What advice have you heard or tried that was just flat-out wrong? - eviltoast

Subjective situations welcome

  • andrewta@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    When you start investing, just put your money in and just don’t worry about it. It’ll grow. Just keep adding to it. You’ll get there.

    Probably some of the dumber advice i’ve received.

    You have to look at your Stocks. You have to look at your 401(k). You have to look at your investments.

    Unless you like to wake up one day and discover you don’t have enough money. Then go ahead and follow that advice of just set and forget it.

    The only one that might make sense with is if you’re putting your money into the S&P.

    Even then, I still would pay attention to what it’s doing.

    • undeffeined@lemmy.ml
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      7 days ago

      To be fair that advice does work for Index Funds which are low risk and meant to be gathering interest over many many years. For stock trading yeah, you have to be on top of things

    • tyler@programming.dev
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      6 days ago

      Most people aren’t talking about investing with stocks. They’re talking about mutual funds and 401ks, which will grow if you just leave them be. If you try mucking around with them you’re going to be much worse off.

      • UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml
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        6 days ago

        They’re talking about mutual funds and 401ks, which will grow if you just leave them be.

        Wrong. If you switch jobs your place of employment will offload your 401k funds to the world’s shittiest scummiest organization that will steal as much as they can in the form of fees.

      • andrewta@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        That is true only to a point. If I look at the funds (401k) and realize it is consistently performing poorly why would I not dump it and find something that is consistently performing better?

    • Jeroen@lemmings.world
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      6 days ago

      Why do you look at your investments? What do you do with the information? I don’t want to predict the market and I can’t. Looking at it is more likely to make you panic buy/sell than make you do anything useful. But I’m curious why you don’t agree with the advice.

      • andrewta@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        It’s a conscious effort to not panic. But once that investment goes up as far as i think it will. (I set that point before I even buy) then I sell and buy something those that is low and ride that up. If I don’t watch them, that stock could go WAY down before I realize I’ve lost anything.

        If it’s gone down I have to figure out if I think it’s coming back. Then decide, cut my losses or hold out until it comes back

        • Jeroen@lemmings.world
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          6 days ago

          Okay so individual stocks then. But the advice is for index funds I think. But good on you if it works. I wouldn’t try to predict individual stocks personally, too much stress and probably won’t do it better than randomly guessing.