Epic's Account Talk

[WorkFE]

Saving money is easy for some and harder for others. In a lot of cases the saver makes it hard because they know its there and they want it (don't contribute). In other cases, they just don't make enough either because they are over extended (buy what they can't afford) or they are living on meager wages. And some just keep putting it off until their body tells them "You can't work like this forever".

I would consider 5-8% zero risk return a luxury that most Americans don't have the option to choose. If my savings accounts, TSP etc were producing that religiously I would have retired 10 years ago. Of course, having a pension makes this much easier for some folks, another item that a lot of workers don't have.

 

[Epic]

Give me a risk free 5-8% and I'm going to be tempted to say eff it, and park my $$ there.

I-Bonds were the rage about a year ago, and are available to anyone. Please do your research, but I found it to be a good opportunity that meets your requirements.
In short:
I put 10K (the yearly limit) into an I-Bond last year when the current rate was at 9.62% and that got locked in for the first 6 months. Then it deferred to the current rate of 6.89%.
The 6.89% rate can be had and locked in for the first 6 months up until April 30, 2023, which means if you purchase an I-Bond before that date the rate is locked in for the first 6 months.
I may make another 10K I-Bond purchase (for this year) before that cut-off date to lock in that rate (for the first 6 months), but I just haven't decided yet. I have 3 months to see how this economy is working out.

There are some rules with this, so PLEASE do your research first and decide if it's the right move for you.
Rates can go UP and Rates can go DOWN, but the current rate of almost 7% aint too bad.
READ MORE HERE > > > > > https://www.treasurydirect.gov/savings-bonds/i-bonds/

Hope this helps . . . .

 

[tsptalk]

Any of you old enough to remember this?

What Is the Highest CD Rate in History?
According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, CD rates reached an all-time high in 1980—18.65% for three-month CDs and 18.29% for six-month CDs. Between May 18, 2009, and March 29, 2021, the highest one-year CD rate was 1.29%, and the highest five-year CD rate for accounts with less than $100,000 was 2.30%.

https://www.thebalancemoney.com/certificate-of-deposit-rate-history-5271818

 

[WorkFE]

Any of you old enough to remember this?

I remember it but at 17 years old I was too broke to participate.

 

[Epic]

I remember it but at 17 years old I was too broke to participate.

Same here...... I had just graduated High School. :lmao:

 

[tsptalk]

Me too. In high school you're thinking, 18%, is that good?

 

[Epic]

Me too. In high school you're thinking, 18%, is that good?

At that age I only had one thing on my mind, and it certainly wasn't investing....... LOL
It was the 80's man. I honestly didn't think I'd make it past 27. Got lucky I guess. :nuts:

 

[Epic]

https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20230201a.htm

Watch Here 2:30 >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNxtwxLYCxc

..

 

[Epic]

Not much change in both .......

https://www.naaim.org/programs/naaim-exposure-index/
https://www.aaii.com/sentimentsurvey





..

 

[JTH]

Thanks, I'll be very curious to see what these number look like next week.

 

[Epic]

Good Morning,
9:00 am and futures looking a little RED this morning. Hopefully things will improve at the Open.
Best of luck this week !!!

https://www.investing.com/indices/indices-futures

 

[Epic]

​Good Morning. Here you go. Check Coolhand for his analysis of the NAAIM readings.
Both AAII and NAAIM both more Bullish than the prior reading.
Also, Oscar Carboni (if you follow him) has officially declared that "The Bottom Is In" in one of his latest videos. :dunno: I guess we'll see....... I'm still on the fence, but watching closely. :22:
https://www.aaii.com/sentimentsurvey
https://www.naaim.org/programs/naaim-exposure-index/

 

[Epic]

​Just something else that's been vaguely in the news lately that I found interesting. Woke-a-Meter
As the saying goes: "Go Woke and go broke", so this may be some interesting insight to take into account for individual investing and not necessarily TSP related.

1792 Exchange has assessed 1,000+ companies’ policies, practices, and other relevant criteria to determine the likelihood a company will cancel a contract or client, or boycott, divest, or deny services based on views or beliefs.
Link below:https://1792exchange.com/spotlightreports/

 

[tsptalk]

Interesting, although like fact checkers only being as factful as the bias of the person writing about it, it would probably be tough to get accurate info on how woke a company is based on one firm's opinion.

It does seem however, that the new corporate agenda is to get us to be divided and pick sides.

I'm sick of it and it's one reason we shy away from talking about controversial stuff here. I don't like to promote the fact that we all have disagreements. We all know we do, but unlike other media, I don't want to "profit" from it, if you know what I mean. But the concept is interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[Epic]

I agree 100%. I just found it interesting.
If a Company or Corporation is profitable and I can invest and make money, that's all I care about. All the rest is just noise.

 

[Epic]

Coming in lukewarm. . . . just over what was expected. Could have been worse I guess......:indifferent:

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/14/consumer-price-index-january-2023-.html

"Inflation rose 0.5% in January, more than expected and up 6.4% from a year ago"

What was expected:



Futures holding fairly stable at the moment:
https://www.investing.com/indices/indices-futures



.

 

[Epic]

Good Morning. Here you go. Check Coolhand for his analysis of the NAAIM readings.
https://www.naaim.org/programs/naaim-exposure-index/
https://www.aaii.com/sentimentsurvey

 

[Epic]

Keeping an eye on the Dollar today. Still on the rise. If it finishes strong today it will embed (Bollinger Bands over 80 for third day). That means possibly (according to Ira Epstein) that future interest rates will be higher. :worried:
Should be interesting to watch and see how it all pans out...... :1244::1244::1244:
​https://www.investing.com/indices/usdollar

 

[Epic]

30 minutes till the Open. Futures down quite a bit, but things change so quickly that maybe it will improve right before. We'll see I guess....... GOOD LUCK ! ! !

https://www.investing.com/indices/indices-futures

 

[Epic]

So yesterday was Brutal, and I've heard the term "Death Zone" used a few times the past couple days. I know about "Death Cross", but Death Zone is something new to me. Obviously, it's not a good thing......:laugh:
​I thought this was interesting . . . . .
(for informational purposes only. Draw your own conclusions)

Here >>>>> https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/us-stocks-are-death-zone-could-sink-morgan-stanley-warns

"US stocks are in 'death zone' and could sink 26%, Morgan Stanley warns"