Skip to main
CTSSHAH avatar
CTSSHAH
@ctsshah
•
#SafeInvestments If someone tells you that something is a sure bet with investing ... take it with a healthy dose of skepticism. At the very least, do your own due diligence and figure out what risks you are exposing yourself to with any investment you make and what core assumptions were made. If you look at the chart below this includes the top 3 in the S&P500 and the S&P500 index fund - over this time period all 4 have decreaesed in value. Just because a company is a "blue chip" or the investment is labeled as "safe" such as the S&P500 doesn't mean you can't lose money on the investment ... context matters. #IndexFunds Dollar cost averaging into an index fund such as one tracking the S&P500 is generally considered to be a safe investment strategy as it utilizes diversification, but the key factor to remember is that it is also dependent on TIME. This is only considered "safe" if your investing timeline is long enough for short term price fluctations and factors to even out. While the overall trend is one that is going up, if you are trying to make money in a short period of time or may need to pull the money out of the market in a short period of time ... investing in the S&P500 can be speculative in nature rather than a sound investment. In fact, there are plenty of people trying to swing trade index funds via leveraged ETFs, inverse ETFs, or utilizing leverage with options trading. #BlueChips While these companies are large, highly visible, and quality companies ... the PRICE you pay to become a shareholder is incredibly important. There is an idea of value investing popularized by Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett where one only purchases a company if it is trading at a market price that is considered undervalued. This means that that intrinsic value of the company is worth more than what the market price says it thinks it is worth. If the difference between market price and intrisic value is sufficiently large then there is felt to be a margin of safety and the money put into this is considered an investment rather than a speculative purchase. I doubt I did the explanation justice with only a couple of sentences and so I left Benjamin Graham's book links below as well. #Ibonds "An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and a satisfactory return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative." (Security Analysis p 106) With the above quote in mind, I would venture to guess that Series I Bonds at the current rate of 7.12% with the forecasted future rate to be even greater would likely satisfy the criteria of an investment operation. The bond is backed by the US government and interest can not be negative, and so the principal is protected against deprecation of principal. In addition, the returns are linked to the rate of inflation and so at the very least with inflation at recent highs should remain a modest return until inflation falls. While not traded on an exchange, Series I Bonds can provide a potential investment opportunity with margin of safety for those interested - can be bought on Treasury Direct. Again, context matters and as inflation drops the return on these will as well ... so while it may hold true now this might not be the case in the future. #Resources The Intelligent Investor - https://amzn.to/3Ldt0zF Security Analysis - https://amzn.to/37IuUK5 What is a Series I Bond: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMu67V0bZ2E&list=PLn0fZqMvSiYD_q9RrSFhRMlg6YDLLOOiR&index=3 What is a Leveraged ETF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IkOZtAaWPo&list=PLn0fZqMvSiYBqYepxNcr-Ka5wz7wqN70Y&index=7 What is a Inverse ETF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iNNlX11qDc&list=PLn0fZqMvSiYBqYepxNcr-Ka5wz7wqN70Y&index=8 What is swing trading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cC3Oqb5CP8&list=PLn0fZqMvSiYCjqEeIxlz7QZbMl7kOwMpt&index=6 What is option trading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qifKJOAAE6k&list=PLn0fZqMvSiYCjqEeIxlz7QZbMl7kOwMpt&index=7
Mar 24 - Apr 22, 2022
AAPL
AAPL4.95%
MSFT
MSFT8.50%
AMZN
AMZN11.66%
SPY
SPY4.00%
25
0
Own your future.
Build your portfolio.

All of your investing.
All in one place.

Invest in stocks, treasuries, ETFs, crypto, and alternative assets on Public. Transfer your account to Public and get up to $10,000.
Sign Up
Products
Contact Us
Check the background of this firm on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
Open to the Public Investing, Inc. Customer Relationship Summary

© Copyright 2023 Public Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Market data powered by Xignite.

All investments involve the risk of loss and the past performance of a security or a financial product does not guarantee future results or returns. You should consult your legal, tax, or financial advisors before making any financial decisions. This material is not intended as a recommendation, offer, or solicitation to purchase or sell securities, open a brokerage account, or engage in any investment strategy.

Product offerings and availability vary based on jurisdiction.

Stocks and ETFs.
Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities are offered to self-directed customers by Open to the Public Investing, Inc. (“Open to the Public Investing”), a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA & SIPC. Additional information about your broker can be found by clicking here. Open to Public Investing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Public Holdings, Inc. (“Public Holdings”). This is not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities or open a brokerage account in any jurisdiction where Open to the Public Investing is not registered. Securities products offered by Open to the Public Investing are not FDIC insured. Apex Clearing Corporation, our clearing firm, has additional insurance coverage in excess of the regular SIPC limits. Additional information can be found here.

Alternative Assets.
Brokerage services for alternative assets available on Public are offered by Dalmore Group, LLC (“Dalmore”), member of FINRA & SIPC. “Alternative assets,” as the term is used at Public, are equity securities that have been issued pursuant to Regulation A of the Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) (“Regulation A”). This content is not investment advice. These investments are speculative, involve substantial risks (including illiquidity and loss of principal), and are not FDIC or SIPC insured. Alternative Assets purchased on the Public platform are not held in an Open to the Public Investing brokerage account and are self-custodied by the purchaser. The issuers of these securities may be an affiliate of Public, and Public (or an affiliate) may earn fees when you purchase or sell Alternative Assets. For more information on risks and conflicts of interest, see these disclosures. An affiliate of Public may be “testing the waters” and considering making an offering of securities under Tier 2 of Regulation A. No money or other consideration is being solicited and, if sent in response, will not be accepted. No offer to buy securities can be accepted, and no part of the purchase price can be received, until an offering statement filed with the SEC has been qualified by the SEC. Any such offer may be withdrawn or revoked, without obligation or commitment of any kind, at any time before notice of acceptance given after the date of qualification by the SEC or as stated in the offering materials relating to an investment opportunity, as applicable. An indication of interest to purchase securities involves no obligation or commitment of any kind.

Crypto.
Cryptocurrency execution and custody services are provided by Bakkt Crypto Solutions LLC (NMLS ID 1828849) through a software licensing agreement between Bakkt Crypto Solutions LLC and Public Platform LLC. Bakkt Crypto is not a registered broker-dealer or a member of SIPC or FINRA. Cryptocurrencies are not securities and are not FDIC or SIPC insured. Bakkt Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved before trading: Bakkt Crypto Disclosures.

Treasuries.
U.S. Treasuries (“T-Bill“) investing services on the Public Platform are offered by Jiko Securities, Inc. (“JSI”), a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA & SIPC. See JSI’s FINRA BrokerCheck and Form CRS for further information. When you enable T-Bill investing on the Public platform, you open a separate brokerage account with JSI (the “Treasury Account“).

JSI uses funds from your Treasury Account to purchase T-bills in increments of $100 “par value” (the T-bill’s value at maturity). T-bills are purchased at a discount to the par value and the T-bill’s yield represents the difference in price between the “par value” and the “discount price.” Aggregate funds in your Treasury Account in excess of the T-bill purchases will remain in your Treasury Account as cash. The value of T-bills fluctuate and investors may receive more or less than their original investments if sold prior to maturity. T-bills are subject to price change and availability - yield is subject to change. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Investments in T-bills involve a variety of risks, including credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk. As a general rule, the price of a T-bills moves inversely to changes in interest rates. See Jiko U.S. Treasuries Risk Disclosures for further details.

Investments in T-bills: Not FDIC Insured; No Bank Guarantee; May Lose Value.

Banking services and bank accounts are offered by Jiko Bank, a division of Mid-Central National Bank, Member FDIC.

JSI and Jiko Bank are not affiliated with Public Holdings, Inc. (“Public”) or any of its subsidiaries. None of these entities provide legal, tax, or accounting advice. You should consult your legal, tax, or financial advisors before making any financial decisions. This material is not intended as a recommendation, offer, or solicitation to purchase or sell securities, open a brokerage account, or engage in any investment strategy.

Commission-free trading of stocks and ETFs refers to $0 commissions for Open to the Public Investing self-directed individual cash brokerage accounts that trade the U.S.-listed, registered securities electronically during the Regular Trading Hours. Keep in mind that other fees such as regulatory fees, Premium subscription fees, commissions on trades during extended trading hours, wire transfer fees, and paper statement fees may apply to your brokerage account. Please see Open to the Public Investing’s Fee Schedule to learn more.

Fractional shares are illiquid outside of Public and not transferable. For a complete explanation of conditions, restrictions and limitations associated with fractional shares, see our Fractional Share Disclosure to learn more.

View Full Disclosures