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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 10:53 AM
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#41
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,049
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Re: our worst investments
US Air about a month before 9/11. I then doubled down later, thinking that surely it would recover.
Dot com options. I was finally able to sell them after a 35:1 reverse split.
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 11:10 AM
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#42
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 332
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Re: our worst investments
Worst financial decision: first wife.
Best financial decision: second wife.
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 12:07 PM
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#43
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: San Diego
Posts: 5,267
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Re: our worst investments
DCA'd into my first 401k starting in 97, piled 10k into a portfolio that was 50% NASDAQ, watched it grow, grow, grow, to 20k+,then implode when the bubble burst, went as low as 6k.
Now in terms of money, it's nothing compared to the numbers you all threw out here, but emotionally I was devestated! I only made 22k a year back then, this was everything I had in the world! My car was worth less than a grand, and the checking account only had more than three figures on payday. This is why DW and I focused on debt reduction first when we got married, that was a garanteed return. Only in the past two years have we started to seriously get into investing again. Learned I was doing everything wrong. Glad I'm still kinda young and can make use of these lessons.
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 12:17 PM
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#44
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: minnesota
Posts: 13,228
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert the Red
Worst financial decision: first wife.
Best financial decision: second wife.
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Big Love?
__________________
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No more lawyer stuff, no more political stuff, so no more CYA
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 02:04 PM
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#45
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,525
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Re: our worst investments
Shorted the NASDAQ 100 in Feb 2000 ... lost 9k in about 3 weeks. Then sat on the side line as it tanked a month later. Ouch!
__________________
FIRE'd since 2005
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 04:03 PM
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#46
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 188
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Re: our worst investments
My worst was a Variable Life Policy sold to me by my friend* who was a financial advisor. The insurance company went into receivership and my funds were tied up for a long time.
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 05:34 PM
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#47
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,488
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
a Variable Life Policy sold to me by my friend*
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some friend!
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 06:12 PM
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#48
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 4,337
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Re: our worst investments
There are two statements that automatically prove anyone is a crook or an idiot. They are "annuity" and "technical analysis."
BTW -- I used to be a psyco technical analyst. I traded all of the classical and "special" options available to technical analysts. Eventually, I realized it worked about half the time.
__________________
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane -- Marcus Aurelius
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Re: our worst investments
04-24-2006, 06:54 PM
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#49
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,832
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by tryan
Shorted the NASDAQ 100 in Feb 2000 ... lost 9k in about 3 weeks.* Then sat on the side line as it tanked a month later.* Ouch!
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An ER'd uncle-in-law started shorting the NASDAQ in late '97 and kept it up until he ran out of margin-call money in late 1999. He shorted himself right back into the workplace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmb
That wouldn't be N**y Nutual Aid Association, would it? If so, you and I were probably classmates.
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Welcome to the board, gmb, that would be them!
'82, 12th Co. I went public a few weeks ago. Which Class/Co are you? I have my Lucky Bag at hand...
I've been posting under this handle for over two years wondering if a shipmate would stumble across this board. You appear to be the first!
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 12:44 AM
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#50
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,459
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by tryan
Shorted the NASDAQ 100 in Feb 2000 ...
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I never got that bold, but I did blow several grand buying EBAY puts in 1999.* *That hurt, but at least my downside was limited.
One of my biggest losses was on BDH -- Broadband HLDRs.* *I knew there was a dot-com bubble going on, but somehow I completely missed the fact that bandwidth providers were just as bubbly.* * Those guys were the ones selling the picks and shovels, right?* *And I was diversified across several providers, right?* Ugh.* *90% loss.
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 05:31 AM
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#51
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7,936
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Re: our worst investments
Ah yes - wild and free - er ah frivolous!
Mad money - local utility(ILA) on the edge of bankrupcy. My good till cancel orders for STON and EGLE are unfilled yet - price is walking away from me.
Male hormones never die!
Odds are - some of my current holdings will someday be added to my worst investment list.
Dat's the name of that tune.
heh heh heh heh heh
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 05:34 AM
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#52
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 49,329
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by unclemick2
Male hormones never die!
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But they can kill you!
__________________
Numbers is hard
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 06:06 PM
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#53
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Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 20,153
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Re: our worst investments
..
*
__________________
Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 06:44 PM
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#54
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,832
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmb
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Thanks! I see now that my backsliding mistake was marrying a sailor.
Chris Sullivan was my Engineer during my JO tour on USS JAMES MONROE. It was an interesting time but apparently I didn't heed the warning signs.
BTW the rest of the board is depending on you to confirm my tall tales sea stories. I'm sure your PM Inbox is filling as I write this.
Hmmm... worst job... excessive oversight, ridiculously detailed regulations, extremely high tolerance for pain and long working hours... nuclear engineer... lawyer... nuclear engineer... lawyer... it's gonna take me a while to make a choice on this one. Which career field has more jokes?
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 07:18 PM
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#55
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 62
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmb
In my mind, a good place to be from but not always a good place to be at. In large measure, however, USNA is responsible for much of the success (admittedly small) that I enjoy today
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USMA, '78. Agree w/your statement about good place to be from. One of my best investments was Wharton MBA. My worst investment was buying tech stocks when the market was on its way down during the Crash (catching the falling knife). The prices seemed good at the time but they got lot's better. Example: Corning fell to less than $2/share and has recently recovered to where I bought in.
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 08:45 PM
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#56
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Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 20,153
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Re: our worst investments
..
__________________
Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 08:51 PM
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#57
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 49,329
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmb
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Another former sub-human  explains it here:
http://early-retirement.org/forums/i...9668#msg129668
__________________
Numbers is hard
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 08:57 PM
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#58
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Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 20,153
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo!
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* ..
__________________
Living an analog life in the Digital Age.
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Re: our worst investments
04-25-2006, 10:06 PM
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#59
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,832
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Re: our worst investments
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmb
,,
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I'll tell ya, defending the submarine culture around here has been a pretty lonely job...
... of course I prefer to execute that defense from the back lanai with a frosty beverage.
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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Re: our worst investments
04-26-2006, 06:44 AM
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#60
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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Re: our worst investments
Home field advantage...
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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