Hey guys, I have some shares of stock I started buying when I was working at this bank about 10 years ago. I really haven't done much with it, I have the dividends reinvested and once in a while I'll toss in a small contribution. I currently have about 25 shares, I'm just wondering if it's worth holding on to or if my money would be better spent elsewhere.
Here's the stock info (http://quote.morningstar.com/Quote/Quote.aspx?ticker=TRST)
What do you think? Should I pull the money and start up another IRA?
onlydarksets
01-15-2008, 11:02 PM
Um...you spent 10 years accumulating $250 in stock? Am I reading this chart wrong?
Sell it, and dump it into something risky.
Yeah I really wasn't contributing anything for a long time, I kinda just forgot about it until recently.
onlydarksets
01-15-2008, 11:12 PM
You're still (relatively) young, so I would try something reasonably aggressive if the rest of your portfolio is moderate/conservative. It's kinda like found money, so if you can find something that will (best case) get you 30-50% return, go for it. If you bottom out, so what?
Schneed10
01-15-2008, 11:36 PM
In the short term, banks and lenders are going to be rough investments due to the national credit crunch. In fact, stocks in all sectors might have a rough go in the next year or so. Most recent inflation numbers showed 3.5% and it could go up to 4% soon. GDP growth will slow due to the credit crunch - mortgages will continue defaulting killing home sales (and Lowes & Home Depot's sales), consumer confidence will dip (and thus discretionary spending), plus uncertainty with the impending election is going to prevent the market from ever taking off. In the next year, I don't see much upside to most stocks.
If you want a half-decent stock though, I'd choose a utility yielding a decent dividend. Or a DOW stock yielding a high dividend. Those are very stable companies in any economic environment. They'll also never hit a big payday for you, but your money will be relatively safe.
Putting it into a money market fund honestly isn't a bad idea either. This economy is going to get rough.
If you're thinking long term, shove it in a Fidelity or Vanguard IRA (lowest expense ratios). I highly recommend the Fidelity International Discovery fund (an international stock fund).
Or, best yet, just spend the dough and spruce up your Redskins room!
mheisig
01-16-2008, 02:49 PM
Um...you spent 10 years accumulating $250 in stock? Am I reading this chart wrong?
Sell it, and dump it into something risky.
I suppose there's no such thing as too small an amount to invest, but for $250 I'd sell it and go buy a couple of Patrick Ramsey jerseys or video games.