Do you invest in stocks?

seadoug said:
Very true. The prognosticators all thought the tariffs would drive us into a recession, but they haven't. That said, the stock market isn't the economy. Many can barely afford everyday expenses due to rising prices. What is driving the market upward is mostly solid financial fundamentals and increasing corporate profits. Increasing corporate profits are typically counter to what consumers are spending. I'm sure some companies increased pricing due to expected tariffs and have kept them artificially inflated.

I'm "guilty" of investing in the stock market... have for over 40 years... and I'm happy to see the increases, but the S&P 500 isn't helping everyday people. Therein lies the disconnect.
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I disagree. If the “everyday people” have a 401(k), and have bought into the index funds, they should be doing very well.
The 52-week range for the SPX is 5400+-7200+.
 
oldman said:
I disagree. If the “everyday people” have a 401(k), and have bought into the index funds, they should be doing very well.
The 52-week range for the SPX is 5400+-7200+.
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I understand that over 60% of the American public are invested in 401Ks, but considering the median by age I'm not sure it is a huge boon to most. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from contributing the max to a 401K.

What's the Average 401(k) Balance by Age? | The Motley Fool
 
seadoug said:
I understand that over 60% of the American public are invested in 401Ks, but considering the median by age I'm not sure it is a huge boon to most. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from contributing the max to a 401K.

What's the Average 401(k) Balance by Age? | The Motley Fool
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The Median Balances are pretty scary to me.

I hope that there is more to the story.

Today a ‘nice’ pickup or suv costs more than that.

average-401k-balance-infographic_MbeONqD.png
 
oldman said:
I used to be an active day trader. Today, I only only do options and a few ETF’s.
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Day trading seems to take so much time and effort. My Honorary Son #1 used to do it. I don't think he did that well. Did you do well with it? Were you able to hold down a job when you were day trading?

@Aunt Bea Guess a person with that median balance shouldn't be trying to buy a "nice" pick up truck then. :) If that's the median, can you imagine what the low end is?! For decades I've been seeing articles about how Americans' savings are seriously deficient.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Day trading seems to take so much time and effort. My Honorary Son #1 used to do it. I don't think he did that well. Did you do well with it? Were you able to hold down a job when you were day trading?

@Aunt Bea Guess a person with that median balance shouldn't be trying to buy a "nice" pick up truck then. :) If that's the median, can you imagine what the low end is?! For decades I've been seeing articles about how Americans' savings are seriously deficient.
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Because of my job, (airline pilot), I had a weird schedule, so trading five days a week didn’t work out very well. Any day trader’s goal is to beat the S&P, but it’s only a goal and not necessarily an expectation.

By the end of the year and after paying taxes, I was satisfied with my earnings
The downside is the amount of time that a day trader will use if he or she wants to succeed.
 
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oldman said:
Because of my job, (airline pilot), I had a weird schedule, so trading five days a week didn’t work out very well. Any day trader’s goal is to beat the S&P, but it’s only a goal and not necessarily an expectation.

By the end of the year and after paying taxes, I was satisfied with my earnings
The downside is the amount of time that a day trader will use if he or she wants to succeed.
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Thank you for answering and confirming what I suspected Oldman.
 
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