the healthcare pie at the same time as demographics grow the overall pie. + +- REA Group. Dominant position in real estate marketing with the opportunity to vertically integrate into real estate sales over the next decade. Everyone loves a business which is set to disrupt the smug real estate agents commission model ;-) + +IMO of course, DYOR +At a national park in Wyoming, the chairman of the Federal Reserve declares he will cause “some pain to households and businesses” to bring inflation back under control. + +With war still raging in Eastern Europe, Britain’s energy regulator raises annual household energy bills to £3549 ($6051), up 80 per cent on six months ago and treble the cap set a year prior. + +In Canberra, politicians, business and unions prepare for a job summit that will effectively become a debate about how far wages need to rise. + +These are three very different events in three economies running at three very different speeds. But they serve as a reminder to investors that the fight against inflation will be long, complex and possibly painful, and that the potential for a hard landing for the global economy is still in play. + +Wall Street was badly rattled by Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s short but hawkish speech at the central bank’s annual Jackson Hole symposium on Friday night, with the S&P 500 closing down 3.7 per cent and just five stocks ending the session higher. + +Powell did exactly what he needed to do by snuffing out any hope the Fed is even close to pivoting towards more accommodative policy as inflation peaks and the US economy slows, declaring that while the pace of rate increases may slow, rates must keep climbing and stay higher to bring inflation down to the Fed’s 2 per cent target. + +“Restoring price stability will likely require maintaining a restrictive policy stance for some time,” he said. + +Powell has said much of this before, of course, and the market has largely ignored him. But Friday night also brought an acknowledgment and acceptance that the Fed would need to hurt the economy to get inflation down. + +Cruel to be kind +Indeed, Powell drew on history – invoking the lessons of former Fed chair Paul Volker, who raised rates to 21.5 per cent in 1981 to crush runaway inflation – to argue it was better to hurt the economy a little now, than be forced to hurt it a lot down the track. + +Can Powell thread this needle and avoid a hard landing for the US economy? The same historical precedents Powell referred to in his speech suggest it will be extremely difficult, and his reference to “some pain” might be seen as a tacit acknowledgment a mild recession is possible. + +But that’s not what markets have been pricing in. While Powell explicitly said Fed members see rates going from 2.33 per cent at present to around 4 per cent and staying there until at least the end of next year, the market sees rates peaking at around 3.5 per cent, with some economists seeing cuts in the back half of 2023. + +The rally on equity markets since the middle of June suggests they also think the Fed is foxing and will tweak policy to avoid recession. For all the drama of 2022, and Friday night’s big fall, the S&P 500 is just 15 per cent off the all-time high set in January. The ASX 200 is just 6.7 per cent off the record high set in August 2021. + +That’s a mild correction rather than a bear market. And it certainly doesn’t seem to take into account the other global crises that could lead to a hard landing, including soaring energy costs in Europe and the UK, where recession looks all but guaranteed and social unrest during winter suddenly seems a possibility, and China’s snowballing economic woes, which are being compounded by a horrific drought and stringent COVID-19 restrictions. + +Time and patience +Investors who have worked hard to make the bullish case for stocks in the last two months have essentially latched on to two key ideas: inflation has peaked and corporate earnings in the US and Australia are holding up remarkably well. + +But Powell’s key message at Jackson Hole is that containing inflation will take time and patience. As Bank of America’s chief strategist Michael Hartnett points out, the “key markets that determine inflation remain inflationary”. + +Commodities have come back, but what we’re seeing in Europe is a reminder that the risks are to the upside. Unemployment remains low and upwards pressure on wages remains high, as we’ll see vividly in Canberra this week. And housing costs are still rising globally, with rents surging and house price growth only retreating from bubble-like levels. + +Corporate earnings have held up and margins have been maintained as companies have pushed through higher prices. But the outlook is mixed. + +In the US and Australia, energy and resources have helped hold up overall results, with sales growth minus inflation more tepid. + +Higher interest rates and weaker economic growth will bite eventually and margins and earnings will surely retreat in an environment where demand is slowing and the corporate sector’s biggest and stickiest cost – wages – is still rising. + +There may be some argument for hunting for value in those sectors and stocks that have truly taken a beating. But caution is warranted on the broader market. + +Powell appears to believe it will take until 2024 to get inflation under control. A bet on substantive policy loosening before then (such as rate cuts) would seem to infer the economy has gone seriously south between now and then. + +It’s hard to see how that’s bullish for stocks, either. + +https://www.afr.com/chanticleer/investors-should-still-fear-a-hard-landing-20220828-p5bdch +I have a finance degree, working comfortably in Government and about to have a mortgage next year. 3 kids. I'm also the higher wage earner in the household. + +I desperately want to change careers and retrain but can't see how it's possible financially! I'm looking at a degree that has a lot of face to face study as well as placements throughout the year. It would be hard working more than 2 days a week. Possibly 3 if part time. + +When I last studied I was 25, worked a few jobs on weekends and nights and didn't have the financial commitments. + +I'd need insane amounts of savings to get through the 3 year full time or 6 years part time study.. + +Would love to see how others have done this and made it work for their family. + +Was hoping to start when kid #2 went to school but #3 surprised us so I have a few more years to plan! + +Edit: retrain to be a midwife! +Kind of new to this. Just wondering why can't I just live off dividends? If I start to put 30k per year into an etf, in 30+ years time it will have compounded enough to turn into 'income' so that I'd be able to live off. Wouldn't that be like 20k p.a? Is this a bad strategy? Please guide me. +I got in a month ago. Still learning like crazy. I invested money I could afford to lose. If I lose it all tomorrow, I'm counting it as tuition for the sheer volume of knowledge I have gained. + +There's a lot of anxiety on this sub, and crypto in general, and sometimes I think it's worthwhile to look at all the extra benefits there are to playing this game. + +If this all ends tomorrow, I know I can go back to normal traditional investing, and speak much more intelligently about it that I would have been otherwise. + +My thanks to all the legit discussion posters, the scammers, the panicked noobs... You're all helping me learn. +12/7 update: https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/k8tbz0/recovered_4_months_40k_from_pltr_yolo/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf + + + +I made this post last week showing my $340k PLTR yolo: [https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/k4eew6/340k\_pltr\_yolo/](https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/k4eew6/340k_pltr_yolo/) + +&#x200B; + +Since then, my position has increased. + +As of right now: + +$312,828 in shares (13,100 shares) + +$53,865 in calls + +Net overall: Down $77,563.79 in shares + +Down $14,037 in calls Total down: $91,600 + +So in total, I have put in $450k in this. + +Proof of positions: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaZLK3hWEDs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaZLK3hWEDs) + +&#x200B; + +What's my point here? If PLTR reaches $30 EOW, i'm dontaing $10k to charity with proof. BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 +I’ve sat with with my shares for almost a year. I’ve not visited the sub for almost a year. I’ve seen the share price now and again. I’ve been patient and will continue to hold firm. I’m posting because I want you guys to know, I’ve not sold and still support you guys. Don’t have many, XX, but I’m still in. + +Hope it’s ok to post after this time, probably doesn’t interest people either way, Just wanted to say Hi, and that I’m still in, That’s it. +This bull run clearly shows no one knows what’s going to happen. Their job is to play with your emotions with click bait titles to monetize their views and sell “courses”. The only advice you really need is... + +HODL, +Buy the dip, +Cold storage, +No leverage. + +This is coming from someone who’s lost in leverage, panic sold, and lost money on a Canadian exchange called “Quadriga” last bull run. Learn from my mistakes. +I was in a really bad wreck a few hours ago. I was coming down a 2 lane highway, and a car waiting to turn in waited until I was about to pass their desired road when they decided to turn in. Threw me into a ditch, launched me about 7 ft in the air. The car is totalled. Anyways. + +I have no idea where to go from here. I owe about $5.8k on the car. It's a 2014 Dodge Avenger SE. I'm pretty sure I owe a good deal more than it's worth (had to refinance a couple of times). I filed a claim through the Progressive app as soon as I was able to stop shaking. + +The driver has insurance on the vehicle. Do I have to be worried about not getting this car paid off? Do I have to worry about having to finance a new one (I had to file bankruptcy last year after my divorce) + +Basically I'm shooketh to fucking death, and I'm looking for any and all advice. Thanks is advance, guys. +Theoretically if we reached a point where an actual large correction was due in the market, couldnt everyone just band together like patriotic americans and refuse to sell or short anything? The market instead of dropping would just hover at the highs until all the communists who left or shorted panicked out causing it to go up even more. If we wait long enough we can literally wait out any type of correction and basically make everyone in America rich. Thank you for coming to my ted talk. +Does anyone want to feel better about themselves? + +Here's a fun story: + +I was dating a tool that thought he could be a financial advisor and got suckered into EDIT: World Financial Group ( not Transamerica, yes the pyramid scheme) and he convinced me to let him help me manage my retirement. I was 23 years old with no investments with an IRA or a 401k (because my company didn't offer it). He gives me the advice to open an IRA. Cool, that's fine. He signed me up for Transamerica thinking this was some investment, I put in about $600 a MONTH to this, thinking it was an IRA because that's what he was thinking it was too. + +Let's fast forward 5 years until today. We're obviously not together, but we talked a couple of years back and he was telling me to switch over to Vanguard because the fees were lower. "Ya, that's fine," I thought, "I'll do it eventually." I work crazy hours and just never put aside the time to do it. Now that I've finally put in the time, I looked and realized I've been putting my money into a life insurance investment policy this WHOLE TIME. I called him, asked him what the \*#$&&!\*@$$\^#@\*&$ and there was a lot of back and forth confusion. Turns out, what he signed up for (himself personally) was part life insurance, part investments so he was able to transfer his money over to Vanguard and cut his loses on the life insurance part. He doesn't make as much as me so he hardly could tell the loss because he couldn't afford to put as much as I did. + +He realized he signed me up for something completely different and I'm stuck in this policy, losing about $15,000 already because of the high fees and if I surrender I only get about $2,000 back. I shouldn't have trusted people to help me with anything, but now I need some advice to make the right decision. + +I get the process of most of this, and I just want someone to give me my legit options. Here's what he said I can do + +1. Stop putting money, cut my losses. Around $40K. +2. Apparently, if I keep this policy my fees after 5 more years will be removed and I will make money from what I've been investing. Is this a lie? Or is this true but I obviously would've made more of a return on an IRA. + +A little bit about me: + +I'm 27. I've always been a responsible person and a catious person about my money my entire life. I'm making $100k a year, no debt, about $20k in my savings. I currently put $300 a month into my 401k (at around $7200) because my company does not match. My cost of living is extremely low, I would say I save around $2000 a month. So, I suppose I can afford to keep throwing my money into this while also investing the right way but ONLY if there was any possible way to get my return back. Is option 2 even possible or is this whole life insurance a scam. I will plan on starting to max out my IRA regardless of what my options are because I feel extremely behind in life. + +Someone, please tell me there's a shining light at the end of this tunnel! + +\------ + +EDIT 2: I would LOVE to add my policies and statements here to answer some of your responses, but I can only find an annual one for this year. I started with $1000/m in the beginning and changed it later, so I think the annual one does not summarize my entire investment. + +I had a video conference yesterday with a Transamerica advisor and he basically walked me through my total investments and where I am today. This advisor was the original person to brought my ex into the company, now that my ex has left he manages my account. + +This was on a video conference so I don't have that report but I'm asking him for it now. He basically showed me I've paid around $40,000+ in two life insurance policies: Transamerica and Pacific Life Policy. Doing a 30% aggressive and 70% safe index fund... however, the policies fees are eating at my earnings so I actually have lost around $15K ($6,000 in one, $9,000 in the other one) so lets just say I have $25k right now. If I were to surrender, I can only take out around $2k. Basically he's telling me that this money will come back after 5 more years. Also, my surrender will be waived and I can take the money out if I really wanted the out. + +The statements I have are extremely confusing and complicated to me so I'm not 100% what information is usable or not, nor do I understand the policies. I'm going to look for a financial advisor to help me with it. If anyone would like, I can share it with them privately to make sure it's OK to post on here, but again I only have a statement. + +\----- + +EDIT 3: I had an advisor talk to me when I sent them over my policy (thank you Reddit!) But they basically told me I’m at my loss and to run while I can. Lol + +If anyone is interested, here’s the policy that I apparently went in: [https://www.pacificlife.com/content/dam/paclife/lid/public/product-prospectus/Prospectus\_Pac\_Sel\_VUL\_Accum\_15-43119.pdf](https://www.pacificlife.com/content/dam/paclife/lid/public/product-prospectus/Prospectus_Pac_Sel_VUL_Accum_15-43119.pdf) + +\----- + +**EDIT 4: I think I'm also going to reach out firna and see if it gets me anywhere. Sadly because I depended on someone else, I have very few paper trails of my agreement because it was all done in person. I do however have the following:** + +1. **Total negligence of maintaining my investments, my statements show that there is a -2.5% return rate on what they have set me up with + fees. An FA I sent over my statements through says they completely neglected to manage my account at all. Not sure how far that will go but I feel like I have to at least try.** +2. **Paper trails of my conversation with my ex who was an advisor for the company, clearly him stating that he thought I was signed up for something completely different. Him explaining to me what he signed me up for 3 years ago.** +3. **His paper trail of what he signed his mom and him up, showing something completely different than what I am signed up for.** + +**I know this is probably a long shot, but any advice on how to collect data and evidence, also any advice on how to file a complaint to Transamerica or who I can even talk to there would be greatly appreciated.** + +\---- + +I just want to THANK EVERYONE for their time and their advice. I'm taking every reply into consideration and looking up all your suggestions but I wanted to emphasize THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your time!!!! It's really helping me put together my options and my embarrassment in this whole situation is more manageable. Thank you again. +This is getting out of control.. This entire sub is just littered with people that feel the need to write no useful info like it's their personal twitter account. Don't post pictures of HQ's under the DD tab. The spamming has to stop.. I realize I'm basically just as bad as ya'll for posting this but you're wasting everyones time. +Hello everyone, first time posting on this sub and I would like to thank you all for your contribution! + +I am a 27 yo living in Greece, married without kids or any kind of debt who just started investing for FIRE ( time horizon of approx. 30 years). Both of us have a stable job and save around 30% of our combined salary (1000 euro per month, 500 on an emergency account and 500 on etfs). I use DEGIRO as a broker and would like your opinion on the following portfolio: + +Bonds + +1) iShares USD Treasury Bond 20+yr UCITS ETF (Dist) ter 0.07 alloc. 2.5% +2) iShares Euro Government Bond 15-30yr UCITS ETF ter 0.20 alloc. 2.5% + +Stocks + +1) iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) ter 0.20 alloc. 55% +2) iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets IMI UCITS ETF (Acc) ter 0.18 alloc. 20% +3) iShares Global Clean Energy UCITS ETF ter 0.65 alloc. 10% +4) iShares Healthcare Innovation UCITS ETF ter 0.40 alloc. 2.5% +5) HANetf EMQQ Emerging Markets Internet & Ecommerce UCITS ETF ter 0.86 alloc. 2.5% +6) WisdomTree Artificial Intelligence UCITS ETF USD Acc ter 0.40 alloc. 2.5% +7) iShares Automation & Robotics UCITS ETF ter 0.40 alloc. 2.5% + +Mean ter 0.27% + +I would like to hear your opinions and any suggestions in general. + +Thanks in advance for your time! +Hi, + +I am a student in Austria doing PhD. In the last year through saving I was able to save about 10k EUR. Every month I am able to save 800-900 EUR. I put all my savings into an savings account but the problem with Austrian banks is that they don't give any interest. Last year I got just shy of 1 EUR in interest. +This is forcing me to go towards investments such as index funds or ETFs. I can easily put aside 500 EUR every month to bus more stocks for at least 3 more years but after that I don't know how much money will I need. +If I manage to get a job (might have to switch countries), then it wouldn't be too big of a problem but if that's not the case; I might have to use some percentage of my savings or maybe almost all if I decide to get into an startup. +Due to this uncertainty and lack of knowledge in investing, I need some advice. I don't know how risky is it to invest in index funds for few years or how does the fees affect the profits made. +Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you. +Hi folks, + +As inflation is coming (some think that just for a brief moment, while others don't), I was wondering how do you think one should react wisely to it. + +I'm not talking about 3-indexes, but beyond that (or better say - beside that) - what would you do? Buy goods? buy gold? I mean, not only in stock-related way. +Hello guys, + +first of all thank you for all the great insights shared in this Reddit. + +**TL;DR**: I would be grateful for inputs on three matters + +1) general **strategies** on how to logistically manage the portfolio for a person that changed country in the EU and might **move in Europe or outside** again + +2) how important it is to try to keep **EUR instead of PLN** or other non-EUR currencies in order to minimize conversion fees and for stability in the long term + +3) what would be the most cost-efficient way of **moving \~30k from an Italian bank account to** [**Degiro.pl**](https://Degiro.pl) + +&#x200B; + +My specific situation: + +I'm an Italian 30yo **living in Poland** (Warsaw). + +I have 25-30k EUR invested in a couple of suboptimal funds in my **Italian Fineco bank account**. + +My objective is to invest this sum into **VWCE minimizing the costs**. + +After that I will have only occasional EUR investments from gifts or other transfers. Regular PLN investments from my salary in Poland will be a distinct and simpler topic. + +&#x200B; + +The two main options are: + +a) **keep** the money **in Fineco**, invest it all with as few operations as possible and that's it + +b) **move** the money **to Poland** and invest it through [**Degiro.pl**](https://Degiro.pl) (or XTB) + +Option b) seems more sensibile in terms of cost-efficiency but I would have to **convert my EUR in PLN** unless I wire directly from the Italian bank account to [Degiro.pl](https://Degiro.pl) (with high fees and assuming it's possible). + +In the likely case of moving somewhere else in Europe (or even outside the continent) in the future, will it be possible to move my account in another country and keep it in EUR? + +&#x200B; + +Further details: + +\- I am fiscal resident in Poland + +\- Fineco has high costs: 4EUR per month for the bank account (that might be reducible to zero, I have to verify) and very high operations costs, like 3-19EUR per operation (depending on how many operations and in which time frame I'm going to make to invest all the money) + Italian fixed tax of 34 EUR/year (not sure whether there is in Poland as well) + +\- moving money from Italy to Poland has costs as well (I would probably use **(Transfer)Wise** and I'll have to split in multiple parts) + +Thank you a lot! +Hi, + +My mother is 10 years away from retirement and has 10K on top of her 15k emergency fund which is currently just sitting in a savings account. She can also save about €200 to invest. She is already maxing out her goverment insentivised investment plan but this is only €980 per year. She is open to investing the extra money but doesn't have a lot of knowledge about investing. We live in Belgium so there is a 30% tax on dividends so i'm looking for accumulating funds. + +My current picks are: + +40% Vanguard Global Minimum Volatility UCITS ETF - VMVL - IE00BYYR0C64 + +60% iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF - IWDA - IE00B4L5Y983 + +We would be investing through DEGIRO. + +I limited the exposure to emerging markets to limit the volatility which is also why i didn't replace IWDA with VWCE. + +Do you guys have any advice or better funds? + +Thanks in advance. +As far as I know capital gain is taxable in Austria and I couldn't find any resource that that mentions that an investment is tax free if invested for 10 years or more. I raised the same question with the agent and his response was that the investment is linked to some sort of insurance which makes it eligible for tax free returns. + +Given the negative reviews of DVAG business practices I am not sure if I am being told the truth. I don't want to end up with a plan where a portion of my contribution is risk premium. + +My question to the sub is + +1. Is anyone aware of such a tax free investment product in Austria? + +2. I saw the past performance of the product and its round 11% annualized return. And if I believe the agent that's tax free and covers life insurance as well. Seems too good to be true in Austria. Where is the catch? +My portfolio was 90% of US based ETF, but with the new regulation I cannot buy them anymore, so I just see two options. + +1. Wait to see if the waters calm in a month or so, hoping that VTI and the big ones are available again for EU customer. + +2. Sell everything and start again with only EU based etfs... Honestly this option sucks, I could keep my old ETF but my portfolio will be too big to manage properly. + +What is people in the EU doing? +Hi everyone! + +I'm an EU citizen living in Germany and I've been regularly buying iShares MSCI World ETFs listed on LSE for the past year. The reason why I was picking LSE was due to the higher volume compared to other SEs in Europe. However, I never realised that BREXIT could be a potential issue. I'm using DEGIRO to trade and currently I have three options: + +1. Sell my portfolio and rebuy in another exchange +2. Transfer my portfolio to another exchange (25Eur + 1.5% tax) + several months for something to happen +3. Leave it as is + +I reckon that in order of preference would be 3->2->1. Thing is, I don’t really understand the potential implications of the third point. What would you advise doing? + +EDIT: Thanks everyone for the replies. I’ve decided to keep my positions for now. Will continue investing in another similar ETF in that’s traded in EUR — not sure which. +With T212 just announcing a currency fee and Revolut keep shitting on the free fx exchange limit I'm wondering if anyone uses IB here and is familiar with their fees since the website looks shit with 15 types of fees and most of them listed in USD. + +We need 100k euros to avoid the 10 euro monthly fee? + +What is this -0.7% Currency Handling Fee about? people are paid 0,7% or charged it as a fee? + +People say a big advantage of the account is their currency exchange but is it really? Anyone tried? I'd be surprised if they let you invest a lot in EUR, convert to another currency then withdraw to a different bank account. Withdrawing to the same bank account isn't so good as you're likely to be hit with some currency fees. + +Only 1 free withdrawal per month? ;f + +How is the app/website? +I was wondering if 800 euros a month would be enough for a family of 3. This 800 is excluding rent for the apartment. My GF is not in a position to work and our baby is due to be born in August +Dear all, + +&#x200B; + +Following a divorce, we sold the house that we bought not so long ago. In a few weeks/months, I'll have a total of about 50k EUR in cash. + +&#x200B; + +Since I'm living in Belgium, I have the opportunity to "re-use" 6250 EUR of buying costs that I used to buy the house, the only condition is to buy real estate in the 2 years following the selling of the house, and to live in it. + +&#x200B; + +Now, I'm going to live with a friend to reduce my cost of living for the next 12 to 24 months in order to set my mind straight after the divorce and not buy on a heartbeat in the neighborhood that I "think" I like because of nostalgia. + +&#x200B; + +So, I am trying to plan my next 12-18 months with the following in mind : + +\-I'll be 30 in a few months + +\-I want to retire early, or at least be financially independant and reduce my work hours at about 50-52 + +\-I work for the state and have no risk of losing my job/reducing salary + +\-My investment plan is simple, 2 to 3 ETF's buying every month for the next 20 years + +&#x200B; + +My questioning is that I'm trying to figure how much I have to set aside to buy the apartment and how much I can use now for something else that isn't a good idea financially-speaking but really important to me (dream used-car that I've been setting aside since 10 years). + +&#x200B; + +At first, I was thinking of giving a 15 to 20% downpayment on the apartment. + +Today, this allows me to take a mortgage with 1.56% fixed interest for 20 years. + +With 0% downpayment, I have 1.81% fixed for 20 years. + +&#x200B; + +Obviously, I was thinking that giving a big downpayment is a great idea (would be about 30-35k EUR) to reduce my interest rate and allow me to invest a little bit more every month (maybe 200 at most). + +&#x200B; + +But, giving the low interest, wouldn't it be a better idea to keep this sum and invest it ? + +&#x200B; + +Option A : 35k downpayment + buying costs + garage = \~70k EUR, no money left to invest, lower mortgage so investing about 800/month + +Option B : no downpayment + buying costs + garage = \~35k EUR, starting investing with 35k, bigger mortgage so investings about 600/month + +&#x200B; + +In option A, I'll still have to pay a car-loan of about 200 per month during 2 years + +In option B, I'll be able to finish the car-loan just before buying the apartment, but will then have less to invest (maybe 25k left). + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +I'm sorry for the long post, this is creeping my mind for the last few days/weeks, and stopping me from buying the car because I don't know if I should keep cash and use a bigger loan for the car (in the scenario of needing a lot of cash for a downpayment in 18 months) or just doing a little loan for the car because I don't need that much money for a downpayment (car loan is about 2%) + +&#x200B; + +Thanks in advance for the reading, + +&#x200B; + +Regards, +Recently i've been digging into investing, saving and personal finance. I'm a 25 y/o Belgian working my first job, so I figured it was about time to do so! I've read the Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, hung around the Bogleheads wiki and caught the general vibe of long term index fund investing. + +Now specifically I'm reviewing my pension fund investment. The Belgian government has legislation where if you invest into a government approved mutual pension fund, you can deduce 30% of that amount from your taxes. + +I'm talking about [this](http://www.morningstar.be/be/funds/snapshot/snapshot.aspx?id=F0GBR04O2K) specific mutual fund. Keeping my valuable insights from The Intelligent Investor in mind I notice the following: + +* Average return of 5,56% over 10Y +* TER of 1,34% +* max amount of 940 euros / year. I can deduce 280 of that from my tax-return + +That's plain bad. It's an actively managed fund, it performs under the index AND it has high costs! + + +So my question now is; How do I compare this to a portfolio of index-tracking ETF 's of my selection? I've tried it like this: + +Imagine a portfolio like this: + +[iShares $ Corp Bond UCITS ETF USD (Dist)](http://www.morningstar.be/be/etf/snapshot/snapshot.aspx?id=0P00000GVP) + +* 6,91% over 10Y +* 0,20% TER + +[iShares MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Dist)](http://www.morningstar.be/be/etf/snapshot/snapshot.aspx?id=0P00001O41) + +* 5,90% over 10Y +* 0,50% TER + +If i put them together in 60% equity and 40% bonds it adds up to a historical 6,3% (right?). But wait! Past performance is no indicator of future performance! + +So then i subtract the TER's from the historical yield and compare with what I have now: + +*tax-deducable, acitvely managed fund 5,56% historical - 1,34% TER = 4,22% net yield +*My proposed portfolio of index tracking ETF's: 6,91% historical - 0,38% TER = 5,92% net yield + +Now, there's the tax bonus! + +If I invest the maximum amount of 940 euros in a year I can deduce 280 euros from my taxes. So I've invested 940 while the outflow of my books is only 660. + +So If I then run these numbers through a compound intrest calculator over 40 years I get the following results (I'm ignoring inflation) : + + +* 940 EUR annual deposits in tax-deducable fund that returns, suppose, 4,22% (= historical minus TER): 98K +* 660 EUR annual deposits in my proposed fund that returns, suppose, 5,92% (= historical minus TER): 106K + +The proposed fund performs better, now doesn't it!? + +To make things worse there's a tax of ~8% on the tax-deducable fund when you cash out. I'm not sure what the situation with ETF funds would be but I do know that as a Belgian citizen it would be advantageous to invest in accumulation funds domiciled in Ireland. Dividends are taxed by 27% here. + +Now; Is there a major flaw in my reasoning? Other than my using the historical yields to predict future yields. According to my calculations the tax-deducable fund is bullocks for long-term Boglehead investing. amirite? Not only to mention that the limit for the deducable amount is 30% of 940. I can save more than 940 per annum on my current income. + + +Thank you so much! + +my grandfather passed away and left my mother with a condo that was sold for 32k euro's in portugal. Luckily we have not been taxed for anything, but now we are trying to figure out how to bring the money back to canada. We were told by a lawyer in portugal that if we were to wire the money the Portuguese government will essentially tax us on that money quite a bit. if anyone knows a bit about how this works in europe/ portugal to give me a bit of advice, i would greatly appreciate it. + +We came across transferwise through online posts wondering peoples experience. + +Not sure if this is the right subreddit to post on. +I've been thinking about this for a while. In /r/personalfinance and related blogs you'd always find savings rates. There is for example that 50-30-20 guideline, meaning 50% of your income for your needs, 30% for your wants and 20% for your savings. There are other guidelines, too, or people saying "I save 40%" of my income. + +American redditors seem to count in their pension funds (like IRAs or 401Ks, whatever all that means), but not their health insurance. Where I live, we have public pension and health insurance, also unemployment insurance, all of them are substracted from my gross income before I see any cent of it. (Same with taxes) + +So my question is, how would I calculate my savings rate? Do I just use my net income as 100% and only count as savings what is in my savings account? Do I use my gross income and include the social security fees as savings? I don't even know, how much there is in my pension funds (americans include their IRAs and 401Ks in their net worth) + +I know, those are only numbers. But after I read so much on /r/personalfinance, I kind of would like to compare my achievements. + +Any tips? How do you guys calculate that stuff? Also would my unemployment and health insurance count as part of my emergency fund? +Hi guys.. I live in Sweden currently and I am struggling to find many good dividend funds that I can get locally. + +I have other well diversified funds that are not specifically focussed on dividends. + +I am looking towards VHYL; Does anyone have any other good suggestions ? +Hi, I have good portion of IWDA MSCI World in my portfolio, but decided I want to change. I need max 1 ETF for monthly contributions and maybe second smaller one for like one or twice a year contribution max. My reasons are that I would like to choose ETF without stagnating countries like EU :(, Japan, etc. + +1. Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (USD) Accumulating - this is basically IWDA + EM, but I am thinking if I really want that broad ETF with probably countries I dont consider good option for future. +2. Pure S&P 500 - with monthly contributions and long horizont I don't fear USA could fall that much for me to be afraid. And it is still like core of all mainstream ETFs. +3. S&P 500 + China ETF Xtrackers MSCI China UCITS ETF 1C (LU0514695690) with about max 10% allocation. This cover some speculation for future for what if... And I think China has biggest potential of all EM countries +I am currently living in Austria and learning German (which is going to take some time it seems). I was wondering if there is a way to learn about the Austrian tax system online in English or if there are any courses expats are able to take to update themselves on everything? So far I had no luck finding anything that goes into detail or offers step by step explanations and I need to file my tax returns soon. +Let's consider this ETF, HSBC MSCI China UCITS ETF. It's listed for sale in the following the countries: France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom. What does that mean in practice? That I must be a tax resident of one of these countries to buy, or that simply, it's traded on exchanges in those countries? + +Also, certain brokers only offer services in one specific country. For example, Degiro don't have a site in every EU country – am I free to use any EU Degiro site. Also freetrade just started in the UK, and you must live there to use the service. Still being part of the EU, doesn't this fall foul of EU regulation? + +>While you are free to define your general terms and conditions of sale, including limitations on delivery, **all your customers based in the EU** must have the **same access** to goods as your local customers. +> +>[https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/selling-in-eu/selling-goods-services/selling-products-eu/index\_en.htm](https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/selling-in-eu/selling-goods-services/selling-products-eu/index_en.htm) + +Or are financial service providers exempt from these regulations for tax-reporting considerations? +Hello, I'm thinking get a job in Austria and I am considering all tax apsects including the possibility of an exit tax in case I'll leave the country in the future. + +Can someone shed some light on this topic? Any other relevant tax implications worth mentioning? + +Thank you in advance! +So, i just got invited to Trading 212, i wanted to know, is it worth (in terms of fees) to invest through this app , my investments ar small (100-250 Eur) in month, but i'm investing in long term. +My current broker charges 0.23% of value per year and 0.22% when buying an ETF. I was wondering if I can do any better, in switzerland. I am also open to using an online-broker, but I am not sure if I like that degiro would loan out my stock to others for shorting - and the custody option would probably cost me more than my current broker. Does anyone have a pricing table for them? I couldn't find any prices. + +&#x200B; + +But yeah, can you give me some recommendations that work for me in Switzerland? Also, does 35% of taxes get charged by the broker automatically, or is that not the case? +Hi guys + +Currently, I have nearly all my investments on different P2P/P2B platforms and it has served me really well until now. There is however one thing that annoys me: even though there is auto-invest, there is always stuff to adjust in order to be fully invested into at least semi-legit lenders. I have also had my experiences in investing in stocks and selling them for a profit. IMHO this always requires a lot of work and luck. Since I am inherently lazy, I want to shift at least part of my investments in to buy-and-hold stocks or etfs. + +It is hard for me to decide between + +\-ETFs + +* a) a distributing one such as [HSBC MSCI World ETF](https://www.justetf.com/uk/find-etf.html?query=IE00B4X9L533) , IE00B4X9L533, TER 0.15% +* b) an accumulating one like [iShares Core MSCI World ETF](https://www.justetf.com/uk/etf-profile.html?query=IE00B4L5Y983&groupField=index&from=search&isin=IE00B4L5Y983) , IE00B4L5Y983, TER 0.2% + +\-Stocks + +* a) a portfolio of \~15-20 companies like this one [https://www.dividendportfolio.com/portfolio/](https://www.dividendportfolio.com/portfolio/) (i would create my own one and not blindly copy it) + +I am not really sure how to decide if I want a growth or dividend portfolio. Even though a dividend portfolio might not be as good for me regarding taxes (still have to talk to an accountant about that), I like the 'security' of realizing gains through dividends. + +My goal is not to stop working at 45, but rather to work a bit less and have the freedom to say FU to the boss in case I want to. + +Now my questions are: + +1. Do you have any tips on how to decide between the 2 strategies? +2. Would it also make sense to have a split like 80% distributing ETF and 20% accumulating? Are there any advantages to doing that? + +Current situation: 30, living in Switzerland and planning to move to Australia in \~2-3 years. + +&#x200B; + +I really appreciate your input :) Thanks! +Hello everyone! + +I just graduated, started working and I have a stable and secure flow of income. I don’t have loans or mortgages. What I want to invest 200-300 Euro of it per month for the time being, but I believe I can increase this amount to 400 Euro, which I think would be my upper limit for now. + +So, basically, my question is, what platform/institution would you suggest me to invest in? Is there any example that you had a good experience with? I did some research and was trying to create an account in Vanguard, but it is limited to US citizens only. + +My investment time-frame is long-term, 10+ years for sure, possibly even a retirement fund. Before finding out that I have to be a US citizen to open a Vanguard account, I reached the conclusion to split the value of my investment into low-cost index funds (75% of investment) and bonds (25% of investment). If this is still an option, do you have suggestions about it? + + +Thanks in advance for the help! +Most of the people suggest investing in MSCI world ETF (and maybe some EMIM). +But, at the end of the story, I see that those ETFs are very correlated to the USA economy. +Shouldn't we better choose manually some ETFs that are uncorrelated to the economy of just one country? +The housing market maybe? (idk, just saying ) +Hi all, + +I have recently started investing in ETF’s for a long term. I have invested 4k€ so far, and that still leaves me with 8k€ of funds ready to invest. + +Besides I have savings that would cover my expenses for 6-7 months, if needed. + +Hence, my question is should I simply invest it all in ETF’s or have other type of investments? Like p2p? + +I am in my early 20s and risk tolerant. + +Cheers! +Hello, + +I am 37 and based in the EU. I would like to do a lump-sum of about $100k in low-cost accumulating ETFs and keep them for about 15-20 years. + +So far I am leaning towards 80-20% equities-bonds in the following format: + +* Equities: 70% SWDA, 10% EMIM +* Bonds: 20% ITPS + +Any concerns about this allocation? + +I don't really understand how one needs to choose the right ETFs for the bonds allocation. Based on the fact that SWDA is mostly US leaning, should I be adequately looking at US bonds to counter balance that? + +How exactly should I choose say between the following bond ETFs: + +- iShares Core Global Aggregate Bond UCITS ETF EUR Hedged (Acc) (IE00BDBRDM35) + +- iShares USD Treasury Bond 3-7yr UCITS ETF (Acc) (IE00B3VWN393) + +- iShares USD TIPS UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (IE00B1FZSC47) + + +Thanks in advance. +Greetings, posting this in case anyone might know. Some of my relatives were looking to buy Czech government bonds on the 2ndary market and asked me for advice. + +* I found some data here with interesting yields -> [https://www.investing.com/rates-bonds/czech-republic-government-bonds](https://www.investing.com/rates-bonds/czech-republic-government-bonds) +* Then I searched with IBKR at [https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/bondscanner/index.php#](https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/bondscanner/index.php#/) but could only find 2 CZ govt bonds and 1 Prague muni bond. +* I looked at Prague Stock Exchange ([https://www.pse.cz/en/market-data/debt-securities/public-sector](https://www.pse.cz/en/market-data/debt-securities/public-sector)) but even though the govt bonds are listed there, no trading seems to take place. +* I eventually found some prices at a local brokerage ([https://www.patria.cz/kurzy/online/govcz/dluhopisy.html](https://www.patria.cz/kurzy/online/govcz/dluhopisy.html)) with quite big spreads, maybe these spreads are normal? Also not much trading seems to take place there?!? + +Any idea where to look, what to do? How do folks in other EU countries solve this (unless they can find it easily at their online brokerage)?! + +Thank you +Hi everyone! I’m new in the community and I’d like to know if anyone could help me with a doubt about the best/most recommendable broker for people living in Spain/EU. + +I’m planning to start investing more often (once a month or every 2 weeks) mainly on US stocks and index funds. I’ve read reviews about DeGiro, Interactive Brokers, eToro, Trading 212… but I’ve found myself a little bit overwhelmed with all the information about market connection fees and transaction fees. + +I’d also like to know what you, community members, use as far as the investing platform goes. I guess could be helpful knowing other people’s opinion about those brokers. + +Thanks for the help and good luck with your investments! 📈💸 +I'm based in Finland, although regardless of that I, I have no idea how to invest in gold or silver. Is it a matter of buying the actual metal or do I go through an exchange? +Hi all, + +I have recently started investing in ETF’s for a long term. I have invested 4k€ so far, and that still leaves me with 8k€ of funds ready to invest. + +Besides I have savings that would cover my expenses for 6-7 months, if needed. + +Hence, my question is should I simply invest it all in ETF’s or have other type of investments? Like p2p? + +I am in my early 20s and risk tolerant. + +Cheers! + Hi everyone, + +I am currently writing my Master's thesis on the topic "Why do people use or do not use Robo-Advisors?" and I am looking for people with interests in finance and investments to fill out my survey. I figure this is the perfect place for that 😊 + +This would be the survey: [Why do people use or do not use Robo-Advisors.](https://forms.gle/7Faz4F1T9DiXtRJF8) + +This study assesses the technology adoption of Robo-Advisors. For that, this study identifies potential investors' personal characteristics and their perceptions towards this technology and investigates the correlation between the characteristics found and investors' attitudes and behavioral intention to use Robo-Advisors. + +I am happy about every response +Hello! + +I have a question about passive income options to include in my family's portfolio. + +We have recently restructured the business and freed up some cash. However, we don't expect the company to produce any dividends in the next several years. We also own some local real estate, but net rent yields are below 1% due to vacancies. + +Here is our current asset allocation (excluding the family business): +- stocks 4% +- private real estate 47% +- cash 49% + +Our objectives are long-term growth and liquidity, we have a long time horizon, so we plan to invest part of our cash holdings in financial markets. + +When it comes to growth, I am considering a simple stock portfolio consisting of Vanguard ESG Global All Cap UCITS ETF (V3AA). It grants exposure to both large- and mid-cap all across the world and avoids industries inconsistent with our family values. + +However, I would like to ask for advice when it comes to securing regular income from our portfolio. It seems the more I read, the less I know :) + +Bank deposits produce zero yields. The same goes for investment-grade bonds, and they come with an interest rate risk as well. High-yield bonds carry additional default risk. Dividend ETFs increase the portfolio's volatility. It looks like there are no good alternatives to be found :) + +Here are some of the options I am considering: +- dividend stocks ETFs +- preferred stocks ETFs +- US corporate bonds ETFs +- individual bonds held to maturity + +What would you do if you were in my shoes? +Hi Europe PF! Hoping you can help out this long time lurker with some perspective about buying a property. + +My boyfriend [30] and I [29F] are looking to buy a property together. We have been hunting for 9+ months, and seen the full range of places. + +- Our combined income is approx €120k gross, which is around €7,000 per month after tax. + +- We have minimal student loans, zero credit card debt, and currently pay €1750 per month in rent. + +- We have just under €20,000 joint savings. + +I'm not sure if it's common in the rest of Europe, but here in NL they do 'blind bidding' (no auction), and you essentially put forward your offer and wait to hear with some negotiating back and forth if you want to counter-offer a higher price. + + +We saw an amazing place on Friday that was listed for €475,000. It was pretty much perfect in every way that mattered to us (A+ location, large enough, two bedrooms for a (possible) future family, small balcony, lots of light). We were happy, and wanted to put in an offer straight away. We instructed our broker to do that. + + +Our broker came back to us a few hours later and said that an offer had already been received by another bidder, and the price was now sitting at €520,000. We have this weekend to think about it, and they are asking for absolute final bids by Monday. + + +This means that our bid would need to be €530,000 (just under 12% increase on our offer). We were financially comfortable to pay-off a mortgage at €520,000 - on a 10 year, fixed-rate mortgage that we have been pre-approved for repayments would be around €2100. And at 530,000 repayments would rise to €2250 (rounding-up to be 'safe' + any interest fluctuations). + + +When we heard the bid was €520,000 we sat down, and crunched the numbers...our predicted monthly financial breakdown looks like this: +- €2100 Mortgage + + +- €400 'Misc Home costs' (Savings in case the boiler breaks, or a pipe bursts etc) + + +- €800 'Bun in the oven savings' (No child yet, but realistically on the horizon in 3+ years for us) + + +- €200 Bills + + +- €800 Travel fund (we live in Europe, want to keep seeing the world. Also: We're expats, and need to fund a yearly trip back home to see family) + + +- €600 Share investment. + + +- €1800 The rest of our income spent on food/gym/health insurance/mobile phone etc, with a little left over for unexpected costs. + + +I guess I have a couple of questions: +- Where are my blind-spots, what am I missing in the above breakdown? What should we be financially aware of and prepared for when we buy a place? + + +- Is it worth increasing our bid? My boyfriend feels that if we push to €530,000++ then we start to stretch ourselves financially and sacrifice our savings goals. I must admit, it makes me nervous to think about being in over half a million euros of debt. But perhaps that's just a natural 'jitters'. + + +- Are we actually being too 'generous' with our budget? My parents tell the story of when they bought a place they were essentially eating rice and eggs for years (maybe a slight exaggeration...) but they feel we aren't 'sacrificing enough'... are they right? + + +Would love some perspective on this (very fortunate) problem we have. We love the property, and don't want to let it go - but also are aware of this huge amount of debt we are possibly going to saddle ourselves with. +Thanks. +Hi guys + +Currently, I have nearly all my investments on different P2P/P2B platforms and it has served me really well until now. There is however one thing that annoys me: even though there is auto-invest, there is always stuff to adjust in order to be fully invested into at least semi-legit lenders. I have also had my experiences in investing in stocks and selling them for a profit. IMHO this always requires a lot of work and luck. Since I am inherently lazy, I want to shift at least part of my investments in to buy-and-hold stocks or etfs. + +It is hard for me to decide between + +\-ETFs + +* a) a distributing one such as [HSBC MSCI World ETF](https://www.justetf.com/uk/find-etf.html?query=IE00B4X9L533) , IE00B4X9L533, TER 0.15% +* b) an accumulating one like [iShares Core MSCI World ETF](https://www.justetf.com/uk/etf-profile.html?query=IE00B4L5Y983&groupField=index&from=search&isin=IE00B4L5Y983) , IE00B4L5Y983, TER 0.2% + +\-Stocks + +* a) a portfolio of \~15-20 companies like this one [https://www.dividendportfolio.com/portfolio/](https://www.dividendportfolio.com/portfolio/) (i would create my own one and not blindly copy it) + +I am not really sure how to decide if I want a growth or dividend portfolio. Even though a dividend portfolio might not be as good for me regarding taxes (still have to talk to an accountant about that), I like the 'security' of realizing gains through dividends. + +My goal is not to stop working at 45, but rather to work a bit less and have the freedom to say FU to the boss in case I want to. + +Now my questions are: + +1. Do you have any tips on how to decide between the 2 strategies? +2. Would it also make sense to have a split like 80% distributing ETF and 20% accumulating? Are there any advantages to doing that? + +Current situation: 30, living in Switzerland and planning to move to Australia in \~2-3 years. + +&#x200B; + +I really appreciate your input :) Thanks! +Just came across this . + +https://www.consorsbank.de/Wertpapierhandel/Fonds/Kurs-Snapshot/snapshotoverview/IE00B03HCZ61-VANGUARD-GLOBAL-STOCK-INDEX-FUND-INVESTOR-EUR-ACCUMULATION + +https://www.consorsbank.de/Wertpapierhandel/Fonds/Kurs-Snapshot/snapshotoverview/IE0031786142-VANGUARD-EMERGING-MARKETS-STOCK-INDEX-FUND-INVESTOR-EUR-ACCUMULATION + +The TERs look higher than their ETF counterpart, and I think the TERs for US based index funds are as low as 0.09%. I had also heard repeatedly that its harder to get their index funds compared to ETFs here in Germany. + +Is there any upside to buying these as opposed to Vanguard Developed World and EM ETFs? Does anyone of you buy these? +hi! I'm looking to start making my way into credit cards. I'm from Malta, and honestly, they're kind of crap. The most you get is free travel insurance, and that's if I put 3.5k as a security and would still have to pay an annual fee. I recently heard that someone managed to get an Amex card from Italy, without having Italian residency. Was wondering if anybody has any ideas on how to get one? Thanks! +Hi Europe PF! Hoping you can help out this long time lurker with some perspective about buying a property. + +My boyfriend [30] and I [29F] are looking to buy a property together. We have been hunting for 9+ months, and seen the full range of places. + +- Our combined income is approx €120k gross, which is around €7,000 per month after tax. + +- We have minimal student loans, zero credit card debt, and currently pay €1750 per month in rent. + +- We have just under €20,000 joint savings. + +I'm not sure if it's common in the rest of Europe, but here in NL they do 'blind bidding' (no auction), and you essentially put forward your offer and wait to hear with some negotiating back and forth if you want to counter-offer a higher price. + + +We saw an amazing place on Friday that was listed for €475,000. It was pretty much perfect in every way that mattered to us (A+ location, large enough, two bedrooms for a (possible) future family, small balcony, lots of light). We were happy, and wanted to put in an offer straight away. We instructed our broker to do that. + + +Our broker came back to us a few hours later and said that an offer had already been received by another bidder, and the price was now sitting at €520,000. We have this weekend to think about it, and they are asking for absolute final bids by Monday. + + +This means that our bid would need to be €530,000 (just under 12% increase on our offer). We were financially comfortable to pay-off a mortgage at €520,000 - on a 10 year, fixed-rate mortgage that we have been pre-approved for repayments would be around €2100. And at 530,000 repayments would rise to €2250 (rounding-up to be 'safe' + any interest fluctuations). + + +When we heard the bid was €520,000 we sat down, and crunched the numbers...our predicted monthly financial breakdown looks like this: +- €2100 Mortgage + + +- €400 'Misc Home costs' (Savings in case the boiler breaks, or a pipe bursts etc) + + +- €800 'Bun in the oven savings' (No child yet, but realistically on the horizon in 3+ years for us) + + +- €200 Bills + + +- €800 Travel fund (we live in Europe, want to keep seeing the world. Also: We're expats, and need to fund a yearly trip back home to see family) + + +- €600 Share investment. + + +- €1800 The rest of our income spent on food/gym/health insurance/mobile phone etc, with a little left over for unexpected costs. + + +I guess I have a couple of questions: +- Where are my blind-spots, what am I missing in the above breakdown? What should we be financially aware of and prepared for when we buy a place? + + +- Is it worth increasing our bid? My boyfriend feels that if we push to €530,000++ then we start to stretch ourselves financially and sacrifice our savings goals. I must admit, it makes me nervous to think about being in over half a million euros of debt. But perhaps that's just a natural 'jitters'. + + +- Are we actually being too 'generous' with our budget? My parents tell the story of when they bought a place they were essentially eating rice and eggs for years (maybe a slight exaggeration...) but they feel we aren't 'sacrificing enough'... are they right? + + +Would love some perspective on this (very fortunate) problem we have. We love the property, and don't want to let it go - but also are aware of this huge amount of debt we are possibly going to saddle ourselves with. +Thanks. +Dividend stocks generally are more stable and less growth and with a potential pull back looming, I'm looking at getting into more of these stocks. I see there are Vanguard ETFs for dividends (VIG , VYM)...would is the difference between holding those vs stocks? Any advantage to either? +My fiancee moved in to my house this month. Our wedding is approaching and her lease was up, so it didn't make sense to enter into another year-long lease for her apartment. Being a responsible citizen, she applied to have her driver's license changed to my address. + +That application was filed with the local DMV at one particular office on 6/26. Yesterday we received a letter in the mail stating that my fiancee's application for a Lowe's store credit card required her to confirm via mail. Only problem: she didn't apply for a Lowe's credit card. She has no reason to even go into Lowe's. + +She ran her credit reports and sure enough, there's a new Macy's credit card on there that she also did not apply for. She called Macy's and they were super helpful. They believed her right away and asked her to confirm the last four digits of her driver's license. The numbers they read off did not match her actual driver's license. According to Macy's security personnel, they would have gotten that number from a license presented to them at the store when the card was applied for. + +Today we received a notice that a Kohl's credit card had also been applied for, but the application was rejected because my fiancee has frozen her credit score account, which you can do via the three reporting agencies. She had frozen only one of the three at the time the application was made. It seems that it was just luck that Kohl's happened to contact the one she had frozen and thus kicked the application out. + +There's really only one possible explanation here. The first card (Macy's) was applied for on 7/1, five days after she changed her address. It has had $1500 charged to it in the last two weeks. She didn't buy anything online or update any other information with the new address during that period because she hadn't even received her new driver's license (with my address) until last week. Yet someone was using *A* driver's license, with her information but a different driver's license number, to apply for cards around town. + +Clearly, someone at the DMV stole my fiancee's identity, plain and simple. They are the only people who both knew of her new address and had the ability to create a bogus driver's license in her name. I'm not naming the specific location here because my fiancee is meeting with the county sheriff's department today and I want this person to be caught. If anything comes of it I'll report back. + + +**Edit: Several people asked for an update so here it is:** + +Alas, we seem to have pursued this as far as possible. My fiancée met with the Sheriff's department and spoke on the phone with investigators from the Department of Driver's Services, but that's the last we have heard. None of those investigators were particularly fired up about this. Not exactly working in shifts over there. It sounds like this happens too often and there are too many people in the chain who handle drivers license applications for them to do much of an investigation. For posterity's sake, this happened in Georgia, which is supposedly #2 in the country in identity theft if you believe the billboards. + +We have continued to receive a handful of rejection notices in the mail but the credit freeze has kicked them all back. They seem to be tapering off now. My guess is the crook has moved on to the next victim. +I guess the moral of this story is, freeze your credit scores and don't assume the people administering the license system are any less criminal than the general public at large. +Hi I am new to trading but have some knowledge. I just was wondering if someone could provide a very basic example of a call or put situation. Say I wanted to put down $100 that TSLA was below $1,000 a month from now. First off could I do that, what potantial profit could I get if it was below, and would that be a call or put? + +&#x200B; + +Thanks for any feedback +I am seeing too many people reading way too much into the recent shelf offering that High Tide put out late yesterday. As usual, too many investors don't read into the documentation, and don't understand what is actually going on. This is why the stock never goes up, when positive news comes out. One person says "dilution", and everyone starts to panic. + +Let's look at a few statements in their press release. I would recommend you go and read the whole thing. + +[https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/high-tide-files-preliminary-base-shelf-prospectus-850137391.html](https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/high-tide-files-preliminary-base-shelf-prospectus-850137391.html) + +*"... it has filed a preliminary short form base shelf prospectus (the "Prospectus") to* ***provide the Company with the flexibility*** *to take advantage of financing opportunities and favourable market conditions,* ***if and when needed****, during the 25-month period that the Prospectus..."* + +High Tide is NOT diluting the shares currently. They have filed paperwork to give them the ability in the future, to issue shares, IF NEEDED. Why would they want to issue more shares? If they position themselves to take over another company, these takeovers are often funded through a share distribution. It keeps cash in the bank, and allows a company to grow through acquisition. + +Investors are reading "issuance of shares" and immediately think the stock is going to be diluted. You are missing the big picture! + +*"... The Company may use the net proceeds from the sale of Securities for general corporate purposes, capital projects, internal expansion, or* ***for the acquisition of other businesses****, assets or securities by the Company or one of its subsidiaries."* + +High Tide is telling you exactly what they 'might' do with the proceeds from a new issuance. If they raise cash, it will be to fund further business growth. They would also have cash or shares to buy out competitors. + +This isn't going to be a stock that runs up to a dollar by next weekend. You're going to have to be in it to win it. Don't let these press releases scare you into thinking the stock isn't worth holding. They are opening stores like crazy, and will need to fund their continued growth. Hold strong, and this stock WILL pay off! Stop reading 2 words in a press release, or not reading them at all, and learn what the company is really saying! +Hello, I’m trying to understand this retarded ass market. + +Okay so there’s this company called Pfizer. They have the number one drug to treat a pandemic. Well it’s not just a pandemic, it’s a global pandemic. Oh yeah and by the way, it might be a permanent global pandemic. + +Yeah so, a company called Pfizer has the number one drug to treat a permanent global pandemic. Recently, they made it into a pill form. Okay. + +There’s this other company. They sell an overpriced workout bike that - get this - has a tv on it! And the great part is, you have to pay every month for the tv to work! Can you believe that? The tv stops working if the customers don’t keep paying for it. Genius. + +Now, unfortunately no one wants to pay for that overpriced piece of trash, so the company is going to have to fire 2,800 employees including the CEO. + +Okay, got everything? + +Yeah so Pfizer stock is down and Peloton stock is up 25%. Fml + +Anyone care to explain how this makes sense? +So I was just thinking and supposedly All these news outlets are watching WSB and saying that we’re all chasing silver now , witch anyone who is actually a member knows no one has been .And the proof to that is if they are all really watching us wouldn’t they be writing about all the post that are saying how this whole silver thing is a sham ? Because iv seen about 9 of those and not a single post about silver .im sure it’s the same for you . That’s how you know the media is making it all up because if they checked WSB they would see we’re not with that shit at all .DONT LET THE MEDIA INFLUENCE YOU THIS IS A COORDINATED ATTACK BY CITADEL AND OTHERS . There scared boys🚀 they read all that stuff about fighting back and taking them down and there retaliating .The transfer of Wealth 💎 from rich to poor has begun what we do now can change the path of retail investors forever . 🚀🚀 DONT LET THEM CHANGE THE NARRATIVE . STAY STRONG 💪 BOYS AND HOLD 💎 🖐 LIKE NEVER BEFORE there trying to scare us away with fake news and volume don’t be fooled . If R/ WSB was interested you would know . GME $ AMC $ BB$ to the MOOON🌎🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🌚. Don’t let them convince you to sell on a dip that’s exactly what they want they want your TENDIES .HOLD💎💎💎🖐🖐🖐 + +DO YOUR PART SPREAD WORD AND HOLD💎 + +X DONT BUY MEDIA STOCKS X + +Ps. DUMP robinhood there trashy market manipulators . = LOSE TENDIES + + +-Try fidelity ,vanguard, schwab etc any brokerage that doesn’t try to regulate ur buying and selling . + +-May the Tendie Man come to theaters 🎭 near you 💰🚀🚀🚀🚀 + +-APE TOGETHER STRONG 🦍 🚀 +The power of this group is immense . And we can accomplish more then you guys know if you have faith . But don’t be stupid . +Just got a notification that GE hit a 52 week low. Anyone planning to cop some while it's this low or is there no hope for GE? Would love to hear your thoughts +This is a big one that just goes to show how messed up our financial system is. Get your face ready to meet your palm. This is *literally* a rule *proposed* to PREVENT FRAUD, MANIPULATION, AND DECEPTION in our financial markets. + +[34-93784 pg 1](https://preview.redd.it/8v3e6s5elgt91.png?width=1988&format=png&auto=webp&s=13a2929902638765012b2776e1ea7b808a1c89ac) + +You'd think such a simple concept wouldn't be so hard to pass. The crazy thing is this rule was ***originally proposed in 2010*** **after the 2008 financial crisis** revealed some major regulatory gaps meaning there simply weren't enough rules in place leading up to 2008 ***and they failed to put those rules into place even after 2008***. + +[34-93784 pg 12](https://preview.redd.it/dbqwj58rlgt91.png?width=1996&format=png&auto=webp&s=d12ad33e2ab25ddb80b47e2b2832bfe728feacec) + +The financial industry came out heavy against this proposed rule (see [bottom of this page for comments from 2010 and 2011 along with Meetings with SEC Officials](https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-32-10/s73210.htm)) which basically *killed it*. Until now -- because we're about to have 2008 all over again. + +[34-93784 pg 13](https://preview.redd.it/no3neuqsmgt91.png?width=1988&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b7f64a099af30f20710d306c135f1ed94c98a46) + +The difference between the 2010 proposal and this new proposal is the SEC wants to add an **anti-manipulation provision** to the rule. (Yes, there isn't a rule against manipulating the markets yet. 🤦‍♂️) + +You might also remember this post on how [Goldman and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch tried to hide evidence they purposefully Fail To Deliver on trades during Overstock trial](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/x3oixj/goldman_and_bank_of_americamerrill_lynch_tried_to/) where the banks literally said "F\* compliance": + +https://preview.redd.it/con049xeogt91.png?width=1960&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd11787b944bf99c852618fc02cdc36205014312 + +https://preview.redd.it/905jq2rfogt91.png?width=1968&format=png&auto=webp&s=eb6c4bf0bc06393672b777acadab891885765b7b + +Well, this new Proposed Rule adds rules PREVENTING UNDUE INFLUENCE OVER CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICERS. (Again, 🤦‍♂️ that this rule needs to be added.) + +Here's the Table Of Contents for the Proposed Rule Changes: + +[34-93784 pg 5](https://preview.redd.it/ykobbs7sngt91.png?width=2020&format=png&auto=webp&s=7449fd2a96dcade9febbed674850d37b4619d306) + +# What Investors Want + +If you like what you see, COMMENT to the SEC and tell them you support these changes: + +1. PROHIBITING FRAUD, MANIPULATION, AND DECEPTION in our financial markets, +2. PREVENTING UNDUE INFLUENCE OVER CHIEF COMPLIANCE OFFICERS, and +3. REPORTING SWAP POSITIONS + +And, that the **SEC should proactively set in place more strict regulations and penalties for violating the rules**. + +# Commenting to the SEC + +1. Click here to see the list of [proposed rules](https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed.shtml). +2. Search for "**Submit comments on S7-32-10**" and click it. +3. Fill out the form (anonymously, if you wish) and include your comments. For ideas, see [this list of comments for this proposal](https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-32-10/s73210.htm). Even simply telling the SEC you support the provisions in this rule will help show support against objections from the likes of [Citadel](https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-32-10/s73210-20125305-284743.pdf) and other crooks who love being able to do fraud and manipulate our markets. + +# Other SEC Proposals Need Your Support Too + +This is the third of a series of posts resulting from [The SEC "LOST" your Public Comments. PRESS RELEASE and Instructions](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/xy7wwn/the_sec_lost_your_public_comments_press_release/) (by u/I_DO_ANIMAL_THINGS) where I try to highlight some key aspects worth commenting on for proposed SEC rules that are now OPEN TO COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC. Previously, + +* [COMMENT TO THE SEC on Short Position and Short Activity Reporting!](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/xzzts4/comment_to_the_sec_on_short_position_and_short/) +* [COMMENT TO THE SEC on Reporting of Securities Loans](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/y0tefd/comment_to_the_sec_on_reporting_of_securities/) + +We should show our support FOR ALL OF THESE RULES rules to make our financial system work better. + +EDIT: My [comment](https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-32-10/s73210-310801.htm) has been posted by the SEC site. +For my own mental health, I've decided to temporarily delete my trading apps, stocktwits, and unsubscribe from any trading, investment, or individual stocks subs while we go through this correction. + +I'm still long on my penny stocks and haven't sold a single share, and I could indeed afford to lose every penny I've invested without having any impact on my life. However, I've proven to myself that these ups and downs have too much of an impact on me emotionally, and I am quite genuinely wasting my days staring at the share price and reading everyone's speculation. I'm fully addicted and it is having a significantly negative impact on my quality of life. + +Best of luck to everyone. I do still believe in my investments and that I will turn a profit. I just need to get my life back and let this all unfold naturally. Good luck everyone. +Let’s say I take $1000 and put $10 in 100 penny stocks at $.0001. Either I sell when a stock hits $.01, turning $10 into $1000, or I hold the bag all the way down to zero. 98 of the 100 trades can go down to zero, and only 2 of them need to hit $.01, and I’ll double my account. Can this realistically be done? + +I tend to hang out over on the Nasdaq and NYSE, so I’m unfamiliar with how sub penny penny stocks work. I feel like there’s probably something that would make this unrealistic. Maybe volume or bid ask spread. + +I’d appreciate any feedback, thanks. +It's been so obvious what has been going on, yet no one seemed to care. The whole purpose of exchange-issued coins like FTT, BNB, etc were to raise capital in an IPO-like way, but without being regulated and issuing securities. I mean, did no one ask themselves why it makes sense to give a discount in an exchange coin? There is no need. If you want to give people a discount, you just charge them less. Coinbase does this via volume. Doesn't matter what you pay in. Your fee is just lowered at the time of trading, not based on how you paid it. + +This is how it works and how it always worked: + +1. Create a large supply of coins that give people savings on trading fees of they pay in those coins. + +2. Only distribute a percentage of those coins, retaining a lot. + +3. Give a discount on fees such that the coins have some real value when compared to fiat fees. + +4. Use that "created value" to create value on the balance sheet from the holdings of those coins. + +5. Use that balance sheet, in-house coin stack as collateral (get loans in USD, USDT, USDC, ETH, whatever people will give you). + +You've now essentially created securities whose value is directly related to trading activity, which is arguably directly related to revenues/cash flows. The value of the coins is related to the success of the business (just like securities would be!) + +Congrats, you've created illegal securities and "raised capital" without giving away voting rights or dealing with actual regulation. + +Congrats, your coin now failed and that balance sheet is worth shit. Now the margin calls come in, now the creditors come knocking. Now you are insolvent. +I know similar stuff has been said here, but I keep seeing this problem still. This sub is great to look at DD’s at stocks and to get good stock news. However, it is incredibly ridiculous the amount of posts and comments here asking what x stock is going to do or how the stock market is going to perform next month. I would've thought it would be just the people who are new to the stock market or this subreddit, but there are actually a large number of people here that have been posting/commenting on the subreddit for a while, meaning they aren't new here and they STILL do this. + +However, this isn't even the main problem. The actual problem is the people who reply to these posts/comments and they act like they know what they are talking about so they will say some BS with 100% confidence which probably will influence many of the people who don't know any better. The more you think about it, the more concerning it actually becomes. I don't believe ignorance warrants someone to getting screwed over so just because someone is dumb enough to trust a random redditor and lose money doesn't mean they deserve it. This is very serious stuff since this is literally people's money and I wish more people realized how awful it is that people will come here and look at any advice and dump their money into a random stock and then come back later with major losses. + +**I think this even applies to most people on this subreddit but at a more subliminal level**. I have a feeling that there are many people here that still are prone to this, even if they don't blatantly listen to random people. For example, pretty much everyone in this subreddit agreed to not buy anything during March because "the bottom hasn't come yet". I have even seen posts asking if the stimulus package would help the stock market and people pretty much agreed that it wasn't going to do much (you can look at the threads if you want). People would reply to these posts with absolute confidence; not a "probably not" or "I don't think so", but a "It's not going to do x". When these posts/comments are constantly upvoted and replicated, this can even influence the people who disagreed, creating a conformity effect based on majority social influence and not factual information. + +I guarantee you there are people here who were interested in buying in March when stocks were at a very low price, looked at this subreddits opinions, and ended up not buying them because the majority of people said not to. When in reality, that would've been the ideal thing to do, and they could've made a lot of money. I don't know how these types of posts and comments are so popular on this subreddit, but they are. I am making this post to remind people of these things, and I don't want the same thing to happen to as many people in the future. +This is something I really hadn't considered, even though it is so obvious: + +http://mashable.com/2014/01/15/netflix-net-neutrality/ + +But that was yesterday and now [NFLX](https://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ%3ANFLX&ei=BQLYUqD9NK2PigLQKQ) pretty much recovered. I also haven't seen any other big internet companies take a hit (e.g. Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Twitter, Amazon). So does the market not care about Net Neutrality? Or is it not that big of a deal? +I can't remember what it is called to use it, but it took prob of win and returned optimal portfolio percentage for a single trade. Anyone know? +Thanks +So like the title suggest I was wondering what types of trades or trading do you focus on? I am super into options but want to get into algo trading to become a better technical trader. If you focus on forex what platforms do you use to trade on. I know with TD ameritrade I think the report they have is 30-40% of traders who trade forex lose money and TD leverages against you? Any help would be awesome!!! + +&#x200B; + +Edit: + +You guys are amazing honestly! Thank you so much for the help you've guys (and gals) given me a lot to think about! +I recently set up a web scraper to pull data from NASDAQ.com but since yesterday when I attempt to visit the site in my browser I get the following message: + +> Access Denied +> You don't have permission to access "http://failoverwaf-www.nasdaq.com/failover/outage-notification-2.html?" on this server. +> Reference #18.2783d717.1562710022.c742bce + +Could they have banned my IP address because my traffic? I tried using an in browser VPN and that also gave me issues however accessing from my phone is fine even on the same network. Does nasdaq have policy against using their site too much? +Hi Everyone, + +I've written a (very) simple algorithm that seems to be suprisingly successful which essentially uses market data to rotate between two negativly corrolated assets. However it seems *too* successful to me and I'm wondering what I missed. Could the community please advise on what I can look for in the data to verify results? I've included my year by year results for all test data I have below. Please note that due to strategy limations I can't easily reconstruct before 2011. + + +|YEAR||Average Daily Return|Beta|Treynor|Risk Free Rate|Sorento|Sharpe|Max Drawdown|Outright WIN|WIN - Pair gained more|LOSS - Pair lost more|Outright LOSS|Trades| +--:|--:|--:|--:|:--|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:|--:| +|TOTAL||0.25%|19.7%|1.2339%|0.0018%|2.03|1.47|61.89%|42.36%|12.06%|9.12%|36.45%|146| +|1|214%|0.53%|-71.5%|-0.7334%|0.0008%|3.77|2.63|61.70%|44.84%|11.51%|8.33%|35.32%|7| +|2|264%|0.10%|-92.4%|-0.1048%|0.0006%|0.73|0.50|61.89%|42.06%|6.35%|5.95%|45.63%|15| +|3|376%|0.13%|213.1%|0.0589%|0.0005%|1.19|0.88|37.66%|41.27%|11.90%|9.92%|36.90%|2| +|4|644%|0.19%|186.9%|0.1023%|0.0004%|2.19|1.60|22.52%|40.48%|12.30%|7.94%|39.29%|5| +|5|841%|0.12%|-44.7%|-0.2605%|0.0009%|1.03|0.75|35.65%|41.67%|11.51%|9.13%|37.70%|18| +|6|1180%|0.15%|57.7%|0.2511%|0.0021%|1.38|0.99|32.53%|37.70%|12.70%|9.52%|40.08%||11| +|7|2506%|0.30%|167.0%|0.1747%|0.0039%|5.35|3.46|14.86%|44.44%|11.51%|11.51%|32.54%|28| +|8|2785%|0.07%|268.5%|0.0231%|0.0079%|0.54|0.42|31.71%|42.06%|12.70%|9.92%|35.32%|12| +|9|7224%|0.39%|-44.7%|-0.8428%|0.0089%|4.27|3.01|34.62%|42.46%|16.67%|10.32%|30.56%|11| +|10|12710%|0.31%|-37.4%|-0.8202%|0.0028%|1.56|1.14|44.14%|45.24%|12.70%|7.14%|34.92%|11| +|11|24425%|0.32%|275.4%|0.1144%|0.0003%|2.59|1.92|25.32%|42.46%|11.90%|8.33%|37.30%|8| +|12|43796%|0.46%|122.3%|0.3757%|0.0021%|2.46|1.72|25.16%|45.08%|13.93%|13.93%|27.05%|18| + + + + +1. I've run the strategy via Quantconnect and reviewed it manually. I'm as sure as I can be on lookahead bias I think. +1. I have very little "fitting" involved, only an "extreme" condition to check for on my signal data. +1. I'm seeing daily volume of +500,000 per equity that I'm trading. + + +Below is a copy/paste from FOMO Hour today with the HUGE news that the name/ticker change has finally been approved by FINRA! This is the big catalyst we've been waiting for so people can finally stop being confused when they start researching FOMO Corp. No more old baggage!!!!!!!!!!! + +Change will be listed on the daily list tomorrow, May 6th. Will take effect May 7th, 2021!!!!!! That's this friday.... + +FOMO FRIDAY!! + +Say goodbye to sub-penny land!! I'm not going to speculate on where this will run to in the coming days, but it won't be below a penny for long. Today's close 0.007 .... won't be this low for long tomorrow morning IMHO. + +BTW, to know if the ticker change is happening for sure just search for the "FINRA daily change list" and you should find it posted tomorrow, May 6th, for confirmation. (or just visit this link: [https://otce.finra.org/otce/dailyList?viewType=Symbol%2FName%20Changes](https://otce.finra.org/otce/dailyList?viewType=Symbol%2FName%20Changes) ) + +Please note, anything said above are my opinions, views, etc and are not trading advice. I'm not a professional... just someone who pays attention and does their DD. ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN DD. + +:::(Begin Copy/Paste)::: + +The most significant news for FOMO CORP. from the past week: 1. On May 5, 2021, we were notified by FINRA of the following pending corporate action: + +“New Name: FOMO CORP. + +New Symbol: FOMC + +NEW CUSIP: 344429105 + +Current CUSIP: 90214L106 (Please confirm current CUSIP is to be suspended upon market effectiveness) + +Daily List Announcement Date: May 6, 2021 + +Market Effective Date: May 7, 2021” + +**Please note that FOMO CORP. and the Transfer Agent have confirmed the above information is accurate, per FINRA’s request. We are expecting, but have not yet received, final confirmation from FINRA. I would like to thank everyone for their patience with this lengthy process.** + +2. On May 3, 2021, FOMO CORP. filed an 8K stating it had applied for uplisting of its common stock to the OTC QB market. The Company believes OTC QB uplisting, if approved subject to exchange requirements, will expand its addressable investor base and provide a more efficient market for its common stock, though there are no assurances. Once the company has maintained a closing bid price of at least $.01 for 30 consecutive calendar days, the company will submit an updated application. + +3. On May 3, 2021, FOMO CORP. filed an 8K/A extending the deadline to close a definitive agreement to acquire a national HVAC services contractor to July 1, 2021. Terms of the letter of intent (“LOI”) had been filed as an 8K with the target’s name redacted, as per mutual agreement. Future closing terms and structure are under negotiation. + +4. On May 3, 2021, FOMO CORP. filed an 8K stating it had signed a term sheet for $500,000 equity financing with a qualified institutional buyer (“QIB”) in the form of restricted common stock and common stock purchase warrants. The Company anticipates executing closing documents this week, though there can be no assurances. Use of proceeds include working capital and expenses to close announced and planned mergers and acquisitions. + +5. As of May 4, there have been approximately 75 people sign up for the Beta Test of Kanab Club 2.0 with good feedback provided thus far.📷**1**📷**1** + +Answers to shareholder questions: + +1. In regard to the extension of the LOI to complete an acquisition of a national HVAC contractor, we received this comment: “. . .this is why definitive agreements don’t mean anything. . .” + +*Definitive agreements are binding. We simply extended the LOI, which is non-binding, to allow more time for negotiations.* + +2. “Looking at FOMO online one gets the sense that maybe people are afraid that the inability to get the name/ticker change to go through could be a sign of a major issue… and we investors have no idea what the reason is blocking the approval of the application to make the change. I know if I were just coming into this today and took a look at everything that has been said and done in the last \~6 months I would be very hesitant to jump in because my number one question would be "Why can't this one, seemingly simple goal, be accomplished?” + +*This has been my highest priority for the past several months. I can assure everyone, without going into the details, it was very challenging. Persistence is often the most important factor for success, and the name/ticker change process has now been completed, pending final confirmation from FINRA (see May 5 update above). I would like to especially thank our legal team and the person at FINRA who recently was assigned our file for doing a great job.* + +3. How many active clients do our partners currently have? (clients where the income directly affects FOMO Corp). + +*We can only announce contracts and/or sales after they have been completed. We will continue to do that.* + +4. How many new active clients do our partners have since we partnered with or acquired them? + +*Same response as above in #3.* + +5. What is the current monthly increase in clients and installations, and how much do you expect that to grow? What's the average value of one of these clients to FOMO CORP.? + +*We will provide pro forma financial projections for FOMO CORP. taking into account companies we are acquiring when the acquisitions have been completed (closed).* + +6. What sort of additional investor outreach programs are you planning? D!s cord does not seem to be successful and may even be discouraging to a new investor trying to get info about FOMO CORP. + +D!s cord *has been a new experience for all of us. We believe, on balance, it has been a benefit to FOMO CORP. and its shareholders. We try to be as transparent as possible, but sometimes there are investors who try to take of the information we provide and manipulate the stock. We are always looking for ways to improve* D!s cord*, and we value shareholder suggestions. I would like to thank FOMO SOCIAL and the* D!s cord *moderators for their tireless, unsung efforts, in dealing with very challenging situations at times.* + +7. Did we see any increase in interest based on the published article? Are there any other articles, podcasts, etc. planned? + +*7.1 Public Relations through media publishers is typically a foundation for sales, and it succeeds for business development when it is leveraged with ongoing sales and additional publishings. While Purge Virus (PV) and the Energy Intelligence Center (EIC) did not receive any immediate inquiries from the Cover Story on the Mann Report, we are "mining" the opportunity as follows: A) We created a master Excel file that includes all of the names of the real estate professionals referenced in the article and then did the research to find their contact information. B) We did the same for all of the other articles in the 130-page magazine that was the April 2021 Sustainability Issue C) We have started calling and emailing the prospective customers to let them know that we were pleased to see them referenced in the same issue where we were the cover story and invite them to learn more (via calls or Zoom) about our offerings for safe and efficient buildings.* + +*7.2 The editorial team at Manufacturing Technology Insights magazine is scheduled to publish the Cover Story on EIC over the next two weeks for their May issue. This is a four-page spread with the cover and reaches a combined print and online subscription base of over 150,000 executives and facility managers, with approximately two per company. We expect the exposure to over 70,000 companies to build on the Mann Report story and generate customer interest in Energy Intelligence Center as well as Purge Virus and Independence LED Lighting.* + +*7.3 The editorial team at Properties magazine is scheduled to include an Op-Ed by Purge Virus/EIC CEO Charlie Szoradi over the next two weeks for their May issue. This exposure is to about 30,000 subscribers that are a combination of property owners and facility managers as well as architects and engineers.* + +*7.4 One additional item of interest: In the sales outreach to schools, Independence LED Lighting (ILED) just reported today that they received the check from the Laboratory School of Communication and Languages. The school is based in Philadelphia and has engaged ILED for energy efficient perimeter lighting that is brighter than what they currently have to enhance security. While the account is relatively small at $14,000, it is an example of the FOMO "ecosystem" at work for safe and efficient buildings. In some cases, sales outreach from Purge Virus or the Energy Intelligence Center leads to cross-selling lighting technology. Each account also has the potential for ongoing sales, and the "seed" of the first contract sets the foundation for a business relationship with other technology solutions. Since school administrators often share resources and vendors, our hope is that this account leads to contracts with other schools in the Philadelphia area and beyond.* + +8. What kind of marketing is FOMO engaged in or do you plan on any additional marketing? + +*8.1 We will post the content on our respective websites and celebrate the "triple play" of the publishing exposure in the Mann Report, Manufacturing Technology Times, and Properties magazine via social media and sales outreach to convert exposure into new client projects.* + +*8.2 This week, we have just signed up with a new email marketing group Active Campaign to streamline outreach. We have extensive data and mailing contacts from over three decades of work by Charlie Szoradi and other team members. The lists include over 40,000 architects and over 80,000 U.S. government procurement officers, as well as niche groups in Education, Grocery Stores, etc. The government lists that are broken out by Agency may be more valuable now than ever given President Biden's focus on sustainability relative to the expected upcoming American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan from his State of the Union speech last Wednesday. The Jobs/Infrastructure plan calls for upgrades to buildings as well as roads and bridges and the Families plan calls for improved schools, which we expect may include lower operating costs via energy efficiency and safer air via disinfection. See the breakdown here: Source:* [*https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/upshot/biden-families-plan-american-rescue-infrastructure.html*](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/upshot/biden-families-plan-american-rescue-infrastructure.html) + +*8.3 We paid to subscribe to a powerful data resource that identifies details on spending by government agencies and public schools. GovSpend allows us to see which group is buying what type of products such as Air Purifiers, Building Management Systems, LED lighting, and much more. This helps us identify the ABCs - Active Buying Customers, so that we can tailor marketing and sales messages to them accordingly. 8.4 We have an ongoing Webinar program as part of our marketing efforts to inform prospective customers about our technology offerings to provide safe and efficient buildings. Examples to date are here:* [*https://purgevirus.com/disinfection-webinar/*](https://purgevirus.com/disinfection-webinar/) + +9. What is the expected revenue from the Kanab Club, and what is the yearly budget. How do you plan to market that and attract users? How is it different than other social platforms? + +*Kanab Club is currently in the Beta Test phase. It is too early to provide pro forma revenue projections. When Kanab Club 2.0 is officially launched, it will focus on Health and Wellness. We intend to grow a user base through that effort and then develop an e-commerce portal for cannabis products and add other features in the future. We have an excellent development team working on Kanab Club with functionality that is Facebook-like.* + +10. Did Vik dilute another 25M shares? + +*There was no dilution, just normal compensation for employees and contractors of a public company*. + +11. Why do the LOI's keep getting pushed back? + +*We have extended some LOIs to provide more time for negotiations, auditing and valuations to be completed, etc.* + +:::(END COPY/ PASTE)::: + +So there you have it folks. Big things coming. We know that SmartGuard is bringing in huge contracts and that closing is scheduled for this month. + +Then Ecolite, then the HVAC company. By the summer this should be a fully formed ecosystem as they like to put it. + +Big things..... +I just got an extremely good pay increase at work which pushes me over £210k a year in total compensation (above pension tapering). What tax strategies should I employ? I'm not too happy putting in large chunks of money into vcts eiss or seiss and would like something a bit more diversified. Are there any other tax vehicles available to me that I'm missing? +I’m not a pilot but I’m thinking about buying a 20% share of a Cirrus SR-22 for about $80k. My annual management fee would be $8,000 and the hourly rate is $220 (wet). A pilot would be $500/day. + +My goal is to turn three day driving business trips into one-day trips along with some family weekend trips. My average day trip would cost $1,300. + +My NW is $12 million. + +Anyone have thoughts for me as I consider to dip my toes into the world of private aviation? +Thought this was interesting. Definitely aggressive… + +[article](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/taxes-malta-pension-plan-11629418826) +I was fortunate enough to have been part of a recent IPO and have $5m of unrealized cap gains from ISO exercises that will be qualifying dispositions. Before the pandemic I was based in CA. Midway through the pandemic I moved to IL. I am considering moving to Texas or Florida or Washington (legit move, including renting a new place, voting, etc) before selling my shares since those states don’t have state income tax. + +1) is there a period of time that I need to be in TX/FL/WA before I sell my shares to be in the clear and pay no state income tax? + +2) If I eventually return to CA in 3/6/12/24 months, will CA claim that I owe taxes on the cap gains that I realized while I was in the other state? + +3) any other ideas on tax strategies here? + +I plan on asking my CPA but want to do my homework first. + +Thanks in advance! +Hey Reddit, + +So our mortgage broker recently told up our borrowing capacity had dropped to about 850,000 from over 1 mil in the last 2ish months + +Has anyone else had a similar experience or can explain why it has dropped off so much? We were expecting something but not over 200,000 + +Any help here would be greatly appreciated + +UPDATE - 27th Sep + +SO... +Turns out our mortgage broker made a slight mistake and put some numbers in the wrong spot in his funding table and that's what reduced out capacity. +We got an email back today with an updated funding table and we are back to over 1mil again. + +I would like to thank the Reddit Hive Mind for all your advise and help and "pointing in the right direction" that everyone offered. Maybe the internet isn't completely doomed +Hi mates, + +Wondering if I could get some thoughts here. + +I'm an early 30s, full-time professional. I own a one-bedroom apartment in Melbourne's inner-north. I paid $365K for it in 2014. It's now worth $310K if I'm lucky. I still owe $285K. I currently rent it out; it covers all expenses after deductions. I'm paying about $8K off the principal per year at this stage but could increase that substantially as I'm about to start a much higher-paid role (lucky me). + +However, with a 10-year outlook in mind, I'm contemplating selling it and changing tack. + +**Possible option: Keep apartment & pray** + +* Increase repayments to pay it off within 10 years. If I'm lucky, 1BR apartments in Melbourne may have risen 5% pa in that time which would mean a $480K asset. +* If the apartment goes up 2% pa, which seems more likely, it'll be $370K. +* If anything like the last 7-8 years I've owned it, it might not go up at all or even go further backwards. +* After 10 years I'll have paid approximately $285K given, as aforementioned, all expenses are currently covered by tenant and tax deductions (ie, depreciation, interest, owners corp, council rates). That's presuming interest rates are 5% pa on average each year for the next 10 years... After 10 years I might have to spend $30K on renovations and of course incur CGT if I sell. +* Also I'm already $55K in the red with it, forgetting additional opportunity cost. +* **Best (most hopeful) outcome after 10 years (value rises 5% pa):** $135K 'up'. $480K less the $285K I've spent and less another estimated $60K renovations/CGT. +* **Middle possible outcome after 10 years (value rises 2% pa):** $55K 'up'. $370K less $285K less $30K renovations/CGT. + +**Another option: Sell apartment & rent-vest** + +* Sell now, incur \~$55K loss worst-case scenario. +* I estimate I'd spend $215K on rent over the next 10 years. (Obviously I can't know my future circumstances but just guessing for now.) +* Would aim to put about $7K pa into ETFs and hope for 9% pa compounding, giving $165K after 10 years (with initial $25K from selling the apartment now). +* **Best (most hopeful) outcome after 10 years:** $110K 'up' less initial $55K loss. + +What do you think? Am I doing this right? What am I missing? + +Thanks in advance! + +**Tl;dr – with a 10-year outlook in mind should I sell my one-bed Melbourne apartment, cop a $55K loss and invest in shares instead? Or do something else altogether?** +I am a working parent (casual support worker) but with COVID lockdown can only manage to work about 15hr a week. I am partnered and my husband works full time. We don’t squander our money but do have a mortgage, kids expenses (school fees, music tuition/extra curricular) and other standard living costs. We own one car outright and borrow my dads extra car and pay him costs to keep it on the road. We need 2 cars. These cars are old and we need to upgrade at least one of them in the next 6 months. We have cc debt of $3500 paying off regularly (on 0% interest till 2022). We are able to save a little bit each pay cycle but with my work situation, are often using the small savings for unexpected bills or expenses. In the last year, due to employment change for me (mental health issues), I have worked a mix of contract, employee and sole trader (commencing Dec 2021). I didn’t put any $$ away for taxes for the last 6 months for the sole trader work because we needed every cent to haul us out of last year’s COVID lockdown (I fell through the cracks re government support - I didn’t qualify for anything). I have now done my tax for FY20/21 and owe a whopping $12,500 tax and also $3500 Centrelink debt. I have no idea how I am going to pay it. I’m deeply concerned about our financial situation now and I have no idea how to navigate this one as I have never faced this before. + +Does anyone have any advice for me as to how to tackle this debt? Any work I do will be paying the tax and Centrelink debt and there will be nothing left for our current living expenses, or next years tax bill. Help! +Hey Reddit, + +So our mortgage broker recently told up our borrowing capacity had dropped to about 850,000 from over 1 mil in the last 2ish months + +Has anyone else had a similar experience or can explain why it has dropped off so much? We were expecting something but not over 200,000 + +Any help here would be greatly appreciated + +UPDATE - 27th Sep + +SO... +Turns out our mortgage broker made a slight mistake and put some numbers in the wrong spot in his funding table and that's what reduced out capacity. +We got an email back today with an updated funding table and we are back to over 1mil again. + +I would like to thank the Reddit Hive Mind for all your advise and help and "pointing in the right direction" that everyone offered. Maybe the internet isn't completely doomed +Whenever someone talks about depositing or saving money, most people instantly think about banks for some reason. IMO they are the worst way to save money, not only do they offer interest rates that are terrible and lower than the inflation rate, they're also terrible privacy wise. + +Crypto is much much better. I'm getting double digit interest rates, huge annual return due to Crypto's value rising PLUS a hedge against inflation. Moreover, there's no privacy concern and the utility is the same or even more than banks considering Crypto is being accepted more and more as a payment method with better discounts than bank credit cards. Who else does the same? +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Edit: deal is off + +The Tweet: https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1590013613586411520 + +> This afternoon, FTX asked for our help. There is a significant liquidity crunch. To protect users, we signed a non-binding LOI, intending to fully acquire http://FTX.com and help cover the liquidity crunch. We will be conducting a full DD in the coming days. + +I don't follow the space closely but from what I gather + +- Binance announced a few days ago they were selling FTX backed FTT because of issues at FTX, [causing a 30%+ crash](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ftx-token/) of FTT + +- FTX CEO SBF (oh my) denied all this just yesterday https://mobile.twitter.com/SBF_FTX/status/1589598284322328579 + +- However reports of being unable to[ withdraw from FTX](https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/08/ftxs-seemingly-sluggish-withdrawals-raise-eyebrows/) have started recently, along with reports that FTX has a [negative BTC balance](https://cryptoslate.com/bitcoin-balance-on-ftx-exchange-goes-negative-coinglass/) + +- Binance is the #1 crypto exchange while FTX is #3 creating a mega exchange (Coinbase is #2) + +- To further add to the drama, if it's to be believed, Binance worked with the FSB to provide data on Putin foe Alexei Navalny https://cryptobriefing.com/binance-turned-over-user-data-to-russian-authorities-report/ +The wearable camera maker tumbled 26% in after-hours trading yesterday after trimming its guidance and announcing it would cut its workforce by about 7%. "Fourth-quarter revenue reflects lower-than-anticipated sales of its capture devices due to slower-than-expected sell-through at retailers," GoPro (NASDAQ:GPRO) said in a statement. The company now expects Q4 and FY2015 sales of $435M and $1.6B, respectively. +That's according to Wall Street itself, which is pricing SCTY stock at a huge discount to its takeout price. Under the terms of the buyout agreement, SCTY shareholders will receive 0.11 shares of TSLA for each SolarCity share they own. + +The math on that: +TSLA price (9/16 close): $205.40 +Implied SCTY takeout price: $22.59 ($205.40 * 0.11) + +SCTY price (9/16 close): $17.50. + +So, SCTY is trading 23 percent below its takeout price, implying significant uncertainty. There are a few reasons for this, I leave it to you to decide how valid they are, but I just thought this was really interesting and a sort of under-covered topic. + +If you think the deal's gonna close in Q4, now might be a ripe time to load up on SolarCity. On the other hand, it's still dependent on Tesla's stock price, so you need to be somewhat confident that Tesla will remain stable for the next few months. + +Thoughts? + +http://money.usnews.com/investing/articles/2016-09-19/will-the-solarcity-corp-scty-deal-with-tesla-motors-inc-tsla-go-through +I have had good jobs since I have been out of college (graduated 2011) ranging from $50k at the start to $75k now. Single no kids. I used to not pay attention other than I knew how much I got paid so I knew how much I could spend. Cards were always paid off every month in full. I would often swipe a card 2-4 times per day: coffee, lunch, happy hour, dinner and shopping. I used the excuse "I am putting 6% (matched) into my 401k so it's ok if I don't save much." + + +This all started when I realized how much money I make and have nothing to show for it. Every year I would do my taxes and see I made like $60k and had $3,000 in my checking account. Did I really spend that much money this year? I got aboard the Dave Ramsey train and started paying attention to money and budgeting. The main driver I had to keep saving was I realized if I took my tax refund and my bonus this year I could pay off my student loans and be 100% completely and totally debt free. + + +So here I am 4 months in and it is awesome. I am no longer afraid to look at Mint because there is not much there. There are no more major swings in my bank account. I take out $100 per week as lunch/out to eat/beer/happy hour money and I have found that it sometimes lasts in to the next week. I successfully paid of all of my student loans and don't owe anybody anything. + + +Budgeting doesn't have to been an exact science. You will not be perfect the first few months. The main point the first few months is to just start realizing where the money is going. Then once you start to quantify some savings it motivates you to continue and refine your approach. + +Edit: For those saying I can budget and still use credit cards. I realize this, but I have found that I spend more when I use them. I was like everyone that always said "I use them responsibly and only buy what I would normally buy." However, what I found when I actually tested that theory is that I actually do spend about 25% less when spending cash. + +Edit2: For example I had a budget of $500 per month for restaurants based on using credit cards for all transactions. However when I switch to cash only I found I spend less than $400. So if I just kept budgeting as normal I would still be at $500. But by using cash I realized I spend less simply because it is cash. +This is a great sub for saving money in various ways, but what creative ways have you found to actually *increase* your income beyond regular income from your job? +Ok ok... I understand the buying and selling of items in games because well... they have a purpose. You can use them to enhance your gaming experience... + +I understand music.. I buy an album and then forever own it. If you wipe your hard drive you can recover it without having to buy it again.. + +I don't understand why on earth people pay huge money for gifs and jpgs. What do you do with it? Set it as your wallpaper? + +I'm being a bit facetious, I understand the concept of collectables but I don't see how it translates into digital form. If I buy a Rembrandt there's that knowledge its the exact canvas he worked on.. the texture, wear and tear, the history etc. In the digital world, the original has all the same properties as a replica. Why is one more special than the other? + +Am I the only one? +Hello everyone + +I am going to have to give up my business to look after my partner for the next couple of years. I'm starting another business which I can do from home, but by my reckoning neither of us will have a reliable income for the next three years. + +We live in a nice detached house, and we have a not so nice one bedroom flat. + +I have floated the idea of turning the house into an airbnb for a couple of years. My partner really doesn't like this; she is scared of moving back into the flat and wants to sell it. I am worried that we won't have enough income to afford our bills if we keep the house. + +We have cleared all our mortgages, but I have spent most of my reserve money on building works on the house. The costs of fixing it up have gone up tremendously because of a bad builder and unexpected work, but it's nearly there. My partner's illness really came out of the blue and I thought I would be able to build my savings back up again as my business gave me a reasonable income until recently. More fool me. + +I get that she doesn't want to move back to the flat but am very frustrated with my partner's attitude that we can carry on living here without an income. She isn't well enough to have a proper discussion about this at the minute. + +What would you do? We'd get about £80k for the flat, or £1000 a month (best guess after costs) for the house on Airbnb. How long can we both survive on £80k? Other than that, we sell the house. It is probably worth £400k. It's so galling to have lived in a building site for seven years, only to sell it when it's almost ready. + +I hope this doesn't come across as feeling too sorry for myself; owning two properties and no debts is not a bad position to be in. +So im high and taking a massive dukie and it dawns on me................. we are gonna be talked about for generations to come. + + +Just like the story of a town in Florida who became rich due to them buying a soda company before the depression or some shit like that. + + +Or the people who say i should have bought a certain digital coin in 2013 when it was dirt cheap and someone used it to buy pizza. + + +GME investors are going to be the greatest investors of all time and many people will say we got lucky but I know it wasnt easy, I held and continue to do so becasue I did my research, i read and learned a shit tone over this 1 +year that has gone on. I dont become the very least scared when the price drops, it excits me and makes me wanna get my paycheck faster so i can dump it in my favorite stock. + + +I work with children and man it hurts to see them not have their own school or playground, so after MOASS thats one thing im gonna do, im gonna help kids have a stable school which they can revisit years after they graduate, FOR A BETTER FUTURE, CHEERS! + + +Sorry if a little ranty i just wanted to share my stoner thoughts, peace! + +Edit: holy shit I didn't expect this to get this much attention, thank you so much and I'm going to try and reply to the comments. + +Edit2: I just got out of work and find my phone blowing up, thank you all for the kind words and awards i really appreciate them. I have never had a post blow up like this and it feels so awesome to see many who think like me and for those who dont or only spread negativity, please stop, it helps no one. +MOASS IS TOMORROW! 🚀🚀🚀🚀 +I'm an idiot, I knew better, I was in a whirlwind frame of mind and actually pushed my secrets through my cell phone. They took it in a second and I knew immediately how fucking dumb I was. + +Took my wife every bit of pressure to let me buy 1.4BTC a few years ago. She has finally come around, thinking about all the things we can now do with $35k. I have to tell her it's all gone. I feel like such a fool. Can't sleep at night, can't stop fevering every hour. It's been over a month now and I still can't get up the courage to tell her. And it's only getting more and more painful. + +Fuck. Don't be me. Thanks for letting me tell someone. Burner account, sorry. + +************* + +UPDATE: First of all I want to thank everyone who took the time to reply to me. If anyone followed through you will see how remarkable the support was and so devoid of ridicule. I was absolutely blown away as each of the comments came in. It was astounding, thank you. But, if you missed what also happened, let me tell you about it. This post from u/fakebluepants : + +https://old.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/krrq5i/i_fell_for_a_ledger_scam_a_month_ago_still_cant/gidq35v/ + +Even now, I have no honest explanation as to what made this fellow bitcoiner reach out to me, to change my world (and my wife's) and to affect an absolute stranger beyond what seems to be so rare. I guess it is 'Pay it forward' in real life. I really don't know what to say to everyone and how to thank him sufficiently. This kind of salvation, this good Samaritan is never expected. My hands are still shaking as I type this out. I just can't express what just transpired in my life and it's all down to a person who wanted to help out another fellow person. I dunno. + +So, let's get straight to the talk with the wife. And let me be clear, I posted this last night to get it all off my chest before I would finally break down tonight to my wife to tell her what I did. I wanted to hear everything you all gave me. And I think last night was by far the most restless for me. I spent 1am until from what I can remember, about 2:30am overthinking it all. How to just man up, how to make sure it was perfectly clear that I. Fucked. Up. + +I woke up this morning, immediate anticipation of how I would have to wait the day until we saw each other again. I got my shit together and refreshed my post to see the responses from overnight. Reading through, responding, reading through, responding, and u/fakebluepants had edited his post, re-affirming that he was not going to give me $.56 worth of BTC, he was truly going to give me .7BTC (~$26000). And he did. Not a joke. This was not a scam. I don't know him, I have never met him, I never posted this to find him, he asked nothing of me and he. fucking. did it. + +From that very moment, my brain was absolutely uncontrollable. I was immediately in a haze, what just happened? Why me? Who is this guy? This is not reality. I'll keep repeating myself here, but it is very hard to describe the emotions I was (and still am) having. You can only imagine the weight this lifted off my shoulders regarding sitting my wife down. While I am still the fool, still the guy who thought he was smart, I had a some sort of miraculous lifeline. Again, from a complete stranger. It makes me laugh 12 hours later, shaking my head laugh. Who are we to deserve this? WTF, mate? Ok, ok. So my wife comes home from work... + +I told she has to sit down with me and I have to tell her something devastating that will evolve into the craziest story that was made-for-Hollywood. We are two peas in a pod, I had already known there would be no anger, no fisticuffs, no ridicule, she wasn't gonna slap me. And that was the hardest part and why I took so long to tell her. I started at the beginning. I had ignored an email and multiple text messages from "Ledger" and finally one night, I get another text message from "Ledger". I don't know if I was in Holiday season mode and relaxed, but I fell for it. It was a phishing scam, I broke rule #1 and gave away everything in the blink of an eye and we were absolutely out our 1.4BTC. I told her that Ledger told me to get fucked, we're not your bank, you broke rule #1 and there is no way to get it back, consider it gone. + +It was at this point I told her to listen to the rest of it, but I asked her if she had her head wrapped around what I just told her. Our 1.4BTC is gone. Our plans have been canceled. I fucked up. We bought our first sliver of bitcoin in 2013. And I kept finding "extra" money to buy a little here and there. When it went down to $4500 not too long ago I convinced her to let me take another stab and get us up to 1.4BTC. We agreed and obviously that was turning out gangbusters. Cut to modern day, our 1.4BTC was suddenly to the moon. My wife now after 7 years started texting me screenshots of the price of Bitcoin. All she wanted to do was talk about bitcoin and how smart I was and how this is a serious opportunity to better ourselves. And then I gave it all away in less than a second. Now, those texts of Bitcoin going over 25k, over 30k, over 35k, ughh. In fact, she texted me this afternoon with a screenshot of bitcoin at 37k. ***anticipation rising!*** + +Ok, so she is not mad. When I give her a chance to say something, she has this look on her face of relief. She thought I was sitting her down to tell her I was sick. Ok, ok, let me explain. I started off by telling her that I needed to tell her something that I have been hiding from her and that what I was going to explain was going to be difficult and it's all my own fault. My wife is not a worry-wort, but the way she cares about me and my health and our well being is off the charts. Her mind goes straight to our health when she thinks about "bad things that can happen". It's never anything else. So again I just said, we have lost it, it's not there for us anymore. I wanted to continue the story so I jumped right into part 2. I wanted her to clearly understand that it's gone but yet I didn't want her to suffer before she hears the next part. + +I start to now explain u/fakebluepants. I begin to say "hey, so I posted this on r/bitcoin last night...". I showed her the thread, then showed her his posts and our discussion back and forth. Remember, I went to bed last night telling him that I would absolutely take $.56 of bitcoin just to get me back into HODLing. I thought nothing of it. In fact, so many posted "welp, just buy back into bitcoin!". And that's what I thought too. Let me get something going and get back to finding extra money to start all over again. To still be a part of the scene, to make something of the 7 years I've spent, sliver by sliver. + +I then show her the email I got from Coinbase at 8:42am stating that "You just received +0.7000 BTC ($26,844.49 USD)". It took a second for her to grasp the reality of it all. This is a wild story, I was trying not to leave anything out, my heart is racing the whole time. Then she begins to cry. I begin to cry. We're both fucking crying. Why us? How is this real? Who is this guy? What picture show is this? I have been struggling to find the words strong enough to explain the feeling of it all, the compassion, the generosity, the anonymity. One person had no business being so kind to us. I still can't get my head around it. + +For me and my wife, this is such an extraordinary and life-changing story. It's not just about having .7BTC and away we go. It is that someone took a wild stab at resetting the path of complete strangers, for no reward, no ask, nothing to prove. Our brains are still a scrambled mess but someday we will pay it back to u/fakebluepants in one form or another. This type of humanity must always be rewarded and my wife and I are set out to do that. + +So yeah... when it all shakes out, we have lost .7BTC, but I feel like we have just lived through some crazy angle of reality and it is worth every penny of it. My wife still loves me. I'm still blessed. And to those who commented that "if that was the worst mistake of your life, you are doing ok". You were right all along. + +Thank you u/fakebluepants for what you have done. YOU have started the greatest scam of all time. Be good to someone and you might encourage others to do the same. How preposterous! And thank you to everyone else. Stamp this thread as an example to us all. There are some very fortunate people who have been touched by the extraordinary and it needs to be celebrated. + +TL;DR: Fell for bitcoin phishing scam. Hid it from my wife. Posted here to help me get my head around it all. Anonymous user offered to pick up half of what I lost. He. Fucking. Did it. Finally sat down my wife, she didn't even call me a "doughnut". We cried but then we just sat for two hours (she goes to bed early for work) saying "fake blue pants, what??? who???". + +My faith is in people. I can prove it. +This is just me being frustrated. I just wanted to say it. + +I have sensory issues. There are a lot of things I can't eat, trying will legitimately make me puke. That's not hyperbole- I have thrown up from that before. I was trying my very hardest, choking and gagging, to just eat the food. I threw up anyway. I'm not just a spoiled child or something, I really can't keep a lot of things down. + +People have told me all my life "Well if you won't eat [food] then you just must not be really hungry." I get so mad. I've been in a situation where I was dropping weight like crazy and near passing out because I was starving, and I still didn't eat that stuff. Why? Because throwing up is not productive when you're hungry! I was living off a few potatoes a day at the time and no one considered it an issue because there were canned green beans and whatnot around that I wasn't eating. That I couldn't eat. It messed me up bad and I still have food anxiety issues from it. + +For perspective, imagine you found a rotten piece of days old fly-covered chicken in an oily puddle on the side of the road. Imagine someone told you that if you were *really* hungry, you'd just eat that. That's how I feel a lot of the time. + +But the list of things I can eat is so darn small. I rely on meat a lot, which gets *expensive*. I can't make any of those cheap meal recipes, because most of the time a good 2/3rds of the ingredients are inedible to me. I try to use as much cheap "filler" food (rice, bread, noodles, potato) as I can, but you can only eat so much of that stuff in one sitting. Or at least, I can only eat so much of it- If I try to eat nothing but fillers for a meal, I start getting flashbacks to that time I was starving and was living off nothing but a few potatoes a day. Then my food anxiety starts coming back, then I end up binge eating because my brain is a panicked animal. + +It's so darn hard to balance cheap meals with both sensory issues and knowing that if I cheap out too much I'm going to end up in that food panic spiral again. + +I'm okay. I'm not starving right now or anything. I make enough to cover my essentials- barely, but enough. I just get so frustrated with myself when I see how much money I could save, if my body would let me eat cheaper. I'm jealous of people who can have beans on rice. But oops, I can't eat beans. + +I'm just frustrated. I just wanted to complain. +Hello, first time posting. This isn’t meant to come across as a brag post, apologies if it does. + +As per the title, I’m only 22, any information at all on what I should do with this sum of money? I don’t want it to just sit in my bank account, plus isn’t only the first £85,000 insured as well? Sorry if this makes me sound like a complete idiot but this is exactly my predicament. I’m pretty young and new to all this and genuinely have no idea what to do with this inheritance. Kind of worried about it if I’m honest. + +Thanks in advance for any info, + +TJ +the teeka dude has been barred as early as 2005 from trading in any stocks and associating with any stock broker. + +https://www.finra.org/sites/default/files/fda_documents/C10050031_FDA_Z1090124.pdf + +https://files.brokercheck.finra.org/individual/individual_1995398.pdf + +suddenly he is out giving crypto advice? + +all his picks are shameless pump and dumps. looking at the chart patters of his calls is enough to understand it is a pnd, criminal investigations and subpeonas into the trade and movement of coins should leave no doubt who is behind the dump at the end of all his "picks" + +time to have him investigated, the only firm afaik that specializes in crypto related investigations is silver miller: https://www.silvermillerlaw.com + +you can write to them directly through their website. they even offer free consulting. + +note : any one who has bought his shitty package can make themselves party to legal action. i am going to buy that worthless crap right now, just so that make myself a party to any complaint that may be filed and take down this shameless scammer. + +this moral and ethic less pump and dump scammer needs to be shut down before he traps more and more newbies into his scam and leaves them holding heavy bags. + + +this scammer will really be calling an **"emergency meeting"** soon with his lawyers.... + +And I don't mean the charismatic and messianic type when I say the best. I mean the one who have a substantial record of accomplishments and his vision is being proved right. For me that one now is Jensen Huang from Nvidia. +When I say the one who should go away, he can have the best record, but he no longer fits in the company or has underperformed substantially recently. I will be controversial and say that one is Warren Edward Buffet from Berkshire. +**EDIT: So after getting some pushback from arguments I didn't expect, I realize I was remiss in not including a HUGE piece of the puzzle as to *why* price action won't cause MOASS. I assumed people took this piece into account and I was harsher than I should have been in the comments. People have correctly pointed out that price action should trigger failed margin calls. The issue is that this thing has gotten so big that the firms doing the margin calls are likely exposed on the short side as well. Certainly their prime brokers are pressuring long firms to be lenient with margin calls ("owe the bank $100 you got a problem, owe the bank $100 million the bank's got a problem"). I strongly believe this is why we haven't seen those margin calls yet. DRS puts an end to these incestuous insider games. I apologize ~~if I was~~ because I was an asshole in the comments.** + + +Like the rest of you, I'm happy about Friday's close. But as a GME investor since 2020 like a lot of you, I'm all too familiar with brazen fuckery to think this signifies anything. I've seen some posts here lately from apes who've held as long or even longer than me expressing valid frustration with how long it's taking and the dearth of clear communication from Gamestop (though a well timed RC tweet 2 weeks ago hinted that he *was* paying attention). My next statement may be controversial, but it makes our journey all the more impressive. + +===WITHOUT DRS CITADEL WOULD HAVE WON=== + +We've studied the DD for almost a year. We've known that this investment isn't just rational, it's *hyper rational* as one article put it. So we've put a lot of money into it. In many cases it was money that we may have been setting aside for a rainy day knowing it was in a safe place, knowing the hedgies couldn't carry the weight of those unrealized losses for that long. We saw the dirty tricks, but had no idea just how thoroughly corrupt the system was. + +Our rallying cry that we could "stay retarded longer than they could stay solvent" was based on the premise that the FI's were required to make good on their financial obligations. But the price action since July proved that just how tight their grip on the price was (and by the laws of supply and demand, their unchecked ability to create synthetic shares). + +And they're counting on dragging this out long enough for life to hit us in ways would effect us a lot differently than it would a rich HF manager. The car's going to need repair, the partner or spouse is ready to get out of the apartment and make the down payment on a house, fatigue from turning down purchases or vacations make people finally crack and sell. Just a little at first, of course, then a little more couldn't hurt, until enough people do it to put SHF in a position where closing or escaping at a low price is possible. + +And it almost worked.... + +========================================== + +*"The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true."* + +During the January squeeze, the meme game was amazing. There were so many good ones, but for some reason my favorites came from Lord of the Rings, even I wasn't particularly partial to any of source material for those memes. I liked *all* the references. But LOTR has proven to be a great analogy. + +Much like Sauron, the powerful entities on the other side such as Citadel, Susquehanna, HF's, and the prime brokers can't be beaten in traditional battle (trading). They have too much control. In LOTR, only a practically suicidal quest to destroy the One Ring could defeat Sauron. In this saga, only an arcane and previously considered impossible goal to register every share of stock can defeat the shorts. But it's certain victory ~~if~~ when it succeeds. + +Likewise, in LOTR, where destorying the ring was impossible for great warriors and godlike beings and so it took the lowly, simple hobbits to do it, no big FI's would consider doing this. They don't have the sense of justice and scrappiness the retail trader does. And like the Hobbits who had Aragorn, Gandalf, and the others, we have former big traders, insiders, and whistleblowers. And like in the books and movies, they've trained us to fight. But the quest is ultimately in the hands of retail. And we're well on our way. + +========================================== + +So now that we've begun the process of DRS and do more and more every day, the LOTR analogy breaks. Because float locking is no longer a long shot, but an eventuality. A registered shareholder is owed a fiduciary duty by Gamestop. They can't allow more to be registered than there are in the float. If they *are* doing so, we have a right as shareholders to find out how many are registered. If we suspect for any plausible reason that our investment isn't being protected, we have legal recourse. I personally want to check on March 10th, plenty of time to DRS most of the float, and a reasonable goal for people to keep HODLing every share before the proverbial rainy day. And it's symbolically one year from the dirty $200 20 minute drop. Which personally made me feel even more violated than the buy button fraud in January. + +====WHAT HAPPENS WHEN FLOAT IS LOCKED?=== + +There are, logically, 2 possibilities after a shares are locked and there are still shares in brokerages or available for purchase. + +1. MOASS. When CAll shares in brokerage must be immediately purchased. The price skyrockets and all goes according to plan. Though I admit I'm sadly skeptical this continues without some kind of government intervention capping it out and paying us directly on some type of negotiated term. But it would need to be enough to salvage any scrap of faith in the system, which would be a lot. + +2. Float registered and nothing happens or a forced liquidation of our stocks or a negotiated payout that's insulting low. This scenario portends far more worrisome implications than us not getting our tendies. Imagine the whole world sees a stock completely spoken for yet still being sold on the market. + +*This* wouldn't fly under the radar. Everyone from Jon Oliver to Jimmy Kimmel to Joe Rogan to Charles Payne to Stephen Colbert to [several politicians, gotta be careful about using any politicians' names to avoid automod] and every voice with a platform and investments of any kind would howl. + +The US market would be seen as so corrupt as to be useless. Not only eye-rollingly "oh all banker and politicians are dirty" corrupt, but so corrupt as to ensure no one ever invests another dime into this black hole. No IPO would take place here, no foreign pension would dream of parking their money here. Far more quickly than Wall Street became the financial capital of the world in 1914-18 it would lose that title. And likely it's attendant world power status. + +The good news is that the US government letting all this come to pass is far less likely than the first possibility. + +Buy. HODL. DRS. And victory is inevitable. +Hi, I received a surprise 5k cheque today from a family member. I am in the process of buying/selling houses, have offers accepted on sale/purchase as of a day or two ago. + +I really really don't want to have to ask the family for gifted deposit letters etc as this isn't the purpose of the gift and will not be used as such (and I don't want to inconvenience her / pay the fees). I'm worried though that the deposit will look like it is towards the house if I just stick it in my current account which will have a bunch of house-related purchases in it. + +Is this a valid concern? I have a few options of things I was thinking of doing with the money: + +- Immediately put towards my outstanding student loan balance (going via my current account) +- Immediately transfer to one of my daughters savings accounts (going via my current account). +- Hang on to cheque until completion (although there's always a chance this ends up taking months and I have to awkwardly ask for a new cheque) + +Any thoughts? Not sure if I'm being paranoid here, or if I genuinely could cause a bit of a hassle. +Yeah, I know. "Not your keys not your coins." I understand, it sounds risky. + +But have I paid even a penny in transaction fees? Nope. + +Did I spend $100+ on a hardware wallet? Nope, I looked at the cool wallets online and put that $ directly into the last ETH dip. + +Am I investing only what I can afford to lose? Nope, a rugpull/exchange hack would ruin me financially. + +How do I sleep at night? (*I don't, but not because of this*) + +I have accounts on multiple KYC exchanges, each with a different $ amount of my portfolio based on how comfortable I am with holding that amount on the particular exchange. Some exchanges have more coins available than others, so that's another factor. One of these exchanges is listed directly on the NASDAQ. Another exchange is a subsidiary of a company listed on the CSE (Canadian Stock Exchange). **Note: both DO have the option to withdraw your crypto, so it is "mine".** It's 2FA secured and I am forewarned about any maintenance that limits my ability to trade. + +If these guys run away with my crypto, I think the SEC and CSA (Canadian Securities Administrators) will finally have a reason to stop browsing p\*rnhub. It will give them a reason to bring that "regulation" that Gary Gensler is hot for. So I personally choose to believe the days of Mt.Gox and Quadriga are behind us, when it comes to BrandName^(TM) exchanges. And that's why I don't complain about gas fees. Because I only pay the spread between buying and selling. + +With crypto gaining adoption, and being accepted as a security in some states, surely many are to follow. I believe this will lead to more investors and more people being comfortable with depositing and holding funds on an exchange, similar to on a brokerage when trading stocks. + +Anyways, just my 2 sats. +So yesterday we are celebrated a family members birthday, I couldn't afford much, I got some cool candles for the dessert we're having, & a card (I wrote a nice little message for them as well :)) & gift card to their fav coffee shop ($10) and was told by my other family I should've went all out and bought big or got them a physical item and not a stupid 'gift card' that's inside the card. I thought it would be a good gift since they go to that coffee shop often and is what I could afford, not everyone has tons of money to spend :( thought I did nice thing but some of my family made me feel kind ashamed I didn't get a better 'item' or 'gift' + +Just little rant/vent, people think family should be spent more on, what do you think if you had similar situation before or not. +A friend of mine works at Outback Steakhouse and told me recently that they lowered their prices because of economic indications made by Outback Corporate. Then I read that Verizon, Best Buy and Sony are all firing a ton of employees. I had also heard that gas prices are going to be something like $6 a gallon this summer. +Is something big about to go down? +A problem that has become common lately is national economies missing inflation targets. + +Why doesn't the central bank buy treasury bonds, and then the treasury can mail checks to everyone? This would help ensure that inflation hit targets, while at the same time helping stimulate economic activity and consumerism, while supporting people's incomes at a time when wages are depressed. + +It seems like a solution that meets the goals of the central bank and the governments, so why don't they do it? Why isn't it ever even discussed? + +(Please note, I'm not *advocating* this idea, I just don't understand why it isn't done when it seems to meet the goals of the parties involved.) +I couldn't ever get filthy rich simply because I'd be out there using it to make sure others wouldn't grow up without enough. I don't know if it can be a perspective thing, perhaps it is. I've seen the bottom and still others would think it decent. I give props to those that donate but what are millions to billions and why would you need/want that much, knowing the change it could create? +7 BILLION PEOPLE +ONE PLANET +FINITE RESOURCES +INCREASING POLLUTION +BANKRUPT ECONOMIES +MANIPULATED MARKETS + + +Finance is just a game played between people to control resources and each other. Money and debt are the tools used for control in finance games. The control mechanisms are simple, money can only be created by bank loans while society uses the military, courts, and police enforce bank debts. However, if bankers don't continuously make sufficient new loans, not enough money is created to service growing interest obligations causing debts to fail. + +The failure to make sufficient new loans occured in 2008. An unprecedented number of loans defaulted and the entire financial system collapsed. The game was rescued by government using massive public borrowing and obligations to bail out private banks and wealthy people. The poor did not benefit much as they had little or no financial assets to rescue. Since 2008, economic and environmental conditions have deteriorated for many around the world. As wealth concentrates in fewer hands, the highly leveraged financial game must fail again. But this time around, the rules of money will change because wealth is now interconnected between everyone due to the unprecedented rise in public debts and obligations. +Gas fees on Ethereum blockchain have reduced by almost 50% due to adoption of flashbots by traders in place of PGA bots. In the last 24 hours, the average gas fees for transactions has come down from around 120 gwei to around 65 gwei currently. + + +Right now over 58% of the hashrate is achieved on flashbots and PGA bots seem no longer able to compete. PGA bots usage increases the fees paid by Ethereum users while flashbots reduce it. As flashbots gain larger share of hash rate then gas prices should continue dropping. + +PGA means Priority Gas Auction. It’s when arbitrage bots monitor their competitors transactions and keep bidding up the gas against each other. While the traders can get their transaction higher up in their priority list, this keeps the gas fees on mainnet up high arbitrarily. + + +Here is a paper on gas fees mechanics in a decentralised ecosystem: +https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.05234 +&nbsp; + +####30,000 Holders have chosen SafeGem as their moonshot. SafeGem is one of the few projects that has been holding well during BTC crash. The project received amazing feedback after the Tesla tweet and the marketcap doubled within minutes. The CMC/CG listings have been finalized. SafeGem is ready for the BULLRUN, currently sitting at $10m market cap and 30,000+ Holders. + +&nbsp; + +###Crypto ZEUS has just delivered an amazing review of SafeGem and announced a Twitter Giveaway!! + +&nbsp; + +[Check out Crypto ZEUS on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SLhwWMDwqU) +[Check out his Twitter Giveaway.](https://twitter.com/CryptoZeusYT/status/1395402957680562183) + +&nbsp; + +###SafeGem Finance + +&nbsp; + +SafeGem is a high yield hyper-deflationary token. The project is building a NFT-Marketplace that will authenticate precious stones by providing digital signatures. There is a huge demand in the market for this utility as validated by the B2B jewelers and precious stones dealers from Canada and US. The team has gained tremendous support from community. New logo, new website and new designers have joined the team. NFT Launchpad is in progress and + +&nbsp; + +**What's next at SafeGem?** + +- Apart from the NFT Platform, the devs have announced **SafeGem's Product Ecosystem which includes;** +- **SafeGem Crypto Education App** to educate and motivate new crypto enthusiasts where they will be able to learn basics of trading and testing real market conditions. +- **SafeGem Mobile Wallet** that will hold native tokens **$GEMS** +- **NFT Marketplace for Charity** for donations to **Human Rights Foundations** +- **SafeGem Crypto Verse:** A comic series that will cover important news from the crypto world! + +&nbsp; + +###SafeGem Protocol + +&nbsp; + +SafeGem applies 5% continuous burn and 6% token token redistribution. The burn is autonomous and reduces Total Supply of SafeGem continuously. +The token distribution is as follows: + +&nbsp; + +|Maximum Supply|Tokens Burnt|Circulating Supply| +|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:| +|100 Quad $GEMS|66 Quad $GEMS|34 Quad $GEMS| + +&nbsp; + +**There is More!!** + +&nbsp; + +- MaxTX anti dump protocol +- Multisignature marketing wallets locked for 60 days with gradual unlocking procedure +- Professional Dev team with more than 10 years of experience in blockchain, marketing, software development and operations! +- Under the Radar BSC Gem! +- High-level team engagement! +- A long term utility project! + +&nbsp; + +&nbsp; + +**SafeGem Community** + +&nbsp; + +- Website: https://safegem.finance/ +- CoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/safegem-finance/ +- CoinGecko: https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/safegem +- Stocktwits: https://stocktwits.com/symbol/GEMS.X +- Reddit: r/SafeGemFinance +- Contract: 0xdfdec49462f7d3c3b0a48e729f77a0645cdfa7c0 +- Chart: https://charts.bogged.finance/?token=0xdfdec49462f7d3c3b0a48e729f77a0645cdfa7c0 +- Medium: https://safegemfinance.medium.com/ + +&nbsp; +Real talk. I think I'll have issues walking away from the money when I've hit my target FI number. Not sure if I will actually be able to retire early especially if my peers are working. I'll probably have the mentality that every paycheck from that point on can be fully spent and I can buy as many things related to my hobbies as I want. Part time is more likely in the cards for me. Anyone else in this boat? +[GameStop.com](https://www.gamestop.com/) || Shop [Internationally](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/vyyzmx/gamestop_retail_international_nft_game_informer/) || [NFT Marketplace](https://nft.gamestop.com) + +GameStop [Investor Relations](https://news.gamestop.com/) + +# 🙋 ​[What's GME & should I consider investing?](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/qig65g/welcome_rall_looking_to_catch_up_on_the_gme_saga/) + +# 📚 Library of Due Diligence [GME.fyi](https://fliphtml5.com/bookcase/kosyg) + +>A collection of over 200 of the most important, groundbreaking **D**ue **D**iligence. If you're looking to familiarize yourself with the GME bull thesis or the underhanded tactics of the short sellers involved in this trade– then this is for you + +# 🟣 [Computershare Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/x3byy4/drscomputershare_megathread_092022/) + +>Wondering what DRS is? Want to know how and why people are Direct Registering their shares? Here you'll find our guide and additional resources, as well as a welcoming community answering questions in the comments! + +🏴‍☠️ [NFT Marketplace & Wallet Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/vluysg/gamestop_nft_marketplace_wallet_megathread/) + +>Why is GameStop getting into NFTs? *WTF* even is an NFT? How do I set up a GameStop Wallet? How do I get a cool/custom wallet address? All these questions and more are answered here! + +**Read** [**the Rules & Wiki**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/wiki/index) **||** [**MOASS FAQ**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/wiki/index/faq) **|| Join our** [**Discord**](https://discord.gg/Superstonk) + +How to [feed DRSBOT](https://www.reddit.com/r/GMEOrphans/comments/qlvour/welcome_to_gmeorphans_read_this_post/). Low karma? Post your DRS on r/GMEOrphans + +How to [Filter by Flair & Search](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/v0oxp2/how_to_filter_by_flair_search_for_posts_on/) on Superstonk + +Tag u/Superstonk-Flairy for user flairs, find [custom emoji options here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/v89p0h/new_superstonk_user_flair_emojis_how_to_edit_your/) +I’m 45 yrs old have a 400k ish mortgage and am self employed so can choose my own super contributions … should I put all my money into the mortgage and try to pay it off as quickly as possible or continue to make super contributions also ? I know there is a tax benefit to super contributions but assume interest rates on the loan are higher than super returns ? +Just out of curiosity I jumped on the ‘realestate.com.au’ app and searched rentals in melb/Sydney. I then sorted by ‘newest-oldest’... try it for yourself there are hundreds of places being up for rent in the pay few days. Just looking at Melbourne CBD alone and 4000 something rentals with hundreds listed today! Looks like a mad rush to secure tenants! What’s the theory? Air-bnb hosts taking on losses? Empty student accomodation? +Ive been building up my emergency fund since the start of the year and I it for the first time today when something unexpected popped up and it felt so good. No stress knowing that i had the cash to cover it and it wouldnt affect my other savings or daily life. + +Get your emergency funds in order peeps. So helpful for peace of mind. +***Intro*** + +I am not providing financial advice nor am I a financial advisor. I’m a truck driver. If you think this constitutes advice, you may need a helmet and a 5-point harness for this ride…. Literally. + +This is my first legitimate attempt at DD and even then, I’m only putting it up because I don’t have the wrinkles to continue this research any further. I’ve posted one of these articles in here before to very limited applause, but Canada seemingly pops up numerous times as facilitating the Naked Short thesis. Also keep in mind the ongoing discussions surrounding Cayman Islands corporations, Zombie companies, SSR and how it never has any effect, as well as the fact that shorts never covered. + +Let me very clear…. My brain is smooth. I don’t have the investigative wherewithal to continue digging into this further the way the Superstonk community can. I’m merely presenting what I have found in the hopes that this ignites the community to continue pushing forward. My personal legal interpretation experience all relates to traffic law so it's quite possible that I don't know shit about fuck. + +**Please. For the Love of APE I need you to understand that I WANT TO BE WRONG. Fucking debunk me actually though! Constructive Criticism is incredibly welcome!** + +I know that a lot of people are comfortable or zen with the level of DD that has been completed thus far, especially in the wake of current events and what their implications may mean. I am not one of those apes, and in the sphere of the current situation I think it’s important that the community looks through the Canadian landscape of Legal Naked Short Selling and Banking Secrecy laws that certainly provide some concrete evidence that the manipulation may include Canada “the money laundering capital of the world” + +Ultimately, I’m more looking for this to be expanded on more than anything else, I want to not be right about the rife abuse where I live, but I can’t find anything related that clarifies that these things have changed here. + +**1.** **Cellar Boxing DD opens a personal Pandora’s Box** + +If you're new here and you haven’t read it yet : [https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/pmj9yk/i\_found\_the\_entire\_naked\_shorting\_game\_plan/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/pmj9yk/i_found_the_entire_naked_shorting_game_plan/) + +5 Months ago u/thabat wrote one of the communities defining DD's that revolved around the idea of Cellar Boxing stocks. It was fascinating to me, and seemingly explained a whole swath of the idea of Zombie Stocks and exactly what the inevitable game plan was with GME pre-sneeze. It wasn’t so much the incredible quality of the DD or what it was alluding to that caught my eye. + +I want to point you to one small and minute portion of the original forum post that sparked this DD: + +&#x200B; + +[WTF?!](https://preview.redd.it/gsiubj8edfi81.png?width=1560&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff005316b55c9350393a5528cb5f5746e57e3fad) + +While this wouldn’t mean a lot to most people, I am a Canadian, and I do not want to be unwittingly complicit in any naked shorting scams, nor do I believe any of my fellow Canad-EHps North of the Border. + +As soon as I saw this, I started looking for more information that would point to the fact that Canada played a much larger role than originally thought. + +***2.*** ***Dr. Jim Decosta, The OG Silverback, and the “Tunnel Under the Border”*** + +The Ape, the myth, the legend. He goes into stunning detail corroborating all of this and lays out the framework to see how this is done. I’m only focusing on the Sedona section (Section 23 if you want to read without my highlights) here as this comment alone had to be trimmed to fit into a singular reddit post. (It's 40k+ words) + +For posterity I’m posting a screenshot, but you can find a link to the SEC comment here: + +[https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s72303/decosta122203.htm](https://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/s72303/decosta122203.htm) + +This thing is a fucking gold mine as far as I am concerned, there is far more than I can adequately cover in this DD alone. Please pay attention to the fact that searching the article (Ctrl+F = Canad, appears 34 times for Canada/Canadian). + +These highlights are all my own, but I believe the doctor laid us out the methodology to see how this all functions almost 20 years ago and I want to put it forward to the wrinkle brains in the community to continue the research. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/tq0p7utjdfi81.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=c79fe51af7b53d96c9989891f871385af3676da9 + +&#x200B; + +[I'm a truck driver, butt fuck me if this doesn't look like a map](https://preview.redd.it/8lwubmhldfi81.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=924f94a6fd4aac44bbe014081f1b6869a4aa288d) + +\- As per the SEC’s own admission Canadian Broker Dealers (CBD's) are not required to register with NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers) and therefore are not subject to short selling restrictions. + +\- There is an “Umbrella of Immunity from the Borrow” (I will cover this later) + +\- Canadian delivery laws differ from those in the US + +\- It is absolutely LEGAL to naked short a stock in Canada + +If you were thinking that would change, the last amendment I can find in Canada related to this is 4/23/2015. It is linked below (again links, if you don't like don't click). + +Please keep in mind that in every province in Canada there is a different securities association. (I’m focusing on Ontario currently because that is where Canadian Markets are located) + +Link : [https://www.osc.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/irps/rule\_20150423\_32-505\_conditional-exemption.pdf](https://www.osc.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/irps/rule_20150423_32-505_conditional-exemption.pdf) + +Directly from the link: + +>This notice gives an overview of the Rule and its Companion Policy (defined below) and contains the following annexes: +> +>· Annex A – OSC Rule 32-505 Conditional Exemption from Registration for United States Broker-Dealers and Advisers Servicing U.S. Clients from Ontario +> +>· Annex B – Companion Policy 32-505CP Conditional Exemption from Registration for United States Broker-Dealers and Advisers Servicing U.S. Clients from Ontario (the Companion Policy) + +Ok, well fuck. So that very well means that this apparent “Tunnel Under the Border” still exists today. If only I could find some other write-up that may support the theory and potentially expand. + +***3. Further corroboration of Dr. Jim Decosta by an unknown author on the silicon investor forums (9/27/2006)*** + +Link : [https://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=22856435](https://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=22856435) + +If you’re unaware this is the same forum that provided the OG Cellar Boxing article, long before the Apes hopped into GME and joined the train. The post itself goes on to provide additional insight into how the naked shorting fiasco functions through Canadian Margin accounts. + +*Since links aren’t ideal at all I’ve taken two screenies for the Apes. If you don't like, don't click above.* + +&#x200B; + +[Unsurpised Face](https://preview.redd.it/9to54k62efi81.png?width=2518&format=png&auto=webp&s=13b6531d933bcedda3b09adab581ac690cf57949) + +&#x200B; + +[DING DING DING Mother fucker.](https://preview.redd.it/liyx2mm3efi81.png?width=2518&format=png&auto=webp&s=f9dcae79400b8140aca69d150508bc3fe3ec405f) + +Jackpot! + +Hot Potato! + +This is market manipulation at its finest! Hedge Funds are the largest holders of these accounts, who are not required to follow the rules and regulations and can infinitely Fail to Deliver shares by playing hot potato between themselves and other complicit entities. + +To understand how Failure’s can continue for years you have to know how Fails are dealt with in the Canadian Market. + +\- If a short sale cannot be settled within two trading days of the order (T+2) then it becomes a failed trade + +\- However, the short seller has 10 trading days (T+12) to locate and deliver the shares before the failed trade must be reported to the IIROC as an “Extended Failed Trade” + +\- There are no regulatory consequences for an extended failed trade, although an extended failed trade MAY prevent further short sales (Also notice in the link above that there is absolutely NO Disciplinary History, so that’s a fucking lie) + +\- Trades settled through CDS Clearing and Depository Services are subject to CDS’ own settlement rules (found here [https://www.cds.ca/participants/settlement-and-clearing](https://www.cds.ca/participants/settlement-and-clearing).) + +\- CDS imposes a daily fee for a failure to deliver shares to settle an outstanding settlement position in its continuous net settlement system and provides a buy-in process which allows a buyer who has not received the purchased shares to force settlement. + +\- HOWEVER, these fees and buy-in requirements carry **NO REGULATORY SANCTIONS** + +&#x200B; + +GUH, WELL FUCK. So not only does the Canadian Market system allow CB/D’s an exemption from following the rules on short selling… Even if you fucking break the rules, no one North of the Border plans on doing shit to ensure that it never happens again. You can pass your dirty shorts entity to entity on T+11 and you'll never EVER have an Extended Failed Trade. + +What triggers me is the the fact that if there were 28 institutions margin called during the January sneeze last year, how many of them employ the Hot Potato Technique? + +How many of them are using obscured Cayman Islands Corporations through Canadian Broker/Dealers? + +Do Jim Petterfy’s comments regarding the collapse of the economic system due to the sneeze have something to do with the fact that the shorts may very well be hidden via the Canadian Market place? + +I don’t know about you, but this type of thing gives me a little bit of a chub when I think about its implications. + +Nonetheless, let’s continue. + +***4. One Dr. to rule them all… One study to bind them*** + +I really didn’t get the traction I was looking for the first time I linked the commentary Dr. Jim Decosta had on the market manipulation that was found in the early 2000’s. I didn't take the time to actually distill the post in smooth-brain but that's on me. + +This study was done in 2019, and you’d think that 20 years after all of this was discussed that things would have changed but I’m here to show you that the same circus of fuckery continues. + +Link : [https://mcmillan.ca/insights/publications/short-selling-in-canada-regulations-are-weak-and-a-new-path-forward-is-needed-to-reduce-systemic-risk/](https://mcmillan.ca/insights/publications/short-selling-in-canada-regulations-are-weak-and-a-new-path-forward-is-needed-to-reduce-systemic-risk/) + +This to me is the most important part of the entire literature provided above: + +&#x200B; + +>Based on our research, it is clear that IIROC’s largely non-interventionist approach and its focus on maintaining liquidity have made Canadian companies attractive targets for short campaigns. From 2015 to 2018 there was an increase in the number of short campaigns in Canada, while generally in other jurisdictions there was a decrease. **Additionally, the number of short campaigns in Canada is utterly disproportionate to the size of our capital markets when compared to the United States, the European Union and Australia (as examples)**. The reason for this seems clear: short selling regulations in Canada are out of step with regulations in those other jurisdictions – see Schedule A attached hereto. As a result of inherent weaknesses in the Canadian short sale regulatory regime, short sellers may well be attracted to the Canadian capital markets. + +You don’t fucking say! I’m a fuckin’ Smooth but isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result? How the fuck Canadian regulators continue to take a lax stance on these issues yet somehow expect things to change is literally fucking mental. But I digress. + +&#x200B; + +>Every short sale on a Canadian marketplace must be marked “short” unless the sale is from a certain type of account **(generally described as directionally neutral accounts)**, in which case it must be marked “SME” (short-marking exempt). An order marked with the SME designation can be a short or a long sale. **Beyond these requirements, a short seller is generally not restricted from selling shares it does not own**. UMIR does not impose general pre-borrow or locate requirements (although IIROC can impose specific pre-borrow requirements for specific securities). **A short sale can be made by a seller who does not have an existing ability to settle the trade, so long as the seller has a “reasonable expectation” that it will be able to settle the trade.** The “reasonable expectation” requirement in the policies accompanying UMIR 2.2, however, does not require that prior to making the sale the short seller actually locate and arrange to have the shares available for delivery on settlement. Rather, a “reasonable expectation” exists so long as the short seller **does not know that it cannot borrow the shares** and takes reasonable steps to locate them. + +If I’m reading this correctly, doesn’t this explain why the SSR has never mattered? + +If you mark your sales as SME, then the SSR don’t mean shit, especially if it’s coming from an entity that is or was never obligated to follow the rules in American markets in the first place. + +Also, let’s have a fucking talk about how the Canadian Markets allow a short seller to continue to short whether or not they can locate the shares required. A “Reasonable Expectation” exists so long as the short seller **DOES NOT** know that it cannot borrow the shares. Here's your "Umbrella of Immunity of the borrow" + +So, hmmmm, shares randomly appearing every single day would probably give just about anyone a “Reasonable Expectation” that they can settle the trade. Am I on speed or does this fit far too well together? + +One thing I'd like to note is that Anson Funds, who is currently being investigated by the DOJ for its involvement in short selling, is exactly the type of directionally neutral Hedge Fund that may be a co-conspirator, in Canada. + +Excerpt provided (link isn’t because fuck Corporate Media) + +&#x200B; + +[May likely explain why they're being investigated given the evidence presented here.](https://preview.redd.it/66cd9hy9efi81.png?width=1560&format=png&auto=webp&s=45d8ee964ba9e6e68265a3645abe4f6530aad2cc) + +>“If the short sale cannot be settled within two trading days of the order (T+2), it is a failed trade. **However, the short seller has 10 trading days (T+12) to locate and deliver the shares before the failed trade must be reported to IIROC as an extended failed trade.** There are no regulatory consequences for an extended failed trade, although an extended failed trade may prevent further short sales (either by the client or non-client with any ongoing extended failed trade in any security, or by the broker on its own account in the same security). Trades settled through CDS Clearing and Depository Services Inc. (“**CDS**”) are subject to CDS’ own settlement rules for failed trades. CDS imposes a daily fee for a failure to deliver shares to settle an outstanding settlement position in its continuous net settlement system and provides a buy-in process which allows a buyer who has not received the purchased shares to force settlement. **However, these fees and buy-in requirements carry no regulatory sanction.”** + +I’m going to reiterate what has been said time and time again…. + +**THE SHORTS NEVER COVERED OR CLOSED** + +&#x200B; + +***5. I’ll leave you with this*** + +The last thing I’ll point to is how Nostradamus this Anonymous Silverback of the Silicon Investor post was + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/ztkpmcbiefi81.png?width=2518&format=png&auto=webp&s=a915a7e824d1e8cb3c534a5a922615cf7e235df3 + +Yeah… we fucking did. + +***6. Conclusion and TLDR*** + +In my humble opinion, there are far too many connections that can be pointed to throughout this DD and the accompanying articles, that I believe give credence to the fact that a vast majority of any Naked Short Sales that have been processed this far on GME, may very well have originated from Canadian Broker Dealers. + +It is my hope that all apes can better utilize this information to continue their own research into the intricacies of naked shorting. I hope that other DD analysts, particularly those who write about cycles, can look at their own information through a new lens for their own research. I've said before and I will say again: + +**Constructive criticism is more than welcome and I'd prefer to be debunked because I am a smooth brain. I want to be wrong.** + +***TL;DR*** + +\- The Canadian Marketplace is lacking in rules and enforcement which makes it a breeding ground for Naked Short Sales (Legal in Canada) + +\- IIROC’s largely non-interventionist approach and its focus on maintaining liquidity make Canada a prime breeding ground for Short Campaigns + +\- Dr. Jim Decosta alluded to the “Tunnel Under the Border”, a methodology that naked shorting through a convoluted chain of interlinked broker dealers and offshore accounts, allows Canadian Broker Dealers to naked short companies into oblivion on behalf of hedge funds and other entities + +\- This is further corroborated by a forum post on Silicon Investor forums circa 2006 that points to the “Hot Potato Technique” where shorts are shuffled around entity to entity on T+11 to by-pass the extended failed trade (T+12) requirement before the IIROC is even notified that there may be a problem. + +\- Even if an Extended Failed Trade had occurred, there are no regulatory sanctions imposed on offending criminals. Also note the fact that there is absolutely no record of Disciplinary History listed on IIROC’s website related to Extended Failed Trades. + +\- A study from 3 years ago by the Mcmillan gives credence to the evidence of these two methodologies and offers insight into the the laxity of rules and enforcement in Canada. + +\- The Mcmillan Institute’s study lead to the conclusion that a disproportionate amount of naked short selling campaigns occur in Canada by comparison to other jurisdictions globally. + +\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ + +Edit 1: Snow-Washing Definition: Snow washing refers to hiding illegitimate financial transactions often for the purposes of tax evasion in Canada. The term is an amalgam of the words snow meaning purity as well as the cold Canadian climate and washing referring to money laundering. + +Edit 2: There is a lot of mention of Direct Registration throughout Dr. Jim Decosta’s post as well as the anonymous author of the Silicon Investor post. For those that are wondering about myself, yes I have DRS’d, more than willing to provide proof to mods if necessary. I’m waiting on my verification letter to activate my account and post. +I bought a house a few months ago. As I was reading through reddit I came across another post with a similar situation as me and everyone was saying that they're house poor. + + +I'm 33. + + +Here are my monthly finances: + + +I make 80k/year. + + +Mortgage 357k. I pay $1900. (I pay a bit extra to my mortgage monthly) that includes taxes and insurance. + + +Solar panel lease: $286 + + +No electric bill + + +Internet $70 + + +Streaming services: $30 + + +Gym membership: $25 + +Cell phone $120 + + +Oil heat $120 +so i haven't had to pay to fill up my tank but let's do a conservative estimate of 1200 a year. So that'll be 120/month + + +I owe $1800 in student loans, I was going to pay it off prior to me buying the house but decided to invest it instead. I'll most likely pay it off between now and May since the loan is deferred + + +I have no other debt and I pay off my credit cards every month. + + +16k in savings, 90k in 401k, 4k in investments. + + + +Am I house poor, generally poor or doing OK? + + +Also, before everyone says I shouldn't have a bought a house that expensive, it was literally the cheapest, best shape house I found in the 3 months I was looking. I live in a ridiculously HCOL area and property values are expected to go up 10% in the next year. So now was the best time for me to buy. I have a 30 yr mortgage at 2.500 so I most likely will never refinance unless rates are lower than that. +It has become WallStreetPUMP&DUMP... + +Don't get me wrong, I've made money off of some hype, but this is no longer what it used to be. + +* We used to get DD from intelligent people trying to help stupid people +* We used to get gain/loss porn from every stock, not just the Flavor Of The Month stock +* We have an insane about of <$500 gain/loss posts +* We don't even get good meme's anymore, Haupt has left us + +https://preview.redd.it/93p2435so0061.png?width=508&format=png&auto=webp&s=b430742e111b072bf05b481befc1eb699dd18952 +Hey guys, + +im having a pretty bad day over here. months ago i bought IOTA from bitfinex and transferred them to my wallet. weeks after that i wanted to sell the IOTA on bitfinex again, so i transferred the IOTA back to bitfinex and sold them. + +after that i didnt own IOTA for a couple of months. + +a week ago i bought IOTA on bitfinex again. I downloaded the newest wallet version, and logged in with my seed. then i sent a test tx of 15 IOTA from bitfinex to the address which was shown in the 'Receive' tab of my wallet. The 15 IOTA arrived in my wallet. + +a week later i sent 23.4 GI from bitfinex to the address in the 'Receive' tab of my wallet. it has apparently arrived in my wallet, and then left my wallet again with an outgoing tx, around four hours later. the 15 IOTA are still in my wallet. + + +screenshot of the txs: +https://imgur.com/a/uZAf3 + + +for the 15 IOTA tx this was the address shown in my 'Receive' tab, the 15 IOTA are there: +https://iotasear.ch/address/YBTKLLRNDOBYVEQQOWVDAMP9CKVKNR9JTUGTRDIZWOTKXGGWHHUTTJXMZKCJZDFSAELDBZOPHQLGUYXW9VVHAYBYRX + + +a week later i sent the 23 GI to this address, shown in my 'Receive' tab: +https://iotasear.ch/address/XTUYYPRVJIMEM9ERPF9CINWXWCOLKEQ9HKCXCYIBECXEMDEZIGVBXRRISKGBGITBQLPWTOJENAUQZKMJWUIR9RHQXC + + +the 23 GI were sent to this address just hours after arriving in my wallet : +https://iotasear.ch/address/ZFTKVOUDHGHUHAP9ZFIJKQTSPZHCWAOIPIUUUEKCCATSNTHSMAEYWWOJBANMEYXFHMYJATMDYYYJNAPZW + + +1. the last tx of the 23 GI to the ZFTK address was not me. +2. the 15 IOTA are still showing up in my wallet. +3. i have created 37 new addresses since then, no success so far. +4. i have generated my seed with the tool recommended on IOTA subreddit's sidebar, for windows. i have since then kept it safe. +5. how do i check if that ZFTK address belongs to my seed? is there any way to do that? someone on IOTA's subreddit said theres a tool for that. or should i continue creating new addresses? +6. any way to see if that last tx of the 23 GI was made automatically by the wallet or manually by a thief? +7. there is 3 new txs showing up on the ZFTK address, all of them are tiny and unconfirmed tho. can anyone explain that to me? what are these? how is that possible? +8. can the police help here? i know this is an awkward question in crypto +9. I have posted this in the IOTA subreddit first, it has gotten quite some attention and people were very helpful, but it was downvoted heavily after a while. i therefore wanted to discuss it here again. a lot of the commenters there did not understand how this what has happened to my funds was possible. +10. i am extraordinarily grateful for any advice or help you can give me, thank you. + + +Edit: + +I would like to thank everyone who has engaged in this discussion constructively. +It appears to me that the fault was 100% mine. I do not have any hopes of getting the money back anymore. Its just money anyway. At the same time i have to acknowledge that i can imagine thousands of unfortunate events when it comes to snapshots and transactions during or right after them. Its incredible to me how awful the user experience of this wallet is. I want to add, believe it or not, that i am still a big fan of IOTA and i am convinced that these issues will be sorted out soon, obviously not soon enough. Thanks guys, have a good one. +The coronavirus finally triggered a backtracking cycle in the markets. + +And the Fed is running low on tricks to smooth things over. + +Yada yada recession etc. + +I’m not expecting another 2008 - those were completely different circumstances. + +HOWEVER + +Do you think we will see all this churn impact the trend of ever rising housing prices this year? Next? +I think most of the regulars here have the basics down. Certainly, most of us here have nearly all of the stuff thats commonly discussed on the most frequent blogs down and are now sort of biding our time until FI. + +But, what interesting or rarely discussed techniques have you used lately that the community might benefit from hearing about? + +I'll start, in the comments, with a couple of things... though I'm not really that "advanced" so my suggestions won't be either. Looking forward to tips from others. +Great summary of our mindset with some extremely quotable phrases. + +**[I retired at 30. The best part isn't leisure — it's freedom.](http://www.vox.com/2015/7/27/9023415/mr-money-mustache-retirement)** + +I think this article is a bit softer and more available for a wide audience than some of his blog posts. I know a lot of people give Mr. Money Mustache a hard time for how extreme he is. I give him a break, because I think people take him a bit too seriously. + +He uses his blog to almost make an extreme caricature of himself and his practices. His job isn't to get us to swing all the way over to his position: + +* driving 800 miles in the summer without A/C to save a few bucks +* using a 2 hours and a bike to haul 400 lbs of lumber a few miles which could be done in 10 minutes with a minivan that we have anyways + +His job is to show us what is *possible*, to maybe recognize a bit of the ridiculous laziness of society and change our ways incrementally to reduce our expenses. +Feeling really dumb and depressed this morning as I was margin called for 380k. Hoping for some advice. Here’s the story: + +1) Sold 10x AAPL 375c 21Aug20 +2) Bought 10x AAPL 380c 21Aug20 + +The credit spread was about $3,000 at the time (mid-July), and max loss therefore should have been $2,000. + +I believe the short position was ITM, and long was ATM at the time, although this is irrelevant. + +This morning I received an email saying my short position was exercised (fuck me, I didn’t realize ex-div for AAPL was today). I’m assuming they exercised it yesterday to qualify for the upcoming dividend. My broker (Questrade in Canada) did nothing with my long position, so I’ve gone from a max loss of $2,000 to a much steeper one. I don’t know what to do.. + +Questrade rep convinced me to exercise my long position and sell the shares upon receipt. However, the share price has dropped $10 already today, so my loss has likely gone from $2,000 to $12,000 and could get worse if this drop continues. I submitted the request to exercise the calls and I’m waiting for the shares. + +I entered this trade assuming my max loss would be $2,000. I thought questrade would require direction for the long position, cause I don’t have 380k to cover in my account. + +TLDR; entered what I thought was a covered credit position, to later be naked and forced into to a $380,000 long position. +I just received the strangest offer on a house I have for sale. I do not intend to take the offer but I'd like an idea of how to counteroffer. + +The buyer wants to purchase an option to buy my house in 24 months for $352,000 (small discount from the asking price) for $1,000 payable at closing. Obviously, this is ridiculous as there is no risk on the buyer's part and all the risk on my part. But it begs the question, what is a more appropriate value for such an option? I don't have enough data to do a black shoals calculation in this environment. + +In addition to the option, the buyer wants to rent my house for $1,700 per month and they plan to sublease it. + +I can simply reject the offer outright or counter. What do you suggest? At a minimum, I'd want a higher price for the option and a big non-refundable deposit on the lease. +*Hey guys, this is my first post here; thank you to anyone willing to share their input with a newbie investor.* + +I am a Canadian looking to move to the US for work and start investing in rental properties. My goal is to buy properties that appreciate well and cash flow at least $100/door on year 1. + + +I can live anywhere as I work remotely but I am getting a bit overwhelmed with all the data (can be found below) I need to consider in picking a location. + +&#x200B; + +Assuming you are in my shoes and have $20k USD to invest (i.e. 5% down as I will be house hacking my first few properties), where would you move to? + +\----------------------------------- + + +**((OPTIONAL READ)) ADDITIONAL INFO** + +So far in my analysis, I am collecting the following data: + +\- Net migration (at the state level) over the past 10 years & 1 year + +\- Median sale price (redfin) + +\- Value appreciation over the past 5 years and 1 year (redfin) + +\- Average rent (rentcafe) + +\- Rent to price ratio + +\- Income tax + +\- Job growth and industry trends (haven't found a good source to gather data yet - just reading high-level articles for now) + +\- Average rent growth (if someone has a good source for this please share as I haven't found one yet) + +\- Cost of living index (numbeo) + +\- Quality of life index (though investing is my main priority now, I am still looking at quality of life a bit) +Many big companies are signaling they are seeing positive results from employees working at home. Apple announced they see permanent changes allowing many positions to work from home (link below). A friend of mine is moving from the Bay Area to Colorado, but still retaining his high paying job that has been working from home since the Covid shutdowns. It's a safe bet commercial RE as a whole is going to take a hit in central business districts or areas with large office populations, but how do others see this affecting residential RE? + +[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-22/apple-ceo-impressed-by-remote-work-sees-permanent-changes](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-22/apple-ceo-impressed-by-remote-work-sees-permanent-changes) +So I’ve just recently started learning about real estate investing and will be closing on my first duplex in a couple of weeks. + +In some of the networking I’ve done I met with a guy who was 25 and went into apartment syndication after his first rental property. + +I had always been of the mindset that I would start with buy and hold rentals until I acquire enough that I could replace my monthly income and quit my salaried job, then potentially work on scaling up. Prior to that I was aware of syndication but didn’t think it was realistic for new investors and also probably intimidated by using other people’s money on deals. I’m sure his situation is a bit of an outlier but hearing about that really got me interested in syndication so I wanted to hear if any of you have done syndication deals and how they went for you. + +I’m sure it’s a lot more difficult than small scale landlording in some aspects, but two things that are really intriguing to me is that since you’re operating on such a bigger scale you are able/required to hire out property management. Also since I’m a very analytical/numbers drive person the concept of purchase price being driven by your NOI is appealing. One syndicator put it pretty simply in that every dollar you increase your NOI will return 20x its value at a 5 cap, 10x value at a 10 cap, etc. + +So yeah, being that I haven’t even closed on my first property I’m trying to educate myself still and would love to hear stories about why/how you got into it, if you’d recommend it, skillset required, et cetera. Thanks! +My wife and I are beginning out REI portfolio and I'm curious how other's manage having multiple units each within their own LLC. + +&#x200B; + +1) When it comes to accounting - do you have 1 set of books with multiple classes to keep track of the various LLCs, or do you have individual set of books for each LLC. If option B, how do you get a consolidated look at all of your LLCs and how do you allocate overhead expense? + +2) Having a business credit card, do you have that in each LLC/EIN or a singular LLC which pays all expenses? + +3) Do you manage each LLCs bank account as a seperate BUSINESS? Or do you eventually move cash between the bank accounts for each property? + +&#x200B; + +I do accounting for a living and am part of a large corporation. Each sub-unit (much like children or cells in a Series LLC) operates and "rolls up" to the corporate filings. Our bank accounts as Zero Balance Accounts (ZBA) so all transactions going into and out of our account nets to zero daily and gets put into the "master sweep" account. + +&#x200B; + +I'd like to apply my knowledge of my corporation and apply it to my own LLC structure so that I can maintain 1 master account, have 1 master Credit card used for all expense purchases so I can rack up points/cash back, and simplify my whole banking experience. + +&#x200B; + +So please - tell me how you manage your REI portfolio when you have multiple LLCs setup and how that operates. I'm struggling to see the long term here with opening individual LLCs but understand the asset protection side of things that comes with the LLCs. + +&#x200B; + +PS - also how do you come up with names for each of these LLCs? My wife and I thought of our LLC name that we want to operate all of our properties under but struggle to see how we can adapt this to 3, 4, maybe even 5 seperate LLC names. +Wannabe re investor here. I have a good paying day job, and want to invest in real estate with my excess capital. I'm looking into some property flips as well as some buy and hold properties. My question is how do people with full time jobs manage their projects? Even places for buy and hold in my area require buying a place that needs work. Am I just going to have to hire a GC and hand them the keys and check on the place after work? What do other people do? +Is cash flow more important to you, or buying in a place that has a better chance of appreciation??? + +&#x200B; + +For example, I live in Detroit, I can still buy SFH for 20K-60K that I'll earn on. Average rent is 500-700, but I don't trust the appreciation. + +&#x200B; + +However, buying somewhere that is exploding in population, orlando, vegas...I'm paying more and perhaps breaking even on the cash flow, but there is way better appreciation. + +&#x200B; + +I'm kind of a noob +It’s been a long process of researching, but I have finally settled on a SFH in Illinois. Offer was approved! Now just inspection time. What do I look out for and any tips are appreciated! +I am planning on attending university next year, it is between 2 schools I’m growing cities. I did a little research and decided that if I were to rent or live on campus I would pay about 40k in room and board. Yikes. So I did a little bit of research and found some fairly nice homes for sale. About 300k relatively close to the university in a good area. Right now I have about 20k saved up and I am considering buying the house and financing it so that I am paying about 1700 in utilities mortgage and other housing expenses. I believe I could live in this house and rent it out while I attend to school to cover my living expenses. It is a 3 bedroom house so 3 people could live in it quite comfortably. One bedroom apartments rent out for 1k-1.2k in this city. So I believe that with a parent co-signed on the mortgage and rent from 2-3 other people I can cover my living expenses and build equity. +Please tear my plan apart so that I can prepare to actually do well. +i haven’t bought anything since rates were below 3%. i kinda want to but see prices are coming down. are seasoned folks waiting another 6 months? i’m looking for long term rental properties. i haven’t done the math but am wondering is it better to buy and rent knowing the property value may tumble further, or is it better to wait 6-12 months for price stabilization and then buy. +I bought a property at a really good price ($250,000) 4.5 years ago and have paid it off fully. I am renting it out for $2,600 per month with the likelihood that I can increase to $2,800 when this tenant leaves. The intention when buying it was to hold it as a rental property to help fund retirement. + +Someone just called me asking if I wanted o sell, but how much would I have to sell it for to make it worth it? The property is worth $450,000 or more now, we do not have property taxes here (not in the US), so only paying a small monthly fee for insurance and maintenance. + +What would you do in my position? I’m leaning towards holding the asset. +Pat yourself on the back for not being an emotional mess like many complainers, whiners, and doomsday preachers were the last 2 days and pat yourself for not investing more than you can lose. Those who cannot handle having more than 50% of your portfolio gone in a day should not be investing or trading crypto because they either have too much skin in the game or are just way too emotional to be making good financial decisions. +90 days from the splitdivvy is 19th October btw. + +Lots of legal jargon to confuse MayoMan's lawyers and shills, but below seems to say 'fuk up our divvy then we may appoint a new exchange to handle GME, if we don't then 90 days from the 'unwilling, unable or ineligible' date (splivvy date) we can put GME wherever we G-d damn well please. + +2nd paragraph, page 16: "If a depository for a series of securities is at any time unwilling, unable or ineligible to continue as depository and a successor depository is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue individual securities of such series in exchange for the global security representing such series of securities. In addition, we may, at any time and in our sole discretion, subject to any limitations described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to such securities, determine not to have any securities of such series represented by one or more global securities and, in such event, will issue individual securities of such series in exchange for the global security or securities representing such series of securities." + +Source: ([https://news.gamestop.com/node/18961/html#supprom192873\_26](https://news.gamestop.com/node/18961/html#supprom192873_26)) + +As always, Dig, debate, discuss - and Buy, DRS, Hodl. +So, I work in an extremely high volume, and niche manufacturing plant and I work on a 4 man team. We work in a lab that runs in an assembly line type of fashion. When we are down a man we suffer, but can make do. Currently we are down to 3 workers because our last worker quit (because this job is stressful and lacks common sense). Well, today another worker announced he is leaving in two weeks. So this is causing panic. This causes millions of dollars in products to get backed up almost immediately because it's impossible to process being so short shifted. + +My question, should I use this opportunity to ask for a raise? + +Can they really refuse my request at this point? I'm 50/50 on if I'd just leave if they declined. + + +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +I've read a lot of the success stories on this sub (and other related sources), and I've noticed there always seem to be a pivotal point in all of them where there is some form of luck or help involved in achieving FIRE. A relative passing and leaving wealth (like cash or a house), parents covering college costs and/or allowing the person to live with them rent free for a long time, or sometimes getting some crazy high paying job that they weren't qualified for. + +I'm not calling into question the validity of those stories, but I am interested in hearing from anyone who didn't get a leg up such as that, without really having an impact on that moment occurring. + +There was a story recently from a guy who chased black swans - low cost, high risk, high reward investments - and while there is an element of luck there, it was clearly an intended part of his strategy that he pursued, so I don't really factor it in as a "lucky" moment. + +So, in summary, I'm interested in hearing from folks who have FIRE'd or who are well on their way, who didn't have an important factor come into play that they had absolutely no control over. (Again, not trying to attack those stories, I just know I'm not going to be one of those folks, so I need to see what it looks like.) + +EDIT: There's a few people saying that everyone receives luck and help: I guess maybe I wasn't clear enough. Bringing up the genetic lottery or what country you were born in isn't what I'm looking for. I'm not even sure how it's helpful. I am aware of those factors. I do appreciate the discussions, though. + +What I really wanted - and some people have graciously obliged - are examples of people who started in similar situations as my own and have been making strides. The two common themes I see in those stories are military and starting a small business (there are other examples however). + +And to clarify, I'm not bitching or pouting or anything like that. At the end of the day, anyone in this sub is on the same team. I just wanted to hear some stories from those who maybe had less luck and/or help than the rest. /u/Polaritical put it best: + +> We're all working to the same goal. But we all start off in different places. There's nothing wrong with being privileged. We all are. +New to the game and looking for some advice! + +I live in Adelaide and I’ve finally saved/increased my capacity to borrow enough to buy my first home, receiving pre-approval last week. With all the doom and gloom surrounding a price drop in the real estate market, interest rates and supposed recession - what would you do? Would you hang tight for the next couple of years and risk inflation ravaging your savings? +Lately Ive been getting panic attacks due to work stress, and the symptoms hasn't gone away. Everytime I sit down to do work, I get pains in wrist/heart and find it hard to breathe. It's making me so slow at work. + +I picked up a stress management handbook at work and tried the techniques for a few weeks. It's worked a little but got worse last week. + +My cousin died of a heart failure at 14 so I don't want the same fate with myself. While my role is decent paying (120k) I also figured I don't have motivation or interest for this role, development opportunities are little, so Im afraid I won't perform. So best I find a better opportunity/career I want to go hard at. + +In terms of logistics, I calculated that I can survive for the next 6 months with a surplus of $343/month I have to pay out of pocket. I can afford this if I am to rest and then pick myself back up to apply to jobs again. I don't have dependants. + +My plan is to quit, take a month to fix the health stuff, second month to figure out what I really want in career that works mentally, developmentally and personally, then apply to jobs after identifying the right companies and role (or if I need to reskill). + +I haven't done this before. I usually stick it out at a job (probably wasted years doing this). Are there other things to consider before quitting? Has anyone done this before? +I have recently started investing and the platform I use (Pearler) says I need an account with ComputerShare to manage my dividends. + + +Every time I have gone to ComputerShare half the links/pages don't work +People are not understanding the scope and magnitude of this DNV GL & VeChain announcement. It’s a big deal. We’re not taking about some bullsh*t pilot program that may or may not lead to a tangible future ongoing relationship (e.g. MoneyGram’s pilot program with XRP, etc.). We’re talking about DNV GL officially choosing VeChain to be its partner for upgrading all its systems and services. This relationship is now set in stone. + +Here, it is now confirmed that DNV GL is revamping its entire classification, consultancy, & supervisory services to its +80,000 clients in all varying industries by utilizing VEN & its blockchain tech to build DApps for its clients to ensure authenticity and veracity of its classifications/standards and products at all levels of the supply chain. Logic dictates that if its +80,000 clients want a specific DNV GL classification, they’ll be more inclined to choose/utilize DNV GL’s preferred/endorsed blockchain tech for same: VEN. Also, confirmed that this isn’t an Asia-specific partnership. It’s a confirmed global partnership that DNV GL will push to all of its clients across the world. + +DNV GL actually signed formal ceremonial papers today to give the visual element/support that it is further cementing the growth of its partnership & VEN being DNV GL’s blockchain tech of choice in updating its systems/services & recommending same to its clients. This wasn’t some lowly VP. The head of DNV GL and the head of DNV GL’s Assurance sector/branch were both in attendance. + +Just to illustrate the magnitude of this announcement... DNV GL is the largest technical consultancy/supervisory to global renewable energy (e.g. wind, wave, tidal & solar) & the oil and gas industry. 65% of the world’s offshore pipelines are designed/installed to DNV GL’s standards. Just think about that for one second & the new industries VEN’s tech will now be pushed into by DNV GL and the sustained organic growth that can come from same. VeChain is a long HODL for me. I will buy more on any dips. “I wish you good fortune in the (crypto) wars to come.” + +“... [T]he answer is very clear that DNV GL is (currently) and is going (to continue) to build up applications on VeChain Thor!” - Sunny Lu, CEO of VeChain = https://m.imgur.com/fp5ZnqG + +[DNV GL Official Announcement](https://youtu.be/LozLbtprTxc) +I don't want to panic sell especially at a loss but the outlook for Slack looks less promising and I'm thinking I might be able to put the capital somewhere more promising. I know Slack is a good product and I thought they had a good niche but its hard to fight against something that Microsoft bundles for free. Thoughts? +I just had my credit information stolen and used to purchase tickets for Spirit Airlines (I know what you are thinking, those poor poor thieves). What was interesting is that I immediately got a notification via text message from a service purporting to be PNC Bank alerting me to the fraudulent transaction. They asked via the text that I contact their 800 number immediately to freeze the card and work on the situation. I logged in online, and sure enough there was a fraudulent charge on my card. I went back to the text, and was very close to clicking the number in the text, when I decided I would just double check online which number to call for PNC Fraud. Long story short, it was the first my bank had heard about the fraudulent transactions, and they informed me that the number I had been texted from was definitely from the fraudsters, as neither Visa nor PNC had made any effort to reach me just yet. They had me send in screenshots of the text conversation and reconfirmed that this person was not associated with PNC or Visa (It was a 5 or 6 digit service number). + +TLDR: If you receive a "Fraud Alert" text, even if the fraudulent charges are genuine, DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER IN THE TEXT. There is the distinct possibility it is the scammer attempting to finish stealing the remainder of your information by putting you through 'caller authentication' whereby they can gain access to everything else necessary to steal money from all your accounts. +I invest and don't mind the small gains. I look on this sub every now and then and see some of the losses you people make off options going from 100k to 0 in an hour. How do you people deal with your decisions? How do you all still have a house? I just don't understand, so many questions that I need answered. If I lost 50k in a day I would legit be broke, homeless, and would be selling everything I have to stay afloat. Where do you all work at, do you all make 200k+ a year from your job? Are you all surgeons and lawyers? Wtf +Work culture in the U.S. seems to be shifting towards a trend where switching employers every few years is no longer as frowned upon as it was when baby boomers dominated the work force. This culture change appears to be in large part attributable to millennials entering the workforce in large numbers and moving around frequently, especially in large markets. Job stability is also not what it used to be since the last major recession. General consensus on this sub seems to be that moving employers is the best way to get promoted and steadily increase income, thus boosting your net worth. + +Still, I can't shake the feeling that changing jobs every few years will earn one a reputation as a flight risk, even if qualified to make a move. Nobody wants a new hire who will leave shortly after receiving a bunch of training and on boarding, I get that. It's also difficult to leave a company without feeling disloyal, particularly if you like your supervisor and the people you work with. + +I'd like to hear some real-world insights from people who have done this successfully, without burning bridges with former employers. For example: + +- What's your average time between jobs and when do you start actively looking for the next opportunity? +- Income-wise, where did you start, and where are you now? +- Did you make a move you later regretted? +- Have you found that employers are generally more accepting of the fact that people will move on after 1, 2, 3 years with a company? + + + +Work culture in the U.S. seems to be shifting towards a trend where switching employers every few years is no longer as frowned upon as it was when baby boomers dominated the work force. This culture change appears to be in large part attributable to millennials entering the workforce in large numbers and moving around frequently, especially in large markets. Job stability is also not what it used to be since the last major recession. General consensus on this sub seems to be that moving employers is the best way to get promoted and steadily increase income, thus boosting your net worth. + +Still, I can't shake the feeling that changing jobs every few years will earn one a reputation as a flight risk, even if qualified to make a move. Nobody wants a new hire who will leave shortly after receiving a bunch of training and on boarding, I get that. It's also difficult to leave a company without feeling disloyal, particularly if you like your supervisor and the people you work with. + +I'd like to hear some real-world insights from people who have done this successfully, without burning bridges with former employers. For example: + +- What's your average time between jobs and when do you start actively looking for the next opportunity? +- Income-wise, where did you start, and where are you now? +- Did you make a move you later regretted? +- Have you found that employers are generally more accepting of the fact that people will move on after 1, 2, 3 years with a company? + + + +I was mindlessly staring at the BTC/USD curve on Kraken, like I do all day because what else is there to do in life: https://trade.kraken.com/charts/KRAKEN:BTC-USD + +**And then I noticed it... there's a very visible sell wall at $69,420: https://i.imgur.com/4VSnBlh.png** + +I have to say, it is beautiful. Although I hope the buy wall at $69,420 will be even larger than this. + +So what bunch of edgy memelords is responsible for this, you guys tell me. I immediately suspected this subreddit, obviously. Unless it's Elon trolling us once again. +Hey guys. + +Long story short: I am $240000 in debt for my undergrad. I made some horrible decisions and choices, and am through trying to justify them and convincing myself that its not my fault. + +I completed a 5-Year Business degree at a university that is known only for their Engineering program. It is, more or less, renowned for being one of the most expensive schools at the worst value. I paid book price for it. + +I graduated 2 years ago and bounced around jobs ever since. I landed in a government agency with little-to-no upward mobility. I am still seeking a higher paying job with the fleeting hope that some day I may be able to pay this thing off. + +90%+ of this debt is privately held, and co-signed by my parents. All of my deferment has expired, and none are eligible for income based repayment. I have made only a couple "good faith payments" at the request of my mother. It is all in default, and I ignore 15+ collection calls per day. I + +I'd rather this not become a conversation about my horrible choices to accrue this debt, but a discussion to perhaps resolve the situation. I have posted this several times in other subreddits seeking the latter, but only got the former. + + +https://www.nasdaq.com/market-activity/pre-market + +Looking at the options chain also shows that call options for over 8 million shares have gone ITM since yesterday’s close. + +Last reported short interest was 40 million shares on may 14. This is about twice the short interest of AMC before last weeks squeeze. + +https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/CLOV?p=CLOV + +This looks like the perfect setup for a combined short and gamma squeeze. I see no reason why CLOV couldn’t reach the same price point as AMC did last week (>$70). It might even go higher than that. + + +Edit: updated estimated short interest data from Ortex by u/idster put it at 44% of float (cfr AMC @ 12% and GME @ 18%). + +https://reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/nv3avc/updated_figures_from_ortex_tues_morning/ +As the year draws to a close, many of us are doing our final checks of our spreadsheets and wanting to take a minute to reflect on what this last year has provided for us and what we are hoping for in the next one. + +Please use this thread to do report anything you want - whether it be a massive success, reaching a mini-milestone, actually accomplishing your goals from last year, or even just doing nothing while time does the work for you (for those in the 'boring middle' part). We want to hear about all that 2019 did for you - both FI related and personally as well. + +After reflecting on the past, we also want to look towards the future. What are you looking for in the new year (or even decade) - what are your goals and aspirations that will help guide you this coming year. Are you looking to finally max our your retirement accounts, get a 529 going for your kid, nearing that next comma, becoming completely worthless, or finally hitting your number and cashing in all the GFY's you can get? +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. + +90% of the people I see here are developers. What exactly does a developer do? I myself am going into aerospace engineering and plan to deal with heavy southern Southern California costs here and when I look up California/Bay Area related post for an idea of cost, people are always claiming to be a developer making between 100k-500k(or something crazy like that) + +I apologize if I am breaking rules asking. Just trying to find out what some of you do as I am genuinely curious. I'm not chasing money, I just don't know what it is you do lol +~1300 more points, around 7% and we will have officially taken the title of worst monthly decline in American history since September of 1931 during The Great Depression. + +Hope everyone bought stock in $ROPE. +That's it. That's all. I just think it's too risky. Not for your butthole of course, but rather the psychological well being of the rest of us apes never being able to unsee it if it happens. + +Also worth noting how oddly appropriate the flair of "shitpost" is for this... + +&#x200B; + +EDIT #1: To those apes that have given me awards and updoots, thank you! You apes here are truly the best! +This year I have worked my but off so that I will be able to afford to pay for my education. Every month I have been putting 20% of my salary in Ethereum. + +Tonight I reached the point that I will be able to completely pay for my dream education with my Ethereum investments without taking a loan. + +Thank you for all the knowledge you guys have shared over the past year! I am beyond grateful. +r/Cryptocurrency is about 40k members away from flipping the subscriber count of r/bitcoin. A sub where all (most) coins can be discussed and not be called shitcoins right away (most of the time) will flip the sub where mentioning eth will get you insta banned. + +I welcome this change in the hierarchy. + +All coins are equal but some are more equal than others. +Well it appears I won’t be buying a yacht after all. Great lesson to be learned, don’t gamble on meme stocks, since their financial evaluation is irrelevant. +Is there any reason to choose monthlies over LEAPS besides the high premium? + +I feel like LEAPS have a reputation for being a comparatively solid investment. If it's a good stock, the reasoning goes, an expiration date a year away gives enough time for it to overcome any short term dips/corrections/bad earnings announcements and gain value. + +But, more people buy weeklies and monthlies than LEAPS. Is the reason for that just that they don't want to tie up so much capital? Or are there any other disadvantages to LEAPS that I'm not aware of? + +Thanks! +I panhandle everyday to be able to feed myself and my dog and thankfully I have a somewhat safe place to rest my head most nights even if it is on a floor. Im just exhausted. I struggle with the self hatred of trying to find a job but having to explain the long lapses in my resume/no permanent address thing counts me out almost automatically. Im just so tired of having a knotted back and an empty stomach. Any kind words or even tough love would be nice. I know im being a baby lol +I have never been in debt, i have a couple of loans that i am currently paying off. One for a car (which i had approved before my credit score went to shit), and one for a phone. I have never missed a payment for either. I considered myself good with money, until i went to buy a new car last year. I applied for the loan via the car company and i got rejected, but i wasn't sure why. It was then i decided to check my credit score. Turns out, my credit score is below crap, and it's all because of my sister using my name for 2 or 3 vodafone contracts, which show up as 'negative' in the ClearScore app. Now, the problem is that i can't tell anyone that it was my sister, because i don't want her to get in trouble, which leads to everyone thinking i am shit with money. I don't feel comfortable going to the police because i don't want my sister to go to jail or anything. +How can i proceed, as i want to fix my score before i get a new car/house and start a family... please? + +Edit: Thanks for the advice, everyone. Since i don't speak with her much and she is currently battling a lot of personal stuff, i have decided to meet with her and my parents and settle the outstanding balances. Maybe the 'right' thing to do would be to go to the police, but i have known my sister for a long time (obviously) and my dad has urged me to get her to settle the balance as soon as she has money. Thank you everyone + Had a buddy who was looking to spend some serious cash at your machine in San Diego last week. He turned right around and walked out when he saw your price markup. + +I've bitched about this numerous times regarding BTM's. One of the greatest new potential sources of widespread adoption is being ruined because the owners are charging well above the market rate for BTC. + +Likewise, I've been verbally scolded by BTM owners here telling me that they're in this to make money, and I should keep my nose out of it. But hey. That's fine with me. You're losing customers. Discouraging new Bitcoin adoption, thereby reducing the chances your own coins will be worth a lot one day, and losing money in the interim. Seems like a smart business model to me. /s. + +EDIT: it was at the BTM located at Downtown Johnny Brown's. +If you're writing posts about how Bitcoin has lost its edge or you're not sure about Bitcoin anymore and alts are taking over, you need to calm your weak little titties. + +This is a fucking rollercoaster and it will be for quite some time. Bitcoin is the most secure blockchain which is production ready and where crypto is pushing limits, not snake oil. + +The smartest fuckers in this space work on Bitcoin because it's the only thing that will get their massive dicks hard anymore. The sour patch devs that left Bitcoin to peddle the wares of false prophets such as Vitalik look like nutcases now. You know who I'm fucking talking about. + +Bitcoin has 100 plus Gandalf wizards working on it 24/7/365, peer reviewing the living shit out of each other and they write code all day like fucking bosses. THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK. This isn't a god damn Chuckie cheese 14 year old birthday party. Either get a thick skin and code like your life depended on it or shut the fuck up and stock up on Melon coin, apple pie coin and getthefuckoutofyourmomsbasement coin. + +The noobs pouring into the well orchestrated Eth and Dash pumps by Ver and Jackie Chan are only going to get washed and have to explain to their parents why the decentralized solar-powered flashlight coin was nothing but smoke and mirrors. + +Make no mistake: Bitcoin is under attack. +But it doesn't matter, because it will always be under attack and that's because it is fucking Bitcoin. + +Hodl the fuck up and if you think I'm crazy then prove me wrong and put your money into unstable, unscalable and centralized alts or inferior forks that claim to cure whatever ails ya. + +Thanks for reading, now fuck off. + + + + + +“Germany to produce 100% green energy by 2035 instead of 2050 thanks to Putin” + +I don’t care if Germany says they will go fully green for the 1000th time. It isn’t going to happen and this isn’t actionable advice. + +“Economists predict Russian annual inflation to hit 69.420% (not a joke)” + +I don’t care. This isn’t actionable advice. There wasn’t a position posted. This is literally the definition of “priced in”. + +“Zelensky says Ukraine will meet with Russia for peace talks. 🙌💎bro! Hold!” + +Leave this in r/politics. I don’t care. I’m trying to make money. If you think this means anything, write up a DD and put some money on the line. + +Here, I’ll do it for you: Putin is calling for peace talks—>zelensky will hold Kyiv—>Putin will retreat—>sanctions will be lifted—> long 3000 shares of Sberbank at $1.25. With this much vol, the equity trades like an option. Sberbank will either get delisted and my max loss is less than $4000, or it will go back up and has a 10x upside. + +Even if Russian companies are uninvestable after sanctions are lifted, you are literally picking this up for like 6 months cash flow. + +Please, leave the propaganda and politics to another sub. If your post isn’t actionable advice, take it somewhere else. If you didn’t put your money on the table, you have no skin in the game, and therefore have zero credibility as a trader or in finance. +Title really. + +I can get currencies and crypto etc to have pretty frequently updated tickers to track my portfolio, but was hoping to get a ticker for the ESG Developed World All Cap Equity Index Fund. +Hi all + +Could anyone recommend a guide etc to the basics of how to go about buying and managing a small number of shares? + +I've been thinking about buying into a few companies in emerging fields I follow closely enough to have a pretty good idea who is going to succeed. Mostly because I've watched this happen a few times now and at this stage not buying into a couple seems like throwing money away. + +I'm not intending to go into full time fiance or anything, I just want to back certain companies with amounts of money I don't mind losing. + +I should point out some of these companies are based abroad. +I often hear people stating that the UK economy has been in decline since world war II. +What are they actually referring to here? +GDP growth? GBP/USD fall? Inflation? + + +I would also be curious on the following: + +Since you can see that the pound has been falling to the USD progressively over the last 100 years, does this mean that our economy is being outperformed heavily by the US. +Or does a currency movement alone fail to factor in other variables such as inflation? +Can a country’s currency fall and still have a healthy, growing economy? Or does it always mean that the other country in question is outperforming? + +Thanks in advance guys :) +Not sure how this seems to be completely overlooked going into the weekend. Emergency meeting Valentine's Day to discuss rates. + +https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/boardmeetings/20220214closed.htm + +Given the current sentiment that the Fed is way behind the curve on inflation, I see a possibility of a surprise hike. Markets do to looking at CME futures. Combine this with possible Russian action we are in for a bumpy ride. +I know that incompetence is usually a better explanation than malice, but these thugs in the govt act like they have a license to kill. Well... they pretty much do. They steal from DPR, extort him, fake assassinations, have orgies with Columbian hookers, and look the other way while drug cartels launder billions through HSBC. +Can't find this info online - can anyone help re: retiring with no savings or private pension: + +**Scenario 1:** Single man, reaches retirement age of 66 this year. He has no savings, property, private pension or car. No assets, zero bank balance. No insurance. Nothing. He's just paid his final month's rent and ran out of cash. Has no dependents or partner. Has paid national insurance contributions all his life - How much would this person be able to claim on benefits, state pension, various housing allowances etc ? + +Basically, how much support would someone with nothing get if they reached retirement age this year and just asked the council/state for help as a homeless person with nothing? Would they receive a pension and be given somewhere to live? Would they be given money other than a state pension? Would they be able to choose any area? + +**Scenario 2:** Same as 1, except someone left the UK at 18, remains a citizen, has paid no NI contributions, returns to the UK at 65 and will reach 66 this year and wants to retire. Could they just arrive in a nice part of the UK e.g. Cornwall and inform the council they're homeless and at retirement age and begin claiming benefits? +Well, just got the below email from Curve. Kind of a shame considering Curve was really hyped up for getting Amex back (although the 0.65% fee for Curve Blue holders was annoying). + +Email in full: +____________ + +Dear foolishlywise, + +We are extremely sorry that the top-up functionality of your Amex wallet is currently disabled. + +Like thousands of other UK merchants, Curve has a valid merchant agreement to accept Amex payments into its e-wallet. However, on Tuesday evening, Amex decided to terminate this agreement and block all Amex transactions to Curve with immediate effect. + +Amex has given no good or fair reason for their decision and we believe it is entirely disproportionate and discriminatory to Curve and all our (joint) customers. UK payment regulations clearly state that Curve should be allowed to access the Amex payment network on a level-playing field with every other fee-paying and legitimate merchant. + +Rest assured that you can still spend the funds that you have already topped up to your existing Amex Wallets. If you have contacted us for support, we apologise for the delay in response and will endeavour to do so as soon as possible. We will update you as soon as we have any further information. + +With your interests in mind, and our mission to deliver a truly innovative product, we intend to fight Amex's decision with our full might. We believe financial freedom is the future and we are prepared to fight for yours. + + +Team Curve +Another newbie investor here. I have a taxable account and a Roth IRA, and it's my IRA that I'll be showing you guys here. + +It's through Vanguard, which doesn't offer fractional shares, so this is NOT my target allocation yet, I just made my Roth 2 months ago. + +Here's my current allocation: +56% VTI, +13% VNQ, +9% O (yes, a single stock), +7% VYM, +5% SPHD, +and the remaining 10% is allocated between T and KO. + +Once again, this isn't my target allocation. Ideally, my portfolio, once fully constructed, will be 60% VTI, 10% VNQ, 25% SPHD/VYM, and the last 5% will be distributed into single stocks that are generally low risk, high dividend paying companies like T, O and KO. + +My philosophy is that I'm aiming for very safe long term investments. I'm purposefully hedging against big tech in my Roth, because the valuations on these companies has me believing there isn't much more room for upside before a correction. + +I'm taking on more risk in my taxable account (come on, SPCE, TDOC and MELI...) but my goal here in my Roth is to be more conservative while still remaining bullish on the US market. +So I was looking at a particular ETF I really like and the volume per day is decent but not enough for what I need it to be at to buy with a lump sum amount at the price I want and have it fill, or so I thought(?) + +I’ve been doing some more reading and apparently, unlike common stocks, an ETFs liquidity is dictated by demand. If demand outstrips supply, the Authorized Participant creates as many shares as needed to meet demand. + +So here are my questions: + +1. Does this magical Authorized Participant increase shares *instantly* to meet demand? +2. What type of order is recommended to have it fill? Initially I thought I limit order, but if the AP magically will increase the supply to meet demand, I would think the price of the ETF would not be affected by your order. Therefore, a market order is equally as appropriate. Unless I’m wrong? + +Thanks. +What do you all think about SOXL? I am new to this so I searched ETFs 5-year predictions and found this website: + +[https://etfdb.com/compare/highest-5-year-returns/](https://etfdb.com/compare/highest-5-year-returns/) + +What are your thoughts? +Should I buy VTI or VOO? VTI seems to be outperforming VOO, and therefore a better deal. Why is that? Can you please explain? + +Why would anybody buy VOO then? And also, why would anybody buy VT? U. S. stock market is outperforming the rest of the world! +I'm 32 y.o. this year(Not from US), below is my portfolio, would welcome some creative ideas on how to do better. + +**ARKK** 25% **FTEC** 25% **FDIS** 25% **CXSE** 25% + +**Consumer Discretionary 33%** + +**Tech 31%** + +**Healthcare 10%** + +**Communication 10%** + +**Financial Services 5%** + +**Consumer Staples 4%** + +**Industrial 2.5%** + +**Real Estates 1%** +I am 20 years old and have around 5k euro to invest. I want to put 3k euro's in an ETF and need some help in choosing the right ETF for me. I have done some research online but also wanted to get your opinion and insights. At the moment i have done some investments in individual stocks (4 companies) and know about how the market works through my studies at uni in business but also am doing my research on the internet as there is still a lot to learn. + +I want an ETF to hold at least for 5 years, i might sell it if i need the money (i will also do monthly contributions throughout the years) to buy a house, but will probably hold 10+ years. + +So the question is, how do you look for an ETF? Do you do DD on the ETF aswell as the top 10 or so holdings in it? What are things to look for in an ETF. I know ARK is popular right now but it seems risky to me because they hold a 10% stake in around 50% of their investments, this seems like a huge liquidity problem to me but i noticed a lot of people still have faith in it. + +The vanguard ETFs also look promising and seem a lot safer. + +Should i choose 1 ETF to invest in (as they are diversified) or should i invest in 3 or so ETFs to also diversify in ETFs? Because my stake is not that high but i also want to be safe in my investments. The other 2k i will use to buy individual stocks. +Hello guys, + +I am 31 years old and I am using Degiro and UCITS ETFs (for tax reasons). My current allocation is 90% VWCE and 10% IUSN. My plan is to keep everything and keep investing for the next \~20years. Was thinking of adding another 10% in emerging markets for diversification. I would prefer something from the free ETF list of Degiro (like Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets UCITS ETF 1C). + +What is your opinion on this? + +Thanks in advance for the advice! +Hello + +I would love your opinions on my new ETF allocation. I used to have a simple breakdown of SPY (80%) and ARKK (20%), however I was able to research a bit more and would love the community's input on the following breakdown: + +&#x200B; + +|ARKK|29%| +|:-|:-| +|ARKG|14%| +|ICLN|14%| +|QQQM|12%| +|VTI|11%| +|VOO|10%| +|VXUS|7%| +|O|4%| + +&#x200B; + +Penny for your thoughts. + +Merci +Just recently got a graduation gift from all my family members totaling to 1200$ I was wondering what you all recommend to getting started with ETFs using that money. Thank you. +Hey, I was wondering how to properly calculate how much you will make off a dividend etf? like how are you suppose to take off MER fees and management fees +These are high rated etfs, like PHO and FIW. Even the big guys like Goldman are liking them. Why so bullish now? I want to like them but just need more understanding as to why everyone is so high on them? Any water etfs owners willing to give their 2 cents? +My ETF main roth retirement account is a mixture of different ETFs, using VOO as a base and tilting small cap value while trying to capture world markets as well. I think its safe to bet that in the 25 years until I retire, you cannot time the market, nor can you time any particular market to do better, but instead of a total market etf, I want to divide it differently to capture these things in different proportions. + +About 14% of my portfolio is VWO, Vanguard's Emerging Market Fund. I thinking banking on Chinese economic growth is very smart in theory, but in practice may be a difficult thing to accomplish given US-Chinese relations. + +https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/us-listed-china-education-stocks-plunge-as-beijing-regulators-crack-down.html + +VWO is about 40% Chinese and may be problematic to invest in, even if only short term. Are there other emerging market ETF's that attempt to capture these markets that I am missing? I've got Developing Markets covered with VEA, so I'm thinking more specifically about emerging markets. Thanks. +Hi, I am fairly new to investing and I would like some advice on investing in ETFs. I am looking to invest circa $8000 AUD for the long term (8-10yrs) in VOO ETF. + +I would like to understand if Nabtrade is a correct platform to buy it from? + +I have Nabtrade Intl account through which I can buy VOO, plus I have recently opened an account on Interactive broker (but I haven't used it yet). Can someone pls. advise on what is the best platform to buy VOO from brokerage fees, currency exchange, etc perspective? +I am used to owning individual stocks, been through the dividend phase, now I’m focusing growth, I have already made a growth pie with some additions like nvda, msft and aapl for some dividends. I have like 36 stocks in this pie which I plan to shrink to about 30. +I am thinking about adding one or two etfs as an extension beside the pie. +Any suggestions? +So far I was thinking about the S&P500 etf $IVV which has a 0.03% fee - Warren Buffet inspired me by saying this is the only etf he would ever purchase because the fee is low and it matters a lot. +What are your thoughts on this? +Any alternative view? +Hi +I am totally new to investment +I would like to know your recommendation on how to diversify my investment wallet +And percent of each etf you recommend. + +My goal to maximize and grow my wallet as I should retire within 20 years. +Yeah. I’m invested in Large, Small cap ETFs. Small and large cap International ETFs, and emerging, but I’m missing specific sectors to invest in (Healthcare, Tech, etc) + +What do you all recommend? +Alot of people in this Reddit like avus and I've done some research I like their funds and their international fund AVDE . Can this replace vti & vxus or should I just stick to the basics? Thanks +Hey Guys, hope you are doing great. + +So I have a question towards you guys. I have some part of my Portfolio (rather a small amount, around 10%) in leveraged ETF's, mainly TQQQ. +With the latter I'm up around 50% in only a few months. I do know we are in a Bullrun. But my strategy so far was to DCA into TQQQ and putting my stop loss higher and higher. Like if TQQQ would crash atm, my gain on it would still be 32% with my stop loss. + +So, what do you guys think of it for the long term? DCAing into TQQQ and using stop losses to be safe from crashes. + +Cheers. +Hey folks, pretty noob question: can someone explain ETFs to me like a 5 year old? I'm looking at improvibg my personal finance by way of investing. Read a couple articles online that pointed out ETFs but I have been unable to grasp the idea. Any help? +Is there a good reference that goes into details about how exactly ETF shares get traded on the market? Most articles I read just sum it up as ETFs are kind of index funds that you can trade directly on the market. + +But how does this work exactly? When I a buy shares of a stock, I am trading with someone who wants to sell said stock. Do the mechanics work the same way for ETF shares? Am I buying ETF shares that someone else is selling? If so, then how exactly am I buying "into" the fund? Shouldn't buying the fund mean that the fund buys shares of the underlying stocks that make up the fund? If buying ETF shares is merely a trade, how does the net assets under management go up? Or is the "price" of an ETF share that I see just a more frequently updated NAV and I am not really trading with anyone when I buy ETF shares? +Im quite new to investing in general and think stocks are (without good knowledge) too much of a risk so the ETF’s caught my eye. I’m currently 19 years of age and studying in college. I have spare money (around 4/5k) which i wont be using the upcoming years. I’m not sure if i want to keep the ETF for 20 years or even more, maybe i’ll retract the money in like 3/4 years. Is an ETF still a good idea or should i be looking somewhere else? I also think its a waste to just let my money in the bank at 0% interest +Hi guys, I am in my 30ies and just starting to make some investments. have a student loan of approx. $60K in 3.8%. I could either use my salary to prepay the loan or make investments and my inclination is to invest as I think 3.8% is pretty cheap, so I should be able to earn more than that on a compounded basis. + +I am bullish on tech and healthcare, so I want to bet on those sectors, but without taking excessive risk. Otherwise I want to be exposed to US and international equity and have some diversification with bonds and gold. + +I am thinking about setting following target weights for these funds: + +https://preview.redd.it/kxms3ld2uu561.png?width=295&format=png&auto=webp&s=0bbcea80726eecef6b108eaa4b47462eea6f3bbd + +Any advice would be welcome. Thanks! +I am currently 45% individual stocks (heavily weighted on AAPL and next in line in terms of weight is PLTR) and 35% ETFs as follows: + +\- VGT 25% + +\- VT 10% + +Any recommendations on adding other ETFs from other industries or should I focus on buying some FAANG and just adding to my VGT and VT allocation? + +I also see most people here prefer VTI as it has historically outperformed VT, however, I bought into VT to have some diversification. I am young and open to taking on more risk so any recommendations are great. Thanks in advance. +First. I realize a tech rotation has been taking place, but I'm not sure HOW long it will last. I can't see investors running from tech for that long honesty. + +Anyways, I purchased VTV value etf and it's been doing ok on rotation days, but I only put about 1% in so far. I can't seem to resist buying more of my beloved tech names on dips rather than adding to value. + +Is there a better value play etf for the rotation? + +I'm really wondering if VTI Total Market is good enough as a value play, instead of buying into separate etfs +So I just opened up a Roth IRA this year, and I plan to max it out every year for the next 30 years if I can. Since I use my individual brokerage accounts to trade stocks, I want my Roth to be composed of strictly ETFs. I just wanted to ask this subreddit which of these investing ratios you guys would recommend. I want a majority of it to go to VTI / VOO (60-70%), and the rest I want to put into a growth ETF. These were the ratios I was thinking of: + +1) 70% VTI / 30% ARKK +2) 70% VTI / 30% VGT +3) 70% VTI / 30% VUG +4) 70% VTI / 30% QQQ +5) Recommend your own, but tell me which of the 4 above you would pick too. + +I want to do the ARKK choice, but I’m worried that their amazing gains over the past few years are a because of an overpriced market due to COVID and stocks like Tesla that have gone up like crazy. Of course over time, I would rebalance the Roth to lean more towards safety. But I am willing to be a little risky for these next 5ish years. Let me know your thoughts, thanks! +What do you guys think about spyv as a long term investment. Trying to find a good etf to hold for the next 20 years. One that aint so expensive and has alot of room to grow +I (24M) am about to start an 8 year job contract of around 5000$ monthly. I can live off 900$ which leaves me with 4100$. I was thinking of going 50/50 into QQQ and SCHD and DCA into them weekly. Is this a good idea? I'm new to investing all together so I'd appreciate the feedback. +50% - BBJP (JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan) + +25% - CIBR (NASDAQ Cybersecurity) + +15% - CALF (US Small Cap Cash Cows) + +10% - LQDI (Hedged Corporate Bond) + + +Again, I don’t know what I’m doing. I am a bit bullish on Japan and Cybersecurity in general. Hopefully it pays off? +Hi. My daughter has an inheritance and my ex-wife and myself are determining how to build upon the funds and set her up long-term. + +We are putting half of her money in a 529 plan and the other half we would like to put into ETFs. We will continue to put money in each plan every month and as time goes on and her path becomes clear we will reallocate funds where they need to go. She will have access to business ownership, rental property opportunities and/or college when she graduates. + +I have been in this group for a few months and have seen several funds repeated over and over again, especially for someone in the 20s and 30s, like myself. I actually hold some of them...ARKK, VTI, VXUS, ICLN, etc... + +What ETFs would you hold long term for a child? Thank you. +I have my Roth IRA in VTSAX and my HSA invested in VTI. I’d like to supplement with these ETFs. What do you think? I was thinking a 1/3 split between them evenly. +After some unsuccessful trades and option purchases, I decided I want to spend less time staring at my portfolio and just do some recurring ETF investments. + +I'm 35 and perfectly fine with a medium to high level or risk. This is separate from my IRA and 401K. + +Weekly buys of: + +$100 - VTI - Vanguard Total Stock Market + +$60 - VXUS - Vanguard Total International Stock + +$50 - ARKW - ARK Next Generation Internet + +$45 - VTWO - Vanguard Russell 2000 Index Fund + +$45 - MGK - Vanguard Mega Cap 300 Growth + + +I also love ETFs like IBUY/VCR, KOMP, and PBW, but I'm not really sure what to do about it. Should I lower these amounts, so I can throw some money into IBUY/KOMP/PBW? Or just stick to the five I already have setup? +I see the movement from mutual funds into indexation was the result of fund managers that didn’t earn their fees. It’s not that indexation is better, it’s cheaper. Well sometimes it could be better. It’s not inferior to funds, but it’s cheaper. + +Now for the irony... + +Why do the stocks in the index have the weighting that they have? Where did the indices weighting’s come from? + +They don’t come from the sky, they don’t come from the operation of nature or physics. Stock X (not the shoe reseller app) has a valuation of 80 billion and stock Y will have a valuation of 180 billion. Why? Partly because of what the companies accomplish, and party because the investors say they’re worth. + +So the market weightings, the prices, and thus the weighting’s are assigned by who? ACTIVE INVESTORS + +And yet, there’s a trend towards passive investing on the premise that the active investors don’t really know what they’re talking about. + +And yet, the MO of the passive investor is to emulate the decisions of the active investors who they think are idiots. + +So to the etf investors, how do you feel having all your money in a fund where nobody is thinking which stocks should be included, what they’re worth, and how they’re weighted? +Hi everyone, I think every financial planner suggests to put 6 months of necessary spending in cash as a emergency fund. + +I am wondering if any of you guys put the emergency funds in ETF? And any recommendation? +Hi All! I’m 48 with about $1.5M in tax advantaged retirement accounts. I’m currently 25% AAPL and 75% cash. I am very much ok with exposure to AAPL long term. I’m going to phase my buy-in to the market over the remainder of 2020. Here’s what I was thinking as final percentages at EoY: + +25% VOO +25% VTI +25% AAPL +25% XLF + +I’m open to suggestions if you think there’s a better mix I should shoot for! +Non US newbie investor here. I was planning to put money in ETFs but there seems to be some stuff happening in the US that makes me apprensive. Should I still go ahead or wait for a couple of weeks to see how things play out? + +Hoping to hear your inputs! Thank you +Hello there. I have finished college and just started working about a year ago (Living and working in Germany). +Currently I am in a financially stable position that would allow me to save up around 200€ a month. + +I have been researching alot recently and came to the conclusion that putting my money into ETFs makes sense for me. + +&#x200B; + +My ideal goal for the ETF investment is to build up a decent amount of "passive income" over the years. From my understanding there are 2 types of ETFs: distributing and reinvesting ones am I correct? + +&#x200B; + +Which choice of ETFs would make sense for a relative newcomer that does not have a ton of budget but aims to grow a relatively safe but profitable amount over the next years? (Budget 200€ - 300€ per month) +What do you guys think about spyv as a long term investment. Trying to find a good etf to hold for the next 20 years. One that aint so expensive and has alot of room to grow +Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster. + +I'm currently finishing up my second year in my Accounting and Finance program and needed some advice on how to deal with my education savings plan. Since I'm going to be graduating in the next 2-3 years, I'm not sure how to effectively invest all my savings to ensure steady growth with minimal risk. + +Since November of 2020, I've been investing personally and seen pretty spectacular returns, which is easy to do in such a bullish market. Then, during our most recent market correction, I lost about 40% of my investments. After taking such a loss, I realized that proper risk management is crucial in maintaining steady growth. I want to apply that same logic to my educational savings, but I'm unfamiliar with ETFs in general. I know about Cathie Wood's ETFs, and they honestly seem great, but ARKK dipping about 30% has me a bit reluctant to invest in them. + +Given this background information, what do you guys think would be some of the best ETFs to invest in to ensure I don't fuck up and lose my educational savings? I know there's no reward with no risk, so I'm not trying to take on as little risk as possible, but I also don't want huge swings in my account like my personal investing account is doing. Any thoughts or comments to push me in the right discussion would be greatly appreciated. +With Small Cap Value, I'm considering switching from VIOV to AVUV. I've only recently begun investing in SCV and I'm currently in the red in a taxable account, so there would not be a tax penalty for selling. What's your advice long term. Better to ride it out with VIOV or make the switch to AVUV now? +I'm 31 now and I've been working consistently since I was 14. I've had 7 jobs in my life, never more than a couple months between them. One I worked for 8 years, another for 4 and and the others have usually been about a year, or mire. I have absolutely nothing to show for it. + +I didn't spend my money on cool stuff, there just never was any. I've never owned a new car, come close to owning a home, been able to invest or even save anything significant. I've never been able to afford a real vacation, just a stay-cation sitting around an apartment I never wanted. I don't go out to dinner with friends, go to the bar, buy video games, etc. All I really do is go to work and come home and my savings are still completely meaningless. + +It seems like all New England (and maybe America) has to offer is working your ass off so you can buy a bigger TV, or cool shoes or get an apartment with more bedrooms. All of that is beyond meaningless to me; it's a nuisance and I don't want it. What I would like to have is a little land some day, but based on how things are going that's impossible. + +Is there some place that matches these ideals better? All I want: do a normal job, have land and not be bothered. +I’ve been reading the permanent rez/citizenship requirements for Monaco. + +For residency: + +-Rent a reasonable apartment for a year with you’re applying +-Have 500k-1000k to deposit in a bank + +After ten years you qualify for citizenship. I don’t see any mention of requirements for actually residing there. This sounds too good to be true. Has anyone successfully gotten citizenship or even PR? +My fiancée and I are planning our finances before our wedding next month. I’m a Canadian and she an American. I was surprised at the super low automobile coverage requirements in the US (in Canada you need to carry a minimum of $1M in coverage) and we recently upped everything to the max. + +We have about 700k in real estate, 1M in fairly liquid investments and are planning a new business launch (medical, so the numbers are somewhat predictable). Income right now is $350ish and with the new business our income, business profit and personal, would be roughly $1MM annually or more. + +I started looking into umbrella policies and they sorta make sense to me (the cost was around $150 per year for $1MM). + +I’m interested in what other fatFIRE and those on the path to fatFIRE buy for coverage and which carriers? I understand Chubbis for the UHNW, anyone speak to what they offer versus some of the mainline insurers Farmers, State Farm, All State etc etc). Has anyone ever made use of their policy? Am I just being super risk averse? +I'm curious to hear about others who have reached a level of financial independence to seek their "dream house" -- something you are very happy with for the next 10-20+ years. How long did it take you to find the right one, given that you may have a budget but budget is not a huge constraint, and therefore there's less desire/need to compromise on what you want in a house. Any words of wisdom on the process? + +We are quite sure we don't want to build our own house, but open to hearing about those experiences too. +Specifically interested in stories about primary residence, since I imagine the thought process and decision making is a bit different for additional properties or vacation homes. + +We have been looking for about 3 months in a HCOL city with a competitive market. Have only come close to making an offer once, but decided to pass. That house had some great qualities (very walkable to commercial area but still on a quiet street, high quality build and finishes), but had some concerns too (smaller sq ft and smaller lot than ideal, not the best natural light). We thought maybe the pros outweighed the cons, but ultimately decided they didn't. We figured we're not in a big rush, so it's worth seeing more options especially since there's not much activity now around the winter holidays. + +Thanks in advance, appreciate this community. +Hello there! I Need to get something pretty dark and personal off my chest and wanted to share a little about my story and get the advice of those that are more experienced and wiser than I. + +I’m a 27 year old, HENRY stage 300K+ income. + + +Backstory: I graduated college about 5.5 years ago and just fell backwards into an sales development role at a small but promising tech startup through blind luck. No idea I wanted to do tech or sales, but I was mainly interested in learning the *skill* of sales. + +As I always aspired to own a business I knew this wouldn’t be a long term play for me, as I am not truly motivated by money, but by purpose and acquiring skills to be the best Business owner I can be. + +Anyways, fast forward, I blasted through my early roles, was the fastest and youngest to get promoted to account executive in the companies history, saw a ton of success in that role and the company IPO’d and made a ton of money. It was just the perfect outcome for a first job. + +Now is where things start getting shaky.. I had to leave my first company after ipo due to a long distance relationship and we wanted to be together finally. I move in with her and got another sales job at another prestigious up and coming tech company. However some things weren’t made clear upfront to me about the role and it turned out I was going to be doing the work I was doing in my first role out of college and was not at all what I signed up for and so I completely shut down. I left work every day panicked about what to do, and I literally did zero work there for about 6 Months. + +Then my old manger who originally hired me from at my first company reached out and asked if I wanted to come do enterprise sales for him at a new company he was joining so obviously I joined. + +Problem was I was mentally pretty checked out since the end of my first company and was really struggling to motivate myself to keep doing this career path. I didn’t care much about the money, I didn’t care about selling tech, I was in a pretty bad place. BUT since I was joining up with my old boss in an EAE role, I was ready to get after it. + +Well, this was a remote role and given I am an extremely extroverted, ADHD little ball of energy, this quickly became a problem. I would find myself depressed laying in bed until noon not caring about anything. It eventually got to the point I was drinking every day, taking prescription pills, really bad stuff... + +All this led up to a point that the guy that hired me for my first job out of college, whom became one of my best friends, was now firing me 4 years later. + +It honestly was pretty relieving not feeling the pressure of letting him down anymore. But the same daily routine carried over to unemployment. Completely unable to motivate myself to look for more sales jobs, sleeping in etc.. although I was happier, I still felt pretty lost. Fast forward about 6 months, I just joined a new up and coming tech company and landed a strategic AE role, just cause of my prior experience and the prestige associated to my first company. + +Well, long story short, I am just a couple months in and I literally cannot make myself open my laptop. You would think I’m 30 years into this role and burned out, but I’m just a couple months in. I keep pushing customer calls, no desire to learn the product, it’s really really bad. And I’m pretty quickly on my way to getting fired here too. + +I just can’t force myself to care about this job. The money doesnt give me the dopamine hit it does most in sales, I don’t care about tech, I don’t find it interesting. I don’t see myself in tech in the future, yet I’m still here. + +As you can tell I’m just pretty lost right now. I can’t imagine doing this job or industry one more day, but at the same time, I can’t think clearly about where I want to go from here and what I really want to Do. I realize how insanely fortunate I am to have fallen into a pre ipo company and have risen through the ranks as fast as I have and the money that comes with that, but I have hit a brick wall and feel truly out of control of my life and my direction. + +It’s just insane that I have always had crazy drive and work ethic and that’s what got me here, compared to now, I literally can’t even bother opening my laptop. I theorize it could be working from home is truly truly bad for me, or that I just am in the wrong role / industry. It just makes its hard to leave when I step back and see how good of a situation I’m in on paper. + +There’s no real question here, just needed to tell somebody. Would love to hear from y’all if you have had similar experiences or any stories of how you lost your way in life and found it again. + +Thanks for reading! + +Fwiw: I recently started taking Wellbutrin and adderall as I left my adhd untreated for many years. +Looking at my investments, my rental peppery has grown far less than my stocks yet I spent a lot more time worrying about paying taxes and insurance on time and keeping my tenant happy by spending money on maintenance. + +I know stocks had a crazy run up lately but even in normal times, isn't it easier to expose yourself to real estate via the stock market than actually owning real estate? + +&#x200B; + +What am I missing that so many people own properties? It is including me because "common wisdom" is to "buy land"! +I'm currently in the process of selling a business and would like to get some input from people who have gone through a similar experience. + +My situation: 37M in a LCOL area. Married with kids. Wife is already stay-at-home. Kids are all school-aged. Not counting the business, current NW is about $4M, but I'm hoping to get $15M-$20M for the sale. I am 100% owner of the business and until very recently I've been very involved day-to-day. I've been working for a couple years on building up a management team, though, and that has gone well, to the point where I could probably officially transition out of that role of "president" at any time. + +The business has been officially "for sale" for about a month and there are a number of interested parties. One particular PE firm is most interested and has told my broker that a bid letter is coming. My broker speaks highly of this place, and on paper it looks like a very good match. They are a pretty good-sized firm but they also have a local connection. However, their M.O. for the companies they buy is to keep the founder involved and to try to build it up and resell it for 5x or 10x in a few years. This goes against my plans for retirement but I'm not totally opposed to the idea. I would like to retain some kind of connection to the business (it's like having another child!) and I wouldn't mind having some ownership stake remaining as I fully believe in its future. That said, my goal is to feel as "retired" as possible and I've been clear that I have no intentions of accepting an everyday role. + +I've read plenty of horror stories on this sub about people who sold a business and got tangled up in bad earnouts or who were hired by the buyer and had a bad experience. I'm trying to avoid all that, of course, but I don't know enough about the M&A world to speak confidently on the subject. I've thrown out the possibility of part time consulting or a board seat or similar, but again I don't know exactly what those responsibilities would entail. + +Has anyone done something similar and successfully ended up more retired than not in the short term? Any advice would be appreciated. +So, as the title suggests. I Fucked up big time. + +I've been in crypto since 2017, been putting all my extra cash into the markets since then. Been active in communites and definitely confident about the future of crypto. + + (not an extravagant amount of cash, just a regular student) + +Ill skip to my fuckup. + +I had recently decided to trade using leverage, started small and "did my research". + +Today, I saw an opportunity with bitcoins sideways pullback and supports, and I was confident. Too confident. i bought in at 20x leverage, things were going well, i bought a bit above the bottom, and then bought in again nearly perfectly getting the reversal. + +Here is my series of mistakes that turned into a big fuckup: Normally ill judge the bounce and buy in again on the ride up if im confident, small fluctuations in price wont get me liquidated, wait, not get too greedy and close. + +I decided to use 125x leverage on my last buy. Dumb i know. but still, it was my smallest buy and i was confident in the returns, if theres a fluctuation, im fine with losing 10 bucks. + +I clicked 125x, didnt read the warning i got, ( after all, time is money) + +and then, something seemed off. I only had One position open. Then, tiny fluctuation, i see -50%, -80%, panic a bit and try to close. Boom, Liquidated. + +I didnt know that the Entire position goes 125x. + +Entire balance of over 3 years. wiped. + +Dont be as reckless as me. I't feels like shit. + +Im going to slowly try and rebuild.. Staying meathodical and being much more conservative with my risk. + +But fuck, this sucks. + +edit 1: [Didn't see these till after lmao](https://imgur.com/a/UY7wsse). Testament to volatility. + +Edit 2: Want to let yall know that i appreciate all the comments. I was fine with the loss after a couple hours, its just money invested in myself to learn and grow as a person and trader. + +But after that, A kind redditor saw my post and has helped me out with some sats to rebuild. I will do right, build a good position, and pay it forward. + +Love this community! stay safe and learn from my fuck up. + +edit: updated fact +TL;DR - she has a mortgage, student loan, and credit card balance, and has quit paying on them, with plans to go AWOL in a couple or three months. What will happen regarding the debts and how long will she be a hot target by her creditors? + +Long version: + +My ex girlfriend has become mentally ill over the last year and just isn't relating to the world any more. She has been unemployed for 2 years, and we split up over the course of the last 6 months as she refuses to recognize her illness, much less seek treatment, with me ultimately moving out in late November. Since then I've been trying to steer her back on course but she refuses and is just nosediving into a financial pit. + +She has a condo to the tune of $9xx/month mortgage and another $250/month in condo fees. She is severely upside-down on the place, owing about $130K but she'd be lucky to sell it for half that. Between my rent and her ex-husband's child support, she was able to cover this, but she is just about to miss her 3rd mortgage payment at this point. Her condo fees are an additional month or 2 behind. + +She has some old student loan debt remaining, I don't recall the exact number but I'm pretty sure it's under $20K at this point. + +The mortgage/condo and student loan payments were set up on a auto-payment plan to deduct funds from her bank account, but once they drained it dry and caused overdraft charges, she just closed the account rather than deal with her lender and condo board to stop the auto-debits. + +And as I recall she has a $3xxx balance on a single credit card with her bank (that she closed her checking/savings with), and she has recently stopped making the minimum payments on that so that she can keep her phone/data plan going. + +She is on state/federal assistance for medical and food stamps, and her only income at this point is child support which covers utilities, auto expenses, phone, and incidentals. + +At one point not that long ago she was determined to just let everything lapse including her car insurance (and therefore tags/registration) and utilities (she had a shut-off notice) and she was just going to pack what she could into her Corolla and drive to the midwest and leave her 8 year old son with his father with no notice, and she had no plan beyond that. I've managed to convince her to stay on top of the utilities and car stuff, but her home is a lost cause and foreclosure is looming. No idea where in the process it is, probably just getting formally started with the third payment being missed any day now. I know she's not opening the mail from her lender. + +Hopefully she'll be able to stay in the house until the school year ends in June. Her son is 8 by the way. + +I tried to encourage her to file chapter 7 bankruptcy to get her debts formally released, but she's not interested. + + +Anyway, assuming she does make it until June without being evicted, her son spend summers with family in the midwest and she will definitely be abandoning her house at that point, and will likely find herself somewhere in the midwest as well. Knowing her, she won't forward mail (she'd ignore it anyway) and will essentially just go AWOL. What's going to happen with her debts? + +I'm assuming the foreclosure will just happen as usual, and the bank will just have to eat it. Mortgage is backed by Freddie Mac, so the bank isn't going to be too upset. +The condo board will turn her account over to their collections attorney, but given that she has no money and no assets other than her vehicle, that's not likely to go anywhere. +Her student loan will also likely go to a collection agency, yes? +Her credit card balance, I'm not sure how that will be handled. Collections as well? + +I suppose the root of the question is, there's nothing to go after to recover her debts, so the creditors will likely just eat it all, but is she going to be in any legal trouble afterwards? I think she plans to just go off the radar and either live a quiet life in the rural midwest, or she may just end up homeless. + +Either way, how is this going to haunt her, and for how long? Is there any criminal risk here that could bite her in the ass, or is it all just civil as far as the legal system is concerned? + +If you think the crisis is over because of one green day, have I got some bad news for you. Nothing is over, this is just getting started. [According to the Imperial College model](https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf), we are in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation: either we enforce wide-scale lockdowns, flatten the curve, and bring down the infection rate, which would have large economic repercussions, or we don't, in which case tons of people die. What the Imperial College researchers failed to take into consideration is that America is full of retards. + +[Take a look at this DD](https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/fo9cks/did_a_little_dd_on_new_york/) that a brave WSBer from Brooklyn risked his life to bring us. Despite being the epicenter of the US outbreak and probably on track to become the next Wuhan, New Yorkers are still not taking the virus seriously and are congregating in large numbers in parks and beaches. Lockdowns only work if people take them seriously, all it took was one crazy bitch in South Korea who disobeyed doctor's orders to infect 9,000 people. + +Extrapolate what's going on in New York to the rest of the country and we can forecast what will happen in the next month or so. One by one, cities across the US will initiate lockdowns as cases spread. While many people will take stay at home orders seriously, just as many won't, and beer flu will fail to be suppressed. We will suffer the economic consequences of widespread lockdowns AND the healthcare consequences of a huge influx of corona cases at once. In other words, both of the disastrous scenarios outlined in the Imperial College research report will happen to us. The US gets double fucked. + +The cherry on top is that [Donnie is already getting impatient](https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-23/the-war-against-coronavirus-becomes-a-battle-for-trumps-ear) with the lockdowns and we're barely a week into them. To put that into perspective, Wuhan had to be locked down for two months to stop the virus, and that's with the CCP welding people into their apartments. All evidence indicates that Donnie is a minute man and does not have the stamina to push this through long enough to suppress the virus, that even if he did, the collective retardedness of Americans will still fuck us, and that Bill Ackman will probably have another meltdown on CNBC in a few weeks when all this becomes apparent. +Recently helping my mother sort through old documents, and we found this stock certificate. I did a bit of googling and didn't find anything conclusive. Is there a process to get these shares valued? anything I'm missing? Thanks + +http://imgur.com/fYkHOEK + +Edit 1: I punched in the issue information into American Stock Transfer lookup and the website stated they are not the transfer agent for it. I emailed their Shareholder Services for more information or to point me in the right direction. + +Edit 2: American Stock Transfer said they didn't have any information. + +Final Edit: Got word from the Delaware Sec. of State, and they basically said the company has not been active since 1993 in Delaware. I find it unlikely they moved their registration to another state so it looks like it's dead and gone. Thanks for all the help, but no windfall here. +Seriously, what a fucking ass hat! As I'm sure most of you know in that WSJ interview today, he still blames Bitcoin. + +He's the dumb fuck who allowed policies which permitted the processing of forged BTC Withdrawal requests! + +To top it off, he KNEW he was doing this! + +I really despise these type of people. +"sufjanatic, + +We often receive requests for pre-owned vehicle models similar to yours. According to our records, it appears you have approximately 51 payments remaining on your 2019 Toyota Corolla and are paying approximately $280. + +Being able to acquire vehicles that we have either sold, serviced or both that we can add to our Pre-Owned inventory is the best possible scenario. In a search of our customer records I identified your car as a perfect match for us. As compensation to you, if we could upgrade you to a newer Toyota Corolla keeping your payments about the same, would you consider letting us purchase your car? + +Best regards, + +Dealership" + +What does this mean and what would be my best course of action? + +**Edit**: I realize I should've thought a little more before posting this. Thanks for all the responses. I understand now why this would be a terrible deal. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Hi good people of r/financialindependence + +I am on my FIRE journey, and have read books/etc, and I feel that I have a pretty solid grasp of most of the relevant concepts in pursuing financial independence. I make about 100k, and have the following investment vehicles: maxed out 401k, mandated school employee pension contributions, taxable brokerage account, and a high yield savings account. + +My wife and I make 300k combined gross, probably about $240k MAGI (as far as income limits on regular Roth IRA. + +So, my understanding is that my wife and I make too much combined to use the regular Roth IRA, but we can still do a backdoor Roth IRA of course. + +However, I'm a bit confused if it actually makes sense for me to do the backdoor Roth IRA. While I'll probably have some part-time income in my early retirement, I will almost assuredly be in a lower tax bracket than I am now (eg from 100k now, down to 50k income). My questions are... + +1. I understand that the capital gains in the Roth IRA are not taxed, but does it make sense for me to do $6,000 into a Roth IRA each year if I will have a lower income in my retirement? +2. If it doesn't make sense to put that money into the Roth IRA --- where should it go? Taxable brokerage account, traditional IRA? + +&#x200B; + +TIA! +I'm interested in everyone's expectations in the market next year as we enter into an interesting situation with inflation, supply constraints, constant pent-up demand, interest rate hikes (later), and faster tapering. + +I'll give my expectations here first + +I think that inflation will remain fairly high through 2022 but it won't be at the levels that it is now, maybe around 3-4%, which puts most bonds at negative real rates right now, forcing investors if they want a real return to go into the equity markets and/or chase high yield bonds. + +When the federal reserve starts hiking interest rates I personally don't expect that they will raise them at a very fast pace however if inflation doesn't start taming down they might. When rates rise the risk-free rate rises and its effect on equities is usually bad. As the discount rate rising the price that investors are willing to purchase a security will decrease or at least for institutional investors won't which of course make up most of the market. I think that may not be the case next year however because if investors still need to go into the equity market to chase real returns, the equities should still rise. I'm worried that equities are already in a slight bubble and that another year of these returns could show a market correction back down. If I was a betting man I would assume that within the next 1-3 years there will be a negative return in the S&P500 which has only happened once in the last 12 years. + +Investors still can't enter into the bond market without giving up a return. Sure an investor can buy futures contracts on treasuries because they expect an upward shift in the yield curve, which I expect to happen, to get a higher yield and decrease their interest rate risk. However, if you cannot accurately predict when the fed is done raising rates then that won't help you as when you are obligated to buy those treasuries you will have interest rate risk issues. Buying short-term bonds to help with duration would help that problem but those also will more than likely result in a negative real return anyways if inflation doesn't cool off and the equity should've been the move anyways. + +I would say that the Financial Services sector will benefit from the rising yields especially as corps and people demand large purchases as demand is hot. + +I would also say that Industrials and Cyclicals will outperform as demand will drive the Cyclicals and the Industrials from infrastructure and servicing the demand in Cyclicals. + +I think that elevated Materials prices will fall, hurting that sector. + +Staples could be a hedge against a downturn in the market which I expect in the coming years. + +Technology and communication services may have a bumpy road ahead with rising rates because the discount rate increasing hurts them the worst. Comm services wouldn't be as greatly affected but because of high tech companies in the space. More value may be the direction to take. + +I'm always bullish on healthcare as innovations and rising populations will always benefit that sector. I may change my focus away from Biotech and into more stable earning healthcare companies. + +Personally, I think Value over Growth or at least blend. + +And this is of course not financial advice just my personal opinions on the market next year. +Hey there! + +Today I'd like to show you a small project I've been working on: [https://bitcoiner.live/](https://bitcoiner.live/) + +Basically, this is the tool I wish existed, to be able to use it myself quick and easy or to recommend to newcomers when they ask questions about fees. Existing tools are either too complex with too many numbers or have a tendency to overestimate fees. + +So I built this fee estimator with the following goals: + +* simplicity, the home page goes straight to the point +* reasonable estimates: to achieve this I developed a custom algorithm that looks both at the current weight and velocity of transactions entering the mempool at different fee brackets (more details in the "how it works" tab). This is unlike some other websites that look at the previous blocks and return the median fee which yields huge overestimations, since one doesn't need to pay the median fee but just the minimum to get included in a block. + +Of course, no algorithm is perfect and it certainly cannot predict when a huge spike of transactions is about to happen. But so far its output seems to correlate pretty well to what I would manually set by looking at mempool graphs. + +Optionally, you can select any of 3 estimation "profiles": + +* **standard:** is the default one and aims to strike a good balance between cost and accuracy. +* **optimistic:** slightly underestimates if your objective is fee minimization before accuracy. It might work out if the next blocks are pretty lucky, but it might take longer otherwise. +* **cautious:** on the other hand is pretty greedy, use it only if you really want to be sure to target the next blocks or so even if the next blocks turn out unlucky. + +As always, feedback is welcome :) + +If there is interest I'll release the source code! + +EDIT: Thanks a lot for all your valuable feedback! I'll edit this post as I implement your suggested features. + +Done: +- Estimated total fees for a typical transaction +- Switch the details page units from WU to virtual-MB +- API: [https://bitcoiner.live/doc/api](https://bitcoiner.live/doc/api) +- [Source code release](https://github.com/joltfun/btcflow) + +In progress: +- Switching fee units (sat/B, BTC/kB, etc...) +- Switching total fees per wallet type (native segwit, compatibility segwit, legacy) +- Historical estimations graph +Two of the popular advice are: + +1. Be patient during some losses and not sell position at the first sign of trouble. If you are an investor, hold it patiently for years. + +2. Don't be married to your position. If a stock is losing you money, exit it. + +These 2 seem a bit contradictory to me. Suppose I own some stock of a company for a long term, how do I know if I should be patient or get rid of my position? + +Update: + +One more follow-up question. As an average investor without even accounting background, I have no way to do thorough DD. If a stock falls tomorrow, I can give you a dozen reason on why it's a bad stock, but if the same stock goes up, I can give you many reasons why it's a good stock. How do I know if DD is correct. I think there is no way to know it for sure? +https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/05/california-ag-cities-sue-uber-and-lyft-over-worker-classification.html +> +> California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is suing Uber and Lyft, alleging the ride sharing companies have misclassified their drivers as contractors. City attorneys from San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego have joined Becerra in the lawsuit. +> +> The lawsuit gets to the heart of a recent debate between gig economy companies and California officials. The lawsuit is based on a California law that went into effect earlier this year, known as Assembly Bill 5 (AB5). Uber, Lyft and other companies opposed the law, which was created as a way to require gig economy companies to classify their drivers as employees, rather than contractors. The companies have said the law strips workers of flexibility in work that they enjoy, while government officials backing the bill say it affords workers key benefits they are otherwise denied as contractors. +> +> “Uber and Lyft claim that properly classifying drivers as employees is incompatible with flexibility. That is a lie,” San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement. “There is no legal reason why Uber and Lyft can’t have a vast pool of employees who decide for themselves when and where they work – exactly as drivers do now. These companies simply don’t want to do it.” +> +> The plaintiffs are seeking and injunction on the alleged misclassification and restitution for workers and civil penalties that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the lawsuit. +If you have read my previous posts and comments on this subreddit, you'll know that I'm a huge proponent of Bitcoin in specific, and of crypto-currencies in general. I think that they're revolutionary, game changing, world shattering, and the tip of an iceberg that could potentially restore freedom back to the US and the rest of the world. + +That being said, let me give you a bit of advice from someone who specifically studied the psychology of trading in a forum based environment when forum members had something to gain. + +**Don't listen to ANYTHING that anyone tells you to do on a forum where others have something to gain by telling you to buy, hold, or sell at any particular time. Use you own mind, and your own thoughts, as they are our truest weapons of survival and prosperity as humans, and we give up that survival and prosperity when we let others think for us.** + +The statement above was hard earned through the tech bubble, the banking crisis (where I saw the Fed Chairman lie directly to the public) and by closely watching the forums of gold game ponzy investments, where the cheer leading, nay saying, and self-delusion often reach psychotic levels. + +So, what am I saying with this post? Should you buy or sell or stuff your bitcoins in your mouth as a ward against demons? + +**I'm saying that you need to think. Forget about what you want to happen at this moment, and sit down with a pencil and paper and start diagramming out all of the possibilities that could happen, how likely you think (not feel, but think) they are to happen, what impact they will have if they do happen, and what strategy you can use that gives the best results based on this.** + +And if your strategy is to hold, then hold. If it is to sell, then sell. If it is to buy, then buy. If it is to sell now to possibly buy cheaper, then do so. And don't let anyone tell you that you're wrong, evil, or an asshole for using your mind and doing what you want with your property and resources. It's yours not theirs, and they are wrong to even suggest that they have a claim to what you do with it. +I'm OG, I've been in since September 2020, I bought shares at $8. + +But all this time I've been sat on the sidelines with my broker Trading212. +You see my shares are held in an ISA Account which means it's tax free whenever I sell my shares and take profit and because of the shitiness of the broker I can't transfer my shares out. I have to sell in order to re-purchase elsewhere. +So I never DRS'd, after all - MOASS is predicated on the fact all these synthetics need to be bought back + +But that ends now. + + + +I've opened an IBKR account, purchased 1 GME share and DRS'd it. +Once my Computershare account is active and confirmed I'll be getting a loan for the current price of my total GME shares and re-purchasing my shares through CS. + +I've been sat on the sidelines too long and it's been painfully clear for a while now that DRS really is the way forward. + +I just didn't want to admit it to myself that I would lose tax free status by going DRS. + +But if I get screwed by my broker, what's tax-free status on 0 anyway. + + +DRS incoming. +Alright, it's been over a year of waiting around, getting hurt over and over again, getting a few wrinkles in our noggin and finally finding zen through DRS. But, we all know the inevitable doom that awaits SHFs would be accelerated if all the massive shares sitting in retirement accounts were DRS'ed with Computershare. So we have pioneers like u/BananyaBangarang and [u/winebutch](https://www.reddit.com/u/winebutch/) who have painstakingly jumped into the deep end of the pool, figured it out and documented the process. Now we just need to take action! + + +So, after months of saying I would, I finally started the process. + + +First, instead of just using Mainstar Trust, I looked to see what other options there were for Self Directed Retirement Custodians. I found a pretty good list on this website [Ultimate List of Self Directed IRA Custodians &Administrators (innovativewealth.com)](https://innovativewealth.com/wealth-management/research/self-directed-ira-industry/the-ultimate-list-of-self-directed-ira-custodians-and-administrators/). I then proceed to call each company to see if they can DRS with Computershare on our behalf. 97% of the companies listed do not offer publically traded securities as a form of investment. Of the few that did (Camaplan, Equity Trust and GoldStar) they for their own reasons, do not work with Computershare. So this lead me back to Mainstar Trust, but now I feel better having spent time looking at other custodians. + + +Second, I reached out to Mainstar Trust to confirm the following questions: + +1. Can they do what u/BananyaBangarang stated? (DRS on my behalf retirement accounts as financial custodians in a way that did not trigger a taxable event). **YES** +2. What are the fees? **$15 one time set up fee and $150 annual fee (not prorated)** +3. Can they do a Roth IRA, Traditional IRA and HSA account? **YES to all 3** +4. How can I sell after MOASS? **Online or a written form that can be faxed or emailed.** +5. What is the cut off time for same-day trade execution? **2pm CST (I personally do not know what can happen during a volatile day with GME, but its worth the risk for me).** +6. Are there any selling limits in share quantity or price? **No** +7. What are the fees to transfer funds/stocks in and out of Mainstar? **No fees transferring in, $15 transfer fee sending funds/stocks out of Mainstar.** +8. FDIC insured? **Yes, up to $250k.** + +I have now sent over 3 applications for a Roth, Trad IRA and HSA. I will update when I've DRS'ed over to Computershare. I can't wait to share a screenshot of the purple cockrings thereafter. + + +Everyone who's been hesitant to DRS their retirement accounts, the water is nice and warm... jump right on in! +... and "messages to the newbs". And "we hit X!!!". And bitcointy screenshots (we can all find a website if we want, your 'witty' remarks and mystery arrows doesn't add as much as you think they do). And self-assuring, trying-to-sound-confident "bitcoin will be worth X in a Y" posts. As well as hating, often trolling "bitcoin will crash to X because I say so" posts. Any price speculation based on one's feelings is worthless ffs. Hell, if it was up to me I'd move ALL the price speculation discussions to /r/BitcoinMarkets. Don't even get me started on "should I buy/sell" posts. Or the same questions posted over and over again, which could be answered by a simple google search, reading faq and more often than not just by looking at other posts! This is not a support forum for any of the exchanges either, so "X scammed me!! plz upvote!!!11 EDIT: oh hey guiz turns out I had to just wait for more than two hours thanks!!!1" submissions should not be welcomed here as well. I'm pretty sure there are some other types of posts that aren't meaningful in any way, but those are the most annoying imho. + +Now, I realize that reddit has pretty good voting system that lets users decide what posts they thing should stay on the subreddit's frontpage, but when we get overrun by a crowd of greedy^1 , overexcited idiots who can't be bothered even to read a damn sidebar it simply does NOT work! ^2 + +Mods: please, please do something with it. ANYTHING at this point. I love reddit and would love to keep getting my btc related news from this sub, but they get buried under massive amounts of shitposts. Anyone interested in bitcoin for any other reason than making a quick buck will get the fuck out from here after 5 minutes. We're going to break /r/circlejerk any time now, something that only /r/atheism achieved so far. I mean, seriously. Next time I see a picture of a cat going on about a fucking boat or this 300's "HOLD" thingy I'm going to lose my shit. + +If those rules (or at least some of them) were to be enforced and mods would need an extra pair of hands to help them do so, I'd be more than happy to join their team. If I'm going to have to sieve through all this shit anyway, at least I can make sure nobody else is. + +I really hate to say it, but please upvote for visibility. If you don't agree, we can have a meaningful discussion in comments for a change. + +/^1 - seriously, how are some of you people still alive? who the fuck 'invest' the money they can't afford to loose in something they don't understand without doing any research beforehand?! and they you panic on a slightest price drop and come crying and screaming and spill your idiocy all over my beloved sub :( i mean, fuck you guys. + +^2 - this scales pretty well too, it's called "democracy can suck a huge, sweaty dick" phenomena/ + +edited because i can't escape formatting :( +Edit: Thanks everyone, for all the advice. I've cried it out and I'm feeling a little more levelheaded. It's become apparent there isn't anything I can do but be smarter than my dad when it comes to taxes and open my own account. + +To those of you saying my parents need to get a divorce, thanks but... my mom is an adult and, like... I can't just make my parents get a divorce? She has her reasons and concerns... she's also my mom and I trust her. + +And just... next time someone asks for help, try not to just extrapolate or make judgements. + +______________________________________________________________________ + +I know this is probably irrelevant to getting advice... but my mom has basically been killing herself working long hours every day at her shitty job to save up for my brother and I. My brother and I have been working trying to save up for college (I'm 18, he's 19). + +Basically I just got my first paycheck and sent it to my account which... somehow alerted the state of California to the money in all of our accounts. My dad doesn't keep his money there, so just me, my mom, and brother were affected. + +All of our money is on hold, everything we've been saving up is gone. My mom finally got together enough to get me a computer for college that she was going to buy next week and now it doesn't look like it'll happen at all. This is all because of something my dad did years ago-- something to do with not paying taxes. + +Is there any tiny possibility that there's something I can do? I'm torn apart right now, my mom is at work and only knows a little about what just happened. + +I'm sorry if this is the wrong sub or something, I just really have nowhere else to go. + +Unless you're a Winklevii, most in the community seem to agree that the BitLicense regulation proposals are archaic, and that it will hinder startup growth, etc. + +The most important point that people seem to overlook is this piece of regulation, section 200.8(b): + +Each Licensee shall be permitted to invest its retained earnings and profits in **only** the following high-quality, investment-grade permissible investments with maturities of up to one year and **denominated in United States dollars**: + +(1) certificates of deposit issued by financial institutions that are regulated by a United States federal or state regulatory agency; + +(2) money market funds; + +(3) state or municipal bonds; + +(4) United States government securities; + +(5) United States government agency securities + +BitLicense businesses cannot invest or hold their ANY of their profit in Bitcoin, ONLY in US Dollars. + +You will be told this regulation is to protect the business (and therefore, its consumers) from Bitcoin exchange rate fluctations, but if Bitcoin businesses are forbidden from holding their profits Bitcoin, then what are those businesses forced to do? + +Sell their Bitcoin - driving down prices, reducing demand. + +This part of the regulation has one purpose, and that is to prevent the rise of Bitcoin as a reserve currency. **It simply makes no sense that a BITCOIN BUSINESS cannot hold ANY of its earnings in Bitcoin.** + +This was written by the banks, for the banks. Don't support it, and don't be blinded by the "This is actually good news!" mentality. It's not, unless you're looking forward to JPMorganCoin. + +**EDIT:** Even more telling, the specific piece of regulation that I refer to above is NOT mentioned on the summary page of the regulations provided by New York State: http://www.dfs.ny.gov/about/press2014/pr1407171.html +I'm sure we've all seen it happen. You place a stop, some levels below your order, and watch. Maybe you'll get lucky and we never come down to test it. Until suddenly almost like shooting fish in a barrel, the price action comes down, touches your stop, and instantly reverses. + +So it's had me curious: **Are our Stop Limit orders broadcasted to others? Does it matter that they are? If they are, can we as retailers see them?** + +I know L2 shows us Limit Orders and their sizes and I guess I've never looked deep enough to see how far that goes, and (on Think or Swim), Active Trader has a nice way of showing you volume levels of each price. + +In my case, I'm trading SPX options, which is a little bit less liquidity than SPY, but I've seen them happen in both. Also, I do open up with a very wide stop, and I'll move it up as price action unfolds. It's in moving them up though that I've seen price quite literally come down, touch that stop, and reverse. + +Then again this could all be nonsense. Anyways, I'm just curious. + +What has helped me lately is setting a wide stop and an alarm, so that if price action hits that alarm, I know its most likely time to get out. Hmm. +Im trying to figure out if it possible to learn to trade with a full time job ( 7am-5pm ). From what I see Steven Dux and Tim Sykes make money on NASDAQ shorting stocks. + +I'm wondering if most of you just said f** it and quit before you were making money and then struggled for 6 months to maybe figure it out. Did it work out? +Hey guys, not sure if this type of post is permitted, but I’m just trying to gauge the playing field here and would like to get some outside opinions. + +REQ is closing in on 1$ and I’ve been super hyped about this project since day 1; I love the project and the concepts and ideas behind it, as well as how responsive and human the team is. +I purchased a ton ( a ton in my not so wealthy kind of terms) in mid november to mid December, and I’m curious if now that it’s closing in on 1$ that it’s still worth purchasing ? + +Thanks guys, sort of new to crypto investing. And please, let me know if this should be posted/asked elsewhere! +Cheers! +Hi guys, + +I am in the process of working out our family's estate planning. We have a lawyer who is drafting this up for us so will obviously run it by them but thought I'd also get a broader perspective here. + +Our situation is married couple with young child, both in our mid-30's. We will be using a testamentary trust. + +Our biggest concern / unknown variable is that if one of us should pass, the surviving spouse ends up re-marrying and the new partner/family ends up having an undesirable influence and puts at risk the deceased's estate. + +Our wishes today are that we leave behind our estate to our child and our siblings as beneficiaries. + +The scenario I have in my head is as follows: + +1. OP meets his maker and in his will leaves behind his estate to the surviving spouse, being 50% of the joint assets of the OP/partner +2. Partner re-marries at some point and meets another person who ends up influencing OP's partner to allow him to manage their family affairs. +3. The new partner ends up using all of OP's partner's wealth to buy monkey profile pics, which end up being worthless +4. OP's partner passes away and is able to leave nothing behind for the child + +Now ideally, what would happen is I pass and in my will set aside my entire share of our joint assets to our child and my siblings. However, this would leave nothing behind for my partner and taking a less cynical view, I fully trust her to make the right decisions to provide for our child irrespective of her future relationships. Part of this includes being able to one day buy a house for the family to grow up in, something we could not do if I take 50% of our joint assets and bequeath it to my siblings and my young child. So in reality, I do want to leave a large portion of it behind for my partner to allow her to continue to raise our family. + +To further complicate the scenario, even if future partner doesn't end up losing it all at the jpeg casino, what happens if the new family decides to buy a house together and the assets that I bequeathed to my partner are then used as part of a joint deposit to purchase a house for the new family. If my partner were to suddenly pass, even if in her will she wanted to leave behind the original assets to our child, how would this actually happen if it is tied up in the new family home? Surely the executor to her estate is not going to sell the house from underneath them, so the money is as a good as gone in that case too, despite there being no recklessness or manipulative behaviour. + +Has anyone been in this situation and know of a simple solution? I am worried of going down an expensive rabbit hole with the lawyer which I'm hoping to nip in the bud If I have fundamentally misunderstood something. + +I want to rule from the grave!! + +Thanks +Good insights here in regards to the nuances of it and the markets in general. Watch the vid. + +[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLfc\_qabOT4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLfc_qabOT4) +I have a masters degree in psychology with about 3 years exp (mainly into trauma, relationship issues, counselling, anxiety disorders etc) and work for a private practice. I’m at 90k currently. Just wondering if I’ve been low balled or if this is the current industry standard. Thanks. +Looking for somebody in the know… With all these rumblings including that tweet from ABC… what implications would that have on Australia? + +Are we headed for an ‘08 repeat. Just without the stimulus ammo in the bank. +Article I came across that says retiring early will make you feel 'guilty'. Please enjoy your early retirement guilt free :) + + +http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2017/01/03/1-early-retirement-can-lead-to-isolation-guilt-awkward-explanations.html +Hey everyone, I automated this investment strategy after reading some quant papers about it and thought others might appreciate learning about it! Before the "everyone is a genius in a bull market" - I know. Besides, this strategy has been backtested to 1928. Here's the original quant paper: [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract\_id=2741701](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2741701) + +Edit: the source code + +Edit: [Hosted version](https://getquantbase.com/) (how to actually run/invest in it). + +Folks the amount of y’all that have messaged me asking for the source code and hosted version is absolutely AMAZING but I can’t keep up! Posting the links here for you guys + +&#x200B; + +# TL;DR + +Returned 56% compounding annually, including \~45% during 2020. Max drawdown a (nerve-wracking) 55.6%. Automatically trades \~1x per quarter, for every "losing trade", it makes 2.3 "winning trades". For comparison with the market, it has a risk-adjusted return (via the Sharpe ratio) of 1.83 vs the S&P \~0.4. Needless to say: this strategy is high risk. + +# How it works + +This strategy utilizes 3x leveraged funds. They track the S&P, but each day they leverage 3x, so in a day you get 3x the return of the S&P (whether it goes up or down). These get a bad wrap because of volatility drag (sideways markets or those with rapid price changes eat the gains as the fund re-leverages each day) and their drawdowns, and are consequently mainly recommended only for day-trading (and not for long-term holds). Recommend you do your own research here to make sure you understand the risks. + +Beyond that it's very simple: when the S&P is above its 200 day moving average price, hold UPRO (a 3x leveraged fund). When the S&P is below its 200 day moving average price, rotate to cash. + +# Performance + +**Quick stats (1928 - 2015):** + +\- Annual return: 26.8% + +\- Sharpe ratio: 0.4 (vs S&P 0.3) + +\- Max drawdown: -92.2% (yikes) + +\- Avg trades per year: 5 + +**Quick stats (2009 - 2021):** + +\- Annual return: 56.16% + +\- Sharpe ratio: 1.83 (vs S&P 0.4) + +\- Max drawdown: -55.60% + +\- Avg trades per year: 4 + +# How to use this + +Doing it by hand is one way (but perhaps a lot of work and emotional given the riskiness of this strategy). + +If you're looking to get started with this or code it yourself, let me know and I can help you get started, otherwise curious what everyone thinks. Cheers. +I was happily accumulating BTC via Coinbase, until one day they started asking me what I wanted with all those BTC. + +Coinbase even supplied a list of what they considered unacceptable reasons. I thought, "None of your f*ing business" but did not answer their questions except to say that I was not buying for any of the reasons listed. The next day they shut down my account. + +So I opened an account at Circle and I was happily accumulating BTC via Circle, until today they suddenly cut my withdraw limit to 1 BTC per week. Then I noticed that they provided a new "feature" to instantly convert all "captive" BTC to dollars, of course you can transfer as many dollars out of Circle a week as you like. + +I've felt all along that the killer app for BTC is going to be the subversion of capital controls. Guess that "they" are all over that, putting capitol controls on BTC first. + +We need to start talking about what to do with all these dollars. I'm getting a really bad feeling about where all of this is headed. +I have elected for my monthly bonus to go 100% into my 401k. I'm looking at pay stub and my gross bonus was $984.13. federal income tax is 17.96, social security took $61.01, medicare took $14.27, my state income tax took $15.00 , and state took $5.03 for paid family leave. + +That left me with a contribution of $870.86 actually going to my 401k. It's not a Roth 401k so I don't understand why all the taxes were taken especially income tax by federal and state governments. +Please utilize this sticky thread for all general **Bitcoin** discussions! If you see posts on the front page or /r/Bitcoin/new which are better suited for this daily discussion thread, please help out by directing the OP to this thread instead. Thank you! + +Daily threads are fast paced! If you don't get an answer to your question, you can try phrasing it differently or commenting again tomorrow. + +## Suggested Topics + +* Screenshots + * of article headlines without the article + * of your favorite price ticker + * of your exchange website + * of your private chats +* Wallet/Exchange/Network + * recommendations + * complaints + * service outages + * troubleshooting + * fee estimation + * unconfirmed transactions +* All things price + * hodling + * the dip + * the moon + * price going up + * price going down + * technical analysis + * price on your smart phone + * price on your smart watch +* Stuff you bought with Bitcoin + * Hardware wallets + * Lambos + * Teslas + * Pizza +* Questions + * Receiving Bitcoin + * Sending Bitcoin + * Earning Bitcoin + * Storing Bitcoin + * Buying Bitcoin + * Selling Bitcoin +* That thing your coworker said +* Bitcoin Showerthoughts +* Random music videos +* Bitcoin license plates +* Interesting threads +* Future speculation +* News of the day +* Memes, GIFs +* Twitter links + +**Your price screenshots and repetitive submissions are being removed, so please stop submitting them!** + +Please check the [previous discussion thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/7u8vi3/daily_discussion_january_31_2018/) for unanswered questions. +I'm really beginning to feel defeated. My partner and I have been renting a home for the last three years. While doing so, we've been making conscious efforts to pay off and/or reduce our debts as much as possible. Recently, our rent has increased substantially to a level that is barely sustainable - especially in a home that we do not own. Because of this, we've applied for a mortgage pre-approval. + +After working with the lender and furnishing literally EVERYTHING (bank, pension, and stock account statements, W2 forms, 1099s, and pay stubs) we were finally pre-approved for a mortgage of $225k. In our area's current market, that won't even buy us a 1 bedroom condo, and we have children. Our loan officer indicated that we need to "get rid" of the student loans. My partner has approx. $160k in student loans for his Master's program, and we each have auto loans, totalling $29k. Together, we make $121k per year. + + +I don't understand what we're supposed to do here. How are we supposed to get into a house that will accommodate our family? We can't just eliminate the student debt? How do others that have graduates degrees and the loans that come with them buy houses? +Hey I'm Pete, excited to do this. A little bit about me, I'm an award-winning comedian and an award-winning financial mind. I'm a USA TODAY columnist and the author of ten books, six of which were featured in a nationwide launch at Barnes & Nobles stores in January of 2015. I'm the host of the radio show The Pete the Planner Show on 93 WIBC FM (Indiana) and I'm a columnist for the Indy Star. I appear regularly on CNN Headline News, Fox News, Fox Business as well as numerous nationally syndicated radio programs. + +For more information about me and my business you can visit petetheplanner.com. +Connect with me: +https://twitter.com/PeteThePlanner +https://www.facebook.com/Pete-the-Planner-34521466341 +https://www.linkedin.com/company/pete-the-planner + +Oh, and here's a verification of me being Pete_the_Planner (with my buddy George): https://twitter.com/PeteThePlanner/status/648829388281249792 +Obviously depending where you live $1700 can get you alot or get you nothing (hello San Francisco, NY, etc.) but for this particular question the concern isn't what you can get but just how much you can afford so you can start to figure out what options you have or don't have. + +Take home of about roughly 4000 a month. Monthly expenses and bills just under 500 a month. No debt. +I see MSFT, AAPL, GOOG, and etc get recommended as buy-and-hold stocks all the time. While I do own a good amount of these stocks, I wonder what blue chips were the MSFT, AAPL, and GOOG 20-30 years ago and failed. And why did they fail. +We have everything set up to hopefully reach FI in the next 10 years and I can’t help but look forward to having more free time but I also don’t want to wish this precious time away. I’m working on being present now and trying not to think too much about reaching FI one day. I’d love to hear how you reconcile these two things and stay present. I guess it’s always going to be a challenge to tame our minds. + +Edit: Thanks for all the great comments! To clarify I’m not worrying/obsessing about FI or depriving myself, it’s more of a mindset question as I find myself fantasising about FI which takes me away from being content in the present (sometimes, I do my best to return to the present). The set it and forget it advice has been a helpful reminder. :) +Hello PF! We recently got a house and moved out of our apartment we had been at for several years. Since then, our landlord has done some crazy stuff. I won't go into the details, but we have reason to believe he is mentally unstable and is under the impression we owe him money (we don't). + +My question is, since we have paid him for rent with a check before, should we change our bank account number? Is that just being paranoid? I don't think this is an easy task, as it requires changing our direct deposits, and all automatic payments. We previously had fraudulent charges from one of our debit cards, and our credit union took care of them quickly and easily - all we had to do was sign a couple of papers. I'm not sure if it is worth the effort and possibly messing up deposits/payments 'just in case.' + +UPDATE: We went to the bank and, though they said it wasn't 100% necessary, we decided to change it. They also put a note on our account and will be asking for our identification whenever going into a branch from now on as a precaution. Thanks so much for all of the advice. We are very happy to (hopefully) have this behind us! +Look at all the doomers in other subreddits, particularly the virus ones. They are kissing their loved ones goodbye for the last time. We are here calling each other names and having a fucking grand old time while making (or losing) vast amounts of money. + +We are nothing more than the violinists on the Titanic, and it's fantastic. + +PS I wrote this while soaking in a bubble bath. +Dear fellow Apettes and Apes, +there is something in the prospect of a stock split that I did not find anyone crayon down yet. + +In the past, there have been worries about trade size limits with brokerages and infinity pool logistics. +"What if MOASS happens and all I would get for the single share I may sacrifice is a regional telephone number due to my brokers trade limitations?" +"I am an X hodler, I cannot agree with myself to sell more than 10% of my shares, but that would mean I cannot sell even a single one. What can I do?" + +Worry not, if the stocks are split. Now you can get the local telephone number multiple times per original share. Now you can keep a larger portion of the shares in the infinity pool while selling only a single share. + +MOASS is getting more expensive for SHFs and it's getting even more impossible for them to empty the infinity pool before bursting. + +We have won - and the price is getting tastier with every day they try to deny that. +I had some work done on my car at my local mechanic. I've used them before with no issues in the past. Generally I drop off the car, and they call me with the diagnosis and estimated costs to get a green light to do the work. Then when it's complete, they call with the final bill and any notes. + +This time, when they called to let me know the final cost, the mechanic told me "just a heads up, if you plan to pay with a credit card, the credit card companies are charging a 3% surcharge directly to customer now. It's not a charge that we, the business, are putting on there. In the past they used to charge it to us, but now in New Jersey, they are changing the rules and credit card companies are charging the customer the fee directly" + +He asked for a cash payment instead to avoid the charge, but said they'd still accept the CC if I wanted to pay that way. This sounded like total BS to me, and a cursory google turned up nothing about this. If anything, failing to disclose the surcharge prior to doing the work may run afoul of New Jersey's credit card surcharge rules. I assume this is a move to avoid the shop from having to pay a fee/eat the cost. + +I can pay in cash, and though I'd be missing out on my 1% cash back, its not that big of a deal (total was \~$360). I mostly want to know if I'm being fed a line by my trusted mechanic since that would lead me to be skeptical of his other business practices and seek a new mechanic. He does good work at a fair price so I don't want to go mechanic shopping again if I've just jumped to conclusions, but I have to say my BS alarm is going off. Just wanted a second opinion +https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/29/why-mobile-payments-have-barely-caught-on-in-the-us.html + +Compared with China, India and other parts of the world, the U.S. is way behind in adopting mobile payments. + +It seems odd considering the ubiquity of smartphones in America. But experts say a deeply embedded legacy system and rewards cards, among other factors, make it unlikely that we’ll see a major shift anytime soon. + +“The reality is we’re not there yet,” says Will Graylin, a former Samsung Pay executive. “There is simply not enough ubiquitous acceptance.” +The Govt is focusing too much on the relief bill like it's gonna save us all from these pandemic, instead of taking strict measures to quarantine people and limit the spread. +As a young investor with 30+ years in the market, it’s hard for me to see contrarian cases for semiconductor sector to not exponentially grow. Yes, the ride will be turbulent, but I got time. + +Studying the semi conductor sector for the past 5 years, the only downside I see is oversupply, but even then, the advanced chips will always provide an advantage for the latest company that develops it. Plus, the capital cost to entry in the sector is really high, which protects the big players from disruption. +Now that the chips act is passed, there is even more incentive for competitive domestic US chip manufacturing. + +What else am I missing here? Why would portfolios like FSELX not be a good bet? + +Thank you all! +While the article is not super relevant to the FIRE folks, it does make a few good points that may be relevant. My takeaways are: + +1. I should not assume 0 from social security (which I recently edited my excel model to reflect). +2. I should not gun for 100% success rate (currently am comfortable with 95%+) +3. I should not leave a large kitty behind. I don't quite see the point. Don't wish to leave trust funds for kids, or some sort of vague charitable gift. I'd rather practice charity towards causes I believe in, in my lifetime. + +http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=765960 +My uncle is in a terrible situation. I am making this post with his permission on his behalf. I was talking with my cousin (his daughter) and she mentioned that he was having some financial trouble recently. She wasn't trying to ask for money, but she was asking for advice. I am in marketing, not really finance so not exactly my forte but she's a nurse so I guess I am more "business-savy" in her eyes. Anyhow.. + +He is retired, has a wife and 2 kids (both adults living on their own). He is well into his late 70s, however his wife is 10 years younger and has been a house wife her entire life. His total income is around 2500 a month with social security and pension. He has no 401k. I pulled him aside and we went over all of his expenses. + + +Mortgage 1550 + +Groceries (includes incidentals like batteries and light bulbs) 300 + +Cell phone(both him and wife) 80 + +Electric 120 + +Water 60 + +Cable + Internet 140 + +Oil Heat (monthly average) 100 + +Travel 150 + +Car payment 225 + +car insurance 110 + +car maintenance (estimate to set aside) 50 + +house maintenance (estimate to set aside) 100 + +HOA 50 + +Credit Cards 850 + + +As you can see, the total without Credit cards is around 3000. After some discussion, it appears he's been putting things on his credit card for the past 15 years that he couldn't afford (car maintenance for example) and now it's snowballed into 50k in credit card debt. He's already 500 short every month (or 350 if you don't save for car or house maintenance), so I don't think he can afford living in his current place. I talked to my cousin, then her parents about it and they all agreed my aunt and uncle need to downsize the house anyhow. They are now in the process of selling things they don't need and looking for a new place with less maintenance. + + +My first question to all of you is, what options does he have out of the massive credit card debt? I don't think he'll be net positive till he sells the house, and even if he does get a small 1 bedroom condo with his wife, I think the condo fees and mortgage in this area of the country will still be around 900-1000 minimum. We came up with 2 possible options. 1 is bankruptcy, and 2 is trying to negotiate with the CC companies. His kids have both said they are willing to help out with 250 each a month if it will help for the next few years. That can bring his income to 3000 which would just about net his current expenses but still not include the credit card payments. Currently the creditors are giving him some kind of forbearance due to COVID but this expires next month. Has anyone had luck with negotiating with credit card companies? They are trying to avoid the bankruptcy option since they will be trying to sell this house and downsize and will then need better credit for the future mortgage. Also I believe they can come after some of the proceeds of the sale of your home if you file bankruptcy and try to sell. One way would be to file bankruptcy and stay in the house for 3-5 years till it's over, but that would put more pressure on my cousins to help chip in more than they are comfortable with, as I believe the estimate they would need to pay is around 650 for 3 years even with filing bankruptcy. I think if they can get rid of the CC debt, and downsize my aunt and uncle will be a ton better off. + +The second question is if bankruptcy is the only option, how do courts determine what they can afford. Looking at his budget I know it's pretty tight. Obviously savings and travel go out the window and they'd have to cut back elsewhere but they would probably still rely on my cousins for support. + +Third question, can my aunt apply for social security having not worked? If so, will the amount be adjusted after my uncle passes? I am worried about how she will carry on afterward. I appreciate any advice. + +Notes: + +With the size of the smaller condo I would estimate the electric, heat and possibly water will reduce. + +His car will be paid off in 2.5 years time. + +My dad (his brother) isn't going to help out so that's not an option. + +I know cutting the cable/internet package is another option but it's their main (only) form of entertainment since they don't go out. Even with using my cousin's netflix account they'll still need an internet connection. Maybe they can renegotiate their package, but that's not really the point of this post. + +. + +. + +. + +EDIT: Thank you for the replies! As I mentioned, they are already looking to sell things in the house and downsize. I now have answers for the social security question. I think the main question that needs answering is regarding the credit card debt. Has anyone had success reducing the total debt amount? For example, after X months of non-payment, do they open the option of settling the debt? My aunt has tried calling and was able to lower the interest rate on a couple due to consist payment history etc, and has a forbearance on others due to COVID. Any advice regarding the CC debt would be the biggest help. +This is from his \[Twitter\]([https://twitter.com/SBF\_FTX/status/1590709166515310593?s=20&t=5hMmXhz3tPV81cohR84k-w](https://twitter.com/SBF_FTX/status/1590709166515310593?s=20&t=5hMmXhz3tPV81cohR84k-w)) account. But image here to preserve it in case he deletes it in the future. + +Do you think that he's honestly sorry and that sorry is enough? + +He had 1.7x leverage on customer funds, but in a deleted thread a few days ago said that they didn't do anything exotic with customer funds (so does their policy). + +Someone must have known that they were over leveraged, and they did it in violation of their policy. + +Full disclosure I don't hold FTT, and am not an FTX user. + +https://preview.redd.it/40gcwsbm75z91.png?width=1137&format=png&auto=webp&s=35287ec00af287a592fc8be66b7612621602aae3 + Please limit discussions about the Federal Reserve meeting to this post. + + The FOMC statement can be found here - [Federal Reserve Board - Press Releases](https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases.htm) + +If you missed the live press conference, the recording and transcript can be found here - [Federal Reserve Board - Videos](https://www.federalreserve.gov/videos.htm) +Foreword: Tried to publish this 2days ago, but it was deleted by Automod because of lack of Karma. Did some reddit grind and can now post. Since then these two post were published: + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nc8d2u/europoor\_here\_is\_carl\_hagbergs\_advice\_on\_how\_to/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/nc8d2u/europoor_here_is_carl_hagbergs_advice_on_how_to/) + +&#x200B; + +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ncg06m/german\_broker\_comdirect\_finally\_allows\_to\_vote/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ncg06m/german_broker_comdirect_finally_allows_to_vote/) + +&#x200B; + +But I think I can still offer some valuable information with this post. + +\--------------- + +So many of us europoors get told from our brokers that we cannot vote on the upcoming AGM. The reasons herefor are veiled to say at least. Some of them tell you your shares are in the wrong depository, others just say we dont do this and others just dont know anything about it. + +&#x200B; + +After I saw this post : [https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/narx3v/important\_information\_from\_our\_experts/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/narx3v/important_information_from_our_experts/) + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +I did some digging about the process behind voting within Germany ( I think this applies to most of the EU-Member States) and found out there is literally no basis for your broker to restrict your voting rights. **THEY ARE LYING TO YOUR FACE, IT SHOULD BE POSSIBLE TO EXERCISE YOUR VOTING RIGHTS.** + +&#x200B; + +So basically there is no regulations within the EU, that explicitly states your shareholder voting rights for non EU-based companies are guaranteed. But there is also no regulation in place that says otherwise. There is such a [regulation](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32017L0828) for shareholders of EU-based companies tho. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +As Carl Hagberg said in the AMA, this is a new scenario for brokers to deal with. Not many people were interested in shareholder voting outside of the domestic, so many brokers lack knowledge and motivation to implement a voting process. They are being lazy when they tell you that you cant excersise your vote. **There is simply no motivation to make voting happen for you ( since there is no regulations for it and/or not enough demand).** + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +European brokers are using [Central securities depositories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_securities_depository) that are just like the DTC. Within these CSDs all shares of your broker are being held. For example : Clearstream, who holds a lot of shares from German brokers, literally provide a fucking [PROXY VOTING SERVICE](https://www.clearstream.com/clearstream-en/products-and-services/asset-services/proxy-voting) . So actually some of the brokers are bullshiting so hard in your face its unbelievable. + +&#x200B; + + + +If your broker can't answer these questions precisely and clearly: + +* Why are you not able to vote? +* Who decides which shares are eligible for voting? ( eg. only shares that are held within the domestic market of the headquarter of the company at the record date. But why do the shares have to be inside the domestic? There is no US legal reason herefor.) +* Which regulations are in place to restrict your voting rights? +* Who is the Central Securities Depository of your broker? ( Check their services for voting) +* Is the CSD restricting voting ? +* Why are other brokers allowing voting and you are not? + +I would bet they are just storytelling and don't want to implement a voting process for you. It will cost them money to do so. + +It is really fascinating that some brokers allow voting within Europe ( for example: DEGIRO and I heard of other german brokers to allow voting, **if you voted with your european broker pls share in the comments which broker it is, so other apes can take them as example for their own brokers)**. + +DEGIRO for example takes a 10€ fee to cast your vote, idk how much it cost them internally do this but I would bet that it is a lot less than 10€, so they are making mountain money on this. AFAIK Americans dont have to pay fees for proxy voting , correct me if I'm wrong. + +&#x200B; + + + +Please my fellow Euro Apes keep the pressure on your broker. Ask them the hard questions, demand an clear answer, ask about the technicalities, ask them to explain the process. And ask them to send you a written statement of their answers. If your conversation partner lacks the knowledge about these topics, kindly ask them to connect you to someone more experienced in this matter. + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Also think about contacting the [ESMA](https://www.esma.europa.eu/) ( European Securities and Market Authority) asking the same questions. Is your broker allowed to restrict your voting rights for non eu based companies? Why is there no mechanism similar to eu based companies to guarantee your voting rights? + +&#x200B; + + + +I already contacted them myself and their automatic answer is pretty lame. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/g6s3piea4az61.png?width=1516&format=png&auto=webp&s=406aeab80449b48ff812e37cf4cbc69d6733df54 + +It seems like their system is not for the individual investor, but fuck it, they are public domain and if enough people ask the same questions , they will have to answer our questions! + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Cheers! +Obviously this is something has been covered before. But in light of the recent interest rates cuts some of the smaller online lenders are offering very attractive mortgage rates, but without some of the more whizz bang features of the larger lenders. + +This is Athena's take on the situation: https://www.athena.com.au/learn/redraw + +And this is Ubank's take: https://www.ubank.com.au/home-loans/property/redraw-facility + +As a potential owner occupier with little to no interest in further property investing, is it much of an issue to not have an offset and make do with a redraw? +🚨 The legacy financial system ran by corrupt banks, hedge funds, market makers etc that abuse leverage, dark pool/ats transactions, and short share lending is coming to a breaking point. The fact that they can continuously print shares, sell naked calls, provide prime broker clients with IOU shares that never hit the official ledger has been the biggest financial scam to ever hit the markets. This Ponzi scheme that continuously gives market makers the ability to print and print for the sake of liquidity while dictating the direction of the stock to benefit their own interests as well as the banks, hedge funds they are in bed with, etc is sickening, and is blatantly stealing from the middle and lower class while the top 10% suck blood from stones to cushion their leveraged positions to get even more wealthy. GameStop is the nuclear football that will overhaul this system, because we (for the first time in history) are officially registering ownership of the share pool and will expose this massive scheme over time. Payment for order flow has sent this whole scheme into overdrive the last few years as order books are sold every minute to these legacy financial bloodsuckers. GameStop is a once in a lifetime investment based on math and ownership- oh and GameStop actually has a turnaround plan with a chairman who understands all this fuckery to a T. + +Drs ur shares, let’s end this bullshit once and for all. GameStop will be the black swan that propels massive change and a transition into blockchain/instant settlement, the end of payment for order flow, and will shine the brightest light ever into the insane naked shorting and corrupt share lending practices that plague our markets every day. + +☢️ Tick fucking tock. ☢️ +And the converse: Why do I keep seeing comments saying that bitcoin businesses and users can't have insurance, audits, or transparency? + +And even more to the point: why do I keep seeing comments from people who think that libertarians and anarcho-capitalists are somehow against insurance, contractual agreements, arbitration, mediation, dispute resolution, etc.? You can't have well-enforced property rights without these things. + +Is it that they think these things were invented by government or that government is required for these things? + +Example: http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1yglgu/jail_for_karpeles_possible/cfkb2e6 +Apparently the disappearance of 75% of the stock owned in German broker accounts is probably an issue with the German clearinghouse. Could it be possible that US brokers like Apex are doing the same thing? That would account for sooo many shares. (Apex is the clearinghouse that forced the stop of GME trading in countless brokers in January 2021) Didn't an ape post a chat with some broker representative, in which the broker confirmed multiple times it was not a split dividend, but a split? + +Clearinghouses tell brokers they're doing a split when it's actually a splividend... lie and issue IOUs instead of actual shares they can't get (there is almost no way there were 29 million legitimate locates) then play dumb. Then someone manages to get a fuckton of counterfeit locates and suddenly brokers go 'soz forgor splivi =/= split'... Maybe we'll see SI over 100% sometime soon again? + +DRS. +Another long post. I request that you bear with me and I hope this allows people to understand that proof of work is non-negotiable for a public blockchain. + +We've grown into this habit of dismissing even the most legitimate fact-based criticism as FUD so I'm not going to specifically mention any names here at all but just focus on proof of stake as a consensus model vis-a-vis public blockchains. + +Last cycle, they were shilling you blatantly centralized consensus models like dPOS and private, permissioned blockchains where, just like the banking system, there was no way for the user to verify the truth. You just had a bank account. Except, instead of trusting bankers, they asked you to trust a handful of strangers from across the world with little legal recourse. You don't need a blockchain for this but people actually ate this shit up! + +This cycle, it's all about how POS is the way forward because POW consumes too much energy. People are actually suggesting, with a straight face, that Bitcoin should switch to POS. Seriously? Talk about the tail trying to wag the dog. Should be careful mentioning dogs, lest another scammer gets inspired to create a $10 billion mcap token for less than 2 minutes of effort. + +The ubiquity of ignorance and blissful dunning-kruger-fest on social media with regards to proof of work after all these years is disappointing. Even more disappointing is how individuals who are looked up to by the masses irresponsibly let down the masses by not doing their research and falling prey to scaremongering media coverage. + +It's time to educate some of our misguided crypto brethren why **proof of work is absolutely indispensable for blockchains**. Indeed, if you're thinking about a non-POW blockchain, you really don't need a blockchain. + +Speaking of effort, that's the whole point. If there is no effort, then the consensus model is doomed. **Work is the most fundamental criteria for a blockchain protocol**. Not only does it make the network unassailable, but it also ensures that there is no barrier to entry for absolutely anyone anywhere in the world to participate in the network, do the work and be rewarded. You simply cannot eliminate this permissionless property for a public blockchain. Non-negotiable! + +Perhaps most critical of all, mining provides the value anchor for blockchains, as a factor of real-world expenditures. That's why Bitcoin's price evinces a close correlation to its hash rate! Next time someone asks what Bitcoin's value is based on, tell them **Bitcoin's value is based on the real-world cost expenditure undertaken by miners**. + +**Only without proof of work, a blockchain asset's value is based on nothing.** The asset is as good as a dog meme token. + +Not only that, with a proof of work network, miners are required to constantly upgrade their hardware, entailing continual overhead cost. This ensures that newly generated coins are equitably distributed across the network, controlled only by the supply/demand dynamics. **With proof of stake, there's no real-world cost, no overhead cost, zilch!** This means the big boys keep increasing their share and clout by gobbling up the supply inflation and dumping the actual inflation itself on the little fellas. Sounds familiar? Bingo! That's fiat money. #CantillonEffect + +With proof of stake, if a handful of rich people buy up enough coins, they'll become your masters. **Proof of work constantly moves money the other way, diluting the concentration of wealth from the rich to the poor as the number of wallets increase.** + +**But miners control POW blockchains, right? Wrong!** This always makes me chuckle when people say it with such conviction. Instead of me explaining this one, I urge you to read [this from the Bitcoin wiki](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin_is_not_ruled_by_miners). + +With permissioned staking models, the government can easily take them down since there are a finite points of failure. This is amplified by centralized exchanges as most people will use their staking pools to stake their coins, making the blockchain extremely vulnerable and insecure. + +There are frankly so many other glaring inefficiencies with the staking model which I really cannot get into at once, including things like indeterminable cost of attack and inevitable centralization of jurisdiction over stake-slashing. + +We need to stop letting wilfully ignorant mainstream media with thinly-veiled agendas dragoon us into adopting centralized, undemocratic, inefficient, basically bullshit protocols which they can easily take over. + +All blockchains except Bitcoin have a central figurehead/supreme leader. I sincerely hope for the sake of people investing in these projects that these leaders carefully consider the glaring and crippling demerits of transitioning to such a flawed consensus model. + +I do believe most of these blockchains make compromises to somehow distinguish themselves and say, "look we're faster, scalable etc." but it's ultimately a self-defeating gambit. + +If the energy expenditure of gold mining, the banking system and, I must include this, rocket-launching are essential, then Bitcoin's energy expenditure is, in my personal opinion, the more essential expenditure of energy in the 7000-year history of money. It has the potential to efficiently replace gold & the banking system! Let's embrace renewables, but not be so ignorant to say proof of work wastes energy. + +So Bitcoin could actually effect a net reduction in energy expenditure for human value exchange besides finally "taking the thing out of the hands of government." + +**Decentralization tolerates no compromise.** + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/60zzrufmraz61.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=296ae326a4f9c561d0c6b36c6a7e943bf2432518 +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +One year ago I began "investing". After the GME frenzy I started trading options on SPY and other stocks to gain more leverage. At one point I was up 15%, but now after countless losses I have a total account at -86%. + +This upsets me greatly and I feel I've financially failed at the stock market. A year of stressing over positions just to lose over 11K. And this isn't fun money either, it's all I have to my name. + +My current strategies consists of calls and puts with 1-2 month expiration. Sometimes risky earnings plays. + +Should I try and keep trading and build my account back up? + +TL;DR After one year of trading I've lost 11K (86%), where do I go from here? + +EDIT: I was not trading options on GME. That’s just the time I realized people were making significant gains. I trade options mostly on SPY and some other stocks. +When I look at my coworkers, very few look miserable. Many say they wouldn't know what to do if they didn't work. + +I don't get it. Is it just me (us)? Or are most of you relatively content with working as well? + +I seriously can't stand work. Can't stand it at all. Just moved from a 10/10 miserable job to a 5/10, but just the concept of spending 9-10 hours doing this thing for non-intrinsic purpose is slowly killing me. I seriously don't understand how people do it until they are 60 (I am 30). I am willing to delay my marriage and kids just to end this cycle sooner. I often feel like I'm not meant for this society since I couldn't care less about material things or showing off or whatever (well, I like those things but they are meaningless compared to free time). + +I am graduating from MBA soon and will try my best to transition to a job/career that I can find enjoyable, but I am pretty damn sure that no matter what I do I won't really be happy. The churning stress, being on someone else's clock, the work environment somehow making everyone 150% more unlikeable, and just general loss of freedom of my time...how can anyone be okay with this?? +On an irregular basis depending on relevancy of topics, I'll make a post on Monday to address a FAQ or common misconception that I see posted by new traders dozens of times a day. Everyone is also welcome to find these answers in our [FAQ wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/wiki/index). + +Previous posts in this series: + +[Your break-even isn't as important as you think it is](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/m0m7at/monday_school_your_breakeven_isnt_as_important_as/) + +[Exercise and expiration are not what you think they are](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/m5r8mi/monday_school_exercise_and_expiration_are_not/) + +[Your orders are not as good as you think they are](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/maufwg/monday_school_your_orders_are_not_as_good_as_you/) + + +**TL;DR** +====== + +* A trade plan for every trade is a critical part of being a successful trader + +* Have a trade plan **before** you put any money at risk in a trade + +* A trade plan is not complicated; it's just your goals and your risk tolerance + +* A trade plan helps you decide how to react to changes in your risk/reward ratio + +* A minimal trade plan includes an exit strategy + +* A minimal exit strategy is a profit target, a loss limit, and a maximum holding time + +* Part of every plan should include doing what-if scenarios for excess profit, expected profit, neutral, expected loss, and excess loss + +Links to resources about trade planning: + +**Trade planning, risk reduction and trade size** + +* [Exit-first trade planning, and a risk-reduction checklist (Redtexture)](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/9at2fu/noob_thread_aug_26_sept_1/e4ywq0u/) + +* [Risk Management, or How to Not Lose Your House (boii0708) ( March 6 2021)](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/lyp1uc/risk_management_or_how_to_not_lose_your_house/) + +* [Trade Checklists and Guides (Option Alpha)](https://optionalpha.com/members/guides-checklists) + +* [Planning for trades to fail. (John Carter) (at 90 seconds)](https://youtu.be/N5_OkdvPmUI?t=90) + +**Closing out a trade** + +* [Most options positions are closed before expiration (Options Playbook)](https://www.optionsplaybook.com/options-introduction/closing-option-position) + +* [When to Exit Guide (Option Alpha)](https://web.archive.org/web/20201111230944/https://optionalpha.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/When-To-Exit-Guide.pdf) + +* [Risk to reward ratios change: a reason for early exit (Redtexture)](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/hg8ce9/risk_to_reward_ratio_changes_over_the_life_of_an/) + +* [Close positions before expiration: TSLA decline after market close (PapaCharlie9) (September 11, 2020)](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/ipqkua/fridays_tsla_lesson_close_positions_before/) + + + +Fire, Ready, Aim +======= + +It's supposed to be Ready, Aim, Fire, but one of the most common FAQs on this sub is a new trader asking, "I just opened trade X and Y happened. What should I do now?" Which means this is one of the most common mistakes that new traders make: Not having a trade plan defined before opening a trade. They fired first and then thought about taking aim later, when it is already too late. + +This is unfortunate because a trading plan is not some complex or difficult thing to create, as compared to say a DD or a tax form. You can usually write it down with one or two sentences. All it amounts to is, for each trade or adjustment to a trade you plan to make, have: + +* A goal -- what are you trying to accomplish with this trade, beyond just print money? This can most easily be stated as what opportunity you are trying to exploit. + +* Boundaries on risk, aka risk tolerance + +* An exit strategy, which incorporates the other bullets + +That's it! I'll break down each of these parts of the plan in later sections, but first, why have a plan in the first place? + +Risk/reward ratios change over time +========= + +Every option trading opportunity comes with some amount of risk to obtain some amount of reward. The risk/reward ratio represents the fundamental nature of options trading, which is that it's all tradeoffs. Size of return vs. win rate is a tradeoff. Holding time vs. profit is a tradeoff. Upfront capital cost vs rate of return is a tradeoff. + +Information that may impact the profit or loss of your position is constantly changing. This means that your risk/reward ratio can change over time as well. When it changes, what should you do? How much does it have to change for you to take action? + +Those are the questions that a trade plan answers. A trade plan puts limits on the changes to risk/reward so that you can act on those limits. It can turn a mysterious process of decision making that is constantly influenced by your emotions into one that you can do mechanically, and doing trades mechanically has the advantage of removing emotion from the equation. So put another way, **a trade plan is an effective way of removing emotion from your trading decisions.** + +More about decision making around risk/reward here: [Risk to reward ratios change: a reason for early exit (redtexture)](https://www.reddit.com/r/options/comments/hg8ce9/risk_to_reward_ratio_changes_over_the_life_of_an/) + +Setting a goal +=============== + +We all have a goal of making money by trading options, that's a given. But does it end there? No. There are different ways to skin this profit making cat, so the goal statement in your trade plan should be about the *specific* opportunity you are going after. + +Perhaps some example goals would be helpful: + +* Based on my DD of stock XYZ, I believe it will appreciate by at least 20% in the next 3 months. Therefore, my goal is to make a bull trade on XYZ that will make at least 20% in that timeframe. + +* Theta decay forces extrinsic value to 0 at expiration always, therefore I want to exploit this highly predictable decline in premium value during a bull rally. + +* I expect the market to stay in a narrow trading range with a lot of volatility in that range. So I want to make a volatility play that doesn't care which direction the market goes, as long as it doesn't go up or down too much. + + +Not by accident, when a goal is written in this way, it aligns with one or more options trading strategies. A strategy is just a tool for exploiting a particular type of opportunity. For the examples above, the first bullet could use a long call or a call debit spread. The second bullet could use a CSP or a put credit spread. The third bullet could use a short straddle or an Iron Condor. + +Your risk tolerance +=========== + +What is risk? The [Investopedia](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/risk.asp) definition says, "... Risk includes the **possibility** of **losing some or all of an original investment**." Emphasis mine to point out that risk has two essential elements: probability and magnitude. Usually, people focus on the probability part of risk, the chance that you will lose some money, but the magnitude part is also important. Given two trades that have an equal 10% chance to lose all of the initial capital, the one that puts $1000 at risk is more risky than the one that puts $50 at risk. + +So your risk tolerance is about how much you are willing to lose, as well as how much of a chance you want to take to lose some or all of it. This is made concrete in your exit strategy. + + +What is an exit strategy? +=================== + +An exit strategy is a set of constraints on your goal. It defines how much risk you are willing to take for a given reward. + +An exit strategy needs at least three parts: + +1. A profit target + +1. A loss limit + +1. A maximum holding time in days (unless you are day trading) or an exit point in days to expiration (DTE) + +A profit target is usually stated as a rate of return. Example: You want to make 20% on your initial investment of $1000. + +A loss limit is also usually stated as a rate of return. Example: You don't want to lose more than 30% of your initial capital. + +Maximum holding time puts an upper bound on opportunity cost. The longer you tie up capital in an investment, the more opportunity cost you accrue. Opportunity cost recognizes that the market is constantly changing and an opportunity to make 30% that didn't exist yesterday is now available today. So if you tie up $1000 on a 20% opportunity, you essentially accrue a -10% opportunity cost because that same money could have been making 30% instead in another investment. + +More about opportunity cost in this [Investopedia article](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/opportunitycost.asp). + +The maximum holding time also recognizes that your trade may never hit either your profit target or your loss limit. It may stay in between. So since time is money, you also want to put a limit on how long you put your capital at risk waiting to hit one target or the other. + +Example exit strategy for a long OTM call: + +* Exit at 10% gain on initial debit. + +* Exit at 20% loss on initial debit. + +* Exit before 12 days to expiration (DTE) on a 30 DTE open. + +Example exit strategy for a put credit spread: + +* Exit at 50% of max profit. + +* Exit at 100% of initial credit lost. So if your credit on the PCS was $3, you would exit when it costs you $6 to buy to close. + +* Exit before 12 days to expiration (DTE) on a 45 DTE open. + +Where do these numbers come from? Many of them come from backtesting (see below), but absent any relevant backtesting, you basically decide them for yourself. The profit and loss targets should be chosen to have at least break-even [expected value](https://www.daytrading.com/expected-value), but diving into EV is beyond the scope of this post. Maximum holding time should be based on theta decay and expiration risk for long positions, gamma and expiration risk for short positions. + +Backtesting of long call on SPY: [Some info is paywalled, just look at the free parts](https://spintwig.com/spy-long-call-45-dte-options-backtest/). + +Backtesting exit guide from Options Alpha: [PDF download link](https://web.archive.org/web/20201111230944/https://optionalpha.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/When-To-Exit-Guide.pdf). + + +What else can go in a trade plan? +=================== + +Everything described so far are the minimal requirements for a trade plan, but you can add additional constraints and conditions if you want. For example: + +* If a big change in interest rates and/or a Fed press conference happens, you want to be out of the market + +* What to do if your option is adjusted due to a merger/spinoff + +* Look for new/better DD on the underlying and adjust accordingly + +* What to do if trading is halted or your broker starts putting trading limits on the underlying + +* It's November and wash sales are more of an issue to worry about + +Don't go overboard on trying to anticipate every possible black-swan event. Just include what you think is immediately relevant within the timeframe of this trade. Like don't bother having anything about a merger/spinoff if there is no reason to expect that to happen to the underlying. + + +Running what-if scenarios +======================== + +Now that you have an outline of a plan, before putting any money at risk, run some what-if scenarios to see how your plan holds up to different possible outcomes. I recommend you try at least 5 what-if scenarios: + +1. Excess profit (you make more than expected, or you make what you expected sooner than you expected) + +1. Expected profit (you hit your target in the expected amount of time) + +1. Neutral (you neither profit nor lose much money) + +1. Expected loss (you hit your loss limit) + +1. Excess loss (you lose more than you expected, or you lose before/after the time you expected to) + +The expected profit and expected loss cases are the easiest. Your plan says what those rates of return are, so if you hit them, take the appropriate action. If you hit your profit target, close or roll. If you hit your loss limit, close or roll. You can do this very mechanically. In fact, you can set up Good Til Canceled (GTC) orders at the time you open the trade to close against on or the other target, or against both if your broker supports conditional orders. + +Next most likely is the neutral outcome. Your profit goal is 20%, but what if your trade bounces between a 9% profit and a 12% profit? Should you hold or should you exit? Well, your max holding time answers that question. If you haven't hit your max holding time yet, continue to hold. Otherwise, close or roll. + +Excess profit often catches people by surprise. I see this mostly for people trading LEAPS calls. They set up a call that expires in January of 2022 and don't expect to make their target 50% until then, but a few weeks after opening the trade, they are at 80% profit. Now what? Get greedy and ignore the plan in the hope you'll make even more? That's a failure of discipline, not your plan. Your profit target was 50% *or better*, and 80% is clearly better than 50%, so close, close, close, and celebrate your early win. You can always open a new trade to capture any additional upside, but that new trade should be evaluated on its own merits with a whole new trade plan. + +Similarly for an excess loss, the temptation is to ignore the plan and continue to hold because it might recover. Running this what-if is really a test of your discipline as well as the plan. If your discipline is poor, stick to the plan. If your discipline is good, maybe the plan should be adjusted to account for this outcome. In any case, running this what-if will prepare you mentally for this possible outcome, so you are not flummoxed and unsure what to do. + + +Putting it all together +============= + +What you used to do: Pick some stock XYZ. Read something on WSB that says its going to moon. So you buy a call at some strike and some expiration, more or less randomly, and then hope for the best. + +What you should do now: Pick some stock XYZ. Before putting any money at risk, define your trade plan. The WSB rumors suggest a bullish 100% opportunity in a short period of time. Okay, so that's your goal, and you can use a long call to do that. You don't want to risk more than $500, so that is your risk tolerance. While WSB thinks the upside is 100%, you want to improve your win rate by choosing a lower reward, so you shoot for a 50% gain. That makes your current risk/reward $500 to win $250. Finally, WSB expects the upside to realize within a couple of weeks, but you want some time cushion if the forecast if off a bit, so you pick 30 DTE. You can set your max holding time to 10 DTE then. The ATM strike for 30 DTE is $1000, so you either have to go OTM to save money, or you have to set a loss limit at $500. You decide to do the latter and open ATM. + +Note that since you set a loss limit of $500, you *may* calculate your profit against the loss limit, not the full amount of capital at risk. So a 50% gain would be against $500 not the $1000 you had to spend. There is some debate about this. One school of thought says this is bullshit because you really have $1000 at risk. So a $250 exit on $1000 is an ROC of 25%, not 50%. On the other hand, if you will never lose $1000 through your discipline and/or through a stop-limit you set on the trade, using $1000 *understates* your $250 gain. Which camp you choose to join is up to you. For this post, I'll assume that return is based on your loss limit, not the total capital at risk. + +Now you run your what-ifs. + +XYZ triples in less than a week. Do you continue to hold for the sake of greed? No, your plan says to exit at 50%. Then you can set up a new trade on XYZ for additional upside. + +XYZ hits 100% profit in a couple of weeks as predicted. WSB says diamond hands, it will go up more, but your plan says to bail at 50%, so you should have already been out of the position by then. + +XYZ stays flat for two weeks. Your plan says continue to hold. + +XYZ goes on a slow decline to the point where you are a day or two away from your max holding time but showing a loss of $499. It's time to bail. + +What if XYZ tanks and you lose $500 in less than a week? Your plan says to bail out, even though there is the temptation to hold on and hope for a recovery. This is why this what-if is a test of your discipline as much as the plan. + + +Should your plan be updated over the course of a trade? +=================== + +Maybe. Ideally, you are accounting for new information and adjusting accordingly, and you are recalculating your [expected value](https://www.daytrading.com/expected-value) and continuing to hold only if it is positive. But beware of self-deception. One of the virtues of having a trade plan is that it makes decisions mechanical and removes emotions from the equation, but if you decide to *change the plan based on emotions*, you undermine that virtue. + +If you are sure that your impulse to change the plan is based solely on concrete facts that are new information, and not hopes, dreams, or gut instincts, and you are sure about the strength of your discipline, it would be wise to adjust the plan to account for these new facts. +The loan can be spread over two, three or four years depending on the size of the purchase, with Amazon charging interest at an advertised rate of 16.9%. Customers do not have to pay a deposit, meaning the first payment is their opening monthly instalment. + +http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/dec/31/amazon-loans-customers-pay-monthly-option +[https://investornews.vanguard/expense-ratio-cuts-on-56-vanguard-funds-mean-more-savings-for-you/?cmpgn=RIG:OSM:TSM:RMTGTW:12262019:TXL:TXT:XX:XX:INVT:ETF:OTS:XX:XX::NW:sf226836687&sf226836687=1](https://investornews.vanguard/expense-ratio-cuts-on-56-vanguard-funds-mean-more-savings-for-you/?cmpgn=RIG:OSM:TSM:RMTGTW:12262019:TXL:TXT:XX:XX:INVT:ETF:OTS:XX:XX::NW:sf226836687&sf226836687=1) +I’m so sick and tired of these YouTube crypto influencers using these god damn emoji click bait thumbnails. + +Where is the credibility?! There is none. All of them are the same. They treat the entire crypto community as if we are a bunch of 15 year old kids popping adderall. + +How will the outside view of crypto ever change when you can’t tell the difference between a crypto news article on YouTube and some 10 year old kids minecraft upload when both thumbnails look exactly the same. Sirens, emoji, stupid fonts, retarded shocked looking faces + +It makes me cringe so much that these grown ass men are using thumbnails designed by kids to attract kids to shitty toy unveiling’s and reviews. + +It’s time for serious streamers to drop this absolute trash approach to gaining followers. + +I’ll tell you right now if I saw a streamer using a thumbnail with grown up adult content like clean images, intelligent font and no BS click bait I’ll be hitting that subscribe and smashing that like button... +https://www.google.com/amp/s/au.finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/atari-creates-blockchain-division-cryptocurrency-112257716.html + +https://www.atarichain.com/ + +I'm amazed I haven't seen this on here in a few weeks. The company is out of debt, making huge strides, and (I'm new) but through my DD I see no major flaws in the company, with a high versatility for potential gains. + +I'd appreciate it if someone shut me down, because I'm about to go all in on this one (not that all in is all that much.) +What's the deal here? You will question every well-researched article if it's coming from any "MSM" with a good reputation, but as soon as "TweakTown" does some dodgy story you'll just upvote it? + +So that story is currently the most [popular post](https://np.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/ta5eqx/russia_to_disconnect_from_global_internet_from/) with over 5,000 upvotes, it states, that Russia is planning to disconnect from the global internet - two days from now!! + +Yeah, so that won't happen. This is based on a misinterpretation of some documents, and it has been debunked [again](https://www.vice.com/en/article/88gevb/russia-is-preparing-to-cut-itself-off-from-the-global-internet) and [again](https://fortune.com/2022/03/07/russia-runet-disconnect-ukraine-dns-chernenko-letter/) and [again](https://twitter.com/shakirov2036/status/1500584933491982341). + +Soooo DYOR before you upvote a misleading, sensationalist headline I guess? +**\*Obligatory** – I am not a financial advisor and I do not provide financial advice. Nothing contained within this post should be construed as financial advice. These are my conclusions from my own research with my own damaged brain. All investors need to do their own due diligence. Don't follow along blindly. Question everything, including my work. + +**TL;DR** + +Here's [Chapter I](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/tpm5si/nport_gme_deep_dive_so_much_gme_lending_total/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) and a brief summary: An **estimated 5.72M GME shares were on loan by funds** who filed an NPORT-P filing from the beginning of this year through March 26th, 2022. NPORTs are quarterly filings for mutual funds and ETFs (funds). We also looked at funds with GME Total Return Swap Baskets with the banks as counterparties, and the funds that were short on GME. + +Funds typically lend to broker dealers who relend to hedge funds who then short sell the stock. In chapter I, we found that the big banks (BofA, Credit Suisse, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, State Street, etc.) were primarily the borrowers/lenders of one fund's securities (all securities, not just GME). **The lending agent, the fund, and the funds investors have securities lending counterparty exposure when short sellers fail to return all of their shares during MOASS.** Much like AIG's securities lending counterparties were bailed out [$43.7B in 2008.](http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/aig-bailout-disclosed-counterparties/original.pdf) + +*When a fund lends the stocks, these assets are not actually part of the fund, the put-up collateral is. Typically, U.S. Treasuries or cash is used... if the collateral drops in value by too much, the investor borrowing the shares may be forced to add additional collateral or cover the short early. If they can’t,* ***the mutual fund and its investors are on the hook for the*** [damage](https://mutualfunds.com/education/mutual-funds-and-security-lending/). ETF funds and its investors are also exposed to counterparty [risk](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S037842661930069X#:~:text=3.1.%20Types%20of%20funds%20%20%20%20,%2010.8%25%20%2821%29%20%2012%20more%20rows%20) from securities lending... These could add up to catastrophic losses for some funds and other securities lending counterparties during MOASS. + +Logically, the next question is, what's in the funds and who are the investors of the fund if they're on the proverbial hook? + +You already know without even reading any further... The same entities who are borrowing the shares. + +DRS is the way I am protecting my shares in the event my broker suffers HUGE losses from short selling OR securities lending counterparty losses during MOASS. + +# The Web + +My first example of securities lending counterparty risk is the fund which is estimated to have lent out the most GME shares: + +**Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTI)** filed on 3/1/22 for holdings on 12/31/21. + +Total GME Shares = 1,847,760 + +Total GME Shares on Loan ≈ 1,185,700 + +See chapter 1 for supporting information on how this was calculated. This fund has a lot of exposure when short sellers fail to return all of their shares during MOASS after the short sellers have been liquidated. + +The NPORT-P filing also gives us a list of the fund's securities borrowers along with the value of the securities on loan. This is for all securities, not just GME. Here are this fund's borrowers: + +[Nearly $4B worth of securities on loan to these 24 borrowers](https://preview.redd.it/ub0mq8s518r81.png?width=898&format=png&auto=webp&s=97692e1fd2dd5a78b4c5830d9441455106ced1c3) + +Take a close look at those names... These entities have securities lending counterparty exposures as do the fund and the fund's investors. + +I wonder who is investing in this fund if they have counterparty risk as well? As of their last filing, these guys: + +[ I added columns for calls and puts and included another familiar name, Citadel Advisors, LLC. \(whalewisdom.com\) ](https://preview.redd.it/m0if96uk18r81.png?width=1081&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc3337b22e14b7d1116308913cfff194bb406771) + +Nearly $10B worth of this fund's shares are held by the same entities listed as the securities borrowers of the fund. + +So wait, the same entities who are borrowing securities from the fund, also own shares of the fund? They have counterparty exposure as fund ***investors*** as well as the ***lending agent***. $ bills are starting to add up a bit. + +https://preview.redd.it/qw7yub2s18r81.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63e79811f5d5fa4d1e8fc356b2be1c5373caefbc + +The ***fund*** has exposure as well. When short sellers fail to return shares during MOASS, the fund may need to liquidate holdings to keep its head above water. Here are some of the funds holdings: + +[$40B worth of these securities are held by the fund](https://preview.redd.it/5vncv0m3ubr81.png?width=1183&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7d5cb8f66225be4a8726503b508ed907f825314) + +[My initial reaction... Maybe yours too?](https://preview.redd.it/s2kpjftw48r81.png?width=1410&format=png&auto=webp&s=dd7ee250e214a15a6fbad84791806591c52f2609) + +Okay, so when short sellers fail to return shares to the lending agent (the banks), and + +the banks fail to return the shares to the fund, and + +the banks own shares of the ETF, and + +the ETF owns shares of the banks... What happens? + +# 🕸️⏰☎️💥 + +# Example 2 + +Here is the fund estimated to have loaned out the 2nd most GME shares. **This fund's advisor is Blackrock:** + +**iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH)** filed on 2/25/22 for holdings on 12/31/21. + +Total GME shares = 1,711,041 + +Total GME Shares on loan ≈ 820,172 + +Here are the securities borrowers of that fund: + +[Just over $2B on loan from this fund... A lot of the same names](https://preview.redd.it/frm1kcrn48r81.png?width=756&format=png&auto=webp&s=79111ddc1e4d2caae9324edaf9bc4a82cccf1eb9) + +Here's some of fund's shareholders: + +[Holding $14B worth of the fund...](https://preview.redd.it/xyk2dyir88r81.png?width=1213&format=png&auto=webp&s=87a7ed596481987ca62ce32a815c32b4b8c8a77e) + +[Nearly $3B in assets in just these few holdings](https://preview.redd.it/16mmay9868r81.png?width=1181&format=png&auto=webp&s=25a54f8089b7dda7b20140b8bd5b57fe4ed39c1d) + +$263M in Blackrock cash? I like cash. + +Also, some Total Return Swaps of funds with HSBC and JPMorgan as counterparties. Here are the supporting links: + +[Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund NPORT-P Filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000036405/000175272422053911/0001752724-22-053911-index.html) + +[Whalewisdom: Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund](https://whalewisdom.com/stock/vti) + +[iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF NPORT-P Filing](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001100663/000175272422046262/0001752724-22-046262-index.html) + +[Whalewisdom: iShares S&P Mid-Cap ETF](https://whalewisdom.com/stock/ijh) + +[Gamestop NPORT-P Search](https://www.sec.gov/edgar/search/#/q=gamestop&dateRange=custom&startdt=2022-01-01&enddt=2022-03-31) + +Many other funds loaning GME shares have similar looking securities borrowers, shareholders, and fund holdings compared to the two funds we've just reviewed. That's a lot of securities lending counterparty risk when you considered the amount of funds loaning GME shares (over 5.72M shares by more than 150 funds). + +Remember, this is just lending from mutual funds and ETFs and does not include other avenues for lending GME shares. + +# Computershare + +[DRS is the way](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ptvaka/when_you_wish_upon_a_star_a_complete_guide_to/?utm_source=BD&utm_medium=Search&utm_name=Bing&utm_content=PSR1) I am protecting my shares in the event my broker defaults and is liquidated [(741)](https://usbankruptcycode.org/chapter-7-liquidation/subchapter-iii-stockbroker-liquidation/section-741-definitions-for-this-subchapter/) from short selling OR securities lending counterparty losses. + +I'm not telling you that your broker will default. I'm also not telling you to DRS your shares. I'm simply saying that **I feel safest knowing most of my shares are on GME's books at Computershare** because when marge calls and the short sellers are liquidated, that exposure is going to be passed elsewhere, including to the funds and other entities involved in the securities lending listed above, and the other avenues we've done our DD on. + +*Buckle Up 2.0* + +Tanks fo reedin + +Note: I have not extensively reviewed all funds and fund holdings, but GME appears to be one of the most loaned securities held by these funds, if not the most loaned, BUT there is a SUBSTANTIAL amount of securities lending currently happening with these funds so I can't be certain where GME falls. +As the title says. I am looking at buying my first home, but want to wait because the market is so unsteady at the moment and I feel as if house prices may come down. I also assume private and public sector pay will freeze. Does this worry anyone or change your plans? +Source, at IRS.gov: + +https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2022-tax-filing-season-begins-jan-24-irs-outlines-refund-timing-and-what-to-expect-in-advance-of-april-18-tax-deadline + +The filing deadline to submit 2021 tax returns or an extension to file and pay tax owed is Monday, April 18, 2022, for most taxpayers. By law, Washington, D.C., holidays impact tax deadlines for everyone in the same way federal holidays do. The due date is April 18, instead of April 15, because of the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia for everyone except taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts. Taxpayers in Maine or Massachusetts have until April 19, 2022, to file their returns due to the Patriots' Day holiday in those states. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Monday, October 17, 2022, to file. + +IRS Free File will open January 14 when participating providers will accept completed returns and hold them until they can be filed electronically with the IRS. Many commercial tax preparation software companies and tax professionals will also be accepting and preparing tax returns before January 24 to submit the returns when the IRS systems open. + +The IRS strongly encourages people to file their tax returns electronically to minimize errors and for faster refunds – as well having all the information they need to file an accurate return to avoid delays. The IRS's Free File program allows taxpayers who made $73,000 or less in 2021 to file their taxes electronically for free using software provided by commercial tax filing companies. More information will be available on Free File later this week. + +In addition to IRS Free File, the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals.  +Is this just a random number that someone made up or is there a rational logic behind it? I understand that lower expenses are always better, but why 1/3 specifically? +Just wondering peoples thoughts on what could ignite the next bull run? We have clearly been on a continuous downtrend for the past 6 months which has been a little depressing and bitcoin is over 30% down from this point 1 year ago. What can get us out of this? + +Could it be the Russia invasion of Ukraine coming to an end? XRP winning the court case against SEC? Bitcoin being declared as part of a big company's balance sheet? Or could we have to wait as long as the next bitcoin halving in 2024? + +Personally I think the war plus inflation is probably the biggest thing holding us back right now! +I am thinking about getting a monzo account. + +Is it easy to switch? I have savings accounts with other banks is it easy to transfer money out of the monzo account to those? Thinking of using it for the savings benefit +Ukyo, the operator of bitfunder stock market and weexchange bitcoin exchange stole more than half a million and thats just what some people admitted so far, it is not the final sum. +https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=337523.0 + +Other person that comes to mind is creativex, the operator of BASIC-MINING, he ran off with couple thousand bitcoins.. +https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=331573.0 + +I, as luck has it, had all my coins tied to those two.. + +No one seems to give a fuck, no repercussions, nothing.. so this is bitcoin? you cannot trust even the most trusted ones? I must say I am really disappointed and think this will be the last stop for me in my little venture. + +Similar things happened on multiple occasions, hell there is even a long list of bitcoin scams/thieves. people will say "you should not have trusted this exchange and that site" I say, what? is this the way we want to take? how and where should i use my coins then? dealing hand to hand, meeting people in person to do business? as i said, the most trusted people of the community are fucking us over, how seriously should i then take someone with a trust rating 15 on bitcointalk or whatever other trust rating sites? price rises by factor of three in a matter of days and the sellers just no longer give a fuck.. +The lack of knowledge of the researchers is mind boggling, completely ignoring all wallets for off chain applications, 2nd layer, funds, custodian’s, etc. I saw on Twitter after the backlash the journalist responsible for this garbage said they excluded all exchanges (see link below). Then what the hell did you guys study lol? Here is the real bitcoin distribution: + +https://insights.glassnode.com/bitcoin-supply-distribution/ + +https://twitter.com/paulvigna/status/1473030205832941574?s=21 +A parent has asked me to help him disguise his company as being based out of a different state. I currently reside in a state without state income tax, and he & his company do not. He wants me to look into adding his name on my car insurance & utility bills as proof of residency. Since he is a Sole Proprietor, showing that his personal dwellings have "moved" to this state would presumably permit him to file his taxes here. He stays in this state for about 2 months a year, and his work permits him to be mobile/work digitally only. Would adding his name to my bills put my own credit or accounts in danger? Is this a risky maneuver, albeit kind of shady? +That’s millions of dollars invested back into the company to enhance their tech stack, while still keeping earnings from the products they sell as much as last year. + +Along with a strong cash balance, that’s healthy capital to build a strong foundational tech company for the online gaming industry and also capture more market share through their omni-channel e-commerce platform for physical gaming products (with a customer obsessed focus). + +The cellar has been blown wide open. +Hi everyone, + +I don't really post much on reddit, so forgive me if I sound weird or anything. But my father and I have a bit of a situation going on, and I'd like to see if there's anything we can do about it, or if we got what was coming to us. + +I'm a 19 year old female living at home with my parents, attending college full time (18 credits) and working around 25 hours a week with an 8 dollar an hour pay. I don't have a car payment (bought a junker two years ago, cash) and the only thing I pay for in the house is food for myself and the parents. My parents are pretty nice about living me rent free. + +I'm in the market for a new car. The old junker is getting a little unreliable, and I'm willing to pay a monthly fee for a car that I know won't break down on the side of the road. I've heard good things about leasing a car while in college, so I thought that I'd try to lease a new Kia. I'm a little too kind when it comes to people scamming me over, so I brought my dad along to the dealership just to make sure nothing bad happened. He also offered to co-sign if my credit wasn't good enough. As the employee was processing my application (my dad not being a co-singer) I asked 'Will this be a soft or hard pull?'. The employee said 'soft'. I was a little anxious, as I figured something like this would probably be considered a hard pull. He went back, did his business, came back twenty minutes later and said I wasn't approved. I have good credit, I just haven't had it for long enough (I have a credit history of about six months). He said my dad would need to co-sign to be eligible. Before my dad signed the slip, which was just a small green piece of paper with no fine print, I asked, 'Will this be a soft or hard pull?'. The employee said 'soft'. Still being anxious, the employee left to go do whatever it is they do in the back room at a car dealership. + +He comes back out forty minutes later saying we'd been approved for a car loan for a 2012 Kia Rio. We were in the market of looking to lease a 2015 Kia Forte. We made that apparent from the start. When he told us we would be purchasing, my father said 'then we're done' and we left. The next day, my father checks his credit report to see that there had been five hard pulls done on his credit. I looked at mine, and found the same thing. The reason we're upset is because the dealership told us twice, to our faces, that it would be one singular soft pull. Not five hard pulls. + +Our question; is there any way to dispute this? Will these hard pulls eventually just turn into one hard pull, seeing as how they were issued in one day? Will this negatively effect both of our credit? My father was on the phone with the salesperson today and called him out on it, and the salesperson responded with 'I never lied you to.'. So we're a little upset about that. Are all car dealerships like this, willing to lie to get a sale? Or were we just supposed to know that this was gonna happen? Thanks for reading through all this! I'm sorry it was so long winded. + +TL;DR: Dad and I want to lease a car, car salesman says it'll be a soft pull, next day there's five hard pulls on CR, salesman lies and said he never said 'soft pull'. Will these hard pulls go away/is there anything we can do about it? + +EDIT: Woah, thanks to everyone for the inputs! +The last year in Bitcoin has been one of the biggest financial rollercoasters of my life. A small investment has grown into what's now worth more than the cost of my college education, and perhaps taught me even more. + +While I confidently believe that btc is the future, we all know it's going to be a rocky road ahead. After much thought, I've decided it's more important for me, personally, to be a loan-free man today than to continue riding with so much on the line day-by-day. So I've just cashed out for (1) college education. Thanks for the ride, and be back soon :) + +P.S. Hate it or love it, remember to pay the tax-man. We'll gain infinitely more if the Gov't sees us as a new source of tax revenue than law-breaking competition. +Hello! + +I find myself in a strange situation where I am a dominatrix for a sub, who is wanting me to financially dominate her (as well as other ways). + +We've agreed she will send me money as gifts to her master, and I am considering having her set up a standing order to do this. All her finances will be taken into account, so we're making sure she will be financially okay, despite our fun. + +My question is, what tax implications do I have with regard to this? + +Do I need to pay tax on the money she gifts to me as part of the Dom/sub play? Would it change if it's a standing order, and I receive a regular amount a month? +I have a relative who visited a financial advisor in 2012 and had his DB pension converted into a SIPP. + +This I found to be a difficult to justify move but ontop of this the financial advisor signed him up to an actively managed fund with 2.3% fees. + +This has turned out to cost him close to £40k grand in fees since 2012. The fund has done well but I still can't believe how much it's costing him. He's up 70% cumulatively since 2012 which is about the same performance as vanguard life strategy 20. Which would have cost him an order of magnitude less in fees + +Should I go to the financial ombudsman because I really don't understand how it's legal to give out such poor financial advise? Most people should only be paying 0.5% fees max + +Edit: thanks for the feedback, I now understand the fees aren't the issue but the missold transfer to a sipp is the real problem +In this article we will dive into Financial Stock Analysis using the Python programming language and the Yahoo Finance Python library. This tutorial covers fetching of stock data, creation of Stock charts and stock analysis using stock data normalization. The implementation will take place within the Jupyter Notebook which we will install using the Anaconda data science platform. So without further introduction lets get into the actual implementation. + +[https://medium.com/vinsloev-academy/python-financial-stock-analysis-algo-trading-4d5304d07416](https://medium.com/vinsloev-academy/python-financial-stock-analysis-algo-trading-4d5304d07416) +https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/22/goldman-apples-earnings-would-drop-by-nearly-30percent-if-china-bans-its-products.html + +Analyst Rod Hall said in a note that Apple earnings could drop 29% if the company’s products were banned in mainland China. + +Apple’s China business accounted for more than 17% of its sales in its fiscal second quarter, coming in at $10.22 billion. + +Hall also noted that China’s “tech ecosystem” and local employment could take a hit if Apple products are banned. Most of Apple’s supply chain rests in mainland China, including the iPhone’s final assembly, which is executed at Foxconn. + [https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/16/netflix-nflx-q2-2020-earnings.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/16/netflix-nflx-q2-2020-earnings.html) + +&#x200B; + +As the leader of the "safe stay at home stocks", Netflix earnings barely budged 1Q, and significantly missed expectations. I guess this whole hyping of "stay at home" stocks was a bit overdone. Netflix shares down about 11% right now. Does this signal a shift though in the market though? That's a massive drop for a stock people have been hyping for months. +BYND's earnings call is coming up in a week, and their stock went up 100% after the last one. I'm not expecting a 100% gain, but I also realize at this point, the expectations are super high and the call could totally flip the other way. + +That said, is there ever a time that this is reasonable beyond, say, an 80% doubt? +Hello everyone, + +Today I would like to share with you the results of another manipulation investigation that was recently completed on r/CryptoCurrency and r/CryptoMarkets. Most of the time investigations are handled behind the scenes so the culprits do not learn our methods and evade them, but in certain cases like this one I believe it is good to show people what to look out for. Some background, more resources about digital manipulation, and a prior report can be found [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/d1qneb/crypto_reddit_manipulation_report_dream_network/). + +**DISCLAIMER: Visit any of the links below at your own risk.** Some are NSFW and others are redirects that may send you to an unknown location. You may want to use a tool like https://wheregoes.com/ to examine redirect chains more safely, though these tools aren't bulletproof either + +#The Fun Space Group + +The Fun Space group arrived on our radar recently for posting redirect links mainly across r/CryptoMarkets and smaller crypto subs. This is against Rule 1 in both subs because automod evasion obviously makes moderating harder, but it also sends the user to a destination they don't expect. This might be done immediately or they might wait for the post to become popular and then sell it to a porn/malware distributor [as seemingly happened here](https://old.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/e0y94v/segwit_adoption_hits_another_ath_scaling_working/). There is very little, if any, legitimate use for redirect domains and it is very inorganic behavior. + +The typical [MO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modus_operandi) for these bots is to periodically spam these redirect domains across 5 to 10 subreddits, always with a similar title and using a [TLD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-level_domain) like .fun or .space. Note, this is not limited to crypto, I found several cases where it included gaming, science, and merchandise targeted spam as well. You'll also see that these redirect posts are always upvoted to somewhere around 40 to 100 points, even though they are low quality and often posted in dead subs, which is clear [vote manipulation](https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/wiki/vote_manipulation) + +A quick glance at these accounts might not look fishy because between spam campaigns they always have organic looking comments. After digging a little deeper I noticed a few things. These comments were in popular posts I had seen on r/all and they always had a lot of comments. If you load all comments and ctrl+F "title are hilarious" [in this post](https://old.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/lg7gnv/not_very_tall_tale/), you'll see what I found. 3 different accounts placed the exact same comment in that thread. What these bots are doing to simulate organic activity is finding popular threads on r/all and just copying an existing comment. Usually they are among of hundreds or thousands of comments, so a human would never notice. + +* https://www.reddit.com/user/rytron3000om ([archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20210212012912/https://old.reddit.com/user/rytron3000om/)) +* https://www.reddit.com/user/Slavaighhj ([archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20210215150255/https://old.reddit.com/user/Slavaighhj)) +* https://www.reddit.com/user/rorimpotaFJ ([archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20210215150324/https://old.reddit.com/user/rorimpotaFJ)) +* https://www.reddit.com/user/realgagneWJ ([archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20210215150510/https://old.reddit.com/user/realgagneWJ)) +* https://www.reddit.com/user/Krapja9v +* https://www.reddit.com/user/BaDeanAko099 +* https://www.reddit.com/user/lilspicerxova +* https://www.reddit.com/user/lusttforli +* https://www.reddit.com/user/lbsdnvyp +* https://www.reddit.com/user/wolfcubwolfc +* https://www.reddit.com/user/kicheljek0 +* https://www.reddit.com/user/georginasa +* https://www.reddit.com/user/RumiOJ +* https://www.reddit.com/user/ziarnica7p +* https://www.reddit.com/user/freiherzyky +* https://www.reddit.com/user/TheGetBizy +* https://www.reddit.com/user/Osieczycec4 +* https://www.reddit.com/user/Therockerroll + +We have taken steps to prevent this kind of activity in the future and have of course banned all of these accounts, but awareness is important too. This kind of activity multiplied on crypto reddit during the WallStreetBets saga, so keep an eye out for things like this and please continue reporting suspicious activity. +Just curious what kind of mortgage everyone has (offset/redraw/none) and what percentage you're paying with all the interest rate rises lately? + +I myself am on 3.8% offset currently, which seems to be on the lower end. +Title says it all. I am lower middle class and financially illiterate. I have always lived hand to mouth, but I have never gone into debt (credit cards or loans etc). I believe if I can't afford it now, I can't afford it. I'm ok at saving but generally only when I have a goal (saving for a car for example) + +I have inherited $20k and I am overwhelmed. I would prefer to lock it down into an investment and pretend like it doesn't exist. + +How do I even know how or where to invest? What do I invest in? Do I need a third party to invest on my behalf or can I do that myself? + +I bank with an online bank so can't walk into a branch and talk to... an investment person? + +Being that I have no savings should I keep an emergency fund? If so, how much should I aim for? + +Thank you for your guidance. +So, this has been a bit of an issue for a while now from what I can see. I live in Brisbane and there seems to be so many empty commercial buildings all over the city which remain empty for years. + +I have worked with some people renting these spaces, and they really struggle to pay the rent because it's so ridiculously high (like 50% of a restaurants turnover). + +I've also worked with some people who own some places and it stays empty for years because the added insurance costs etc for renting it out makes it cheaper to keep it empty than to rent it for what people in the area can afford. + +I assume this is a problem in many cities as people gradually buy more things online. The question is, does anyone know how government bodies plan on handling this? Surely they should just rezone some of these into residential spaces right? Thoughts? +Kind of scratching my head on this one and also trying to work out where I stand on the renting v buying argument in Sydney. + +100k gross income, no debts and with a 150k deposit. + +Looking in the northern sydney areas ie. upper north shore. + +Obviously houses are out for FHB. So that leaves 2 and 3 bedroom apartments. + +Most 2 bedders are on the low end 670k but higher end seems to be 880k depending on other factors. I’d like around 700k so only 550k mortgage which is manageable. + +But putting interest repayments aside over the life of the loan, plus repair costs, I’d be paying out of pocket an additional 6-8k in management costs per year. I currently rent in this area for $490 a week, but I don’t pay any of these costs. + +I feel that for me renting is not only cheaper but safer. I’m actually surprised that apartments are this expensive given the annual fees. +So I’m mates with this guy on Facebook and all he does is talk about Bitcoin. He constantly links to articles, Bitcoin clothing and he’s changed his employment status to ‘self employed’ even though he very much works for the same organisation he did years ago. His statuses are constantly like: + +‘Another bitcoin payment! Beats working for a living!’ + +This kind of post is usually accompanied by some other middle aged person asking for more information and, always, he asks for a PM. + +Half his friends list is like this too. Just people all patting each other on the back about how much they’re earning in bitcoin. + +So it’s some shitty scam. Because if you wanted Bitcoin you’d just buy the fucking things. But I’m curious as to what and how it works. I’ve got no interest in engaging with him about it so I was hoping you smarter people could explain what’s going on. +What are some of the things (both common sense and not so common) that one needs to think about when getting a house and after the settlement happens? What are some rookie mistakes that one could do during this period? Any tips and tricks to save money? Thanks in advance +Hi, + + +I'm 30, and have been with Colonial First State and more specifically, "FirstChoice Employer super" for several years. I have been salary sacrificing up to a total of 15% super for the last 18 months or so. + +A few days ago, I received a letter from Colonial First state opening with the paragraph: + +&#x200B; + +>Recently the Australian Government introduced the Your Future, Your Super changes to superannuation laws that apply to your account, including a new annual performance test that applies to superannuation products including FirstChoice Employer Super. +> +>**Your superannuation product has not passed this test**. As a result, we’re required to send to you the enclosed performance notification. This notification is available on the page following this covering letter. You shouldread this notification as it contains important information about your superannuation product. +> +>We would like to provide you with important additional information to help you understand the performance test. + + +The rest of the letter essentially spend 3 pages telling me how good their super plans are, and how they are improving them etc. + +I am not the most financially literate person, but it feels like a patch-up job. + +Is this a simple situation of them knowing they've screwed up, been exposed by a government super initiative and trying to make it sound better than it really is? Unsure if I wait and see what happens over next months or just cut ties and go down the 'low fee super' routes, and switch to something like Aus Super or Host Plus etc. + + +https://preview.redd.it/iff66l3n17p71.png?width=1359&format=png&auto=webp&s=348176191e701db8399969a253e614a6249774b8 +Edit: replacement for Commsec not SelfWealth. I’ve got no need for it now that T+2 is partly gone from Commsec. I’m considering either Stake or SelfWealth +Long story short: 29yo, kids 4 & 2. Salary $125k full time equivalent, although currently I'm taking a day each fortnight off to complete a post-grad degree. I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can essentially (within reason) decide how much I would like to work, although I need to give plenty of notice. + +I had sort of planned by default to go back to full-time next year, but now I'm re-considering. I am considering instead dropping another day (9 days per fortnight down to 8) and pulling the kids out of daycare on that day each week just to spend some time with them basically. + +My salary would then go down to about $100k for the 4 day week, and of course we'd save a little on daycare fees. We have never had any specific FIRE goals but of course a move like this will probably substantially push back any chance of FIRE-ing, but I'm sort of thinking that the time now is more valuable than free time might be another 20 years down the track. + +Anyone else done something like this? Care to share some experience? +First off, I know what the "right" amount should be. Gospel states it's between 6 and 12 months of expenses. However, what happens when a portion (let's say 25%-50%) is discretionary? For myself, I focus on the following items and multiply that by 12 to build my emergency fund: mortgage + insurance + car payment + utilities + food. + +I'm curious to hear what methodologies people are using the build out their emergency funds. +This post was removed from both r/personalfinance and r/financialindependence. If it doesn't go over well here then I'll be done posting. I stumbled across [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/7xl4n4/can_i_afford_a_2016_bmw_m3/) and had to make sure I didn't write that on an alt account and found the responses refreshing for r/personalfinance + +Due to good sales years at both my wife and my jobs we are expecting the largest bonuses we've yet to receive in our careers. Conservatively we're expecting $30k-50k pre-tax. I'm not going to pull a Clark Griswold and put a down payment on a swimming pool just yet, but I have been running some calculations to figure out how we might invest/spend the money. What I'm finding is a little surprising and I'd like to make sure I'm not making stupid assumptions. + +Here's a little more info about our finances: + +* Age: I'm 31, she's 30 +* Base Income: 205k + 50k cap for commission, past 3 years have averaged about 200k post tax +* Current NW: 683k +* Cash: 62k +* Retirement Accounts: 454k +* Taxable: 52k +* Home Equity: 115k + + * 435k loan at 2.99% + +Here's where I'm trying to wrap my head around if this all makes sense. There's a couple home upgrades that we'd like to make that are wants. Whether they recoup their full cost in home value is debatable. For the past three years we've been sharing one car (paid off). The car I want is 100% a stupid, superfluous financial mistake, but feel we are in a position to afford it now. I've been casually looking for a manual BMW F80 M3. + +Here are the links from the Engaging Data calculator. I used $50k instead of after-tax amount to try and illustrate a larger discrepency. + +[Current NW 558k](https://engaging-data.com/fire-calculator/?age=31&initsav=558000&spend=137000&initinc=200000&wr=3.5000000000000004&ir=2&retspend=100000&stockpct=85&fixpct=5&cashpct=10&graph=mc&secgraph=3&stockrtn=8.1&bondrtn=2.4&MCstockrtn=7&MCbondrtn=2&tax=15) + +[Potential NW 608k](https://engaging-data.com/fire-calculator/?age=31&initsav=608000&spend=137000&initinc=200000&wr=3.5000000000000004&ir=2&retspend=100000&stockpct=85&fixpct=5&cashpct=10&graph=mc&secgraph=3&stockrtn=8.1&bondrtn=2.4&MCstockrtn=7&MCbondrtn=2&tax=15) + +The above calculators are only based on us continuing to max our 401k, IRA, HSA, and $500/month into taxable. Our budgeted expenses are $85k/year so there is more that gets saved/invested/spent elsewhere. With everything staying the same except assuming a net worth today of $50k higher it only changes our target age of 45 by a few months. If we continue to 50 it's a difference of \~$300k from the 10th to 90th percentile. I would have expected a $50k lump sum to change our FIRE trajectory more. This is giving me more of an argument to live life a little now and spend the money. While fully understanding not to make a habit out of this. +I recently FIREd "chubby" and the wife and I are doing research on where to move now that we no longer need to be near the congestion (and high COL) of an employment center, but unfortunately, pretty much all of the "best places to retire" type articles and lists are focused on lower budgets ("you can live here on your Social Security"). So I was hoping to get some reccs from this crowd on the assumption that some of you have already gone through similar searches and are even out there living in these places. + +We know we do not want a big city or urban living (nor suburban), so the ideal place would probably be something "up and coming" where we can still get a plot of land (nothing huge, but more than you can get in a suburb... 1-5 acres maybe, mostly the emphasis is on something fairly pretty/bucolic and quiet) but still within range of good cultural options (restaurants, golf courses are a must, arts and crafts, hopefully some live performances, hiking/biking). We'd generally prefer the things that others are looking for as well: decent weather (doesn't have to be perfect, particularly in the winter/summer as we may end up in a two-home situation... mostly looking for something awesome in the fall and spring), lowish crime, educated/successful population (and the things that come with that). And I have a bugaboo about congestion/traffic. If you look at the lists of mid-sized towns in the US, it is staggeringly long, so it's really hard just to go down that list and evaluate. + +We're US citizens and while we'd certainly consider something overseas, everytime I look it looks... complicated. \[Particularly so in the context of covid, but this isn't something we need to do immediately, so don't factor that in so much.\] + +What are some "higher (but not really high)" budget places you'd suggest we look further into? Some college towns, for example, may hit the mark, but I'm only familiar with the few that I went to/worked at... +Hey guys, we are [CoinGecko](https://www.coingecko.com/en), a leading cryptocurrency data aggregator that has been collecting cryptocurrency data since April 2014. We are the most comprehensive data aggregator tracking over 6,500 tokens from over 400 exchanges. We are also the first cryptocurrency data aggregator to track [crypto derivatives](https://www.coingecko.com/en/derivatives). + +We have just published our [2019 cryptocurrency year-end report](https://bit.ly/coingecko-2019-report). Our mission is to empower the cryptocurrency community with a 360-degree overview of the market. + +TM Lee (CEO) and Bobby Ong (COO) are currently answering questions from 8am-11am ET. + +Verification: [https://i.imgur.com/vuje9Pc.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/vuje9Pc.jpg) + +Update: We had a blast with the AMA today! Thank you all for the great questions. We will sign off now. Do continue asking your questions if you have any and we will reply back tomorrow. +Just curious to learn from others regarding the upside to Boeing stock. I just started a position on Thursday at $236.50 + +Their pipeline of future sales especially the 737 max seems to be full. I realize they still have a lot of proving to do regarding their safety record. But it seems to me that the confidence of the airline industry is behind them since their inventory has been swallowed up by many of the big carriers needing planes. +By now you’ve probably heard about the monumental “Crypto.com Arena” naming deal which is scheduled to take effect on Christmas Day. + +https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/18/technology/crypto-staples-center-la.html + +Also scheduled for Christmas Day is the Lakers playing the Nets at home. (home being Crypto.com Arena). + +Crypto.com has stated that they plan to launch their highly anticipated US Exchange in Q4 of 2021. Well there’s not much time left in 2021 and CDC is on a roll, dropping one big promotion after another, almost simultaneously. + +I think Crypto.com is gearing up for something major and that CRO will 2x between now and EOY. + +What do you think? Are you buying the rumor or do you plan to sell the recent CRO news ? What are some other whisperings you’ve heard? +So im canadian and i really want to trade credit spreads cause they seem like the safest way to approach options but my broker, National bank canada brokerage, requires 100k of assests in my account and a 40k yearly salary to be elligible for level 3 and 4 of options trading. Is this normal? Im thinking of switching to Interactive Brokers so can someone tell me if their options policy is better? +Hello, my girlfriend's mother has been using her ssn for bills since she was 11. Before we left her mother told her that she took her SSN to apply for something. We went to freeze/check her credit today and the verification question asked if she had any loans in her name and we answered no because she would of been 15/16 at the time of the loans. We ended up getting an error asking us to call their number, so we're assuming that her mother may have taken a loan out. + +My question is if we can prove she was under 18 at the time of the loans will we be able to have them removed from her credit report. Also would this be enough for her to have her SSN changed? + +Thank you. +$BBBY IS NOW OFFICIALLY A JUNK COMPANY according to S&P Global Ratings. Source: [https://www.marketwatch.com/story/bed-bath-beyond-credit-rating-downgraded-further-into-junk-territory-by-sp-global-ratings-2022-08-22?siteid=yhoof2](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/bed-bath-beyond-credit-rating-downgraded-further-into-junk-territory-by-sp-global-ratings-2022-08-22?siteid=yhoof2) + +https://preview.redd.it/6j5o8nd5faj91.png?width=1377&format=png&auto=webp&s=87e56dc8dcfec497a0ae9e336acfa02491f3a06b +>*In the* [*first episode*](https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/kqagf7/why_hex_is_a_ponzi_and_not_a_solid_investment/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) *about HEX I focussed on the tokenomics and the advertisement campaigns behind HEX. After Richard Heart himself decided to comment on the post telling me he deserved a Nobel Prize for his creation I decided to look up what I could find about this man hiding behind a fake name.* + +**Drama from the last post:** + +Richard Heart decided to share my post in the HEX Telegram group talking about 'No one will probably see the post because of the downvotes'. This resulted in dozens of HEX shillers sliding into my DM's saying disgusting things and massively downvoting my post. Guess what, **I can't be silenced. Even if it's just one person I can convince thats enough for me.** So, after clearing out the drama it got me last time I did this post, lets dive into Richard Heart. + +**Who is Richard Heart?** + +From a debate in 2017 between Roger Ver (Bitcoin Cash) and Richard Schueler it becomes clear that Richard used to be a hardcore Bitcoin believer and pointed out many Ethereum protocol flaws, ranging from poor coding to bad decisions in terms of programming language implementations (cryptoinsider). About a year and a half later Richard comes up with his coin, HEX. it is promoted to be a better bitcoin on the Ethereum blockchain (oh, the irony). In the middle of the bearmarket and Richard being the largest participant in his own coin he convinces his following on Youtube to HODL the coin after mysterious dumps. You can find [here](https://i.redd.it/duecf980osf41.png) what is happening with the Ethereum when you purchase HEX. + +**Legal and questionable events from** **Richard J Schueler:** + +2002: Sued and won by [Peacefire.org](https://Peacefire.org) for violating Washingtons anti-spam laws, he was known at that time as the 'spam king' and made a lot of money off it - [source](https://www.zdnet.com/article/peacefire-org-beats-spammers-in-court/). The Methuselah Foundation, for which Heart volunteered at that time, was committed to extending the human lifespan and “making 90 the new 50”. + +Questionable events in [Panama](https://web.archive.org/web/20171223110716/https://www.reddit.com/r/btc/comments/79y40b/scammer_alert_you_know_the_narcissist_guy_who/): Several of Heart’s alleged aliases (James Hart, J. Richard, Richard Schueler) were named in connection with a Panamanian criminal network. Heart, called "CharityLover' at that time supposed cohorts included robbers, blackmailers and corrupt lawyers and judges, according to posts stemming from the now defunct Panama-Guide website . Miguel Antonio Bernal (Panama lawyer) described the process by which American criminals flooded Panama to “rob, cheat and blackmail local businessmen using Panama’s weak legal system'' in the linked post under ''Panama". + +&#x200B; + +>*“Nobody goes to jail in crypto” — Richard Schueler AKA Richard Heart -* [sauce](https://web.archive.org/web/20200216011920/https://jocularship.htmlpasta.com/) +I like to make my calls public. I just put all my spare cash into bitcoin and will continue to do so as long as it stays below 20k. + +It’s money I can afford to lose, but obviously I don’t want to lose it. It is enough for a house deposit. + +Stock market looks like shit. Interest rates will smash real estate. Bitcoin is the only place I see with room for growth at the moment. We are a long way from the top, it makes sense to me. + +Wish me luck comrades. +"If the second version screwed up, the user experience would reflect badly on both, although it would at least reinforce to users the importance of staying with the official version. If someone was getting ready to fork a second version, I would have to air a lot of disclaimers about the risks of using a minority version. This is a design where the majority version wins if there's any disagreement, and that can be pretty ugly for the minority version[...]." + +https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=195.msg1611#msg1611 + +So I have been keeping a very detailed budget for 2015 and what I have discovered so far in two and a half months: + +1. I spend far more on groceries/eating out then I am comfortable with. I literally look at the numbers and want to kick myself in the ass, not that I am a super lavish eater, but just that my assumption of how much I spend was so out of whack with reality. + +2. Every month there are ALWAYS unexpected expenses. Some surprising, others surprise me because I never accounted for them and they are so obvious. Haircuts, oil changes, dentist appts. + +3. In some areas being super aware has made cutting back very easy. No stops for a tea, no random $2-$3 purchases of gum or convenience items. + +4. Budgeting has also made me think ahead and spend money now to save money later. I buy a toy a month to donate at Christmas and I also give out kickass small toy/game items at Halloween. There is a chain of stores going out of business and I wiped out their toy section/party gifts that had clearance items that were further discounted. I spent just under $100 and bought just over $500 worth of items. Enough for all my donations for the year, as well as Halloween gift bags with 6 items in each, for two years! + +5. Finally writing down exactly what I buy in groceries has made me super conscious of what foods I am eating and I have been cutting back significantly on anything that is not a whole, healthy food. + +I realize I am still new to budgeting, but in the short time I have been doing it I have made a number of changes to my lifestyle and spending. Happily, I am spending a little less each month and making a little bit more. + +My goal this year was to pay off $15,000 of debt and save $10,000 for any emergency fund. Currently I am down to $9077 in debt and I have $1160 in my emergency fund. I only make $45,000 plus any side work I do, so I think I am doing pretty good! + +Edit: Ok this blew up way more then I was expecting. I am trying to answer everyone, but it might take me a bit. Thanks for all the input and conversation, this has been very educational for me! + +Edit 2: My inbox has gone crazy. To clarify a couple of points I have been asked a few times. + +- 45K is certainly more than enough for one person. +- I have been supporting myself fully since I was 17. +- Paid for university and college on my own (student loans were paid in under 10 years) +- I own my own house (put 30% down payment at purchase) bought for a lot less than I was approved for +- own my car, it's a 2002, needs to be replaced and I will be buying a modest used car for cash +- The $15,0000 I did owe was due to being sick for going on 2 years now. I had to miss quite a bit of work. +- I'm sorry if any of this comes off as bragging, that was not my intention I was trying to be completely open and forthright about my situation in the hopes of getting good advice (which i did) and maybe helping someone else out. +- the gum thing was just an example of mindless spending (why is everyone stuck on the gum thing) +- I did do a month of budgeting in December 2014 as well, so technically three and a half months. + +We all know about the risk of sharing FatFire and having friends/family jealous or leeching off us. But for me, a bigger reason I don’t share FatFire is because I like being ahead of my friends/siblings/coworkers/neighbors, etc. + +It goes back to that old joke. How much is rich? Earning $1 more than your brother-in-law. + +I’m only like this because most of my friends and family are doing well, upper-middle class or higher. If a friend or family member was genuinely hurting I would try to help them as much as I could. + +Anyone else not share FatFire for this darker reason? +[Article from Bloomberg](https://imgur.com/a/B81F7wN) + +&#x200B; + +Looks like if you are in Russia, Middle East, or Latin America you have a second passport. I didn't realize Australia had become so popular. That housing market seems ripe for a correction. +I’m fortunate to be in a position that we are exploring housing options. A super nice home in our area (VHCOL) is $1.5-2M. We can get something that works for $1M to 1.25M. For the extra $250-500k, we could get a vacation home (or just travel more every year). + +I’m curious for those who spent a little more on your primary home, do you regret it? Do you ACTUALLY have time to enjoy the property, pool, multiple rooms, lawn etc? + +In a weird way, the numbers start to feel “normalized” as a million is a lot to spend on an object but feel like we aren’t getting the “million dollar value” from the $1-1.25M houses. +Hi everyone, my long-term partner and I split all expenses down the middle. We plan on buying a home next year and will also split the mortgage, utilities, renovations, etc. 50/50. That kind of model doesn't work for everyone, but it works for us. In the future, we aren't interested in marriage. + +We're both on the FIRE path and I may take some bets and start a business in the future that may put me on the path of fatFIRE. Given we have no plans for marriage, is it necessary to create a pre-nupish contract? I was reading about common law marriage and that's apparently still a thing, so this got me thinking. + +I'm posting this in r/fatFIRE because I posted something similar in /r/financialindependence a few months ago and got nothing but replies like "If you're not getting married, you shouldn't buy a house together", "you guys should get married - if not, you don't trust each other", etc. Given the sophistication of this sub, I imagine you all understand there are nuances to these kind of situations and there isn't a one-size-fits-all model to life. Also, I'm on the path to FIRE and are taking some life bets in the future which may accelerate my path to fatFIRE, and I want to be smart and prepare accordingly. + +Thank you. +Recently received an inheritance, Im 21 yrs old and wondering what seems to be the most optimal way to allocate this windfall for future growth. + +Currently a Candian university student, planning to attend law school, i am quite frugal. + +The windfall consists of 2 SFRs in Toronto, and smaller retail units (1 house is rented out, retail units have long leases running, as well as mutual funds worth around 550k - Total Asset value is around 2.2m, no loans on anything currently and i live in one of the houses. + +What would you do? +For those of you that have stopped relying on yearly income and mainly rely on investments how did you get out of the "income/spend" mindset? + +I have recently moved away from relying on a yearly income (which makes a lot of sense in my head) and towards a investment portfolio existence - the catch is your NW and income goes up and down daily and so does my frugality/spend tendencies. + +I've had a hard time thinking to myself I can spend X or Y because depending on how my portfolio does I either feel richer or poorer. + +How did you find your centre? +What things changed? +How did you change? +Does anything even change? +How did you decide your lifestyle spend and does it change according to your portfolio and in what timeline? +Long time lurker, first time poster. Details a little fuzzy for anonymity: + +Early 30s, unmarried, ~1.4M liquid NW in VHCOL. + +I'm very fortunate to have won the startup lottery. As a followup for a fundraising round, my employer recently announced they would do tender offer for existing shareholders. For RSU holders, this is being done by converting 30% of vested RSUs to common, withholding some for taxes (at supplemental rates), and then being able to choose how much of the remaining common to sell. After withholdings, I have up to ~$1M available to sell, with another ~$6.5M in RSUs left. + +Reasons to sell more: + +* Diversification + liquidity. I don't love having the vast majority of my NW in a single company +* Help cover the fairly large tax bill I will have this year regardless of what I choose + +Reasons to sell less: + +* No immediate pressing needs in terms of purchases/debts/etc +* Company is probably not far off IPO (12-18 months?), and I suspect the price being offered is likely less than what they would be worth on the market currently. But maybe... 1.5-2x the price at best, certainly not 5x+ +* Holding onto common stock has some tax benefits. If I sell now the spread between the the buyback price and the FMV is taxed as income in a year my income will be 1M+, versus even at the same price if we're public a year from now would be LTCG. + +Considering I'll still have a lot of skin in the game regardless, I'm probably thinking of selling at least 500-600k, but curious what others think? Recent market skitters have made me tempted to sell a little more +I am, by no means, a pro trader. + +Every day, I learn something. My journey started in 2020, and I am not there yet. + +However, I have talked to over 50 daytraders during this time and asked for help/advice/guidance. + +Here is what I have found: + +* There is NO SECRET SAUCE: no indicator can make you rich. +* Day Trading is more about Personality: We trade differently. even, in real-time, if 2 people are talking live with each other, the way they perceive Price Action will be different. And those small differences matter. +* Sharing/Giving: Not everyone wants to share. I recently talked to a so-called "successful" trader and this is what he said, "I have a secret code that helps me take 90% profitable trades". To me, that is a red flag. Run! However, there are some genuine people out there who want to share because they believe sharing helps learn more, and improve. + +These are just my thoughts. Please share yours. +Bitcoin breaches the £50,000 mark in the country of its birth. + +The majority of my British brethren are sleeping at the moment, but as they wake they’ll be seeing a milestone in U.K. FIAT. + +Bitcoin started in the U.K. (if the Genesis block is anything to go by) so this is as significant as any meme dollar value number. + +I love a good meme as the next person and $69,420 is just around the corner too, however I couldn’t let the significance of £50k pass without mention in this sub, even if it’s very US centric. + +>> The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks[1] +This was probably intended as proof that the block was created on or after January 3, 2009, as well as a comment on the instability caused by fractional-reserve banking. Additionally, it suggests that Satoshi Nakamoto may have lived in the United Kingdom. +Obviously hype has died down quite a bit. And understandably there was more activity when prices were surging to upwards of $400 a share, but we also had multiple threads being created surpassing 100k comments every few hours and this happened for multiple days. Most of the posts here seem to have much less interaction than I’m used to seeing, just lower overall comment counts and a strange sort of sentiment shift I’m feeling. It’s eerie. Maybe I’m the only one feeling this or noticing this. Considering just staying away for a few days to see if I’ve lost all my money or got a whole bunch of new money. +Obligatory 55 shares @ 315. +As someone that's been involved in bitcoin for almost a decade now, watching the WSB drama last week rekindled an old understanding in me. + +I get the intention of WSB - the financial system is completely and utterly broken, and fighting it is *good*. Hedge funds are tiny little fish though, and the Bitcoin community had spent years fighting a war so much bigger than that. The war against Central Banking. + +The scale is completely and utterly different. **All** the Hedge Funds in *the entire world* managed just over 3 trillion dollar's worth of assets in 2019 - accumulated over many decades, in many countries.[1] + +The United State's Federal Reserve *created* more than 3.4 trillion USD in 2020 alone. + +Yes, one central bank printed in one year more money than is managed by all the hedge funds in the whole world. + +*This* is what Bitcoin is up against. This is the scale of this war. **And this is the war we're here to win.** + + + +Edit: I'm happy this resonates with other people. <3 + +You can follow me on twitter for more weaponised autism: https://twitter.com/TomNormanCohen + + + +[1]https://www.statista.com/statistics/271771/assets-of-the-hedge-funds-worldwide/ + +[2]https://www.cityam.com/almost-a-fifth-of-all-us-dollars-were-created-this-year/ +Sorting through posts is a pain. Saw this which was likely posted but gonna do it again: + +[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Qzq8ZdvL4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Qzq8ZdvL4) + +This guy explains it all and could really reduce the amount of questions as posts and many posts themselves. +Edit: sorry if what I said wasn't clear. When I said 150 hours a week, I didn't mean 150 EVERY WEEK. I just read that a girl intern ONCE worked a 150 hour week. +When I moved in with my husband, it came to light that he had about $3,000 in cash hidden away. + +His logic was that in case of an emergency where he might not be able to get to the bank, he would have enough cash to fill up the car and get necessary supplies. + +I am all about "prepping" for the zombies and whatnot, but this habit struck me as odd. Is there something better we could be doing with $3,000 besides having it sit in the house or even in a traditional savings account? + +I mean I can understand keeping like, $500 hidden away on hand.... + +EDIT + +TIL my husband is not crazy and I'm the clueless one! Good to know :) We will be prepared for zombies (or, you know, other more realistic natural disasters) + +**ALSO this money is not our emergency fund!** We have an emergency fund in a savings account that would cover our expenses for about 3 months. This $3k is not factored into any of our major financial decisions. It's mostly used as Craigslist money for buying/selling motorcycles--my husband's hobby--or new furniture. +I thought it should be good for markets (especially banks) as they can continue to borrow cheap money. Am I wrong to assume that if/when Feds raise the rates, we should see some downturn in the market? +Similar article published by the Wall Street Journal today. Here's a free version: + +https://www.fsrmagazine.com/chain-restaurants/battle-brand-value-why-restaurants-are-rejecting-third-party-delivery +As my son was leaving for work this morning I said, "Hey, you know it's Friday the 13th today? But nothing bad ever happens on Friday the 13th." I can't say that anymore. Just got a call from my boss. Our company is folding, and this ape is now out of work. I've been the primary source of income for our household since my SO's 30+ year career dried up last year. He's working...but at a job where he's making an hourly wage that's about what he made when he was in high school. + +I'm not normally one to spread my life drama on the internet, but I gotta say, this is scary as fuck. When I talk to my family, I need to be strong and positive, so I'm coming here to vent the weak and negative thoughts that are swirling around in my smooth brain. Could use a little ape encouragement right about now. +Hi guys, + +Long time lurker here. I just stumbled across this huge Twitter thread that basically tells the whole story until now and how it may unfold in the following weeks: [https://twitter.com/TheHoustonWade/status/1367743123279867909](https://twitter.com/TheHoustonWade/status/1367743123279867909) + +(more readable version, but please don't forget to like and share the tweet: [https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1367743123279867909.html](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1367743123279867909.html)) + +We need this thread to go viral. Please like, comment and especially share this. The whole world needs to know, what we know! + +EDIT: +Tl;dr +The hedges shorted the shit out of GME, as GME continues to rise options will continue to be ITM (in the money) and they will be executed. As the options are executed shares will be bought driving the price up. Hedges will have to provide the shares but there won’t be anything available so they will have to pay whatever us 🦍 set our limits to. They will go bankrupt making this the biggest financial transfer to ever happen. The federal reserve insurance fund will be forced to cover the shares causing the global economy to collapse. Or SOMETHING like that, I am a 🦍 + +EDIT: +396 GME AVG $62.07 +Obviously a lot of stocks go down, but there’s always big institutional investors that move their money from one place to another when something like this happens. There’s also some type of business that would benefit from this. I am not smart enough to figure this out, but I know some of you Redditors are. +Any thoughts? +Looking at historical commodity prices, every time we've had high inflation in the past, gold and silver have shot up. It makes a certain sense, as their value is essentially static, so when currency loses relative value, then they should go up, at least in dollars. + +Why is this not happening now? The low-hanging fruit answer would be that CPI (which doesn't care about precious metals, and only measures things that people actually need, like food and housing) increases are in fact due more to supply shortage than excess demand. + +If investors really were afraid of runaway inflation, wouldn't they be at least partially putting money into such historically safe inflation hedges? But gold is barely up since we started seeing high inflation (March '22), and silver is actually down. + +I would love to hear some well-informed economic theories about why today's inflation spike is bucking the trend that has been pretty steady over the past century. + +No political talking points, please. +I’m a 26 year old that has been working since I was 13. I started making $5/hr for an odious guy that only employed immigrants and underage kids as labor for his real estate purchases and he paid them shit (he owned the house I lived in). I started selling weed at 15 and made a lot more for a lot less stress. A lot of people judged me; ‘friends’ that always had food in their fridge used to talk shit to me. I didn’t like doing it cause of the stigma and the risk, and stopped that when I got a job flipping burgers at 17... fast forward through 5 other jobs of increasing pay and getting a BA in the meantime—I got a job with a fair wage that allows me to rent a 1br apartment comfortably while only working 40 hr weeks. It’s been 1 year since I got the job and I still feel like I’m living in someone else’s apartment/someone else’s life. Food in the fridge, food in the pantry, a bedroom that fits more than just a bed, a nice peaceful complex in a decent area, and I’m not spending my entire life working. I’m also about to pay off the last of my credit card balance which I thought would never happen; I thought I would constantly be in that cycle of balance transfers, personal loans, ridiculous interest/overdraft fees; like spinning plates. On top of all that living with knowledge that your hole is getting bigger and things are getting worse—despite the fact that the people you work for are making a shit ton of money off you that you hardly see any of. I knew not having money was a problem but HOLY SHIT. I didn’t realize all the small ways that not having money was fucking up my life and how much is solved just from making a fair wage. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Just as a counterpoint... When I was planning to get married, I knew I had substantially higher earning potential and assets, and my spouse-to-be had parents with way more money than mine. We got a prenup at my instance a few months before the wedding, and we both had our own lawyers. I think I spent about $3000. While married, we kept mostly separate finances. Unfortunately, though we'd been together quite some time before getting married, things fell apart after two years. + +The divorce wasn't too painful - some cash exchanged hands for the assets that we'd agreed would be joint that couldn't be split, and legal bills stung a little, but all in all, my goals were set back a few months at most. Without the prenup, it would have probably been a five to ten year setback. Fortunately we didn't have any children. + +Hopefully nobody gets married expecting to get a divorce, but planning ahead for the possibility was well worth it for me. +I see Apple's revenues growing in this year and 2018 with the release of the iphone 8. It's rumored to have significant upgrades. + +I can also see 2019 being a softer year, similar to 2016, due to probably softer demand of the 8S vs the 8. + +Thus, if Trump has fulfilled his campaign promise by this time to get a repatriation tax bill passed, it seems like 2019 would be the perfect period for Apple to bring their cash back home and make a huge acquisition(or two). + +I would expect that with Trump being elected, Apple is seeing his laser-focus in fulfilling campaign promises, seeing that 2019 will probably be a relatively soft year and thus busily researching which large companies could be best integrated and give the best return. + +I don't think investors are going to be content with small acquisitions if Apple is able to bring 200+ billion in case back home. + +What do you think they're looking at? + +In fiscal year 2016 their cash balance grew by $30 billion($216 billion to $246 billion). Considering the hit that the 8 is supposed to be, it's possible that by 2019, they'll have as much as $325+ billion to bring home. + +I have friends who work in the biggest banks in Taiwan. Both HSBC and Jihsun didn’t receive the dividend and just directly split the stock. When I talk to them, they have no idea what’s going on. How should I tell them about the risk or what can I tell the banks to do? My assests in the US are all DRS I wish I can go back to Taiwan and DRS the Taiwanese shares but I just physically can’t rn. + +Keep buying and DRS… +Taiwan didn’t get the shares too +When he signed his sales agreement in April, his offer wasn't good but higher than the stock price at the time. The Twitter board initially called the bid insulting. + +Many were thinking the March rally will continue. He had already bought a 10% stake; so he planned to have the price go up close to his bid based on hype, then the board would have 100% rejected his offer, and he would cash out & make like quick 25% in the pump & dump. Just like his con in Corn & DogeCorn. + +But the market tanked later in April & the Twitter board held him to his contract. I guess him waiving all clauses was to make it look as legit as possible given his history with SEC. + +He has no contingency plan & is winging it. There's more downside to TSLA regardless of whether him being CEO or not. He has to sell more shares regularly to maintain margin requirements. +I see about five different WhAt tHe hEcK things going on tonight. And I get the ominous feeling that SOMETHING happened in the world that everyone but me knows about. I've been cruising SStonk but I don't see anything big other than voting and circles (WORTHY THINGS, I assure you!) + +&#x200B; + +What's got me questioning my life today?? Posts like these: + +https://preview.redd.it/71olbuif96v81.png?width=501&format=png&auto=webp&s=219c220b340d0c8b505525bb95a211dcace1433e + +https://preview.redd.it/ig1yeovk96v81.png?width=487&format=png&auto=webp&s=6979d771c3768ef366497c39c4c844c5670ea675 + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/fl01dqhm96v81.png?width=496&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a0c9e3a9e1bfb0498354eb264f58851dbfc9905 + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/u58embqw96v81.png?width=491&format=png&auto=webp&s=c8f5a3f2d0bab3a10db257baa2e34927f777f7ab + +&#x200B; + +Not to mention RC's unusual Tweet-via-replies and such lately. I admit that I spent my day heads-down at the Day Job ™, so I'm out of touch most days until I catch up on SStonk... but today feels even MORE SO THAN USUAL. + +Of course, Gabe re-booting hints that OTHER "big funds" may need to find creative ways to wiggle... but again... we knew that. And the DD is done..... they are stuck, and they know it. + +Our beloved stock closed down on a Friday (no surprise there), but volume and other indicators have been low or freakishly silent over the past few days. And when I look at the rest of the market.... um, really, really red doesn't even begin to describe it. But we've all seen this kind of red before.... right? Or .. is there something I'm missing?????? + +It very well could be that the world is limping forward as best it can and each of these people are in their own worlds tweeting about their own things and thus each of them is completely unrelated to each other. Maybe I'm just out of sorts tonight. But if there's a connection, I'd be interested to know what it is. I've apparently missed it. + +&#x200B; + +EDIT:I did find a few other articles that lean toward big movements, but nothing "definitive" yet. I'll screen cap some of them below: + +https://preview.redd.it/fbi5xvumg6v81.png?width=1016&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a063ff3cc940a897d0a43ab0b9aaa66ea1c10cb + +And BBBY trading was halted as it spiked. Again... we knew halts are not only plausible, but EXPECTED as this thing is going to take off. It's part of the SAFETY system built in to the markets (I know people are going to poo-poo this comment, but it REALLY is a good thing!... if the markets REALLY WERE FAIR, then such an action would be a SURE SIGN that someone was mucking with the fairness, and we would WANT such a feature in place.) + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/yozvjo57j6v81.png?width=483&format=png&auto=webp&s=11a435910db46a35c8c3fe909ffd2cf84ecb6aa8 + +&#x200B; + +u/StacksMahoney mentioned in the comments about a Wells Fargo layoff, with other lenders possibly riding the same thin line.... There may be something to it. + +https://preview.redd.it/37gbn93go6v81.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f621c0f785cd264595cc225611ce621076f273e + +And CNBC turning on Gabe and saying how this is akin to "moving to a new city, changing your name, and defrauding others"..... There's blood in the water, and the sharks are stirring. + +https://preview.redd.it/wc1nylkkp6v81.png?width=649&format=png&auto=webp&s=a58b897dd2ec2913cdec8bfee7f9a13a2498fb64 + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; +This feeling is indescribable, but I'm sure many of you can relate. I was visiting friends this weekend when I woke up one morning to find out my car was gone. After calling the apartment offices and the tow company they contract with, I'm relieved to find out it was just towed and not stolen. Turns out I was one space over from 'visitor parking' and they towed my car that morning. Calling up the guy, I can hear he is dealing with some other lady yelling at him on another line. He gives me the details of what I'll need, who I need to call to let know I'm getting it and their address. This last part, I was honestly too excited to argue about anything. He lets me know it’s going to be $170 to get my car back. The only thing I had to ask was if it had to be in cash or if I could use my debit card, he said they take MC and Visa, I let him know I'm on my way. + + After a few months of budgeting, paying $170 to get my car back was no problem. I was in the wrong, ignored the signs and deserved to have my car towed. I am ecstatic that having to pay $170 is such a minimal fee that I hardly had to blink at it. If the same thing happened in September or earlier of last year, I would have probably been on the verge of tears of having to drain some of my savings when student loans and car insurance are coming due at the start of the month and I have to wait two weeks for my next paycheck. But I had this, no problem. + + To those who don't know that feeling and would like to be worry free when these unexpected life events happen, start now. + Track your budget with mint. Go a whole month just buying groceries and not eating out. Find out where you are frivolously wasting money and learn how to cut those expenses any way you can. At first, you will only have the satisfaction of seeing your account balances grow. Eventually, something unexpected will happen and you will be glad you were prepared. Seriously, there are few things that can compete with that feeling of being financially stable. + + +Edit 1: TIL that people hate reading signs, towing companies and often expect favors from others to get by. + + Edit 2: Just gonna list some stuff out. + No, I did not intend to get towed, I should have paid more attention and asked my buddies about parking before I just assumed. + I don't blame the tow company or apartment complex, I should have known that this was a policy as it is in most places (why you usually have to give make/model/color of car when applying for apartment) + I did not enjoy paying to get my car back, I was only happy that I was able to without having to give it much thought. + To those of you thinking I deserved a break, or a favor from those involved, I've dealt with you guys in retail, and the answer is no, I will not fix your computer for free just because you bought it from my store 5 years ago. +Hey Apes! + +u/bobsmith808 put together an amazing comprehensive DD on all the theories regarding our beloved stonk. Looking into the ETF shorting thesis I came across this report by several professors at the University of Virginia and Villanova. I would love the wrinkly brain apes i.e. u/bobsmith808 u/criand u/gherkinit and others to take a look at this. + +From the first several pages, it seems these professors are confirming our DD on ETF shorting, basket theory, and other theories. Also, this report is from 2016 and updated in 2018. + +**Abstract** + +"ETFs constitute 10% of U.S. equity market capitalization but over 20% of short interest and 78% of failures to-deliver. While this disproportionate share of short activity has raised concerns about excessive shorting/naked short-selling of ETFs, we identify an alternative source of ETF shorting related to creation/redemption activities. This source, “operational shorting”, is associated with improved liquidity, but it is also associated with **increased systemic risk**. In exploring possible mechanisms for this risk relationship, we document a commonality in operational shorting across ETFs that share the same authorized participant and the financial leverage of the authorized participant appears to amplify this commonality." + +&#x200B; + +"This mechanism, which we call “operational shorting”, is described as follows: + +“Market makers, often commercial banks or hedge funds, create ETFs for their issuers by + +buying the securities that the funds are supposed to represent. **But they've discovered that** + +**they can make a predictable return by delaying the purchases and selling you nonexistent** + +**exchange-traded fund shares that they will create later.** These transactions—a form of + +shorting—eventually may involve 50,000 shares—the amount typically in a “creation unit” + +authorized by the issuer." + +&#x200B; + +"Under prevailing market making rules, an authorized participant (AP) / lead market maker (MM) (hereafterAP)7 can sell new ETF shares to satisfy a bullish order imbalance, **but can opt to delay the physical share creation – by purchasing the basket of underlying securities and swapping that basket for the corresponding number of ETF shares** – until a future date. There are a number of operational reasons why an AP might want to delay creation. First, ETF creation is done in discrete blocks of ETF shares called creation units (typically 50,000 ETF shares). If the order imbalance is smaller than the creation unit size, APs may wait until the the imbalance builds to a size equal to or greater than the creation unit. **Second, if the underlying basket of securities is less liquid than the ETF itself and purchasing the securities to form the creation basket incurs price impact and liquidity costs, order flow might reverse during the time that creation is delayed. This reversal would enable the AP to earn the ETF bid-ask spread, without paying the trading costs associated with buying the basket of underlying securities.** Both of these motivations become even more compelling if an inexpensive and liquid hedge is available through the futures or options markets." + +&#x200B; + +This APE needs help! u/criand u/bobsmith u/gherkinit + +Did we just find supporting evidence to our DD? More confirmation bias? + +https://preview.redd.it/s6aa8b1ospb81.jpg?width=468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c45a191eab2167b6411cce203a3970387d09cfa + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/xvyzrr5uspb81.png?width=730&format=png&auto=webp&s=af1ac767fe040861731ac113aa0fef9befae304f + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; + +Report link: [https://jacobslevycenter.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ETF-Short-Interest-and-Failures-to-Deliver.pdf](https://jacobslevycenter.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ETF-Short-Interest-and-Failures-to-Deliver.pdf) +This is probably a cliche post around here, so, apologies in advance. + +I’m new to investing and still have some more researching to do before I really get into it, but think I want/it’s best for me to start with index funds. What’s a better broker for this: Charles Schwab or Vanguard (or Fidelity, but I just assumed those two were more popular/better)? Any major differences to be aware of? + +Thank you! +Keen to get the conversation started, do you think we will see a seismic shift of investors rushing for the exits soon?[AFR Article](https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.afr.com%2Fproperty%2Fresidential%2Fthe-insto-threat-to-mum-and-dad-property-investors-20221116-p5byxy%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dnc%26utm_source%3DLinkedIn%23Echobox%3D1668735879) +Just wondering if anyone has used a buyers agent, particularly in Sydney? Did it help? Did you pay a flat fee? Do you think you paid less for your place (I.e. they found a deal)? How did you go about finding/choosing your buyers agent? +Within the next few years I'm going to be looking to buy my first property. The [First Home Super Saver Scheme](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/super/super-housing-measures/first-home-super-saver-scheme/) seems appealing but I was wondering if anyone had done the math to see if using this scheme outweighs using a high rate interest account (\~2.80%)? + +&#x200B; + +Side questions: + +* Have you opted in to save using the first home super saver scheme? and what advantages do you see using this scheme apposed to using a high interest account? +Just trying to gauge how much the cost of living will be while I’m at uni. I’m 19 and have worked this year saving 35k and am wondering how feasible it will be to live off 16k a year while studying full time and working part-time. I imagine rent will be $7-8k and food will be just over $4k for the year. I will mostly travel on my bicycle and will try minimise eating out. +I've got my eye on some nice NASDAQ listed shares such as Intuitive Surgical, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Alphabet. I think its a great way to diversify out of Australia with the current high AUD. +As there is only so much you can do to save, the logical thing to do to optimise wealth seems to be to increase income as much as possible. + +Ideas are often things like: + +- building a business +-increasing skills to leverage for higher pay +-taking on a side job +-doing overtime +- real estate +-stocks + +My question is what have you done to increase your income? + +What has the highest ROI in your opinion? + +Can income be increased substantially without compromising lifestyle quality? +My dad is retiring soon, aged 60 and in decent health, which is better? He has 1 million in savings, would investing the 900k be better than the pension? He doesn’t own a house and the pension will partially convert into a lump sum and go to his estate when he dies, he’s not married +What was/is it like? is it hard to adjust? I've heard some horror stories about people getting out of work early and it ruined there life because it wasn't what they expected. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +There's a post (not mine) on lifestyle creep on /r/personalfinance that I think is pretty good and quite relevant to FI! I think he describes a good balance between keeping lifestyle creep in check while also saving. + +Here it is: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/55o2d4/nip_lifestyle_creep_in_the_bud_before_its_too_late/ + +I particularly like this approach (edit: although the ratio that you use should be no higher than your SR and preferably lower - IMO!): + +> If you get a $10,000/year raise - half is for improving quality of life and half goes straight into savings. Maybe a different ratio works better for you...just be sure you don't spend it all. + +https://www.sec.gov/comments/sr-nysearca-2017-06/nysearca201706-161046.htm + +> Subject: File No. SR-NYSEArca-2017-06 +> From: Matt Corallo +> Sep. 11, 2017 +> +> I am Matt Corallo, a long-time developer of Bitcoin (around the 10th publicly recorded individual to contribute to the Bitcoin codebase), an expert on Bitcoin's operation, vocal Bitcoin advocate, and strong proponent of the availability of a Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Product (ETP). +> +> I have very grave concerns with the proposed rules for the maintaining of Bitcoin deposits and the lack of consumer protection in the event of Bitcoin Network rule changes in the current filings. +> +> As described in the S-1 filing for the "Bitcoin Investment Trust" (BIT), a "permanent fork" of Bitcoin may occur when two groups of users disagree as to the rules which define the system (its "consensus rules"). More specifically, such a "permanent fork" is likely to occur when one group of users wish to make a change to Bitcoin's consensus rules, while another group does not. This leads to two cryptocurrencies, and may lead to significant ambiguity around which should be referred to as "Bitcoin". +> +> The latest S-1 filing by the BIT, allows the BIT to, in the event of a permanent fork, "in consultation with the Index Provider, select a Bitcoin Network"; ie they will be allowed to select any cryptocurrency resulting from a permanent fork which they will term Bitcoin, with no clear restrictions. This creates a gaping divergence of interest between the Sponsor and the investors in the proposed ETP. +> +> Digital Currency Group ("DCG"), as the sole owner of the Sponsor, in conjunction with TradeBlock (the "Index Provider", in which DCG is an +> +> investor) would be enabled to, through such a selection, shift significant value towards one cryptocurrency over another. As an investor in numerous Bitcoin startups, DCG further has a strong incentive to encourage rule changes and adoption of cryptocurrencies which benefit their portfolio companies as well as their own operations, possibly over rule changes which benefit the investors in the proposed ETP. +> +> Further, in the currently-proposed rule changes, DCG is not explicitly barred from trading on the value of different cryptocurrencies prior to the announcement of the BIT's decision as to which fork will receive the future attention of the proposed Bitcoin ETP, and its investors' capital. +> +> Finally, it is important to note that, in the event of a permanent fork, there is likely to be significant market confusion as investors, businesses, and users decide which cryptocurrency they will term "Bitcoin". During this time period, the BIT is not restricted from selecting a cryptocurrency immediately (as it did on July 28th with respect to the Bitcoin Cash fork two days later [1]), nor restricted to selecting the cryptocurrency which the majority of the Bitcoin community terms "Bitcoin". In such a scenario, the BIT could cause significant longer-term market confusion, effectively misrepresenting itself to consumers, all while complying with its currently-proposed rules and filings. +> +> These scenarios are possibly best illustrated by the case of the Ethereum/Ethereum Classic fork, which the BIT S-1 lists as a prime example of such a "permanent fork". DCG invested heavily on one side of the fork, almost entirely at odds with the remainder of the Ethereum userbase, businesses, and exchanges. While the vast majority of market participants in Ethereum shifted their value to the new Ethereum Network, DCG promoted and invested in Ethereum Classic. If DCG had, at that time, owned the Sponsor of an Ethereum ETP under the proposed rules for the BIT ETP, they would be free to, and perfectly justified under the S-1 in, declaring the ETP to hold only Ethereum Classic, potentially to their own gain, and to significant market confusion. +> +> Recently, DCG and some of its portfolio companies have been strongly promoting "Segwit2x" (a proposed rule change to the Bitcoin Network). +> +> While it is still months off, the Bitcoin community is already split in whether it should be adopted, very likely leading to such a "permanent fork" and a debate over which cryptocurrency should be termed "Bitcoin" +> +> and which should adopt a new name. It is still very much an open question which cryptocurrency exchanges will adopt the BTC ticker symbol for, and whether significant market confusion will result. +> +> As a final note, the latest BIT S-1 claims that "as a practical matter, a modification to the source code only becomes part of the Bitcoin Network if accepted by participants collectively having a majority of the processing power on the Bitcoin Network". This may be somewhat misleading as it conflicts with the previous S-1 statements that the BIT is allowed to select a cryptocurrency which results from a permanent fork freely. Additionally, were it to be the case that the BIT simply followed the majority of processing power on the Bitcoin Network, it would likely lead to additional confusion as a significant majority of processing power on the Bitcoin network shifts back and forth between different forks as profitability of mining on each changes. +> +> As noted in several other comments provided in regards to SR-NYSEArca-2017-06, the adoption of rule changes to allow the listing of a Bitcoin ETP would be very much in line with the SEC's mission, and to the significant benefit of US consumers. However, additional rules must be put in place to protect investors in the event of a permanent fork of the Bitcoin network such as the one DCG and its portfolio companies is advocating for now, rules I believe to be rather straightforward and simple to write. +> +> Matt +> +> [1] While the Bitcoin Cash fork appeared highly unlikely to take the name "Bitcoin" with any large part of the community at the time, several prominent community members had, and have since, indicated that they would refer to Bitcoin Cash simply as "Bitcoin" if certain conditions are met. +> +> http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grayscale-investments-llc-statement-regarding-bitcoin-investment-trust-and-bitcoin-cash-300496137.html + +Related thread: + +https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/73929q/how_to_kill_the_2x_fork_via_the_sec_instructions/ +I just wanted to say thanks to everyone on here. You all are the best community I’ve been a part of. So much knowledge in one location is crazy. Everyone is so helpful to one another and let every ape feel so welcome. Been here since the beginning and still look forward to see the latest discussions and news. You all rock. +This Friday a lot of OTM puts expired worthless and today early in the morning crypto crashed. Why aren’t we talking about this? 1 trillion dollars worth of crypto “disappeared”. + +Are they getting ready to be margin called, are they’re getting ready to cover o close their positions? +I wrote a function to give me pivot points of highs/lows but more often than not the price is supported/rejected *close to* previous S/R rather than *exactly on it*. As a result, my list of levels include many prices that are extremely close to eachother, that a human eye drawing support would probably plot just 1 horizontal line for. + +I'm not sure how to approach this in a way that would work for other charts/assets as well (since the % difference between 'close-enough' levels would be different) + +I'm using python, and here is an illustration from TradingView: + +&#x200B; + +[The levels in yellow would be 1 level in my eyes](https://preview.redd.it/vchppzt8031a1.png?width=1214&format=png&auto=webp&s=d11adb84ce6353ad21bd6e5b42792bacba37e98e) +Welp..I have a confession to make: I'm a dinosaur in the trading world. + +I still point and click. I make money, but I could make way more if I just knew how to code. +It's not that I want to get into HFT or something, but market activity is more spread out throughout the day and I just cannot sit in front of the machine 20hours and commercially available stuff just doesn't cut it. + +Somehow I have to start....but where? Which language should I begin with? Phyton? + +In the first place it's not about analysing big amounts of data, but rather sending orders and managing positions. I have ideas, I know how to price stuff, I see the opportunity, but I cannot grab it, because I'm either too slow or I can't execute 2000 tiny trades over the course of a day. + + +A lot of you guys probably started coding first and got into trading later, so programming languages are easy for you to learn. + +But for me...I cannot even install a piece of software from GitHub. +How should I go about it? + +If I come to the conclusion that I will never be an algotrader, that's ok. But at least I can hire somebody to code for me and understand what he does. + + +Thanks guys +I'm not sure if many people use the Piotroski score - its provides a rank of 0 to 9 based on the quality of a company, with 9 being the bets and 0 being the worst. I tend to use it in addition to other factors when designing strategies where it works extremely well and allows you to filter universes to high quality stocks. + +It's simple yet a little painful to calculate as there are lots of factors used, which I'm guessing is one reason why you don't hear of it too often. I had always assumed another reason was that it didn't work particularly well on its own, but I've just done some research and the historical returns look pretty good: + +https://i.redd.it/mc7x2b5rohd11.png + +The above strategy is an incredibly simple one - it selects all US stocks and DRs with a market cap over £50m and a Piotroski Score of 8 or more, then each month selects the top 10 when sorted by the Piotroski Score. The figures already include commissions and slippage of $7 per turn. I'm sure with a little tinkering it could be combined with a few other factors to create a really strong trading system. + +What's better is the strategy scales well too - the above backtest was with a starting investment of $10k. If you push this up to $1m the strategy still returns a simulated 18% a year since 2000. + +You can see how the strategy was put together and more performance charts and data here if you are interested - [https://investorsedge.net/Strategy/Definition/24429/23671](https://investorsedge.net/Strategy/Definition/24429/23671#) +What do you think is a valid test for whether increased volume of news, tweets, or mentions precedes a price increase or decrease for some asset, whether the opposite is true, or whether neither lags or leads above the noise floor? Has the SEC or another litigant ever established a test for pump and dumps using a rigorous statistical test to prove causality between artificial leading events and a price change? +I am a pharmacist. I have 90k ish student loan debt. I own my car, bike to work, don't eat out frequently. I live in Colorado and am skiing beat up skiis. I don't feel like I am living extravagantly at all. I just don't understand why I don't have any money. My parents raised my 4 siblings and I on less money then I make on my own. It feels like I should be swimming in money but instead I have only 10k in the bank after 5 years of a six figure income and have made minimal progress on my student loans. What am I doing wrong? +So throughout most of my 20s I've been extremely reckless with my finances. Having barely any income, I had a Chase checking account and multiple credit cards. All of which eventually went into collections, and at the start of the Pandemic I lost the little income I had and due to automatic recurring payments, my checking account went into overdraft and was eventually closed. I was 'blacklisted' by Chase and unable to open new accounts elsewhere. + +Literally months after my account closed, my situation changed drastically. I moved out of state and got a job as a software developer. I love and am doing well in my job and have been given my first promotion and a raise. I now make \~$100k a year and got a Chime account which is where I deposit my paychecks and make purchases from. I'm entirely independent and have a growing savings account of around $15k now but have started running into limits with my current situation. + +I've moved to a very cold area with a used SUV I drove from California. I want to make it a 4-wheel drive car but installing a new transfer-case and driveshaft is going to cost around $3000 plus extra maintenance items I want to get done. In addition to this, I'm planning on getting a surgery soon that will likely cost me somewhere around $4000 out of pocket. If I ever need to purchase a car after an unfortunate accident I will likely have to shell out at least $5-$10k for something that's adequate for the place I live. + +The problem is Chime has a spending limit of $2500 a day, and a withdrawal limit of $500. Other "second chance" or even regular checking accounts have comparable limits, and most people I believe would get around this by using a credit card - which I cannot do due to my currently abysmal credit score. And because of my blacklisted status, I also seem to be unable to get any account that will allow me to write checks. + +I have accepted the fact that I will have to save up and pay in full anything I need/want to spend money on, but it seems I'm in a situation where I literally cannot even spend my own money on the things that I need. I feel strongly that I can't simply put these things on hold but I'm not sure what to do. Any advice, suggestions, or help is very much appreciated. +**Background:** + +I'm 38, single, live in NYC, and have no kids. I also have no debt. + +I have about $210,000 in my 401k/SEP-IRA and $240,000 in my brokerage account. I also have a $30,000 emergency fund in a separate Ally savings account. + +I've been trying to take control of my finances recently but I don't have any real "goals" for my money at the moment. + +**I have two sources of income:** + +* I make $110,000/yr at my full-time job. +* I have an online business side hustle that will bring in about $160,000 (pre-tax) this year. + +**How to move forward?** + +I currently max out my 401k from my full-time job. + +I also pay myself a salary via my side-hustle's S-Corp and use this to contribute to a SEP-IRA (I'll put about 20k into my SEP-IRA this year). I use part of this salary/owner distributions to invest into my brokerage account each month. + +From here I don't have any other plan for my money. Should I throw almost all my extra money into my brokerage account? + +I don't have any real plans to buy an apartment where I currently live because prices are crazy here—but I also pay a lot of rent so it's something I've thought about. + +If I were to think about buying, I'd want to wait until the market recovers since I'd need to liquidate most of my brokerage account to afford the downpayment/closing costs (which is honestly kind of scary to think about). + +So yeah, I feel like I'm in a decent financial situation but I don't know what I should be doing. +It's insane how quickly sentiment changes here. Celebration to despair in the blink of an eye. It's easy to get swept up in the panic when everyone is talking about how the bear market is here, coins are going lower, etc. "Next stop btc 20k! Eth $600!" As soon as we get green candles again, it's all forgotten. + +Don't put yourself through the mood swings. Get off reddit, go down to the pub and wait for it all to blow over. +Tesla CEO Elon Musk lamented the rising cost of lithium in a recent tweet. He even suggested that Tesla might get into the mining business to help solve shortages of the key raw material that goes into rechargeable lithium-ion electric vehicle batteries. + +Tesla-as-miner has far-reaching implications for the EV industry. Will locking up long-term lithium supply become a strategic imperative for the industry? Will other auto companies look to backward integrate into the EV battery supply chain? Those are longer term questions for investors to ponder. More immediately, lithium mining stocks—most likely the smaller ones—could react wildly in Monday trading. The larger, more established, players include Albemarle (ticker: ALB), Liven t (LTHM) and SQM (SQM). ( Livent still qualifies as a small capitalization stock.) + +Three smaller players include Piedmont Lithium (PLL), Lithium Americas (LAC) and Sigma Lithium (SGML.Canada). The three large players have a combined market capitalization of more than $50 billion. The three smaller players, which are in different stages of ramping up new projects, have a combined market cap of less than $10 billion. “Price price of lithium has gone to insane levels!” tweeted Musk on April 8. + +He has a point. Benchmark lithium prices are at about $78,000 a metric ton, up almost 80% year-to-date. The price for a basket of battery materials Barron’s tracks is up about 60% year-to-date, theoretically adding roughly $2,000 to the price of an EV. Most battery materials, however, are bought on a contract basis. Most commodity prices quoted are spot prices. When spot is greater than contract, it is a sign that contract prices will move higher. + +“Tesla might have to get into the mining \[and \] refining directly at scale,” said Musk, adding in a later tweet “we have some cool ideas for sustainable lithium extraction \[and\] refinement.” + +Scale doesn’t appear to be the big issue. There are large miners such as Albemarle that produce lithium for well less than $10,000 a metric ton, according to company documents and Barron’s calculations. What’s more, everyone in the lithium industry is investing for growth. Wall Street expects Albemarle’s capital spending to be about $1.4 billion in 2022, more than double levels from just a few years ago. + +Current spot prices are good enough for miners to put capital into the ground. Instead, the issues appear to be EV demand growth, which is happening faster than people, and the time it takes for the mining industry to ramp up new capacity. + +[https://www.marketwatch.com/articles/tesla-lithium-elon-musk-51649610496?mod=home-page](https://www.marketwatch.com/articles/tesla-lithium-elon-musk-51649610496?mod=home-page) +Just as a warning to people looking into this ICO, it seems that they've given a HUGE bonus during their "private presale". According to the math that they have released on their blog, they raised $16.5 million during the private presale and sold a total of 3,275,292,318 tokens. When doing the math, it comes out that the people during the presale got 198.5 tokens per $1 spent. + +According to the same blog post, the price during the ICO will be 1 ETH = 26,950 Tokens. With the current ETH price of 310, that means you're getting a little under 87 tokens per $1 spent. That's a HUGE difference! + +When asked about these #s, they stated that "The presale buyers only got 50% and then they were paid for services with the rest of the tokens" but their blog post states that they sold all of the tokens. When questioned about this, the COO got angry and left their Discord and then banned me and multiple other people that were questioning the #s and the huge bonus amount given. + +Just a heads up. People have been getting burned a lot lately during these ICOs that have given out huge bonuses. This one seems like it could be another one of them. + +Link to their blogpost : https://blog.stormtoken.com/storm-token-sale-terms-overview-e03be20b0959 + +Edited to add screenshots of the discord conversation. After she said that she was "disengaging" and left the discord, the other moderators started banning. + +http://prntscr.com/gubdkd + +http://prntscr.com/gubdqy + +http://prntscr.com/gubduq + +Another Edit: After kicking me for questioning this, they lied to people in their telegram and said I was banned for saying "racial slurs". Not once did I ever do this, or would I ever. + +http://prntscr.com/gubh6k +**TL;DR** A review of past ICOs indicates that most have performed poorly compared to holding ETH. ICOs ask for $x funding to achieve stated objectives, however, many now have much more than $x due to the increase in the price of ETH. Entities offering ICO tokens should offer a mechanism to return value to token holders if the US$ value of their ETH holdings from the token sale ends up being considerably above the value of the initial $ funding request and the ICO token is losing value relative to ETH due to an increasing ETH price. + + +Nearly all ICO token offerings have a hard cap limit in US$ and people have contributed ETH to meet the dollar target. The rise of the price of ETH has massively increased the value of the contributed ETH but the ICO token prices have performed badly relative to ETH. If you look at the [ROI of ICOs vs ETH column](https://icostats.com/vs-eth) (filter for ERC-20 only tokens) you can see that all tokens rapidly lose value relative to ETH as a result of the perceived value of the token and the older the ICO date. + +*What does this mean for ICO entities?* +They are holding, or will end up holding, ETH with a US$ value in vast excess of the initial US$ funding request. For example, the DigixDAO crowd sale in March 2016 had a cap of US$5.5MM and 1,700,000 DGD Tokens were sold in the crowd sale for ETH and 300,000 DGD tokens released to the Developers. The ETH collected is now worth [US$156,956,388](https://etherscan.io/address/0xf0160428a8552ac9bb7e050d90eeade4ddd52843). + +*What does this mean for ICO investors?* +If you hold ICO tokens from an ICO for a long period of time (1 year) there is a high probability you will end up being a bag holder sitting on a loss relative to ETH. + +**Is there a solution?** +Past ICOs and future ICOs should have a mechanism to return value to "investors" if they still hold ETH from the ICO and the ETH price has increased in value considerably above the initial ICO US$ funding request. There are a number of possible mechanisms to do this: + +- ICO entities could buy back tokens on the market and destroy or hold them. This is similar to share buyback programs of publicly listed companies to increase the value of shares. Tokens can be destroyed by sending to 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000 to reduce supply. +- ICO entities could destroy or quarantine tokens they granted to themselves as part of the ICO. +- ICO entities could return a percentage of ETH to current token holders. Similar to how Digix recently refunded ETC to their token holders. + + +Obviously, the price of ETH can also go down and there is risk with any strategy but if the trend is up then many ICO entities will be holding ETH that end up having a US$ value in excess to their initial ICO US$ request. If they care about their project community and token holders then they should propose a solution to this issue. There is also nothing stopping community token holders lobbying the ICO projects via various social channels. Public listed companies are lobbied frequently by shareholders to do share buybacks. + +*Disclosure* +In profit from ICO token buys and sells. Only hodling unicorn tokens long-term for sentimental reasons. + +*Addendum* +Vitalik has posted about the other problem with ICOs - [the token sale mechanism](http://vitalik.ca/general/2017/06/09/sales.html) + +Am I making a huge mistake? I feel like in the worst case scenario, I've just frozen up a lot of money for a few months. I really hope not though. I have a casino feeling that the end of Q1 will bring me a smile. + +Anyone have any more solid facts on it? Such as upcoming dates that will have eth catch up...? +Here's something I just thought about. Everyone and their mother knows Tether isn't backed by USD 1:1 as they have never been properly audited. + +Everything in the crypto market is propped up by this shady stablecoin, yes even Btc. I think if it somehow collapsed then all things considered, we maybe actually have a scenario where crypto very briefly hits pre 2017-2018 bull market prices. + +In that sense it would truly be a once in a lifetime to get many alts like Eth, Monero and perhaps even super cheap Btc. Since Btc has pretty much taken a Olympic swimming pool sized dump and the market along with it, thought I'd try to speculate a bit positively, well sorta. +I went to dental school and did a residency. I have about $200k of debt from college, $500k from dental school and about $300k from my residency. I make $105,000 / year. I don't have any other loans. My rent is $900/month (with utilities). Food costs about $500 / month. I have a car and that costs about $400/month for the insurance and to lease it from the dealer. I should have mentioned this earlier but I am NOT a full time endodontist. + +Edit: It seems like most people think that you get paid to do residencies. For dentistry at least, only a few are like this. Here is the tuition for some residency programs: http://dental.nyu.edu/academicprograms/advanced-education-programs/tuition.html. http://cumc.columbia.edu/student/finaid/pdf/dnbgpg%201415Y1.pdf + +THANKS FOR THE GOLD! I'm new to reddit so im not really sure what this is, but I'm looking into it. Thanks again. +I'm currently reading through the [criminal complaint](http://krebsonsecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/UlbrichtCriminalComplaint.pdf), which covers a lot of things worth noting with regard to how and why DPR got caught. + +* This has been a joint operation run the cybercrime squad within the FBI's New York field office. It involved the **FBI, DEA, IRS and Homeland Security's investigative unit**. +* --- +* It's unstated from when the investigation started, but they received a **complete copy** of the Silk Road web server on the **23^rd of July 2013**. This was all done under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, which implies that they had access to current site information up until the point they shut the site down. +* **This included user account and transaction information**. It's unclear whether or not this covers addresses and other sensitive transaction information. +* **This also apparently covers at least 60 days worth of messages from the period where the site was copied. +* From February 6, 2011 to July 23 2013, **9,519,664BTC was generated in sales**, 614,305BTC going directly to DPR in the way of "commissions". This comes to a total of 1,229,465 transactions. +* Based on the copy of the site which the FBI received, they believe DPR to have been the sole operator and owner of SR, handling all aspects of the site himself and delegating only user affairs to appointed moderators. +* --- +* In March of this year, a SR user/vendor called "FriendlyChemist" attempted to extort DPR via SR's private message system, providing proof that he had the names/addresses of thousands of vendors/users after having allegedly hacked a bigger vendor. He demanded $500,000USD, saying that he needed the money to pay off his supplier. DPR then stated that he wished to speak to FriendlyChemist's supplier. +* A user called "redandwhite" then proceeded to contact DPR, stating that he was FriendlyChemist's supplier and also the owner of his debt. **DPR then solicited redandwhite to "execute" FriendlyChemist**, supplying redandwhite his full name and address. After having agreed on terms, **DPR sent redandwhite approximately $150,000USD (1,670BTC) to have FriendlyChemist killed**. redandwhite later provided photographic proof of the alleged murder. +* Investigators could not find any record of somebody in that region being killed around that date or matching that description. This possibly implies that DPR was duped/scammed, **but**, DPR is also quoted as having told redandwhite the following: ***"Not long ago, I had a clean hit done for 80k."*** +* --- +* **DPR has been identified as Ross William Ulbricht.** +* > "He is 29 years old, graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 2006. From 2006 to 2010, he attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Materials Science and Engineering." +* His LinkedIn profile is at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rossulbricht + +## Now, onto how he got caught... + +* An agent involved in the investigation ("Agent-1"), found the first few references to SR on the internet from somebody only identified as "altoid", attempting to promote the site in its beginning days, in January of 2011. +* In October of the same year, a user also going by the name of "altoid" made a posting on Bitcoin Talk titled "a venture backed Bitcoin startup company", which directed interested users to **"rossulbricht at gmail dot com"**. +* That email address is what led to DPR's downfall. +* --- +* After identifying "altoid", they started connecting the "DPR" identity to Ulbricht pretty quickly. +* Ulbricht's Google+ page and YouTube profile both make multiple references to the a website dubbed the "Mises Institute". DPR's signature on the SR forums contained a link to the Mises Institute. +* DPR cited the "Austrian Economic theory" along with the works of Ludwig von *Mises* and Murray Rothbard, all of which are closesly associated with the Mises Institute. +* Server logs show that someone logged onto the SR administration panel from San Fransisco around the same time that Ulbricht was staying in San Fransisco. +* Multiple fake IDs were intercepted by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol while on their way to an address which Ulbricht was living at the time. These IDs all carried photos of Ulbricht but had false names and details. This was around the same time that DPR stated in a message that he was acquiring some fake IDs to buy new servers. +* When questioned by Homeland Security about the fake IDs, he refused to answer any questions but then stated that anyone could purchase such things using "Silk Road" and "Tor". +* The address which Ulbricht was staying at was being rented in cash and he was living with housemates who knew him under a name which corresponded with one of the fake IDs. +* He posted on StackOverflow using his real name, inquiring about how to use curl/PHP to grab things off Tor, before quickly changing the name to "frosty" (with a fake email: frosty@frosty.com) + +## Second murder conspiracy allegation + +* A [superseding indictment was filed in federal court in Maryland](https://ia601904.us.archive.org/1/items/gov.uscourts.mdd.238311/gov.uscourts.mdd.238311.4.0.pdf) less than a day after Ulbricht was initially arrested and charged. **This details DPR attempting to have somebody tortured and murdered** for $80,000. +* This is likely the incident which he referenced when speaking to "redandwhite" about having "FriendlyChemist" killed. +* **He has been indicted in Maryland for charges stemming from these allegations of murder for hire.** +* The charges are as follows: **Attempted Witness Murder, Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in Commission of Murder-for-Hire**, Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Aiding & Abetting. +* It is alleged that in February of this year, **undercover agents approached DPR** claiming to want to sell large amounts of cocaine, with DPR acting as a middle-man to facilitate the finding of a buyer for the drugs. +* One of DPR's "employees" then agreed to receive the drugs and was then apprehended by police upon receiving a package which he believed to be a kilo of cocaine. +* This employee then allegedly stole money from some SR users and went missing, which led DPR to believe that he might talk to the police. +* **DPR then solicited the undercover agents to have the employee tortured** to give the stolen Bitcoins back. +* **A day later, DPR changed his mind and requested that they kill him** after torturing him, stating that he *"was on the inside for a while, and now that he's been arrested, I'm afraid he'll give up info."* +* They agreed on a price of **$80,000** for the torturing and murder of the employee, with $40,000 paid in advance and $40,000 paid on proof of completion. +* DPR then sent $40,000 from Technocash Limited to a bank account at the Capitol One Bank in Washington D.C. +* The undercover agents provided DPR with photos of the employee being tortured, then finally, dead. +* DPR then sent another $40,000 using the same method. + +## Miscellaneous notes +* His Facebook URL is at: https://www.facebook.com/rossulbricht/ +* His YouTube URL is at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ohyeaross +* There's a pretty lengthy "interview" with him and a friend, discussing their lives available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olib3jnvSmw (doesn't reference SR at all) + +**THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND WILL BE UPDATED RAPIDLY**. +The user Hakim619 on LBC bought $4500 worth of bitcoins from me. He went to a Bank of America branch and deposited the cash. He sent me a copy of the receipt and I then checked online to confirm. Everything seemed to be in order so I went ahead and released the coins. Shortly after I released the coins Hakim619 asked the teller for the money back and he got it. BoA and most other banks have a policy where you can get the cash deposit back if it's the same day and you still have the receipt. They say the reason for this is encase you made a mistake on the deposit. I got the same response from two different branches and the person I was working the dispute case with. + +***UPDATE*** + +I went in to a local Bank of America branch this morning and put $100 cash into my account using only my checking account number. The tellers did not know who I was and didn't ask for any other information. Later in the afternoon I went back to the branch to try to see if I could reverse the cash deposit. I went to a different teller this time and asked for the $100 that I deposited back. I gave them the receipt and told them I think I put it in a wrong account. No questions were asked and the teller started to process my request. In a few minutes I had the $100 and the teller kept the deposit receipt. + +At this point I asked to speak with the branch manager. I explained what I just did and the manager was very surprised that the teller did that. I was told that the teller shouldn't have done that. I then went on to explain how the same thing was just pulled on me and I lost $4500 because of it. She was very took back about what I said and right away started to help me get my funds back. + +The first policy that she looked up was very vague on whether or not a cash deposit reversal was allowed by a non-account holder. She thought that was odd since everything dealing with money handling is very explicit. She then spent the next two hours calling case workers, fraud handlers, branch managers, and regional managers. +At some point around the two hour mark while the branch manager was on hold she decided to look up policy in a different spot. In about 30 minutes she was able to find a section that describes exactly what the teller is supposed to do when dealing with cash deposits. + +There is a line in that section that states that after the cash has been added to the account holders account it can not be taken out with out permission from the account holder. BINGO! We now have written policy that states that the teller was not supposed to do this. + +It is now about 4pm and this bank manager is calling people like crazy to try to get my money back. At one point she has three lines open with people on hold that are dealing with my case. + +At about 5:45pm she says it would probably be best for me to head home and she will keep working on it. At this point I feel good about getting my money back but i'm still worried it might not happen. +At 6:30pm I get a call from her saying that the full amount has been deposited into my account. + +TL;DR + +It's pretty easy to get a cash deposit reversed + +but...BoA isn't supposed to do a cash reversal with out the owners permission. + +I got my money back. +I'd love to hear what a general opinion on this is: + +I've been negotiating to buy a house. Initial guide price was 450000, + +Sequence of offers during negotiation, leading up to an offer today of 422 000. This was declined and I upped it to 425000. + +However shortly afterwards I got an alert from rightmove saying that the guide price had changed to 420 000. + +Clearly this surprising, I'm interested in what they are doing. I wondered if this is the estate agent massaging their stats to look good, ie 'we sell our properties at >100% of guide price.' +How debt-averse are you? Do you think that debt is perfectly normal or do you try and avoid it at all costs? Or are there certain circumstances where you think debt is okay, and others where it’s risky? Has your thoughts towards debts changed as a result of your experiences of debt or a self-imposed (or otherwise) debt free journey of some sort? I’ve noticed that ever since my 25th bday in March where I had a money epiphany and decided to look after my finances a bit more seriously and save to buy, I’ve become a bit more debt adverse, in the sense of not wanting to have a balance on or trying to reduce the balance on my credit card/s where I can, reducing my overdraft gradually over time and generally having different saving accounts and saving accounts for different things which has reduced the need to have any form of reliance on credit. And I’d much rather save to have things and buy with my own money. As a whole i do think credit card/s can be useful when used responsibly but I’m not a fan of using them solely for everyday expenditure or paying a large chunk constantly a month in arrears. I’ve also come to realise the increasing amount of payday loan adverts that are advertised as a quick easy fix to solve all life’s problems and I don’t agree with that. In other forms, I do think ‘debt’ is okay when it comes to university or a mortgage. What are your thoughts? Is debt necessary in this day and age? Or do you think there is always something one can do to avoid it? +My wife and I bought a terraced house in October. As part of the due diligence we fond that the leasehold had been sold to a property company in 2016. This is a 800 year fixed lease from 1902 and has ground rent of £4.40 (£4 8s 0d) per year which covers our ground rent and our left hand side neighbors (normal for the area). + +Yesterday we received a letter from the Freehold owner offering to sell us the freehold for £1500, which would increase to £3500 if we don't act this month!! (nice sales tactic...) + +Am I right in thinking there is not any real financial benefit in doing this? We have 674 years left on the lease and we don't really intend to be in this property in 10 years. Which means there would still be MANY years left on the lease once we come to sell it. The Freeholder also can not increase our ground rent. The only benefit I can see if the benefits of owning your freehold. i.e. you don't need any permissions to do outside work etc. + +I'm half tempted to go back to them and offer them a fair amount. Say 30 years of ground rent plus £200 for fees. And leave it at that. I certainly think that the £1500 value is extortionate and we shouldn't pay it. + +Edit: a letter +Hi all, long time Redditor on a throwaway for obvious reasons... + +So I've been contacted by a man who appears to be a legit bailiff collecting unpaid council tax. I was unemployed in part of 2020 and most of 2021 due to COVID - being a contractor I was not furloughed my contract was simply not renewed. This ate away my savings and got me into debt. I've been trying to address these debts but this guy got to me before I could make a payment to the debt collectors. + +Now I (technically we - myself and my girlfriend) owe this money fair and square, and I'd be happy to make part payment and set up a plan for the rest. I'm back in full employment and this wouldn't be a problem. But this guy is not interested. He's sarcastic, rude, and threatening and says he will only accept 'full payment immediately', or remove goods from our house, or both. The debt company office won't talk to me they refer me back to the bailiff. + +It's looking like I have no option but to deny him entry and treat the whole thing as an aggression... I can't let him in... And I simply don't have the 'full payment immediately'... If I did I'd give it over. + +What can I do? Are any of these 'stop bailiff' companies legit? Debt consolidation companies? Is there a way I can bypass this guy and make a reasonable arrangement? Any legal action I can take? + +It's going to really F up my girlfriend if this guy continues to threaten us. She has anxiety as it is. +I believe real estate isn’t a great investment for most people. After finance fees, taxes, insurance and maintenance I think there are simply too many expenses for the average person to come out ahead or at least make any solid money. If someone planned to rent out their property they would also need to get lucky with good tenants. + +With rates being so low now I do believe this has encouraged more people to buy. This obviously has helped bring real estate prices higher. + +And while real estate is considered the safer play it is still not immune to losing value. + +While calling real estate a “terrible” investment could be extreme I do believe most people in general think buying a property is a safe and sure fire play. + +https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-19/oatly-is-said-to-price-ipo-at-top-of-range-with-markets-slumping + +Oatly Group AB, the vegan food and drink maker, jumped in its debut after pricing its initial public offering at the top of a marketed range. + +Shares opened Thursday at $22.12 in New York, a 30% jump from their $17 IPO price. The company and its investors sold more than 84 million American depositary shares on Wednesday, raising more than $1.4 billion. The Swedish company had offered the shares for $15 to $17 each. + +Oatly’s shares, which rose as much as 34%, were up 29% to $21.95 at 1:39 p.m., giving the company a market value of about $13 billion, based on the outstanding shares listed in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. + +In July, it secured $200 million in new capital from investors led by Blackstone Group Inc. The group also included celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jay-Z, as well as Starbucks Corp. founder Howard Schultz. The company was valued at about $2 billion in that round. + + +Both Jay-Z, through his company Roc Nation, and Schultz also participated in the IPO, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private information. A representative for Oatly declined to comment. Roc Nation and Schultz didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. + +The IPO underscores plant-based products’ jump into the mainstream, as environmental and health concerns spur consumers to seek alternatives to traditional meat and dairy products. Investors have been looking for ways to replicate the public-market success of Beyond Meat Inc., whose shares have surged more than 300% since it went public in May 2019. + +Oatly’s biggest obstacle might be its own popularity. Since its entrance into the U.S. market in 2017, finding Oatly in coffee shops and supermarkets has become something of a treasure hunt for shoppers. + +The company opened a $15 million Millville, New Jersey, plant in 2019 to help meet the growing demand, but even now, shortages are frequent, as Covid-related delays have kept a planned second U.S. production from coming online. + +In March, supermarkets across the U.S. -- and even its big new customer Starbucks -- reported trouble procuring orders. + +While the current shortage won’t end overnight, Chief Executive Officer Toni Petersson sounded an optimistic note. + +Fulfilling Orders +“This year, we will bring on board new capacity every single quarter,” he said in an interview ahead of the first trade. The company is expanding its Netherlands plant, putting out commercial products from its Utah plant, and is doing test runs in Singapore, where the factory will be “up and running” in the second quarter, he said. + +For now, Oatly is only filling 70% of orders in its key markets, so it is “not really” taking on new customers, Petersson said, adding that the gap is between supply and orders, not supply and demand. “First we will close the gaps, then expand with new retail partners,” he added. + +Oatly was started in 1994 by brothers Rickard and Bjorn Oste. Using technology based on research from Sweden’s Lund University, the company turns fiber-rich oats into liquid food. + +Oatly’s offering was led by Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Credit Suisse Group AG. The shares are trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol OTLY. +Hi guys, I found these two music videos (not actually cringe) about the debate between top-down and bottom-up economic philosophies regarding how to address down turns in an economy. + +Let me know what you think! + +Round 1: https://youtu.be/d0nERTFo-Sk + +Round 2: https://youtu.be/GTQnarzmTOc +Hi Folks! + +My financial situation has changed so I think it’s time to get an accountant to make sure I’m doing the things I should be and not losing money via ignorance. + +Can any one provide me some initial do’s/don’ts for selecting one? Pretty new to this! Apologies if I’ve missed a sidebar moment. Melbourne if that helps. + +Thanks +I know this topic has been used and abused recently, but I just found out they will try to screw you if you aren't onto it. + +- If your company takes money out of your pay to go towards your student loans, this isn't actually paid towards your debts until after you lodge your tax return (after July 1st). +- Indexation occurs on the 1st of June and this year will be 3.9%! +If you think your company is paying off your student loan each pay cheque, they most likely aren't, and double check your loan amount on the ATO website. + +I had the exact amount of money put aside by my company as I have remaining on my loan, only to find out I'll get slapped with a $500 indexation fee because the money doesn't go through before it indexes. + +The only way around it is to make a voluntary payment now, and come tax return, get all that money back again.. + +It definitely would have gotten me if I didn't ask the question, and I hope you guys can avoid the same trap as well. + +Edit: This is only if you are paying your loan off entirely. I'm not sure if the same works for partial payment. +I noticed a lot of questions here on Private Health Insurance. I came here looking to answer the question "Can I drop my insurance for a couple of months without getting any penalties". I eventually ended up on a website where I could put in my details in a form and it gave me the answer. I can take 1094 days without cover without any penalties. + +Am I missing anything obvious here, or can I infact, drop my PHI? This could be a way of saving lots of money on monthly premiums. + +https://preview.redd.it/n7dhukuqdrl71.png?width=1042&format=png&auto=webp&s=4423c899a2c93957f2e076b2d3cd36a68105f2b0 +Hey guys + +As most of you are aware, the COVID 19 pandemic has led to a push towards buying Australian products, having stricter requirements for entering into Australia, and have led to questions of whether Australia should be more self-sufficient. + +Out of pure curiosity, would you support Australia taking a more protectionist approach? Do you think the Australian economy will shrink drastically if that is the case - and would you prefer this approach be taken even if its at the slight cost of our economy? + +\[Note: I'm not saying we should totally close off trade borders - but maybe have an economy that isn't as heavily reliant on industries e.g. cheap imports, international students, tourism\] +I was expecting 20-30% over 2-3 years. But this is getting out of control. We have settled on a place we agreed back in Jan. The agent said he can re-sell it now (we haven’t even got the keys) for 15-20% more. + + +[ANZ forecast 19% growth for Sydney & Perth](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.domain.com.au/news/house-prices-could-rise-17-per-cent-this-year-locking-some-first-home-hopefuls-out-anz-1038587/amp/) +Hello day-traders, I'm new to investing and I've been looking into trading stocks but I have a few questions. What are some of the criteria to determine a stock to day-trade? I'd assume volatility and volume are big factors, but is there something else that I'd should look for? Other advice for day-trading? All help is appreciated. + +Edit: You guys are awesome and super helpful. Thanks again! +This sub becomes "unbearable" when the market is down and it's the same thing every fucking time. Here is a summary of 99% of what people post : + +People whining about losses and freaking out + +People asking to stop whining about losses and freaking out + +People pretending that they knew the market will go down + +People giving the same health advices every damn time + +Hodl type posts + +People reminding us how hard it is to recover after 10% losses (thanks) + +People giving the same statements that we already know + +People giving friendly reminder about pretty much everything we already know + +And the deeper it goes, the worst it becomes. + +Can we just pretend it's normal for a cycle to go up and down and talk about something else ? + +Thank you. + +Edit : by posting this, I don't expect people to shut up, don't be dumb. All I'm trying to make you aware of is that we need to post better content and not repetitive shit. Y'all need to shill the fuck up and learn to read before hurrying up to your keyboard and comment. + +Edit2: didn't expect this post to reach hot despite the hundreds of downvotes. Thanks for the few elites of you that actually read these few lines (and in between) and understood my point. I'm not gonna respond to the others. +I've been looking into retirement savings, and I recently found out about Roth 401ks. They seem pretty much superior in every way (at least for me) than a traditional 401k. How common are these with employers and are employer contributions generally the same as traditional 401ks? + +I've been in the workforce for only a little while now and I've yet to have an employer offer a Roth 401k. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +In other words, you're paying **less** taxes if you are a high income earner + live in a state with state income tax. + +\[Assuming you itemize your tax return\] + +Source: [https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/house-democrat-plan-bumps-state-and-local-tax-cap-to-80000-till-2030.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/house-democrat-plan-bumps-state-and-local-tax-cap-to-80000-till-2030.html) +Title. + +You apes seeing this? + +WT actual F + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME + +DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME DRS GME +So I got my statement through the post for the last 12 months. + +I haven't made any additional contribution just whatever is automatically deducted from my payslip. + +I paid about £1100 but the interest was £1300 so I owe £200 more than I did last year. + +Doesn't seem like there's much point in paying any attention to it if what I'm currently earning means it'll just go up every year because of interest +O kind and wrinkly apes, I'm hoping any one of you can spare a wrinkle and help this ape against the machine + +tl;dr: I transferred 12 splividend shares out of Vanguard, and now Vanguard is blowing smoke up my ass and claiming I owe them 24 shares. + +This is the situation: + +- I hold 4 shares of our beloved stonk in Vanguard. + +- The splividend happens on 7/22 (Friday). My four shares become 16 shares as expected. + +- On Monday, 7/25 I transfer those 12 shares to Fidelity. Four shares are left in Vanguard. + +- I confirm with Fidelity that only 12 shares are received. I DRS these and my remaining Fidelity shares. The story should end here. + +- On Tuesday, 7/26, Vanguard reports another GME split, but this one is for negative 12 shares. This puts my account at a negative balance of -8 shares. + +- Fidelity tells me that Vanguard requested _24_ shares to be returned to them because the transfer "was a mistake". Fidelity says they need more information and doesn't give them my shares. (I've DRSd pretty much everything in Fidelity at this point). + +- I call Vanguard over the next few weeks and they tell me they're working on the "transfer issue". I tell them over a series of calls that it's not a transfer issue, that the issue went without a hitch, that I should have four shares in my account. No one seems to know what's really happening. I memorize the hold music. + +- On 8/15, a wild outgoing transfer appears in Vanguard. This one for 16 shares. _I did not make that transfer._ Now my account is at -24 shares. I asked the transfer specialist how it's even possible to transfer 16 shares from my account when I'm already at a negative balance. She said it shouldn't be possible. She transfers me to another agent. + +- The new agent says that the strange transactions are all related. However, he claims the root cause is Fidelity having messed up the transfer- that they gave me 24 additional shares from Vanguard. I never saw 24 additional shares, and Fidelity confirms this. The agent says the dividend messed things up. + +- Assuming the dividend messed things up, 1) this is after the split, and 2) wouldn't the shares in transit become 48 and not 36? Where do those 24 shares come from? None of this adds up. How can it be possible for Fidelity to yoink more shares from Vanguard? + +- Fidelity assures me that 12 shares were transferred and they didn't give me more. I needed to verify this because I needed to make sure I wasn't going crazy. + +I really don't know what to do here. I'm not sure how to remedy this situation. I want to talk to the manager/compliance officer/whoever because I don't want to be on the hook for 24 shares and I want my four shares back. +Preface from me u/weenythebooty: +I’m reposting this for visibility because I think it provides some important insight that hasn’t been discussed for a while. For whatever reason I couldn’t crosspost this. Beyond this, I’m going to leave the post as it was originally. + +Disclaimer: These are not my original ideas or words. The views represented here are not mine, rather those I thought important to discuss. + +Weeny edit: keep in mind this information is retroactive to ~40 days ago so when it’s saying “this Friday” it’s Friday from several weeks ago. That said, the June 21 date hasn’t changed and that’s why I wanted this reposted - because it’s judgement day is upon us. + +Another Weeny edit: I removed the references to previous days because it was confusing people. + +801 and NSCC-002 + +CREDIT TO u/FATJUUL FOR STRUCTURE AND INFO + +I haven't seen as much talk about this, yet it is the biggest news to come and IT IS the endgame catalyst. + +NSCC-801 Passed with no objections. For this rule to enter effect it needs to piggyback on NSCC-002, which if no objections are made again, will be passed June 21. Let me remind you just how powerful 801 really is... + +Once 801 enters effect, all hedgefunds holding short positions will be monitored Every. Single. Minute. They will have to report EVERY SINGLE MINUTE their value in short positions versus their actual money on hand. If they fail to report or their short position value crosses the threshold where it is higher than their money on hand, it is an immediate warning to deposit the funds needed to cover within ONE HOUR. Failure to do so leads to the NSCC immediately overriding operations and liquidating the hedge funds entirely, one after another until all that is left is the trillions in insurance. + +This is bigger than anything, This is so big, that this rule will prevent a squeeze even a fraction of this magnitude from happening ever again. It is that powerful, and with its implementation of this stage of the game... good lord. + +If NSCC-002 passes we have officially entered the squeeze. Hedgefunds will be on a leash that gets tighter the more they pull. Starting in after hours, they will be under so much pressure and restriction that one of two outcomes occur: + +1.) Their ability to short will be at such a minimum that our buying power will just break through sell walls and the price will just continue to rise and rise until they can no longer afford to suffer the loss and margin comes a calling, or. + +2.) There will be strong final blows of sell off aggression and shorting, literally out of pure ignorance and recklessness which will activate NSCC-801, and thus the great fall of the hedgies via margin call. + +Remember they passed the rule that changed reporting from once a month to anytime for any reason. They can be spot audit unlimited times and for them to run under the radar will require their books to be radioactive. + +I threw this up to let everyone know what is up with the end game posts and the severity of the situation. Nobody knows OP. It's not about OP. It's about digesting the information here. +After spending the last year or two digging myself out of the financial mess I was in, I've finally filled out my emergency fund. + +I was only £10 away six months ago, and then I unexpectedly had to use almost all of it. A change in circumstance also made it impossible to save as much each month as I had been. + +Today though it's now full, and I can finally start saving long term into an ISA. + +Sorry, I know this post offers nothing useful, I'm just extremely happy this morning! +Title says it all really. I was wrongly advised to be self-employed as a runner when I first started my career in media at a post house in 2016. I had been travelling that tax year and on my salary earned under my tax allowance for that year so was also advised not to file. + +My employer then moved me onto PAYE after those 3 months and I've since moved job but been on PAYE ever since. The fine relates to the 2018 tax year which is where my confusion lies as I've been PAYE since 2016 and should be able to source payslips to prove this. For the 2018 tax returns I'll need all payslips from 2017? Or is it a simple matter of calling HMRC and explaining all of this to them? + +&#x200B; + +Thanks in advance! + + +Edit: Called HMRC and explained the situation about never filing a return as I’ve been PAYE and they thankfully understood and have voided all fees and penalties. +My wife and I just had a baby so we paid it off on the 12th completely. We haven't been able to use it lately for whatever reason so my wife called Amazon customer service. After we talked with the rep we learned that Amazon froze our card because we made a large payment (of about $300). It's been a full week since our payment has gone through and cleared the bank. The rep said he saw the payment go through and approved. This is really baffling us because we feel like we're being punished for being financially responsible. We wouldn't have paid it all off if we knew this would have happened. + +Has anyone else gone through something like this and if you have what did you have to do to get it sorted out. + +I'm sorry if this is the wrong sub but I don't know where to go. +This story, while anecdotal in nature, sums up rather nicely the present state of the fiat-cryptocurrency relationship. + +A man is blocked from wiring just over six figures of lawfully acquired money to a verified, genuine animal shelter. + +A charity coin that I've put resources into, MoonBud, raised around $140,000 for a UK-based charity through transaction fees directed to a charity wallet. The owner of MoonBud, throughout the entirety of a week or so, exchanged these tokens into BNB, withdrew it into Binance and then again into his bank account. + +Despite receiving confirmation from the charity that they were ready to receive the donation through wire transfer, the owner was blocked from completing the transfer by his bank’s manager. They then notified the police, as the director associated him with illegal tax avoidance. The donation was planned to Dog’s Trust, one of the largest animal charities in the UK (if not the largest) and one with a high public profile, not some backwater obscure shell company cover. + +Now, after a week of waiting on empty corporate phone lines, meetings with his local branch, presentation of a printed, formal explanation of the mechanism of the charity coin, proof that Dog’s Trust had accepted his proposal and was prepared to receive the funds, and extensive documentation showing each publicly viewable crypto transaction that composed the charity funds he was attempting to donate, not only is the bank still blocking the transfer to Dog’s Trust, but the entirety of the funds in his account remain frozen, impeding the owner from buying even basic consumer goods with the money. + +It's ridiculous. The Dog’s Trust is a huge, legitimate charity, that is eagerly awaiting the donation. The token's creator has supplied enough proof that shows that all of the funds he is ATTEMPTING TO DONATE TO A LEGITIMATE CHARITY are legally acquired, through Crypto. Despite this, his entire bank account is still frozen. + +&#x200B; + +This is all verifiable and It's still an ongoing situation. +Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday that if the United States and the European Union banned oil imports from Russia, international oil prices could climb to more than $300 a barrel. +"It is clear that rejecting Russian oil will have disastrous consequences for the global market and harm the interests of consumers," Novak said in a video statement broadcast on state television +"The surge in oil prices will be unpredictable. If not too high, it will reach $300 a barrel." +Novak said that it will take Europe more than a year to replace Russian oil, and it will have to pay a much higher price than Russian oil. +Novak said that Russia's oil exports can shift from the European market to other markets, for which Russia has made all preparations. In addition, the failure of European energy policy will lead to soaring oil and gas prices, which has nothing to do with Russia. Russia has fully fulfilled its obligations to supply natural gas, oil and petroleum products to Europe. +"European politicians need to be honest about what will happen to their citizens and consumers. If you really want to reject Russia's energy supply, do it, and we're ready," Novak said +Novak warned that due to the sanctions on the "Beixi 2" project, Russia also has the right to stop transporting natural gas through the "Beixi 1" transmission pipeline, but Russia did not do so. However, the statements and accusations made by European politicians against Russia pushed us to that step. +Statement of European and American countries +On the issue of whether to continue to use Russian energy, German Chancellor Scholz made it clear on Monday that it is impossible to completely eliminate the import of energy from Russia in the short term. "At present, there is no other way to ensure the supply of heating, transportation, electricity and industrial energy in Europe. Energy from Russia is very important for citizens' daily life. So we decided to continue to cooperate with Russia in the field of energy supply." +British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that in the face of tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Britain will "gradually" get rid of its dependence on Russian oil and gas. He also called on western countries to work together to ensure energy alternatives. The UK will formulate a new energy supply strategy in the coming days and pointed out that the UK is considering using more of its own fossil fuels. +But he also stressed that the UK has not given up its commitment to reduce carbon emissions. At present, the UK imports less than 5% of its natural gas from Russia. +In the United States, both houses of Congress announced a bill aimed at stopping energy imports from Russia on Monday, which may be put to a vote this week. However, White House press secretary pusaki said Biden had not yet decided whether to sign the bill banning the import of Russian oil if Congress sent it to the president's desk. +These are the words I’m starting to see from article after article and it’s making me even more bullish than before. This makes me think we may be near the bottom. Also, the fact that everyone and their brother is predicting another huge crash and capitulation tells me that once again, we’re probably near the bottom. Sure, BTC might head down to 11-12k but I’d guess we see a bounce from there. Of course none of this is financial advice and this is just my speculation. Either way, I’m buying up my favourite cryptos at these juicy prices. I have a few hidden gems that I’m buying the crap out of and I’m just loving these discounts. + +Friends, are we near the bottom? Are you accumulating or just doing nothing? Maybe even selling? +Let me know! +Hi guys, so this morning something very weird happened. At around 12, all my money in my Barclays Bank account got taken, leaving my account balance at £0. I got really scared so I called Barclays, and they told me that Barclays themselves took the money for some purpose. The people I was talking to on the phone also did not know why, but they told me to call back tomorrow for an update. I have to ask, what the hell is happening? To give some context, they took around £1300 from my account. This is the first time this has happened to me. Does being a 19 year old uni student have to do with this? Thanks for any replies guys! + +Update: I went into the branch and they told me the main issue was that I had a lot of money come in recently, namely, £1.8k (I transferred student loans from my student NatWest account to Barclays) and £2k (Transferred my NatWest student Overdraft to Barclays) so yeah I understand why my account seems very suspicious. I use Barclays to transfer to my Investment accounts usually, which is why I do this. They told me it's gonna take 10 working days, which is ridiculous in my opinion. I got no money for 10 days. +This strategy combines collecting dividends along with premiums from writing [covered calls](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_call). + +First, we need a relatively stable stock that pays relatively high dividends. Stocks that are largely [institutionally owned](http://www.investinganswers.com/financial-dictionary/investing/institutional-ownership-975) tend to be relatively low risk investments and will also tend to have lower swings compared to market in general. + +[I compiled a list of stocks from the S&P 500 that meet this criteria.](http://imgur.com/qFtaU) + +I chose LMT because it has the lowest volatility of any of the stocks seen here. It's presently at 81.07, its three year low is 68.79 and its three year high was 86.90. As volatile as this market has been, this really isn't that much. [Over the past year, except for August and its subsequent recovery, LMT has actually stayed in a rather narrow band between 79 and 82 a share.](http://imgur.com/5tAsS) + +LMT, at the time of this writing, sells for 81.07 a share. $50,000 gets us 600 shares. We could actually buy a little more than 600 shares, but options are sold in lots of 100, so it's only useful to us to buy in lots of 100. + +Now we consider the dividends. They recently raised their dividend to $1.00/share. It was last paid on Nov 29th and will be paid again around Feb 28. + +Our 600 shares will net $600 in dividends every quarter (600 * 1). + +Now for the option premium. Now that we own 600 shares, we can sell someone the right to buy them from us for a period of time. One agrees on both an expiration date and a price, known as the strike price. An option won't get exercised (i.e., the stock bought away from you) if the stock doesn't reach the strike price. As such, for LMT, we'd want to set a strike price of about $82.50. It's far enough away from the current market price that given the volatility it won't be at that price in 2-3 months. + +Ideally we also want to sell this option right up to the next dividend payment, so we'll be picking options that expire in February. [Here's the option chain for Feb.](http://imgur.com/EJl3D) + +The current market price for Feb options at $82.50 go for $1.23. This is per option share. So for 600 options, you'd make a premium of $738 (600 * 1.23). + +Once those options expire, you sell more options right up to the [ex-dividend date](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-dividend_date). On that date, the stock usually drops equivalent to the dividend payout, or in this case about $1. It'll recover, but that'll take time and will give you extra room in making sure your calls don't get exercised. + +In summary: $50,000 gets you 600 shares of LMT. Quarterly dividends will be $600. Earned covered call premiums will be $738 quarterly. Total quarterly income will be $1,338 or $446/month. + +Risks to this approach are that if the stock declines, the value of your portfolio will decline. This isn't necessarily too bad unless you really need the money. As this strategy is based on money made from dividends and options, so long as the dividend payout doesn't change much, you're still covered. + +Another risk is if the stock takes off for whatever reason. If the company's stock skyrockets, your sold options will get exercised. Your shares will be bought away from you (at a profit, but not much) and you'll miss most of the run-up of the stock. + +EDIT: For those interested in ETF's that mostly automate this process, see PBP and BWV. [Here's a report on how those ETF's did last year in a relatively flat market.](http://etfdailynews.com/2012/01/04/covered-calls-finish-strong-in-2011-pbp-bwv/) +People need to stop posting about it. I know you might be tired and broke but so are many other people. Whining about it on reddit wont do shit except for make other apes start over thinking or might weaken peoples morale. I hope nobody threw in money they actually depend on but to each their own. Apes will be okay, apes will be rich. It's a matter of time. Wait it out and stay fucking strong! + +Edit: it's not in exact words but I'm talking about people who post that they are tired and broke basically lol. +I have just found out they are ending the CARES act extra $600 unemployment. This is life and death for me and my child. I was working full time at a deli prior to the shutdowns, and then I got covid. Then my mother. I know my child and I will get evicted, and I'm looking into long term shelters. I just applied for EBT and WIC, which I hope will help to feed my child, but in all seriousness - how do I make this work? With them taking away the $600, I am only left with $89 weekly. I can no longer afford daycare. I feel as if I'm feeding you more of a sob story now, I'm sorry. However, are there any tips or advice as to what to do moving forward? Anyone who has been in this low of a position before and made it out financially? I would stay with my family but now that my mother has covid and is very sick, I don't know what to do. I'm very scared. Any advice helps, please. + +****I am shocked by all of your responses and I am actually writing all of this down with a pen and paper, reading every single comment - thank you all so much. I apologize for typos, typing crazy fast and filling out applications. Thank you all**** +Edit: Thank you SO much for everyone's kind, insightful, and experienced words!! It's given me a lot to think about and I understand that part of my anxiety is because I've only been in the personal finance space for a short time and I'm inexperienced in manipulating large sums of money. My student loan rates are pretty high since it's grad school, between 4.5-7% and I recently got a refinance estimate of 2.79%. I don't have retirement plans going, which is the main reason I'd like to refi so I can start focusing on that since length of time is a factor. I appreciate everyone who shared their own stories and came out the other side, so I don't feel alone, I really needed that! :') + +Hi all, I'm looking for some advice on how to shift my attitude/thoughts from scarcity to abundance in relation to finances. + +This is my context: I'm 28F (no kids) $140,000 salary and $192,000 in Federal loans from professional school. Over the last 16 months I've set side $100K to pay off in January when repayment begins. My take home every month is $7-8K and I set aside 5-6K payments to loans. I live minimally under $2000 expenses monthly in HCOL city. + +The remaining $92K I plan on refinancing over a 5 year loan to pay monthly (not aggressively). My extra money will go towards investments. + +Yet...I feel like I'm drowning,stuck, and trapped by the debt. I know logically I've made amazing progress, I have a solid plan, my income is a blessing, and yet I can't shake the feeling that I don't have any money, or it's not enough, or not going away fast enough. And then I feel guilty for feeling this way. + +My goals having 2 kids, investing in real estate, FIRE movement by 50. Even though it's totally possible by numbers, I'm terrified that it's not. + +I grew up with very poor immigrant parents. I make almost 3x as much as my fiance in income, yet because he doesn't have debt, he already has one investment property. He's so positive about money and our goals despite making much less. Totally the abundance mindset that I want to have. + +How can I make this shift in thinking? Do I need to be debt free to not feel this way? Does anyone relate at all? +what is your favorite indicator or study you use to find options plays? Do you scan for heightened vol., specific delta, do you use studies on the stock to find a setup and trade options off that? I would like to know what y'all do. I've been going through indicators and I have some that work decently but none that I really like. Just want to get some input from the community. +I have tried contacting everyone I can find with any ties to Poloniex, each time I was met with no reply. $15,000 might not be a lot for some people but for me it's the difference in being able to pay my bills. I have waited over 25 days with no reply to my ticket. Please help me by upvoting this so Poloniex will be forced to fix this for me. Thank you so much for all your help. Ticket #228146. + +p.s. no need to put any investing advice + +UPDATE: I just tried to login to my account and it let me login now but now I am stuck at the profile section and it won't let me go anywhere else. Not sure if it's intentional or my account is really messed up now. + +Sorry I’m new to the stock market. I saw they released better earnings than expected, yet their stock went down a good amount. Why is it going down when they released good earnings? +It is becoming obvious that bitcoin as a protocol is incredibly resilient. The biggest problem we face right now are from bitcoin services that will bring down the bitcoin economy if they fail. + +I am aware of two current situations where this possibility exists today: + +* Mt. Gox claims over 80% of transaction volume. If Mt. Gox fails, we all fail. The solution is to use other exchanges until the balance of power is leveled. Ideally, the top 5 exchanges should maintain about 20% of the market. [This post by Taenk about alternatives to Mt Gox is excellent](http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1b9sak/alternatives_to_mtgox/) + +* BTC Guild has had nearly 50% of the mining pool share for all of recent history. If BTC Guild reaches 51% of the market share the mining pool could be used to fork the chain, leading to instability for bitcoin. It is simple to choose any of the other top 5 pools. See: [blockchaininfo chart](http://blockchain.info/pools). + +We must act now and over the long term to ensure that we don't inadvertently threaten the future of bitcoin with poor choices. +All the togetherness you all bring to the table in pursuing the truth and exposing the corruption makes me feel like the world isn't hopeless anymore. Every day if I'm not feeling comfortable with something, I can always count on coming here to cheer myself up and feel included in something that's much bigger than myself. I'm not sure how much longer this subreddit will last as I think it will be gone by the time MOASS hits and I will most likely never hear from all of you again so I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for doing something that is bigger than we as individuals can ever be. From the X hodlers to RC and his XXX,XXX,XXX, shares, I love every single one of you. You make life worth looking forward to. ❤️💙💜 +Keep in mind that you are really lucky! Owning one BTC might me enough to pay for a house one day or even to be completely financial independent. I don't even own a quater of a btc and I'm a student and at least 2 more years to go until I get my bachelor degree. I try to accumulate as much as I can but my student job just pays for food and rent. I'm afraid I will never own one whole BTC because of the next bull market. + +I think that owning one Bitcoin is the goal of almost everyone in this subreddit and you already achieved it! + +And to everyone who's still accumulating, I wish you good luck and hope you will achieve the goal you set yourself! + +Have a wonderful day everyone! +I'm wondering what the difference is other than VFV being all US with a lower mer, and VEQT being more Canadian heavy with a higher mer? + +Is there any reason to hold both or should I choose one or the other? + +(I currently have VEQT but am looking to further diversify if I can) +Maybe that's a big "if", but if you do, I find this ETF to be an interesting instrument. MJ has been paying a 6-7 percent dividend, which it earns through shorting-related activities. + +[https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/mj-world-largest-cannabis-etf-130300347.html](https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/mj-world-largest-cannabis-etf-130300347.html) + +With Aurora collapsing and general concerns about the market, maybe this is near low water mark, with a chance to earn a decent dividend while you wait. +I have zero knowledge about investing. I have been doing a bit of research and I understand the market and investing at a beginner level. + +What I'm looking for is how I should set it and forget it right now. I want to dump 20-30k into something or somethings and not look at it for another 20 years. I just opened a questrade tfsa. + +What would be the smartest way to do that? +Wrong direction, Vanguard Canada. We'd like to see [reduced fees like Vanguard US](https://pressroom.vanguard.com/news/Press-Release-VG-Reports-Expense-Ratio-Changes-Across-Equity-Bond-Funds-022522.html) recently had. +Hi, + +I am wondering if anyone can share their experience with Questtrade and Interactive Brokers. I do semi frequent swing and day trading. Currently use CIBC, but their delay and fees are ridiculous so looking at a switch. Can you trade USD penny stocks on Questtrade/IB? Any hidden fees? and how is their systems overall? + +&#x200B; + +Thanks in advance +I was planing to buy some dividend stocks and setup DRIPs through Questrade. I think there is a Questrade form I can fill up to set up DRIPs on all my stocks. But I saw it mentioned that [T](https://T.TO)elus and Fortis stocks have a Drip Discount but not if I do it through my broker? How do I set up the Telus and Fortis DRIPs so I get the DRIP Discount? +During the whole DRS limit order FUD campaign yesterday, I noticed a lot of apes asking questions deep in the comments that telegraphed a very limited knowledge of what most apes consider to be Day One Shit, like for example the difference between a market order and a limit order. Seems simple but the number of apes who didn't know the difference cascaded out of control and turned into into a wave of FUD all around us. I still remember getting that "market order/limit order" wrinkle as a baby ape, so I did my best to clear it up a few times in a few different threads. The gratitude I got in return from these confused little chimps warmed my heart! + +With the splivvy officially in play, I think we're about to see an influx of smooth-brained newborn apes who only know one thing: buy GME. And that's fantastic, but it's important to explain how exactly to do that, and also what not to do. If you see a confused little chimp deep in the comments and you've got a second to spare, take that second to give their brain a new wrinkle. Apes together strong! + +BUY HODL DRS +STAY ZEN + +PS: Happy Splividend y'all! God damn I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning and buy some hot new shares at a whopping 75% off LFGGGGG +Plus, Social Security will kick in at some point. So, is all this saving because regular expenses are higher than $25k? Or in case market returns don't hold up? +Please upvote for visibility, this is a serious issue, which concerns surprisingly many apes and needs to be clarified! Very often, I read in comments or DMs that Europoors are waiting for months for their letters from CS from the USA. It may be that this letter will never arrive! **The solution is written below.** + +Clearly, there is something wrong with the letter delivery from the USA to Europe. Apes wait for months (sometimes since October) for their letters in the hope that they will arrive sometime. + +Here's what happened to me: Two months ago I DRSed for the first time and waited for my letter. After four weeks of waiting, I called CS, whereupon they sent me the letter again (no fee), but from UK and not from USA. After two and a half weeks, the first letter from UK arrived. The letter from the USA has still not arrived until today (since two months). + +**The Solution:** Call Computershare and just ask for shipping from UK! You can call CS directly a few business days later after successful DRS transfer! There is no reason to wait longer. +You can call CS at (---NO FINANCIAL ADVISE---): +800 38233823 +The call is free from landline and mobile phone. My own research has shown that +800 numbers are always free of costs, but feel free to google it yourself. The customer support is in English and is very friendly. I even read that you can ask to speak in your native language. For example: “Do you speak German?/Can I speak with someone in German?“. Source: Well, had to remove it, as the automod doesn’t like links referring to other subreddits, in this case the German $GME subreddit. + +\*\*UPDATE: You may get an incompetent person on the phone who has absolutely no idea what they are talking about, but they are extremely confident in their opinion. If that's the case, just say a friendly goodbye and call back a little later.\*\* Source: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ssgg3o/something\_is\_super\_strange\_with\_cs\_and\_it\_will/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/ssgg3o/something_is_super_strange_with_cs_and_it_will/) + +Yesterday I called CS myself to draw attention to the problem. + +1. It was confirmed to me that letters to Europoors are still not sent automatically from UK. :/ +2. I asked for the problem (lots of letters not arriving in EU) to be passed on to their boss, which I was kindly promised would be done, but I am unsure how seriously she/they take the issue. + +In my dull red eyes, isn't it easily possible to automatically send all letters to Europoors directly from UK??? After all, one could retroactively send all "forever unanswered" letters from the US to Europoors from the UK.Feel free to reach out to Computershare, as the suggestions of one single individual may be not enough. Sample email provided: +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/sqqex2/comment/hwn3nzf/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/sqqex2/comment/hwn3nzf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) +Feel free to reach out to Gamestop as well, for the same reasons. Sample email provided: +[https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/sqqex2/comment/hwnk1eb/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Superstonk/comments/sqqex2/comment/hwnk1eb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) + +Europoors, now your help could be needed:Please translate this post into your native languages (for example with deepl) and post it in the respective $GME subreddits, as many Europoors only inform themselves in their native language. It would be nice if you take care of the subreddits of your home countries. I already took the German version and posted it into the German subreddit. + +Thanks for your attention. Have a wonderful day!! See you ... you know where =) + +&#x200B; + +Edit: An Ape without enough Karma reached out to me to share his unlucky experience: "I DRSed one share in october and recieved the letter in Nov. Then I DRSed 25 shares from IBKR into my then existing CS account and never recieved the new DRS statement AND never recieved my code for the investor center. Two days ago I called them (the number you mentioned/from GameStop website) and they said the code was sent on December 1st). I asked them to send it again and asked if they can send the code from UK but the lady said the code can only be sent from US not UK. even as I said that it worked for other investors she said it is not possible and that I need to wait. Now I will hopefully get my code and the new DRS statement and after I recieved them I will send the next batch." (If that happend to you, please try to call CS again, as this had to be an unexperienced customer support representative.) +Invested a long time ago and now have 300k usd in btc. Parents do not know and they told me I should consider moving out soon. Should I continue to hodl my btc or should I sell to buy a home? +**Preamble:** The ability of Congress Members to trade stocks have been controversial from the start. The 2020 congressional [insider trading scandal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_congressional_insider_trading_scandal) where Congress Members used insider knowledge to trade large positions in stocks just before the coronavirus pandemic crash was just one example where they used their privileged position for gain. While there is scope for a lot of discussion regarding the legality/ethical aspects of this, what I wanted to know is + +**Did Congress Members beat the market and can I beat the market if I follow their trades after its been made public?** + +**Where is the data from:** senatestockwatcher.com + +Massive shoutout to u/rambat1994 for putting in the efforts to create this site and make the knowledge public. The website has data of Senator trading from 2019. While I could observe that all the trades may not be captured by the site, given that we have more than 9K trades to work with, I feel that we should be good from a statistical significance perspective. Also, please note that the data will contain trades done by Congress who are not currently in the senate (Either they were in Senate earlier and now in the house of representative or another position of power which forces them to disclose their trades) + +While Congress members are supposed to [report the transaction within 30 days](https://www.citizen.org/article/personal-financial-disclosure-requirements-for-public-officials/), the median delay in reporting that I observed for the trades was 28 days and the average delay was 52 days. There were some outliers that pushed the average up and are most likely due to the fact that their broker might not report the trade to them immediately. + +All the trades and my analysis are shared as a google sheet at the end. + +**Analysis:** + +**Distribution of Trades** + +[ ](https://preview.redd.it/kh4ythn8roy61.png?width=410&format=png&auto=webp&s=c054d4e698ab159a8b4fdd3cdaa88e8a3ea2fb43) + +A total of 9,676 trades were made by the Congress Members in the past two years. This analysis would be focusing on the stock purchases made the Congress. (The stock sales and the pandemic controversy can be a standalone analysis by itself). Out of the 4,911 Buy’s what I am really interested in is the 1,375 transactions which were over $15K. I decided this cutoff as I did not want small transactions (<5K) to affect the analysis. The hypothesis being that if someone is putting almost 10% of their annual salary into one trade, they should be very confident about the stock. (I know that some Congress members are millionaires and this hypothesis would not apply to them, but adding their net worth would again complicate the calculations unnecessarily) + +**Results:** For all the stock purchases I calculated the stock price change across 3 periods and benchmarked it against S&P500 returns during the same period. + +a. One Month + +b. One Quarter + +c. Till Date (From the date of purchase to Today) + +**Returns of Congress Members vs S&P500** + +https://preview.redd.it/j5lejvpdroy61.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=4edea1cb42cac7ecab4e9e6c5b034ace5d9ac566 + +At this point, it should not come as a surprise, but Congress members did beat SP500 across the different time periods. But what I am really interested in is if it's possible to follow their trades after disclosure (after a time lag of 30 days) and still beat the benchmark. + +**Returns if you followed their trades** + +https://preview.redd.it/rnuw3kyhroy61.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=84ea3a1ab53fd502a2968939891bd11e9da84c8a + +If you had invested in the stocks Congress Members bought, even after adjusting for the lag of disclosure, you would beat SP500 over the long run. My theory for this is that Senators usually play the long game and invest having a time horizon of more than a year as sudden short-term gains can put a spotlight on their trades. This gives the retail investors a window of opportunity where they can follow the trades and make a significant profit. + +Now that our main question is out of the way, we can really deep dive into the data and see some interesting patterns. The next question I wanted answered was which were the best trades made by Congress Members over the last 2 years. + +**Best trades made by U.S Congress Members** + + +[ ](https://preview.redd.it/0xatcb5rroy61.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=d157bba30bcd309db66bd51ababcf36e7c76710c) + +Brian Mast seems to be the frontrunner with making almost 100% gain in one month investing in lesser-known companies. Michael Garcia also seems to have made it rain with his Tesla plays. But not all the trades made by Congress Members were successful as shown below. + +**Worst trades made by U.S Congress Members** + +[ ](https://preview.redd.it/dfsg5lksroy61.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=83c41517d7299e6b62cbd6dfa1bbdf42a672d750) + +These are the worst trades made by Congress Members with Greg losing more than 80% of investment value within the disclosure period. Brain Mast also makes an appearance in the worst trades making him a prime candidate for some WSB loss porn. + +But even Warren Buffet can go wrong on a stock pick. So, I wanted to know was who made the most returns over all their investments in the last 2 years. I only considered Congress Members having at least $100K in investments and a minimum of 5 trades. + +**U.S Congress Members having the highest returns** + +[ ](https://preview.redd.it/7yk3wa4wroy61.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=9ad6ae5de91e6ec8ade045378e72983dee356b0c) + +John Curtis made a whopping 95% average return on his investments. All the top 10 Congress Members comfortably beat the market return of 26.4% during the same investment period. Next thing I looked is the Congress Members that had the most amount of money invested in stocks during the last 2 years. + +**U.S Congress Members having the highest amount invested in stocks** + +https://preview.redd.it/x4vb26xxroy61.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=c34019c2a724babc40a9823ec513e7a69e562aaf + +The top 3 Congress Members as shown above invested more than $15MM over the last 2 years and were also able to beat the market at the same time. + +Finally, this leads us to the last question of which were the most popular stocks among U.S Congress Members + +**Most popular stocks among US Congress** + +[ ](https://preview.redd.it/t4vv63s1soy61.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=327b56f8cbfff8465b09e797272a45ccde46429c) + +As expected, big tech dominates the investments but what was surprising was the skew of investment towards Microsoft which had more money invested in it than the rest of the top 9 put together. One important thing to note here is that except for Antero, the rest all the companies have $100B+ valuation. + +**Limitations of analysis:** There are multiple limitations to the analysis. + +a. The time period of analysis is 2 years on which the market experienced a significant bull run. So, the results might change in market downturn/recession + +b. The data has been sourced from senatestockwatcher.com as parsing the data from the official government site is extremely difficult. All the recorded transactions have a pdf of the disclosure linked to it (you can find it in the Google sheet). I have made my best effort to QC the data and make sure there are no false positives. But this might not contain all the transactions made by Congress Members. + +c. There is no disclosure for the exact amount of money invested by Congress Members. The disclosure is always in ranges (e.g., $100k – $200k). So, for calculating the investment amount, I have taken the average of the given range. + +**Conclusion:** + +This analysis proves that Congress Members indeed get a better return than the overall market. Whether it is due to insider trading or due to their superior stock-picking capability is something that can’t be proven from the data and is left to the reader's judgment. I intentionally left out the party affiliation of the Congress Members as I felt that it would bias the reader and was not the objective of this analysis. + +Whichever side of the political spectrum you lean-to, the above analysis shows that you get to gain by following their trades! + +Link to Google Sheet containing all the analysis and trades: [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Rg5jMYG-X4I7cidQylzCNc_UpJZGNhGrjAt7g0QkXYs/edit?usp=sharing) + +*Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor* +Hi PF, + +I know most of you know this, but after a recent negative experience I feel like I should make a post. + +Multi-level marketing is becoming incredibly popular in a middling economy and with the rise of social networking. Do not do MLM, do not let your friends or family do MLM and do not associate with anyone who does. + +MLM destroyed my extended family. An entire branch (12 or so) of the family members became involved with various MLM schemes. Two of them make well above 100k doing it. Want to know why? + +They're sociopaths. These women have been completely isolated from all relatives, kicked out of PTA meetings, fired from jobs, asked to leave churches and more because of their predatory behavior. They make money with MLM by finding new marks on Facebook. Stay away. +Are u open with your (non-crypto)friends and family on how much you have profit/loss in crypto. + +For myself every time someone asks me "how much do i have in crypto" or "what is my profit in crypto" i give some clouded answer like "im in profit" or "it's good" even if it's not cuz then it leads to more questions. + +But if they asks me how many % of ETH or other coin do i have in my portfolio im okay with it to tell. + +How do you have it guys? +Background: Recently I attended a CIO roundtable where we had participants from most midwest and east coast health systems + 1 national health system. One of the topics discussed was blockchain. + +We reached a consensus that for the following reasons blockchain solutions will not be deployed at scale in the US within the foreseeable future: + +(1) Incumbent major EHR companies and their strongholds in health systems' IT departments + +(2) Industry regulations and lack of guidelines/compliance measures + +(3) Potential implementation costs + +(4) Technical challenges vis-a-vis blockchain in medical record management that are yet to be +resolved! See the MIT case study! + +(5) Healthcare systems are the most risk averse corporations you can find - cultural challenges +A couple major red flags about patientory(PTOY): + +1-Their team is severely underequipped to handle what they claim. They lack not only the technical expertise but also the management capabilities to build meaningful senior executive relationships + +2-They are outrageously overstating their "partnerships". One of the roundtable attendants knows Rick Daniels and knows for a fact that KP (Kaiser) is not pursuing any blockchain solutions at scale. + +Calling out Michael Rubin (the Director of Communications for Patientory) - Patientory's claims of partnering with Kaiser bordering on fraud. I strongly recommend that you take Kaiser's logo off your website. You are misleading token holders for monetary gain. + +PTOY's partnership with Kaiser is probably the pet project of a mid-level manager (director of X at a regional market) at most. Their other partnerships are basically incubators that provided them early funding to test out ideas. + +3-Their "foundation"...Does anyone seriously think that a CIO would pay up $250K to become the +member of an obscure entity that has no industry relevance? + +Stay away. This company will be on the news like Theranos. Soon. +Some thoughts: + +1. Ethereum (and all crypto, really) is a hyper market. Booms. Busts. Over and over and over again. And not over the span of decades, but months, weeks, and sometimes days. Look to BTC price history for guidance, and that fun graph with "IT'S A BUBBLE!" and "SEE WE WERE RIGHT!" cycles from <$0.01 to $20,000. You can expect similar for ETH. + +2. Ethereum is not a business. It’s a protocol. Say it with me: "ETH IS NOT A BUSINESS. IT’S A PROTOCOL." Even if the "value" drops 90%, it means next to nothing like it would for FB or Apple. Stocks in these companies represent mature securities traded with all of the world's capital having a vote. A 90% drop there would mean their business isn't doing so well (probably). ETH prices carry much less meaning in this regard. + +3. Ethereum is creating things that were not previously possible. Therefore, this is new GDP. This is new value creation for the entire world, 24/7/365. Comparing "market caps" to companies and industries is meaningless. That's not to say the value of this stuff will increase infinitely. What I will say is that not you nor I nor anyone has any idea what a fair market value for any of this stuff is. One day we'll have some sort of equilibrium and some quant finance genius will come up with a method or methods that reasonably approximate what the value "should" be; just like we have for equities and bonds and real estate. I say "should," because as we all know actual price varies. + +4. We represent a small fraction of the crypto market, which in turn represents a small fraction of the world's capital that I mentioned before. When we see Warren Buffet take a long position and/or substantial inflows from hedge/pension/index funds, then I think we can safely say we've reached some kind of "maturity." As for now, you still have to be a bit of a tech nerd compared to the average person to figure out how to invest into any of this stuff. When it becomes clear that our society's dumbest dumbs are clicking "buy" in their Etrade account, and the price goes apeshit, then I'll worry about a bubble. That being said, if we see $100 Ether again I won't be the least bit surprised. + +5. Anyone who thinks this is all Tulips hasn't a clue about anything. Godspeed. + +Edit: Original post => https://reddit.com/r/ethtrader/comments/6mmk3y/my_2_eth/ +We do have 2 kids, but I know plenty of friends who have kids who seem to get by easier than we do. I've combed over the budget countless times but can't find a place to cut to build up a good emergency fund. + + +I make $23.175 per hour and she makes $19 per hour. I deduct $212 from my check every week to pay for health insurance and also deduct $55.62 for 401k match. My wife has no deductions taken from her pay. She typically brings home $1,100 biweekly and I bring home $525 weekly. This varies slightly for both of us based on OT or leaving an hour early here or there. + + +This means we bring home about $55,900 per year or $4,658 per month. + + +Giving 10% - $730 + +Mortgage - $701.11 + +Gas/Elec - $175 + +Water - $70 + +Internet - $45 + +TV - $20 + +Garbage - $18.08 + +Cellphone - $70.40 + +Car Ins - $250 + +Netflix - $11 + +Life Ins - $37 + +Car Loan - $200 + +Grocer/Toiletries - $450 + +Gas - $150 + +Dogs - $100 + +Daycare - $1,148 + + +Total - $4,295.59 + + +Remainder - $362.41 + + +That $362.41 is always gobbled up by trips to the doctor or other mini emergencies or things we forgot to budget. Is anything here out of line? Shouldn't I be able to save more than 362.41 per month with a $90,000 income? + + +If I were to guess, I'd say my insurance costs and daycare costs are gobbling it all up, but there is nothing I can do about that, right? I know many people don't give 10%, but we won't cut there because we feel blessed and want to give back. Just looking for either confirmation or help on where to trim. + + +******** + +EDIT + +******** + +As of 7:30pm est I read every single post you all made. I need to clarify a few things. + + +I am not Mormon or LDS. I am protestant. Regardless, that doesn't matter in a finance thread. + + +Most people recommend I don't donate anything and say churches are a scam. Without going on a soapbox and taking the focus off finance, I will just say the church I donate to has no salaried employees. All tithes go toward building expenses, then directly to the community. We feed the homeless and have recovery programs for people with drug addictions and we help clothe prostitutes professionally and help find them work. There are a lot of churches that are greedy, but mine is not one of them. + + +A lot of posters recommended I tithe off net and not gross. I called my pastor about it and he made it seem like I was giving too much. Said 1/10 of firstfruit was Old Testament. He said the law no longer applies with the New Testament and it is used more as a guideline. Said I should give what I can afford to give. That means give after I've met my needs while living and spending responsibly. + + +I think I will look into backing off giving some, maybe to $300 per month until I can get this car paid off and build up a larger emergency fund. +For those who went through the gauntlet that is audit at a big 4 firm, how bad was it actually? + +Did you really work 80+ hour weeks consistently? + +What are the exit opportunities that lead to a role that has real work-life balance, while earning a decent wage? +Warehouse manager here. + +I want to switch jobs and actually find a career. + +What other jobs could I transfer my skills to? + +I’m fantastic with people since I genuinely love people. +So, last year I started mining for the first time. I ended up getting around $1200 dollars worth of ETH, ETH which I planned to use for my fiancee and my wedding. Etherium that I will now.. never get back. + +I fell for a simple bot scam where I transferred out of my wallet. I'm too embarrassed to actually say how. I.. can't. (I ended up adding this in the comments) Just, don't be me. Don't be an idiot. + +I'm writing this as a method to help myself cope. It's cathartic, but I don't know what else to do at the moment. This is probably one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced. + +Edit: I'd also like to add this isn't meant to be a pitty post. I can't actually explain how I feel currently outside of them term "numb". I think I'm trying to rationalize it more so with writing this out. + +Edit 2: Thank you to some very kind folks. I'm going to "double" down and get a part-time weekend job to pay this back to myself. Deserve it. But that's my way of making this a true lesson, with a good result in the end. +Hi all, + +I'll jump straight to the point. + +I went behind enemy lines to gather some raw meme materials deep in the cuckold sub (GME meltdown). The harvests are usually bountiful but today was a bit special. + +At the risk of being downvoted to hell (please don't, I would really like some thoughtful discussion here ☹), I wanted to throw some interesting "counter DD" I came across arguing that a stock dividend will not trigger a "short squeeze" like event. + +&#x200B; + +Try to see beyond the salt in their posts (which is so sweet btw👌), and focus on their core points. + +[OP saying here that short sellers can just short the \\"share dividend\\" they have to provide for borrowed shares. Since a stock split decreases the stock price by the same magnitude \(a 2:1 dividend will decrease the price in half, all things equal\), the short sellers are $ neutral. This latter point is covered in a different comment by OP in the two screenshot below](https://preview.redd.it/05z3m3conct81.png?width=903&format=png&auto=webp&s=f6159e19fcc83955e801fc23820dcc037772d41b) + +First screenshot below, links from the picture: [(1)](https://preview.redd.it/n1y76mdaitq81.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=5bd1db4ab0eb93f4a727731fb6e70dc71b914b3f) [(2)](https://preview.redd.it/9k9xswpzitq81.png?width=684&format=png&auto=webp&s=3445e750baac347137b99438789d591f324cfcd8) [(3)](https://preview.redd.it/ycz3hqfljtq81.png?width=657&format=png&auto=webp&s=fc29cb63b28c594003568b4cbd9a47ff2b055952) [(4)](https://preview.redd.it/mivj7s7nktq81.png?width=688&format=png&auto=webp&s=37c4d19236660a281a43704798d10c217f63f887) [(5)](https://preview.redd.it/4pmrrdk5ltq81.png?width=910&format=png&auto=webp&s=7ab9b38662ad13dda90ad883961461b000905d39) + +https://preview.redd.it/a27fw7utnct81.png?width=597&format=png&auto=webp&s=319bdf6329412c0538ebcd13499fb775c594bd71 + +Second screenshot + +https://preview.redd.it/pde2tjpxnct81.png?width=874&format=png&auto=webp&s=14bc5c48edb965e479bad80e6c679609501444e1 + +The same OP argues that stock dividends for TSLA didn't force shorts to close, claiming if it was that easy, then every heavily shorted stocks would pop from stock dividends across the board, and is the reason why Overstock had to take an unprecedent approach vis-à-vis crypto dividend. There are two graphs they allude/link trying to illustrate how stock dividend didn't make TSLA squeeze: [TSLA SI not dropping sharply after dividend](https://preview.redd.it/fr41cxjll4r81.png?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=471f503847fd22af4d2670619b9bc0ee880fc3b2) and [short interest over price](https://www.thestreet.com/.image/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTczODcyODM1OTY4NjQwMDY0/screen-shot-2020-07-10-at-30552-pm.webp), along with the bottom two comments. + +https://preview.redd.it/wsny893aoct81.png?width=840&format=png&auto=webp&s=54ca920d8b6a7cfdd2be44071a831aff5595595b + +https://preview.redd.it/dgtt1if4oct81.png?width=779&format=png&auto=webp&s=9784debbd502b5d9b0605291346bf18c7a69a458 + +All this definitely involves a more internal knowledge of market mechanics so I wanted to see what others have to say. Is this counter-DD wrong? If not, to what extent is it right? + +My opinion is that of the latest concrete stock-related developments announced so far (stock dividend + likely approved issuable shares to 1B), there is no way this is just it. I **highly doubt** RC & the Board would go **"*****\*poof\* here is the stock dividend X:1"*** end of story, nothing else. But then interesting questions start popping up as I explore. These are just internal musings. + + +* What is their intention for a stock dividend? Is it to counter-defend the short attacks on their stock? Or is that dead wrong, and it's purely a business decision. It is really only to make the stock more accessible, i.e., lower entry price? If so, is it because they anticipate a substantial appreciation in price soon or do they really think \~$150 is too high of an entry point? +* Would/can they restrict trading on the stocks given as dividends, making it so those distributed stocks are locked and can't be traded for X number of days? In that case, what are the implications for shorts and naked shorts? (again, back to my point on market mechanics) +* What options does RC Ventures have in these cases, and what downstream impacts would that have to shorts and naked shorts? What dynamics shape the potential plays, e.g. lockout periods? + +Apologies for the lack of memes....hoping to have some meaningful discussion here. +https://finance.yahoo.com/news/morning-brief-june-23-100044415.html + +“During the Financial Crisis, the market head-faked investors with three minor rallies from fall '07 through summer '08 — of 8%, 12%, and then 7%, respectively — suckering in new longs near the 2007 record highs. + +And then markets really started messing with investors. + +Declines of 45% and 51% from record highs were met with rallies of 18% and 24% in the fall of 2008, moves that came several months before the market's ultimate bottom in March 2009. + +Suddenly, headlines were reading: "Stock market 20% off the lows," enticing traumatized investors to possibly pull the trigger on what remained of their cash position — only to see new lows in the coming weeks and months. + +During the dot-com bubble burst, it took nearly three years for the bear market to finally shake out bagholders from the first tech mania. + +The S&P 500 dropped 49% from record highs before hitting its ultimate bottom in late 2002. Over the course of 2001 and 2002, the S&P 500 saw no fewer than four rallies of 19% or more. + +It wouldn't be until the spring of 2007 that the benchmark index would reach another record high. Just in time, of course, for the aforementioned Financial Crisis. +* **Chinese and U.S. regulators are progressing toward a cooperation plan on U.S.-listed Chinese stocks, state media said, citing a financial stability meeting Wednesday chaired by Vice Premier Liu He.** +* **Days of worries about U.S. delisting risks, on top of existing concerns about economic growth, had sent Chinese stocks plunging in New York and Hong Kong.** +* **Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index surged in Wednesday afternoon trading, after closing Tuesday at fresh lows not seen in more than six years.** + +[https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/16/china-says-it-will-support-chinese-ipos-abroad-calls-for-closure-on-tech-crackdown.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/16/china-says-it-will-support-chinese-ipos-abroad-calls-for-closure-on-tech-crackdown.html) + +Seems like the course for Chinese stocks is changing? +What the bitcoin haters don't get is the awe inspiring exhilaration and power of being able to instantaneously transfer money, big or small, to any other person on the planet without the need of an intermediary, without delay, without permission, without approval, and without interference. + +They do not understand the deep and abiding desire of free people to be free of a nanny state which proclaims them criminals for the crime of spending their own money. + +They do not understand the deep and abiding resentment of the public with the predatory banking system. + +They do not understand our resentment of a debt based economy which debases the currency solely to benefit those in power. + +They can keep hating on bitcoin all they want. Please do. Scoff at it. Laugh at it. Demean it. + +Meanwhile we, the people, will create a new economy which you do not, and cannot, control. + +So, laugh all you want about our funny magic internet money. Because, in the future, a true market economy will arise that you do not control. +E-Toro listened to us back then because of the pressure we bestowed upon them that we want to vote our shares. Why shouldn't we try our luck again and do the same with DRS? Continuously asking them that we want to DRS our shares opens a possibility that they will let us. As long as we don't ask for it nothing will change, and the more of us ask, the bigger the topic gets for them. +$500k mortgage, 50k vehicle, and 40k credit. I make decent money at 130k a year... my monthly bills work out to be around: +2500 for the mortgage + +300 food + +80 internet + +100 server hosting + +500 vehicle + +300 utilities + +100 cellphone + +200 retirement fund + +100 workplace stockpurchase + +100 savings bonds + +60 cellphone + +500 debt payment + +With rent prices falling, I could potentially sell my house and besides paying off the mortgage, car and credit debt all in one swoop... but I've never rented before, always owned, sort of annoyed at seeing such a huge chunk of my pay go into a wooden box... don't get me wrong, selling a house for more than you paid for it is great, but can't imagine what life would be like completely debt free... Would the money I save by renting (say 1500 a month) invested in (I don't know what) be smarter for retirement than selling a paidoff house when I retire? + +&nbsp; + +EDIT: I should probably clarify, the market value of the house is $700k, the company matches stock purchases at 1:3, the company also contributes to a private pension, altogether my retirement savings are at 140k... not great, but at least it's something... + +EDIT2: I live in Canada, in one of the more expensive cities to live. 500-700k is average price for a double-car garage home in a decent neighbourhood, though house prices and rent prices are falling slightly (so far) due to the economy... been through it before though... Should also clarify the 40k is a secured LoC that I took out to pay for the basement development & this is my "forever" home, or at least I hope it will be. My takehome is roughly 7k a month. +Hello r/personalfinance, + +If this is the wrong sub, please direct me to a better suited one. TL;DR at the bottom. + +Alright so, over the weekend I rented a 'mystery vehicle' from Budget. The mystery vehicle in question ended up being a Dodge Grand Caravan.. we had a good laugh about it but it only served its purpose of getting from point A to B and back. Van was prepaid for $54.57 (cheaper than the ridesharing we would have done) and picked up at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. We drove it from there to our hotel, a pitstop for snacks and coffee, back to the hotel, then finally back to the airport with the necessary fuel stop on the way. The rental lasted for *exactly* 24 hours. According to my Google Maps Timeline, the total distance drove in it was 53.5 miles. I had 150 miles free for the day according to the rate. + +Then today, I was reviewing my statements and noticed the charge on my credit card. Huh, I thought, maybe one of those weird deposit charges that went away after the rental was complete? Nope, I had a bad feeling about it and went to my profile and pulled up the receipt. My heart sank as it reflected the charge on my credit statement. How? I scanned the receipt and saw the charge for miles.. I found the odometer readings from before and after and the difference was *2695 miles.* The total driven distance was 2695 miles. Odometer out: 20055, odometer in: 22750 **HOW?** + +I attended and was in a wedding, but let's say if I didn't do that, what fun could I have had in the van? The van I had rented after flying to Cleveland? My own 24 Hours of Le Mans? Maybe take a joy ride across the country to Austin, TX for brisket (but flew to Cleveland first) and back? For such a trip, and following the speed limit would have taken 40 hours and 20 minutes nonstop. If you do the math, my average speed would have had to be 112.29 MPH *the entire 24 hours* of those 2695 miles. + +Sorry for the long post, I'm just trying to find humor in such a situation. I have already called their customer service and filed a claim and have a claim number that will apparently be resolved in 5-7 business days. I had to ask for it, nothing specific on whether they would call or email me. I'm just afraid they won't see the obvious error and will fall back on their odometer readings as their defense. + +Has anyone else been in a similar situation? What do I do now? Wait? Do I dispute it with my credit card company? I can't afford that much money for nothing. I'm looking for advice on my next steps. Thank you. + +TL;DR - Rented a van, prepaid $54.57 for 24 hours, charged $1649.14 for the odometer reading stating 2695 miles were driven. Seeking for advice. + +UPDATE: Budget actually came through today and corrected their mistake! Also, a big shout out to all of you for the advise and laughs. + +I did not expect this many people to reply or reach out at all.. y'all are awesome. I know this situation may seem simple but just a reminder that: 1) there's people who are willing to help with any situation, 2) keep a calm head when dealing with companies that make mistakes. We're all human and 3) cover your own ass just in case! +Throwaway. Spouse (29F) and I (31M) are chubby on the way to fat and want to buy our first home (VHCOL). I'm looking for advice about getting a mortgage without standard W2 income. + +The numbers: + +\- Post-tax accounts: $3.2m (only indexes, no stock picking). This is the value today after the market rout the last few months. + +\- Business income: $450k/year net income (sole person moderate-touch B2B SaaS product, occasionally have part time contractors). In theory I could get a FANG job, likely at a similar level of $400k W2 salary \*just\* for the mortgage, but I'd prefer not to do that. I started this business just under 2 years ago, so I don't have a lengthy business history to demonstrate to banks. Before that, I was a startup founder, so my W2s were relatively low (\~$110k). + +\- Spouse's trust: Spouse has a trust from relatives that disburses \~$95k/year. + +\- Spouse income: Spouse has a part time consulting business (entirely separate) that brings in $3-4k/mo, but we expect that to go away when we start having kids in the next year. + +Homes that we've looked at and like are in the $1.8-2.3m range. I've run the numbers myself, and feel pretty comfortable with this amount of house, but this would be my first time buying, so I'd open to critique if it's too much or if we could afford to go higher. + +In theory, we could just buy a house with cash. Between cap gains, my own portfolio risk profile, and not wanting to be (relatively) cash poor, I'd prefer to leverage the purchase if possible. + +I've only had a few conversations with banks so far, but we're having a lot of trouble having the mortgage underwritten using my business income. And rates are climbing higher every week. + +Questions: + +1. Does anyone have advice about banks that are particularly friendly to business owners or contractors, and will be relatively easier underwriting processes? +2. Sorry if the following is a dumb question, this is my first time being in this position: Are there financing options that would allow me to take cash out of my business (like a cash-out refi) that I could then use that debt to get the money? How would interest rates compare to those on a mortgage? +Hi there, + +I am a recent, but avid fan of this community and am lucky enough to count myself as a potential member. The biggest hurdle to full entry is liquidating my position as a founder in my SaaS startup. I'm one of three cofounders and the total business has grown to about $120mm in valuation with \~$30mm/yr revenue (mostly recurring). My stake is something close to $15mm which, according to my excel sheets, puts me way ahead of any extravagant lifestyle I might imagine. I see no point in continuing to accrue money I have no use for (and I firmly believe in diminishing returns) so I'm trying to find ways to liquidate my position. + +&#x200B; + +There is one early investor who's keen to broker deal shares here and there for sums of about $50k-300k, but his deal flow wouldn't match my current sense of urgency. The business is going well, and just raised new equity capital, so I should have a good base with which to bargain, but I'm seriously unfamiliar with secondary markets and how to start finding buyers and structuring a deal. I realize this sub is not generally focused on startups as a means to wealth generation, but it's where I'm lucky to end up. My efforts so far have broken down as such: + + +\-Private Banks for loans using equity as collateral: really high criteria which my startup doesn't meet. So far, bank need a firm target for liquidity (like an IPO date) before considering loaning against equity. + +\-Private Banks for sourcing investors to buy secondary shares: still don't meet the startup size criteria, which starts at about $500mm valuation + +\-EquityZen, Sharespost, and other secondary markets: still don't meet the valuation target which starts at about $400mm. + +&#x200B; + +Does anyone have suggestions on ways to liquidate concentrated positions in private startups? + +What moves would you all recommend? + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; +Finally under contract on a home closing this month, 2MM purchase price, 5400 square feet. There have been some threads in the past about what is worth it and not in customs home builds and renovations. But I specifically wanted to focus on smart home automation. + +The home currently has a Crestron control panel connected to all the lighting in the house and some security cameras. I am looking for ideas on things worth adding. + +For those who have integrated smart home features what was worth it and what ended up never getting used? What was cool but not really worth the price? Automatic shades? Custom lighting controls? Audio systems? Temperature controls? Water leak sensors? Door locks? One simple idea I thought was great was a humidity sensor in the bathroom that automatically turns on the exhaust fan. + +Tell me all about how you automate your fat home! +I respect this group, and I know I will get some wisdom from those older and more experienced. Talk me off the ledge or push me over. Had a bunch of taxes to pay earlier this year, used a pledged asset line (SOFR + 0.85%). Today that’s ~2.8%. + +Current PAL balance $2.1M @ ~2.8% + +Current cash on hand: $2.5M + +Assets Total ~$12M +- $6M Brokerage (as of today, stocks / bonds / ETFs, 90% equities) +- $2.5M cash +- $500K commercial RE +- $1.5M secondary home RE +- $1.5M PE stock locked up 5Y +- Primary residence excluded + +Debt Total ~$3.9M +- $2.1M PAL @ ~2.8% (will probably go to 4% soon) +- $1.6M Mortgages/RE loans @ ~3.25% blended fixed 15-30y +- $200K other @ 2.9% + +Debt Service w/o PAL: $130K/year + +PAL debt service: $40K (today) - $70K (future)/year depending on rates + +Current earned income (consulting): $200K/year + +Current spend not including debt $100K/year, ~$230K including debt + +I’m burning approx ~$150K above earned income right now if you take taxes into consideration. + +Considerations: + +- Mid 30’s, single, no kids +- SOFR is going to go up. +- PAL is not callable as easily as margin +- My spread is very low at 0.85% +- Investment income (dividends/distributions/interest) is ~$150K/year +- If I pay off PAL I cannot borrow against it for future investments, this is a one time decision/opportunity/dumb idea +- My real estate assets are very high-quality, and I did not include the value of my primary residence (~$1M) in my assets. + +Thoughts: + +Markets have already dipped, and they will probably dip some more, I could start to DCA the cash. + +I could cut a check and pay off the pledged asset line in its entirety. Or a combination. + +The real question for me, is how leveraged to stay in equities/bonds? If I invest the full PAL I would be ~30% leveraged in equities. + +No matter what, I need to be pulling approximately $150K/year out of investments (which is basically current distributions). If I invest this $2.1M, it will require another $70K/year budgeted debt service. + +Let me know your thoughts. +In keeping with boosting traffic on this subreddit, I'm copying a similar thread over on /r/leanFIRE. + +I'm pretty young (23) but I've recently set my sights on fatFIRE. I really want to travel to unusual and remote places for weeks or months at a time. I also want to live comfortably when I'm at home. I can't really do both on an annual allowance below $80,000. + +A huge plus for me is that my partner of a few years is on the same page and that just boosts our savings. We don't want kids, and we make great money together. We both like our work too (so far) so we're not especially motivated to drop work for work's sake. Maybe our thoughts will change in 10 years or more, but that's the outline for now. + +The target retirement year is 2044. We should be able to wrangle a little less than $3 MM (2017 $) by then, so about $100,000/year. + +What are your motivations? What are you doing to facilitate them? What are your financial targets? +Sometime soon I’d like to buy a vacation place somewhere warm that could act as a Snow Bird residence in retirement. My primary residence costs less than 1x my annual salary, but in order to get a vacation home in a place I like, I’m probably looking at something that’s $2+ million (3x my salary). + +With my current work schedule, I’d probably use it 2-4 weeks a year and would plan to rent it out the rest of the time. After retirement (less than 15 years) plan to be there 4-5 months/year. For those who have done something like this, how did you go about crunching the numbers? + +- How did you choose a specific market? +- How did you choose your specific house in that market? +- How did you estimate rental income and expenses? +- How did you find a long distance STR manager? +- What sorts of returns have you gotten with this kind of setup? + +Also, to keep things on topic, can we skip the “you should just rent when you go on vacation and let the difference sit in the market for the next 15 years” argument. I’m contemplating that as well, just wanted to dive deep into one side of the argument. +Hi there, + +I am a recent, but avid fan of this community and am lucky enough to count myself as a potential member. The biggest hurdle to full entry is liquidating my position as a founder in my SaaS startup. I'm one of three cofounders and the total business has grown to about $120mm in valuation with \~$30mm/yr revenue (mostly recurring). My stake is something close to $15mm which, according to my excel sheets, puts me way ahead of any extravagant lifestyle I might imagine. I see no point in continuing to accrue money I have no use for (and I firmly believe in diminishing returns) so I'm trying to find ways to liquidate my position. + +&#x200B; + +There is one early investor who's keen to broker deal shares here and there for sums of about $50k-300k, but his deal flow wouldn't match my current sense of urgency. The business is going well, and just raised new equity capital, so I should have a good base with which to bargain, but I'm seriously unfamiliar with secondary markets and how to start finding buyers and structuring a deal. I realize this sub is not generally focused on startups as a means to wealth generation, but it's where I'm lucky to end up. My efforts so far have broken down as such: + + +\-Private Banks for loans using equity as collateral: really high criteria which my startup doesn't meet. So far, bank need a firm target for liquidity (like an IPO date) before considering loaning against equity. + +\-Private Banks for sourcing investors to buy secondary shares: still don't meet the startup size criteria, which starts at about $500mm valuation + +\-EquityZen, Sharespost, and other secondary markets: still don't meet the valuation target which starts at about $400mm. + +&#x200B; + +Does anyone have suggestions on ways to liquidate concentrated positions in private startups? + +What moves would you all recommend? + +&#x200B; + +&#x200B; +My god, I've spent all day that I was supposed to be doing work digging through C-SPAN and senate records and looking at crypto twitter, but here's a tl;dr for curious apes, might make a post but I'm lazy: probably will now this took a while and shouldn't get buried + +1. Both amendments failed, the crypto stuff got buried today under partisan squabbling over how to finance the bill and eventually democrats voted to just push the bill through without any more amendments. EDIT: I forgot to specify that **this is currently the worst of 3 possible outcomes** since the original wording, calling literally every crypto actor in the industry a broker, got pushed through since neither amendment had time to be voted on. There is hope the Senate will move to review the amendments before the final vote on Tuesday. To summarize: there is the original wording (bad), the Wyden amendment (good) and the Portman amendment (still pretty bad but not as ridiculous as the original bill) + +2. There's a surprising amount of support (and detraction) on both sides of the aisle for rewriting the strict original house implementation of crypto regulation / tax. Ironically some senators seem to be even voting against their (or their party's) normal business stance on the issue: aligning instead with national security stances(https://twitter.com/BenDWalsh/status/1424390611713593345) (https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/1424377150816280577) + +3. In what would probably surprise some apes on the left, Ted Cruz (my senator, who I wrote a letter to and now kinda feel vindicated for doing so) came out completely in favor of Crypto, even going so far as to introduce his own amendment completely removing the crypto-tax completely. (Unsure if his [tweet](https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1424558384335015939) was in reference to an older anti-tax amendment in general or one that hasn't posted to the congress.gov database yet) There's lots of other weird instances of senators supporting and opposing the issue that aren't expected and the consensus atm seems to be that it's less malice and more just a general misunderstanding of how any of the stuff works at all. There's not really a party line at the moment and it seems to be Republicans fighting other Republicans and Democrats fighting over Democrats on both sides of the issue. + +4. It seems the need to rush the crypto stuff in was based mostly on bipartisan support for the infrastructure bill requiring it to mostly pay for itself, hence the rush to clear up the wording on crypto without just striking it completely. Pressure from the Treasury and White House led to weird groups of Senators allying in bizzare ways to oppose/support the various amendments. While Treasury collusion by the Apes's favorite chairwoman could explain why the Portman amendment was so half-cocked and specific in the way it wanted to regulate the crypto-industry, it seems like this whole thing has very little to do with GME or hedgies and is just a classic display of Congress being Congress. Most of the other senators not directly involved with the actual two amendments seem like they in general don't really know much about crypto or how it works. + +5. Lastly, here is a clip from Senator Portman where he explains the desire to continue to work on the wording of the amendment: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4972827/user-clip-portman-crypto This is an important speech he gives because he expresses what most of the crypto-lobbyists have been saying, that only brokers of crypto should be regulated, nobody else. In this clip he expresses that he's working to come to an agreement between the two amendments. + +Here is the full C-Span footage for today if anyone is interested in doing their own research into the subject: https://www.c-span.org/congress/?chamber=senate + +And finally here is Chervinsky's twitter where I got some of these takes from and more information for further research from lobbyists involved in the DC battle currently: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky +Maybe i'm reading too much into it but i think their last play is getting prepared right now. Short hedge funds know they lost and that GME will squeeze and they figured if the ignition can't be stopped maybe they can get the public to extinguish the fire they caused. + +This huge pump and dump that happened, that media claims to be the result of retail investor coordination(again) is their final play. Maybe they get some cash directly from it but honestly i doubt it with how fast it went up and down again. + +&#x200B; + +No they wanted the following: + +Aggressive articles like this one from [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/03/the-300-billion-meme-stock-that-makes-gamestop-look-like-childs-play.html) paint us in the worst light possible, claiming it got pushed by Redditors even tho it can be fact checked so quickly that this is not the case, they simply don't care. + +They really want to push the retail investors are evil narrative and literally everyone is sharing it(bloomberg, cnbc and even world wide media) + +&#x200B; + +[Are they calling for action? i wonder how that should look like in their eyes..](https://preview.redd.it/wak2hpxtypf91.png?width=675&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3951d3d8c163d7e3517cc4f4c84bb4ceda538ce) + +Their goal is to have the perfect reason for the public to stop the MOASS mid air. Yes i know if we hold the shares in our own names they can't take them easy. But if they can convince the public that we are the bad greedy people isn't there a small chance that they would forgive the hedge funds (because they might think we "attacked" them). + +&#x200B; + +I don't want this to be interpreted as FUD even tho i already know people will claim it as it anyways. + + +This smear campaign isn't pushed for no reason and with the power the media holds i really struggle to come up with a solution how i could show the world whats really happening right now. +Virtually all retirement studies use a portfolio composition that allocates significant portion of capital to bonds. This includes the famous Trinity study - probably the most widely cited retirement study in the FIRE community, and the basis for the 4% rule. + +These studies are based on backtesting against historical data, which means they are backwards looking. Allocating a significant portion of the portfolio to bonds made sense in the past, since [historical interest rates](https://www.macrotrends.net/2015/fed-funds-rate-historical-chart) were relatively high: between 1963 and 2001 they stayed above 3.5% with just one short exception (1992-1993), and for most of that period they were substantially higher that that, rising above 10% for much of the 1980s. + +Bond performance as an investment vehicle is substantially correlated with interest rates. Thus, for almost four decades until 2001, bonds were an excellent vehicle, particularly for retirement: offering good returns with very low depreciation risk. + +Unfortunately, conditions have since changed. As you can see in the graph, the Fed dropped its interest rates in response to the three major market crises we've had since 2001: the 2001 tech bubble, 2008 financial meltdown, and most recently the 2020 COVID-19 crisis. + +The 2001 drop brought interest rates down to a bottom of about 1%, and then recovered to a peak of 5.23% (not particularly high relative to the 4 decades before) after 5 years. The 2008 drop sank interest rates to historically low and nearly unprecedented levels around 0.10%. Interest rates then stayed between 0.10-0.20% for 7 years, then very slowly recovered to about 2.40% - a historically low figure - during the 3 years after that. Rates remained at that level or lower until February 2020, when the Fed's COVID-19 response brought them to all-time-lows of 0.05-0.09%. + +With current interest rates so low, returns on bond investments are effectively the same as cash, while carrying substantially more risk. The monetary policies we've had since 2001 are likely to hold, which means even if interest rates eventually recover (and that will take a while), we will see the same pattern of interest rates dropping sharply in response to financial crises, persisting poor returns on bonds and making bonds unsuitable for a retirement portfolio. + +In simple terms, the classic 60/40 won't tide you over like it did in Trinity and similar studies, with 40% of your portfolio yielding near 0% returns and failing to beat inflation. + +I believe this means retirement portfolios should include drastically lower allocation to bonds. Think 10% or lower. +So I went out with some friends tonight and to keep it short, the subject of money came up. + +I just said that I'm investing in the stock market and for the rest of the night I received "playful" jokes about it. I drive an old car that runs perfectly, got a good job, have another side income, degree in robotics. + +I mentioned the car because that was part of the jokes, like "can't wait to see you in that Ferrari. You're the new wolf of wall street" type of shit. + +Are people that brain washed or simply mean? They all seemed like me making money would be impossible and I'm dreaming like a looser. + +I see you all in here supportive with everyone, big ape or small ape. You're contributing with advice, opinions, great DDs and while I was listening to those shit jokes, my mind was right here. Just want to say thank you all cause I've been lurking mostly and I freaking love this community! +I'm seeing plenty of posts today decrying the market moving up at the same time to be 'CRIME', under the assumption that market green = bad for GME. + +What happened today was a market reaction to the FOMC meeting. The market expected a 0.5% (50 basis points) rate hike. That's exactly what the fed announced it will be implementing. The market is happy, because it was already priced in, and Powell said some bullish things and then the market ripped. A lot of cash moved back into stocks that was previously on the sideline. Institutions buying back in in droves= prices go up across the board. No crime, this was literally just what happens when Powell speaks and doesn't say bearish shit. Ok, this was the easy part. + +Many of you were disappointed to see the overall market indices (SPY, QQQ, etc) rip today. Why? Well, I'm assuming it's because you believe the idea that market dump = GME moon, but I just don't believe that's the case. I think the longer the market holds out, the better off GME is. Think about it - the hedge funds short GME are short basically all of the consumer discretionary sector, which is why you see many of the basket stocks moving in unison. When the market is stable or moving up, it's generally BETTER for us - don't we want their overall positions to be under water? Especially if Citadel, Point72, etc are short entire sectors of the market. Their positions are harder to manage the greener the market is. This gives them less breathing room from their prime banks. It's also way harder to short stocks that have the "tailwinds" (bullish sentiment) to push the market up. + +How does this all apply to GME? Well, think about the NFT marketplace launching and SPY is at $380 instead of $425ish where it sits now. Maybe a shareholder's meeting that would normally be bullish AF but the market has taken a dump and investors are wary of putting capital into the market. Do you think institutions will want to put money into what they see as a risky bet in GME? Or will they dump their money into some low-risk consumer defensive stock that sells toilet paper and soap? + +We want a green market. We want sentiment to be bullish. We want the shorts to have to extend themselves to maintain their short positions against bullish market sentiment. And we want investors to take risks on GME. Today was bullish AF, and I hope we continue to see a green market until RC launches the rocket so it will have its full effect. +We need a lot more of you to stake for us to launch on time. We are only at 9% of total stakers needed for the Beacon chain to grease up and churn on time. + +If we launch on time at the beginning of next month, I am sure ETH price will be flying to $750 plus. In addition, you will receive the highest interest rate available anywhere probably in excess of 15% at the start. + +So if you have 32 ETH consider staking them. If you have the know how to be your own validator you can start on this page + +https://launchpad.ethereum.org + +and you can follow everyone depositing their 32 ETH from this page: + +https://etherscan.io/address/0x00000000219ab540356cBB839Cbe05303d7705Fa + +Good luck to us all. And may the force be with us. +I feel like a lot of posts lately talking about the possibility of Ethers being the choice of currency to be accepted by merchants and traders. I feel like this is a bit of distraction from what Ethereum's focus should be. Again these are my two cents, and not an edict on how others must act. + +Bitcoin and bitcoiners have thrown their focus behind getting Bitcoin to displace dollars and gold (as a medium of exchange and as a storage of wealth). Whereas, Ethereum is focused at expanding the usage of currency to areas previously not possibly by traditional mediums (like Smart Contracts). + +Bitcoin may not be able to replace dollar as a day to day currency (which depends upon whether Bitcoin manages to get around their scalability concerns), but even as bitcoin is today, it is completely capable of displacing dollar as the international currency of trade among nations. In other words, while you may not wanna use bitcoin for buying a $5 latte from starbucks, that usage is completely different from using Iran using bitcoin to sell India natural gas. A 2 hour wait time may prevent Erik Voorhees from buying coffee with bitcoin, but this does not bother the foreign minister of Iran the same way (as long as enough of other countries are willing to use bitcoin). + +Similarly, Ethereum is looking towards creating new markets, markets previously thought not possible. Contrary to the beliefs of bitcoin Maximalists, bitcoin is completely not capable of facilitating the same things Ethereum can or to be able to beat Ethereum's headstart in it. + +In other words, while bitcoin focuses on capturing the old or existing economy, Ethereum focuses on capturing or creating the new economy. I expect a rational cryptocurrency investor to hold both Ethereum and bitcoin in their portfolio. + +I could be wrong about this and might be missing some element, but love to hear your thoughts about it. +Welcome to the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +The thread guidelines are as follows: + +- All sub rules apply here so please review our **[rules page](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/)** to become familiar with them. The rules page is also linked in the announcement bar above. +- This thread is intended as a welcome place for discussion of all non-Ethereum related crypto. + +*** + + Resources and other information: + +* Newcomers who have basic questions about Ethereum can find answers by visiting /r/EthereumNoobies or our Ethereum Education wiki page, [see here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/wiki/education). + +* To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! + +I'm still fairly new to Ethereum and cryptos in general so bare with me. + +So I understand Ether has a small or non-existent inflation based on the issuance rate. But my question is in regards to how the EVM effects the price of Ether. + +If I'm getting this right (I'm using the simile from a ELI5), buying Ether is like buying reserved time on the EVM. But if more people join Ethereum and let their computers become part of the EVM, wouldn't that mean that processing power is cheaper, and so the price of Ether will drop? + +This wouldn't be inflation in the traditional sense I guess, but it would still effect the value of the currency in a similar way that an increase in money supply would. + +Or am I misunderstanding something? Very grateful for some answers! +Welcome to the Daily General Discussion thread of /r/EthTrader. + +*** + +Thread guidelines: + +- Please refrain from discussing non-Ethereum related tokens here. You are welcome to discuss altcoins in the Daily Altcoin Discussion thread. +- All [sub rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/about/rules/) apply here so please be familiar with them. + +*** + +To view live streaming comments for this thread, [click here](https://reddit-stream.com/comments/auto). Account permissions are required to post comments through Reddit-Stream.com. + +*** + +Enjoy! +Starting late 2015, there was a steady increase in the price of ETH which turned into an exponential increase to about $11 where it seems to be relatively stable compared to the past 3 months. + +Can anyone have any explanations for the increase and stabalization? +If you’re staking eth at Coinbase at time of merge, will Coinbase provide you with access to the “original” pre-fork pow eth? I’m guessing no, because if you’re staking, you have eth 2, not eth, but here’s to hoping there’s a freebie coming along… +I've seen countless references to "The Flippening" and I still do not understand exactly what it means. Can someone please explain from start to finish? + +I can't find a definitive answer anywhere that I can understand. +It seems to me like BTC and BCH have really kind of rekt eachother since BCH was put on Coinbase. + +Will the severe drop that each have experienced be recovered from? What does this mean for Ether? I know that nobody really knows this stuff, but we haven't really seen anything like this. I want to know what you all think +Almost every country reserves USD as a gold in their national banks. But USD is not backed by gold anymore. (Since presiident Richard Nixon maybe) + +So that means USD is being printed wihtiut any backup. Figuritavely money growing on trees. + +That is why in recent years Russia and China started buying gold heavily instead of USD. An now they want to replace USD with cryptocurrency. + +More to watch from this very informative video. +https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mQUhJTxK5mA +What will most likely be one of the largest ETH platform crowd sales in 2017 and the core ETH community doesn't seem to even know about it yet. When compared to other projects, it amazes me that people aren't talking about this more in the Ethereum community. MobileGo might be the first ETH based project to raise much more from other communities than its own. + +If you have questions about the project let me know. I am here to answer questions. + +www.mobilego.io +An observation I made: The addresses with great amounts of ETH in them obviously are not liquidating, but accumulating (according to etherscan.io). Simply put: The big are getting bigger. You wouldn't expect this behavior pattern in a "blow off phase" some here are willing to proclaim. I may be wrong, but in a pump and dump scenario the big players should be busy selling to the bag holders right now. +Edit: I was watching the top 300 addresses over the last month. +Hello everyone, + +Just struggling to understand something and hoping for some clarification. I’ve seen it mentioned by some very clever people that I respect (i.e. James Kilroe here [https://medium.com/newtown-partners/application-protocols-are-the-better-investment-heres-why-7a2efdde594e 4](https://medium.com/newtown-partners/application-protocols-are-the-better-investment-heres-why-7a2efdde594e) and John Pfeffer elsewhere) that improvements in Ethereum scalability will lead to a lower priced ETH, eventually trending to 0. The argument goes something like this: + +Ethereum’s value comes from the total amount of gas fees paid to miners and this is expected to increase as network usage increases. Scaling solutions will cause the fee required to process each transaction to drop. As we reach towards infinite scalability, the fee required to process each transaction should approach zero and the value of ETH along with it. + +This argument inherently doesn’t make sense to me but I can’t seem to formulate exactly why and I was hoping some of you with bigger brains could explain it to me. It seems to me transaction fees will trend to 0 as scalability increases if we assume there is a theoretical upper bound to the demand for computation. It seems to be it will only approach zero if we assume that scalability will grow faster than the demand for computation. If, on the other hand, we assume that the demand for computation is unlimited and capped only by the scalability limits of current solutions, then each increase in scalability will cause greater demand for computation and therefore an increase in gas fees collected and in the price of ETH. + +Am I missing something? Would really appreciate all your thoughts and thanks very much in advance for your time! +I know you Ä̷̛̭Ú̸͉̀†̸̧̋Ị̷̀̅§̴͉͐†̷̣̍Ì̴̗̈́Ç̴͓̒ R-words are going to have an aneurysm when you read this; however, hear me out!! + +Using this †̶͙͝Ḛ̷̀͠×̸̟̑†̸̤͌ ̶̰͒G̵̛͎È̶͈̿ñ̸̳͗È̴̖̽R̶͈̚Ä̴̼̆†̵͈̌Ö̶͚̀R̸̟͘ [https://fontgenerator.org/cursed-text-generator](https://fontgenerator.org/cursed-text-generator) + +You create a text that by-passes the bots algo's. They cannot compute with it, therefor it gets washed from their system and never to be seen / downvoted! + +I dont know how long it will last, because posting this, basically screwed it over by showing the hand. But, I dont think they will be able to re-write their algos to compensate. + +Make the title of your post like this and watch the organic discussion flourish /w no bots !!! + +Love you all, SHOP, DRS, BUY, HODL +Serious question. + +I'm sure the majority here are familiar with the concept: + +http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficient-market_hypothesis + +I remember reading that only about 1% of mutual funds have "true" alpha - a lot of alpha is just due to chance. + +What drives you? A hobby that keeps you intellectually stimulated? You think you can beat EMH (I'm very interested in hearing about this)? + +<EDIT> +Btw I ask because I am thinking about getting into the whole deal - morning star subscription, etrade account, possibly get CFA. I try to read the Financial Times everyday. Only thing stopping me from doing this is EMH. + + +Born into poverty I wanted better. I worked the dead-end jobs, I went to college, I joined a trade union. I've made it. My kids will never know what it's like to be poor. + +My focus now: Leave them SOMETHING. + +My take-away from this sub is this: if you don't inherit some sort of wealth in your lifetime... than you're playing this game of personal finance on HARD MODE. + +Good luck everyone. Set goals and crush em. +What do you really need that emergency fund for? I mean, what’s going to happen, right? + + * So in December I had a 7-8mm kidney stone. I’ve since had three bills totaling ~$5,000 when you factor in specialist co-pays and prescriptions — add in quite a bit more if you account for lost wages. One bill for the trip to the ER in which I was discharged (really?!). One bill for a failed ultrasonic lithotripsy. And one bill for a ureteroscopy. + + * I was hit by a car as a pedestrian yesterday at ~10mph, and the driver ran. I’m mostly fine (back to work), but I expect bandages, lost wages, and the upcoming bill for the ambulance that showed up to put some bandages on my knees will have a total cost of $1200-1500. + + * In December, someone backed into my car, requiring a replacement bumper cover ($800). A rock hit my windshield today (normally I would walk), cracking it (I’ll owe $250). I also ended up doing a full brake service when I noticed I needed new pads when I was rotating my tires (nearly $1000). Plus I replaced some wiper blades, changed oil, etc.. Total cost there is around $2000, but was partially budgeted for. + +----- + +Including lost wages, figure an unexpected $10,000 in expenses in the past 5 months. Having the cash on hand? Priceless. Still sucks to have to burn a good chunk of my e-fund, but it’ll be replenished soon enough. +Hi guys, + +Let me explain what I mean. + +I'm currently trying to build out a dividend aristocrat portfolio which consists of both American based ones as well as international ones. + +I've noticed something quite interesting to me, American dividend aristocrats have a significantly lower average yield than do international counterparts. + +Take for example ZDY a US dividend aristocrat ETF, during the bottom of the Covid crash the yield was around 5.5%. + +By contrast, ZDI an international dividend aristocrat ETF had a yield at the time of around 7.5%. + +I checked some papers to confirm if this is consistent and it is. + +What has left me still wondering however if it has always been this way, but have not found enough info out there to know with certainty. + +So, I wanted to ask you guys, for the top history finance econ buff, was the average American dividend aristocrat yield ever at one point higher than it's international counterparts or has it always been this way? + +If it has been this way, why? What's the justification to this iron clad law? + +Thanks, Rick +Hi All, + +I have a question which I know is tax related, but more specific to REI as that's what my business is. I want to buy a truck next year for my business and under Section 179 of IRS tax code, can depreciate 100% of the vehicle cost if the truck/suv is over 6,000 lbs. I do plan on buying a truck to cart around materials to job sites such as windows, doors, appliances, etc. I am a BRRRR investor, not a flipper. + +&#x200B; + +My question is: the IRS tax code says that I cannot depreciate more than the net income of my business, essentially making a loss. My business runs at a loss due to depreciation currently and plan on buying 4 more properties next year therefore expecting another loss for 2020 year. How have you purchased a truck for your business in REI if you're running at a loss due to depreciation paper loss and not get audited buy the IRS? + +&#x200B; + +I haven't spoken with my CPA yet as I don't want to bother him with this question, but more so wanted to talk to other investors on how they've purchased vehicles through their business. The truck will be used only for business use as I have another car that I use as a commuter to my day job (which I hope to be able to retire from in the next 12-24months) + +&#x200B; + + [https://www.section179.org/section\_179\_deduction/](https://www.section179.org/section_179_deduction/) +I'm new to the real estate investment world (although I have owned a personal home) and I'm thinking of buying 1 br 1 ba rentals. What do you all think about such a strategy? Any pitfalls I should be aware of? + +EDIT 1: Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to respond. This is all great insight for me to take into account. For those of you who have asked, I'm in North Jersey and in some areas, 1 br are in demand, particularly from young pros that work in NYC. + + +My wife and I recently dabbled into our first hard money loan and I wanted to provide some feedback after everything was said and done. To be clear, we were the lender. + +My real estate agent/broker was the one who came to me about a project he was working on. He and his partner bought a distressed property and needed cash to fix it up. I will admit that I did not do a ton of due diligence on going rate for HML’s, as I was mainly interested in building a better relationship with my agent/broker. He does a ton of deals and knows a lot of people and I’m actively looking for ways to get in his inner circle. + +After all negotiating, we agreed on 12% interest, zero points, 12 month loan. The loan amount was a bit over $100k. Like clockwork, the interest checks came in every month. I fucking loved it. As someone who has a triplex and a townhouse as investment properties, it was the easiest money I ever made. No phone calls from tenants, no nothing. After the 12 months was up, I promptly received my initial investment back. + +My broker has already reached out to me about potentially doing another deal in the future. I’ve begun to plant the seed about future deals potentially doing a JV with him so I can get some equity in the investment, while also being the lender. + +My ultimate plan is to continue to do hml’s until the market softens a little bit, then back into investment properties. +And does it ever keep you up at night? Have you thought through a 2008 happening again and how have you prepared? + +Obviously not saying it will, just more as a thought exercise. +I have an opportunity to buy a studio apartment in Hoboken NJ from a family member , she is gonna charge me 245k, it’s in a building where someone owns 7 of the 8 units and rents out all of them and the building is pretty meh n not well kept due to the fact that it’s all renters , I work in Nyc so I feel like I’d live there for a few years and rent it out after. I currently have 125k in the bank and would be able to put 20% down. Thoughts? +Hi everyone, + +I have been scouring the internet for an answer to some basic questions about homeowners insurance vs landlord insurance. It is blowing my mind how vague the information is online about the difference between the two and what is required (especially by the insurance providers themselves). + +This is what I currently know: + +* Landlord insurance is not required by law +* Acts of God should be covered by homeowners (i.e. hail, fire, wind destroys my house) + +I currently have 2 rental properties in Arizona. My questions are as follows: + +* If my tenants do something drastic like burn down my house, blow up my house with their meth lab, etc will my homeowners insurance cover me? +* Would you recommend having landlord insurance? +* Do you have landlord insurance on your own properties? + +I don't need peace of mind or assistance for delinquent renters, I don't care about personal belongings in the house. I just need to make sure that the four walls of the house are covered in the event that it is damaged in a major way. + +Thanks in advance. +I have a condo in a city that I’ve grown to love but will likely be leaving in the next 1.5 years. It’s my first home and I’d plan to get into real estate investing but wanted to get some thoughts/different perspectives on my current situation instead of blindly jumping one way or another. + +RENTING: +I could rent for 1700 or more per month (1200 in equity/taxes). + +I’m not allowed to do <1 month rental per HOA rules. + +Very few other long term rentals are available and those that are rent for 2000 or more per month (I’m trying to be modest at 1700 when I make this decision because the currently market may not be a predictor of the future). + + +SELLING: +I could sell the property now and walk away with 180k cash after paying off the loan— I bought at 180k. + +I would invest the 180k in the stock market into a an ETF such as VTI which I’m very comfortable with. + + + +TL;DR +1) rent condo at a 1700ish a month which is ~ $500 per month above expenses. +2) sell condo and walk away w 180k cash. +I'm looking for something that the tenant pays for themselves and I'll get the results. Or something along those lines that is as easy as possible for both parties. Is there a unanimous decision for best tenant screening service? +I am looking to buy properties (SFR) in PA. I already have one in my own name. To transfer to an LLC will require me to pay transfer taxes again. So before I buy any more, I am trying to figure out if it's better to buy each property in an LLC or will a huge umbrella insurance policy cover me here? + +I know this topic has been beaten to death. But would love to hear any thoughts, if people have them, specifically tied to Pennsylvania real estate law. +EDIT: Thanks everybody for the responses. They were very helpful! + +I live in an affluent suburb of Atlanta. I've been thinking about getting into real-estate investing for the purposes of rental income. One of the ideas I've been tossing around is to rent the house I'm currently living in instead of selling it. It's an older 4 bedroom, but it's within walking distance to our bustling downtown area. I bought it for $186k with my mortgage being $1,100. Very similar houses are selling for $290 - 300k. 4bdrs around here are renting for between 2k - 2.6k/mo based on a quick Trulia search. **Why would anyone want to pay that much in rent when they could easily afford to own a house?** The only reason I could think of was to have room-mates to split it with. What are some other reasons? +First time investor. We have cash reserves for a 20% down payment on a 400-500k property. Plan is to use it as a weekly rental (AirBnB / VRBO) and a vacation home for 2-4 weeks a year. Im curious if people are able to find bargains now. When we looked last year, everything looked overpriced. + +EDIT: Thank you all for the good inputs. Definitely sounds like waiting a little longer and monitoring the market is the way to go. +They are cheap, and I have been thinking of adding some rentals outside of my city, in another state. I'm picking areas that are a short direct flight away. Condos seem like a good choice because a lot of the exterior maintenance is already taken care of. I see that there are alot of condos out there where I can make the 1% rule work. The biggest hit are those damn HOA fees. I'm also scared they can increase. Has anyone ever built a portfolio with Condos? What are the pros and cons? Is it an overall bad idea? My goal is to find a property out of state, that can cash flow $150-200 after everything. +There’s a turnkey I’m considering buying. The owner bought the vacant lot in the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods in town. The homes there are just as, if not less expensive than the luxury cars a lot of everyday Americans drive. It’s not a crime-ridden neighborhood, I don’t think...just *extremely* old and modest. + +The owner then built a modern (“luxury”?) home of similar, modest size to those in the area. But the home looks like it’s straight out of an HGTV catalog—exterior included. + +I purposely avoid rehabs and have considered putting an offer down for this home. I think I might be able to rent it out to a family who not only wants a nice place to stay but can also tolerate the bleak neighborhood. + +What exactly would be a good offer to put down, considered that the house is *several* times as expensive as the surrounding properties? +Title says it all. Is it foolish to not have a lawyer review the closing pack for a commercial property I am about to close on? + +For context the purchase is in Texas and uses the standard purchase contract. I am using a credit union to finance the purchase. Closing is tentatively scheduled for Monday and I am on track to receive the closing pack tomorrow and transfer the money as well. + +I have bought property before and never had a lawyer involved at closing since it was just single family. It seems crazy to not have one take a look since this a commercial loan instead of a refusal mortgage. I wanted to get some perspective from others. Any feedback would be appreciated. + + +This is going to be a long one, but I'll do my best to keep it as short as possible. + +We found this poor house built in the 1800s listed on Zillow through the MLS. [https://www.zillow.com/homes/for\_sale/1-\_beds/pricea\_sort/37.260938,-94.178582,36.908725,-94.769097\_rect/X1-SS8nn5p7wttjg51000000000\_8tgi0\_sse/1\_fr/213851087\_zpid/?utm\_source=email&utm\_medium=email&utm\_campaign=emo-instantsavedsearch&rtoken=434c6e62-e8f4-4013-a8c1-a0740989fd75\~X1-ZUypeitxkyajux\_9k5be&utm\_term=urn:msg:202003301347123b6150ac59d7d415&utm\_content=20200330-forsaleimage-PSS&3col=true](https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/1-_beds/pricea_sort/37.260938,-94.178582,36.908725,-94.769097_rect/X1-SS8nn5p7wttjg51000000000_8tgi0_sse/1_fr/213851087_zpid/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=emo-instantsavedsearch&rtoken=434c6e62-e8f4-4013-a8c1-a0740989fd75~X1-ZUypeitxkyajux_9k5be&utm_term=urn:msg:202003301347123b6150ac59d7d415&utm_content=20200330-forsaleimage-PSS&3col=true) + +It was originally listed at $45k, and had gone under contract, but that deal fell through and it was relisted. The listing price quickly dropped to $40K in the first couple of days after coming back on. When it was listed for the first time, I went to check it out. This is one of the most unusual situations I've seen....the original houses were two completely separate SFHs. But somewhere along the line, someone built a "walkway" for lack of a better word between the two houses, connecting them. They then had the land re plotted as a single plot. It wouldn't take much to remove the walkway, but the problem is that the houses would not conform to current code on distance between houses (12 ft.) if we ever wanted to restore them to two separate properties. The side effect is that by having them considered a single property, we'll save a little on taxes. (taxes for the houses in 2019 were about $850 for the year). The large house is about 4500 sq. ft. total. The listing has it wrong as it didn't include the other house or the upstairs of the main house. The upstairs is currently down to studs and lacking anything other than the basic wall layout. + +The smaller house is about 1600 sq. ft. and is a 3 bed, 1 bath. The plan is to finish the smaller house first, and get it rented for about $750 a month. We'll be doing our normal renovations of upgrading the house cosmetically. We can save the original turn of the century hardwood floors. We'll change out all the fixtures, repaint everything inside and out, redo the kitchen entirely, do many small repairs and fixes, etc. We could finish out the attic, but we didn't feel that was a good investment at this time. We expect to spend about $7500 on this house, and it should be finished and rented within a month. + +The main house, as you can see in the pictures, is mostly raw drywall or down to the studs. When we finish, it will be 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms. 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms upstairs, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms downstairs. The downstairs will also have a large great room with fireplace, a very large formal dining room, a bonus sitting room with fireplace, and a large kitchen with a utility room off it. The work to be done on this side is too extensive to go over fully...but we'll redeck and reroof it, replumb it, rewire it, repair the existing "master" bathroom upstairs, add a second bathroom upstairs, restore and repair the original layout of the stairs, and of course all the usual cosmetic upgrades We are going to scrape, repair and repaint the wood siding to keep things as authentic on the exterior as possible. We have a budget of about $40K for this house. We expect to get a minimum of $1300 in rent. That makes our total project cost $25k purchase, $7500 reno for the smaller house, $40,000 for the larger house for a total of $72,500. We have an extra $2500 for any overages or to possibly upgrade the garages (there are 2 garages currently on the property) if we are under budget. So we've set a total project cost of $75K. Rent will be a minimum of $2050 per month, which will bring us in just under 3% monthly return. If we can keep reno cost down or get slightly more in rent, we will hit 3%. We expect the project to be completed about 3 months from now. + +Whew! Got through all that. This one took extensive discussion with my team to figure out what our projected costs were going to be since we are basically rebuilding the larger house from the ground up while trying to maintain as much of the historical features as possible. I didn't go into all that because it is already way too long. Feel free to ask any questions. +I'm learning about the stock market and I'm no where near ever trading anything at the moment. But I was wondering is their some program which I can practice my investing? Like say I give myself a million dollars and then distribute it to the stocks I want on a sort of mock stock which is exactly based on the real life stock market to see my returns. I've searched but all I find are games, while I'm looking for an actual program. +I was just listening to a podcast with an investment advisor who said that he and his clients are all long equities and they have stop loss orders placed in case of a crash. As the market goes up they raise their stop price. + +However, I was wondering how this would work if the market is closed, or if the circuit breakers kick in, and when the market re-opens the prices are all well below their limit/stop price. + +For example, lets say the Dow closes at 36,000 and some terrible news event occurs overnight there might be no way people would be able to exit their positions at 36,000. They wlll have to sell after the market opens right? And the market wil open much lower than 36,000. + +Also, if word gets out that certain investors were able to sell, while retail investors were unable to get their orders filled this could lead to a full scale revolt. + +Is this concern legitimate, or are their controls in place to prevent retail investors from getting hosed while the well connected all exit their long positions? +**Industry Overview** + +Domino’s competes in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) pizza industry with various competitors. The U.S. market is estimated to be \~$37.8bn and steadily growing. This is the second-largest category in the broader $279bn QSR market. The QSR pizza industry is primarily comprised of delivery, dine-in, and carryout. Unsurprisingly carryout and delivery are the two largest segments. + +Domino’s is the leading market share leader for U.S. pizza delivery and the second-largest market share for carryout. The four industry leaders, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s Pizza, Domino’s, and Little Caesars Pizza account for 61% of the U.S. pizza delivery market and 51% of the carryout market. + +The international pizza market is more underdeveloped than the United States. Domino’s is one of three companies with a global presence. + +**Business Overview** + +Domino’s was founded in 1960 by two brothers. The two brothers initially focused on opening stores near college campuses and military bases. Fast forward almost three decades and Bain Capital buys 93% of the business in 1998. A few years later, Bain proceeds to IPO Domino’s in 2004, and it’s been a public company ever since. + +Domino’s has three different revenue segments: + +* U.S. Stores +* International Franchises +* Supply Chain + +We’ll dig into these different business lines and how they all work. + +**U.S. Stores** + +U.S. stores consist of both company-owned stores and franchised stores. Roughly 6% of all U.S. stores are company-owned. These stores are typically used for testing sites for new innovation as well as training and developing future talent. + +There are more than 6,100 U.S. stores, with \~340 stores being company-owned and \~5,800 being franchisees. The \~5,800 franchised stores are operated by 777 U.S. franchisees. These franchisees are able to benefit from Domino’s brand image with a low capital investment. The largest U.S franchisee operates more than 176 locations. + +Domino’s has a rigorous process for U.S. franchisees. Those interested in being a franchisee must manage a store for at least a year and graduate from its franchise management school program. This is successful as there is a 99% franchise agreement renewal rate. Franchisees must pay a 5.5% royalty fee on sales and certain technology fees. + +Stores must also contribute 6% of sales to fund national marketing and advertising campaigns. These contributions go into Domino’s National Advertising Fund, which is a not-for-profit advertising subsidiary of Domino’s. + +**International Franchises** + +Domino’s has more than 10,894 international franchises in more than 90 markets. The main source of revenue from these stores is royalty payments. Domino’s top ten international markets account for 63% of international stores. + +Domino’s grants franchisees exclusive rights to develop and sub-franchise stores and the right to operate supply chain centers in particular geographic regions. This means they can create their own Domino’s in international markets. They control the franchisee options, the supply chain centers, and other decisions. These franchisees pay an initial one-time franchise fee and a fee upon the opening of each additional store. The master franchisee pays a continuous 3.0% royalty fee on sales, + +**Supply Chain** + +Domino’s operates 19 dough manufacturing and food supply chain centers, 1 thin crust manufacturing center, 1 vegetable processing center, and 1 center providing equipment and supplies to U.S. and some international stores. The management team is continuously looking to expand and build more centers. + +Domino’s sells food and supplies to more than 6,600 stores. Domino’s believes that franchisees buy directly from them due to cost savings, efficiencies, quality offerings, and consistency. Franchisees also benefit from profit-sharing arrangements with supply chain centers. This program offers participating franchisees 50% of its regional supply chain center’s pre-tax profits. + +**Total Addressable Market** + +The global QSR pizza market is already well established with the biggest opportunity being in expanding in international markets and same-store sales growth in more established markets such as the U.S. One of my main concerns is just how big the pizza market can be. I feel as though the pizza market is already well-established, but Domino’s talks about their fortressing strategy which is adding more Domino’s stores within one area to improve on delivery times, customer service, and cost efficiencies (cheaper to deliver pizza the closer the customer), and other important areas. + +**Competitive Advantages** + +1. **Brand**Domino’s is one of the strongest brands in the world. They benefit from brand recognition almost anywhere you go in the United States and I’d bet it’d be similar in some foreign countries. There are definitely some die-hard Domino’s fans and then there’s also your local pizza restaurants that arguably have better pizza than Domino’s but these companies can’t compete on price. Basically, when ordering from Domino’s you know what you’re getting. +2. **Scale**Since Domino’s is the largest pizza company, it’s able to benefit from economies of scale through purchasing power over suppliers, can test changes on a small scale, and then roll these features out globally. Scale also gives Domino’s the benefit of operating leverage. As the international franchise store count grows, Domino’s will collect royalty fees that do not require extensive operating margins so operating margins grow slower than international royalty fees giving Domino’s operating leverage for this segment of the business. The same can be said for US stores that are not company-owned. + +**Financials** + +Domino’s breaks down revenue into U.S. stores which include company-owned stores, franchise stores, U.S. franchise advertising, then supply chain, and international franchise royalties and fees. Other important financial numbers are global retail sales growth, same-store sales growth, and total store count. These numbers are all listed below. + +**2019:** + +* Total revenue = \~$3.6bn +* U.S. Store revenue = \~$1.3bn +* Supply chain = \~$2.1bn +* International franchise royalties and fees = $0.2bn +* EBIT (Operating income) = \~$0.6bn +* EBIT margin = 16.6% +* Global retail sales growth = 8.0% +* Total store count = 17,020 +* U.S. stores = 6,126 +* International stores = 10,894 + +**2018:** + +* Total revenue = \~$3.4bn +* U.S. Store revenue = \~$1.3bn +* Supply chain = \~$2.0bn +* International franchise royalties and fees = $0.2bn +* EBIT (Operating income) = \~$0.6bn +* EBIT margin = 16.6% +* Global retail sales growth = 10.8% +* Total store count = 15,914 +* U.S. stores = 5,876 +* International stores = 10,038 + +**2017:** + +* Total revenue = \~$2.7bn +* U.S. Store revenue = \~$0.8bn (but did not include advertising revenue) +* Supply chain = \~$1.7bn +* International franchise royalties and fees = $0.2bn +* EBIT (Operating income) = \~$0.5bn +* EBIT margin = 16.6% +* Global retail sales growth = 13.0% +* Total store count = 14,856 +* U.S. stores = 5,587 +* International stores = 9,269 + +**What’s Interesting** + +Domino’s has outperformed Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and many other companies since it’s IPO in 2004. This isn’t random. Domino’s has been able to build a brand and continue to expand in the U.S. and internationally while rewarding shareholders. + +Domino’s has a share repurchase program and also dolls out dividends each year. This combined with revenue and net income growth is a good recipe for any successful company. + +Domino’s also seems to be the original cloud kitchen model. Many of its stores do not include seating which would increase capital expenditures. The majority of Domino’s business is carryout or delivery. + +**Future Questions** + +1. **How long is Domino’s runway?** Domino’s is already a mature company with more than 17,000 stores worldwide. Future growth will come from cost efficiencies and some store openings, but I feel like it’d be hard for Domino’s to make a case that store count can double worldwide because of how many stores are already in existence. International store count can probably double at some point in time, but going from even \~11,000 international stores to \~22,000 will be a big challenge. The good part is that royalties and other fees associated with international franchises are basically pure profit since international franchises are operated by a master franchisee that takes care of all the headaches in foreign countries. Through operating leverage, if the international franchise store count doubles, then the profit will more than double. Domino’s only has a market cap of \~$15bn meanwhile companies like McDonald’s have a market cap of \~$150bn. Domino’s definitely has room to expand, so if I were to do a deep dive on Domino’s I’d have to answer the question of how many stores can Domino’s operate throughout the world. +2. **What effect does Uber, Grubhub, DoorDash, and the food delivery market have on pizza delivery and carryout?** In the past, carryout and delivery were typically done by pizza companies. These companies often don’t have any seating in their stores and therefore benefit by having less capital tied up in stores rather than inventory, buying back shares, or paying dividends. Families, college students, and professionals would order a pizza rather than ordering a bunch of different food from a Chinese restaurant or whatever other food option there is available. How does the new wave of food delivery companies impact pizza’s delivery and carryout appeal? Do families increasingly order from somewhere else instead of the pastime of fresh pizza delivery? Are the costs of ordering from Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash too expensive for a typical family of 4? Does the cheap cost of pizza relative to other options give Domino’s and its pizza staying power in this new age of food delivery? + +**Conclusion** + +Domino’s is an interesting company that I’d have to put in the more mature bucket. It’d be interesting to figure out if food delivery is a net positive or net negative for Domino’s and other pizza companies. Domino’s has historically been a great investment for hopefully many people, but it might be too late for me. Domino’s is already at the stage of giving out dividends to its shareholder base and that’s not what I’m personally looking for. I’m a young investor so I’m looking for growth and I’m not worried about short-term volatility in the pursuit of long-term gains. + +**Fun Facts** + +There are international Domino’s franchises that are public companies. Not all of these companies are specific to Domino’s and these firms often combine various franchises into one holding company. But here’s a shortlist: + +* ASX: DMP - Domino’s Pizza Enterprises +* BMV: ALSEA - Alsea +* L: DOM - Domino’s Pizza Group +* L: DPEU - DP Eurasia +* NS: JUBLFOOD - Jubilant Foodworks + +Domino’s has very different food options depending on local customs. Some of these were highlighted throughout Domino’s 10-K such as the Mayo Jaga in Japan (bacon, potatoes, and sweet mayonnaise), the Saumoneta in France (light cream, potatoes, onions, smoked salmon, and dill), and some others. I thought these were funny and it’s always interesting to learn more about different customs in foreign markets. + +If you want more updates visit [Weekly10K.substack.com](https://weekly10k.substack.com/). If you made it this far, I appreciate you! +I bought 4 tsla at $232, it is my first and only individual stock I've ever purchased. Only ever put money in my targeted retirement. With tsla jump to $420 I feel Like I hit the jackpot (funny $$ to most you guys probably). Obviously no one knows for sure what it will do but I feel like the smartest thing to do is just cash out while it's high. Thoughts? Regrets from your beginnings? + +Hi everyone! + +I have always enjoyed learning more about the stock market. It is an interesting subject. Since last month I’m facing a dilemma that I can’t solve and for that reason, I’m writing this post hoping to understand other perspectives. + +I turned 18 at the beginning of this year and about 6 months ago, I bought some stocks that I thought were nice picks for the next 3-5 years. The problem is that I no longer see a good future for 3 of these companies (or at least not as good as other companies) and they also took a hit of around 20%. + +My dilemma is: +1. Keep the positions open and sell when they break even or wait longer and profit +2. Close the positions I don’t like and DCA on the ones that I prefer, open new ones, or wait for more opportunities + +If I chose nr.1, on one hand, there is the risk of the stock going down but on the other hand, there is also the chance to make money (I know that the same thing can happen if I sell this and buy different stocks). + +The nr.2 for me is more appealing but as I don’t know the future, I can miss the chance of making money if the companies that I don’t like so much turn to be the big winners. + +What would you do in a similar situation? (And why, if possible) Any other suggestions that differ from nr.1 and nr.2? + +Thanks in advance +I'm always fascinated by the difference in house prices just by locations. I'm especially interested in the price of rural houses and seeing what Sydney/ Melbourne dwellers think of the prices. I'm convinced that they have just gotten used to the ridiculously high prices and don't realise how cheap the rest of Australia can be. +I was reading [this](https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/cameronkeng/2014/06/22/employees-that-stay-in-companies-longer-than-2-years-get-paid-50-less/amp/) and heard people say that you should move jobs every few years. Is this true for Australia? I have a pretty good job and have asked for a raise but I'm wondering if it'd be better to just leave after a few years. + +EDIT: I work for a government school in admin and get about $63.5k on an ongoing contract. Was rejected for a raise a couple of weeks ago that most of my colleagues think I should have gotten (I'm a bit bitter). +The recent issues with the Mascot building in Sydney got me thinking: what is the realistic Lifetime of an apartment building if your investing or owner-occupying? + +Clearly it isn't forever, but I have no frame of reference for how long they 'should' last (Cleary longer than ten years). + +I guess most buildings would be redeveloped or knocked down eventually. I would think you'd be bought out if that did happen, but here again I'm not sure. +I think down, with a rebound once Scomo announces potential new stimulus plans/income supplementation but down by end of the week. I think stage 4 lockdown will come by the end of next weekend. +A bit of a favourite topic around here, and one of mine also. I am a construction management student doing a final research project on apartment defects. I was originally drawn to this issue by the attention of Opal and Mascot Towers and the flammable cladding saga and have been going through the myriad of government, private reports and news articles on issues in the building industry since. If anyone has 5 minutes to spend to share their experience dealing with (or trying unsuccessfully to deal with) any defect or issue in an apartment theyve lived in please share it with me. [https://forms.gle/KYC1uGWEF8hu4bAe7](https://forms.gle/KYC1uGWEF8hu4bAe7). Ive made it as short as possible and no personal details needed. + +&#x200B; + +Also I know there are some industry professionals here, as well as tenants, landlords. Any anecdotes around apartment defects I would love to hear. I have read through all the threads on it here and its given me a lot of insight. +Seems to be a hot topic these days for many, signing up to credit cards offering 80k-100k bonus frequent flyer points if you sign up and spend $2-$3k in the first few months. + +What’s the general consensus on these, if a person uses the cards just enough to earn the points and then doesn’t use it for the rest of the year, are they getting a good deal or are their unforeseen costs. + +Understand the banks are hoping the cards are a gateway to more spending, but can customers use this to their advantage? +Details can be found here: + +https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/queensland-tax-grab-will-reduce-house-prices-and-increase-rents-20220905-p5bfdx + +Can someone more educated than me break down the nuances of this new proposal? + +My initial thoughts are it’s largely positive, where interstate investors will no longer be able to skirt under the states various tax free thresholds (NSW is 820K, VIC is 300k, NT doesn’t have a land tax, etc) or pay lower taxes despite having large $ portfolios. + +The article does seem to raise credible issues about crediting different states and territories rather than the QLD government. + +Thoughts? +Anecdotally i've had friends who are moving out of their place in inner west sydney. Newish apartment in a great location with a car spot. When they moved in there were lines to inspect this place, and rent was $150 more expensive per week. Now they've had 2 inspections with 0 people attending. The REA said of the 4 properties he's show, only 2 people have shown up in total. + +Not to mention rental prices are plummeting from what I can see. New apartments in similar areas are going for 700-800$ for 2bedders with a car spot, pre pandemic i'd have thought theyd be closer to 950. + +However when you look at sales data it hardly seen a dip, albeit with low volumes. + +With migration effectively capped and not going to explode back to original levels any time soon, hard to see when rent will recover. + +What gives or is it all pegged back to interest rates being so low landlords can afford the financial hit? +Right before the pandemic my gym membership was up for renewal and over the phone with the manager I paid $800 upfront for a 1 year and received a tax receipt. + +I was to come into sign the contract before starting to go the gym again. + +Fast forward to today I requested a refund as I no longer wish to attend and because I was yet to sign the contract. The gym responded with the below: + +“From reading the thread below it seems that there was a written agreement in your renewal, but in orer to cancel I will need you to supply a specialist certificate stating reason why you cannot attend the gym” + +I was never presented with an contract ask to agree to any terms. + +What are my rights to request a straight refund without following their requests for a “specialist” certificate. + +Gym is Anytime fitness, I found their membership agreement on their website https://www.anytimefitness.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/anytime_fitness_membership_agreement_all_states.pdf +So I recently got a card that offers 3% cash back as a statement credit towards the next month's credit card bill. I was thinking of using it to pay nearly all my monthly expenses (\~ $1800/mo) to get the statement credit, *and then pay the card off* *completely before its due.* My credit is pretty good, and even if I used the card for everything and then paid it off, I wouldn't be anywhere near my credit limit ($9K). Would this be a good idea, or would I damage my credit score? Have any of you guys tried this? +First time renting out my property and am stressed how to make sure I am proceeding with desired caution. + +Is there any way I can screen the tenants? I did get verbal confirmation from potential tenants for running a background and credit check but I am not sure which service to use in order to run the checks? I read online guides which state I should get explicit written consent from them to run these checks which I can so that is not a problem. + +There are also other interested tenants but they are 6 students. The property is in Surrey BC but I cannot find out if there is a bylaw restriction on the maximum number of unrelated tenants I can have. + +Any help/guidance will be much appreciated! + +**Update:** Firstly, thanks to everyone who responded, it has been very helpful. After I googled for a bit and per suggestions from a few redditors, I went with naborly. +I don't really trust the 'AI' part of Naborly but I think it's a great service specially as its free. I was able to screen out the lead candidate since that person had 2 outstanding collections for cell phone bills while he claimed to have an income of $100K+ as a construction worker. I got a free credit check thanks to the service so I am pretty happy. +I have updated my rental listing to indicate I will screen candidates using naborly after this. +Hello, +My friend explained his current set up and im concerned he is short selling himself. +He makes 150k salary (nothing to fix here). His wife has a corporation that does around 100k annually, likely to keep increasing. She currently only pays herself the basic personal amount to avoid any tax any they inves the rest inside the corporation. +Wouldnt it make far more sense for his wife to pay herself? Corporate rate is 50% on cap gains if i understand correctly. She has all her tfsa room empty and his tfsa is not full either. +Even once the tfsa is full, i believe she could take a canadian eligible dividend up to 50k no? + +Thank you + +Edit: they invest the profit in securities inside the corp. It is a service based corp, no room for expansion. The base of my question is: invest in corp vs invest in tfsa/ rrsp for someone who has no other additional income. +Hi anyone aware of REIT's / other listed companies which have highest exposure to Alberta,SK. I have been looking for REITs but most of them have majority of their assets in the overheated markets in GTA, Vancouver etc. In the US , there are REITs that provide you a clean exposure to the sun belt, I am trying my luck to find out if there are such REITs in Canada which can give me a similar exposure +Hey All, + +I met an agent today and he told me about a scheme. Please throw some light on this with regards to what you think about it: + +Get a $100,000 Investment Loan from Manulife at 3.2% interest (agent will charge $1000 as processing fee) + +Use the $100,000 to buy Segregated Funds offered by Manulife + +The rate of return for these funds is ~10-12% + +So the calculation will look something like this. + +Year1: Interest Payments: $3200 Interest Earned: $10,000 (subject to market) + +Year2: Interest Payments: $3200 Interest Earned: $11,000 (subject to market) + +Year3: Interest Payments: $3200 Interest Earned: $12,100 (subject to market) + +And so on.. + +He also mentioned that the yearly interest payments can be tax exempt (not sure how and would look to someone to confirm). + +As per him, there is no monthly fee or hidden charges at all. Also, he showed me many of his customers account and they all seemed genuine. + +Is this too good to be true? Or is it pretty regular? + +I know Segregated Funds are subject to Market Risks but most good mutual funds have a CAGR of 10-15% over last decade so this looks like a fair deal. + +Thoughts? Recommendations? Warnings? +Hello and thanks to all for their time; + +Stupid question maybe, but why should I buy more than 2-3 super high paying and incredibly stable stocks that consistently deliver top dividend payouts? I understand the need to diversify Growth stock, but why not just select like, the top 3 Dividends Kings in Canada and put all my DRIP money in there? Everywhere I read its diversify diversify diversify, but I don't understand it for Dividend payouts. Why is there even a contest? Enbridge for exemple provides top dividend payouts all the time, since forever, so why not put most of my eggs with them? What is the risk? +I'm relatively new to investing and this recent downturn has been quite a new experience for me. + +I'm almost 30 years old so I have a long investment time horizon which certainly helps me keep things in perspective but I'll admit several consecutive days in the red dampers my motivation. + +What strategies/sourcies/insight do you have for a newer and younger investor to brave the storm of down markets ? +The lawsuit was dismissed but lawyers for the plaintiffs appealed the decision on July 8th iirc. The judge is the case said if she had ruled that the plaintiffs had won the case she would have set damages at $1.1 to $4.3 Billion USD. That's $1.39-$5.44 Billion CAD. As per their latest filing TD has $5.931 Billion in Cash. I have an RDSP with TD worth about $46.5k with total cash, stocks and cash coming to me through RDSP grants and bonds. What are peoples' thoughts on TD if they lose the appeal and have to pay? Would they be in any danger of going under? I don't know anything about the inners working of complex transactions on a bank balance sheet like the derivatives or non trading financials assets at fair value through profit or loss etc but TD has over $58 Billion CAD of those two categories on their balance sheet alone. I know about CDIC rules for bank failure but not too familiar with those rules and RDSPs. I'm not too worried at all just thought I'd ask for others' opinions. +Hi all - I'm new to the investment world and don't really have a big pool of cash to work with. + +I want to invest in stocks that pay frequent dividends (monthly), that are also low cost so I can purchase multiple and thus minimize my commission charges per share, or adjusted cost base (if that's the right term, please correct me). + +I trade on questrade and don't want to deal with FOREX so I'd like to stay within the TSX. + +I also have very limited knowledge on finance/stocks. I know you need to purchase before the ex-dividend date to receive the dividend. I also know that once dividends are paid, the stock price typically drops by the same amount. Thus what is the best time in a monthly cycle to purchase a stock that pays monthly dividend. + +Thanks and please correct me where I'm wrong, always learning +Toyota Motor on Tuesday said it expects profit to drop 80% to its lowest in nine years, as Japan’s biggest automaker grapples with the impact of the novel coronavirus which has sapped global demand for vehicles. + +Global automakers have begun to gradually resume operations factories after curbs on public movement prevented workers in many countries from commuting. But they face weak demand as job losses and concern about an economic downturn weigh on consumer spending. + +“The coronavirus has dealt us a bigger shock than the 2008 global financial crisis,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda said at a live-streamed media briefing. + +“We anticipate a big drop in sales volumes, but despite that, we are expecting to remain in the black. We hope to become a leader of the country’s economic recovery.” + +Toyota forecast an operating profit of 500 billion yen ($4.66 billion) for the year through March 2021, down 80% from 2.44 trillion yen in the year just ended. That would be its weakest profit since the 2011/12 financial year. + +[link](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/12/toyota-expects-profit-to-drop-80percent-this-year-as-virus-saps-car-sales.html) +Why are they only in china? Says they are making progress but i see no real proof. No company advertising its partnership or government. No evidence on the technology helping or being used. Am i missing something? I have alot of vet but ive grown skeptical. And everytime i listen to vechain speak publicly its that guy with a bad accent and he dosnt seem to have many answers or hardly a clue. Such a good opportunity why is it being ran so poorly? It seems atleast from my perspective. Not trying to hate this is genuine. I have lots. Thanks for the thoughts guys +I've seen some comments discussing DFV's latest tweet, but as someones who's watched the film referenced in the tweet (Inception) several times, I feel like I've got a solid interpretation ready (correct me if I'm wrong though!) to share. + + +The GIF shows a short scene, where Leo tasks Ariadne (played by Elliot (Waves) Page) to draw a labyrinth within two minutes, which he can't solve within one minute. This is her test before she gets the job which is described by him as "not, strictly speaking, legal.". The job is to infiltrate a dream of their target, which she then has to design to make it next to impossible to escape (a maze). While being trapped in the dream maze, they can rob the dreamer. So how is this connected to apes and bananas? + + +# Let's define the roles in "Stonkception": + +**Dreamers:** That's us. We dream of going to the moon and buying lambos. + + +**Guys doing stuff that is, strictly speaking, not legal:** Hedgies, maybe even the DTCC. + + +**Hedgies and other players are designing the maze to make it impossible for us/the price to break out in borderline illegal ways (hiding FTDs, excessive shorting etc.). Just like Ariadne does when drawing the labyrinth, they are finding ways to buy time!** + + +# Are we doomed then and trapped within our dreams? + +**It seems like DFV doesn't think so!** The maze drawn in the original scene is circular, just like the power button/logo in the GIF. In a circular maze, you break out by drawing a line through the opening of the outer shell. That is what we are doing right now according to DFV's tweet! **We are breaking out of the rigged, illegal game! 🚀🚀🚀** + + +If I missed anything or anything's wrong with my interpretation, let me know! +I am newer to investing and I would have to say I’m very picky about what I invest in compared to my friends. I am very big about the the ethical side of it too. So I try to stay away from company’s in the oil & gas industry like Exxon Mobil for example. A lot of people tell me that that’s dumb and me not investing in them won’t change anything but for me it makes me feel better I guess? What do you guys think? +Just when investors were breathing a sigh of relief that the trade war with Canada and Mexico was over because the metals tariffs were eliminated, President Trump tweeted that America will put a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports starting on June 10th. That rate will rise 5% per month until October 1st when it reaches 25%. Trump is using this threat to get his way on immigration as he wants Mexico to stop illegal migrants from passing through Mexico and into America. It’s debatable if this new tariff is legal because tariffs are supposed to be done for economic reasons. The NY Times stated this will face “serious legal challenges.” However, the damage has already been done because uncertainty has increased which will hurt businesses’ ability to plan for the future. They are like a deer in headlights. + +There appeared to be an opening for Trump to give in to China because he is facing an election in 17 months, the stock market is falling, and the economy is weakening. However, with this latest action, it doesn’t look like he’s ready to give an inch. As you can see from the chart below, in Q1 America’s imports from China fell $17.14 billion which was a 14% year over year decline. + +[Trade Shift](https://i.imgur.com/iQ48cwJ.jpg) + +That decline in imports was made up for by other emerging markets. Imports from Vietnam, South Korea, and India were up 40%, 18% and 15%. As you can see, in nominal dollars, Mexico was the biggest beneficiary of this shift. It will be interesting to see how trade shifts if the trade war with Mexico ratchets up in the coming months. + +[Best Leading Indicator For GDP Growth?](https://upfina.com/best-leading-indicator-for-gdp-growth/) +Hi all + +&#x200B; + +I received an offer letter that had an offer that was slightly (1.5 k) lower than the salary range I quoted (and they verbally expressed they could match during the interview). Wanted to get some perspective from a hiring manager's POV; #1 Why would someone undercut the salary range by a very small margin? #2 Would someone fighting over a small 1.5k look petty? #3 Am I positioning myself as a pushover if I just accept it without question? + +&#x200B; + +Thanks for any feedback! +TL;DR below if you scroll. + +Just stick to it, you said. It will make perfect sense at some point, you said. Try not to overspend your budget categories, you said. It's okay to make mistakes, you said. + +I started the new year on a mission to fix my budget once and for all. I've tried so many things over the last 20 years or so. Extensive spreadsheets, envelopes, others I can't remember at the moment. + +I was gifted a key for [YNAB](http://youneedabudget.com) by a generous redditor and began. It was very difficult to see every dollar "spent". It made me nervous and skeptical. Sure, each dollar was assigned to a noble task, but was it the right task for the week or month? Don't worry, you said. Just stick to it as close as possible, you said. + +I woke up Sunday morning at the beginning of the second month of my journey and opened YNAB. What's this? I'm a week from payday, New bills are on their way, and I have money for them? What about January? Nevermind, that's the past. My credit balances have stayed where I paid them down to? I had actually forgotten about my credit balances and their spending availability. Twenty. One. YEARS. That has never happened since I've had credit balances of any kind. + +It hit me all at once. If the "click" was audible, it would have woken the entire neighborhood. It works. I'll take another glass of koolaid please. I still have debt, but this is only the beginning. And today I possess confidence and shed worry. + +Thank you all. Without even knowing, every one of you have helped with your comments and posts in this sub. I'm not active in this sub, but I pay attention. Thanks again. + + +TL;DR - I committed to YNAB with your help, and it worked. When it clicked it was deafening, silencing my fears and anxieties. I have a long journey, but for the first time in over a decade I can see the destination on my map. + +Edit: Well, this got pretty sizeable with great info to and from everyone. Nearly every question someone asked is being responded to with what I probably would have said if you hadn't beaten me to it. You guys are simply chock full of badassery. Nicely done. I'm a fan. + +Edit 2: [Link](http://youneedabudget.com) +You HODL, you win. + +Period, end of mother fucking story. + +The flood of new posters was immediately sus to me, but this really takes the mother fucking cake, so I'm back with another one of "those" posts. + +I know plenty of yall are like me and are completely unphased by this. Personally, my rage phase has hit a new high. But I know some people are also scared, so allow me to reassure you by saying again. + +YOU HODL, YOU WIN. + +People love to correct me when I say you've already won, but I'm tired of being polite. They're wrong, and they're fuckin stupid. This was IRONCLAD months ago. If there was a way out, they would've taken it well before we were all frothing at the mouth with anger over their fuckery. THERE. IS. NO. WAY. OUT. The ONLY thing they can do is kick the can, and as you know, it costs us nothing. And we're sure as shit not gonna let a few fucking nobodies torch our hope for a better world, one where our families aren't starving to death in the streets. Gamestop has laid out the plan and they're following it to the T. You have absolutely nothing to fear. + + +/u/jsmar18 told me to lay low and be content to just lurk. But this is a bridge too far, so I'll let the only mod I still have an IOTA of fucking trust or respect for verify that this is me. + + +BTW: mod Badtothebone came into DD chat earlier with a couple absolutely trash FUD theories that wouldn't fool my 3 year old niece. After a long hiatus. Pitchfork-wielders, I'd start with him. Let's get this FUCKING bread. + +Deuces. +Hi everyone, I am an international student from Turkey in University of Glasgow, currently my yearly tuition is 18.000 quid while I am limited on 20 hours per week of work. I do work in the uni library for 11 quid an hour which helps me to pay for my rent and food but nothing else. In the start of this year my mom got arrested for political reasons due to that my dad is unavailable to pay for my tuition also my country is going’s through hyperinflation. What should I do ? I know I cant take a student loan in this country while I am already a payment behind what the hell am I supposed to do? +This is primarily aimed at older Redditors who have the experience and maybe have been through something similar. + +I'm 28 now, nearly 29. Always been able to make great budgets, make money.. but never really been able to save. + +Whenever I get disposable income I've spent it, be it on things I don't need but wanted to make life enjoyable. As such I now have minimum savings for a deposit, etc etc. I think this comes from a deeply rooted fear of death itself and that I could die any day, so don't want to not enjoy my time while I'm here. + +My question to you is how do you mentally make peace gambling that you'll live to an age old enough to enjoy money and the savings you've made? + +I know there's a balance to be found where you can half enjoy half save but mentally how do you come to peace with that? + +I realise there are probably a tonne of books and websites for this kind of thing but thought I'd start my search for help with my finances here from real people without an agenda to sell. +Okay, so im 25 just got made redundant was previously on £25000 a year, have £8000 in CC debt and own a house with a mortgage with my gf. Only qualification I have are my 9 A-C GCSE's. Really don't know what to do as I've been struggling with money on my current salary, taking a cut which it's a definite as I don't possess any qualifications is going to be tough. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. +I've seen a lot of posts today about whether we have entered a bear market or not, so I wanted to share with you why I'm convinced at least for now that we are still in a bull market and this is just a corrective phase before at least another push to a new ATH. I'll break down my argument into 2 parts, macroeconomic landscape (wider economic landscape) and onchain data (data specific to bitcoin/crypto). + +# Macro indicators + +Macro risk appetite affects crypto. In a *risk off* environment all players tend to seek refuge in cash or liquidity. In a *risk on* environment players perceive an infusion of fresh liquidity in the markets and as result resort to speculation to make sure they capture as much as possible of this new liquidity entering markets. + +An analogy I like in this sense is that of an oasis in the middle of the desert. In every oasis there is a water pool and life flourishes around it. You can imagine how important this pool is, without it life in the desert would be impossible. Financial markets are organized in a similar fashion when it comes to liquidity. No matter how much an economy grows, liquidity will always be limited and it's something all players keep an eye on, just like the inhabitants of an oasis. Let's say now there is a huge block of buildings in the oasis inhabited by wealthy individuals who also happen to be the only ones to have an internet connection or access to geothermic data on the predicted inflows of water. So what happens when this group of people learns that inflows of water are about to stop for whatever reason? Automatically they will start pulling more water from the main pool than they actually need (without having access to the information the rich people have), as they prepare for a dry season. The others around them will start noticing this, maybe they will notice the water pumps, and as result of this slowly everyone will start pulling more water from the pool than they actually need until dry season eventually comes. When it comes to liquidity in markets, something similar happens at the end of a bull cycle. The biggest players such as pension funds or huge hedge funds that have access to very good information, are the first ones to start pulling liquidity out of circulation. Once big players start pulling money out, considering the amount of assets they sell (the equivalent of water pumps in the desert, are assets being dumped at markets), they initiate a rush to liquidity that slowly propagates to the rest of the economy. Important here that most other players do not have access to any of the information of these big funds, however they react just like people in the desert react when they see a big block of flats is suddenly pulling water out to build up water reserves. + +So what indicators can we look at to determine whether big players anticipate tightening market conditions or not? US treasuries and corporate bonds are the gold standard in this sense. So when we want to see whether anything is changing in the attitude of *whales* (not crypto whales, real market whales) we go looking for the yields of US treasuries. In fact when whales foresee a liquidity crunch they expect much higher returns on their capital, therefore the interest rate of treasuries goes up. When whales foresee that there will be plenty of liquidity in the markets then dynamics change, there is competition over who lends the money at the lowest interest rates and therefore treasuries go down. + +[**If we look at 10YUS treasuries**](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/US10Y)**, after spiking to 1.7% in May, yields have kept going down and are currently at a 2 month low of 1.46%. Therefore treasuries suggest the markets are risk on (which is good for crypto).** + +&#x200B; + +[Low risk corporate bond prices](https://preview.redd.it/tge40c9f4x671.png?width=1635&format=png&auto=webp&s=5cf8773cbb09802fbf18a0a90d40f42f782e7b6b) + +The next thing I look at are low risk corporate bonds, similar to treasuries where people lend money to the US Government, with low risk Corporate bonds people lend money to big, blue chip corporations that have a solid track record and are perceived as being in low risk of default. For them we can check the above price chart, as we can **see prices of low risk corporate bond ETFs have been moving in a rising channel since March 2021**. Beware that here we are checking the price chart, which moves in the opposite direction of the interest rate of the underlying bonds. Here too we have a confirmation that markets are still in risk on mode, meaning there is no shortage of liquidity. + +&#x200B; + +[High risk corporate bond prices](https://preview.redd.it/jopu87ti4x671.png?width=1677&format=png&auto=webp&s=57d85e9cd0fe8198e6f7df9fd976442e7c01091a) + +The third indicator is the price of high risk corporate bonds, these are inversely proportional with the interest rates at which the market is willing to lend money to corporates that are perceived as being at high risk of default. In other words this is a direct measure of the risk appetite of smart market or legacy market whales. By looking at the above chart here too we see that prices are in strong uptrend, meaning that markets are lending money to these high risk borrower at increasingly lower rates. **This is our third indicator that confirms how smart money, which isn't influenced by short term news cycles and media narratives, is risk on.** + +To conclude, in this first part of the analysis, we can see how in our desert nobody is pulling water out of the desert pool, therefore the wider market gradient favors a bullish crypto market as there is no liquidity shortage. Now let's look at crypto indicators. + +# Crypto indicators + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/0eh9rwxu4x671.jpg?width=1239&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=085551774d3cc5ba779f88ab94f8660348eb5246 + +For this I rely main on Glassnode onchain data analysis. The most interesting chart in this sense is the following, that shows how the amount of coins bought at the beginning of this bull cycle is still *maturing.* In other words, this shows how holders did sell something at the peak area, but they have kept most of their assets with unflinching conviction regardless of volatility. This implies that these investors do not consider the current cycle closed, and therefore are waiting for even higher highs to sell. + +&#x200B; + +https://preview.redd.it/jbazfp6c6x671.png?width=1603&format=png&auto=webp&s=5f21abd0d072372213af53ec84caef1d372bdd18 + +The second indicator has a somewhat mixed meaning. In fact, if look at long term holders, we see that they are accumulating again. This is bearish short term, because when long term holder accumulate they create downward pressure on price since they patiently wait for retail or short term holder to sell at market. However, something else is going on in the hidden OTC markets, where big amounts of coins are traded, because miners probably affected by the recent clampdown in mining in China, are fueling distribution. We're therefore in a distribution phase in the OTC markets. Below is a glassnode chart illustrating this. This distribution however does not affect market prices because it is *hidden,* being OTC\*.\* + +&#x200B; + +[Distribution OTC](https://preview.redd.it/jnj5un3q7x671.jpg?width=1235&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9bbae31fa844e583786832e3ead38aff992b345) + +Finally the recent China ban of bitcoin mining has brought the hashrate to the level of June-September 2020. Negative hashrate momentum means less coins mined and also less selling pressure. While the effects of this are limited in the short term, it is likely that if this trend continues the amount of minted coins may reach an all time low which may then trigger the next cycle to the upside. Again here the timing seems to be around fall 2021. + +To summarize, I believe that after almost a year of *up only* what we are going through now is a healthy market correction. Considering the wider market context, the pieces are in place for this crypto bullish cycle to resume/continue later this year once the stars re-align. These include accumulation by whales (which is already at Jan 2021 levels), as well as other catalysts such as decreasing hashrate due to the China ban. +You people are the biggest pussies I’ve ever seen. What cock did you take in your hairless ass that made you panic sell over a 1.8% drop? ON A TUESDAY AT 2:30??? Holy fuck. You all think you have balls until you don’t. Just to prove a point, I will go all in tomorrow morning on MSFT 2/14 190 calls. And if I lose who gives a fuck? I will be calling my bank for a personal loan against my house for 150k and re rolling on 2/21 190 calls again. If you’re scared today, please leave this sub. If you can’t take the pain, you can’t get the gains. + + +What happens if I lose my house on MSFT next week? All in $ROPE +Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Have a look at the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/wiki/faq) for this subreddit before posting to see if your question is frequently asked. + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. + + + +Please use this thread to discuss how amazingly cheap you are. How do you keep your costs low? How do become frugal without taking it to the extremes of frupidity? What costs have you realized could be cut from your life without pain? Use this weekly post to discuss Frugality in general. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are more relaxed here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply! + +Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts. +What are some of your tips for keeping grocery costs down? I have a family of 4 and we shop at Aldi. I haven’t done the math on it, but I know our grocery costs have gone up significantly over the past few months. +What I've shared is Part 3 in the The Penny Stock Chronicles. I've yet to read all the parts, but this one nonetheless has parts that are very relevant to the GME story. I'm sharing this so that our reddit can discuss, while wrinklier brains have more info to connect the dots. + +Second, the author may be interested to know and respond to the DD done here, and possibly it may be a good idea for the Mods to reach out for an AMA. + +Lastly, no tldr because it's just so well written and worth your time (link to the original is directly below). Without further ado... + +# [NAKED SHORTS CAN’T STAY NAKED FOREVER](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/24/naked-shorts-cant-stay-naked-forever/) + +## Who engages in massive trades in penny stocks on the industry’s own “chill list”? And what happens when you sell a stock you don’t have? Victimized investor Chris DiIorio finds the answers in plain sight and wonders why no one else seems to care. + +[David Dayen](https://theintercept.com/staff/davidd/) September 24 2016 + +## [The Penny Stock Chronicles](https://theintercept.com/series/penny-stock-chronicles/) + +[PART 1](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/22/the-money-is-gone/)[The Money Is Gone](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/22/the-money-is-gone/) + +[PART 2](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/23/big-players-little-stocks-and-naked-shorts/)[Big Players, Little Stocks, and Naked Shorts](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/23/big-players-little-stocks-and-naked-shorts/) + +[PART 3](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/24/naked-shorts-cant-stay-naked-forever/)[Naked Shorts Can’t Stay Naked Forever](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/24/naked-shorts-cant-stay-naked-forever/) + +[PART 4](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/25/calling-the-sec/)[Calling the SEC](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/25/calling-the-sec/) + +[PART 5](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/26/turning-up-like-a-bad-penny/)[Turning Up Like a Bad Penny](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/26/turning-up-like-a-bad-penny/) + +[PART 6](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/27/were-paper-losses-the-goal-all-along/)[Were Paper Losses the Goal All Along?](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/27/were-paper-losses-the-goal-all-along/) + +[PART 7](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/28/the-half-billion-dollar-glitch/)[The Half Billion Dollar Glitch](https://theintercept.com/2016/09/28/the-half-billion-dollar-glitch/) + +**Part 3** + +David Dayen, a persistent chronicler of how oligarchs exploit the financial system to enrich themselves at the expense of others, writes about Chris DiIorio, a stock analyst who for 10 years has obsessively investigated how exactly he came to lose $1 million on one penny stock. A remarkable story ensues. + +A FEW YEARS into his personal quest to understand how he had lost a million dollars on a penny stock, Chris DiIorio developed a sweeping hypothesis involving Knight Capital, the mammoth brokerage company that frequently traded in them. + +Knight [earned $333 million](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1060749/000119312511052082/d10k.htm) in pre-tax profits in 2008, and another $232 million in 2009. But DiIorio didn’t think Knight was making that kind of money simply from executing transactions for clients. + +As a market maker, Knight was in the rare position of being able to legally sell a stock it didn’t have (the principle being that it will get that stock soon, so no worries). That’s called naked shorting. It’s illegal when regular people do it. + +DiIorio suspected that Knight, either on its own behalf or on behalf of clients, made a practice of artificially increasing the number of shares available in a stock through naked shorting, thereby depressing the price. + +His suspicion grew when he noticed that Knight often traded in securities that were red-flagged on the [Depository Trust Company’s “chill list.”](https://www.sec.gov/investor/alerts/dtcfreezes.pdf) + +The [DTC](http://www.dtcc.com/about/businesses-and-subsidiaries/dtc.aspx) is an obscure financial industry-owned company that manages the custody of more than $1 quadrillion in securities annually, recording the transfers with journal entries and guaranteeing the trade. The company makes it easy for people to buy and sell securities without needing to exchange paper stock.