Finance Thread - What stocks are you in, etc.

Is that a Missouri thing? Interesting. I didn't know about the need to re-title vehicles for a TOD.
It depends on the state. Tennessee allows you to title a vehicle as "John Doe OR Jane Doe". The "OR" means that either person can sell or re-title the car without the other one's signature, alive or otherwise. When my FIL died, my MIL didn't have to do anything to her cars since they were listed as "OR" co-owners.

It also allows you to remain as the original owner and not have to re-title or present a death certificate when your spouse dies. A trust can be the second half of the "OR" equation, however its not shielded from litigation or probate if your name is still on it even with the "OR".

They also allow you to title it as "John Doe AND Jane Doe". The "AND" obviously means both parties have to sign off.
 
Is that a Missouri thing? Interesting. I didn't know about the need to re-title vehicles for a TOD.
It is a Missouri thing, but i wouldn't be surprised if other states do it. On the titles I have already done, I the the TOD point to the family trust.

Can also do the co-owner thing above here in Missouri.

A.I. says this:
Screenshot_20250724_183750_Google.jpg
 
I don't believe NC has anything like this. In all my experiences, dealing with dead relatives and their estates in NC is a massive PITA.

Irrevocable trusts are the way to go over there.
 
Here's a tool I just found out about NAIC Life Insurance Database


Considering that sometimes credit unions have small death benefits ($2K-5K) you might not know about, this can't hurt to track down the random life insurance or annuities you might not be aware of.
 
At one point, I was up around 200% on Enphase Energy and for some reason, I still hung onto it after Trump came back into office. Prior to the end of trading on Wednesday, I dumped my entire position for a 20% loss and packaged it with getting rid of my entire position in Adobe, which was up about 80% at the peak of my ownership and I exited it up 20%. The combined sales nearly cancel out and will result in about $250 in long-term capital gains. Despite not cashing out what was at one point an easy 5-figures, I can't say that I have too many regrets since my overall portfolio is doing way better now than when I was up on Enphase.

I've been bearish on Adobe for some time now because they got left at the station when the AI hype train was boarding, people hate their subscription model even more than that of any other company, and their software seems to have stagnated and faces stronger competition these days. As for Enphase, they aren't worth another glance with this current administration in office.

I haven't had much time or interest in stock picking in the last few years. If anything, I need to work on cutting more of my underperforming individual stocks and moving that money into large cap growth funds. I'm not committed to merely coasting on mutual funds and ETFs going forward, but I'm well past achieving my original goal when I started investing, which was to supplement my then-shitty income for my line of work in 2017 and get myself caught up to where I feel like I should be.
 
Not familiar with Enphase. I'd be bullish on ADBE sub 300. It currently has a floor of support around 330 or 332.

For an AI play yeah, there aren't many left that haven't left the station. The other sector that I'd be looking at is Quantum computing. GOOG would be my play on that one. I've also got my eye on D-Wave (QBTS). It came onto my radar just before it took off. It still has a PT of $26 implying about 53% upside. I'm watching this one for a pull back.
 
Achieved a personal goal/milestone - got our mortgage paid off in 88 months. Now it's time to start figuring out this investing thing, and having some fun. :biggrin:

Our new solar array will be using Tesla inverters. The company had been using Enphase inverters up until recently; my MIL's system uses them and she's had to have someone out to service them half a dozen times in the last year. :rolleyes:
 
Not familiar with Enphase. I'd be bullish on ADBE sub 300. It currently has a floor of support around 330 or 332.

For an AI play yeah, there aren't many left that haven't left the station. The other sector that I'd be looking at is Quantum computing. GOOG would be my play on that one. I've also got my eye on D-Wave (QBTS). It came onto my radar just before it took off. It still has a PT of $26 implying about 53% upside. I'm watching this one for a pull back.
Some of my holdings are the result of more direct knowledge about the industry than a stock picker's typical market research, and Adobe falls into that category. There is nothing compelling about Adobe's product stack right now and they've got nothing substantial in the pipeline. I couldn't care less about their fundamentals. The company is about as compelling as modern-day GE, therefore, go toss that money into a reliable index fund instead. Nobody's getting rich from investing in Adobe.

Industry knowledge is why I was in on Nvidia long before old Jensen Huang had a server farm, AI-AI-o, and all these idiot investors and the president embarrass themselves by not being able to correctly pronounce the name of the company, which I might emphasize is the most valuable company in the world by market cap. They can go sit in their Teeslas, crack open a Diet Cocka-Coola, and STFU.
 
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Achieved a personal goal/milestone - got our mortgage paid off in 88 months. Now it's time to start figuring out this investing thing, and having some fun. :biggrin:

Our new solar system will be using Tesla inverters. The company was using Enphase up until recently; my MIL's system uses them and she's had to have someone out to service them half a dozen times in the last year. :rolleyes:

Awesome! Good for you guys! What a great feeling! That's impressive! You guys are super savers!

So you're getting a Powerwall battery pack? What panels are you going with? I would guess that you're too far north for solar to be cost effective but I've seen solar farms as far north as Green Bay, WI.
 
Not familiar with Enphase. I'd be bullish on ADBE sub 300. It currently has a floor of support around 330 or 332.

For an AI play yeah, there aren't many left that haven't left the station. The other sector that I'd be looking at is Quantum computing. GOOG would be my play on that one. I've also got my eye on D-Wave (QBTS). It came onto my radar just before it took off. It still has a PT of $26 implying about 53% upside. I'm watching this one for a pull back.
I don't know much about Enphase as a stock but they are the leaders in microinverters (putting one DC->AC converter behind every panel). Here are some thoughts from recently helping a friend spec out a system for SoCal (where SDGE give PG&E a run for their money in scumbaggery and country-leading prices per KWH).

a) All solar companies are going to hit headwinds because of the cancellation of the the tax credits by EOY 2025.
b) While microinverters offer resiliency (one microinverter dies and your setup stays operational but with lower power generation) and are better if you some of your roof gets shaded (as each microinverter can automatically adjust to the sun each panel gets), there are some pretty noteworthy drawbacks vs a traditional "string inverter" setup (most typical are two or more strings of panels daisy chained together and feeding into a single central inverter (SolarEdge being the biggest player here):
- Each microinverter has a max output of 325-384W. This is problematic when the most common panel is 435W. Under peak sun, you end up hitting the cap so your 10x 435W panel system should be generated 4350W but in reality generates 3250-3840W (12-26% less power).
- The shading issue with centralized inverters can be solved with something called an "optimizer", a small module you put behind each panel. Without optimizers, a string inverter system can only output the power of the most shaded panel in each string of panels.
- Between this efficiency hit and the cost per microinverter, Enphase systems can be pricier than an equivalent string inverter system.
- Batteries are required for NEM3 system (where you only get paid wholesale for your surplus power) and any microinverter system with a battery MUST have AC-DC converters (addt'l microinverters) built into the battery packs. This adds significantly to the cost. In comparison, a string inverter system can handle the AC/DC conversion for a battery. Ex: Tesla Powerwalls are AC attached and can run $10K for 13KWH. Enphase's own 5KWH battery runs $3.5K. In comparison a DC attach LG 16KWH battery is as cheap as $2.8K. Sure, the inverters baked in the battery gives you some added resiliency (if one inverter dies, the others can keep operating and give you some/most of your battery capacity) but you are paying for this resiliency. Also, these additional AC/DC conversions (DC from panel -> DC/AC microinverter -> AC/DC converstion to storage and then DC/AC to load) cuts down on overall efficiency (you store 1 KWH, you don't get 1KWH back).

While I'm not sure I'd invest in ANY solar company in the US right now (other than as a customer), these kind of tradeoffs are worth noting if you are considering Enphases long term growth prospects.
 
Awesome! Good for you guys! What a great feeling! That's impressive! You guys are super savers!

So you're getting a Powerwall battery pack? What panels are you going with? I would guess that you're too far north for solar to be cost effective but I've seen solar farms as far north as Green Bay, WI.

Thanks, we've been looking forward to this for years but it still doesn't feel quite like it's real. :biggrin:

My MIL got a battery but we won't be; just rooftop array. The designs haven't been finalized or submitted for permit approval yet but the preliminary workup is for 24 of the new 440W Silfab panels, which should produce an estimated 103% of our average annual grid consumption - even with the PHEV. They should pay for themselves in 9-10 years (at most, given how fast prices are going up it will be less than that).

I was interested in a battery but when I learned it would have cost us as much as the array all over again, I shelved the concept. Once solid state becomes mainstream (and costs plummet) it might be an add-on; the power here doesn't go out long enough or frequently enough to justify that cost right now though. :)
 
Thanks, we've been looking forward to this for years but it still doesn't feel quite like it's real. :biggrin:

My MIL got a battery but we won't be; just rooftop array. The designs haven't been finalized or submitted for permit approval yet but the preliminary workup is for 24 of the new 440W Silfab panels, which should produce an estimated 103% of our average annual grid consumption - even with the PHEV. They should pay for themselves in 9-10 years (at most, given how fast prices are going up it will be less than that).

I was interested in a battery but when I learned it would have cost us as much as the array all over again, I shelved the concept. Once solid state becomes mainstream (and costs plummet) it might be an add-on; the power here doesn't go out long enough or frequently enough to justify that cost right now though. :)
Even if you live in a place without blackouts, the biggest reason to install a battery is to use your own surplus generation during peak hours and eliminate that more expensive consumption from the grid.

If you have net metering 1.0 (one kwh in gets you 1kwh out when you want it) or 2.0 (utility must pay you retail rate for your excess power), the grid is effectively your battery.

As far as prices going cheaper, my biggest gripe with solar in the US is how much markup there is for installers. I've received quotes of 15K plus to install a smaller 10kwh battery than the 16kwh one I found online that is confirmed to work with my existing inverter. Absolutely nuts

PS congrats on paying off your house. I've got decades left on my place :)
 
Even if you live in a place without blackouts, the biggest reason to install a battery is to use your own surplus generation during peak hours and eliminate that more expensive consumption from the grid.

If you have net metering 1.0 (one kwh in gets you 1kwh out when you want it) or 2.0 (utility must pay you retail rate for your excess power), the grid is effectively your battery.

As far as prices going cheaper, my biggest gripe with solar in the US is how much markup there is for installers. I've received quotes of 15K plus to install a smaller 10kwh battery than the 16kwh one I found online that is confirmed to work with my existing inverter. Absolutely nuts

PS congrats on paying off your house. I've got decades left on my place :)

The other reason for using a battery is to use your own energy after the sun goes down at night or on cloudy days.
 
Yeah, our utility uses the net metering model. So the grid effectively becomes our battery, and we don't get billed for any grid draw as long as we produce more than we use over the course of each billing period. When we produce more we get a bill credit that carries over from month-to-month. I'm curious to see what production looks like on cloudy/rainy/indirect sun conditions. A friend showed me his (old, much smaller) array producing something like 1 kW on a dark, overcast day. Something I liked with the panels I'm getting is "improved low light performance" and a guarantee of no more than 10% performance degradation over the 30Y life of the panels.

Based on estimated production we will be generating bill credits from March through October, which we'd then use up from November through February. So aside from the $4/mo "customer charge" our electric bill will go away. Over 30 years the net savings, less the initial investment, would be something like $50k.

FWIW the pre-tax credit price of our array is going to be like $26k. If they were including a battery the cost would have gone up to about $45k. I just can't justify that. :eek:
 
Achieved a personal goal/milestone - got our mortgage paid off in 88 months. Now it's time to start figuring out this investing thing, and having some fun. :biggrin:

Our new solar array will be using Tesla inverters. The company had been using Enphase inverters up until recently; my MIL's system uses them and she's had to have someone out to service them half a dozen times in the last year. :rolleyes:
Congrats on the mortgage. Had planned to pay mine off this year until I lost my job in 2019. 4 months unemployed and a 30% pay cut for 2.5 years afterwards, I'm now on pace for 9 more years and assisting with college for 3 along the way.

As for solar, no net-metering in my area, so there is no financial incentive to install despite my house orientation being optimal--south facing 42'x14' garage roof with no obstructed view of the sky.
 
Yeah, our utility uses the net metering model. So the grid effectively becomes our battery, and we don't get billed for any grid draw as long as we produce more than we use over the course of each billing period. When we produce more we get a bill credit that carries over from month-to-month. I'm curious to see what production looks like on cloudy/rainy/indirect sun conditions. A friend showed me his (old, much smaller) array producing something like 1 kW on a dark, overcast day. Something I liked with the panels I'm getting is "improved low light performance" and a guarantee of no more than 10% performance degradation over the 30Y life of the panels.

Based on estimated production we will be generating bill credits from March through October, which we'd then use up from November through February. So aside from the $4/mo "customer charge" our electric bill will go away. Over 30 years the net savings, less the initial investment, would be something like $50k.

FWIW the pre-tax credit price of our array is going to be like $26k. If they were including a battery the cost would have gone up to about $45k. I just can't justify that. :eek:
Q: How large is your array in KW for $26K?
I paid right around $4.16-4.22/watt for my two setups in 2023 (home and rental). That was excessive when a good deal would ahve been more like sub $3/watt but it was necessary because there was a hard deadline in CA to qualify for NEM2.0 (retail pmt for excess power) and this was an installer that could get the paperwork done in time.
$27K for 6.4KW (16 panels) = pitched roof
$30K for 7.2KW (18 panels) = flat roof

As far as summer/winter generation difference (both arrays point straight south):
- Production on the 7.2KW array is about 1.2-1.38MWh during the summer months and 500-640MWh during the winters here in SF. These panels have no shading b/c they are higher up
- Production on the 6.4KW array is about 1-1.17MWh in the summer and 400-500MWh in the winter.
Therefore, I see about 50% net production in the winter vs summer.

---
Now that you have (or will soon have) solar, you might also want to consider what else you can take advantage of before all the tax credits go away
1) Window efficiency improvements
2) Heatpump water heater
3) Heatpump HVAC

Electricity wise, the single best thing I did with my home was swap from a gas to heatpump water heater. In addition to getting all sorts of tax credits and rebates from the utility, the heatpump water heater dropped my gas consumption by ~40%/mo (we don't need very much heat in SF). The trickiest part of going with a HPWH was a) the necessity of adding a drain for the condensation and b) the necessity of adding 220V power to feed the heatpump. I've read now that there are 120V HPWHs on the market now so that would be even easier. To get the most efficiency out of my unit, I also added a mixing valve after the HPWH so I just heat the water in-tank to 150F and then mix it with cold water (mechanical valve) to a more usable 130F. HPWH draws 400W when running (80KWH/mo for 3ppl).

My next car is very likely to be an EV, if not a PHEV.
-g
 
As for solar, no net-metering in my area, so there is no financial incentive to install despite my house orientation being optimal--south facing 42'x14' garage roof with no obstructed view of the sky.
If you have no net-metering, your incentive for a solar+battery setup will be your cost per KWH. California approved something like 6 price hikes in 2024 alone for PG&E so I'm now paying >60c per KWH from 4PM-9PM. The utilities are truly scumbags here in CA. I think my breakeven will be in <5 years, and it definitely shortened because of all the rate hikes.
 

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