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I understand your thought process and respect it as well. Risk tolerances come in all shapes and sizes. I will gladly borrow money at 2 % to make 15% return on my own, on something I can control...I too own clothes from Target (Mainly Wal-Mart, Target is too far away to drive to [:D]), and my wife's car is a 2005. (It was an 88' Sable before we had our child and needed room). We live well within our means, and by no means have an extravagant lifestyle.

Quick note.

In my humble opinion.
Good debt = investment
Bad debt = cost

Sometimes you know which one it is only when it's too late.

ORIGINAL: jeffk3510
I understand your thought process and respect it as well. Risk tolerances come in all shapes and sizes. I will gladly borrow money at 2 % to make 15% return on my own, on something I can control...I too own clothes from Target (Mainly Wal-Mart, Target is too far away to drive to [:D]), and my wife's car is a 2005. (It was an 88' Sable before we had our child and needed room). We live well within our means, and by no means have an extravagant lifestyle.

You must be a pretty good credit risk if you're paying 2% interest to borrow money while mortgage rates are around 4%. And, in the current investment climate, a 15% yield suggests to me a highly risky investment with risks exceeding even so-called junk bonds.

I wish you luck!

(But perhaps you always get good rolls of the dice. I tend to get ships sunk when I do something risky).

ORIGINAL: Panjack

ORIGINAL: jeffk3510
I understand your thought process and respect it as well. Risk tolerances come in all shapes and sizes. I will gladly borrow money at 2 % to make 15% return on my own, on something I can control...I too own clothes from Target (Mainly Wal-Mart, Target is too far away to drive to [:D]), and my wife's car is a 2005. (It was an 88' Sable before we had our child and needed room). We live well within our means, and by no means have an extravagant lifestyle.

You must be a pretty good credit risk if you're paying 2% interest to borrow money while mortgage rates are around 4%. And, in the current investment climate, a 15% yield suggests to me a highly risky investment with risks exceeding even so-called junk bonds.

I wish you luck!

(But perhaps you always get good rolls of the dice. I tend to get ships sunk when I do something risky).

Warspite1

Panjack - I think jeffk3510 was using those figures as an example......and if you weren't jeffk3510 then I want some that investment opportunity!! [:)]

Clearly an example. I just don't trust something I can't control to make myself a return is all I am saying. I can on certain things, and the stock market isn't one of them.

Company at 2% yes, personal - depends what mood the banker is in...[8|]

ORIGINAL: Panjack

ORIGINAL: jeffk3510
I understand your thought process and respect it as well. Risk tolerances come in all shapes and sizes. I will gladly borrow money at 2 % to make 15% return on my own, on something I can control...I too own clothes from Target (Mainly Wal-Mart, Target is too far away to drive to [:D]), and my wife's car is a 2005. (It was an 88' Sable before we had our child and needed room). We live well within our means, and by no means have an extravagant lifestyle.

You must be a pretty good credit risk if you're paying 2% interest to borrow money while mortgage rates are around 4%. And, in the current investment climate, a 15% yield suggests to me a highly risky investment with risks exceeding even so-called junk bonds.

I wish you luck!

(But perhaps you always get good rolls of the dice. I tend to get ships sunk when I do something risky).

I tend to get the bad rolls, if were talking about AE....I lose a lot of ships my friend [:D]

I'm seriously considering borrowing money in the US with it's low interest rates and investing it here in Brazil.  I could make a profit just by throwing the money into a savings account!  Very tempting.

Recently the company I work for has actually increased my paultry PT hours!

After a lull in sales, we have orders to fill for spectrophotmetric and similar equipment to the "Third World".

I wonder if our devalued dollar is turning the price of our hi-tech equipment into bargains?

Developing countries are actually the only ones "developing" [;)]

Well, there are still opportunities out there for investing if you are willing to engage in independent analysis and run a few risks. Nowadays those willing to take risks, with access to personal saved capital or prudently borrowed funds and capable of independent analysis and broad vision will be able to find opportunities. This forum ( and society in general ) shows that a confluence of such abilities isn't common though.

Market timing works. Every time we fund our annual 401-k matching contributions the market tanks...within a few days of making our deposit. I will try to let everyone know next time.


Also, when my ice maker stops working in my 18 year old freezer...it is very bearish.
It's not working right now. When it starts working again mysteriously it is not only good for making mixed drinks, it also means the market will rise.

Well. thats the most smarmy and nominal advice I've ever heard. Let me give you another one; if ya don't sell. ya don't lose.

Bought gold, to 15% of the portfolio when it was $1214.00. Not bad as a backup. Rest of the portfolio is is in securities. Ok, they went down, but it's in a capital secured annuity, so what the hey? Wait, wait, wait. If ya don't need all the money right now, what the heck ya selling for?

3 to 4 years from now, we're back in business, with a more realistic roi, and the market will correct. This is America. This is not a Marxist/Leninist socialist state (yet, but over my dead body and many others). Have the ability to get robust again. Watch out buttholes. We will remember.

ORIGINAL: Nemo121

Well, there are still opportunities out there for investing if you are willing to engage in independent analysis and run a few risks. Nowadays those willing to take risks, with access to personal saved capital or prudently borrowed funds and capable of independent analysis and broad vision will be able to find opportunities. This forum ( and society in general ) shows that a confluence of such abilities isn't common though.

Well sheeet... I thought this was a forum for WITP:AE not wannabe stock market advice.
As to bagging the abilities of people on this forum, well they have enough abilities to play WITP:AE
and give helpful advice to others so thats good enough for me.

As far as we go... to quote a famous Marine... "Issue in doubt."  Personally, too much has happened too fast to the family, including a year leave of absence at the exact wrong time, a sister who is now terminal, and a son who has succumbed to a deep psychosis and financially and spiritually broken the family.  We have lost all of our savings and 50% of our income in the family as a result, with no reduction in costs.  Vocationally, the parish has lost 20% of the usual giving, which is leading to struggles to hold on, let alone be able to fulfill our missional work.  Even the normal benevolences we use to help others in more dire straits is lagging.  So, we pray, we hold on, and trust that God will see us through, somehow at some time.  But, it sure is interesting.     

RevRick, I LOVE your sig! [:D][:D][:D][:D]

Twenty eight years in the printing paper industry. It's never been tougher than now. When business declines, business communication declines and therefore printing. The impact of technology on printing is a double whammy. I don't think I can finish my career in this industry. I don't feel secure and my company is 1/3 the size it was five years ago.

I've begun to work on a second career (financial services) to hedge my bets. It will take a while to build my clientele but in these times, many people need financial planning advice.

things aren't going well for me, no job for 22 months, savings declining since UI ran out. lately i'm thinking that if i do find work, i'll be taking the slot from someone else.

otoh, my bro-in-law & sister are doing well, financing their future as well as their kids' educations.

my retired parents are better than comfortable w/ SS & pensions. i'm glad of that, they were both born in '27 and grew up in lean circumstances.

I guess I'm the anomaly here. My wife lost her teaching job, but it was only about 20% of our total income. At her age, it's very difficult to find something else, but she's still looking. Kids grown and gone. Not paying for college for anybody. We can bear the reduction in income (and the taxes it cost us).

Despite what other posters from Texas might have said, the economy here is not in dire straits. It's been a lot better, of course, but it certainly has not seen the decline that most other states have. Big layoffs are not really happening except, perhaps, in K-12 education. Some districts have done some, but others have not. I think it's a lot of overreaction. (And wonder why the administrations seldom take much of a hit.)

After my military service, I used my vet benefits to get an MBA, then Hazelwood to get my doctorate. The Hazelwood Act allows a Texas veteran to atttend school at virtually no cost (I paid $38 a semester at A&M to get my doctorate, not counting books), so I would have been an idiot not to take advantage of that. I am now working at a university and do not see any imminent possibility of being asked to leave. And, if it did happen, I probably would just retire and tell the world to bite me. I could then play AE until I went blind.

I sincerely sympathize with others who are not so fortunate. Generally, the economy is in bad shape and not getting much better. But, like someone else has said, this too will pass. My advice to anyone and everyone is to continue your education: trade schools, grad school, GED, whatever. It opens opportunities. It might just be a slight edge over others, but it is an edge. I worked in the community college world for a long time (20 years) and know that they have programs to help virtually anybody at a reasonable cost (if not free in some cases). I've personally set up programs for out of work engineers, accountants, and, yes, even nurses. Check your local place out.

So, good luck you guys. Hope things get better for you.

Waiting to see if my services will be required beyond the beginning of 2013. If not then I've been places most people will only ever see on TV, seen things that most people will never see, learned a trade, played with some expensive toys, met some great people (and some ****s), served my country and been paid for it all. Plus, all that and free shoes!

I would echo bjmorgan. Things here in Texas are significantly better than average. I've traveled elsewhere recently and the difference is notable. That said, the real boomtowns in the US right now are the two big shale oil plays, the Bakken in N. Dakota and the Eagle Ford in south Texas. If anyone needs a job, either as a roughneck, accountant, homebuilder or truck driver, those are the places to be.