Everyone wants to invest but nobody wants to work

[Anonymous]

The S&P 500 lost 19% in 2022 and 38% in 2008. You really want to invest in that?

Rich folks are in private placements for a reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The S&P 500 lost 19% in 2022 and 38% in 2008. You really want to invest in that?

Rich folks are in private placements for a reason.

And those private investments don’t always do well either, but because they’re not marked to market on a regular basis, there is the illusion of lower volatility and better performance.

In fact, right now, rich people are putting new money into the public markets because the typical exit paths for private investments are virtually closed and AI is the future, but only the largest companies are going to win. Mag 7 is good enough for me.

[Anonymous]

It’s a problem. I retired in my early 50s and tripled my assets after only a few years in retirement. Why would anyone work? Already, my kids want the same.

I’m concerned. Money doesn’t give meaning, and I increasingly feel a need to contribute again to the world. What do I want my legacy to be? I’m not trying to be heroic, but sitting on the couch for 30 years is not a life well lived.

[Anonymous]

There are articles every day about coming mass unemployment. This years college graduates aren’t finding good jobs. Of course people are looking at other ways to make money, especially those with extra money now.

I’m a teacher in my 40s. I teach a humanities subject. Who knows where we are headed?

I have faith that we will figure something out. But do I want my kids investing early? Yeah. Might be a better bet than college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a former minimum wage earner, who became rich literally the minute I discovered investing. I skipped middle class altogether.
I had worked so hard previously and had money to invest several times in 25 years. In fact, I saved up $10k in 1.5 years from 1998-1999. That was 6-months income for me. I didn't have anyone around me who was investing and I didn't have the proper visa to invest in US. Don't think anyone investing in the old country.
The one lousy attempt to open a Roth IRA, once I got my papers, didn't exactly work out. I'm staying away from all advisers and all funds. I know better what to buy for my risk tolerance and overall financial picture. How the heck would a bank know about the rest of my money, my options, my health, my meager needs, taxes (non existent). They don't know. I have intangible assets about which, a bank would never even know to ask.
Banks go safe, they collect fees, and I learn nothing because it's done for me. Got to do it on my own to learn. The money I lost at the beginning, was so worth it. Didn't make those mistakes again with bigger amounts.
The bank or app I use are also important. Nobody talks about that. Vanguard can go away tomorrow for all I care.
Many young kids know about investing thanks to YouTube and RH. I am so happy your kid brought up investing. I don't know why it didn't come from you, the parent. Let him try using $1000 and your account. Investing a little doesn't mean he won't go to college. Knowing about it and being interested in it, is already great. He is just curious.
My 11-year old has $250k growing at this moment. It will be millions by the time he is 30 with 19 years of investing experience. We are not sitting on the money and hoping for 10%. He knows that money makes money and then maybe you get some from a job. He knows I didn't make the money waiting on tables. It was getting into investing and staying with it.
So many people who got into investing in 2020, left after the crash of 2022 and forgot about their accounts. I wanted to know why I lost some and made some.
Since 11-year old lives with me, he knows all about investing. He can tell you top ten stock to buy in our house, at what price and in what account.
My 18-year old, who lives with his father, thinks getting his father's Navy Federal membership is the way to go. I told him that I was thinking along the lines of growth stocks and Bitcoin as he is an adult now. He told me to stop flexing. I told him to not bring up a dinosaur credit union or any other banks in front of me. Specially the ones who 'loaned us an umbrella and asked for it back when it started raining'. Looking at you, Wells Fargo and Citibank.
My friend's 15-year old also asked about investing, but I asked him to wait til he is 18. He can mock invest meanwhile, read books, and watch videos.
An ex co-worker of mine stopped by the restaurant the other day. She told me all about how important 3% match is from her current employer, and I guess the lousy investment choices, the fees and the taxes she will have to pay later from her 401k are also great. I told her that I made 100% in my two Roths last year and about to do the same this year. While 401k is done for her, I'm in charge of my own Roths.
Doubling can be done with small amounts, ask Warren. Find the YouTube video. It gets easier and easier, because all I need is to make $4k a month using $40k for example. To lock it in, I got to sell the shares and wait for another dip. Next month, I have $44k to make the $4k and so on. NFA.
I went back to work very part time, because staying home became boring. I get free food, free beer, 15k steps in, and a small paycheck of $500 a week. We cannot find workers who are not on their phones. They'd better learn to use those phones to make money.
I did get a finance degree at some point, but it's my elementary school math from abroad that has been most useful.
Pardon my written English. I dislike writing.

This story has been shared about 15x on here and gets more ridiculous each time!!

[Anonymous]

I think this attitude is also a manifestation of the blackpill movement. It’s a way to drop out of society. Make money and then quit everything.

[Anonymous]

The future is Blade Runner, minus the flying cars and space colonization. Basically genetic engineers with PhDs will operate out of the back office of a noodle stand and earn the same low pay as everyone in the trades. Humans will only make good money as executives, police officers, and corporate HR.

[Anonymous]

NOT HR!!! if there was one field, I wish would be replaced by AI, it would be this. maybe they would stop lying and be more fair instead of cruel. Knowing corporate though, theyd be programmed towards the worst

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The S&P 500 lost 19% in 2022 and 38% in 2008. You really want to invest in that?

Rich folks are in private placements for a reason.

What’s the annual return over the last 30 years?

[Anonymous]

Since the beginning of 2000, the S&P 500 has increased significantly, with an average annual return of around 7.33%. If you invested $100 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2000 and reinvested all dividends, by the end of 2025 it would have grown to around $595.51. This represents a total return of 495.51%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The children of the plumbers, electricians etc will be fine if they follow their parents path. The kids of their of us with "office" jobs will have a rude awakening. I don't know about your kids, but mine do view some jobs as beneath them. I am not sure they will have the same success and luck we had. Sure we will leave them a lot money. But is that really good for them, the country, that they already know they will be likely set for the future by the time they are 21? I don't know

Do you actually know any electricians, plumbers, roofers, etc. aside from those who've done work on your house or business?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a problem. I retired in my early 50s and tripled my assets after only a few years in retirement. Why would anyone work? Already, my kids want the same.

I’m concerned. Money doesn’t give meaning, and I increasingly feel a need to contribute again to the world. What do I want my legacy to be? I’m not trying to be heroic, but sitting on the couch for 30 years is not a life well lived.

So now that you have all this time on your hands, get out there and do something. Volunteer to help people less fortunate, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone wants to invest but nobody wants to work . Who will do the job? My son is only 14 and he already knows about all these index funds investments, he is saying he wants to retire at 30, will save like crazy so he doesn't to work past 30. Of course he is a kid and he will get a reality check when he becomes a young adult.

Maybe we should rethink the job? The point of life isn’t to work in the first place. It’s to enjoy the experience of living, and if you’re working all the time, you’re not doing that. Good for your kids for realizing it early. Stop working and start living.

[Anonymous]

Life is too short to be spending it working. If everyone can make money through investing, they should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:News flash! We need folks working to drive market growth. That’s why I think much of this FIRE strategy is misguided. We need our smart people working not sucking off the teats of other poorer workers.

Uh I think you have this backwards. Poor worked don’t even pay income tax for the most part and certainly it enough to cover even their kids’ schooling.