Investment BS Thread - Stocks/Futures/Mutual Funds/Bonds/Commodities/Options/ETFs/401ks/Etc

Our tax system is so messed up that pro athletes actually play for teams in states based on state income tax. Hahahaha!

 

the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

 

274 years ago a bunch of traitors tossed some tea into the Atlantic. They ended up getting a different result. lol

 

I know for a while Americans on Canadian teams were demanding to be paid in $USD

 

I've done that on a field trip...The original rebels dressed as mohawk indians...So when the did the reenactment they dressed as indians and they use to give you a feather headband to wear...they then cut it back to a feather...and now they dress as colonists...The warping of historical events for fear of upsetting someone...
Here you can see them waving feathers...That were meant to be worn in your hair when I was a kid You can just make out 1 second into the video that the woman in blue and the guy behind her are wearing the headbands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXU9KQ3CUco

 

I don't know how much I've talked about my tax philosophy, the piper will always get paid. The only form I am generally on the good side of is toll booths, especially now that they're getting full speed and don't have to stop. BUT, you pay for the use of the road based on the weight of your vehicle, on the road itself. Makes complete sense to me, the damages/wear and tear on the road, etc etc. Typically, in practice, the income gets used in more places than just the toll road though, that's where I get my grudge.

BUT in genral, my wife and I are average joes, we do not have a trust fund, etc we have a normal house and 2 normal cars, normal everything we are not special. So, why hunt around? If we had multiple vehicles, like 4 motorcycles, 2 cars, an off road buggy, a boat, etc, or a desire for multiple houses (the normal house, the beach house, the ski chalet, the lake house), I'd hunt tax breaks there instead. But, as it is....If real estate taxes are lower, then vehicle taxes are higher. We have a normal house and two normal cars, you save 40 cents here and pay an extra 80 cents there, end of the day, whatever.

New England is brutal for COL, but CA is just insane. It's no wonder people are flooding out of CA and going to TX, mostly to Austin. 54% on all capital gains is crazy. Plus as a normal tax bracket. That is just insane. The thing is - and I talked about this with some dudes from Austin, can't remember if it was on here or not. There's a rich neighborhood there....lowest real estate taxes (the rich people pay the lowest percent on beautiful homes and they're loaded WTF). Point is, it's cheap/low enough that they'll just pay it. No questions asked, and the town/state/gubment gets their cut. If you jack it up, they'll move, and with nobody there, you get no tax income. Or, they'll find a weird loophole that having a dolphin statue in the front yard lowers your tax rate or something, and find a way to pay as much as they already are at the lower percent anyway, if not less. Overtaxing is a way to kill your tax income. It's low, but as it is, you're getting it. Raise it up, and people will just leave, or find a way around it. Then you get nothing.

They'll move to Texas and fly in to California for the few weeks a year they actually need to be in the office.

 

Cannot like enough! I live in Taxachusetts...and Don't mind the taxes...in MY TOWN...Because I see results. Paved roads, new schools, chromebooks for every kid who needs one...and we get a return on investment. The home prices go up and up...so more money moves in...more tax revenue...a better town...Lather rinse repeat....
RAISE taxes and everyone moves out...
Home prices drop...
Taxes revenue goes down...

Most average joes are fine paying what they owe because it's not worth the effort/risk to try and find a loophole. The reworking of the tax code recently has made it point and click for tax filing because itemizing requires an insane amount of deductions...

 

Oh, but 1 disagreement...the TOLLS...the turnpike was supposed to be a pay it off road. We'll have tolls until it's paid off...And then as it started to get close to being paid off they started LOANING money to create debt...and continually doing construction to create debt...and setting up scholarships for toll workers...to create debt...And then they Finally got rid of all the toll takers and there is still more debt than ever. It's intentional deficit to justify revenue...The real toll should be about $0.25 for maintenance of the road. And don't get me started on the state police being 'contracted' to patrol the private road and then giving you a ticket that impacts your public insurance...

 

Oooh...LIACF had a pop today...Wish I added MORE at $1

 

I wonder how Miami justifies their tolls, that are different prices depending on the density of the traffic. The same toll is $0.25 on a Sunday morning, and $20.00 at rush hour. Those aren't exaggerations either, it's about what I remember. It's just a lane you can use if you pay the fee.

 

Austin and a few other towns in TX have that too. They're "express" lanes though, not the only way to get there, so you don't have to pay that toll, but if you want to get home 5 minutes faster, you do. TX swings from 0.30 to 4.50 ish from what I saw at least.

 

Ah, good point. That's how it is in Miami too. Just about everything in Miami is corrupt from what I saw in 4 years of living there, so they don't need to justify it. They do whatever the hell they want.

 

That was kind of my caveat. In theory, it's the perfect setup. Heavier vehicles cause more wear and tear and should front more of the repair bill. And, you're from VT? State road in NH? You have zero taxes going to this road....no, you should pay to use it!

You highlighted the reality of it. My philosophy - tolls are the only form of taxation I am okay with. But....they always bork it up.

 

It’s a bubble. I think the other EV’s are involved in that bubble as well as Apple. Which brings me to the reason that I logged on today. I have a question. I’ve been looking around and trying to dig up some information.
Did anyone here own stocks in the early 2000’s and in ‘08?

 

You think AAPL is a bubble? Maybe a little crazy at the moment, but they make a lot of money, and have a big pile of cash (hundreds of billions?) I definitely don't think it's like a TSLA situation, where the hipsters just think it's cool but nothing backs it up.

 

This is true. I almost didn’t put Apple in that reply, but I do believe they have gone parabolic. I just don’t believe they are a value buy right now. Just my opinion.
However, Tesla, Nio, Nikola, and any others are absolutely in a bubble.

 

Another reason I included Apple in is because I believe that whenever Tesla finally does take a hit that the rest of tech will take a hit with it. I would even go so far as to say that the rest of the market will take a hit as well.

 

I agree for the most part on AAPL, it's parabolic lately. It's not the best time to buy it either. But, I think AAPL will dip and then climb back above where it's at now, which could take years but it will happen. I could see TSLA making that dip, and never getting near where it is now again.

 

I agree, but I don’t believe in Apple like that. Call me a fool I guess. I really want to short Tesla when it drops haha
But I’m too scared.
The only reason I don’t believe in Apple like that is because I just don’t see them being able to release a new phone every single year and people want to buy it every single year. I could be wrong, but I feel like eventually all the phones will be the same as far as capabilities go. The I phone 8 is about as much tech in a phone that I will ever need. Ever.
@Boyk1182 I made an edit

 

Gotta stop thinking about Apple as a hardware company (or at least as just a hardware company). Their services are what will be their primary revenue driver moving forward, and thats a train that will keep on steamrolling.