Beginners - Introduce yourselves!

[divs4ever]

Thanks for the heads up. My instinct is to go with A200, its ultra low cost at 0.04% per year fees, higher annual returns than VHY but still a dividend. VHY fee at 0.25% was making me seethe, Im sick of taxes and fees, taxes I have to live with, High fees i dont!

Well you gave me the confidence to pull the trigger. So hereeeee we go.....A200 it is.

Just a general thing, but have you found the compound calculators to be accurate over your investing journey? The numbers seem too good to be true, looking for the catch

at the time i held both VAS ( i still hold some of them ) and VHY now while VAS grew in share price ( capital gain ) VHY often paid a better div. and when that was converted to extra shares ( via the DRP ) it bought more shares than the same strategy with VAS

now where i differ from you , i don't mind the fees IF i get the extra results , BUT you need to get those extra results fairly often ( not once or twice in ten years , especially if there has been a bull market in most of those ten years )

compounding calculators fall flat when the divs change all the time , during 2020 to 2022 many stocks ( and REITs) paid no divs or very little , and that might happen again

as a guide , yes but don't count on the income to guarantee the bills get paid , i missed the GFC , but the Covid saga , well many things were changed , paused or just abandoned ( i even had one stock cancel the div. ON PAYMENT DATE )

cheers and good luck

don't forget the research and learning , even with just straight investing there is so much to learn

 

[divs4ever]

Im terrified of losing my money, so this turned me into jelly. whats the worst that could happen with an ETF right?

the fear is natural ( and correct ) but even ETFs can lose you money ( maybe even the total investment in it )

sure it is rarer than penny stocks , but even BIG banks and funds can go bust ( and have done in the past )

that is why you need to understand when/if things are going wrong , and decide when to jump and run , OR suck it up and buy more when it is very cheap ( and you won't know which was the best answer until a few years down the track )

in fact i hold one LIC that completely sold all the stocks in March 2020 ( and bought at leisure later ) while i had some spare cash .. and was buying in the carnage .. and we both survived ( and did OK )

as long as you know it CAN happen ( but probably won't know when in advance) you can have a plan and reduce your panic in the crisis

also remember the stock market ( not just one stock ) often drops more than 20% ( but the 40% plus ones really rattle the confidence )

 

[divs4ever]

Hey thanks, well id like to test that out with a stupid question, um, are there some common taboos i should be aware of? like asking people too directly how much money they spend or have or their portfolio etc. I mean money was taboo in my fam growing up, so still establishing new boundaries and etiquette

well from a personal security point of view .. especially on forums , most will not tell you their real name , and will not tell you their complete portfolio and finances ETC , because this is a PUBLIC forum , non-members can read most of the stuff from outside ( without logging in )

also bragging too much about your trading activities ( especially if not real ) can draw the attention of the regulators , who may investigate if you are trying to manipulate share rices

i am sure other veterans here will add more

 

[farmerge]

Hey thanks, well id like to test that out with a stupid question, um, are there some common taboos i should be aware of? like asking people too directly how much money they spend or have or their portfolio etc. I mean money was taboo in my fam growing up, so still establishing new boundaries and etiquette

@Bran Flakes Well you can ask but whether the truth is told that is only known by the person delivering the answer.
There a few extremely knowledgeable persons on this forum.
Their advice and help is invaluable.
Ask and you will receive.
It is not hard to pick them out, as they post regularly.
Always be cautious, though.

 

[DaveTrade]

Im terrified of losing my money, so this turned me into jelly. whats the worst that could happen with an ETF right?

Im terrified of losing my money

Shows that managing potential losses is important to you.

so this turned me into jelly

This is a clear indication that you don't know how to avoid large losses.

whats the worst that could happen with an ETF right?

You could lose a lot of money if the ETF goes down in value which is exactly what you said that you don't want to do, so it may be a good idea to learn a bit about timing your entry and managing your investment. When putting money into the markets it's important to have an investment plan before you invest. My experience has shown me that when I feel fear in the market it's a sign that I have gaps in my knowledge and am therefore relying on hope and luck. If you are feeling fear but need to learn from experience then invest very small when you do this.

 

[divs4ever]

Shows that managing potential losses is important to you.


This is a clear indication that you don't know how to avoid large losses.


You could lose a lot of money if the ETF goes down in value which is exactly what you said that you don't want to do, so it may be a good idea to learn a bit about timing your entry and managing your investment. When putting money into the markets it's important to have an investment plan before you invest. My experience has shown me that when I feel fear in the market it's a sign that I have gaps in my knowledge and am therefore relying on hope and luck. If you are feeling fear but need to learn from experience then invest very small when you do this.

and a second skill is knowing when you have been lucky and/or you got the plan right

it is easy to become over-confident when you have only had a string of lucky outcomes

i have a reputation of being incredibly lucky ( waaay before the start of investing ) so i tend to take the risked cash off the table ( when in profit ) and use it elsewhere

doesn't work so well with ETFs , but it can ( and did for me with a reasonably timed entry into ASIA the ETF )

 

[Bran Flakes]

Shows that managing potential losses is important to you.


This is a clear indication that you don't know how to avoid large losses.


You could lose a lot of money if the ETF goes down in value which is exactly what you said that you don't want to do, so it may be a good idea to learn a bit about timing your entry and managing your investment. When putting money into the markets it's important to have an investment plan before you invest. My experience has shown me that when I feel fear in the market it's a sign that I have gaps in my knowledge and am therefore relying on hope and luck. If you are feeling fear but need to learn from experience then invest very small when you do this.

Appreciate the insight. my plan is to do Dollar cost averaging in an ETF and not try to time to market and ignore "Mr Market" as a few books have said. But its all theory to me, Ive read this stuff, havent tested it! hence the jelly legs

 

[DaveTrade]

my plan is to do Dollar cost averaging in an ETF and not try to time to market and ignore "Mr Market" as a few books have said.

Dollar cost averaging would be OK if you are fairly sure that the downturn will be short lived but if the market keeps going down for longer than you anticipated then you would be in trouble. Timing your entry can be based on fundamentals, technical analysis or a combination of both and you don't have to find the exact turning point, just get in near the start of an up turn with an expectation of higher prices to come. The worst situation to be in is when you enter when the market is falling and it just keeps on going down to the point where it may take you six months to a year or even longer just to get your money back. The number one thing to focus on is to minimise losing money. Big tick for having a plan but there is nothing wrong with looking the improve your plan. I have a low tolerance for losing money and I may be wrong in thinking that you may in the same boat.

 

[Peterjackson]

Greetings fellow traders, I've been investing and gambling for about 8ish years now, and somehow I haven't destroyed my super balance so I must be doing something right. I studied the aus market for about 6 months before I invested into some asx 200/300 companies and because the market was rising at the time I did fairly well. As the market cooled off and headed down I had a break because I hadn't learned how to short companies at that time. Obviously I need to learn how to, because the market downtrends for so long that I get impatient waiting for a reversal when I could be making some cash. Anyway, I have decided that the market still has another 18 months of the uptrend before a reversal so am actively trading. Gold is my latest focus, and I'm busy sussing out some potential buys in the smaller companies, because they have more upside than the large caps (no penny dreadfuls though!) Anyway, That's a brief overview, see you on the boards!

 

[finicky]

Gold is my latest focus, and I'm busy sussing out some potential buys in the smaller companies, because they have more upside than the large caps (no penny dreadfuls though!)

Not that you're asking, but although I'm fairly heavily into gold related companies I can't think of even one that I'd feel comfortable suggesting a look at. The miners/dev/explrs are almost entirely unpredictable in my experience with them and that goes back 23 years.
Holding NST, WAF, RMS RRL, GOR,
a few penny dreadfuls (BC8, NXM, FAL, S2R)
and secondary (GNG, IMD, CDA)
Not recs.

 

[Peterjackson]

I have held NST, RMS and GOR in the past, NST is too big to double in market cap within 1 to 2 years so is on my ignore list, RMS - I can't remember much about it other than I bought in and had a problem getting out without losing too much on the deal, and GOR was a good trade, I'm looking for midcaps (BGL, WGX ) etc, and I do have my eye on a much smaller company which I will name after I buy into it. I tried a gold eft out a few years ago, way too early really as gold wasn't moving much back then and the shorters were pulling the price down...not impressed!
i'm aiming for 15 to 20% gold stocks in my portfolio, and that figure will most likely increase if gold does what I think that it's going to do. Anyway, thanks for the comment.

 

[divs4ever]

Obviously I need to learn how to, because the market downtrends for so long that I get impatient waiting for a reversal when I could be making some cash.

welcome to ASF

do you really need to learn how to short ?

i have been waiting for the crash since mid 2013 , i thought 2020 was it , but no, the powers-to-be started picking winners ( throwing lifelines selectively )

am i waiting still in bulk cash , NO !

while the BIG money is playing games they still leave the odd opportunity

now your history with gambling should give you a nice understanding of risk v. reward that should be rather useful in short/medium duration holds , since you desire to trade learning some trading theories and skills might be better , while you build some cash reserves and figure out which trading strategies suit YOU best ,

be careful if you are starting late in gold miners , they tend to suffer from rising costs and the lure of overly rapid exploration/expansion ( expecting gold prices to stay strong )

one to keep an eye on is SVL ( i don't hold ) it is going after a terribly ambitious plan of an open cut mine AND an underground mine in the same area ( but different depths ) that plan could go anywhere ( bust or a long term winner , or just run out of cash ) , but should create some trade-worthy moments ( i don't trade )

cheers and good luck

 

[Peterjackson]

welcome to ASF

do you really need to learn how to short ?

i have been waiting for the crash since mid 2013 , i thought 2020 was it , but no, the powers-to-be started picking winners ( throwing lifelines selectively )

am i waiting still in bulk cash , NO !

while the BIG money is playing games they still leave the odd opportunity

now your history with gambling should give you a nice understanding of risk v. reward that should be rather useful in short/medium duration holds , since you desire to trade learning some trading theories and skills might be better , while you build some cash reserves and figure out which trading strategies suit YOU best ,

be careful if you are starting late in gold miners , they tend to suffer from rising costs and the lure of overly rapid exploration/expansion ( expecting gold prices to stay strong )

one to keep an eye on is SVL ( i don't hold ) it is going after a terribly ambitious plan of an open cut mine AND an underground mine in the same area ( but different depths ) that plan could go anywhere ( bust or a long term winner , or just run out of cash ) , but should create some trade-worthy moments ( i don't trade )

cheers and good luck

Yep, I was waiting for a crash too, I see 2020 as a smaller crash, but am expecting a larger hit in a couple of years from now.
The gambling that I did was on the ASX, it only works for me when lady luck has my back, which isn't often. Nowdays I use a more methodical trading method to avoid a large loss of capital.
I got into the goldies a bit late, but I expect gold to keep rising for the next 8ish years, so am gradually increasing my holdings in that area.
I have been watching SVL for a while now but would have to sell another company to free up some cash for a purchase so I'm a bit reluctant to as about half of my holdings are still underwater if only by a small amount.
I dipped a toe into the water this morning with the purchase of a small goldie who is at the start of a transformation, that company is KAU, check it out if you are interested, I will keep buying in as the price starts to rise and when more free cash becomes available in my account.
I have made some great gains this year with ZIP and MSB, and continue to hold both while they continue to increase in value, MSB is my fave stock at this point in time with it's value about to increase if/when they get the approval from the FDA within the next 6 months which is looking very likely. Anyway, I'm not here to promote any particular company, just giving people some names to check out.

 

[Matokro]

Good morning,
my name is Martin, and I am quite new to trading (at least to trading with real money). I'm still locking around on what and where.
Are there any traders here from western Sydney and if does someone know if there is somewhere a place where traders meet "offline"?

Looking forward to spending my time on ASF. See you later

 

[qldfrog]

Good morning,
my name is Martin, and I am quite new to trading (at least to trading with real money). I'm still locking around on what and where.
Are there any traders here from western Sydney and if does someone know if there is somewhere a place where traders meet "offline"?

Looking forward to spending my time on ASF. See you later

Welcome

 

[farmerge]

Good morning,
my name is Martin, and I am quite new to trading (at least to trading with real money). I'm still locking around on what and where.
Are there any traders here from western Sydney and if does someone know if there is somewhere a place where traders meet "offline"?

Looking forward to spending my time on ASF. See you later

@Matokro From Me and Him (the bloke in the mirror) a warm welcome to you.
May your experiences on ASF be great.

 

[Joe Blow]

Good morning,
my name is Martin, and I am quite new to trading (at least to trading with real money). I'm still locking around on what and where.
Are there any traders here from western Sydney and if does someone know if there is somewhere a place where traders meet "offline"?

Looking forward to spending my time on ASF. See you later

Welcome to ASF. If you have any questions about how things work around here you can ask in this thread. I hope you enjoy your time here.

 

[farmerge]

Welcome to ASF. If you have any questions about how things work around here you can ask in this thread. I hope you enjoy your time here.

And I would add there are some very well versed souls in the ASF who are only too happy to pass on knowledge.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

Good morning,
my name is Martin, and I am quite new to trading (at least to trading with real money). I'm still locking around on what and where.
Are there any traders here from western Sydney and if does someone know if there is somewhere a place where traders meet "offline"?

Looking forward to spending my time on ASF. See you later

Welcome to ASF. We were all like you when we started. the SEARCH tool in the top right hand corner is gold. It even has a result for "search" on how to navigate this tool. Everything is there from Brokers to using a dart to choose a stock

Searching Aussie Stock Forums

Quick question from a newbie... How do you search the ASF site for shares you are interested in or other keywords that may have been discussed in the forums? I can't seem to find a way to do it.

www.aussiestockforums.com

In particular tick the box for "search tiles only" to save time. Good investing or trading.

gg

 

[farmerge]

Welcome to ASF. We were all like you when we started. the SEARCH tool in the top right hand corner is gold. It even has a result for "search" on how to navigate this tool. Everything is there from Brokers to using a dart to choose a stock

Searching Aussie Stock Forums

Quick question from a newbie... How do you search the ASF site for shares you are interested in or other keywords that may have been discussed in the forums? I can't seem to find a way to do it.

www.aussiestockforums.com

In particular tick the box for "search tiles only" to save time. Good investing or trading.

gg

And the "king" of the dart board ..........................!!!!