Overlords Investment Conclave [OIC] Recruitment Thread

[Pyperkub]

Rivian up 90% over the last month - anybody still holding? I know several of you bought the IPO or soon after?

I’ve been holding all the way down. I figured it was a multi year play anyway, so the massive drop down to the $12 mark didn’t phase me too badly.

STILL down about 50% from where I bought even with recent gains.

Hmm - I didn't know they had the Amazon contract:

Amazon has a plan to deploy 100,000 electric vans to its delivery fleet by 2030. At the rate it's going, that might happen a little sooner. On Thursday, it announced that it now has 10,000 Rivian electric delivery vans in service—up from 5,000 earlier this July.

Rivian's big order from Amazon was placed in 2019 as part of the online retailer and web service provider's plan to become carbon-neutral by 2040. Earlier that year, Amazon was an investor in a $700 million financing round for the EV startup, which makes electric SUVs and pickup trucks in addition to the Amazon electric delivery vans.

At the time, Jeff Bezos wanted all 100,000 Rivian vans on the road by 2024, but even before the coronavirus pandemic landed in March 2020, that had been revised to 2030. The first Rivian EDVs went into service in 2021.

[LordMortis]

Just migrated to Schwab from TD and I hate the UI. When TD bought Scottrade it took some getting used to, but Schwabs web interface isn't intuitive. So far it's not customizable and organizable like TD was. So far, I'm not happy at all.

[Carpet_pissr]

I also liked TDA’s platform, both web and app. Had many accounts there, as well as managing a couple of my Mom’s which were there.

Schwab’s not bad IMO, but I moved almost all accounts to Fidelity right after they announced the merger. I left one of my kids’ old Coverdell accounts there so I could use Schwab’s research tools since they’re a bit different than Fidelity’s.

I think a lot of it is simply familiarity. I liked TDA so much bc I knew exactly where everything was, every possible option, etc.

[em2nought]

Just migrated to Schwab from TD and I hate the UI. When TD bought Scottrade it took some getting used to, but Schwabs web interface isn't intuitive. So far it's not customizable and organizable like TD was. So far, I'm not happy at all.

I keep hoping Schwab overhauls it, not that I used it much at the moment.

[LordMortis]

I also liked TDA’s platform, both web and app. Had many accounts there, as well as managing a couple of my Mom’s which were there.

Schwab’s not bad IMO, but I moved almost all accounts to Fidelity right after they announced the merger. I left one of my kids’ old Coverdell accounts there so I could use Schwab’s research tools since they’re a bit different than Fidelity’s.

I think a lot of it is simply familiarity. I liked TDA so much bc I knew exactly where everything was, every possible option, etc.

After playing with it yesterday, I managed to get most of the stuff done I wanted to. It's not friendly at all and most of the stuff I did with one click or could see all at a glance is simply not in TD in Scwab. It's four clicks deep on separate screens with accounts combined and options having to be set as again and again as I go back and forth. My TD web UI was also customizable, so it was already fairly easy and friendly and then I made it perfect in one screen. One account at a time, one screen for portfolio with all info I wanted to see on or hovering over it, one click off shoots to review options, trades, history, CDs, and Gains exactly how I wanted to review each. I will adapt... or move... I even tried Think or Swim but it's just too busy and again I have to try and find what I'm looking for. Also my gains and trade history either hasn't carried over (yet?) or is buried somewhere other than the Schwab gains or history.

I'm guessing most people use Think or Swim and it appears to be the same. But I didn't...

[Carpet_pissr]

I also liked TDA’s platform, both web and app. Had many accounts there, as well as managing a couple of my Mom’s which were there.

Schwab’s not bad IMO, but I moved almost all accounts to Fidelity right after they announced the merger. I left one of my kids’ old Coverdell accounts there so I could use Schwab’s research tools since they’re a bit different than Fidelity’s.

I think a lot of it is simply familiarity. I liked TDA so much bc I knew exactly where everything was, every possible option, etc.

After playing with it yesterday, I managed to get most of the stuff done I wanted to. It's not friendly at all and most of the stuff I did with one click or could see all at a glance is simply not in TD in Scwab. It's four clicks deep on separate screens with accounts combined and options having to be set as again and again as I go back and forth. My TD web UI was also customizable, so it was already fairly easy and friendly and then I made it perfect in one screen. One account at a time, one screen for portfolio with all info I wanted to see on or hovering over it, one click off shoots to review options, trades, history, CDs, and Gains exactly how I wanted to review each. I will adapt... or move... I even tried Think or Swim but it's just too busy and again I have to try and find what I'm looking for. Also my gains and trade history either hasn't carried over (yet?) or is buried somewhere other than the Schwab gains or history.

I'm guessing most people use Think or Swim and it appears to be the same. But I didn't...

You would probably like Fidelity. As mentioned, I really liked TD because I knew it like the back of my hand, but Fidelity is growing on me (I already had some accounts there, but didn't use their website much). I don't really miss anything from TD at this point...Fidelity web UI is top class, and their app is good also, IMO.

They also do much better with reporting and taxes and forms and docs than TDA did, IMO, and just information in general. You can easily find out how many RMD's were taken in a given year, and how many SHOULD be taken, importantly, as one example.

[LordMortis]

The more I play with Schwab the more I hate it, so I will keep fidelity in mind. The more I play with Schwab the more I am reminded at how much effort it is to organize what I want to know on any given day when it was all at a glance in TD. I am going to make mistakes with Schwab and that's unacceptable for finances. I spent 30 seconds a day on TD if I wasn't making any changes. I can't see a time when Schwab review won't take less then 10 minutes and that's if I start transferring everything to spread sheets, use the spreadsheets to see old data a glance to compare to live data and don't make mistakes.

I'm not going to make any changes until legal and health stuff settles down, but I have a hard time seeing how I can stay with Schwab (as a non user of Think of Swim with no interest in what Think or Swim has to offer)

[LawBeefaroni]

They still haven't moved me yet. I have 4 accounts on TD so I'm bit sure how they decide. 1 IRA, 2 cash, 1 Roth.

I have a Fidelity account and it's fine but TDA has been better. Think or Swim is great.

[LordMortis]

They still haven't moved me yet. I have 4 accounts on TD so I'm bit sure how they decide. 1 IRA, 2 cash, 1 Roth.

I have a Fidelity account and it's fine but TDA has been better. Think or Swim is great.

As far as I can tell, if Think or Swim is what you use, you'll be happy. I use the web UI. It's horrid. Just horrid. Functionally, I can do everything but look at what TD kept records of. Ease of use, everything was everything at a glance with a single click. Now it's navigating menus back and forth with limited sorting and no customization.

Example, In TD, my holdings page had all my options that I could easily sort by expiration date, that had high and low bids, what I paid, how much the actual stock is going for, ITM or OTM, projected gain and loss all on one page, easy to read. I could single click to work with those options which gave me a full read of the entire option chain and then decide if I want to make changes while surveying my entire portfolio in a digestible fashion. I could single click to get a to detailed page with another click to find out any minutia of the holding. Now I have to figure out how to navigate to four different pages and my sort is limited.

[Carpet_pissr]

Note that when I moved my accounts to Fidelity, they had some offer for opening an account. I think I got a few hundred bucks all told. Certainly would not have made me go through the hassle of moving, had the buyout not "forced" me to do so (and also I was already thinking of consoliding as much as I could onto one platform for ease of admin).

I do hatessss the fact that I can't still go back into my old TDA accounts w/o calling them to re-open (for 5 days or something), so I can view history, etc. Losing all that suuuuuucks. And if you stay with Schwab, you can see that history from TDA still. It's something that I didn't really consider until after I moved.

If I had it to do over, I would have just let them transition all my accounts to Schwab, then after the next tax season, switch everything to Fidelity.

[Carpet_pissr]

They still haven't moved me yet. I have 4 accounts on TD so I'm bit sure how they decide. 1 IRA, 2 cash, 1 Roth.

I have a Fidelity account and it's fine but TDA has been better. Think or Swim is great.

As far as I can tell, if Think or Swim is what you use, you'll be happy. I use the web UI. It's horrid. Just horrid. Functionally, I can do everything but look at what TD kept records of. Ease of use, everything was everything at a glance with a single click. Now it's navigating menus back and forth with limited sorting and no customization.

Example, In TD, my holdings page had all my options that I could easily sort by expiration date, that had high and low bids, what I paid, how much the actual stock is going for, ITM or OTM, projected gain and loss all on one page, easy to read. I could single click to work with those options which gave me a full read of the entire option chain and then decide if I want to make changes while surveying my entire portfolio in a digestible fashion. I could single click to get a to detailed page with another click to find out any minutia of the holding. Now I have to figure out how to navigate to four different pages and my sort is limited.

OK, this explains our different opinions of Schwab. I don't actively trade very much, or use options, etc. like you do. My comments were made based on usage for a buy/hold portfolio of funds and (long) stocks.

[LordMortis]

OK, this explains our different opinions of Schwab. I don't actively trade very much, or use options, etc. like you do. My comments were made based on usage for a buy/hold portfolio of funds and (long) stocks.

I do a lot of covered calls as a side hustle. It's like a second dividend at a higher tax rate and not so fixed of a return. I've mostly just held my positions since late 2021 or so when I started preparing for perpetual non employment.

[LordMortis]

So my series I are down 3.38%. Do you think it's time to pull them and take the penalty for withdrawing before the 5 year mark or just be happy to stay at inflation?

[Carpet_pissr]

At this thread's ripe old age of 16 years, it just now occurs to me to wonder who we, or the OP was trying to recruit in this thread. And more importantly, why?

WBD (Warner Bros Discovery) up biggish (8.5%) today on volume (almost double) and no news, not even after hours? That seems odd...it's not like it's some penny stock or start-up biotech. Maybe just a sign that it was wayyyy oversold?

[LordMortis]

They were talking about WBD today and yesterday on CNBC. Can't remember why.

[Isgrimnur]

China

Warner Bros. Discovery China is launching reality TV show “Glow Up China” in mainland China later this month.

Delving into the universe and talents of Chinese make-up artists, the series will launch on leading streaming platform Tencent Video in December at a yet-to-be-specified date.

The 6×60 minute show is a Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) format based on a Wall to Wall production for the BBC.

This is the seventh international adaptation of the format and is structured as a partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery, Tencent Video and cosmetics brand Perfect Diary. Warner Bros. Discovery will distribute the show internationally.

and layoffs

“We’re at a very hard time that requires hard decisions, and many of them are unpopular,” Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav said in reviewing the trajectory of a company that has slashed staff and shelved content in an landscape that’s completely transformed from when the Discovery-Warner Media merger was announced in 2021.

[Carpet_pissr]

Gah, NONE of that was posted on the ticker's news feed on Yahoo Finance. They need to up their game in the news dept. I've seen this happen a few times now (not with WBD, but other stocks). Booooo.

If they could get their news and more importantly, cess-pool filled "conversation" sections up to par with their amazing portfolio function, wellll then I would be pleased.

[LordMortis]

Strange hourly teaser on CNBC just now.: "Mortgage holders are sitting on a record $10.6 trillion in equity but they aren't tapping it because of high borrowing rates." I feel like I am the only person who rushed to pay off their mortgage rather than using to buy other things or essentially invest on margin with my house a principal. Also by high interest rates, they mean less than 1.5% higher than the rate I paid which was ridiculously historically low in 2003 and figured into my choice to buy.

[pr0ner]

I know I'm sitting on over $150k in equity that I could probably use to redo my bathrooms, but I'm just not there yet.

In good investment news, the good year in the tech sector is definitely doing wonders for both my retirement and taxable accounts. I'm not yet at mid/late 2021 peaks yet in terms of share prices for some things, but it's getting there, and dollar cost averaging in terms of dividend reinvestments and retirement account contributions are really starting to pay off as things rebound.

[LawBeefaroni]

A few months ago my dad wanted to buy gold and silver. I asked why and he said he thought they would be a decent investment over the next few years. He had a lot in CDs and wanted something else. I told him to avoid physical due to premiums but otherwise, sounded like a solid plan. Ended up in GLD and SIVR but I also said to put a third in GBTC. Boom.

[Carpet_pissr]

A few months ago my dad wanted to buy gold and silver. I asked why and he said he thought they would be a decent investment over the next few years. He had a lot in CDs and wanted something else. I told him to avoid physical due to premiums but otherwise, sounded like a solid plan. Ended up in GLD and SIVR but I also said to put a third in GBTC. Boom.

LEGO

15-18% annual return if you just buy at retail and hold IIRC. If you even moderately try to buy stuff on sale...boom.
Has outperformed gold for many years now.

Of course the inventory and sales process is a much bigger pain than gold.

[LawBeefaroni]

Yeah, storage and transacting eat up a lot of that.

I do have a friend who is single with no kids and a lot of room who buys at least one of every major release and shelves it.


I have a Harry Potter set I bought at CompUSA 20 years ago or so for $2. It was a high as $150 at one point. I had several at one point but gave them out as gifts. And the kids opened a few. The best part is it's a small set (4701) so almost no storage space.

[LawBeefaroni]

As of today, GLD and SIVR are up about 5% from purchase a month ago. Which is great since the alternative was a 12 month 5% CD.

GBTC is up 32%.

[em2nought]

LEGO

15-18% annual return if you just buy at retail and hold IIRC. If you even moderately try to buy stuff on sale...boom.
Has outperformed gold for many years now.

Of course the inventory and sales process is a much bigger pain than gold.

Much better than my sister's beanie babies.

[Carpet_pissr]

As of today, GLD and SIVR are up about 5% from purchase a month ago. Which is great since the alternative was a 12 month 5% CD.

GBTC is up 32%.

Fidelity cash sweep is paying around 5% right now...and I assume others as well...Schwab, et al. No need for a CD with current rates!

[Carpet_pissr]

Yeah, storage and transacting eat up a lot of that.

I do have a friend who is single with no kids and a lot of room who buys at least one of every major release and shelves it.


I have a Harry Potter set I bought at CompUSA 20 years ago or so for $2. It was a high as $150 at one point. I had several at one point but gave them out as gifts. And the kids opened a few. The best part is it's a small set (4701) so almost no storage space.

Of the probably $5K-$7K worth of Lego sets I've bought for my kids over the past 15 years or so, I have bought precisely ONE set to sit on, and see what happens to its worth. It doubled in price in a few months (from the low low price I paid, then it retired), and I was thinking, WOW, I did a great job! Told the wife, all proud, and she was like "soooo, how much is that if you sold it?" which of course deflated me immediately.

Paid $100 for a SW set, and it's selling now on eBay for $200...but...after selling costs (no idea how much eBay or a Lego site charges these days), I MIGHT get $80-$85? It kind of put things in perspective about the whole "Collect and sell LEGO sets for passive income!!" idea.

You would have to move a SIGNIFICANT volume to make a decent amount of money. Even if you get lucky, and even if you only buy at steep discounts (which limits how much you can buy). Then you have to consider you're going to buy some sets that just don't age well, investing-wise. After doing some light research, it just didn't seem to make a lot of sense, as an investment.

[em2nought]

Paid $100 for a SW set, and it's selling now on eBay for $200...but...after selling costs (no idea how much eBay or a Lego site charges these days), I MIGHT get $80-$85? It kind of put things in perspective about the whole "Collect and sell LEGO sets for passive income!!" idea.

You would have to move a SIGNIFICANT volume to make a decent amount of money. Even if you get lucky, and even if you only buy at steep discounts (which limits how much you can buy). Then you have to consider you're going to buy some sets that just don't age well, investing-wise. After doing some light research, it just didn't seem to make a lot of sense, as an investment.

Silver also loses it's luster after you've moved it around a few times.

[Carpet_pissr]

Someone tell me what to do about my little Rivian investing problem.

Only 200 shares or so, but down 68% from where I bought (irrelevant, but I still can't ignore that to my detriment). Up 9% today on comments by the CEO that they are greatly simplifying and reducing costs of their battery system, which will result in lower vehicle price tags. Also that they will be margin positive by 2024 (we'll see about that!).

This seems to be a much longer play than I was originally anticipating, which is fine, but I don't get a lot of warm fuzzies at their mid to longer term potential. Sure, they're building a new plant in Georgia, sure they will be launching a brand new product, but timelines have already been extended, deadlines missed, etc. Cash burn is starting to concern me (without doing a raise), and even consumer sentiment. I don't hear rave reviews about people who own or have owned Rivians (same for Ford Lightnings to be fair...quite the opposite).

And almost equally concerning, if not moreso, is the Amazon delivery truck deal, which is probably the biggest reason I bought in in the first place: that is gone after Rivian fulfilled I think only half the contract. Why? Did Amazon not like what they saw? Demand dropped? Vehicles sucked? No idea...but it concerns me.

Lots of holes that make me uneasy, and make me think "sell" but this is in an IRA, so I don't have tax consequences to consider on this.

Any thoughts appreciated. Lots of HOLD ratings on this from operations that have historically been pretty accurate on RIVN (Ford Equity Research, ironically, is one of the better ones here! )

[mori]

Has anyone explored Masterworks (micro investment in fine art) or Vinovest (investing in wine and/or whisky)? One is told there are waiting lists and reservations required to be accepted but I have had both of them contact me on a Sunday afternoon to set up interviews. Seems to me there cannot be that much demand if they have people on Sunday working phones. I know about art about as much as what make major headlines but I think I have an idea about whisky. I was not impressed with the offerings as one could only buy a cask of High West, Breckenridge, or Whistlepig whisky aged in their storage location in Wyoming . With the hope that craft distillers will warrant premium prices in the future compared to heritage distillers. Not like you can buy a cask of Blanton's or Stagg Jr from the rickhouses in Kentucky. With wine I could not honestly tell a difference between a $15 bottle and a $200 bottle or why a wine from Tuscany will increase in value compared to a wine from Bourdoeux five years from now.

Any experience out there with investments like these?

[mori]

Someone tell me what to do about my little Rivian investing problem.

Only 200 shares or so, but down 68% from where I bought (irrelevant, but I still can't ignore that to my detriment). Up 9% today on comments by the CEO that they are greatly simplifying and reducing costs of their battery system, which will result in lower vehicle price tags. Also that they will be margin positive by 2024 (we'll see about that!).

This seems to be a much longer play than I was originally anticipating, which is fine, but I don't get a lot of warm fuzzies at their mid to longer term potential. Sure, they're building a new plant in Georgia, sure they will be launching a brand new product, but timelines have already been extended, deadlines missed, etc. Cash burn is starting to concern me (without doing a raise), and even consumer sentiment. I don't hear rave reviews about people who own or have owned Rivians (same for Ford Lightnings to be fair...quite the opposite).

And almost equally concerning, if not moreso, is the Amazon delivery truck deal, which is probably the biggest reason I bought in in the first place: that is gone after Rivian fulfilled I think only half the contract. Why? Did Amazon not like what they saw? Demand dropped? Vehicles sucked? No idea...but it concerns me.

Lots of holes that make me uneasy, and make me think "sell" but this is in an IRA, so I don't have tax consequences to consider on this.

Any thoughts appreciated. Lots of HOLD ratings on this from operations that have historically been pretty accurate on RIVN (Ford Equity Research, ironically, is one of the better ones here! )

I am bearish on any electric vehicle manufacturer. Consumer Reports recently gave them a very negative rating. But I see enough of them around to take notice. Being in your IRA as noted was a bad decision. At this point losing 70% of its value you might as well let it ride. Might be worth doubling down if you have a spare $1k and buying more at this time.

[mori]

Well I now own a Basquiat. Well maybe 1/1000 of one through Masterworks. Invest only money one can afford to lose. Sure you can sell your part of the art and recoup your initial investment but will not reap any profits if it appreciates before the artwork is sold. So expect 3-10 years before realizing a profit and only if the piece is sold for a profit.

[LawBeefaroni]

And almost equally concerning, if not moreso, is the Amazon delivery truck deal, which is probably the biggest reason I bought in in the first place: that is gone after Rivian fulfilled I think only half the contract. Why? Did Amazon not like what they saw? Demand dropped? Vehicles sucked? No idea...but it concerns me.

What happened here? Last I heard, they just ended the exclusivity agreement and RIVN can now sell fleet to other customers. I see a lot of the Amazon EV delivery trucks on the road here.

RIVN definitely has a long time horizon at this point. The odds are decent that you can find a better investment for the short to mid term. But then you have to go find it.

[Carpet_pissr]

And almost equally concerning, if not moreso, is the Amazon delivery truck deal, which is probably the biggest reason I bought in in the first place: that is gone after Rivian fulfilled I think only half the contract. Why? Did Amazon not like what they saw? Demand dropped? Vehicles sucked? No idea...but it concerns me.

What happened here? Last I heard, they just ended the exclusivity agreement and RIVN can now sell fleet to other customers. I see a lot of the Amazon EV delivery trucks on the road here.

RIVN definitely has a long time horizon at this point. The odds are decent that you can find a better investment for the short to mid term. But then you have to go find it.

Yes, sorry, I was not clear...but the details of why Amazon chose to end the exclusivity part of the deal is/was a mystery (to me), and I automatically assumed it was a negative.

I have yet to see one Amazon Rivian, but I do know a guy who bought the retail truck, and sold it not because he didn't like it, but because he got offered significantly more than he paid for it new. He did mention "it rode pretty rough". Meaningless anecdote, really, but it's the only thing I've got.

Anyway, they inked a new deal with AT&T today and it's up 14% right now, so I am glad I have been slow-rolling a decision. If I see any more companies sign up, that will probably stay my hand, but they still have a cash burn problem (or will soon). Just so many variables still, on the path to profitability, and pretty much everything has to go VERY well. I'm ok with their retail trucks not doing well, if they can create a great commercial vehicle, since no one else is really playing in that space AFAIK.

[LordMortis]

Good thing I'm not a betting man on the stock market (any more). I would have bet this triple witching was going to see a lot of short squeezing with the way the market has been up, with most tax lost harvesting complete, with the dove stance from Powell, and with "the Santa Claus" rally on the horizon. I would have been waaaay wrong.

[Carpet_pissr]

Good thing I'm not a betting man on the stock market (any more). I would have bet this triple witching was going to see a lot of short squeezing with the way the market has been up, with most tax lost harvesting complete, with the dove stance from Powell, and with "the Santa Claus" rally on the horizon. I would have been waaaay wrong.

Well, if my anecdote of one helps your thesis, I just today for the first time got a request from Fidelity to borrow some of my shares in one of my psilocybin biotech companies (COMPASS PATHWAYS, CMPS). Unsure if that has to do with my recent-ish move of all my funds from TDA to Fidelity, or that shorts are REALLY looking for shares to...short right now.

I'm also very curious to see what the monthly payout might be for lending these shares out.

[LawBeefaroni]

Good thing I'm not a betting man on the stock market (any more). I would have bet this triple witching was going to see a lot of short squeezing with the way the market has been up, with most tax lost harvesting complete, with the dove stance from Powell, and with "the Santa Claus" rally on the horizon. I would have been waaaay wrong.

I had some CI puts that were out of the money at open but hit HOD up around 950% (CI231215P295 if you're playing from home). I sold them before it hit that high that but still made a bit of money ($3.50 and $3.85).

I usually don't dabble in short dated options but picked these up on Wed after CI didn't retreat as much as I was pretty sure it would after the HUM deal was cancelled. Was one of those impulses that I always try to avoid but sometimes you just have to do it. Get it out of the system.

[mori]

Put 1K in Vinovest and let their algorithm choose the wine. So far I have a case of 2017 something . Another case of invest only what you can afford to lose. Will be interesting if this outperforms the stock market such as claimed. This should also be considered a long term investment at 10+ years before it is sold.

[LawBeefaroni]

Put 1K in Vinovest and let their algorithm choose the wine. So far I have a case of 2017 something . Another case of invest only what you can afford to lose. Will be interesting if this outperforms the stock market such as claimed. This should also be considered a long term investment at 10+ years before it is sold.

Lots of fraud in the space.

Windsor James/Charles Winn/Vintage Casks

Bordeaux Cellars

Vinovest seems legit but lacks a lot of transparency in how they make the market. Liquidity seems to be an issue. They also take a fair amount of fees: buy side, sell side, and storage. Interested to hear how it goes.

[Isgrimnur]

Liquidity seems to be an issue.

[Punisher]

Liquidity seems to be an issue.

What? You don't like your wine in a nice sludge?