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

I agree with all of that, but I think a trade deal with China will give a huge bump, 10% or more, don’t know if it will last though with poor earnings.

 

Hey guys, I have some questions and hopefully you guys can help offer some advice.

Right now, I work for an engineering firm out of Sydney Australia, and unfortunately I have no 401k.

I've started a Roth IRA last year, and i'm currently playing with some money using robinhood. I'm riding the green wave, and i'm up a good amount.

My question is, how do i maximize my retirement without a 401k, pension, or any help from the employer? I'm 26 now, and I wish I had started sooner but simply didn't have the funds (bought Tacoma mods instead lol)

Should I look for a job with a 401k? Should I just max out my Roth IRA and save 25% of my income? Should I try and get into real estate or some other form of investing?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Doh, oil is down a lot today

 

well don't get into Aussie real estate, I've been reading the market over there is having a meltdown lol. Hopefully someone else can help you with personal retirement accounts. I think you can contribute a certain amount to Roth IRA and other IRA type funds, but I do all my stuff through my employer except for some "playing" on Robinhood.

 

I think the tariffs are the main impact on most companies, second to increased interest rates. A trade deal would no doubt be good for the markets and companies.

 

haha I'll max it out ($5500) this year, but other than that i'm not sure what else I can do lol

 

You could always buy government bonds at www.treasurydirect.gov, they're safe and many of those will outpace inflation with the increasing interest rates

EDIT: Also I think those are taxed a lot less - I don't think you have to pay state or local tax on the money you make off of them.

 

If the real estate market is melting down that's when you want to buy! Buy low!

 

Haha, well right now would be the "knife catching" part...

 

So questions, I put the maximum in my companies Roth 401k of 19,000. They don't offer a match, but they offer 3% salary contribution rather i put in or not.

would I be better off contributing to my own Roth IRA before putting that much in the 401k?



also debating investing in CAT, I work for one of the dealers, that doesn't necessarily mean I know what's going on, but it does make me more interested in the stock.

 

also @Nimble9 you should look into getting a high interest savings account like www.marcus.com, I use my account to build up and store my emergency savings as well as collect interest. Right now the rates are 2.25% APY, better than most CDs and you still have immediate access to your money. So for 20k that's $450 a year in interest. Those rates are right around the inflation rate so your money will hold its intrinsic value. The Fed is planning two more rate hikes this year so I would expect Marcus to get close to 3% APY by the end of the year. Probably 2.75%.

 

I am buying lithium and cobalt stocks...

 

I thought max Roth contributions are $6000 (for 2019)?

 

I dabbled a little in LIT for a while, but got out. Glad I did.. I think there's a ton of supply coming online.

 

Company sponsored. That’s why I mentioned Roth 401k(19000) and Roth IRA (6000).

 

In an IRA yes, in a 401k it’s $19,000.

 

Depends on the investment options available to you in the 401k. But typically you can save yourself a decent chunk of money on management fees in an IRA over a 401k. So I’d do the IRA first, then the 401k.

 

Can I Contribute to Both a Roth 401(k) and a Traditional 401(k)?
You can. Depending on your personal situation, it may be smart to contribute to both a Roth 401(k) and a traditional plan, allowing you to diversify your tax strategy. If you participate in both types of plan, you can split your contribution any way you wish up to the maximum contribution limit. For example, you could defer $8,000 into your Roth 401(k) and $10,000 into a pre-tax 401(k) plan.

https://401k.wealthfront.com/roth-401k-contribution-rules/

I guess in the end it depends on if you find a employer 401k option that is right for you. If not you could do a personal account and pick more honed options.

 

So my company uses wells fargo, but how would you go about comparing the two? just fees associated with doing it yourself vs company, then options available to yourself vs company?
I just have mine set up to be in the most aggressive investment type since I'm at such a young age.

Then I'd be deciding on if it's worth the stress for me to manage myself vs letting someone else do it while i sit back?

just looking for insight.

 

Not sure as I don't have any experience with IRAs... I would guess is it could be involved as little or as much as you set it up to be