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Malik Roper 3/8/21 Malik Roper 3/8/21

MarketWatch #6

“I put in 40 hours a week for every dollar I get, so now that I have it, it’s going to work for me!”

Don’t let lazy money sleep in your wallet or bank account, saving is good, but there is a difference between saving for something and saving for nothing. Save for something and invest the rest, that 2% inflation can be a slow and painful death for your pockets.

Disclaimer: MarketWatch is for entertainment purposes only. It is important that ALL investors conduct their own market research to determine the best investments for their portfolio. Please do not blindly follow me or any random person on the internet, there are professionals for that. MarketWatch is intended to give you insight into my investment portfolio and my analysis of each investment that is discussed. Please feel free to share any comments or questions below.

There once was a farmer who decided to plant seeds for harvest.

First, he drops seeds on a path - The birds come and ate them.

Then, he planted the seeds on rocky places - Nothing grew.

Next, he planted the seeds among thorns - The seed suffocated and died.

Finally, he planted the seed in good soil - He saw the crop grow x10, x20, x100.

This is one of my favorite Bible stories because it shares an important sentiment with us as investors.

We have the dignity to choose where we invest our money (seeds), but those choices come with consequences that can be either good or bad.

This story helped me to understand that there are different ways to invest, and those investments will result in different outcomes. We have the choice to put our hard-earned money in good soil or take our chance with the birds, rocks, and bushes. Today, I’m going to share 2 companies with you that I believe are fundamentally bad soil. Then, I’ll share a company that I believe falls under the “good” soil category.

This community is here for conversation about investments, please share your thoughts about this in the comments below, and don’t be shy to disagree. The best decisions that we make come after a thorough vetting of the options and it is hard to see all of the options if we are only seeing them through our own lens.

Chevron (CVX): The ROCK

Oil has been the pinnacle of investments for a very long time, dating way back to the Rockefeller dynasty — Now, it’s losing value. We have seen the damage this commodity has done to people in the form of greed, but now people are losing their patience for the damage it does to our environment too. Electric vehicles are becoming the norm and in 2035 major car companies have already decided to leave the old method of transportation in the past. Chevron and all of the other oil giants are on sale right now, but the next step is the clearance rack, after that, they will be gone for good. Don’t let your money follow them!

General Motors (GM): The THORNS

GM is among a long list of companies who plan to leave their oily cars behind, but does that mean they are a good investment? I challenge that it doesn’t. With the tech industry and car industry now being intertwined, I don’t believe the “old” car industry is in the best position to adjust its entire business models and practices to work in the new tech-driven car industry. Whether it’s their mega factories, horrible labor conditions, or simply the fact that they are starting from the bottom essentially in tech, the major car companies of yesterday have their work cut out for them if they hope to compete in an ever-evolving and constantly growing smart tech industry. GM may survive, but many others will suffocate and die as a result. Be sure to do your research and trust your judgment.

Velodyne Lidar (VLDR): The SOIL

Now we get to the opportunity! With so much change needing to happen in the car industry and AI space as a whole, there is a lot of room for companies that specialize in providing parts for these different vehicles and smart devices. A company like Velodyne specializes in creating Lidar technology to help AI devices like robots, smart cars, and anything else without real eyes see. This is a technology that old car companies will need, new tech car companies will use, and future AI tech creations will require. It’s like investing in a motor company, motors are used in cars, lawnmowers, machinery, etc. so they have a lot of people to sell their motors to. If they have high demand and can develop a high volume of supply, you would expect to see that company increase their market value and stock value x10, x20, x100.

A Final Note for those who are not planting a seed at all:

Investing your money is one of the safest things that you can do for your family. Inflation is no secret, so every dollar that sits and isn’t working for you is working against you. I heard a quote about this recently:

“I put in 40 hours a week for every dollar I get, so now that I have it, it’s going to work for me!”

REMEMBER: The single most important thing that you can do when you invest is to do your research. Do not blindly listen to TV, podcast, blogs, or anyone trying to give you investment advice. Know the market and trust yourself, this is the key to building an account that you and your next generation can be proud of.

Invest responsibly.

Malik Roper 2/4/21 Malik Roper 2/4/21

MarketWatch #5

Against my better judgment, I want to revisit a topic mentioned in last week’s release. Even though I dislike day trading and trend surfing, it’s easy for investors to insist on the value of these methods.

With that said, It would be silly of me not to share insight into how these methods can work and tell you how some investors have had success with them. Especially with the recent spikes and drops of stocks in the market, most notably: Gamestop ($GMS).

THIS RELEASE COMES WITH 11 STOCKS THAT I RECOMMEND TO ALL OF OUR READERS!

Let’s start by identifying the 2 types of traders.

Trend Traders

So what is trend trading? It’s similar to “crowd surfing.” You look for the strongest people (Trends) in the crowd (The Market) and you ride them to stay above the ground.

Here are my 2 keys for Trend surfing investors.

Set your Numbers
Be disciplined

The hardest thing to do in the market is cut your losses and to take your wins. When your trend trading, you need to know what your cutoff investment is and stick to it.

Blindly throwing your money into a trendy stock will result in highly volatile results.

The best investors know that having an exit plan before you invest your money can not only save your pockets, but it can save your life. Please be responsible.

Day Trader

Day trading is lucrative, for the winners! The losers are usually left with the scraps after the market has had its way with them.

To be a successful day trader, there are a couple of disciplines that you need to know. Before I explain those, there is a major key to day trading that you need to know: you must have a strategy.

If you haven’t looked into the different strategies for day trading, do yourself a favor and read this article.

Here are 2 keys for new day traders.

Follow the rules - stick to the plan
Don’t get emotional - you will win some, you will lose some. don’t let your emotions control your pockets.

I know that I told you that making investments in GameStop and Blackberry were bad ideas, but my doubt about these investments should not sway your choice to make your own investment decision.

It is important to note that I am still and will always be against emotional, impulsive investments. Do your research and trust the companies that you put your hard-earned money into. Below you will find my MarketWatch list for February 2021. Check out some of these stocks if you're looking to build up your own portfolio.

Top 8 stocks

Moderna

Nike

Verizon

Microsoft

Apple

Tesla

Target

Top 3 Index Funds

SPYD

VTI

If you’re already invested in any of these companies, give us your take down in the comment section below or join the conversation on Twitter!

Malik Roper 1/3/21 Malik Roper 1/3/21

MarketWatch #1

With the start of the new year now behind us, there is still a lot of uncertainty about what 2021 will bring. As new opportunities are presented, we are left with a choice to act or be acted on by our economy. Whether you are looking into commodity investing or stock investing, we all have a chance to move the needle in our favor. Here are three stocks that are presenting an opportunity to us this week:

Bitcoin (BTC): Last week we saw a more than 20% increase in the value of Bitcoin, placing it within $30k territory. As we continue to analyze and critique cryptocurrency, we must open our eyes to the potential that it brings to our global economy. People are becoming increasingly frustrated with our global banking system, and many believe that this will continue to lead to increasing demand for alternative banking methods. If you fall under this category, these types of innovative investments may be worth looking into.

Alibaba (BABA): Jack Ma is M.I.A. and there are several conspiracies about what may have happened to him. I’m not going to get into all of that, but this is worth paying attention to if you are currently invested in the Amazon-like Chinese enterprise. Alibaba owns the unofficial dropshipping hub, AliExpress, and a change in top-level management could cause a chain reaction in their current structure, more specifically, the large portion of their American dropshipping business. Currently, shares of $BABA are trading at $228.12, a more than 15% decrease than just a month ago. Whether you are bullish or bearish on this stock, this could prove to be an opportunity for those who are looking for an Amazon-like alternative.

(UPDATE: 1/5/2020)

According to Business Insider, Alibaba founder Jack Ma is reportedly laying low and not missing. Concerns about China’s crackdown on his business have reportedly caused him to remove himself from the public eye.

(UPDATE: 1/15/2020)

Jack Ma is still missing and China has threatened Nationalization of his beloved company. This could heavily impact the dropshipping and bulk trading businesses out there. With China’s government in control, we could see the political climate impact the business and clients more than we have seen in the past. This could be good or bad for you, depending on how you invest.

Google (GOOGL): Flying under the radar, Google has had major shake-ups that could lead to a domino effect for many companies in the market. Most recently, we saw the unionization of the tech giant’s workers, which was caused by decisions made at top-level management. Decisions such as controversial government contracts (Project Maven), sexual harassment scandals, and pay disparities have all led to their employees taking charge. While unions are nothing new for large corporations, this is worth noting as Google has been a leader in employee relations since the birth of the organization. We could continue to see changes as we watch how this newly formed union affects Google and it’s divisions.

Staying ahead of the curb and making investment decisions based on logic will prove to be a better and more comfortable way to invest than following market trends. Do your research and trust what you put your hard-earned money into, this way you can sleep better at night knowing that you have placed your money in the right places.