Posted By:
Frank WakefieldI don't know this stuff, but my understanding from seeking information from folks who do seem to know is that the stock market isn't going to blaze ahead this coming year. The Dow will end up close to 1500. Interest rates will gradually drop, eventually being a per cent lower this time next year.
I'd think if you're investing for the long term, the market is a fine place to do it. If you're wanting a turnaround in a few months, the market isn't a great option.
I've said many times, and at greater length, that folks have absolutely no business 'investing' in baseball cards. It is a hobby. Invest in stocks. Invest in a mutual fund, or several. Invest in real estate. Invest in your own home, by paying off the mortgage sooner, or improving it, or both. Talk to an accountant about the tax advantages of buying a home, paying on it for a few years, then selling it for more and soon thereafter buying another home... Invest for a kid of yours by buying a few acres and planting a few acres of hardwood trees, cherry, walnut... 30 years from now the kid can harvest the lumber and be in great shape financially. Invest in an education, for yourself, a spouse, or a child or grandchild. An education is an excellent investment.
Do not invest in baseball cards. A hobby ceases being that if it is about the money. I miss a few cards I sold because their value had gotten so high that it seemed foolish not to sell them. I should have sold them, and I did. But I still miss 'em. I didn't buy them as an investment. I bought them as a tangible connection to the history of our great national pastime. Please don't even attempt to justify a hobby expense because of monetary value by calling it an investment.
Investment: the outlay of money for income or profit. Baseball card collecting for income or profit? BS. It is a hobby.
A fellow might as well invest in engagement rings, or washing machines....