"BMT Investors" Bulletin Board

[Joey Mack]

I dont remember.. I guess my fault is not knowing that answer. 

[Brocky]

13 minutes ago, kscarbel2 said:

Often, you can earn more money not contributing to a 401 but rather investing yourself. And that's even if you invest in mutual funds because you aren't confident with stocks.

How much does your employer match your contribution?

KS, you are correct to a point.. If you do not put in the amount the company matches you are taking a pay cut.. BUT beyond that amount IF you have a decent personal financial manager you can often grow better outside a 401.. IF you can force yourself to make that contribution into another account rather than it being taken out before you see it?? Quite often we are all guilty of spending the money instead of saving it..

[mowerman]

14 hours ago, Brocky said:

Joey, You must have a 401 account with the county??? Put in at least the percentage they match.. We put in a higher percentage at times between truck payments.. and actually we only had the 401 and company retirement for less than 15 years.. We are not rich, But comfortable.. and so far just the company retirement and Social Security more than covers our monthly expenses without touching the IRA..

Ya same here 2 retirement pots I haven’t touched emergency backup dough.. bob

[mowerman]

13 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

I dont remember.. I guess my fault is not knowing that answer. 

You’ve got plenty of time to worry about the investments, but do a lot of research before you move your money because some of these investment firms do not follow your money like you think they should be doing Good luck

[mowerman]

I’ve got mass mutual MML. They seem to be doing OK. I’ve only been in there a short time and the other pot is through our local credit union which is promising me the world let’s see what happens.bob

[mowerman]

and brocky,,,,my wife tells me the same thing,,,,quit looking at it,,,,but im basically just following how much its dropping,not expecting any miracles right now ,,

[Brocky]

1 hour ago, mowerman said:

You’ve got plenty of time to worry about the investments, but do a lot of research before you move your money because some of these investment firms do not follow your money like you think they should be doing Good luck

The main reason I went with Wells Fargo was that I inherited a small Prudential stock account when my mother passed away. Wells Fargo had purchased the Prudential system. Also I liked the WF man when I met him a lot better than the Vanguard man who had our 401 acct with our company.

[mowerman]

When I had vanguard it dropped 50,000 bucks when dumb dumb was president and stayed there around 3 years then I signed up for digital adviser and and grew like man around 6 months ago went back up the 50 Gs I lost .. but I was told by financial advisor it was still better to move it to IRA 

[kscarbel2]

14 hours ago, Brocky said:

KS, you are correct to a point.. If you do not put in the amount the company matches you are taking a pay cut.. BUT beyond that amount IF you have a decent personal financial manager you can often grow better outside a 401.. IF you can force yourself to make that contribution into another account rather than it being taken out before you see it?? Quite often we are all guilty of spending the money instead of saving it..

If the company match is less than a dollar, and capped, I generally tell people to refrain from the 401 program and invest in a good mutual fund.

While the best years of mutual funds were 1980 thru 1997, there are a handful of funds that have a long-term 10+ year track record of sustained high performance.

That said, you can gain stock buying confidence by purchasing companies you know (truck makers). That's out area of expertise. If you bought Oshkosh at $4.00 in 2008 (global financial crisis total market melt down) and sold in 2021 for $133, your nervousness about stocks would be gone. Invest in companies and industries you understand, and stay away from the rest.

[kscarbel2]

https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/05/02/u-s-added-177000-jobs-in-april-better-than-expected-as-economy-defies-doomsayers/

[kscarbel2]

1 hour ago, Brocky said:

The main reason I went with Wells Fargo was that I inherited a small Prudential stock account when my mother passed away. Wells Fargo had purchased the Prudential system. Also I liked the WF man when I met him a lot better than the Vanguard man who had our 401 acct with our company.

No one will manage your money with more dedication than yourself.

[kscarbel2]

 

[70mackMB]

When You Put Money in the Bank annnddd It's Gone - SOUTH PARK

 

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/05/08/exclusive-sen-josh-hawley-the-pelosis-beat-every-hedge-fund-with-their-stock-trading/

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

 

[mowerman]

rewarded for bad behavier incredible,,,and to think thier constantly raising the dept ceiling,,wow

 

 

 

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

The Financial Times  /  May 18, 2025

The US will impose the maximum tariffs it has threatened against countries that do not negotiate “in good faith” as it strikes a more aggressive tone in trade talks.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said that tariff rates would go back to the levels that President Trump announced on April 2, when he declared his intention to “liberate” the US from an unfair trade system. 

Countries will receive letters from Bessent outlining those maximum tariff rates if “they’re not negotiating in good faith”. 

“Some countries were at 10 percent, some were substantially higher. If you don’t want to negotiate then it will spring back to the April 2nd level”. 

The harder line illustrates how fraught the tariff negotiations have become, and contrasts with recent boasts by President Trump that countries were rushing to negotiate with Washington. 

Trump on April 2 said that a levy of 10 percent would apply to nearly all imports, but he also announced sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs in retaliation against levies on US exports.

Following last month’s announcement, US tariffs on Chinese goods reached 145 percent. But the two countries on Monday signed a deal to cut tariffs on each other’s goods for at least 90 days, with the extra levies the US imposed on China this year falling to 30 percent and China’s declining to 10 percent.

Southeast Asia’s export hubs were also hit with high levies on April 2, when Trump claimed the US would be freed from the yoke of unfair trade restrictions. Cambodia was given a “reciprocal” rate of 49 percent, closely followed by Laos with 48 percent and Vietnam with 46 percent.

Mexico and Canada, which have often sparred with Trump over trade, dodged the reciprocal tariffs. Duties of 25 percent for goods that do not comply with the terms of the 2020 USMCA trade deal with the US remained in place.

The UK earlier this month became the first country to sign a deal with the US since President Trump unleashed his trade war, securing cuts to tariffs on car and steel exports but failing to reverse a flat 10 percent levy that applies to most goods.

Bessent on Sunday also said Walmart would “eat some of the tariffs” after the retailer warned it will raise prices because of the levies. The Treasury secretary said he had spoken to Walmart’s CEO over the weekend.

Bessent also sought to quell concerns around Moody’s decision on Friday to cut the US credit rating from its top-notch triple-A level to Aa1, citing rising levels of government debt and a widening budget deficit.

“Moody’s is a lagging indicator. I think that’s what everyone thinks of credit agencies,” Bessent said, placing the blame on Biden. 

“It’s the Biden administration and the spending that we have seen over the past four years,” Bessent added. “And we are determined to bring the spending down and grow the economy.”

[kscarbel2]

We have huge deficits. We have what I consider almost complacent central banks that think they are omnipotent. They just set short-term rates.. You all think they can manage all this. I don't think they can. 

My own view is people feel pretty good because you haven't seen effective tariffs. The market came down 10%, now it's back up 10%. That's an extraordinary amount of complacency in the face of a slew of risks including everything from inflation and credit spreads to geopolitics. The last time the US saw 10% tariffs on all trading partners was 1971.

Wall Street earnings estimates for S&P 500 companies, which have already declined in the first weeks of Trump's trade policies, will fall further as companies pull or lower guidance amid the uncertainty. In 6 months, those projections will fall to 0% earnings growth after starting the year at around 12%. If that were to happen, stocks prices will likely fall. I think earnings estimates will come down, which means PE will come down.

The odds of stagflation, which is basically a recession with inflation, are roughly double what the market thinks.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon

[kscarbel2]

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/feds-powell-has-sounded-the-alarm-for-years-about-the-nations-unsustainable-fiscal-path-203510626.html

[kscarbel2]

 

[kscarbel2]

The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on trade, has been very difficult to deal with.

Their powerful trade barriers, VAT taxes, ridiculous corporate penalties, non-monetary trade barriers, monetary manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans companies, and more, have led to a trade deficit with the U.S. of more than $250 million a year, a number which is totally unacceptable. Our discussions with them are going nowhere!

Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States.

President Trump