Friday, June 27, 2008

Keep Your Powder Dry

Sage advice from the Red Baron

9 comments:

The_Scum said...

I will be furst to say I have more dry powder than ever in my life..

..invest in WHAT Lavi?

The_Scum said...

Now that I assured my furst:

I am currently putting 10% pretax salary into my 401k (employer matches the firss 6%). My funds are in a fixed type fund based on holding federal bonds, notes etc. That means about a 2% return but I haven't lost any principle. When the Bear Market subsides I'll go back into stocks.

I am currently investing 15% of my after tax pay in my company stock in a program that buys at approximately 15% below market price each six months. This investment is slightly underwater.

The last 1 1/2 years my personal stock portfolio has been shorting homebuilders and banks..I then moved to SRS and SKF etf's that do the shorting for me. Way above water with returns around 50% per year. I have on occasion gone long for very brief time periods with stocks like ZOLT but I sell fast after any profit.

I also invest in oldest spawns college education. Deeply underwater tens of thousands over the last three years. She is vastly above water however! LMFAO!

No debt whatsoever except whatever my monthly credit card balance is which gets paid in full each month and I rent. I want to buy a house but will continue to wait at this point. This is becoming an issue with me as I become older. I want a fully paid off house before I am 62.

I've made 1/2 my salary in stocks so far the first half of this year.

I hope that shit keeps going!

The_Scum said...

Read these three blogs every day:

http://www.billcara.com/


http://calculatedrisk.blogspot.com/


http://lavidavegas.blogspot.com/


...or get used to the taste of Lil' Friskies.

The_Scum said...

"The_Scum said...

I told him last month to 'keep some powder dry' so of course after his last screaming deal he thinks I'm a genius.

June 24, 2008 5:59 PM"

*cough* Harumph *cough*

Hey, I didn't get a 'harumph' out of that guy!

D said...

Lavi - it's a great plan in any situation, not only down-turn days.

Scum - looks like you're doing well for yourself and your family.


I am somewhat atypical; I am homeless (rent), have no debt, and no dependents. I live beneath my means and invest about 60% of my gross income. I do low cost index funds and am broadly diversified here and abroad. I have a years' living expenses in my PayPal account.

That said, my job is less than inspiring and where I live even less so. I'm actively looking for a new gig.

The_Scum said...

d,

Vegas Baby! for your new gig.

Sounds like you are doing just fine except for not liking your job or where you live. Those items are easily changed.

The people doing the best financially around me are all the same...single guys with no spawn...maybe divorced but decades ago. They date primarily women who have JOBS and no spawn.

As times get tougher Hens with younger spawn looking for meal tickets are going to suffer the most. The Guberment can only do so much.

Rude commentary? Yes. Accurate? I think so.

Lavi D. said...

Over the weekend, the ex came and got all of her stuff plus some things that we owned together that I no longer wanted.

I now own no furniture!

The next goal is to go through the remaining boxes and do a serious purge.

With a salute to George Carlin, I'm getting rid of my "stuff".

The ultimate goal is to be able to move myself in one U-Haul truck, at the drop of a hat. I'd like to be able to say "yes" to work in Ireland if I had to, with two weeks notice.

Rock Candy said...

Does U-Haul make a pontoon cargo rental? If not then your plan has a fatal flaw in how to get that U-haul truck across the pond.

D said...

Lavi - you lost some furniture, but you gained a garage!

And yes, Ms Rock, U-Haul does make a pontoon truck; you have one pictured on your site...

-d


Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas ... with the music at top volume and at least a pint of ether.

-Hunter S. Thompson


Dedicated to the other side of Las Vegas, namely; the sprawling, mad, incoherent underpinnings of the world's favorite destination.

That, and the occasional ranting about nothing in particular.