Another boring money post

[mraynrand]

I can buy that kind of shit on Scottrade can't I?

even from onboard the Scottrade helicopter, I'm told.

[MJZiggy]

Skin, buy a home or two and rent 'em. You would make a great slum lord.

A home OR TWO for $60K??? Are you kidding??? You can barely sneeze at one mortgage for that.

[retailguy]

A home OR TWO for $60K??? Are you kidding??? You can barely sneeze at one mortgage for that.

You can buy a half dozen homes in Detroit right now for 60k.

[mraynrand]

A home OR TWO for $60K??? Are you kidding??? You can barely sneeze at one mortgage for that.

You'd be surprised. I bought two homes - one for under 50K that sold three years earlier for 140K and another under 60K that sold two years earlier for 160K. Three rental units each, about 3K/mo. in rental income, 10-15K/year taxes and maintenance. See 31 seconds in....

[Deputy Nutz]

A home OR TWO for $60K??? Are you kidding??? You can barely sneeze at one mortgage for that.

?????

Yes, actually you can. Not nice homes that you want to raise your family in, but homes you could fix up and sell or rent.

[MJZiggy]

?????

Yes, actually you can. Not nice homes that you want to raise your family in, but homes you could fix up and sell or rent.

Not where I live you can't. Studio condos around here go for more than $100K. The ones in the "rebuilding" neighborhoods usually come with a contract requirement that you live in the thing. In DC proper, gentrification is absolutely killing any kind of housing opportunity for those who aren't "gentrified."

[mraynrand]

Not where I live you can't. Studio condos around here go for more than $100K. The ones in the "rebuilding" neighborhoods usually come with a contract requirement that you live in the thing. In DC proper, gentrification is absolutely killing any kind of housing opportunity for those who aren't "gentrified."

That's also because of the boom in gubmint jobs. You should see it out in the manufacturing wasteland.

[retailguy]

Priceless!

[mraynrand]

Fire up the Patler signal! The city is in crisis! Commissioner Gordon is at his wit's end!

[MJZiggy]

You think people are going to buy Apple stock at $1K a share?

[Patler]

You think people are going to buy Apple stock at $1K a share?

That is a psychological hurdle for a lot of people, but it shouldn't be. You can buy 1 share of a $1,000 stock, 10 shares of a $100 stock, 100 shares of a $10 stock or 1000 shares of a $1 stock. It really doesn't matter.

[retailguy]

You think people are going to buy Apple stock at $1K a share?

That is a psychological hurdle for a lot of people, but it shouldn't be. You can buy 1 share of a $1,000 stock, 10 shares of a $100 stock, 100 shares of a $10 stock or 1000 shares of a $1 stock. It really doesn't matter.

Berkshire Hathaway closed on Friday at $102,272. per share. It makes AAPL look like the tinkertoy company it is. (I don't own single shares of it either, though I do invest in a couple of mutual funds that hold some of it).

The only single stock that I own are the shares of my employer that I received as part of my compensation.

[Partial]

You think people are going to buy Apple stock at $1K a share?

Eventually, yes. Why wouldn't they? It's only a matter of time before it gets there. There price to earnings is way out of whack (in a good way) with a company of that size. When this corrects itself, the stock will be worth a lot of money. The scary thing is, with the forecasts analysts have laid out, I foresee the stock continuing to go up rapidly without much change in PE. Apple is expected to sell 150M iPhones and iPads in 2013. Assuming they sell the average iPhone for 600 (They sell for 650 to carriers today) and the average iPad for 600 (the base model is 500, but lots of people buy the upgraded models), that is 180 billion in revenue in a year. Assuming 25% margin on their business (which is in line with todays margin), they'll make 45 billion dollars on the iPhone/iPad business alone that year. That's not counting the app stores, iTunes stores, macs, accessories, etc, which are also huge, very profitable businesses.

[Scott Campbell]

I remember being lectured about how a home was a sure thing as an investment.

[MJZiggy]

It's the holding of cash that's saved my sanity lately. I have the liquidity if I need it. Eventually though, I do plan on needing to find a place to park some funds, but not yet.

[MJZiggy]

There's also the possibility that when the price to earnings corrects, the stock price will crash because everyone who wants one will have one. This is not an economy in which people can toss a perfectly good iPhone to buy another iPhone. Maybe they will, but maybe not. What if everyone who wants an iPad has already bought one and the projections are wrong? Then what?

[Partial]

There's also the possibility that when the price to earnings corrects, the stock price will crash because everyone who wants one will have one. This is not an economy in which people can toss a perfectly good iPhone to buy another iPhone. Maybe they will, but maybe not. What if everyone who wants an iPad has already bought one and the projections are wrong? Then what?

The economics to upgrade your phone make sense. Education is going to be eventually be the iPads market and education will always upgrade often. iPhone economics are far more conducive to upgrades to a consumer than the iPad, I agree. American cell companies contract structure basically will guarantee the vast majority upgrade. It is a huge waste of money to NOT upgrade.

Analysts could be wrong, but their livelihood depends on them being right.

[SkinBasket]

Analysts could be wrong, but their livelihood depends on them being right.

[Patler]

The economics to upgrade your phone make sense. Education is going to be eventually be the iPads market and education will always upgrade often. iPhone economics are far more conducive to upgrades to a consumer than the iPad, I agree. American cell companies contract structure basically will guarantee the vast majority upgrade. It is a huge waste of money to NOT upgrade.

Analysts could be wrong, but their livelihood depends on them being right.

I'm not sure what "economics" you are referring to, but I sure don't see it the same way that you do about upgrades.

The analysts "could be wrong"? Do you realize that good analysts and investing systems ARE wrong about 45% of the time? They make their money on the 10% differential, being right 55% of the time and wrong 45% of the time. That, and limiting the losses when they are wrong.

[Partial]

I'm not sure what "economics" you are referring to, but I sure don't see it the same way that you do about upgrades.

With cell contracts and subsidies, you're paid 400 dollars over 2 years essentially to sign a contract. You could go the prepaid route and see significant monthly savings but then you're paying full price for the handset. Seeing as prepaid is such a small fraction of the market in America, why would someone not upgrade? They're not getting the 400 dollars back into their pocket if they don't.

In summary, it would be pretty dumb to not upgrade. At the very least, take the 650$ phone for 200 bucks and sell it for 500 and pocket the money. It's essentially wasting money and padding the lines of wallet. American carriers don't do reverse subsidization now that TMobile got rid of it.

P, do you have any understanding of how many schools in this country only have computers at all because Bill Gates and others donated them? You think inner city school districts have money to spend on iPads when they can't afford chalk and people are always trying to cut school budgets because of dwindling tax revenues? You are privileged. You just don't understand how privileged you are. Look around.

You're passing judgement. I have no idea if that's true or not about the computers. Don't care. Suburban schools will have iPads. Soon. This is what curriculum will be taught on. The paper book is a thing of the past. There isn't a better device for a toddler than an iPad. What parent would rather have their child corrupting their brain watching cable television when they could be playing fun education oriented games?? Interactive learning is the next big thing.