Indexers: "I hear you play the market?"

[friar1610]

My standard answer to any question about investing from others is, "My name is John and I'm an indexer." If anyone asks for details I tell them; if they don't I just smile and have another drink.

 

[slazenger]

Lately the question I get is "Hey, did you write a book? I thought you were retired!"

Hope you don't mind if i bite, but what did you answer? At least admit it's more than a fair question, especially if you're selling it.

Or perhaps it's not so much a question, as a rhetorical way of saying that working isn't such a bad thing if you enjoy what you do. Said another way, if I accuse you of working, I promise to not mean any ill will.

 

[Major Tom]

I occasionally get questions from people who are wanting to know how I can afford to not work. From previous experience, it feels as if when I mention words like "investments" or "stocks/mutual funds etc" they begin to regard me as "one of them" i.e. someone with whom they no longer feel anything in common.

For that reason, I tend to keep the explanation simple and say that I'm living off my savings. Savings is a word that everyone understands, even if they don't save themselves. Actually, with the current low interest rates on CD's, I do have the next few years' worth of living expenses in savings, so it's true.

 

[HFWR]

I want to learn to speak the jargon for options trading. We all know the words they use, but they have very little meaning to anyone who doesn't trade options. Then I could light out on a tirade about how to get rich trading options until he excuses himself to go get another drink. That would be fun. Something like, " Due to the current up channel in XYZ sector of the market, I'll be putting a sizable allotment into naked calls when the PPO bottoms out and is correlated attractively with its mdsd curve."

Better yet, just make up some lingo on the fly...

"Yes, I use the Yastrzemski algorithm to determine the Gaussian oscillator trigger point, but this only works if the Beiber numerator is greater than the static gate current, and Young's modulus is declining..."

 

[Nords]

Hope you don't mind if i bite, but what did you answer? At least admit it's more than a fair question, especially if you're selling it.
Or perhaps it's not so much a question, as a rhetorical way of saying that working isn't such a bad thing if you enjoy what you do. Said another way, if I accuse you of working, I promise to not mean any ill will.

I usually say "I did, and thank goodness I have enough money now to afford to be a writer!"

Then I explain that it's a non-profit project, royalties donated to charity, written from contributors' stories collected here on E-R.org.

I always ask where they found the book, how they liked it, what they'd change, would they like to contribute to the second edition.

Military want to know how they can get in on the good deal. Readers want to know more about retirement and how military retirement works. Writers want to know how I found a publisher. Bloggers want to know hit stats and monthly ad revenue.

Wow! This is an excellent defense strategy I have ever heard. With a few former presidents' masks, they will be more impressed.

Haven't watched that movie in years! The reference might be a bit obscure for this crowd...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102685/

 

[haha]

I tell people that I live on SS and a little pension. Whether they believe that or not, what can they say?

I also tell casual friends or aquaintances that I rent my rent my new condo. I don't look affluent, don't talk affluent, and don't want to be misconstrued as affluent. If you are dating, this modesty is somewhat an impediment, but once you have that base covered there seems to be little cost to going stealthy. Provided you don't look like the kind of person that the SPD likes to shoot. (If you don't know what I refer to, look up SPD + DOJ investigation.

Also, somewhat like George Costanza, I try to keep my worlds from colliding.

Ha

 

[brewer12345]

On the east coast working in and around the financial industry, investments were a constant topic of conversation. Here in the heartland? Hardly comes up.

 

[FUEGO]

"Multiple non-correlated or loosely correlated asset classes mixed together produce lower overall portfolio volatility thereby increasing risk adjusted return, which is what we all seek in life, right?"

 

[W2R]

I tell people that I live on SS and a little pension. Whether they believe that or not, what can they say?

I also tell casual friends or aquaintances that I rent my rent my new condo. I don't look affluent, don't talk affluent, and don't want to be misconstrued as affluent.

What a different point of view. I would never consider a retired person as affluent due to owning the condo in which they live instead of renting it. I might consider such a person to be affluent (or else over-extended) if condos similar to the one they own/rent were going for around $700K or more.

If you are dating, this modesty is somewhat an impediment, but once you have that base covered there seems to be little cost to going stealthy. Provided you don't look like the kind of person that the SPD likes to shoot. (If you don't know what I refer to, look up SPD + DOJ investigation.

Lying is so inconvenient, even "white lies" for reasons of modesty! It's too hard to keep things straight IMO. I just don't bother lying and tell the truth instead. I guess I am pretty quiet IRL, so most acquaintances don't know much about me anyway unless they are interested in getting to know me. But then, I am not extremely wealthy (although definitely comfortable) so maybe that doesn't work for everyone.

Also, somewhat like George Costanza, I try to keep my worlds from colliding.

That show was hilarious! Some of the best comedy has a grain of truth for most of us, as does that show.

 

[NW-Bound]

Only my closest friends ask me about how I am doing in the market. None of us are indexers.

Then, I tell them the truth, which is "I play the market, and often the market plays me!".

 

[haha]

What a different point of view. I would never consider a retired person as affluent due to owning the condo in which they live instead of renting it. I might consider such a person to be affluent (or else over-extended) if condos similar to the one they own/rent were going for around $700K or more.

I guess affluent is a relative concept. Mostly relevant to the person who is doing the judging. Not every single, non-working person can lay out the down payment and make the payments on a small condo that sells from $220 -$300K. I paid considerably less, but that would not be obvious to someone to whom I would prefer to be finacially opaque. It can be easy for people to get to feeling envious, or one-down, or various other things that stand in the way of friendship.

Ha

 

[deserat]

Better yet, just make up some lingo on the fly...

"Yes, I use the Yastrzemski algorithm to determine the Gaussian oscillator trigger point, but this only works if the Beiber numerator is greater than the static gate current, and Young's modulus is declining..."

Is that the Justin Beiber numerator? ;-) Excellent answer...

 

[mickeyd]

I came up with this a few years ago and no longer get the question asked to me~ "I'm passively linked to both the equity and fixed income markets."

 

[Free To Canoe]

Judging by how the question is stated I would be careful how to answer it. A younger retiree seems to cause more dissonance.
Obviously this is a person who doesn't understand investing. People have their own reality and want to try to explain the things that don't fit into their paradigns.

If you don't have a "killing in the market story", perhaps you receive your income from drugs or criminal activity? It is best to be able to fill in the blank correctly.

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

My friends know better than to ask me this, but when someone does I start going through the steps I actually take to analyze stocks. No-one ever lasts more than a minute or so.

 

[HFWR]

Is that the Justin Beiber numerator? ;-) Excellent answer...