#finance bond

[everydaythoughtforyou]

[doomdoomofdoom]

fyi, Ukraine actually maintains a website with publicly available lists of their financial/material support and expenses.

anyone can also use it to donate to any specific part of Ukraine's war effort directly. in case any nations leaders recently humiliated their country globally, or something.

[suntails]

🐙⚔️

[halfbaked00q]

I think we should put Bond in more "normal people" situations where like sure his spy-training social mimicry can get him by, but there's still a limit to what that can do and he will have to defer to Q to actually successfully navigate the situation due to his own lack of real-world experience and like, context with said situation.

[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

[allthepandasintheworld]

just so yall know: the more people change the arcane wiki notes on vander and silco's relationship the more im laughing and shipping them

also, guys. the wiki isn't always correct. what the wiki says doesn't equate what canon says. at the end of the day, fandom wikis are deeply subjective to the people who contribute to them

[bitchesgetriches]

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

Keep reading.

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[champagnemoon]

Every other red carpet look being old Hollywood glamour inspired…it really is 2007 lads

[everydaythoughtforyou]

[falseandrealultravival]

The Big Lie of the Japanese Ministry of Finance: The Fraudulent Discourse of National Bonds (Essay)

Katsunobu Kato: Minister of Finance (Man spends $7,000 a day on food)

Japan's most powerful public agency, the Ministry of Finance, is a master of lies. One of the major causes of Japan's 30-year recession is the consumption tax, which only goes up and never goes down. This indirect tax has dealt a body blow to the pockets of the Japanese people, and now they are gasping for breath.

The justification for this evil tax is that "if we issue any more national bonds, we will leave a debt to future generations" -- that's why they say they're raising taxes. However, "issuing national bonds is synonymous with issuing currency," in the case of a country like Japan that has a floating exchange rate system and does not borrow currency from abroad, "no matter how many national bonds are issued, the national finances will not go bankrupt." The logic of leaving a debt to future generations is meaningless and sophistry.

Therefore, if tax revenue is insufficient, all you have to do is issue national bonds. There will be no aftereffects on future generations. Also, while claiming it has a tax revenue shortfall, the Ministry of Finance is pouring 9 trillion yen (60 billion dollars) of tax money into a meaningless project called "gender equality." Suppose they want to increase the military budget by 6 trillion yen (40 billion dollars). In that case, they can abolish the "gender equality" project and use the funds to make the defense tax increase unnecessary. It's all a big lie by the Ministry of Finance. (They are carrying out such a meaningless project because of the "amakudari" of Ministry of Finance officials.)

Postscript: However, in Japan's case, there are special circumstances, and Article 4 of the Financial Law states that "unlimited issuance of national bonds is prohibited." Use is limited to construction bonds and deficit bonds. This rule was established by the GHQ of the USA in response to the fact that the excessive use of national bonds to raise war funds during WWII caused hardship for the USA. This puts a strain on Japan's financial spending.

Amakudari: A high-ranking official is re-employed at a lower-level government office or company for a higher salary and higher retirement benefits. In other countries, this would be a criminal act.

Rei Morishita

2024.11.17

日本の財務省の大嘘：国債の詐欺的言説（エッセイ）

加藤勝信財務大臣（一日７０００ドルの食費を掛ける男）

日本最強の公官庁「財務省」は嘘をつく名人だ。日本の３０年不況の大きな原因の一つは、上がるのみで下がることを知らない消費税だ。この間接税は、日本国民の懐に、ボディーブローのような打撃を加え、今や日本国民は青息吐息だ。

さて、この悪税の根拠として、「国債をこれ以上発行したら、後の代の人々につけを残す」――だから増税すると言うのである。しかし、「国債発行は通貨を発行するのと同義」で、日本のように変動相場制を採り、外国から通貨を借り入れていない国の場合、「いくら国債を出しても、国家財政が破綻することはない」。後代につけを残すという論理は無意味で詭弁なのである。

だから税収が足りなければ国債を宛てれば済むことなのである。後世に、なんら後遺症は残さない。また、財務省は、税収不足と言いつつ、「男女共同参画」という無意味な事業に９兆円（６００億ドル）の税金をつぎ込んでいる。６兆円（４００億ドル）の軍事予算を増額したいなら、「男女共同参画」事業を廃止してその資金を当てれば、防衛増税は不必要になる。全て財務省の大嘘である。（こんな無意味な事業を行うのは、財務省の役人の「天下り」のためだ。）

追記：ただ日本の場合、特殊事情があって、財政法第4条に「無制限の国債発行を禁じる」とある。建設国債や赤字国債に用途は限定される。これは、WW2のとき、国債を多用して戦費をねん出し、USAを苦しめたことから、USAのGHQが設けた規則である。これは日本の財政出動に足枷をするものである。

天下り：高位の役人が、より低位の役所や企業に、高給・高退職金の条件で、再就職すること。諸外国なら、犯罪行為である。

[king-ludwig-ii]

It’s me and the one other gay guy in this whole company

[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

[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?