# Seems you can't win life's games



## Son_of_Perdition (Jan 20, 2016)

> Baron Rothschild, an 18th century British nobleman and member of the Rothschild banking family, is credited with saying that "The time to buy is when there's blood in the streets."



I used to invest but since 2007 & my 2009 retirement, I took all my marbles out of the market.  Watching the stock market over the last few weeks makes one wonder at what point is it prudent to take another chance.  I approached my wife with the thought, but both being in our early 70's makes us too cautious.  Our savings is earning a paltry interest & we are actually losing ground against inflationary costs.  The bleeding goes on.  Real estate has it's risks, I'm much too old to play that game anyway.

Now my 'Netflix' subscription is going up $2 monthly!  They must have heard I adjusted my auto insurance to a lower rate.


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## Bobw235 (Jan 20, 2016)

I'm still in the market, but probably no more than 30%.  Rest in bond funds and cash.  Not a fun time to be an investor, but I've seen this before.  Have to stick to a good, conservative plan.


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## QuickSilver (Jan 21, 2016)

I've lived through plenty of downturns... each time hung on... kept investing and came out much to the better.   I have friends that sold low back in 2009.. out of fear.. and are sorry..


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## Bobw235 (Jan 21, 2016)

QuickSilver said:


> I've lived through plenty of downturns... each time hung on... kept investing and came out much to the better.   I have friends that sold low back in 2009.. out of fear.. and are sorry..



Yup.  You have to stay disciplined through the downturns.  If you're properly diversified, this might be a bit painful right now, but you should be okay over time if you stick to your strategy.


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## QuickSilver (Jan 21, 2016)

Bobw235 said:


> Yup.  You have to stay disciplined through the downturns.  If you're properly diversified, this might be a bit painful right now, but you should be okay over time if you stick to your strategy.



Can't say I really have much of a clue..  I have a financial planner I have worked with for 15 years.. and have seen my wealth grow under his care.  He assures me we are well positioned..  But that sort of thing is not my forte


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## imp (Jan 21, 2016)

In times of suppressed interest rates, it is possible to prudently buy corporate bonds of high quality related to industries not in down-turn, by carefully scrutinizing the bond lists, and come up with issues which may be bought on margin, thus putting up only about 1/3 of the purchase price, the dividends paying more than the interest due on the margin. 

I did this once, and by strange coincidence, one of the bond issues was "called", bought back. That produced a "windfall" well beyond expectation, a lucky break, if you will.

Just sayin'.   imp


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## Son_of_Perdition (Jan 23, 2016)

Latest update to Netflix, I know that $2 is not going to kill me.  Today, I was surfing my ROKU streaming services.  I have added several but most haven't been utilized very much.  I had been paying $7.99 a month soon to be $9.99, it's the $10 fees that sneak up on you & milk your money.  One financial site advises, never, ever set up automatic payments if you can avoid it.  The tendency is for most people to forget they have them until some months have past & you have paid for services you're not using.  Netflix requires you to have a credit/debit card on file, that bothered me.  We're talking peanuts but those peanuts add up.  I was going to cancel my DirecTV but they offered me a good deal for a one year extension at $39 & the option to continue it at that price beyond the year.  I got my internet/DirecTV bill yesterday, I was paying $110.98 monthly this month's was $75.98 a $35 dollar savings.  

Moving on I mentioned I surfed my ROKU options & discovered tubitv.com, It's a free streaming service offered either on your ROKU & other devices, (ROKU is my choice).  I found that it has over 20,000 movies & TV, they just signed a contract with Paramount to acquire 50 more titles a month.  It's exactly like Netflix, ad free & going through the selections they are almost identical to your choices on Netflix.  I watched one movie this afternoon to verify there were no ads.  Complete ad free uncut movies!  I immediately cancelled my subscription to Netflix. (I do have 3 days left on my current month).

Previously I had also cancelled my auto coverage on the SUV that sat in my carport unused because of a bad radiator, saving myself $19 more monthly.  The little fees add up to $767.88 annual savings ($63.99 monthly).  See the $10 fees do add up.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2016)

I also discovered TubiTV.com online - I enjoy their mix of movies quite a bit.


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## Son_of_Perdition (Jan 23, 2016)

SifuPhil said:


> I also discovered TubiTV.com online - I enjoy their mix of movies quite a bit.



One of my complaints about Netflix is the inability to access their content with Linux, (of course my preferred OS).  They still refuse to spend the money to reprogram their service (not enough customers, but I think MS has a hand in it with their proprietary 'Silverlight' application).   

I decided to give tubitv a test, I installed Chromium (Linux version of Chrome).  Didn't install Ghostery or ABP,  Adobe doesn't update Flash for Firefox but still updates Chrome. * IT WORKED!!!*  All for free!


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## SifuPhil (Jan 23, 2016)

See, you know computers far better than I - I'd be hopelessly lost trying to do that kind of an end-run. 

I'd rather just watch a movie on my 17" laptop in peace than try to figure out how to implement all those programs. Especially Flash - Flash and I have a long history of fighting each other.


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## tnthomas (Jan 23, 2016)

I'd love to kick DirecTV to the curb, for $110/mo. we're hard pressed to find much worth watching, at any given time.   I love my 1st gen. Chromecast, I stream Netflix and Youtube to it via the app on my ipad mini.    I'm considering a ROKU, saw one at Costco yesterday; I didn't know it came with a remote.     I'll have to look into tubitv.com, maybe when I jump on my elipitical.  I used to watch Hulu [free] but it looks like that is extinct now.


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## Butterfly (Jan 23, 2016)

tnthomas said:


> I'd love to kick DirecTV to the curb, for $110/mo. we're hard pressed to find much worth watching, at any given time.   I love my 1st gen. Chromecast, I stream Netflix and Youtube to it via the app on my ipad mini.    I'm considering a ROKU, saw one at Costco yesterday; I didn't know it came with a remote.     I'll have to look into tubitv.com, maybe when I jump on my elipitical.  I used to watch Hulu [free] but it looks like that is extinct now.



I got rid of DirecTV in 2013 and haven't regretted it.  I have a Roku 3 (yes, they come with a remote) and have Netflix and Acorn TV (I LOVE the Acorn TV -- it has British programming -- mysteries, documentaries, TV series, etc. and costs $4.99/mo )-- so with Netflix and Acorn I get better choices than I did with DirecTV and no commercials, all for about $15/mo.

You just have to have wifi for the Roku.

PS:  Has anybody figured out a relatively easy way to stream youtube content to TV via Roku?  I can't seem to figure it out.  It's doable -- there's even an icon built into the Roku for youtube.


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## Son_of_Perdition (Jan 23, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> I got rid of DirecTV in 2013 and haven't regretted it.  I have a Roku 3 (yes, they come with a remote) and have Netflix and Acorn TV (I LOVE the Acorn TV -- it has British programming -- mysteries, documentaries, TV series, etc. and costs $4.99/mo )-- so with Netflix and Acorn I get better choices than I did with DirecTV and no commercials, all for about $15/mo.
> 
> You just have to have wifi for the Roku.
> 
> PS:  Has anybody figured out a relatively easy way to stream youtube content to TV via Roku?  I can't seem to figure it out.  It's doable -- there's even an icon built into the Roku for youtube.



On your ROKU menu Go to   home > streaming channels > top free > youtube > add channel > after youtube is installed select youtube > search > (using your remote spell out what you want to view) i.e. dog tricks > then select the displayed video you want to want.


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## Butterfly (Jan 24, 2016)

OOOOO!  Thank you.  So if I already have a pre-installed icon for youtube on the Roku, I'd just go to that?   Cool!  Then I could search for something, like, say, "Seconds from Disaster"?  Will it come up with a menu of things like when I do a similar internet search?  There's tons of stuff on youtube I'd like to watch.


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## Son_of_Perdition (Jan 24, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> OOOOO!  Thank you.  So if I already have a pre-installed icon for youtube on the Roku, I'd just go to that?   Cool!  Then I could search for something, like, say, "Seconds from Disaster"?  Will it come up with a menu of things like when I do a similar internet search?  There's tons of stuff on youtube I'd like to watch.



You have to make sure it's been added, then click on the icon, it goes to a graphic screen with pictures of videos & such.  On the top of the screen is a 'search', place your cursor there, it brings up an alphabet menu that you have to hunt & pick spelling out what you are searching for, click on the desire video & watch.  It's plays what's listed on the right automatically.  As for any type menu, I can't say they only thing I was using it for is my grandkid's 'Playdoh' videos.  If you have youtube.com on your browser screen it's probably easier to key in your search then gives you a key word to enter on your TV.  I don't know of any website that keeps tabs on the multitude of videos.  All you need is a key word to bring several up, hopefully the one you want is displayed.

Added:  I have to correct a previous statement I made about tubitv being completely ad free, I watched a few off the wall videos, parts of some foreign/international movies & noticed some had ads, some didn't.  The two movies I watched later had NO ads, the information from Wikipedia noted that they are funded by advertising, so it stands to reason you have to suffer through commercials on a limited basis.


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## SifuPhil (Jan 24, 2016)

Son_of_Perdition said:


> Added:  I have to correct a previous statement I made about tubitv being completely ad free, I watched a few off the wall videos, parts of some foreign/international movies & noticed some had ads, some didn't.  The two movies I watched later had NO ads, the information from Wikipedia noted that they are funded by advertising, so it stands to reason you have to suffer through commercials on a limited basis.



Yeah, I've run into that as well. Plus, it tells me to disable AdBloc, I do so on that site, keep reloading and it still won't let me watch. It's acting funky.

I heard they just got millions of dollars from MGM and another studio, so I don't see why they need ads. 

*sigh* Oh, well, plenty of other free, ad-free places to explore. Plus, there's always good ol' YouTube.


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## Son_of_Perdition (Jan 24, 2016)

Here I was posting away about my brilliant money moves, saving here, saving there & my wife comes home after attending a home show at the fair grounds to let me know she has something to tell me.  While she has her own money & savings, she had just spent enough money buying us a new bed that destroyed my ROI.  It will take 5+ years to get back her purchase price through the yearly savings I had been bragging about.  I didn't even have a chance to tell her about our good fortune.

My daughter just texted that she's going to spike my food with sugar for telling her husband about tubitv.com.


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## mathjak107 (Jul 19, 2016)

in my 30 years as an investor i can't say there was ever a time that  looked good for investing .

the talking heads either had as over valued and in a bubble or we were plunging to stock market hell .

it is not markets that have lost money for folks who used diversified funds . it is poor investor behavior that hurt them .

ideally you want a balance in retirement of a high success rate for the draw you hope to pull  from your portfolio .

more folks have run in to trouble being to conservative then being to aggressive , at least from a market hurting them stand point .

even at 65 you still have long term money you won't eat with for 25-30 years . that money is still able to be invested and grow over decades .

the problem comes when we mismatch money to time frames or we let our bad behavior rule us .


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