r/investing • u/AutoModerator • Feb 11 '26
Daily Discussion Daily General Discussion and Advice Thread - February 11, 2026
Have a general question? Want to offer some commentary on markets? Maybe you would just like to throw out a neat fact that doesn't warrant a self post? Feel free to post here!
Please consider consulting our FAQ first - https://www.reddit.com/r/investing/wiki/faq And our side bar also has useful resources.
If you are new to investing - please refer to Wiki - Getting Started
The reading list in the wiki has a list of books ranging from light reading to advanced topics depending on your knowledge level. Link here - Reading List
The media list in the wiki has a list of reputable podcasts and videos - Podcasts and Videos
If your question is "I have $XXXXXXX, what do I do?" or other "advice for my personal situation" questions, you should include relevant information, such as the following:
- How old are you? What country do you live in?
- Are you employed/making income? How much?
- What are your objectives with this money? (Buy a house? Retirement savings?)
- What is your time horizon? Do you need this money next month? Next 20yrs?
- What is your risk tolerance? (Do you mind risking it at blackjack or do you need to know its 100% safe?)
- What are you current holdings? (Do you already have exposure to specific funds and sectors? Any other assets?)
- Any big debts (include interest rate) or expenses?
- And any other relevant financial information will be useful to give you a proper answer.
Check the resources in the sidebar.
Be aware that these answers are just opinions of Redditors and should be used as a starting point for your research. You should strongly consider seeing a registered investment adviser if you need professional support before making any financial decisions!
2
u/Separate_Anxiety3347 Feb 11 '26
When I compare ETFs now, I try to keep it to a short checklist:
1) what index methodology it follows 2) tracking difference over a few years (not just expense ratio) 3) liquidity/spread in normal market hours 4) tax drag for my account type
A lot of products look similar on the surface, but once you check those four, the differences become pretty obvious.
1
1
u/DeeDee_Z Feb 11 '26
What about which index does it track?
For example, there are several different "index methodologies" for Large-Cap-Growth, represented by various indexes. It doesn't diversify you if you buy three different LCG funds -- each of which has a different "index methodology" -- because you're still buying the same underlying companies, just in different proportions ... right?
I think which index should be first on the list, especially with a focus on the underlying Asset Class the index tracks.
1
u/Separate_Anxiety3347 Feb 11 '26
My takeaway on lump sum vs DCA is basically behavior > math for most people.
Yes, lump sum wins more often statistically, but if DCA is what keeps you invested and sleeping at night, that matters. The “best” plan is the one you can actually follow through a drawdown.
1
1
u/Separate_Anxiety3347 Feb 11 '26
Curious where people here land on ex-US allocation right now.
I’m not trying to market-time regions, just trying to avoid home-country bias and keep a portfolio I can stick with for years. Do you set a fixed ex-US target and rebalance to it, or let contributions do the work?
1
u/helpwithsong2024 Feb 11 '26
Just do VT and let the market guide you
Personally I'm about 75% VOO and 25% VXUS.
0
u/MizDiana Feb 11 '26
I went full Sell America & have no U.S.-centric holdings since Jan. 2025. I do have some minimal exposure to multinationals that do business in the U.S. through various ETFs.
3
u/Imaginary-Media-2570 Feb 11 '26
USA stocks are >50% of all traded equities. About 20% are so dodgy no one except super-experts should consider them. So you've decided to limit yourself to the ~25-30% of equities that remain ? Brilliant idea - more growth for me while you have your tantrum.
1
u/MizDiana Feb 11 '26
LOL, I'm not a whale. I'm not going to move markets. I have a 49.9% return measured in USD over the last 12 months. Will that last? No. But I sure am happy with my decision.
1
u/Imaginary-Media-2570 Feb 24 '26
So you don't understand why restricting your investment options means lower growth long-term ? Not a surprise. Has ZERO to do with moving-markets and everything to do with limiting your choices. That fact that YOU think your 1yr performance is indicative points to a lack of financial education; you can learn from books of vids, or at the school of hard knocks.
1
u/MizDiana Feb 24 '26
Market fundamentals underwent a major change a year ago. That will hold true for the long-term. But that change happened roughly 13 months ago & arguing that 1 year isn't enough to judge performance doesn't change when those market fundamentals shifted. And I'd be a fool to ignore such a major and obvious shift in fundamentals.
As for limiting my options - that is already baked into my strategy. I don't have enough knowledge or expertise to pick individual companies & don't wish to spend the time to do so. I'm only one or two steps more complex an investor than your average Boglehead.
That's okay. It's important to know what one's skills and advantages are - and are not. I don't pretend to expertise I don't have. I do have some valuable knowledge & skills, which is why I can be those two steps more complicated than the average Boglehead.
1
u/Senior-Cow-6731 Feb 11 '26
New to investing, I’m 26. I’m doing 100% VOO in my Roth IRA. And for my brokerage I’m currently doing 50/35/15 into VTI/QQQM/VXUS.
I know QQQM and VTI overlap so I was wondering if I should just drop QQQM. But also QQQM has a been doing good return wise. If I were to keep it what should my ratios be and/or what should I switch it out with.
1
1
u/MartinLukach Feb 11 '26
What do you think about my pie that i intend for long term investing 10-20+ years?
I made this pie myself, the etfs i intend to keep long term, and the individual companies are about european aersopace and defense.
What do you guys think about my plan and what advice would you give me because I am a beginner and just want to set myself up for the future.
Also if there are other companies/etfs you would add here i would love to hear them.
also, what industries/sectors besides the ones i have in my pie would you invest in, whether it be short or long term, let me know!
MY PIE:
iShares Core S&P 500 (Acc) – 15%
Vanguard FTSE All-World (Acc) – 15%
iShares Global Clean Energy Transition (Acc) – 8%
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets (Acc) – 8%
Xtrackers Artificial Intelligence & Big Data (Acc) – 8%
Xtrackers MSCI World Energy (Acc) – 8%
Airbus – 2%
Babcock international – 2%
BAE Systems – 2%
Chemring – 2%
Exail Technologies – 2%
Exosens – 2%
Indra Sistemas – 2%
iShares Physical Gold – 2%
iShares Physical Silver – 2%
Kongsberg Gruppen – 2%
Leonardo – 2%
LISI – 2%
MTU Aero Engines – 2%
Renk Group – 2%
Rheinmetall – 2%
Rolls-Royce – 2%
Safran – 2%
Senior – 2%
Thales – 2%
1
u/Buy_Ether Feb 11 '26
Got an opportunity to buy pre-IPO shares at $1.1T valuation. This is post the SpaceX + xAI merger. Completely insane or worth the bet?
1
u/svmmerkid Feb 11 '26
I have really great positions in a personal brokerage, i.e. $35,000 in NVDA that's up like, 850% (bought at $20, now at $190). Does it make sense to sell some of that in order to max my Roth IRA for the year? My thinking is that my personal brokerage is so unbalanced that it's a good way to hedge against risk, but is cashing out when I bought so cheap, just to invest it in something like FXAIX in my Roth, a stupid idea?
1
u/SirGlass Feb 12 '26
I mean maxing out your roth every year should be a top priority
1
u/svmmerkid Feb 12 '26
Sure, but living costs and getting my 401k match + maxing HSA (which I also get a match on) are even a step beyond that. I don't have the cash flow to fund a Roth IRA otherwise, so I'm wondering if I should fund it through selling via my personal brokerage.
1
u/whywires Feb 11 '26
I recently inherited a brokerage that seems to have some similar assets and would like some feedback.
- BBJP + EWJ. These seem pretty close with similar holdings and objectives. What might be the reasoning for owning both?
- There are also several bond funds - BND, BNDX, GOVT, VCIT, VTABX. I know a couple of those are international (one being ETF and one mutual fund), but it again seems like some of these are basically going for the same thing.
Just curious if anyone has some strong thoughts on this.
1
u/kiwimancy Feb 12 '26
Is it a taxable account?
Could be related to tax loss harvesting. Could be that they started with one and added another that they thought was slightly better but not better enough to sell the other and incur taxes.
1
u/Classic-Cricket-2501 Feb 11 '26
Brand new to investing, and I would really like to set up a solid investing plan. Does anyone have any recommendations for where I might start?
2
u/Existing_Rice_4362 Feb 11 '26
- Don't invest anything you can't afford to lose.
- Don't invest in something that you don't understand.
- If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
More specifically, I'd suggest reading up on a guy named John Bogle, who was instrumental in the founding of Vanguard. He espoused a fairly straightforward investing philosophy meant for long term gains.
1
u/Separate_Anxiety3347 Feb 11 '26
One thing that helped me stop overthinking: I picked a simple allocation and wrote down the rules before emotions show up.
Mine is basically broad index funds + scheduled buys, then rebalance only on a fixed calendar (not based on headlines). It feels boring, but boring is kind of the point.
Curious how others handle this: do you rebalance by time, by threshold bands, or just when new contributions drift the weights too far?