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Ask HN: Where do you currently invest your money?

7 points by FrenchDevRemote ↗ HN
I probably got into investing at the worst possible time and I'm looking to see what current low-effort(not time consuming) strategies you guys are using.

Right now I have a mix of Gold, US Tech ETF, inflation bonds and a bit of stocks from Nvidia and Apple.

I'm still thinking about crypto, even though I hate it deeply now and don't believe in it, I still regret selling everything before btc even reached a few thousands $, and I've been proved wrong every time I thought a crash was the end of it.

Where do you put your money in times of uncertainty?

10 comments

[ 2.1 ms ] story [ 34.3 ms ] thread
bradwood
Bitcoin, real estate, early stage investments in businesses I have a relationship with.
nieksand
One big question is how long you have till you need the money. If you need to cash out within a year or two for a mortgage down payment, I would consider taking the inflation hit and plopping it in an FDIC insured savings account. If you have years or decades until you need it, I would either put it all in stocks or purchase a home that you plan to live in.

An asset tracking the S&P 500 is still a very reasonable bet. For my taxable accounts I use IVV with an expense ratio of 0.03%

https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239726/ishares-core-sp-5...

Another good, diversified choice is Berkshire Hathaway class B shares (BRK.B). Lots of boring but money-making businesses in there. The downside is that both Buffet and Munger will be out of the picture within a few years, so there is a chance of a rocky leadership transition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire_Hathaway#Businesses_...

TameAntelope
Just a note, but it's more or less settled that buying individual stocks is no better than gambling. The only proven successful way for a retail investor to interact with the stock market is to participate in the most diverse index of stocks possible, over a very long period of time.

Another settled concept is that attempting to "time" the market is also effectively gambling. The superior form of investing is to be in the market for as long as possible.

So buying diversified index funds, and holding on for as long as you can, is usually a good long-term strategy. A shorter term strategy would be something like a money market fund, for cash you expect to spend in a few years or less.

Assuming you're looking for general investment advice, do not put any money into crypto, period. That's like looking at lottery winners and deducing the best way to invest is to purchase lottery tickets.

wruza
A few percent of portfolio into high risk is not a viable strategy [anymore]?
TameAntelope
If you want to gamble with some of your investing money that's "fine", but that's what it is.

I prefer to keep my gambling separated from my investments, both mentally and financially.

al_borland
This is a great time to get into investing, as everything is on sale. It also avoids the trap of starting during a long bull market that makes everyone think they're an investing genius.

In terms of a a simple low-effort method... pick a few asset classes (such as the S&P 500 for US stocks, some bonds, international stocks, etc) choose a percentage to put in each one, and buy some ETFs based on those asset classes and percentages. You don't need to go crazy here, 3-5 of them is likely fine.

Invest systematically each month, don't worry about the price fluctuations.

Every 6-12 months (make a schedule) rebalance things to get back to those percentages you picked (if the stuff isn't still around those levels).

This is very low stress and hands off. The rebalance has you essentially buying relatively low and selling relatively high, without every trying to time the market.

The percentages you choose would be based on risk tolerance and how much time you have to let stuff grow.

I tend to agree with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates on crypto, it's a non-productive asset and your only hope is to sell it to someone who is willing to pay for it than you did (the greater fool theory). In 20-30 years maybe it will be something... or maybe it will be worth nothing and just a funny thing people bring up about the old days. The time between now and then, some people will get rich, while others will lose everything. People chasing FOMO (which sounds like where you're at) tend to be on the losing side of things.

Slow, consistent, systematic growth is basically a sure thing over the long haul and can make you a millionaire pretty easily. You're basically just betting on the US, and the global economy in general, surviving and growing. I know a lot of broke people who have been chasing get rich quick schemes and hot stock tips their whole life and have gotten nowhere.

JohnJamesRambo
All in Ethereum. Crypto has crashed and prices have reached what historically has signaled a bottom. The Merge to proof of stake is coming in a few months and it will change everything. The implications of this are still being underestimated.

99.95% less energy consumption removes valid environmental concerns about proof of work mining used in Bitcoin. Gamers will stop hating crypto because they can buy the glut of GPUs that are about to hit the market.

https://www.lookintobitcoin.com/charts/bitcoin-investor-tool...

https://www.wenmerge.com

muzani
Ethereum is one of the legit cryptos, which is why it's stuck around through everything. I think it gets overlooked because the scamcoins rise faster and bitcoin itself is more uhh, gold-like. Everyone seems to make their own version but I rarely see what the new coins add that Ethereum doesn't.

But it's underutilized. I'd buy Ethereum if there's more uses for it, either as a currency or smart contract. Most solutions are just finding an excuse to raise Ethereum value rather than being the simplest solution to a problem. As it is, it's feels overpriced.