but rarely do they make money ! I wouldn’t be up another million YTD if I listened to them! I hate it when people are so opinionated on a stock or a single strategy. We all have different strategies and risk tolerance. Pick a strategy , build a thesis and conviction and give time to your thesis to play out and compound!!
When I first started trading, one of the biggest mistakes I made was assuming that most of what I expected or analyzed would actually happen. Over time, I realized that the trading world doesn't work like that at all. You will always have expectations and technical analysis for the charts, but only about 10–15% of those scenarios actually play out the way you envisioned. And out of that 10–15%, you only hit your full profit target maybe 30–40% of the time. The rest usually ends up as small gains, breakeven (BE) trades, or stop losses. This is precisely why most people treat trading like gambling and fail to build a consistent income. When several trades in a row hit stop-loss or breakeven, frustration sets in, the plan gets thrown out the window, and people start taking random trades with zero risk management. Once you truly internalize this mindset and get the logic straight in your head, staying consistently profitable actually becomes much easier.
Time is the one advantage in investing that you can never get back. All three investors contributed the same $1,000 every month and earned the same 10% annual return. The only difference was when they started. Starting just 10 years earlier can add millions to your long-term wealth because compounding has more time to work its magic. The best time to start was yesterday. The second-best time is today. Build your investing roadmap with the Financial Freedom. . . #Followme
I’ve continued to express how confident I am in $AMZN as a company and My $300 price target for this year hasn’t wavered. I hope everyone has been capitalizing on their dips. I’m increasing my PT to $350.
Earnings can be manipulated. Free cash flow is much harder to fake. That one distinction changes how you evaluate every dividend stock you'll ever own. There's a better way to check if a dividend is safe. It's called the Free Cash Flow Payout Ratio. Here's how it works: FCF Payout Ratio = Dividends Paid divided by Free Cash Flow Free Cash Flow is the money left after a company pays its bills and maintains its business. Actual cash, after the accounting adjustments are stripped out. Think of it like your paycheck after taxes and rent. That's what's available to spend. Johnson & Johnson is a good example. In 2024, they paid $11.8B in dividends and generated $19.8B in free cash flow. That's a 59.6% FCF payout ratio. Under 60% leaves comfortable room to keep paying and growing that dividend. Why does this matter more than the earnings payout ratio? Cash in the bank is hard to fake with accounting choices. A low and falling FCF payout ratio signals dividend growth ahead. A high FCF payout ratio is a warning sign, even if earnings look fine. One watch-out: always check if capital spending (CapEx) looks artificially low. A company cutting maintenance spending to make the ratio look better is a red flag. The FCF payout ratio tells you the truth about whether the cash is really there. What dividend metrics do you pay attention to when evaluating a stock? *** Most investors own stocks they don't understand. Learn to analyze them like a pro. Free on Substack.https://lnkd.in/enBwE7-Nread more
Hey Everyone Just recently started investing Was also thinking investing in SCHG / SCHD as well. Still new to all of this. Would like to hear what you guys think of my portfolio. Cheers read more
I look at this chart and I want to laugh, partially because of my own ignorance and partially because of the worlds. All my life, I’ve heard of these famous stock market crashes as well as the fear driven by the stories warning us about investing in the market. And now as an adult seeing this chart it makes me think. “Dang I wish I had seen this at 18 when I was first interested in the stock market!” I feel as a long-term investor, we should welcome a market crash. not fear one. What do you think? ⬇️⬇️ (Comment Down Below)$VOO
This is usually described as a defensive buy-write strategy. It is generally not something you would use on a stock you have high conviction in or one you expect to make a significant move higher, because you are intentionally giving up most of the upside. An in-the-money covered call is often used as a short-term income trade with a defined maximum return and a lower break-even price. Some investors also use the strategy in an attempt to capture dividends, although early assignment can cause the shares to be called away before the ex-dividend date. For that reason, I would not typically recommend dividend capture as the primary reason for entering the trade. How It Works Imagine you: Buy 100 shares of a stock for $20 = $2000.00 cost Sell one $18 call for $3 = $300.00 in premium received The option expires in one month, although the trader can choose a shorter or longer expiration date. It costs $2,000 to purchase the shares, but you immediately receive $300 in option premium. By selling the $18 call, you have agreed to sell the shares for $1,800 if the option is exercised. Because the call is already in the money, the shares will likely be called away at expiration if the stock remains above $18. Your net investment is: $20 purchase price − $3 premium = $17 per share Your maximum profit is: $18 strike price − $17 net cost = $1 per share Another way to look at it is that you lose $2 per share when the stock is sold for $18 after buying it for $20, but you collected $3 per share in option premium. That leaves you with a net profit of $1 per share, or $100 on the trade. It is important to understand that the entire $3 premium is not additional profit. Because the call is already $2 in the money, approximately $2 of the premium represents intrinsic value. That portion compensates you for agreeing to sell a $20 stock for $18. The remaining $1 represents time value and the trade’s maximum potential profit. That represents a return of approximately 5.9% on the $1,700 of net capital at risk over the one month period, assuming the stock remains above $18 and the shares are called away at expiration. Annualizing that one month result on a simple basis produces a theoretical return of approximately 70.6%. However, that assumes the same trade could be repeated every month for 12 months at the same return, without losses, trading costs, taxes, gaps between trades, or changing market conditions. That is unlikely to be realistic. So the question some investors may have is: why would someone use this strategy? Selling an ITM covered call is often used as a shorter-term, defined-return trade. Much like a trader who buys a stock intending to sell after a modest price increase, the investor enters the position with a predetermined maximum return and expected exit price. It provides a larger downside cushion than simply buying the stock. Its payoff can also resemble selling a cash-secured put, since both strategies collect option premium and establish an effective purchase price below the stock’s current market price. It has a higher probability of earning the maximum return because the stock does not need to increase in price. It only needs to remain above the in-the-money strike price at expiration. The strategy can therefore appeal to someone who is neutral or only moderately bullish on the stock. They may not expect a large move higher, but they are comfortable owning the shares and would be satisfied with a smaller, more defined return. However, premium is not free money, and this is not a risk-free trade. The downside risk is still similar to owning the stock outright. The option premium provides some protection, but if the share price declines significantly, the investor is still exposed to most of the downside. There is also a major asymmetry between the potential profit and loss. If the stock increases from $20 to $30, the maximum profit remains only $1 per share. The investor does not participate in the additional increase because they have already agreed to sell the shares for $18. However, if the stock falls to $10, the investor would still lose $7 per share based on the $17 net cost. ITM covered calls are one tool investors can use to generate immediate cash flow and create a larger downside cushion. However, that income comes at the cost of capped upside, and the investor remains exposed to substantial losses if the underlying stock declines. The strategy is therefore best viewed as a defined-return trade rather than a risk-free source of passive income. Investors who use margin may look for trades that generate enough cash flow to cover their borrowing costs while also producing additional capital to deploy. Using the example above, assume the investor borrows the full $1,700 at an annual interest rate of 5%. Holding the position for one month would cost approximately $7.08 in interest. If the trade earns its maximum $100 profit, the investor would retain approximately $92.92 after interest, before commissions and taxes. That equals a net return of approximately 5.5% on the $1,700 deployed. Because the position was financed entirely with borrowed money, the investor did not contribute new cash directly to the trade. This magnifies the return relative to the cash contributed, although the margin loan is still supported by other assets in the account. This is one of several strategies margin traders may use to generate short-term cash flow.read more
And I know it wasnt me! today I found out I had $7023 put into my tfsa.... I am officially charged 23cents a month as a intrest for my transgressions.... I filed my taxes and double checked my contrabutions and still! this will be cool i get to walk people through the process just as soon as im done living it 😆 🤣 after locking myself out of my cra account and and generally messing around trying to get back in, this week I will be calling and seeing if the over contrabutions was a wealthsimple problem or if was a tax filing problem. worse case there really is $23 extra in there.... damn! be safe everyone 😆
Welcome to August. July is finally over. 😮💨 🚨 Key Highlights July Close ⚠️ Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday that the US agreed to pause attacks on Iran: “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.” The deal would include the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. ❌ Energy stocks already pricing in Iran pause with Chevron -1.28%, ExxonMobil -1.5%, ConocoPhillips -3.2% all in pre-market. The Iran move is being priced in before US markets open. ⚠️ July 31 was a good Friday close to end a brutal month, S&P 500 +0.7%, Nasdaq +1%, Dow +0.5% on the day. But July as a whole was ugly. Nasdaq fell nearly -7% for the month. S&P 500 barely flat at -0.1%. Only the Dow squeaked out a monthly gain at +0.3%. Friday was a good day. July was not a good month. Futures: • S&P 500: +0.41% • Nasdaq 100: +0.63% • Dow: +0.33% • Russell 2000: +0.49% Fear & Greed: • VIX: -0.58% - fear easing Macro: • Oil WTI: -4.77% 🔴 Impact of Iran pause • Oil Brent: -4.62% 🔴 • Gold: +0.60% • Bitcoin: +0.78% • 10-Year Treasury: +0.35%, yields ticking slightly higher Sectors — July 31 Close: • XLK Technology: -0.22%, RSI 46 ⚠️ Apple drag offset by Amazon surge • XLV Healthcare: -0.59%, RSI 55 ⚠️ • XLE Energy: +1.00%, RSI 63 🟢 expect reversal at open with oil -4.77% • XLF Financials: -0.11%, RSI 62 🟢 • XLP Consumer Staples: -0.49% , RSI 51 ⚠️ • XLB Materials: -2.34%, RSI 45 ⚠️ Today’s Catalysts: ✴️ Oil -4.77% - Iran pause pulling XLE lower at open ✴️ Berkshire Hathaway earnings 📅 US July Jobs Report - biggest macro data point of the week 📅 AMD Tuesday - next semiconductor thesis test This Week’s Key Earnings: $AMD$UBER$BRK-B Tomorrow’s Expectations: Oil down nearly 5% before the open is the Iran pause doing the work, but we’ve seen this movie before. XLE potential for reversal and eyes on Oil reserves hitting 40 year low. The broader market picture is more positive. Equities green. VIX declining. The AI earnings wave seems to have confirmed the thesis three nights in a row. July was the month of indiscriminate selling and August opens so far with selective optimism. Source: Finviz live futures Not financial advice read more
As I continue to dive into the world of money, investing etc etc, and learn more and more about what my money can do for me, I came to the realization & decided that I needed to do something with all the cash I had sitting in my bank’s savings account. The interest rate on my savings acct was at an amazing 0.01% (😅), and that’s when I realized I wanted it to do more for me. I put a good chunk into $ZMMK as an emergency fund. Though I feel in my current stage of life, 4-6 months of money isn’t extremely necessary, so I don’t intend to add a whole lot more to it nor consistently unless needed, but I chose that as my research led me to believe it would be a good place to park money and get a better return than scotiabank was offering. I’ve had some props for it, and some pushback suggesting I do something else (ie just putting it into XEQT), and though I don’t hate the idea, I also hate the idea of not having accessible money if really needed (forbid I lose my job for a bit, etc etc), and with the volatility comparison between the two, there’s no known time when I could need the money - could be next month, could sit there for while. If I need it while the market happens to be down, I accept loss. Now, with it dropping a bit when it comes time for dividend payout, does that rise more of a concern to you? Why or why not? I hold it in my TFSA, which for right now I do question about it conflicting with contribution room, but at the same time if I intend to not add to it consistently and in big chunks, then I also could argue would it rise that largely of an issue? What do you guys think? Still fairly new to this game, so open to any and all advice! ☺️read more
South Korean market imploded last week, anybody that is over leveraged this should be a warning 👀 Something that worries me is the gamification of "investment" products. Funds that are 2x, 3x, 5x leverage are going nuclear ☣️. I can't predict the future, but it sad to see soo many people's savings being wiped out 😞.
The midday report has shifted away from a single dominant sector, with opportunities spanning financials, industrials, consumer names, utilities, and real estate. $GDOT, $BHF, $EXPD, $DORM, $NHBC, $SBUX, $EFC, and $POR are among the names appearing across multiple screens.
Real estate takes over the 10:30 set of opportunities, with $EFC, $EGP, $BFS, $FRT, and $DEA making up the largest group of potential opportunities. $MAR also returns, while $EXPD, $NBIX, $TPL, and $FFIV keep the selection broad across other sectors.
The 4 metrics you should consider watching for when picking individual stocks: Market Cap, P/E Ratio, Dividend Yield, and Industry This should allow you to cut through the emotional noise of the market & hold for 3-5yrs. This works for me so do your own research & do whats best for you
True is - t's super hard to focus on your goals over long period of time. Since, I build my portfolio from paycheck to paycheck, from stock to stock, its so hard to REMEMBER my mini-goals to achieve my big goal. So I have to consistently remember myself about my goal and steps to it. Since, my portfolio is heavily focus on AI/Tech , I decided to add a little of diversity to it. Goal is to have 10 stocks of $V , $VHT (health), and 40 stocks of $O (real estate) ..... but those stocks are doing good (for now) so i dont want to overpay for it. The goal for upcoming paycheck: set limit-buy for VHT - 1 stock, under $305 $100 for $TSM DONT buy $DRAM cuz the price is low and very attempting 1 stock of $O - limit buy $63.00 - 63.50 2 stocks of $SPYI - limit buy $53.00 ** $O and $SPYI : one of my goals is to live on dividends so i m slovely, over time going to build those positions read more
July returns from selling CC were lower than expected. $CRWV was down and back to November 2025 lows. Market was tough!! Lots of headwinds. A lot of you have been asking how I do it. I developed my own app to do that. So far my win rate is 70%. It’s still in it’s early stage but comment below if you want an early access 😊 You can follow if you want more updates! À la prochaine!
A little interest hit my NFCU account, so I did a quick comparison while reviewing my July distributions. 🤓📊 Everything is scaled to a hypothetical $5,000 investment using my most recent distributions. ⚠️ Not guaranteed. Most are not low-risk and not core holdings for me—just part of my ongoing analysis. Not financial advice. Do your own research! 😊 #InvestingWithADHD
Some saw the end of everything as they knew it. Others saw the casino. But long-term investors saw mid-summer discounts. Today is a nice breath of fresh air. The days, weeks, months where it’s nothing but red are the times you should most remember the research you did before you hit “buy”.
$ZETA reports earnings tomorrow after the market closes. A few things I'm watching: • 19 consecutive quarters of beating expectations and raising guidance. • Institutional ownership has continued to trend higher and is at an all-time high. These are some of the reasons $ZETA remains one of my top positions. I'm looking forward to seeing whether the company can continue executing and what management's outlook is for the coming quarters. This reflects my personal investment thesis, not a recommendation to buy or sell. As always, do your own research.
Currently I’m just focusing on a safe long term growth portfolio, I’m running: 50% $VOO 25% $QQQ 25% $AVUV Contemplating adding an individual or two, would you guys recommend adding any? If so what.
It's been a short weekend, and I'm ready for the markets tomorrow. What stocks are we watching for tomorrow's market? Let me know in the comments My watch list is $AMZN , $MSFT, $AVGO and $NVDA I’m hoping for these to all rise in tomorrow’s market.
⚠️ Educational purposes only. I'm not a financial advisor. ⏳ What Is Financial Freedom? Many people think financial freedom means being extremely wealthy or never having to work again. In reality, financial freedom means having enough income and assets to live the life you want without constantly worrying about money. Financial freedom looks different for everyone. For some, it means paying off debt and building an emergency fund. For others, it means owning a home, traveling more, retiring early, or spending more time with family. Achieving financial freedom is usually a long-term process rather than a single event. It often involves developing healthy financial habits, such as: ✅ Spending less than you earn. ✅ Saving and investing consistently. ✅ Avoiding unnecessary debt. ✅ Building multiple sources of income. ✅ Thinking long term rather than focusing on short-term results. One of the most powerful tools for reaching financial freedom is time. Small amounts invested regularly can grow significantly over many years through the power of compound interest. Financial freedom does not necessarily mean having millions of dollars in your bank account. Instead, it means having enough financial security and flexibility to make choices based on your values and goals rather than financial pressure. The journey may take years, but every dollar saved, every investment made, and every good financial decision can bring you one step closer to that goal. ✅ Key Takeaway Financial freedom is not about becoming rich overnight. It is about creating enough financial stability and flexibility to live life on your own terms. 📖 Financial Word of the Week Net Worth: The difference between what you own (assets) and what you owe (liabilities). ❓ Question for the Community What does financial freedom mean to you personally? 📚 Follow this page for a new financial education lesson every week. The Real Uncle Sam Making Financial Education Simple. Learn. Invest. Build Wealth.read more
I’m 17 and started investing a year and a half ago at the time I could only afford to put 100$ in now I’ve grown it to 200$ now I have a little more capital now and am looking for ideas the past couple months I haven’t been active on the account but when I was I was doing smaller more risky investments based on real word happening I found most of my luck in rare earth mineral stocks, company’s who help the government and received funding and real estate companies any ideas to make it more stable or ideas for my old strategy?
The market this morning has been pretty good so I hope it goes/stays strong towards the end of the day. How are your guy's portfolios this morning???? Let me know in the comments below!! Hopefully my picks from yesterday all do good!
Key stock metrics every investor should understand: EPS, P/E, ROE, debt levels, liquidity, and margins. Save this. Study it. Which metric do you check first?
