#finance bond

[everydaythoughtforyou]

[suntails]

🐙⚔️

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Emma Mae Weber at MMFA:

Right-wing media attacked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, for not owning stocks, bonds, or real estate. While some have celebrated Walz’s portfolio, or lack thereof, some right-wing media figures have drawn absurd conclusions about Walz’s ability to understand the economy or his support of capitalism because of his economic standing.

According to recent financial disclosures, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz doesn’t own stocks or securities. He also does not currently own any real estate. Walz and his wife Gwen Walz sold their most recent home and moved into the governor’s mansion in 2019 when Walz became the governor of Minnesota. Per the disclosures, the only investments Walz holds are his retirement, pension, and life insurance accounts. [The Hill, 8/7/24; The New York Times, 8/9/24]

It’s rare for elected officials not to hold financial assets, and some people are celebrating the modesty of Walz’s portfolio. Walz and his wife also reported no mutual funds, bonds, private equities, book deals, speaking fees, cryptocurrency, or racehorse interests. [Axios, 8/7/24; The Wall Street Journal, 8/12/24] 

Most Americans don’t own stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency. A Federal Reserve report on Americans’ economic well-being shows that just 31% of non-retirees in America own “Stocks, bonds, ETFs, or mutual funds held outside a retirement account.” The number only goes up to 35% for all adult Americans. The report also shows that 64% of Americans in 2023 owned a home, and that just 7% of Americans held or used cryptocurrency in 2023. [Federal Reserve, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2023, 5/24]

As a member of Congress in 2011, Walz co-sponsored the STOCK Act in an attempt to combat insider trading. Signed into law in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama, the STOCK Act aimed to prevent lawmakers and congressional staffers from trading on non-public information. While pushing for the legislation, Walz spoke about the importance of “restoring faith” among Americans that their lawmakers are not in office only to enrich themselves. [USA Today, 8/9/24; Twitter/X, 8/7/24]

What will the right-wing media whine about this time in regards to Tim Walz? Having a financial portfolio of an average American, and one that doesn’t have any stock market or bond investments.

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-Fi prompt from Isabelo:

Hi! I'm new to the workforce and now that I have some money I'm worried it's losing its value to inflation just sitting in my bank. I wanted to ask if you have ideas on how to counteract inflation, maybe through investing?

I've been putting this off for a long time because...

I am not a finance person. I am not an investments person. I actually kinda turned and ran from that whole sector of the business world, at first because I didn't understand it, and then once I did understand it, because I disagreed with much of it on a fundamental level.

But... I can describe some factors and options, and hope to get you started.

I AM NOT LEGALLY QUALIFIED TO GIVE FINANCIAL ADVICE. THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.

What is inflation, and what impacts it?

Inflation is the rate at which money loses value over time. It's the reason something that cost 50 cents in the 1840s costs $50 now.

A lot of things do impact inflation, like housing costs and wage increases and supply chains, but the big one that is relevant here is federal interest rates. The short version: if you borrow money from the government, you have to pay it back. The higher the interest rates on those loans, the lower inflation is. This is for... a lot of reasons that are complicated. The reason I bring it up is less so:

The government offers investments:

So yeah, the feds can impact inflation, but they also offer investment opportunities. There are three common types available to the average person: Bonds, Bills, and Notes. I'll link to an article on Investopedia again, but the summary is as follows: You buy a bill, bond, or note from the government. You have loaned them money, as if you are the bank. Then, they give it back, with interest.

Treasury Bills: shortest timeframe (four weeks to a year), and lowest return on investment. You buy it at a discount (let's say $475), and then the government returns the "full value" that the bond is, nominally (let's say $500). You don't earn twice-yearly interest, but you did earn $25 on the basis of Loaning The Government Some Cash.

Treasury Notes: 2-10 year timeframe. Very popular, very stable. Banks watch it to see how they should plan the interest rates for mortgages and other large loans. Also pretty high liquidity, which means you can sell it to someone else if you suddenly need the cash before your ten-year waiting period is up. You get interest payments twice a year.

Treasury Bonds: 20-30 years. This is like... the inverse of a house mortgage. It takes forever, but it does have the highest yield. You get interest payments twice a year.

Why invest money into the US Treasury department, whether through the above or a different government paper? (Savings bonds aren't on sold the set schedule that treasury bonds are, but they only come in 30-year terms.)

It is very, very low risk. It is pretty much the lowest risk investment a person can make, at least in the US. (I'm afraid I don't know if you're American, but if you're not, your country probably has something similar.)

Interest rates do change, often in reaction or in relation to inflation. If your primary concern is inflation, not getting a high return on investment, I would look into government papers as a way to ensure your money is not losing value on you.

This is the website that tells you the government's own data for current yield and sales, etc. You can find a schedule for upcoming auctions, as well.

High-yield bank accounts:

Savings accounts can come with a pretty unremarkable but steady return on investment; you just need to make sure you find one that suits you. Some of the higher-yield accounts require a minimum balance or a yearly fee... but if you've got a good enough chunk of cash to start with, that might be worth it for you.

They are almost as reliable as government bonds, and are insured by the government up to $250,000. Right now, they come with a lower ROI than most bonds/bills/notes (federal interest rates are pretty high at the moment, to combat inflation). Unlike government papers, though, you can deposit and withdraw money from a savings account pretty much any time.

Certificates of Deposit:

Okay, imagine you are loaning money to your bank, with the fixed term of "I will get this money back with interest, but only in ten years when the contract is up" like the Treasury Notes.

That's what this is.

Also, Investopedia updates near-daily with the highest rates of the moment, which is pretty cool.

Property:

Honestly, if you're coming to me for advice, you almost definitely cannot afford to treat real estate as an investment thing. You would be going to an actual financial professional. As such... IDK, people definitely do it, and it's a standby for a reason, but it's not... you don't want to be a victim of the housing bubble, you know? And me giving advice would probably make you one. So. Talk to a professional if this is the route you want to take.

Retirement accounts:

Pension accounts are a kind of savings account. You've heard of a 401(k)? It's that. Basically, you put your money in a savings account with a company that specializes in pensions, and they invest it in a variety of different fields and markets (you can generally choose some of this) in order to ensure that the money grows enough that you can hopefully retire on it in fifty years. The ROI is usually higher than inflation.

These kinds of accounts have a higher potential for returns than bonds or treasury notes, buuuuut they're less reliable and more sensitive to market fluctuations.

However, your employer may pay into it, matching your contribution. If they agree to match up to 4%, and you pay 4% of your paycheck into an pension fund, then they will pay that same amount and you are functionally getting 8% of your paycheck put into retirement while only paying for half of it yourself.

Mutual Funds:

I've definitely linked this article before, but the short version is:

An investment company buys 100 shares of stock: 10 shares each in 10 different "general" companies. You, who cannot afford a share of each of these companies, buy 1 singular share of that investment company. That share is then treated as one-tenth of a share of each of those 10 "general" companies. You are one of 100 people who has each bought "one stock" that is actually one tenth of ten different stocks.

Most retirement funds are actually a form of mutual fund that includes employer contributions.

Pros: It's more stable than investing directly in the stock market, because you can diversify without having to pay the full price of a share in each company you invest in.

Cons: The investment company does get a cut, and they are... often not great influences on the economy at large. Mutual funds are technically supposed to be more regulated than hedge funds (which are, you know, often venture capital/private equity), but a lot of mutual funds like insurance companies and pension funds will invest a portion of their own money into hedge funds, which is... technically their job. But, you know, capitalism.

Directly investing in the stock market:

Follow people who actually know what they're doing and are not Evil Finance Bros who only care about the bottom line. I haven't watched more than a few videos yet, but The Financial Diet has had good energy on this topic from what I've seen so far, and I enjoy the very general trends I hear about on Morning Brew.

That said, we are not talking about speculative capital gains. We are talking about making sure inflation doesn't screw with you.

DIVIDENDS are profit that the company shares to investors every quarter. Did the company make $2 billion after paying its mortgages, employees, energy bill, etc? Great, that $2 billion will be shared out among the hundreds of thousands of stocks. You'll probably only get a few cents back per stock (e.g. Walmart has been trading at $50-$60 for the past six months, and their dividends have been 57 cents and then 20.75 cents), but it adds up... sort of. The Walmart example is listed as having dividends that are lower than inflation, so you're actually losing money. It's part of why people rely on capital gains so much, rather than dividends, when it comes to building wealth.

Blue Chip Stocks: These are old, stable companies that you can expect to return on your investment at a steady rate. You probably aren't going to see your share jump from $5 to $50 in a year, but you also probably won't see it do the reverse. You will most likely get reliable, if not amazing, dividends.

Preferred Stocks: These are stock shares that have more reliable dividends, but no voting rights. Since you are, presumably, not a billionaire that can theoretically gain a controlling share, I can't imagine the voting rights in a given company are all that important anyway.

Anyway, hope this much-delayed Intro To Investing was, if not worth the wait, at least, a bit longer than you expected.

Hey! You got interest on the word count! It's topical! Ish.

[akechi-if-he-slayed]

shuake cats targeted ad is crazy

[bitchesgetriches]

Wait… Did I Just Lose All My Money Investing in the Stock Market?

Keep reading.

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[bloggerbapu]

💡 A Mutual Fund pools investors' money to invest in stocks, bonds, and more—offering professional management and diversification. Explore different types, their pros & cons, and the best funds to invest in today! 📊

[idowaz-blog]

AI changing personal finance and how you make investments

[deateath]

I've been thinking about discount rates recently so. (only if you'd like) open invitation to talk about anything related to debt, interest, time value of money, discount rates, etc. if you have thoughts or interesting tidbits or things most people don't know?? vague ask but!

Sigh where to even begin! Maybe swaps? I think most people don’t know a lot about swaps and I’ve had to deal with them lately. Interest rate swaps are used as a hedge against interest rate risk. So for example let’s say you want to invest in a variable rate product. But you’re worried about losing or losing out on money if/when rates go down. You could also purchase a pay variable receive fixed swap. So you may not be netting as much money right now but when rates go down, you’re still receiving the higher fixed rate from your swap. You wouldn’t buy a swap if you weren’t worried about rates but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ it’s a tool that’s out there. There’s more into the weeds stuff about the parties involved but that’s the gist.

This illustrates the concept well imo. Ignore the years on the bottom not sure what that’s getting at. But! As a receiver of fixed, your profit is in the green zone when rates go down.

This example is for a swap only, not swap as a hedge in conjunction with another investment. But still helpful!

Completely unrelated fun fact but if someone dies and they have outstanding debt with a financial institution but no other coborrowers obliged on the debt and no collateral to liquidate (or the collateral value is < the debt) the bank just takes the L (for the debt amount or the difference between the debt and collateral value). So don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!!! They are literally required to hold an Allowance for Credit Losses. It’s factored into the bank operations.

[clowningaroundmars]

the way that i am now downloading stock market news apps......... and squinting at these crazy ass news articles and learning finance terms n shit.... trying to read these number and graphs........

i am morphing into a middle aged dad of 3 kids. 🧍‍♂️

[piduai]

i liked the demo for the newest rgg game enough. it has stuff i enjoy generally (gambling den, i loved the spot the pervert and delivery minigames, side stories seem stupid and funny enough). but i hate the turn based system 🙄 like what do you mean i can't have tiger drop. fuck off. grinding and levelling up skills is one of my favorite things about this whole thing but it's not like you get to unlock and learn skills as you play, you just level up and gain attack power. which is anticlimactic. me personally i prefer spending as little time in combat as possible but with this each street brawl takes forever because everyone needs to have a turn. and it's also mega dumb that you can't guard as some whomstie is attacking you??? you just gotta stand there and hope it won't eat through your entire health bar. very frustrating. and like for this price i could get an okay pair of real leather shoes so i'm hesitant

[everydaythoughtforyou]

[subconsciousmysteries]

love my bf love my life but that one song by Corey Taylor gives me war flashbacks to all the 48 combos I've loved before and I secretly listen to it sometimes when I'm bored with healthiness and I want to feel pain again

[philearning]

Exploring Different Investment Vehicles: Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, and More

Navigate the various options available for those looking to invest

In this blog post, we will explore different investment vehicles, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more, to help you gain a clearer understanding of their characteristics, benefits, and considerations.

Stocks

Bonds

Mutual Funds

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

Read the full blog here https://www.phindia.com/blogs/2023/08/10/exploring-different-investment-vehicles-stocks-bonds-mutual-funds-and-more/

[phoenixyfriend]

Improv comedians: Marriage is a bit. Ready to commit? Criminals: Marriage is a crime. Join me in doing some time? Financiers: Marriage is a bond. Make ours out for the treasury?

[notayesmanseconomics]

The Bank of Japan cracks meaning the Widowmaker springs to life

The Bank of Japan cracks meaning the Widowmaker springs to life

This morning has brought some pretty significant economic news out of Nihon or Japan. It started in an area I mentioned in a reply to yesterday’s comments because bond yields had pushed higher making me suspicious. Overnight if we stay with that theme we saw this. JAPAN BOND FUTURES TRADING HALTED: OSAKA EXCHANGE That takes me back to my days out in Tokyo, but in the modern era that did not…