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Vitalius

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  1. Vitalius
    Disclaimers: I'm still learning. I can be wrong. This is not financial or legal advice, just me explaining what I've learned thus far. YMMV, but I'm not responsible for anything this knowledge is used for.
    All numbers are arbitrary, but somewhat realistic examples.
    It's confusing. I know. Tis life. I tried my best to explain it accurately. Concise is not something I do unless forced.
    So I've been learning stock trading basics for a while (terms, patterns, concepts, etc.), and I've been practicing along the way. Unfortunately, my program that I use resets sometimes (randomly) so I can't keep a running total of money lost/earned in this practice. Here is a picture of the program:

    Currently, I've lost 17% of my (paper, fake, monopoly) money, but this is a long play and I expected something different to happen (the huge dip in the DJIA was unexpected and threw me off). I should start making money Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of next week on this setup.
    To kind of help you read the above image, the top left is my totals. They give you $200,000 of paper money to invest, but $100,000 is for one type of trading and the other $100,000 is for the other type of trading. So it's more like I have $100,000 since I only trade with one half of it. Net Liq & Day Trades is what I use, and I don't "do" Day Trading. Right now anyway.
    I'm keeping an eye on Abbott and Tesla for reasons. I didn't straight up buy stock in either company. I purchased a Put for Abbott and a Call for Tesla. This means I make money if Tesla goes up and if Abbott goes down.
    Unfortunately, the opposite happened, so I lost like 30%, but it's reversing now.
    The bottom row of charts is the Weekly charts for Abbott, Tesla, & the Dow Jones Industrial Average (average of the an entire market's performance, not THE market, but A market). The top row is the daily chart for those things.
    But yeah. Still learning.
    I was really bummed out that the program reset on me. I had doubled my money on a stock going up $1 by selling Puts (literally, I had $100,000 worth of Puts and after I sold them, I had $200,000+). It was very lucky that the stock moved so strongly, but I knew it would go up.
    Options are Calls & Puts (There may be more, but I've only learned about these). The easiest analogy I've found to understand them is thus:
    Calls are Coupons on a stock price. i.e. If I buy a call for TSLA (Tesla) at $250, I have a coupon giving me the right to buy TSLA's stock at $250, no matter what the price currently is.
    Puts are Price Guarantees on a stock price. i.e. If I buy a put for TSLA at $250, I have a price guarantee that I can sell TSLA's stock at $250, no matter what the price currently is.

    So Calls are for buying stock, and Puts are for selling stock. If you are wondering how they make money doing that, if I buy a Call for TSLA at $250, but their current Stock Price is $255.50, I will pay $5.50 per Call. Then I will pay $250 per share of stock. So they still get the full price, at the time I purchased the Call, of the stock.
    However, Calls & Puts can expire. Just like normal Coupons and Price Guarantees. If I buy either of them, but I never buy or sell the stock, I lost money, but not a lot of money (what is $5.50?) That's one way the companies themselves make money on Options.
    What a Call & Put give you is time. If you think a stock is going up, you can buy a Call (Coupon) to buy that stock at, say $250, but then wait until it hits $300 to buy it at $250. So you know for a fact you are going to profit. Or you can let the Call expire because the stock dropped to $200 and you were wrong about it going up. So buying it at $250 would be stupid as it's currently $200.
    Options are just that. Options. They buy you time to think about whether you want to buy/sell the stock or not.
    Just for reference, here is how you make money buying & selling options (Calls & Puts):
    Buy Calls = You make money if the stock goes up - Because you have a coupon that says you can buy the stock at $250, if the stock goes to $300, you buy it cheaper than it currently is, then sell it for a profit.
    Buy Puts = You make money if the stock goes down - Because you have a price guarantee that says you can sell the stock at $250, if the stock goes to $200, you can sell it for more than it currently is.
    Sell Calls = You make money if the stock goes down - I'm still trying to understand why and how this works. It's complicated because you are selling someone else or a company the right to sell stock to you at $250 or wtv.
    Sell Puts = You make money if the stock goes up - I'm still trying to understand why and how this works. It's complicated because you are selling someone else or a company the right to buy stock from you at $250 or wtv.

    What each scenario does is it basically decides how much money you can profit or lose in the trade. i.e. if I sell a Put, my maximum profit is capped at 100% (double my money), but my maximum loss is infinite (I lose all of my money).
    However, the reason you would want to sell a Put is because you sold something. You immediately get paid for it, but the amount is small. And it's very likely you will profit, and very unlikely you will lose all your money.
    These are the things to consider when doing a trade with options:
    Profit potential (i.e. max profit is 100%, infinite, or what-have-you)
    Loss Potential (i.e. 100% AKA infinite, or what-have-you)
    Probability of both of those happening (i.e. odds of profit vs odds of loss)

    Each of those choices above (Buy Calls, Buy Puts, Sell Calls & Sell Puts) have different values for how much you can earn/lose and what the odds of each thing happening are.
    That's generally what I've learned so far. This is just practice mode, I'll give an update when I move to real money mode.
  2. Vitalius
    Huh.
    ​So, I had this disturbing revelation. I wish there were a better way to share it with others, because it's hard to explain how everything connects for me. I guess I'll try and start at the beginning.
    One thing you may or may not know about me is that I don't like this world. Not at all. When I was young, I could see that my dreams could never be real in it. Because of this, I usually went to media like video games and anime because they didn't have the limitations this world does.
    As I've grown up, I've played and watched more and more of these stories. And as I've realized how many of them there are, I became disheartened because I realized I could never experience them all in a normal human lifetime (part of the limitations of the world).
    Well, while I was thinking about my relationship with God and stuff, I realized something. This disheartened feeling was causing an evil reaction in me. I mean, obviously being disheartened to things you love in general is bad, but there's a very special reason this particular reaction to this feeling of mine is evil. And that is because of what it implies. But I'll get to what it implies in a second.
    This feeling is based on the idea that I enjoy a certain something (for me, video games and anime, for others, whatever), and that I will do my best, with my spare time, to experience as much of it as I can with that time. And make more of that time when possible. It actually reminds me of a quote I saw once:
    "Everything changed the day she realized there was just enough time in life for the important things."
    Paraphrased, but close.
    Though that implies the same thing that my reaction (which is to experience as much as I can with what spare time I do have) does, but it helps explain what I'm saying, I think.
    The problem with that quote, and the problem with my reaction to that feeling (and the feeling itself, really) is that it implies I'm going to die.
    I'm effectively resigning myself to death by accepting this feeling and reacting to it in this way. That there will be a point where there is "no more time". Which obviously isn't true.
    And then I thought about how people normally lived their lives. How society views these types of things. And from what I can tell, it's the same thing.
    Everyone is living like they are going to die. Trying to claim whatever "life" they can before they do die. Which leads me to this:
    Matthew 16:24-25
    And that's when I realized I was being sucked into society's view of life. To take what you can before your gone, rather than to prepare for your "real" life.
    And so, personally, I've resolved myself to ask the simple question of "Why?" when I do things from now on. "Because I enjoy it." is not good enough anymore. In fact, I would say I should avoid such things where that is the only reason I do them (i.e. video games and anime for me).
    Because if they are really worth spending time on, I will see them again. I'm sure of it.
  3. Vitalius
    I just felt like listing everything I intend to do at some point both at work and at home so I could have a list. And I figured I would share that list with people because why not?
    I'll probably check them off as I go or something and update when I get a major one done. If I have time, forums threads will accompany them if they are cool and I think people will care.
    Note that what stops me for many of the home ones is money. Also ETC = Estimated Time of Completion, ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival. Note also that all ETA/ETC's are assuming I don't join the Air Force. If I do, then those will obviously change a lot. Some things probably won't even happen. We'll see (If I become a drone pilot, which is totally a thing, I can still live in Texas and have tons of free time, it just all depends on the job).
    Home projects (ordered by which will get done first, most likely):
    Start making PCB jewelry and such out of my heaps of circuit/motherboards to sell on itzy and other websites. (ETA: 5/16/2014; ETC: Eventually)
    This will feed the others and is relatively easy to start and spreads over a long period of time, so it's first.
    Finish setting up my FreeNAS server with my plugins and such. (ETC: 5/17/2014)
    This still hasn't been done because I've been busy. It honestly ties with #1, but I'd prefer to complete or at least start #1 first. Thus the order. All I need to do is install the OS and get the plugins to work. I've got to find a stable version though and that's proving difficult.
    Route Ethernet through the walls in my home. (ETC: 6/21-31/2014)
    Approximate cost $200 or so in total, I intend to have a patch panel with Cat 6A because future proofing and me having a FreeNAS server for backups and such means I need no bottlenecks. It will also add value to my house, I'm sure.
    Finish or fix all the renovations going on in my home. (ETC: 5/11/2015)
    This is something that my step-dad was doing. However, he stopped when my mom died (they were doing it together). Since then, little has been done and most of it is unfinished. I have most of the materials. I just need to have time to do it. This sort of ties with #5, but this doesn't require much monetary input, so this is more likely to happen sooner.
    Set up Solar Panels on my roof. (ETA/C: Eventually)
    This has some issues as I have trees EVERYWHERE where I live, so I'm either going to have to trim some, or find a different way or place to mount them, approximate costs are $16,000 but I expect to get some grants and stuff for it too from my local and state government as well as my electricity company. I'm seriously considering an unorthodox and strange looking setup, but at the same time, I don't want to do that. My house would look dumb, and future buyers might not be interested in something like that. Although I do entirely intend to bring my solar panels and thermostat with me if I do move.

    Work projects (I'm not doing ETA/ETC or descriptions for these because it's work):
    Finish re-arranging a file server to where all the drives are formatted to allow usage of their total storage capacity, since they are formatted in MBR and not GPT.
    Finish setting up Roaming Profiles within our Domain.
    Finish setting up our Ubuntu server to host services like Cacti, Nagios, our internal messaging server-client program, and the like.
    Upgrade file server in #1 to server grade hardware (it's consumer stuff aside from the HDD's currently).
    Clean our phone closet and arrange all wires neatly (this will take FOREVER).

    ​My Gaming PC specific Projects:
    Buy a Logitech G502 (ETA: 7/11/2014
    I love this mouse so much. :D The only negatives for me is the lack of a pinky rest and the blue light (only option), but I use that to maneuver my mouse anyway and it kind of goes with white/black anyway respectively. I may sell my current mouse to make up the difference to get this one anyway. I also decided some time ago that my next/final mouse would be a Logitech one after I watched a video of one of their engineers explaining the intricacies of Mice designing.
    Buy a new keyboard (after completing the review/in depth look at my current one) (ETA: 9/11/2014)
    I'm not sure what I'm going with after this. I only know it will be black or brown switches, full keyboard layout and will have macros. We'll see. I'll update this as I decide.
    Purchase another reference 290X or sell my current one and get a 295X2 if possible. (ETA: 11/11/2014)
    Preparing for 4K, and future watercooling.
    Watercool all the things (ETA: When finances allow)
    This one is going to take a while. I know what parts I want, how they are going to be set up, and everything, but hey, it's costly to water cool.

    And that's just counting those 3 categories. I have many more. This is why I'm so busy. :( So many things going on at once *sigh*.
  4. Vitalius
    Hi guys.
    Well, life is changing (kinda). I have multiple job opportunities to strive for before me. Here they are:


    On my LinkedIn page (which my current employer requires we all have for business relations reasons), another IT firm/thing has sent me a message about being interested in hiring me. While this sounds cool, I've never heard of them. They are a little over an hour away, and I know nothing about any of that (their location, the people there, etc.)
    However, they have it on their webpage and in this message that they believe people should love where they work. That's right up my alley because that's how my current employer is and it's a generally good thing (obviously).
    It's 20 minutes from a relative I could stay with, and odds are, I would be paid a bit more. It's just a matter of "It's new and I have to start over being social." basically, but I get that's just part of a new job and I should get used to it. So yeah. That's one option. My ultimate problem in life is that I'm complacent. If I could just stay doing what I'm doing all my life, I'm fine with that, even with my pay. I'd live in my vehicle and sell my house if I could do so with a server and computer/connection to the internet and the basic amenities (i.e. RV) if I could. But tis life.

    The next option I have is to work at my step-dad's employer. They. Sound. Awesome. He actively gets bonuses (for being a good employee of course) frequently, stocks, and all sorts of bonus "reward" things. Though I'm not sure if that's just because they like him and he's good at what he does, but from what I've heard from him, that's kind of how it is for everyone at his workplace.
    I'd probably have to move because it's as far or further than the prior job and I wouldn't be working in the same place he does, so I can't ride with him there. I've heard the pay is good as well.
    The only problem is, again the "I have to be social" thing, and that I know little of what I would actually be doing. They have an IT position open (according to him), but ... that is very vague. I guess I'll just have to explore this one more. The problem with the above two things is that they are just work experience. I'd really like to go back to college at some point. Anything that helps me do that is a major plus. Which brings me to the next one:

    The Air Force (or other military branch). The Air Force specifically has their own college which is acredited and accepted by the southern colleges (some board thing where they all accept each other's credits and stuff).
    A negative is the training because it will be hard, but I am sure I can handle it, but it's a positive because I would learn a lot of useful life skills as well.
    A negative is I would be away from my family, but to me, that's also a positive. I think they are a bit too dependent on me to be honest. They need to sort their things out and I am not the type of person to turn down helping someone unless I have to. This would make it a "have to".
    A negative is that I might get paid better elsewhere, but I have 2 years of college (67 hours of credit) already and that guarantees me a promotion and pay raise when I leave basic, so it's not that big of a negative. Plus I get college credit for basic, so not much of a negative at all.
    Then there's the benefits of the military (insurance, pensions, that stuff).
    However, there is the huge negative to this that it's entirely possible that World War III will start soon. The world is just like it was before WW I & II. The US is in an isolationist mind set just like it was after the Spanish-American War. Russia is pulling some Nazi stuff with Crimea and the Ukraine.
    I mean really. It's not that out there that I might be deployed to a battle zone. Which, I'd accept if I were in the military, but it's something to consider.
    Overall, this is probably the best choice in terms of overall package. However, I may or may not be disqualified due to varying reasons. We will see.
    And yeah. Those are my 3 options currently. A 4th would be to stay where I am, but .... eh. That would kind of rock and suck at the same time. I love it here, but .. the pay and the career ladder aren't there. Sometimes that's worth it, but only if you are older and have the capital to take a hit in your potential pay. I'm not, and don't.
    What do you guys think? Any advice and/or knowledge to give?
    Thanks,
    Vitalius.
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