So, let's say you came into $100K...

[mjah]

Gold. Precious metals.

Seriously. Silver.

[smalex41]

...and you had no pressing responsibilities (kids, wives, litigation).

What would you invest in? Real Estate, stocks, collectibles?

What would you invest in if you wanted significant return in the next 10 years?

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on this, just for starters...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1986-Mustang-SVO-Turbo-Only-9500-original-miles-CLEAN_W0QQitemZ330120067812QQihZ014QQcategoryZ6236QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

?

I would invest in Real Estate, "the fix-up" ones for a quick return on my cash.

[riggins44]

Someone said it earlier. Pay off your debts. Everything. Get rid of all but one credit card.

Then look into some mutual funds. I'd stay out of real estate right now,although I think it will rebound fairly soon.

The stock market, over the long haul, is your best bet

And get a classic Mustang if you mut have one. By that I mean one made before 1970

A nice 65-66 Mustang 2+2 Fastback with 289 V8 will run you about $25K. To go Shelby, or early Mach 1, or Boss...expect to go deep into the wallet.

Friend of mine was offerred $250K for his Boss 429. He turned it down.

[Predicto]

You live in San Francisco - $100K is a monthly grocery bill.

Yah, but I know what to do with my money. I'm 45 years old. I lost both my parents and inherited a chucnk of change just like this, so I had to learn this stuff.

In the long run, large cap equities are your best bet. Always have been. That is because you are not just buying a thing that may or may not go up in value, you are buying a part of an enterprise where people are working hard to MAKE it go up in value.

Three simple rules:

1) Don't buy a company unless you understand what it is they do and why it should continue to make money.

2) Diversify across the various sectors of the economy.

3) Don't go for the quick kill - think longterm.

If I had 100k I would pay off debt, then take the rest of the money open a Schwab account and split it among about 5 stocks. 1 energy, 1 healthcare or pharm, 1 consumables, 1 financial, and one other from somewhere else like insurance or tech or one of the other sectors you don't have. I would buy industry leaders, well run companies with good track records. Shhwab provides access to several different stock analysis services. Go with the concensus.

Set up dividend reinvestment. Settle in for the long haul - again, you do not have the inside information for a quick kill.

[Predicto]

Oh, one more thing. If you have kids, you might just want to plop that money down into a tax free 527 plan for their college expenses. Not having to worry about or save for college costs is awesome.

[Sarge]

If I had 100k I would pay off debt, then take the rest of the money open a Schwab account and split it among about 5 stocks. 1 energy, 1 healthcare or pharm, 1 consumables, 1 financial, and one other from somewhere else like insurance or tech or one of the other sectors you don't have. I would buy industry leaders, well run companies with good track records. Shhwab provides access to several different stock analysis services. Go with the concensus.

Set up dividend reinvestment. Settle in for the long haul - again, you do not have the inside information for a quick kill.

Defense

[Skins247]

9 thousand original miles?!? It's not a piece of crap, it's an investment piece.

I think.

Most people would look at that car and thinks its a piece of crap. It may or may not be. But I think that's how people would perceive it. They would be like, "you just came into 100,000 and THAT'S what you invest it on?"

[Skins247]

Let's see, I don't drive, so: an HDTV, PS3, a pair of Gil-Zeros and either use the rest to help pay for a condo or invest it.

I bought a pair of Gil-Zeros a few months ago. When I bought them they were around $89 or $99. Now, im looking online the other day and I see they are going for about $100 more than that? WTF?...was that an error? or have they really gone up that much?

[BAFGA]

Pay off bills....then I'd have about $60K left over. I've blown so much money in my life I'd probably get some advice from a financial advisor or something. I'd like to have at least some of the money left over after a year or two.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Assuming I was debt-free and had all my ducks in a row in terms of an investment account, etc., I think I would buy some land.

I'd go either further west or south and buy up lake-front or river-front property and just let it appreciate...because it will. My in-laws have a second house down near the Bay in the middle of nowhere that has tripled in less than 10 years.

Land is the way to go.

[Predicto]

Defense

Maybe, but not directly. That particular business is too boom and bust for me to predict which companies will do better than others. It depends on individual contracts and projects, etc.

I like business that sell stuff people pretty much have to buy, and that don't have that much effective competition in continuing to sell it. Things I understand. Things like Exxon and Abbott Labs and Proctor and Gamble and Humana and Johnson & Johnson and Pepsi.

[Predicto]

Assuming I was debt-free and had all my ducks in a row in terms of an investment account, etc., I think I would buy some land.

I'd go either further west or south and buy up lake-front or river-front property and just let it appreciate...because it will. My in-laws have a second house down near the Bay in the middle of nowhere that has tripled in less than 10 years.

Land is the way to go.

Investment liquidity is a problem, but in general I agree, waterfront land is a good longterm bet.

Precious metals, collectables, cars - those are all terrible choices IMO.

[riggins44]

Most people would look at that car and thinks its a piece of crap. It may or may not be. But I think that's how people would perceive it. They would be like, "you just came into 100,000 and THAT'S what you invest it on?"

That car wouldn't be a mainstream investment, but it may be worth the

gamble. Cars are a risky investment, but if you research the market you

might find that pearl in among the oysters.

[Cheers, Beers and Mountaineers]

i'd make it rain

then pay off college

[TradeTheBeal!]

Well, I let the car go and decided to knock out the first 10 grand on this...

http://www.rockandrollfantasycamp.com/website_/new_york.html

An investment in my soul. I'll probably drop another 5 grand on shopping and rounds of drinks. It will be worth every penny.

[lovetoaster]

An investment in my soul. I'll probably drop another 5 grand on shopping and rounds of drinks. It will be worth every penny.

Good call, that is pretty sweet. Just scanning over it quickly, that would be well worth it to me just to spend time with Paul Stanley, Ted Nugent and Max Weinberg. That should be an amazing experience.

[lovetoaster]

Three words: Molly Hatchett tickets.

For that money, you could probably just buy Molly Hatchet. Just have them playing in the corner of the basement whenever you wanted. Imagine them cranking up "Flirtin' With Disaster" every morning at 7 a.m. to serve as your alarm clock.

[illone]

mboyd,

If you're pretty set with your normal income and don't need the money for a few years than you can't go wrong with an Equity Indexed Annuity. Some even offer an instant gain, so long as you leave the money in for a specified time period.

For example, one of the companies I work with offers a 16 year product, and they give you an instant 10% gain on your money, just for signing up. The best thing about it is it's tied to the stock market but if the stock market goes down you don't lose money!

PM me if you would like more information, but Annuities are sound financial tools. Certainly you would not put ALL the money there, but I would recomend a portion of your 100K would be wise to protect. Annuities are excellent protection, and from yourself, too:laugh:

[techboy]

mboyd,

If you're pretty set with your normal income and don't need the money for a few years than you can't go wrong with an Equity Indexed Annuity.

Actually, if you're not careful, you can go very wrong with annuities. Personally, I'm dead-set 100% against them. Consider what they are... You give a company a chunk of money, and in turn, they pay out to you. This means that they expect that they can earn a lot more with your money than they are going to pay out. If they don't, they lose money, and they wouldn't do that. In turn, this tells me that I am better off investing it myself, rather than letting them do it, and give me only some of the profits.

Further, annuities typically have very high commisions, expenses, and fees, which is why agents push them so hard.

Of course, they do provide some insurance against a down-turn in the market, but at a very high cost, and historically, if you're investing for the long term, you'll be fine (which is why the annuities are willing to take your money and guarantee your return).

Sometimes, equity-indexed annuities are OK; sometimes is an article in the USA Today which talks about this from a more balanced perspective. Here's part:

Normally, whenever you hear "annuities" and "free seminars" in the same breath, it's easy to give advice: Run, Leo! Run, Sally! Save yourselves! All too often, the answer to every problem at these seminars boils down to one word: annuities.

Equity-indexed annuities offer juicy commissions, which is one reason people like to sell them. And EIAs aren't regulated by the National Association of Securities Dealers or the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those two reasons alone should get your feet moving. But some EIAs can be OK. Sometimes.

An EIA, like any annuity, is a contract with an insurance company. Fixed annuities agree to pay you a set rate, determined by the contract. Most have a minimum rate, typically 3%, and your earnings are tax-deferred until you withdraw them.

EIAs set their rates according to the performance of a stock index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500. A typical EIA might give you 85% of the annual rise in the S&P 500, to a maximum 12% a year. Your minimum rate would be 3%, even if the stock market falls.

EIAs are appealing because the stock market, in a word, stinks. Had you invested $10,000 in the S&P 500 the past three years, you'd have lost 12% in 2001, lost 22% in 2002 and gained 29% in 2003, assuming dividends were reinvested. A $10,000 investment would be worth $8,422. Had you invested in the EIA above, you'd have earned 3% in 2001 and 2002, and 12% in 2003. Your account would be worth $11,882.

Even with limited upside, eliminating the downside is appealing, particularly in a long, nasty sideways market. An EIA with a 12% cap and 3% floor would have beaten the S&P 500 throughout parts of the snake-bitten 1970s.

Of course, I would argue that if one is investing for the long term, the market does not, in fact, stink. Cherry-picking individual small periods (like the 70's) can lead to this impression, but I saw a study that showed that the market as a whole beats any other investment over any 20 year period in the last 100 years (even the one with the Great Depression).

Do your due diligence.

Well, I let the car go and decided to knock out the first 10 grand on this...

http://www.rockandrollfantasycamp.com/website_/new_york.html

An investment in my soul. I'll probably drop another 5 grand on shopping and rounds of drinks. It will be worth every penny.

That sounds awesome.

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

I'd have a pool filled with chocolate pudding.....awesome

[Sweet Sassy Molassy]

Personally, I'd buy a bunch of Nike's Air Force Ones and sell them to Sweet Sassy Molassy at grossly inflated prices.

I thought you knew me much better than that Greg. I would never overpay for a pair of shoes.

[PokerPacker]

i'm thinking somthing along these lines:

[PleaseBlitz]

Property in Charlotte NC.

[zoony]

Property in Charlotte NC.

For an investment? Or because you want to live there? For an investment... It's growing, but similar to Atlanta, there are no geographical boundaries. It will just continue to sprawl.

Atlanta suburbs have made it halfway to Chattanooga. And property is still dirt cheap there. I think Charlotte will be similar.

The trick is to find an area of the country that is somehow geographically limited but growing like crazy... say... I don't know... bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

.....

[PleaseBlitz]

For an investment? Or because you want to live there? For an investment... It's growing, but similar to Atlanta, there are no geographical boundaries. It will just continue to sprawl.

Atlanta suburbs have made it halfway to Chattanooga. And property is still dirt cheap there. I think Charlotte will be similar.

The trick is to find an area of the country that is somehow geographically limited but growing like crazy... say... I don't know... bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

.....

I would like it as an investment property. Property values near downtown have already started climbing. Same with Vegas.