Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with stock and financial

Beating Inflation

archagon — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:17:49 -0800

I don't have a lot of debt or expenses, so my income keeps piling up in my checking account. Unfortunately, I don't know much about finance or investment. I want to make sure that I don't lose money year over year because of inflation, but pretty much all the CDs and savings accounts I've seen have an APY lower than the inflation rate (which is >= 1.5% according to various websites). I don't care about playing the stock market; all I want is to avoid losing my money through inaction. How do people in this situation keep up with inflation while at the same time minimizing their financial risk?

What to do with $20,000

Atlantic — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:40:10 -0800

I have $20,000. I want to do something to make this money grow. Ideas? I recently acquired a large settlement from a car accident years ago and I have been wondering how to make it grow. I'm quite young and I feel this is a good opportunity to become more financially successful (along with my career of course)

I've thought about purchasing real estate, however where I live (Edmonton Canada) The housing market is at record highs and it would be a foolish time to invest in a house when the bubble may burst any day now. I will probably do this later...

I need some advice on stock, or investments etc. Since this money was basically just given to me, I'm willing to take some risks in certain investments.

I've done my best to educate myself over the last year since I got the money but I still feel lost about what to invest in.

Suggestions from people who have been successful for investing would be fantastic.

Chill Wind Blows Through Europe...

Muirwylde — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:23:52 -0800

So is the Euro currency about to collapse? This article seems to think it's a distinct possibility. What does a collapse of that currency actually mean? Timeline some possible scenarios if it all began to unravel tomorrow, presumably with a massive flight from the Euro. What if anything, will avert this?

Would you guys recommend to buy MOTORS LIQ CO (MTLQQ)?

omaralarifi — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:32:31 -0800

Can I buy MOTORS LIQ CO (MTLQQ) AKA General Motors stock? If yes, Would you guys recommend to buy the stock? Whatever your answer I need to know the reason. Thank You

Is the bear already in the house?

Funmonkey1 — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:35:36 -0800

I have just spent the afternoon watching stocks around the world decline partially based on sub prime market fallout. My question is how can things be so great when the Fed is handing out stacks of cash to keep things stable (34 Billion USD and counting, not including the international bail out)?

Small amount of money: stock, or cash?

AthenaPolias — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 08:19:02 -0800

Is holding a small amount of money in the form of insurance stock a smart move for a mid-20s grad student? I have the option of receiving about $1,800 from an inheritance in one of two forms: cash, or stock. While cash is always nice, it does have a way of going away fairly quickly, especially when one has a decent sized credit card bill to pay off. Stock, on the other hand, can be a very smart long-term investment, but is it worth it if the invested amount is so small?

A bit of background: I am in my mid twenties and am a grad-student type - hence, very little on-hand cash, a credit card bill to pay each month (never very high, but enough to constantly carry a balance), and a typical amount of student loan debt that I'll pay off in my mid thirties after my next degree. The stock is in a life insurance company that my great grandfather once had a policy with, and the stock has since been handed down to his daughter (my grandmother), and now rests with my father, who would like to pass it on to me. I wouldn't cash it in or plan on having any money any time soon to add to the investment, so I'd just be sitting on it for the long term. I can see this being a smart idea, but I can also see looking at this stock in ten, twenty, thirty years and realizing that the amount of money it has yielded me has been pretty pointless. On the other hand, if I take the cash, even if I set it aside in a savings account, it will likely end up going to an expense - classes, travel for my career, etc - within the next year or two.

Which is the smartest move? Help me, MeFites - I'm clueless!

Why Will Dividend Make Microsoft Stock Price Fall By Dividend Amount?

pwb503 — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 14:14:09 -0800

According to numerous reports I've read in the last few days worth of the Business Section of the newspaper, Microsoft's "stock price can be expected to fall by the amount of the dividend." That's the one-time $3 dividend that is coming sometime soon for those of you who don't follow this sort of thing. Anyway... I don't get it? Why is the stock price expceted to drop about $3 the day after this dividend? I like to think of myself as knowledgeble about the markets, and I understand that this dividend will remove $3 per share out of the bank for M$, but aren't stock prices valued more in terms of the value of the company and its holdings rather than simply the value of the money in the bank?