reading my own post history

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Contrapatior wrote:

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Aim_Deep wrote:

2020 is not bad if you own stock...I'm up 38%...that said - life and death way more important...can't take money to grave - stay safe

mild politics beware

Spoiler

torn on getting into stonks, on one hand investment right now is a braindead good idea but on the other hand kinda not into the idea of engaging in this brand of capitalism
but I suppose if it's used to a net benefit it's fine for the time being

My advice is this - Don't do it yourself if you are not prepared to devote the necessary energy and time to learning how.. And, even then, it's like "surgery." Do you want to pay a surgeon to take out your infected appendix or do it yourself while referring to a copy of "Gray's Anatomy?"

The problem here is that it has become an element of pop-culture that one can make bajillions trading stocks themselves. No. That is false. At the very least, it's unlikely a non-professional is going to net significant returns. If anyone could just step in and do it after studying a few days, everyone would be rich. Well, to say the least, the markets would be an entirely different beast.

Paying a good, qualified, licensed, fiduciary is the way to go. On the difference between types of agents, this blurb is decent:

https://fiduciaryfinancialpartners.com/5-differences-fiduciary-broker/

I don't know the source, but the overall cautions are correct and the definitions used are accurate. In short - You want a fiduciary that charges a flat fee and can only legally act "in your best interests." These sorts of advisors may also be "brokers." But, once one gets familiar with their specific products, one can make better determinations there. The point - Do not think a regular "broker" is operating in your best interests or must do so according to Law. Only a Fiduciary is legally obligated to do that. (This is US practice, but there should be similar regulations in other countries.)

There's an issue that I think is applicable to you or others reading your post who are in the US: 401k "retirement" plans. There is one reason that they exist and it's bad... They were invented to help corporations shed the need for retirement "Pensions" yet still have a way to provide employment inducements. They completely remove the need for corporations/businesses to have to finance pensions and maintain, legally, a pension "fund" that covers their obligations to retired employees. What this means to the employee and 401k holder is simple - "Big Business" successfully fostered off the responsibility to the employee for their own financial well-being who is entirely unaware of the associated risks.

One of the most seriously offending things about this is that 401k holders can make decisions on what to invest and how and nobody cares if they happen to make mistakes... This is why so very many people close to retirement suffer in economic downturns and lose bajillions of monies on very bad or volatile investments.

The takeaway - Don't muck about with stable, advised, 401k investments with money one is not prepared to lose. The "Stock Market" both rewards and punishes "gamblers." The latter more than the former...