Ask HN: Is investing in non-tech stocks sensible at this point? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Is investing in non-tech stocks sensible at this point?

1 pointgrunder_advice3 comments

I was talking to a friend about investing and he was adamant that it only makes sense to invest in tech stocks at this point. I kept saying that this was only because tech was having a bull market for quite some time, but I was getting less reassured myself...

According to him the 7% to 10% that you get from investing in the whole market is too conservative and you would get 15%+ conservatively if you invest in a tech index or fund. And if you invest long term the risk difference is minimal.

I then tried to come up with scenarios in which tech would implode, but I honestly don't find those plausible. The US gov would certainly step way before that point, as a last measure of resort.

I'd be interested in hearing your opinions.

"Sensible" is an odd word when it comes to investing. What is sensible for one person would be reckless for another, and overly cautious for a third. People have different comfort levels with risk, different timelines when they might want to use their money, and different goals for their lives.

If you might want to retire soon and start spending your money to support yourself, then "investing for the long term" is not sensible. You need stability, not an extra 5% that comes with a risk of a bubble popping. On the other hand, if you have enough money to live on outside of these investments, and are just trying to make higher numbers appear on statements but it would not harm you in the slightest if those numbers crash for 5 or even 10 years... then sure, it probably is sensible.

Most people fall somewhere in the middle, and want diversified investments so that if one piece crashes, the others hold up, and you get a return that is in the middle, with a risk level in the middle.

"The US Govt would step in" ... and do what?

Coming up on 3 decades of the stock market being utterly irrational about Tech" doesn't mean the world is just this way now. It means the reality is going to hurt when it hits.

Certain large tech companies may find themselves less profitable should antitrust bite them.

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