My Biggest Convictions – Stocks & ETFs

When doing research for stocks to buy, one thing I always keep in mind are services and products that we continuously use. Either daily, weekly, or monthly, the companies we give our money to deserve our attention. If you are buying a product or service, you know it’s from a good company, then you know you need to start looking further into the financials as well as the reliability of the managers.

This is just a starting point. You still want to make sure with due diligence, that these companies are good companies. Once you’ve nailed that down, it’s time to start buying.

There is a book called, “One Up On Wall Street” from Peter Lynch. It’s a great book that showcases the leg up we have on Wall Street. We are ground level, buying products, conducting research, and using the services. This gives you great insight into what companies are worth looking into. The same goes for friends and family. Everyone loves to talk about a deal they just got or some new product or service they are trying out. They may also have insight on if a company should be looked into, or not.

One of my biggest convictions is Big Lots. A store my family frequents, always looks clean, great products, great prices, and they seem to have a steady flow of customers. This is one reason why I started looking into Big Lots. With the latest earnings and downgrades, it opened up a great opportunity to buy more and more shares.

Another big conviction I have is SoFi. SoFi is a disrupter in the financial sector, in every form. They offer investing brokerage accounts, crypto, robo advisors, savings accounts, credit cards, loans, and much more. It is truly a one stop shop, and since they received their banking charter, they are able to become even larger than they are now. We use SoFi’s credit card because you can redeem fractional or full shares of stock with the rewards. You can also utilize those rewards on other items, but it’s basically getting shares for free, if you pay off your bill before interest hits.

I’ll give one more conviction I have on a stock, Signet Jewelers. They are a great company, doing a lot for the city they are headquartered in, Akron. Not only do they do great charity work, but they are one of the largest sellers of diamonds and jewelry. They have a great dividend, and when you think about all of the occasions to get someone jewelry, you can tell they are in a great position, especially when inflation gets to a normal, and interest rates come down.

I have given 3 of my biggest convictions for stocks. This is not investment advice, do your own research, due diligence, and let me know what top 3 stocks are your highest conviction.

Leave a comment

Thrifty Investing – Earnings Report

If Thrifty Investing were a public company and we had to put out an earnings report, our shareholders would be greatly disappointed. Our views are down, no new subscribers, and we don’t know where we reside in the ever increasing amount of content within the world wide web.

We try to keep our posts on topic, thrifty, and expand on new fintech opportunities. What would help us is to find out what we are missing.

What site do you use to get your financial information and what others do you read to get a feel for other technologies or investment information?

We aren’t trying to compete, we aren’t giving thoughts on individual stocks… yet. Just wanted to see what could drive our traffic up! Please, give us a comment and let us know what you’d like to see from us in the future.

Leave a comment

Fintech – New Alts From Public

Thrifty – “using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully.”

Being thrifty is a necessity, unless you were born into money. If you were, I’m guessing you aren’t reading these posts from Thrifty Investing. Alas, the rest of us, we need to spot a good deal, understand money, and learn finances, if we want to retire with some semblance of freedom.

The revolution of Fintech these past few years have given life to a whole new world of thrifty. You can download an app, open up an account, and within minutes, you are trading on the stock market! These are opportunities we can’t ignore. Putting that power quite literally in the palm of our hands.

It doesn’t have to be stocks, it can be ETFs, it can be bonds, bond funds, crypto, or currency. Within those are other derivatives, like options, fractional shares, and something new I stumbled across on the app, Public.

If you scroll all the way down on your Public main page, you will see a section for “Alts”. “Diversify with fine art, luxury goods, and more.” If you haven’t clicked on this section yet, do it! There is a really good link from Public that details more of the specifics, but if you want to get into something more than just stocks and bonds, you can always look to Alts.

Within the Alts, you can find items like, Pokémon or other Trading Card Game cards (TCG), Sports Trading Cards, like Lebron James or Stephan Curry, or even a Birkin handbag from Hermes. Also, you can find digital items, such as NFT’s, art, and much more.

How it works? Well, Public finds items from collectors and sellers, purchases these items, stores them safely, and then finds a price for them. Once that is established, they sell fractional shares of ownership of these items. They also open it up to a second round of fractional shares, where Public members can buy and sell amongst each other. https://public.com/invest/alts

There are two ways of making or losing money on these Alts. If you purchase fractional shares, you can sell when you like, or if the price hits a certain number, Public sells the item and you get a distribution worth your fractional shares. Remember, it’s similar to stocks where you should buy and hold, as most things that are collectible, they fluctuate in price, but usually gain more value as time goes on.

I know what you are thinking, what an incredibly strange offer! I thought so myself, until I realized that Art very rarely loses value, and getting your hands on certain collectables is hard just to find where they are. This opportunity from Public allows us to invest in the items that interest us, that we know will have a good value as time goes on, and we get a piece of the pie.

Thank you Public for thinking of us Retail Investors, allowing us to dig into something other than the traditional Stocks and Bonds. The offers that come from Public are just amazing and shouldn’t be passed up!

Tell us what your thoughts are on these Alts from Public!

Leave a comment

Put The Phone/Computer Down

Quick! Stop looking! It’s gonna be a red, bloody red day I believe. Anything new? No, not really. Just ratings agency’s spreading doom and gloom, lowering ratings on banks and of course, trying to shake investors out.

Aren’t we past this story? It feels like it’s been a tug of war, and it’s not even with the Fed’s right now. It’s with the ratings agency, that are months late in their assessments. It feels like they are shorting the market, not wanting us to take it higher and higher. Maybe they want yields on bonds to keep on increasing. Whatever it is, it just seems like a silly time to start downgrades now.

Lets put the Bull Market on hold for now, step away from our brokerage accounts, and only come back to pickup shares that have slipped. Lets have courage to know that the companies we own are not going anywhere and will make their way through these interesting times.

I don’t know of any Stock Market sayings for the month of August, but maybe financial big wigs don’t like it. I like it, it’s bitter sweet as the summer fades away into cooler temps. I’ll say it, lets schedule that Bull Market for Fall, 2023. Lets take the S&P 500, DOW Jones, and Nasdaq to new heights!

You know what I am going to say, but I will say it any way. Do not sell unless you absolutely need the money. This is just another buying opportunity that has come our way. You might be exhausted with these buying opportunities, but once all of this hoopla calms down with the inflation and interest rates, as well as these downgrades, you will be better suited for the future.

Don’t trust me, trust the data that states, the Stock Market will make a comeback, and it may be even better than our salivating minds may think!

How are you doing today?

Leave a comment

Further Turmoil – Decisions to Come

If you’ve been paying attention, it seems a little sprinkle of doom and gloom, all over again. Rate increases from the Fed to tone down inflation may still happen, leading the time for rate decreases to extend.

We’ve also had the debt and credit downgrades causing a tailspin, as well as a less than exciting earnings season. If you haven’t sold throughout the past few years, you know to hold through these days as well.

As I have been talking so much about, lately, it’s a great time to average down on the companies you know will make it through.

I would say the most brightening comments have been the fact that most think that there are no more fears for recession. Of course, that could always change, especially if rates increase further. Protect yourself, your finances, and make sure you have emergency funds to cover yourself for 12 months. This will help you keep your head on straight when it comes to the numbers possibly entering the red again.

Don’t forget about BONDS! Bond yields typically increase during these times, and from what we have seen, they are. I would start looking into picking up some Bonds or Bond Funds to maintain a great yield while others go down.

What are your fears with the market? Let us know! Also, where do you mostly read/listen to get your financial and market news?

Leave a comment

Another Reason to Hold!

The Fitch downgrade has created an opportunity! Unless you are buying what is currently down from the silly downgrade and less than exciting earnings, take a look elsewhere for yield.

Looking into what happens when US debt is downgraded, well, it actually causes the bonds to increase it’s yield so that it keeps people buying. The rates were slipping recently, given the strides done in the Stock Market, but this new opportunity allows them to rise once again.

If you are sad about the red in your account after having such a wonderful July, then look to the bond market!

Grab yourself a few of those sweet sweet high yielding bonds. Check maturity, and the interest, because you may be surprised to see that number close to those high APY savings accounts you’ve been seeing.

I’m sure no matter the brokerage account you have, that you can find Bond Funds. Or open up a US Treasury account and snag them directly from the government. No middle person needed!

Hang on, green days are on the horizon. I feel like this is a shake out, get rid of nervous retail investors, drive some prices down, and then, buy!

What are you buying today or this week?

Leave a comment

Don’t Worry About A Few Red Days

I wrote my post yesterday, talking about bull runs, green days, and having the courage to hold (hodl) during down market days, weeks, or longer. Well, low and behold, when I posted, it turned to a red day, then the next day, Wednesday the 2nd, and are down again.

A big thing to remember is that when there is a significantly green day and the market has made great strides, the next day might be a take profit day. When you’ve been waiting so long for those stocks to turn green, give you a good yield, some people trim their positions or sell out of their positions, causing a sell or red day.

Nothing to worry about, we are still sitting pretty high. Even with Fitch downgrading US Debt and the typical doom and gloom of the media, most big banks are stating a reversal in previous thought, maybe we won’t have that recession after all. Maybe the Fitch downgrade is just small road bump on the way to a successful 2023.

Earnings Season is still upon us and if the numbers keep telling a good story, than the downgrade shouldn’t hold us down for too long. Remember, if you have done your due diligence, and you bought good companies, these will be small road blocks.

How are you feeling today? Feel like this is just a bumpy start to August and we will see some green to turn it all around? Or are you thinking that August in general will be down? let us know in the comments below!

Leave a comment

What Did We Learn?

Time in the market beats timing the market. My family and I started this investing journey in February 2021. With the bleak outlook from the Pandemic, to the incredibly high inflation that has not been felt since the 80’s, we were constantly looking at numbers in the red.

That journey was tough. It’s incredibly hard to throw money at the wall and see no end in sight. Good news days, the market goes red. Bad news days, even deeper in the red. All the while, people are selling their shares, but to who? That’s right, who is buying those shares that everyone else is selling?

My family and I, that’s who! Through all of the books, through all of the research, one thing I read over and over again from some of the smartest people on Wall Street. “Time in the market beats timing the market.” And wow, does that ring true. You could have listened to Warren Buffett, “Be fearful when others are greedy. Be Greedy when others are fearful.”

During these down times with high interest, high inflation, people spending less, staying in more, the financial future looked bleak. Especially when new investors or “retail” investors were just getting in. Never invest with money you need for bills. That’s a rule, because when the market crashes or goes through a bear market, or inflation goes up, you’re going to need to take that money out. Removing you from an excellent position for the future. If you could hold on, keep those shares, don’t sell, and ride the wave, you could come out with greener grasses.

You don’t lose until you sell. You own the shares, the price may have dropped, but you still own the equity. You own businesses, and if you believe in those businesses, well, buy more. Shrink your average share price down, so that when the next bull market takes effect, you can be launched “To the moon!”

Through everything, we have bought through the red, bought more of the companies we use and love, and looked at the data. That the market always comes back, and gains much more. I don’t know how long the next bull market will last, I don’t know what the next event to send us lower is, but I know I have made strides in the past few months, and seeing green is a lot better than seeing red.

I hope you did well on this wild ride of the market. I hope you continue to do well! Due diligence, make sure these companies you own have a future during hard times. Also, the gains in dividends was a nice treat as well!

Keep building those portfolios! 

Leave a comment

Bull Market – How Long Will It Last

It should be no surprise to you to see a lot of stocks, ETFs, and REITs on the stock market, go up. A new earnings season is upon us and I for one am excited to see if any big changes can be seen. I want to see the changes, especially in Retail and Streaming. These two categories get a lot of heat, never mind all of the current customers they tend to.

This is one of the first times my portfolios are in the green. It’s been a wild ride, starting in February of 2021, we have gone through a few ups and downs. We had panic selling, bear markets, and inflation that crushed the market. But if you were resilient and listened to the wise words of Warren Buffett, you would have bought when everyone else was selling. You would have doubled down on the companies you think are the right ones.

If you were buying throughout the turmoil, give yourself a pat on the back. It’s one of the hardest things to do, watch your money slip further into the red, day after day, week after week, until it all changes.

We still have a while to go and since its earnings season, it could be a wild ride still. Inflation is coming down, but does that mean consumers are spending money again? Are they going shopping, are they picking up services they cancelled? These are good questions that will be answered with earnings reports.

How have you fared during all of this hectic bear market? Did you listen to Warren Buffett, or did you panic?

Leave a comment

How I Would Like To Retire

Daily writing prompt
How do you want to retire?
View all responses

When I close my eyes and think of retirement, I think of my wife and daughter on vacation somewhere. I think of how young we look and how far we’ve travelled. I think of all the fun we can have, not working the typical 9-5 or 8-4’s. I think of all the culture we can soak in and learn from.

My wife and I have dreams of retiring early. We are constantly setting aside money into savings and investments so we can have hope for an early retirement. Retirement is a scary thing, especially when you look at Social Security or your 401K. These retirement tools are not going to be enough to retire and live happily on. If you are relying on these two things, you might need a part time job.

Knowing this, we are able to act now and do more for our retirement. We can learn new ways of investing and saving that can help not only save our money, but grow it. You need to have your money work for you, so that while you are saving for retirement, the accounts are growing bigger and bigger.

If you haven’t started yet, it’s not too late. Open up an account with Fidelity, or Webull, or any other brokerage and start investing in Index Funds. You can even create a US Treasury account and start buying bonds. All the tools are there for you, you just need the push to learn and get started.

What does retirement look like for you?

Leave a comment