Retire By Investing

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.comWe have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is above all moving averages but forming a lower high — a downward trending line is developing. Market is flat with no clear direction. Range-bound conditions favor pullback buyers only. Breakout strategies will get chopped up here. Cash is a valid position until direction becomes clear.RSP being held up by biotech and banking. XBI is extended and the risk-reward on new entries is poor. Banking stocks in the mix but they move around 2% daily — not enough to move the needle meaningfully.QQQ/QQQEQQQ trending line is not ideal. Positioning aggressively here risks getting caught in a sharp gap down. No action until price breaks above the recent high. Still a bull market — just not the right environment to be pressing.QQQE above moving averages with the 50 SMA curling up. Bull market structure intact. A pullback to the 50 SMA would be healthy and reset the chart for better momentum going forward.MDY/IWMMDY near all-time highs but hitting resistance. Two weeks of sideways action. No clear break yet — nothing to do until resistance gives way.IWM same picture. Resistance overhead. A break above opens the door for small caps to run. Watching and waiting.VIXAt the 16 level bouncing off support. Low volatility but the market chop makes it a difficult environment regardless. VIX staying low is good for those playing biotech strength but the broader market needs direction first. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is below the 50 SMA and below key moving averages — freefall territory if selling continues. Next levels to watch are 712 and then 700, which would be a full retest of the original breakout zone. Not the time to be a hero. Wait for the 21 SMA to catch up and price to base sideways before considering re-entry. Majority of positions moved to cash.RSP is the outlier — still above all moving averages. Rotation into defensive and non-tech sectors like biotech is holding it up. XBI is one area with relative strength but biotech is volatile and not for everyone. Saving mental capital and staying on the sidelines is equally valid here.QQQ/QQQEQQQ rejected the 21 SMA four times — that’s a significant signal. Freefall possible from here. Stuck between the 21 and 50 SMA — no man’s land. Getting back above the 122 area would be constructive but until then no decision is the right decision. Still a bull market overall — this is an intermediate pullback, not a trend change.MDY/IWMMDY grinding near all-time highs — impressive relative strength. But when the broader market is weak even strong ETFs can get pulled down. Better suited for day trades and quick scalps in this environment rather than swing holds.IWM looks explosive from a setup perspective. Small caps could rip hard when they go. Watching closely but not participating in swings just yet given the overall market backdrop.VIXRanging on smaller timeframes but getting above the majority of MAs — that’s the cautionary signal. If the VIX range breaks to the upside volatility spikes and markets likely push lower. Still an intermediate pullback in a bull market but worth monitoring closely. Not aggressively bearish — just cautious.Bottom LineCash is a position. SPY below the 50 SMA with QQQ rejecting the 21 SMA four times is not the environment to force trades. Wait for basing action and the 21 SMA to catch up before re-engaging. Small caps and MDY showing strength but day trade only in this environment — not swing material yet. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.comWe have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY candles are contracting — big volatile swings giving way to smaller inside days. That’s a sign the shakeout is running its course. Range-bound right now but the direction of the eventual break matters. Structure is still intact above all key moving averages.RSP same picture. Big candles followed by a small inside day — contraction happening in real time. Still above 205 and above all key moving averages. Structure is not broken. Stay invested no matter how uncomfortable it feels right now. Fear and FOMO are the enemy here.QQQ/QQQEQQQ back above all key moving averages including the 21 SMA and nearly at all-time highs. Semis are carrying the market and that’s a bullish signal. Two months of sideways action after a straight-up move is normal and healthy — it’s setting up the next leg into year end.QQQE getting rejected near prior all-time highs with volume contracting on the last candle. Everything tightening into one area. When volume contracts and price consolidates like this a bigger move is coming — direction will be the key tell.MDY/IWMMDY inside day with price clustered tightly in one area. Looks like a retest — watching how Monday opens to confirm direction. Expecting upside.IWM knocking on all-time highs. This is the setup to watch. Small caps breaking out from here means individual stocks in this space start making serious moves. This is where the real money gets made when it goes.VIXBelow all key moving averages and down trending. Inside day means it could go either way short term but the big shakeout appears to be behind us. Volatility is compressing — that’s the green light to start being selective and getting back into the market. Stock picker’s environment right now.Bottom LineContraction across the board. Structure intact. Semis leading. IWM knocking on all-time highs. The setup for a significant year-end move is building. Stay invested and be ready. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is basing just under the 21 SMA and still above the 50 — that’s a healthy intermediate to long-term signal. Sideways action here is constructive. The key weekly level to hold was 731 and although there was a wick down it held above that zone. More sideways action before a breakout is the most likely path — and that’s fine.RSP at all-time highs with volatile candles. A bit more sideways consolidation to build out the base would be ideal before the next push. Structure is intact.QQQ/QQQEQQQ forming what looks like an inverse head and shoulders on the 30-minute — a bullish setup if it plays out. Already breaking above the neckline area which is encouraging. Want to see follow through and a push back toward all-time highs. Getting traction has been difficult during this pullback but momentum is shifting. All-time highs followed by a sideways build and another breakout is the ideal scenario.MDY/IWMBoth at all-time highs. Nothing structurally broken. This is exactly where you want to see mid and small caps — confirming broad market strength. Stay invested.VIXDown trending and sitting at 17. Volatility is fading which is a good sign for the overall environment. Still at a support level for VIX so watch for a potential bounce but the trend is moving in the right direction. Conditions are improving for swing setups.Bottom LineProbabilities are shifting back to the bull side. Structure is intact across all indexes. If you held positions from April — that patience is paying off. Those entries are very hard to replicate now. Stay invested and let the market do its work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.comWe have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY broke below the 21 SMA — that’s the key line in the sand for now. A bounce from here is possible but breaking back through overhead resistance is uncertain. Healthcare showing relative strength inside the market. If you’ve held positions from April stay invested and trail stops. Investors can use the 200 SMA as their guide.RSP structure isn’t broken yet. A pullback to the 21 SMA is normal and healthy. The level to watch on a continued pullback is 205–206 — if it can build out from there the structure stays intact. Closing back into the prior range would be more concerning.QQQ/QQQEQQQ took a heavy hit with significant volume behind the move — oversold conditions in the short term could produce a bounce. But QQQ was extended coming in so don’t read too much into a bounce just yet. Want to see basing action before re-engaging. If price flushes to the 50 SMA that becomes a real shopping opportunity. The 50 SMA catching up is the most important thing for the rally to resume.QQQE sitting at the 21 SMA. Same playbook — need to see basing action here before knowing if it goes lower or sets up the next leg higher. Patience is the move.MDY/IWMMDY retesting after all-time highs. Line in the sand is 650–651. Want to see how it reacts at the 50 SMA around 660 first. Best case — bases sideways, builds to the right, then pushes back up. Breaking below 650 and back into prior structure would be a bad sign for mid caps broadly.IWM 270 is the key level. Don’t want to see a return into the prior range below that. Ideal scenario is a sideways base building out toward 286 before the next move higher. Closing below the 21 SMA is uncomfortable but not fatal — going meaningfully further is where it gets dicey.VIXVIX moved higher — the pullback last week was sharper than expected. With VIX elevated reduce swing exposure. Gaps become a real risk in this environment. Setups can still be taken but size down and be selective. Wait for VIX to stabilize before getting aggressive again.Bottom LineMarket needs to cool off and base. Positions from April — stay invested and trail. New entries — wait for basing action and structure to stabilize. If QQQ flushes to the 50 SMA that’s the opportunity to go shopping. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY at all-time highs. Extended from the moving averages but all MAs are pointing upward — that’s not a bearish signal, that’s momentum. If setups are working let them run. Only time to get cautious is if the majority of moving averages start flattening out the way they did January through March. Until then don’t overthink it.RSP at fresh all-time highs. Slightly extended but the same logic applies — no resistance above, trend is up, let it continue.QQQ/QQQEBoth extended, particularly in semis. But all-time highs with upward trending MAs is not the time to get bearish. Ignore the doom posting. A sideways consolidation and build here before going higher is the ideal scenario. Rotation is visible under the surface — let it play out.MDY/IWMThis is the most interesting setup right now. Mid and small caps have been consolidating sideways at all-time highs — that’s a coiled spring. Watch 682 on MDY as the trigger level. IWM is in the same position with on-balance volume supporting the move. When these break they tend to run hard and fast. Rotation into mid and small caps looks like the next big theme.VIXStill below all moving averages and trending down. Could pull back into the declining MAs slightly — worth monitoring but not alarming. Low volatility environment remains intact. Whipsaw risk is low. Good conditions for entering setups.Bottom LineAll-time highs across the board with all moving averages pointing up. Relax, stay invested, and keep an eye on MDY and IWM — mid and small caps look primed to be the next leadership group. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.comWe have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY above all moving averages hitting minor resistance — not a concern. Structure is intact, stay invested.RSP is now at all-time highs. Ignore the doom and gloom on social media — no resistance above means the market likely goes higher. Only thing to watch is if price starts trending back toward the 199–200 level. Until that happens there is nothing else to do.QQQ/QQQEQQQE extended and showing some sideways action. Rotation is likely coming. A pullback to the 10 SMA would reset tech and set up the next leg higher. Sideways consolidation works too. As long as the 21 SMA holds and continues rising there is nothing to do but stay invested.QQQ same picture — more concentrated in Mag 7 names. Holding above the rising 21 SMA is the key level. As long as that’s respected keep going.MDY/IWMMDY hitting resistance at a zone that is becoming more significant. Four to six weeks of sideways action here would allow the 50 SMA to catch up and build the momentum needed for a push to all-time highs.IWM same setup. Pulled back during the week, retested, and reclaimed all SMAs — that’s a healthy sign. Sideways to breakout is the expected path. Structure is not broken. Stay above all SMAs and the setup remains intact.VIXStill below the 21 SMA with a downtrending 50 SMA — exactly what you want to see. A minor bounce in volatility would be normal and healthy. If VIX continues lower that just opens the door wider for swing and position trades. Nothing to worry about here.Bottom LineRSP at all-time highs is the headline. Broad market breadth is expanding. Rotation from tech into other sectors is healthy. Stay invested, respect structure, and let the market do its thing. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is at all-time highs and hasn’t even tested the 10 SMA yet. A pullback to the 20 SMA would be healthy and normal. A deeper pull to the 50 SMA — around 700–724 — would simply be a retest of the prior breakout point. Nothing structural has broken. Rest and rotation are needed here and that’s a good thing.RSP failed at all-time highs and broke below the 21 SMA — worth noting but not alarming yet. Best case is a sideways base here before reclaiming and pushing past 205. Watch 207 as the line in the sand — above that, it’s back to risk-on. Until then, hold off on new RSP positions.QQQ/QQQENothing structurally broken. Hasn’t even tested the 10 SMA. Stay invested. A pullback to the 21 SMA around 680–685 would be a healthy reset. Only start getting cautious if price revisits the 630s — that would be a throwback to the prior breakout. Below 640 would be a yellow flag worth paying attention to.MDY/IWMMDY breaking below the 21 SMA. Want to see a sideways base in the 658–664 zone, reclaim, retest all-time highs, and continue. A deeper test of 642 is possible — that’s near the original breakout candle — and would still be workable as long as it holds and builds back up.IWM same story — first close below the 21 SMA. Could easily pop back Monday. Key is that price does not fall back into the prior range. If it does, support flips to resistance and the setup needs to reset entirely. Hold current positions, don’t panic.VIXClosing above the 21 EMA and testing the 100 and 150 SMA. Could push up to test the 50 SMA — that’s fine. Not alarmed unless VIX gets above 19–19.40. Overall market structure hasn’t changed. Leaders need to breathe and this pullback sets up the next round of entries going forward.Bottom LineCracks are showing but nothing is broken. If you’ve been in positions since early April — trail stops, stay invested, do not sell. The market has just begun. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***Magnificent Seven TrackerAnalysis:Several Mag 7 names are breaking out or flagging at all-time highs. AAPL, AMZN, GOOG, and MSFT are the leaders. NVDA is testing all-time highs with earnings approaching. META is the lone laggard. The theme this week — buy dips to the 10 and 21 SMA, not extensions.LeadersAAPL, AMZN, GOOG — All at or near all-time highs with clean structure. Dips to the 10 or 21 SMA are the entries to watch. MSFT showing a higher low and flagging above key levels post-earnings.LaggardsMETA — Still weak. No clear setup unless you’re willing to take a speculative stab with tight risk.NVDA Testing all-time highs. Earnings in ~10 days — adds risk to any position. If near the 21 SMA, a small position is reasonable. A flag and breakout post-earnings could trigger a significant run. Be cautious sizing up into the event.MSFT Higher low formed. Flagging on the 21 SMA. Above 415 with a hold is the entry trigger. Stop goes to the low of the day or prior day’s low. Earnings are done — setup is getting primed for a move higher.TSLA Above all SMAs. Expecting a flag and base in the current range before the next leg. A confirmed flag setup is the entry. High conviction hold candidate through year end.META Still weak. If taking a speculative trade, entry at 619 with a stop at 598 — roughly 2% risk. Manage size accordingly. No clean breakout setup yet.AMZN At all-time highs with a mini flag forming. Extended from the 50 SMA but the long base gives it room to run. Any pullback to the 21 SMA or broad market red day is an opportunity to get involved.GOOG Clear leader. Extended short term but going higher. Dips to the 10 or 21 SMA are the buy zones. Set stops and ride it.AAPL Breaking all-time highs. Not as extended as it looks. Any dip to the 10 or 20 SMA is an add opportunity. Already in from lower — sit tight and let it run.What’s Actionable For You:META — Speculative only. Entry 619, stop 598, small size. Skip if you want cleaner setups.MSFT — Active setup. Break and hold above 415, stop at prior day low. Earnings done — higher low in place.NVDA — Small position near the 21 SMA is reasonable. Avoid adding into earnings. Flag and breakout post-earnings is the bigger trade.AAPL — Already in from lower? Hold and add on dips to the 10-20 SMA. New entry — wait for a pullback.GOOG — Buy dips to the 10 or 21 SMA. Leader of the group. Set stops and hold.AMZN — Flag forming at all-time highs. Get involved on any 21 SMA pullback or broad market dip.TSLA — Watch for a flag to develop in the current range. Confirmation of the flag is the entry. Year-end hold candidate.Charts Of Buyable Stocks:AMZN Not as strong of a chart, but the odds are there. Would like this to pullback more, but we’ll see what happens. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is at all-time highs driven largely by the NASDAQ. Both QQQ and QQQE are extended. New positions started here carry higher risk of going underwater on any pullback — waiting for a pullback to the SMA improves the probability significantly.RSP has a lot of rotation building underneath. If tech slows, RSP catches up and the broader market picks up the baton. A breakout in RSP to all-time highs would signal a very strong rally ahead. If it goes sideways through June or July, that just sets up an even bigger move. Structure is intact — nothing to do but watch.QQQ/QQQEBoth extended at all-time highs. No new positions needed here. If already in — ride the wave and let the portfolio sit. For anyone looking to start fresh, wait for a pullback to the 10 or 20 SMA for a much better entry and risk profile.MDY/IWMMDY at all-time highs with a bearish engulfing inside day — some rotation possible. Key level to watch is $677. A break above triggers a retest of recent highs. A break below the candle low signals more downside. Until price breaks the 20 SMA there is nothing else to do.VIXBelow the 10 SMA and below the majority of moving averages. Swing environment remains intact. Safe to hold positions without major whipsaw risk for now.Bottom LineBull market. All-time highs. Do not get bearish until structure breaks. Relax, stay invested, and let rotation do its work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is at all-time highs and above all moving averages. To turn bearish, price would need to break back below 700 and begin making lower highs and lower lows — that hasn’t happened. Don’t overthink it. At all-time highs, markets tend to go higher. People who wait for the pullback that never comes get left behind.RSP hasn’t even reached the upper resistance at 205 yet. Consolidating above the 5 and 10 SMA with rotation happening underneath. Still above moving averages — no reason to be cautious.QQQ/QQQEQQQ is at all-time highs. A sideways consolidation from here is healthy and expected given how extended it is. Unless structure breaks, there is nothing else to do but stay involved.QQQE momentum is shifting. After nearly six months of chop, breaking out of this range sets up a move higher for the rest of the year. A retest is possible but the bias is up.MDY/IWMMDY breaking out of its range. Above 668 the path higher opens up. Still basing but trending in the right direction.IWM knocking on the door of all-time highs — within cents of 279.81. Could pull back slightly, flag, and set up the next move. As long as structure holds, stay invested.VIXBelow the majority of moving averages and continuing to trend lower. Crash talk is noise — the data does not support it. Low and falling volatility means the swing environment remains favorable and long-term positions are not at risk of being whipsawed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***Magnificent Seven TrackerAnalysis:Earnings week dominates the conversation. GOOG, META, AMZN, AAPL, and MSFT all have earnings on or around 4/29–4/30. The play is simple — let earnings resolve direction, then get involved. GOOG, AMZN, and AAPL are the strongest setups heading in. MSFT and META need to prove themselves above the 200 SMA first. TSLA earnings are done — a setup is forming. NVDA is testing resistance with a tradeable entry if it holds.LeadersGOOG, AMZN, AAPL — All near all-time highs with strong bases. These are the three top contenders for portfolio building going forward. Earnings will confirm direction.LaggardsMSFT — Still below the 200 SMA with no clear catalyst yet. Wait for earnings to resolve before considering any involvement.NVDA Resistance hit as expected. If it breaks through, entry around 211 with the full bar candle as your stop is the trade. Would prefer to see tighter price action first, but the trade is there if it holds.MSFT Below the 200 SMA. Nothing to do. Earnings will determine if there’s a direction worth following. Wait for confirmation above the 200 SMA before any involvement.TSLA Earnings done. Two-day base forming. Use the 368 candle as your low. A break above 379 is the entry trigger — open above that level with a 2% stop. Longer term picture remains intact with potential for an explosive 2027.META Basing at the 200 SMA after a six-month base. Key level is 682. A break above that post-earnings would be the signal to get involved. Nothing to do until then.AMZN At all-time highs off a 1.2-year base. Extended from the SMAs but the base is strong. One of the top two stocks going forward alongside GOOG. Wait for earnings to resolve before entering.GOOG Nearly at all-time highs. One of the strongest setups in the Mag 7. Earnings on 4/29 will determine direction. Best case — earnings resolve bullish and the stock breaks to new highs. Top pick going forward.AAPL Explosive move near all-time highs. Held above the 200 SMA through the entire bear market. MAs are well-based. Earnings on 4/30. One of the three top leaders heading into the second half of the year.What’s Actionable For You:META — No action. Watch 682 post-earnings for a breakout entry above the 200 SMA.MSFT — No action. Below the 200 SMA. Let earnings show the direction first.NVDA — Entry at 211 if it breaks resistance. Use the full bar candle as your stop. Prefer tighter action but the trade is valid.AAPL — No action before earnings (4/30). Top leader to watch for a post-earnings entry. Strong structure heading in.GOOG — No action before earnings (4/29). Top pick. A bullish earnings reaction sets up a clean breakout entry.AMZN — No action before earnings. Strong 1.2-year base. Post-earnings breakout is the entry to watch.TSLA — Setup active. Break above 379 is the trigger. Use 368 as your low and a 2% stop on entry.Charts Of Buyable Stocks: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is at all-time highs, led by semiconductors. Above all moving averages — being long is the play. Price is the only argument that matters here, and price is going up.RSP basing at the 10 SMA after hitting resistance as expected. A two-day base formed and broke above. The bull case: reclaim 203, push to 205, then break out. As long as RSP holds above its moving averages, the market remains risk-on.QQQ/QQQEQQQ broke to all-time highs — one of the fastest recoveries ever seen. No reason to be on the sidelines. A flag and consolidation here before the next leg would be ideal. If setups are working, play them.QQQE also broke all-time highs and retested. Now sitting at a decision point. A break above 107.50 likely leads higher. Rotation is happening in tech broadly — semiconductors are leading the charge.MDY/IWMMDY broke all-time highs and is retesting. A break above 668 opens the door to more upside. Healthy base forming right at the highs.IWM building a six-bar base — small caps are digesting. A break above 278 would be significant and could trigger an explosive move. Small caps (300M–2B market cap) can see 50–60% moves when they get going. Risk management is critical if playing individual names in this space.VIXSitting at the 200 SMA support zone, rejected prior resistance near the 20 SMA. Volatility looks likely to continue lower from here. Favorable for swing traders. Stay aware — anything can change — but current conditions support staying long and active in setups. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is at all-time highs. No resistance above — that’s the key takeaway. All-time highs go higher. If a pullback comes, 697 is the level to watch — hold or reclaim that and the path higher stays intact.RSP is approaching resistance at 205. Could base sideways, retest lower, or push through. This area has been tested twice before with a two-day break and follow-through. Still in play, but be aware resistance is close.Long term view is that this will go higher.QQQ/QQQEQQQ is at all-time highs after a six-month consolidation. That kind of base resolving to the upside typically leads to a stronger, sustained move higher. Retest of 638 is possible — hold that and the setup remains bullish.QQQE met resistance. A consolidation day with MAs catching up before a breakout is the ideal scenario. If it pulls back, watch 105.54 as support. A deeper pullback into 103–104 is also possible before another run at all-time highs.Long term view is that this will go higher.MDY/IWMMDY at all-time highs. Same playbook — retest 657, hold, then break out.IWM same structure. Watch the 270 area on any retest. A pause here is healthy and expected. Nothing broken.Long term view is that this will go higher.VIXBelow all moving averages and trending down — favorable conditions for swing trades. Watch the 22 level. A move above 22 would signal caution, as it opens the door to overnight gap risk in either direction. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***Magnificent Seven TrackerAnalysis:Most of the Mag 7 remains in wait-and-see territory. Several names are above key moving averages but facing significant resistance. No clear breakouts yet — patience is the play.LeadersNVDA, AMZN — Above all moving averages, showing early bullish structure. NVDA has held 164 as a base; AMZN broke out of a solid base. Both face overhead resistance before confirming a move higher.LaggardsMSFT, META — Both remain in downtrends with bearish moving averages. MSFT continues to make lower lows. META found support at 521 but has not reclaimed range.NVDA Above all moving averages. Strong resistance at the 193–194 zone that has held for months. A consolidation and breakout above 210 would signal a real move. Base low at 164.MSFT Trending lower with all moving averages turned bearish. Support zone at 340–350. Would need to build a higher low around 411 before becoming interesting again.TSLA Gap filled. Tight price action on the hourly suggests a potential short-term bounce toward 376. Structural retest in progress but below moving averages. Not a long-term hold.META Still in a downtrend. Found support at 521. Has not broken back into range or shown a reversal. Needs all-time high breakout to become actionable.AMZN Good base breakout. Above all moving averages. Resistance overhead will likely attract profit takers. Moving averages need to catch up before a sustained move higher.GOOG Facing resistance at the 319–320 zone. A clean break and hold above that level would be the bull case. Sitting on the sidelines until it proves itself.AAPL Sideways and tightening in a retest. A break above 262 could offer a short-term trade toward 274. The real level to watch for participation is 276+. Dead money until then.What’s Actionable For You:META — No action. Avoid until it reclaims range and pushes toward all-time highs.MSFT — No action. Pure avoid. Wait for a higher low to form around 411.NVDA — Hold if already in. Watch 193–194 resistance. A breakout and consolidation above 210 opens the door. Base low at 164 for those building a position.AAPL — No action yet. Short-term trade possible on a break above 262 targeting 274. Real entry signal is a break above 276.GOOG — No action. Watch the 319–320 resistance zone for a clean breakout before considering entry.AMZN — No action for new entries. Short-term trade valid if you’re already in the breakout. Wait for moving averages to catch up and a new base to form.TSLA — No action long-term. Short-term bounce toward 376 possible given tight hourly structure. Avoid until above moving averages and trending toward all-time highs.Charts Of Buyable Stocks: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY / RSP The SPY experienced a momentum run above key moving averages, but the current area represents significant resistance that has been tested multiple times. The RSP similarly sits in a stubborn resistance zone, having failed the 50 SMA on multiple occasions. The more important question isn’t where price is right now, but where it stabilizes — a pullback that builds a base before heading higher would be the healthiest outcome for both.QQQ / QQQE The QQQ is above all major moving averages, which is a positive technical development, though the current zone presents heavy resistance that will be difficult to break through cleanly. The QQQE is back above the 21 EMA, which is generally a constructive sign, but it previously broke below both the 50 and 200 SMAs — something worth monitoring as the market attempts to consolidate.MDY / IWM Mid-caps (MDY) are facing resistance around the 648 area, with the 200 SMA near 605 acting as a deeper level to watch if price falls back into its prior range. The IWM is considered the healthiest chart among the indexes reviewed, trading above all major moving averages, with 651 identified as the key level to hold on any pullback before a potential base forms and price attempts to break higher.VIX The VIX has dropped below most of its major moving averages, which is generally a positive sign for the trading environment as it reduces the risk of large overnight moves. However, it remains above the 200 SMA, meaning some volatility could still return. A potential gap fill or mean reversion move higher in the VIX would suggest more choppiness ahead before the market finds a more definitive bottom. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY remains in a downtrend below its declining moving averages, though a loose base has formed over the past two weeks. Price is trading just below the 200-day moving average, with the 50-day SMA descending toward the 673 area. RSP shows a similar but slightly cleaner basing pattern, having reclaimed the 200-day before pulling back. Both indexes are still positioned below their key moving averages.QQQ/QQQEQQQ is forming a short-term base while remaining below its declining moving averages. The pattern has shown little overall change, with price struggling to reclaim important overhead resistance. QQQE mirrors this setup, staying in a weak technical position below its major moving averages.MDY/IWMIWM broke below its 200-day moving average, reclaimed it, and is now forming a modest base with potential to test the 50-day SMA near 257 and a longer-term trendline. MDY displays a cleaner, roughly three-week base, creating a more defined short-term setup compared to the broader market indexes.VIXThe VIX is trading below its 50-day moving average but remains above key longer-term moving averages, keeping volatility elevated. On the weekly chart, it has formed an inside bar, leaving the near-term direction uncertain as it tests the upper end of its recent range. The overall volatility picture has not improved significantly. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***Magnificent Seven TrackerThe Magnificent Seven ETF is in bear market territory and on the verge of a death cross, which is expected to trigger significant cascade selling across the group. This weakness is likely to put heavy downward pressure on the broader SPY and QQQ indexes as well.LaggardsNVIDIA (NVDA), Amazon (AMZN), Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Tesla (TSLA), and Google (GOOG) are showing clear signs of weakness. Most have broken or are breaking key moving averages, forming bear flags or reversal patterns, with several approaching or already in death cross setups. Apple (AAPL) currently appears as one of the stronger names in the group. It has closed below its 200-day moving average but shows relative strength compared to the others, with multiple moving averages clustered together. Positive news around AI and CapEx spending positions it well for potential outperformance if the broader market turns higher.NVDANVIDIA has been rejected at previous highs, bounced off the 200 SMA, failed at the 50 SMA, and is now cascading lower. Potential support levels include the 130s–140s area and a deeper gap fill down to 119.MSFTMicrosoft has broken below its 200-week moving average on the weekly chart — a rare event not seen since the dot-com era or the Global Financial Crisis. This breakdown raises questions about how far the decline could extend if support fails, though the long-term investment thesis around AI infrastructure remains intact.TSLATesla is approaching a bear trend on the daily chart and is nearing its prior breakout level, which could act as near-term support. If it holds and rebounds, it would be a positive sign. A breakdown below that level could lead to a larger move on the monthly chart, though it might still form a higher low in the longer term.METAMeta has reversed sharply. Potential downside targets include the 480s, 440s, and a full gap fill down to the 407s, where prior breakout and retest levels could provide support. The current trend is not favorable for new buying.AMZNAmazon is in a clear bear flag pattern and has formed a death cross. Potential support lies in the 160s–170s area. The stock is expected to see rallies into declining moving averages before potentially continuing lower until a higher low is established.GOOGGoogle (Alphabet) was previously one of the strongest Magnificent Seven stocks but now needs consolidation. Likely support levels are in the 250s, with further downside possible to the 210s or even 186 if that level fails.AAPLApple remains relatively resilient despite closing below the 200 SMA. It has the potential to break out to the upside if the market recovers, aided by its positioning in AI and recent CapEx developments.What’s Actionable For YouCurrently, there is very little actionable setup across META, MSFT, NVDA, AAPL, GOOG, AMZN, or TSLA. The group is in a broad selling phase, and most names are best observed from the sidelines until clear higher lows form and broader market indexes show sustained strength. Potential support zones exist for each stock, but confirmation of stabilization is required before any meaningful re-entry. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPThe market is in a downtrend and technically in a bear market, marked by a triple top, lower highs, breakdown below key levels, and declining moving averages with repeated retests. Price action is extended, raising the possibility of one more flush lower before any recovery. A bear market rally is expected due to heavy selling, but rallies in bear markets differ from bull market pullbacks. For SPY, potential support levels include the 590s area (based on prior monthly candle congestion turning into support) and the 615-620 zone on the weekly chart. RSP has entered a clear bear market and is aligned with SPY weakness, with most sectors seeing broad selling pressure.QQQ/QQQEQQQ has broken below its 200-day moving average, with a death cross becoming imminent. The structure currently resembles a short-term bear move within what was previously a bull market. Potential downside targets on the monthly chart include the 520s, 540-530 zone, 507-520 area, and a deeper gap-fill scenario down to the 480-490 region. Not all gaps fill, but these levels represent possible areas of interest if selling continues. Overall, the near-term picture remains cautious with limited actionable setups.MDY/IWMMDY has moved below its 200-day moving average and is in a retest phase. This setup could support a bear market rally if a flush lower occurs first, followed by a retest of the 200 SMA. IWM is still holding above its 200-day moving average for now, which is a relative positive, though it may retest the 10, 21, or 50-day moving averages before any further downside. Both mid-cap and small-cap indexes reflect the broader market’s cautious tone.VIXThe weekly VIX chart shows a concerning pattern: an open above a significant range, closing higher, which opens the door for volatility to spike toward 35, 45, 60, or even 80. Multiple moving averages are clumped together and rising, with the 50-day now above the 200-day. Sustained moves above 50 historically lead to large volatility spikes. This setup signals elevated risk across the market. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPThe market is in a correction, with SPY (S&P 500 ETF) and RSP (equal-weight S&P 500 ETF) trading below declining moving averages. Expect rallies back to shorter-term averages (like the 10, 20, or 50), but the 200-day moving average acts as potential support. A rally could occur, but failure to base and break higher (similar to prior patterns) keeps the outlook bearish unless a reversal forms with a failed downside retest and follow-through.QQQ/QQQETech remains in a bear market, with QQQ (Nasdaq-100 ETF) and QQQE (equal-weight Nasdaq-100 ETF) showing declining trends. A potential death cross looms if the 50-day SMA crosses below the 200-day SMA, signaling stronger bearish confirmation and warranting staying out of the market entirely at that point.MDY/IWMMDY (S&P MidCap 400 ETF) and IWM (Russell 2000 ETF) are positioned near or at the 200-day moving average, which should provide support and could lead to a rally next week. This makes it a reasonable area for traders to take some calculated risk (though not for going fully long), as the technical setup suggests possible bounces into declining moving averages.VIXVolatility is rising, with moving averages on the VIX trending upward. The picture is not favorable, and a break above 35 could signal a significant event driving VIX toward 66 or higher. For now, holding cash is prudent while observing how volatility evolves. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***Magnificent Seven TrackerAnalysis:* Leaders* * Laggards* MSFT * Microsoft had relative strength at one point but remains below the 200 SMA and has a lot of work to do.* TSLA * Tesla is breaking below the 200 SMA and will probably bounce into the 21 EMA or 50 EMA next week.* META * Meta is struggling to get above the 670 area and has been below the 200 SMA.* AMZN * Amazon is below the 200 SMA and below key moving averages, rejected at the 50 SMA, and is probably going lower, with a potential bounce due to the overall market setup.* GOOG * Google is the strongest out of the group but is now below the 21 EMA, rejecting off the 50 EMA, and going below the 10 EMA, with a likely flush lower next week.* AAPL * Apple is going into the 200 SMA and is below moving averages. It needs to create a base and may bounce into declining moving averages before potentially falling further.* NVDA* NVIDIA failed on earnings and has made a lower low. It is declining with moving averages, where the 21 EMA is now going below the 50 SMA and potentially heading toward the 200 SMA.What’s Actionable For You:Nothing. Stay safe out there. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is in a downtrend and has not found a bottom. It has been respecting the 21 EMA for the most part and is near the 200 SMA. A rally into declining moving averages is likely. The trend remains in place until a break above the 50 SMA or 21 EMA occurs with follow-through, potentially forming a higher low. The market is in a range with chop. It is heading toward a correction, and a bear market would be confirmed with a significant break below the 200 SMA. RSP has fallen steeply and sharply lower.QQQ/QQQEQQQ is at the 200 SMA, which has acted as support after being tested multiple times. It remains below the 21 EMA and 50 EMA. QQQE is in a bear market, with tech taking a significant hit. Momentum growth names are accelerating to the downside.MDY/IWMMDY has fallen sharply and is currently at the 150 SMA. It is expected to bounce into declining moving averages. Potential support exists at the 200 SMA and a horizontal trend line. IWM follows a similar corrective pattern.VIXThe VIX has the potential to go much higher. After a recent pullback, it found support in the 20-25 area. It is positioned to go sideways and then either break up or down. Factors like dollar strength suggest it is likely to rise further.Overall takeaway from RC: The market is in a correction phase with bearish undertones across most indices/ETFs discussed, no strong buy setups, high caution advised, and capital preservation prioritized over FOMO-driven participation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPThe speaker highlights a bearish shift in SPY, with a close below the key ~675-679 level (previously a line in the sand, alongside ~697) confirming downside momentum. Moving averages are rolling over to the downside, resembling an early breakout in inverse views (like short positions), though not yet a full bear market confirmation. RSP (equal-weight S&P) shows similar weakness, forming what looked like a double top earlier, now trading below the 50-day and 21-day SMAs, signaling caution as downside acceleration could follow. Value stocks (SPYV) had been holding up but are now weakening alongside growth, reinforcing a broad risk-off trend.QQQ/QQQEQQQ is in a clear downtrend, having closed below key levels and showing potential breakout to the downside (with inverse like SQQQ signaling ramps lower if it opens/closes below certain points like ~75-61 equivalents). The speaker notes heavy potential downside ramping from here. QQQE (equal-weight Nasdaq) had been ranging but repeatedly rejected higher levels multiple times (7+ rejections), turning that area into strong resistance, making upside breaks unlikely and supporting the overall bearish Nasdaq/growth outlook.MDY/IWMMid-caps (MDY) and small-caps (IWM) have “fallen off a cliff,” with many stocks dropping below the 50-day SMA, indicating intermediate-term risk-off conditions. Small rallies or green days may occur (similar to up days in bear markets), tempting dip-buying, but the speaker urges caution—true basing requires sustained holding at lows over several days (e.g., multi-day breakouts), not fleeting blips. Without confirmation of stability, these are likely traps in a downtrending environment.VIXThe VIX has been building ominously for 4-5 weeks, with significant tightening followed by a rapid, sustained breakout—resembling pre-crisis patterns (e.g., before the 2025 flash crash) rather than short spikes. It’s already cracked prior highs (~28.99) and sits around ~29.49, with potential targets at 35, 45, 60, or even 65+ in extreme scenarios (though not expecting COVID-like 80s). The speaker views this ramp as a major warning of amplified moves in a volatile bearish setup; high VIX levels could eventually signal buying opportunities for testing risk, but for now, it’s a “scary” picture favoring caution over aggression, as the market sniffs out trouble ahead of news.Overall, the core message is to avoid impulsive dip-buying in this risk-off phase—wait for objective basing and confirmation rather than reacting to temporary green days, as volatility and breakdowns suggest potential for sharper downside. Stay safe and follow your plan. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***This analysis was AI-generated from the video.Magnificent Seven TrackerThe Magnificent Seven stocks are largely in weak or neutral technical positions, with most trading in ranges, below declining or key moving averages, and showing failed retests or breakdowns. The speaker sees little bullish conviction across the group, labeling most as “nothing to do” right now due to broader market backdrop risks (e.g., potential SPY breakdown below 675). NVDA’s post-earnings rejection at resistance sets a cautious tone, while rotation away from growth/tech adds pressure. Overall, the group lacks momentum, with volatility and downside risk elevated—protect positions and avoid new longs without clear breakouts.Analysis:* Leaders* Among the Mag 7, Tesla looks relatively better (stronger basing or less severe weakness), and Google (Alphabet) stands out as the strongest technically—still well above its 200 SMA after a solid bull run from lows, with a retest failure but better positioning than peers. The speaker views Google as the most resilient, suggesting partial sells only if the 200 SMA breaks. Others show more distribution or stagnation, making true leaders scarce in the current environment.* Laggards* MSFT * Microsoft is viewed as dead money—below the 200 SMA with declining averages, vulnerable to further lows in a weak market backdrop. The speaker dismisses dip-buying here, warning that broader breakdowns (e.g., SPY * TSLA * Tesla appears better than most Mag 7 peers but still weak technically—below the 50, 21, 10, and 5 EMAs. Nothing actionable until a clear break above ~490. If it breaks lower (e.g., below 383), exit aggressively. While showing relative strength in context, the speaker avoids it in the current environment.* META * Meta is weak with a clear downtrend line, below all moving averages, and no constructive setup. The speaker sees it staying weak or breaking down further—no positions at all until a break above the downtrend/range. Manage risk tightly if holding.* AMZN * Amazon remains in a long-term range (since April crash, ~9 months of little net progress), with a higher low but nothing compelling. Below the 200 SMA signals “nothing to do,” and significant opportunity cost if held through weakness (e.g., missed gains elsewhere). Bull thesis only above ~250; otherwise, avoid entirely.* GOOG * Google (Alphabet) is the strongest in the group—well above all moving averages (especially the 200 SMA) after a massive bull run (~100%+ from bear lows, solid gains to 200 SMA). Still, caution on retest failure; if it breaks below the 200 SMA, sell partially and hold half at breakeven hoping for recovery. Remains the most favorable but not immune to broader weakness.* AAPL * Apple is showing some constructive elements with a rising 200 SMA, which provides underlying support, but a recent large/red candle undermines the setup and keeps it in a declining trendline/range. The base is unclear, and there’s no clear breakout or momentum yet. The speaker would only consider looking at it seriously if it tightens up, breaks out of the current range, and tests all-time highs around 286. For now, nothing actionable—manage risk tightly if holding (e.g., consider exiting longs around 243 area), and avoid new positions until stronger confirmation emerges amid the broader weak tech/Mag 7 environment.* NVDA* NVIDIA shows strong resistance at current levels post-earnings (despite blowout revenue, market rejects the reaction). It’s in a range, with the 200 SMA as a key line in the sand—if broken lower (with retest/breakdown), downside could accelerate sharply. Bull case requires reclaiming ~190-195 to target 211, but for now, nothing to do aggressively. The speaker advises protecting downside (e.g., sell half on weakness, hold half for potential recovery if bought lower) given extreme volatility and tech sector fragility.What’s Actionable For You:* META* Nothing to do.* MSFT* Nothing to do.* NVDA* Nothing to do.* 200 SMA - 174.96* AAPL * Nothing to do.* 200 SMA - 242.65* GOOG* Nothing to do.* 200 SMA - 250.33* AMZN* Nothing to do.* TSLA* Nothing to do.* 200 SMA - 390.66Charts Of Buyable Stocks:None This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-generated from the video.SPY/RSPThe speaker sees SPY showing signs of weakness after a failed breakout attempt above key levels (around 697), with price gapping down, failing to hold gains, and trading below declining EMAs. This forms a lower high and indicates underlying distribution, with broader market strength fading (e.g., watchlist stocks dropping from 98 to 31). The bullish thesis holds only above 697; below 675 signals bearish conditions. In contrast, RSP (equal-weight S&P) shows breakout potential tied to rotation into value sectors like energy, metals, biotechs, and defensives (evident in SPYV strength vs. SPYG), but caution remains due to possible distribution even near resistance (around 595-598 area). Overall, growth is out of favor, and caution/protection is advised.QQQ/QQQEQQQ (Nasdaq-100) looks weak technically after breaking above a prior base, failing to follow through, and falling back below key levels (around 615), with no sustained upside momentum. Tech appears vulnerable in the current environment. QQQE (equal-weight Nasdaq) paints a somewhat better relative picture, as certain non-mega-cap or selective stocks show strength and are performing well despite broader weakness. The speaker emphasizes that even in a deteriorating market, individual stocks with relative strength can still be playable—but trading remains highly selective, risky, and environment-dependent. Profits should be taken quickly, and positioning must be cautious with limited exposure.MDY/IWMMDY (S&P MidCap) is holding up relatively well after gapping down but failing at resistance, with the key question being whether it breaks down further or stabilizes. IWM (Russell 2000/small caps) is below certain levels but still holding decently for now, though downside risk persists and a breakdown remains possible. Neither shows strong conviction upward, and the speaker leaves their near-term direction uncertain, to be determined by future price action. Small/mid-caps are not highlighted as leading in the current rotation, which favors other sectors instead.VIXThe VIX has been forming higher lows while its moving averages compress tightly—an unusual degree of compression not seen in a while, signaling building potential for a significant volatility expansion. The speaker has been warning about this setup for weeks, comparing it to past explosive moves (e.g., August 2024, April, and even 2020-like events). If volatility breaks out (likely starting Monday per recent news/war developments), it could drive sharp market moves in either direction, but the speaker leans toward caution, expecting potential significant sell-offs if a big spike occurs. People shouldn’t rush to buy dips in such a scenario, as the market may not support it—downside protection is critical. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

RetireByInvesting Trading Journal – Your Personal Edge, 100% Offline, Zero SubscriptionsDownload LINK.RBI Trading Journal Hello Investors and Traders!Imagine having a full-featured trading journal that feels like a $20–50/month SaaS tool… except it’s completely free, lives entirely in your browser, never phones home, and you own your data forever. That’s RetireByInvesting Trading Journal – a single HTML file packed with everything serious discretionary stock traders actually use every day.Clean, Fast, Mobile-Ready InterfaceDark/light theme, collapsible sidebar, keyboard shortcuts (N = new trade, 1–7 = jump to any page, ? = help), undo/redo, toasts, and responsive design that turns into touch-friendly cards on your phone. No laggy cloud sync nonsense – everything is instant because it’s local.Trade Entry That Matches How You Actually TradeOne modal handles it all: complete round-trips, single BUY/SELL legs, scaled partial exits (tagged “Scaled @ 3R – Runner Active”), and manually flagged open positions. Enter MAE/MFE, entry/exit times (feeds the heatmap), custom labels (breakout, pullback, etc.), rich notes, and – best of all – attach multiple chart screenshots with drag-drop or Ctrl+V paste. Screenshots auto-compress and open in a clean full-screen lightbox with arrow navigation. No more “where did I save that NVDA setup pic?”Position & Risk Discipline Built InExecutions automatically group by ticker + ~7-day window and show as expandable rows. Open positions live in a sidebar widget with avg entry, shares, and cost basis. The position-size calculator appears in four places (quick dashboard widget, full page, settings, everywhere risk matters) and toggles between % of account and fixed-dollar risk – instantly showing shares, $ at risk, total cost, and % exposure. Set a daily loss limit % and get a red banner the moment you breach it. Never guess position size again.Analytics That Actually Help You ImproveDashboard gives you 12 color-coded cards at a glance: win rate, profit factor, expectancy, R:R, payoff ratio, streaks (with 5-win / 3-loss alerts), max drawdown, and more. Equity curve supports all/YTD/3M/1M views + optional 10/20/50/200 SMA overlays with automatic 50-SMA breach warnings. Win/loss doughnut, P&L-by-setup bars, daily/weekly/monthly/yearly breakdowns, and a beautiful day-of-week × time-of-day heatmap that highlights your real edge (and your danger zones).The killer feature? Strategy Audit. It scores every trade’s relative strength against SPY/QQQ/IWM/MDY, checks whether you entered above prior highs, whether the index was above its 21 EMA, and whether you exited prematurely. It then compares win rate when rules were followed vs violated and spits out blunt, actionable recommendations: “Avoid trading when index below 21 EMA,” “Wait for proper breakout confirmation,” etc. This is the accountability most traders pay thousands for coaching to get.Playbook + Reflection That Evolves With YouBuild your personal playbook: document setups with entry/exit rules, risk %, target R, mistakes to avoid, and example chart images. Every card automatically pulls live stats from your actual trades – trade count, win rate, total P&L. Full-text notes search spans everything you’ve ever written. Save common setups as templates for one-click entry. Attach screenshots to remind yourself exactly what the chart looked like.Broker Imports & Exports That Just WorkDrop a CSV from Fidelity Brokeragelink, thinkorswim, IBKR, Schwab, Robinhood, Webull (or generic) – it auto-detects format, matches FIFO, flags open positions, and warns about orphaned sells. Export back out as clean CSV, multi-sheet Excel (trades + summary + by-setup + monthly + winners/losers), polished PDF performance reports, or basic tax summaries.Privacy, Control, No BSNo accounts, no cloud dependency, no usage tracking. Optional beta Google Drive sync if you want multi-device access. Daily JSON auto-backup for peace of mind. If the file gets too big, IndexedDB takes over seamlessly.Traders spend hundreds – sometimes thousands – per year on journal software that does less, locks you in, and sells your data. RetireByInvesting gives you enterprise-grade logging, analytics, risk tools, reflection, and broker integration… for the price of saving one HTML file.Open it once, start logging, and watch your process sharpen. Your future self will thank you. Ready to level up without the subscription trap? Just download, open, and trade like you mean it.We Want Your Feedback!If you guys have any feedback. Please let us know in the comment section below!! Looking forward to hearing from you all! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPThe speaker provides a bullish outlook on SPY (S&P 500 ETF) and RSP (equal-weighted S&P 500), noting that the market remains near all-time highs with ongoing basing patterns that could allow for a breakout higher. There’s potential for a thrust upward toward 697 level after a four-day base, though a decisive breakthrough may not happen immediately and could require multiple attempts; failure to clear it in the next couple of weeks might lead to a rollover. Overall, the setup appears positive for Monday and suggests a rally is likely, with selective stocks setting up well in a broadly supportive large-cap environment.QQQ/QQEWFor QQQ (Nasdaq-100 ETF) and QQQE (equal-weighted Nasdaq-100 ETF), the analysis highlights a shift from a prior downtrend, with recent strength pushing above the 5 and 10 SMAs as a positive sign. However, significant resistance remains at the 20/21 EMA and especially the 50 SMA, where price has faced rejection despite a near-decisive close over the 21 EMA. The speaker prefers QQQE for its equal-weighting and sees basing with stubborn overhead levels; follow-through on the next trading day (Monday) is hoped for to enable growth/tech stocks to advance meaningfully, though the market remains selective.IWM/MDYIWM (Russell 2000/small-cap ETF) and MDY (S&P MidCap 400 ETF) show constructive basing without major issues, remaining above key moving averages while working through a downtrend line. IWM features a multi-day (one-to-five day) base with potential to break higher, and nothing appears wrong technically in either chart. The speaker views these as supportive for broader market strength, particularly if SPY leads a breakout, positioning small- and mid-caps for upside participation in a less volatile environment.VIXThe VIX (volatility index) presents a concerning picture with persistently elevated levels, having trended mostly above 17 since October and stubbornly refusing to decline meaningfully. The speaker expresses hope for a drop back to the 13 area to allow the market to “chill” with reduced choppiness, as current high volatility has been “killing” many traders. Until volatility eases significantly, the market is likely to stay range-bound or selective, reinforcing the advice to avoid forcing trades in unfavorable conditions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***This is AI-Generated from the video.Magnificent Seven TrackerAnalysis:* Leaders* NVDA* Relative standout and potential special play, still above the 200 SMA, coiled with moving averages converging after bouncing off support, and building a multi-month sideways base. The speaker sees it as coiled energy that could break out positively if it opens and holds above key resistance like 194 (with confirmation over the first 30 minutes), making it one of the better candidates from the tech area for future buys once it breaks trendlines or horizontal resistance—though caution is still warranted as it recently closed below many MAs.* Laggards* MSFT * With an inside day but gap-filled lower, needing above the 50 SMA (possible buy lower at ~367 but uncertain hold)* TSLA * Relatively better above the 200 SMA but still no actionable buy until above ~436 to target ~490 breakout.* META * Breaking down from its base, potentially filling gaps to ~555-603, not to touch until over the 200 SMA (glad to buy above 740);* AMZN * Below the 200-day with no reason to buy until all-time highs (real buy above ~247, potential deeper gap to 177)* GOOG* Breaking below and holding under the 50 MA for the first time in a while (former leader needing to base and cool off, nothing to buy yet)* AAPL* In the “dumpster” with bad red candles, dead trade until above the 50 SMA and clearing heavy resistance at ~280 for all-time highs shotWhat’s Actionable For You:* META* Avoid entirely until it clears the 200 SMA; the speaker won’t touch it now, with downside risks to ~600 or gap-fill to ~555 under more selling pressure—no price target yet, but the speaker would consider buys above 740 if strength returns after basing.* MSFT* Little to do currently, even for investors (dead money risk); watch for above the 50 SMA for the speaker personally, or potential opportunistic buy lower at ~367, but relative strength on inside day is questionable without confirmation.* NVDA* Most promising for action: wait for confirmed breakout above 194 on open (hold first 30 min), as it’s coiled sideways in a ~6-month base above 200 SMA—strong candidate from tech if it builds back up, but no need to rush in first.* AAPL * No action until above the 50 SMA and clearing heavy resistance at ~280 (rejected multiple times); trade is dead after round-tripping, with bad follow-through red candles—let it base or “cook” before considering re-entry for potential all-time highs push.* GOOG* Nothing actionable to buy now; as a former leader, it needs to build a base after breaking/holding below 50 MA—wait patiently as leaders can sell off harder with scared money, just be careful overall.* AMZN* Stay away until all-time highs; no entertaining buys even at current “discount” (same price as post-crash levels), risks deeper discount/gap to 177—real buy confirmed above ~247, or extreme extended levels for partial cash deployment.* TSLA * Relatively fine above 200 SMA (better than most Mag 7), but no action yet—goal was buy above ~436 for ~490 area breakout, which isn’t happening; more of a waiting game without losing the 200 SMA support.Charts Of Buyable Stocks: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:If you like the video format comment please. Let me know how I can improve so I can help you with your journey. Thanks.This was AI-Generated from the video.SPY/RSPSPY is currently below its 50-day moving average, reflecting weakness largely driven by the underperformance of the Magnificent Seven and tech/growth stocks, which is dragging the index down despite appearances. However, this doesn’t tell the full story, as RSP (the equal-weight S&P 500 ETF) is at all-time highs, meaning broader market participation is strong and the underlying market (when viewed equally across stocks) is actually performing well and above its moving averages. If you’re positioned in the right stocks or sectors outside of heavy tech influence, conditions are favorable, but the cap-weighted SPY masks this rotation and strength in non-mega-cap areas.QQQ/QQEWThe Nasdaq (represented by QQQ) has formed what appears to be a double top pattern and is showing significant weakness, trading below its key moving averages in what the speaker describes as a bear market in tech. This makes it a poor environment for tech or growth stocks, with the chart looking “horrible” and no bounce forthcoming unless relief arrives soon (potentially by Tuesday). The speaker warns that without a rebound, tech could face a rough period ahead, and the overall picture points to avoidance of this area right now.IWM/MDYSmall-caps (IWM) and mid-caps (MDY) are looking solid, with IWM holding up well in a sideways pattern with nothing concerning, and MDY near all-time highs while trending sideways or up. The speaker notes that many of the stocks they’re buying are in the mid-cap space (MDY-related), which is “killing it” for trading opportunities compared to other areas. These indices represent where strength and relative performance currently lie, making mid-caps a preferred area to focus on in the current selective market environment.VIXThe VIX is painting a “very scary” picture, having risen sharply from the 13 level since January and showing elevated volatility that could lead to further downside if not stabilized. The speaker expresses hope for a drop back to 15-17 (or even lower, as seen historically in 2024), but notes uncertainty—if the VIX breaks certain levels (implied around higher readings or failure to contain), it could signal more market downside. A flush lower is possible, but stabilization might prevent worse outcomes, advising caution over the weekend. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:If you like the video format comment please. Let me know how I can improve so I can help you with your journey. Thanks.AI generated from video.SPY/SPYG/SPYVSPY is currently facing a key resistance level after forming a short three-day base, with potential follow-through to the upside on Monday—possibly breaking above, pulling back, and then breaking higher again—to confirm strength toward higher levels overall. However, growth-oriented SPYG remains muted and is trading under declining moving averages in what appears to be an underside retest, with shorter-term averages looking weak and suggesting only short covering rather than robust bullish momentum. In contrast, value-focused SPYV is showing genuine breakout strength, aligning with clear sector rotation into value names (e.g., Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Walmart, Target, Costco), which are driving much of the market’s underlying progress while growth lags. (Not financial advice or stock recommendations for those listed above)QQQ/QQEWQQQ continues to underperform significantly and remains below key moving averages with substantial work needed to reclaim prior levels; would only become more constructive on growth once it reclaims above the 10/21/50 MAs and re-enters a previous range for basing. Similarly, QQEW (equal-weight Nasdaq/growth proxy) is theoretically in a bear market, having failed to decisively break above important resistance zones from last year’s breakout period (September–October), creating the opposite technical setup compared to that prior strong advance and warranting caution for those heavily positioned in growth stocks.IWM/MDYIWM (Russell 2000/small-caps) is performing strongly, having returned above all major moving averages with good recent strength, though it still requires follow-through confirmation (potentially with a breakout, pullback, and retest pattern) to solidify the move. The speaker highlights positive developments in related Russell indices, including IWO (Russell Growth) showing signs of recovery and IWN (Russell Value) “killing it,” reinforcing that small-cap value in particular is participating robustly in the current rotation and supporting the case for a potentially strong upcoming bull phase if momentum continues.VIXThe VIX picture is becoming increasingly concerning, noting a “scary” setup where repeated pushes above certain levels have historically led to volatility ramps, as moving averages are starting to turn up and coil in a way that suggests impending volatility expansion (though timing is uncertain). Unless the VIX drops back below ~15, the cautious stance remains intact, especially over the next 2–3 months; for now, the speaker advises enjoying the current environment but staying vigilant for a shift after this bull phase, as leverage has already been removed in areas like software while volatility coils build. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessSpread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:*** If you’re new please read our Ground Rules. Thank you. ***Magnificent Seven TrackerThis analysis is AI-Generated from the videoAnalysis:* Leaders* GOOG - Still the leader of the market and the Magnificent Seven for the longest time, but getting concerned ahead of earnings on Feb 4 (Wednesday). Has been leading strongly throughout 2025 to now. Potential for double top formation.* AMZN - Stronger than most Mag 7, trending right, but in no man’s land within a base that will keep it range-bound. Didn’t like pullback to 50 SMA/150 after January breakout; wanted more strength for handle build. Not on radar until breakout; wait for earnings—if breaks out above 247-250 ish during earnings, becomes a buy candidate.* NVDA - Semis doing well; good consolidation area (not quite inverse head/shoulders). Has relative strength vs. market, making higher lows as market drops. Hopeful to break out above 193, retest 211, and lead market/queues higher. Buyer above 194 on open, but prefer to wait for breakout, retest, and hold in current market.* Laggards* MSFT - Not a personal buy due to being under all MAs, but high volume support in the area (third highest volume candle in years, back to 2020/2022). Inside day with volume dry-up; could be mean reversion if breaks above 440, offering good risk/reward with defined low for stop. For investors who love it, set tight risk here and cut losses quick if it goes lower—better returns elsewhere.* TSLA - Lagging as always, but positive signs: rejected 50/21/10 MAs, held above the 5 for mean reversion. Possible double bottom; smaller base forming. Watching Monday for open above the range to add to small starter position (2% allocation on inside day with post-earnings volume). Stayed afloat while market dropped.* META - Good overall, above all moving averages (daily and weekly), with bullish weekly candle and close above base. But extended, heading into obvious resistance. Too early to enter; wait for chart development as MAs catch up and it builds a base (e.g., small base above the 5 or on the 10 then to 5). Momentum in favor price-action wise; on watch as one of the leaders now for the Mag 7 going forward.* AAPL - In a special place for buy/sell decisions amid weak market but selective rotation to large caps. Found support on the 150 SMA, broke above, chopped around, and built a pretty big base. On weekly, base is drawing out with three candles; would like it tighter before breaking above 262 (rejected 4 times). Good risk/reward from current levels, but significant volatility expected this coming week.What’s Actionable For You:* META* Wait for MAs to catch up and base to build out (e.g., small base above the 5-day MA or building on the 10 then moving to 5). If it handles resistance well and momentum holds (above all MAs), enter on confirmation of base completion for potential upside. On watch only for now—no immediate entry due to extension.* 200 SMA - 681.41* MSFT* If breaks above 440 on the inside day, enter with stop at defined low for risk/reward. Keep very tight risk; cut losses quick if drops below support. Not a buy under MAs—only for long-term investors who must own it, but allocate elsewhere for better returns.* NVDA* Buy above 194 on open if stays in consolidation area, but ideally wait for breakout above 193, retest/hold 211 area. Stop below recent lows. Position for potential leadership if semis continue strong—add on confirmation of higher lows persisting.* 200 SMA -167.76* AAPL * Buy on open above 262 once base tightens and 50 MA catches up (after 4 rejections). Stop below base support/150 SMA. Good risk/reward now, but be cautious with buys amid volatility this week—watch for tighter weekly base before entry.* 200 SMA - 236.65* GOOG* Wait until after earnings on Feb 4. Don’t buy pre-earnings. If breaks out on earnings, options: (1) Buy that day with stop below breakout level, or (2) Wait for smaller base to build post-earnings then enter. Monitor for double top avoidance—play only on confirmed strength.* 200 SMA -235.33* AMZN* Wait for earnings; if breaks out above 247-250 during/post-earnings, enter as candidate. Stop below base low/50 SMA. Avoid until out of no man’s land—no allocation now due to lack of strength in prior breakout attempt.* 200 SMA - 221.78* TSLA* Watch Monday: If opens above current smaller base range, add to position (from small 2% starter on inside day post-earnings volume). Target double bottom confirmation for break higher. Stop below recent lows/5-day MA. Capitalize on relative strength vs. down market, but keep sizing small given lagging nature.* 200 SMA - 377.22Charts Of Buyable Stocks: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:If you like the video format comment please. Let me know how I can improve so I can help you with your journey. Thanks.AI-Generated from the VideoSPY SPY has shown another reversal after breaking above all-time highs, retesting, and reclaiming the 9 EMA area, but this has led to increased chop and a “death by a thousand cuts” environment for traders amid broader market weakness. For longer-term investors, the outlook remains bullish as long as price stays above the 100, 150, and 200 SMAs, where the market has historically trended positively without major issues — though corrections can occur, and recent price action near the all-time high (around 697) is critical, with potential for a flush lower if rejected, making risk management key in this uncertain setup.QQQ QQQ hit the anticipated resistance area before pulling back into its prior range, which is concerning as it failed to retest the breakout point from above and instead closed lower after a reversal day — never ideal after a breakout. While still above the 50-period moving average on an intermediate timeframe, there’s risk of short-term weakness, with a small base below that could lead to a flush lower if broken, signaling more downside for tech-heavy names in this momentum-shifting environment.QQEWQQEW mirrors the same problematic picture as QQQ, with downward-pointing moving averages in tech signaling poor momentum. Mean reversion trades may tempt some, but overall caution is warranted coming into the week, with limited constructive price action and a need for the market to rest before any stronger moves.RSP RSP broke above a key area but quickly returned to the range and retested it stubbornly, failing to break out as hoped and showing non-constructive price action that could lead to a retest of lower levels like 194 before any upside. This might flush out players with an undercut, test of the 50-period, and potential base-building in the range before a Feb/March breakout — but for now, the market lacks the strength for clean advances, requiring patience and risk awareness.IWMIWM (along with similar small-cap exposure) is now breaking down below the 21 EMA, a negative development that could lead to a flush toward the 50-period before any retest and base-building. With moving averages starting to point lower, this points to at least one to two weeks of choppy action, reinforcing the need for caution as the broader market digests recent gains without clear constructive momentum.MDY MDY shares a similar breakdown below the 21 EMA, with potential for more downside if it revisits key areas, as moving averages trend lower and signal one or two weeks of chop ahead. Like IWM, this mid-cap exposure reflects broader weakness and the market’s need to rest, with quick shifts possible but chop as the more likely near-term outcome.VIX The VIX is showing concerning signs as its moving averages converge, with volatility now trending above the 5, 9, 21, 50, 100, and 150 periods — and having rejected the 200 area twice, there’s risk of a base break if it closes decisively higher. This could signal a mini-correction (not necessarily a flash crash) rather than calm conditions, advising against aggressive buying into dips while above these levels, as weak stocks could weaken further and trigger emotional selling — track it closely, as it’s a key warning for heightened caution this week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth:Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:SPY/QQQRotation is now into bigger/mega caps as earnings season is around the corner. Still constructive action with the QQQ’s building higher lows - both indexes reclaiming moving momentum moving averages. The SPY in the last two days we printed a range with Friday being an inside day that signals consolidation. An inside just signals that there’s a pause in the market, but the next market open will give us the direction of the market.In terms of the QQQs, if we open above the 627 then we can breakout higher.My thesis on the market is that we’re still in a bull market.RSP/QQEWBoth looking constructive here with sector rotation. The QQEW is now at resistance after reclaiming momentum moving averages. Breakout/follow through out of this area will be important for growth stocks to start moving.IWM/MDYConsolidation. We’ve had a run for about 1.5 Months. Things can still consolidate here and be constructive. I think a rest period for the IWM and MDY to go sideways, pull in, and then launch out another leg would be the best case scenario.VIXVIX is now coming down (we’re at 16.09), which is better. Ideally I do not want this to be above 20 when taking new positions, but for now getting under 15 would be the best case scenario.Something to note here is that all of the MA’s on the VIX are starting to come together and if we do start to stabilize above the 200 SMA then that will be a case for extreme volatility. For now it’s a nothing burger. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Spread the Wealth: Join our referral program and earn a free year with Retire By Investing! Share your unique referral link or use the ‘Share’ button on any post to invite friends. Here’s what you can earn:* 5 Referrals: Get a 1-month complimentary subscription ($20 Value)* 10 Referrals: Enjoy a 3-month complimentary subscription ($60 Value)* 15 Referrals: Secure a 12-month complimentary subscription ($200 Value)What’s New:If you like the video format comment please. Let me know how I can improve so I can help you with your journey. Thanks. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

IntroductionInvesting can be daunting for some people. The topic itself is scary because there is a lot of uncertainty, but the majority of our audience is into dollar cost averaging (DCA). In this article you will learn a different way to invest your money by capitalizing on money you have in your employer sponsored plan. If you do not have an employer sponsored plan then it may be a great time to look into it because you may be missing out on potential financial strategies.What are employer sponsored plans?Employer sponsored plans are tax-deferred retirement accounts in the form of a 403b, 401k, or 457. For the sake of this article we will not explain the difference between them, but they do have distinct differences. Pre-tax money is deposited into one of these accounts from your paycheck depending on the percentage contribution you manually set. The capital deposited into this account decreases your gross income for the current tax year. Depending on how much you’ve contributed over the years, you may be able to unlock the ability to loan yourself money from this plan. The ability to do this enables you to make investing and saving easier for you.What do most people do?In a financial crunch most people will take a loan from a bank. Although this is normal for the general public, it may not be as beneficial as you think. When you loan from the bank, you have to pay interest to the bank and other fees associated with the generation of the loan. This is theoretically a wasted use of capital, but is sometimes needed in dire situations. Rates and terms for specific loans are dependent on the institution and are dependent on personal credit scores. Credit scores may be affected if the borrower defaults on the loan, which can lead to other detrimental effects in the future. A borrower may be denied access to capital if they default on a loan and may require consignment requirements or higher rates in the future.The benefits of loaning from yourself.There are more pros than cons when you loan yourself money from your retirement. “Don’t touch your retirement” is what most people will tell you, but we encourage everyone to look into this strategy. Another way of thinking about it is that it is rarely ever a car’s fault for a car crash - it’s the driver. This also applies to finance. We will explore the pros of loaning money from your retirement and why the benefits outweigh the cons of traditional methods.No credit checks* There are no credit checks because this is money you’ve earned from a working wage. Loans from your retirement are considered secured loans because they use your retirement funds as collateral.Interest goes to you* Instead of paying interest to the bank/institution - all of the interest goes to you. In time you will increase the capital in your account, but loaning to yourself allows for no wasted capital. You keep everything in-house. The interest for this loan is usually less than what is offered at a bank/institution, which also helps with payments overtime.You set the loan amount/term* This may vary depending on the institution that holds your retirement, but it is usually a 0-60 month term that will show the amount of payment before accepting. The max amount is dependent on the institution, but it is usually up to $50,000.No Taxes**** Notice that there are asterisks next to the word taxes. If a loan is paid on time then no taxes will take place. If the borrower defaults on the loan then the amount loaned will count towards income, for the year, and will incur taxes. For example if you made 100k for the year, borrow 50k, and default on the loan. You will effectively pay 150k in income tax for that tax year.How you can use this to your advantage.Lump sum at risk price points* Simply put you can’t buy a house in 2008 at the price point that was deep into the recession. This allows you to take advantage as a value investor by setting your risk and capitalizing on opportunities that will possibly not present themselves again in the future. Of course this can be a double edged sword, but this is only to be used if you're an experienced investor that knows their risk management and investment thesis.Flexible Investing/Payments* It allows you to have flexible monthly payments instead of dollar cost averaging. Consistently saving 500 dollars a month for a Roth IRA can be challenging for some people, but if you want to save and have the flexibility then this may give you that option. Of course you can take more or less of an amount, but this should help you either way.ConclusionLoaning from your retirement can be a double edge sword. We understand that there is some risk involved with this strategy, but market conditions may allow you to acquire assets at certain price points. There’s really no point in paying other banks/institutions when you can do everything yourself. Allowing yourself the flexibility to keep your own capital for emergencies, while loaning from yourself, will allow you to keep yourself in the market without ever having to stop annually investing. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below. Take care.Retire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day!Thumbnail Pictures Provided By These Artists on Pexels.* Burak Kebapci* Anthony ShkrabaThanks for reading Retire By Investing! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

IntroductionFor more than half a decade, tech employees have dominated the real estate market by buying homes with asymmetrical returns on their equities. This rapid increase in their net worth allowed them to snowball the majority of their gains to buy other assets that were increasing at a slower pace. Other occupations were no match when it came to purchasing homes because this group of people bought homes in cash. As a result, other occupations were shut out or had to settle for less. To be clear, this is not an article to bash on tech employees - in fact, it’s a learning lesson for majority of our audience because tech employees will be winning in the end.How is it being leveled?Companies are going to be budget conscious when it comes to a recession or global economic downturn. This means that majority of the people in tech may not have a job to sustain a home mortgage (this does not apply if they bought in cash). Tech also can get paid through an “employee stock purchasing program” (ESPP), but the time it takes for their stock to increase may be delayed. Tech will not be able to keep up in the short term because they are usually paid a lower base than healthcare workers. This gives healthcare workers a chance to go into the market and buy a house because they can stomach the payment with a consistent and stable income.But the interest is too highMany people are going to look at the interest and not get into the market, but what is more important is the payment and type of loan. For starters, many will want to be on a fixed rate because it will prevent price fluctuations in payment which increases livelihood through stability. Variable loans will eventually get hard capped, but that is a risk one takes if they decide to go with a variable rate mortgage.If someone decides to buy a house now, they are sacrificing for the future which will allow them to be one step closer to a refinance if rates come down (or be lucky if they keep increasing). This gives a significant advantage because obtaining a house is usually the hard part - especially if tech is in the market.Risk firstPeople may be trying to time the market, but more money has been lost timing the market than having time in the market. What should matter more is how much risk you’re willing to take when you’re buying a house. Are you going to be paycheck to paycheck? Will you be ok if the price of the home decreases in value? Will you be able to save/invest even after buying this house? Many questions need to be answered, but assessing your risk is the most important piece of the puzzle of finance. In a severe market downturn, many people will be stuck with a decision that can hold them back financially for many years. There are golden era times where people can accumulate assets, but a wrong decision can prevent someone from accumulating.What happens when Tech comes back into the picture?When tech finally comes back into the real estate market, they will increase the demand for homes and the playing field will no longer be fair. There is no profession that will be able to beat their asymmetrical gains. The cycle will repeat again and those who are waiting again to buy will not be able to get into the market. Areas that do not have enough supply will heavily increase in price due to demand, and other alternatives will need to be made to live in the designated area you wish to live in.Be proactive. Good luck with everything. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Everyone wants a recessionHindsight bias is always 20/20. Many people who lived through 2008 always say they should have bought more houses/a house during that time because they would be rich. The people that are saying this are definitely not wrong – they would have been rich if they did. Sadly, they didn’t. It’s very easy to point out the past and say exactly what one should have done, but very few understand what makes it possible to even do so.The hardest part is that people want a recession to happen, but when it happens they never act. This is because most people either don’t have a plan or aren’t well versed in risk management to pull the trigger. When maximum pain and fear are in the market, people have a hard time overriding their emotional impulses. Much of this is attributed to recency bias, and temporarily exaggerates the amount of damage being done in a certain period of time.What made 2008 the best era for obtaining wealth?The housing market was unregulated. It was very easy to qualify for a home loan because there wasn’t any checks and balances to prove someone was financially stable to make the payments. Other people who were flipping homes were able to “cash out refinance” (pulling equity from a home without selling it) and snow ball their gains into more projects. As supply started to come off the market, house prices started to increase, and temporarily increased the demand. This started to have a negative domino effect when the fun stopped, and many people were liquidated or caught holding the bag when things started to go south.Some of these people had subprime/adjustable rate mortgages (variable interest loans) because they offered the cheapest amount of interest and allowed the buyer to afford the payments. As the interest rates started to increase, the payments started to increase, and when people started to default on the payments – supply started to come back onto the market. However, what if everyone in the United States defaulted all at once? That’s exactly what happened – a massive supply shock that put all of the homes on fire sale. No buyers. Just empty homes.What is happening with cryptocurrency?You may be wondering where I’m going with this, but if you’ve caught on – congrats! Yes. Cryptocurrency is going to be regulated in the next one to two years and continue to be regulated for decades. This is where the fun starts because people are about to miss the point completely. It’s very easy to look at the crypto market and think Ponzi schemes are everywhere, but they exist in all asset classes. One of the questions you may need to ask yourself is why would something need to be regulated, if at all, if there’s no potential or if it’s a scam. Why would the government go to such lengths to do so? Of course we cannot answer this question for you, but it’s something to think about. As a result there’s a lot of studying one needs to do if they’re unaware of what’s going to happen next.Why we think there’s going to be massive capitulation?One word: Leverage.We mentioned that we would talk about our thesis for a 13.5k Bitcoin price in one our market updates: read that hereInstitutions have more sophisticated tools and money, but they have the same counter-party risk as anyone else. We believe there will be a liquidity crunch because many people are leveraged too much. This is not just in the United States – this is a worldwide problem.From some of the headlines above, you can already see some of these events have played out. Unfortunately, majority of the people that left their crypto on exchanges became the secured creditors for some of these firms. If you are lending Bitcoin out when it is an unregulated asset class – things can definitely go wrong. This is no different than the 2008 lending problem, but when times are good people tend to get greedy.Many people were getting a yield on their cryptocurrency this cycle, but some took this too far on the institutional side. This is not something new in the finance industry – in fact, many of these crypto exchanges were executing something called “fractional reserve Bitcoin.” Fractional reserve is when a bank/institution loans out a significant amount of BTC/money that is deposited to their bank/institution to make money. It looks something like this:This is the start of the problem, but it won’t be the last. Many people will be wiped out when all of this blows over. These are just some of the companies that are trying to make it through, but other institutions are starting to get sweaty palms due to margin calls.Marketcap comparisonThe picture below is outdated since it was in 2020, but that hasn’t stopped assets from growing. The amount of resources will decrease as the global population increases, which is why asset classes are important to hold over the long term.If we take Bitcoin right now, not cryptocurrency, then we can see that it is less than 1 trillion dollars in market cap. To increase the value of an asset by double, the same amount of money has to be invested in the asset. Bitcoin is trading around 19k levels, at the time of writing (7/2/2022), and is around a 400 billion dollar market cap. At 800 Billion it trades at 40k.To give you a comparison of Bitcoin to other asset classes:* Derivatives – 500 Trillion – 1 Quadrillion Market Cap* Real Estate – 250 Trillion Market Cap* Stocks – 115 Trillion Market Cap* Gold – 10 Trillion Market Cap* Bitcoin – 400 Billion Market Cap.* What do you think is easier to move?Is crypto the lottery ticket?Maybe. This industry has the most potential growth.The masses may not take advantage of this period of time that will be coming up, but we hope that everyone can see through the smoke and mirrors and execute their plan flawlessly. Everyone thinks they are late to the party, but the party has only just begun. As the liquidity crunch destroys the market cap for Bitcoin/Crypto, many people will be too fearful to get in at these cheap levels. Once we achieve adoption - money will flow into this space and increase the marketcap exponentially. Just remember that crypto is one area that is globally new to everyone. Many people don’t even understand the industry, but what will happen when they understand it? We can look at multiple areas of technology and see the same human behavior – cell phones, planes, cars, mobile apps, computers, etc. It’s a prime time to understand a technology when the masses do not understand it because it gives you an investors edge by knowing the industry and the value it holds. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessThis is a simplified version of a very complex topic. What’s written in this article is a very basic understanding to entice you to look deeper into the subject. This isn’t just for this article, but all of the articles that we write on this blog.The Illusion of IndividualismEveryone is looking out for themselves. This is a basic human behavior and there is no shame in that. Everyone thinks that they’re alone on this financial journey, but they’ll soon find out that they’re not. They are part of a bigger picture that’s meant to keep everyone poor while getting richer themselves. Once the game is figured out – it’s all about positioning and managing risk. Emotions prevent people from making financial decisions and keep people from ever investing in the market. Due to recency bias people are unable to ever invest because they are either too risk averse or scared to lose money.The Paradox of Money.The challenge about money is that it’s the same as high blood pressure. You don’t even know you’re dying from high blood pressure or you’re getting poor because it’s a very slow process. Let’s say one million dollars was ever created and that someone wanted to borrow that same one million dollars that was ever created at a 10% interest rate. That means by the next year that same person would owe one million one hundred thousand dollars. If there was only million dollars ever created then how is that one person, who borrowed that money, ever going to pay it back? The answer is simple – they can’t.If they are unable to pay this debt back then what happens is that every single interest injected dollar, into the system, will reprice all asset classes accordingly. We have not accounted government intervention such as injecting money through quantitative easing.The Game of InterestAny loan ever created has an interest rate. Some of these loans include credit cards, home mortgage, student loans, home equity line of credits, and personal loans. The amount of interest that is generated from all of these loans is adding to the balance sheet on a daily basis. As new interest dollars keep flooding the monetary system - again, everything gets repriced accordingly.Anyone paying any interest is participating in the monetary game. They are slowly, but surely, increasing the monetary balance sheet. This also leads to inflation as time goes on and makes it harder for anyone that’s not investing to sustain their living.The Game of InflationInflation is a silent tax that everyonepays. Pre-covid levels of inflation was dependent on where someone lived, but overall on a national level it ranged from 1-3%. If banks during this time offered 0.01% interest rate on all of their accounts, then any savings was being debased by inflation. Why does this matter?The reason this matters is because any money locked into an asset class would have been a better choice - it would have been growing by 1-3% instead of losing by that same amount. Areas like New York and California grew at astronomical rates and at the same time people around the world were losing by that amount of appreciation.So Assets… Why Are They Important?This is the kicker, so focus. Holding assets is the only way that one is going to be ok in the long term. We have talked about interest and inflation and how anyone that is participating in the game through paying interest on any type of debt. If you know that interest causes inflation and inflation will theoretically grow any asset class. Then you must understand that if you buy and hold assets - over time, you will eventually get wealthy.The reason why you need to hold assets is because everyone is going to do the work for you. There are millions of people in America. There are people with student loans, home mortgages, and credit card debt. As they keep paying into the system, you will automatically get rich by default because every single dollar that comes from interest will reprice your assets for the future.To speed that process, you hold assets through debt and pay interest as well. The longer people don’t invest, the more they lose. Assets are scarce - limited amount of equities, land/real estate, gold, and Bitcoin. If all of these asset classes are scarce, and the amount of dollars is infinite through interest and quantitative easing. Then all you have to do is manage risk and wait.This is the Paradox of Money.AffiliationsOur Crypto Custodian.BlockFi - was created to provide credit services to markets with limited access to simple financial products. BlockFi sets itself apart from other crypto service providers by pairing competitive rates with institutional-quality benefits. BlockFi is the only independent lender with institutional backing from investors that include Valar Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Fidelity, Akuna Capital, SoFi, and Coinbase Ventures.Sign up here!NFT PartnerEssential Workers - There’s no substitute for appreciation and gratitude to all the heroes that put their lives on the line to serve the public. See every profession in unique backgrounds, clothing, accessories, and events. Collect your professions while they’re available. We celebrate you and your hard work. Have your livelihood minted.Click Here For More Information!Retire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day! Join us on our journey to help others by subscribing below! If you liked this post from Retire By Investing, why not share it?Thumbnail Pictures Provided By These Artists on Pexels.* Burak Kebapci* Anthony Shkraba This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

We have an articles section filled with free financial education. Click here to gain accessIntroductionHome ownership allows one to have access to certain tax benefits. If you’re thinking that a house can lower your tax bill to some extent – you’re right. Home ownership not only gives you a tax deduction, but it also gives the average investor a way to utilize equity to cover a hefty tax bill rather than being forced to sell off investments. Massive wealth can be accumulated if an investor understands the creativity behind taxes and investment vehicles. In this article you will learn how we snowball our gains and pay minimal taxes. Oh yeah – all of this is legal.Building equity in the house is a priorityAfter two to three years of home ownership – two things may have happened: 1) appreciation of the home value and 2) built-up equity from making payments. Huge opportunities open up once your home value appreciates and you have built up equity. In fact, you can use this equity to cover you tax bill (this will be discussed below). Having built up equity allows the investor to choose whether they want to temporarily take money from their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) or sell off investments to cover their tax bill.The difference between long term and short term capital gainsThere’s a striking difference between long term capital gains (LTCG) and short term capital gains (STCG) in how they are taxed. Long term capital gains is taxed up to 20%, depending on your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI). LTCG is any security of commodity that is held for more than 366 days and then sold. Short term capital gains, on the other hand, is added on top of your taxable income and can heavily increase your tax bill. STCG can be taxed up to 37% (yes, 37%!!!). STCG is anything held and then sold at 365 days or less.Loaning against the house to pay taxesIt is important to note that tax bills can be extremely high, and as a result, you may not have the cash on hand to cover the bill. So the predicament is 1) to sell off investments and pay either STCG or LTCG the following year vs. 2) to utilize the equity you’ve built up in your home to pay your tax bill. You can utilize the equity you’ve built up through a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) and using the HELOC money to pay off a high tax bill. This money isn’t free - there’s interest tacked on that you must pay per month, but it could turn out to be significantly less in the long run. In other words, leveraging your home can allow you to pay off your current tax bill while also allowing you to prolong the sale of your investments as STCG. The goal is to get your investments to the point where they qualify as LTCG rather than STCG. Utilizing the HELOC money to pay your current tax bill can buy you the time you need. Allowing investments to qualify for LTCG can keep next year’s tax bill lower than if you had sold the investments as STCG. If you have a strong investment thesis – you can create a rolling LTCG year over year if you dollar cost average into a certain stock for a long period of time. Each year, if you’re investing in one particular stock or index, you’ll be able to sell off a portion and keep rolling your long term capital gains via FIFO (Research FIFO: First in First Out Accounting). Once the snow ball happens, you will be able to keep a fairly low tax bill (through LTCG) in comparison to those who are consistently selling off their assets as STCG to cover their taxes year after year. In the next section you will the difference in a hypothetical tax bill.The tax bill comparison between LTCG and STCGHypothetical Filing Married Filing Joint making 250kHypothetical Filing Single making 250kAffiliationsOur Crypto Custodian.BlockFi - was created to provide credit services to markets with limited access to simple financial products. BlockFi sets itself apart from other crypto service providers by pairing competitive rates with institutional-quality benefits. BlockFi is the only independent lender with institutional backing from investors that include Valar Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Fidelity, Akuna Capital, SoFi, and Coinbase Ventures.Sign up here!NFT PartnerEssential Workers - There’s no substitute for appreciation and gratitude to all the heroes that put their lives on the line to serve the public. See every profession in unique backgrounds, clothing, accessories, and events. Collect your professions while they’re available. We celebrate you and your hard work. Have your livelihood minted.Click Here For More Information!Retire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day! Join us on our journey to help others by subscribing below! If you liked this post from Retire By Investing, why not share it?Thumbnail Pictures Provided By These Artists on Pexels.* Burak Kebapci* Anthony Shkraba This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

RMD, or required minimum distribution, is how the IRS generates taxable income from your hard earned retirement nest egg. You cannot keep your retirement assets untouched indefinitely. The RMD law affects those with retirement accounts, excluding ROTH IRAs. Your RMD is the minimum amount you must withdraw from your account each year. After the SECURE Act (Setting Up Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) was passed, the RMD age moved from 70.5 years to 72 years of age. Basically if your 72nd birthday is after July 1, 2019 then you don’t have to take your first RMD until April 1 in the year after your 72nd birthday (ain’t that a brain teaser). However, it is not recommended to defer your first RMD to April 1 the following year of your 72nd birthday - for reasons which we will discuss below.What retirement accounts do the RMD rules apply to?* Traditional IRAs* SEP IRAs* SIMPLE IRAs* 401(k) plans* 403(b) plans* 457(b) plans* profit sharing plans* other defined contribution plansWhat are the RMD rules? * You can withdraw more than the minimum required amount. However, the minimum amount must be withdrawn each year by December 31, unless it is the year you turn 72, in which case you don’t have to take your first distribution until April 1 in the subsequent year.* Your withdrawals will be included in your taxable income each year. Your basis after tax contributions in an IRA will not be taxed again, only the capital gains will be taxed (pro-rata rule). * If you do not take any distributions, or if the distributions are not large enough, you may have to pay a 50% excise tax on the amount not distributed as required.How do I calculate the minimum I have to withdraw?Don’t worry, the RMD calculation does not require higher algebra or the utilization of multi-variable vector calculus. In fact, the IRS provides a table called the Uniform Lifetime Table. You take the sum of all your eligible accounts and then divide that number by the value provided on the Uniform Lifetime Table. Let’s break it down: let’s say you are 75 years old, have 1 million dollars in a 401k, 500k in an IRA, and 100k in a ROTH IRA. You’ll see that only the 401k and IRA accounts are eligible in regards to the RMD rules - so we take 1 million plus 500k which equals 1.5 million dollars. We then go to the Uniform Lifetime Table and find that the value provided for a 75 year old is 22.9 (from distribution period column). 1.5 million/22.9 = 65,502.18 which is nearly 4% of the accounts worth. The value provided on the uniform lifetime table continues to increase as your age increases, so a larger and larger percent will dwindle your hard earned savings. So wouldn’t I want to defer taking my first RMD to the year after to let my money grow longer? Most likely not. The reason is you’ll get a harder tax hit on your money if you don’t take your first RMD the same year you turn 72 and instead delay until April 1 the subsequent year. Let’s take a closer look: Say you just turned 72 and you have 1 million dollars in an IRA. Your first distribution needs to be 36,496.35. Your second distribution the year you turn 73 will be about 37,735 (assuming the value of 1 million has not changed). If you delay your first distribution to the subsequent year then you will need to take TWO distributions the same year you turn 73 (which will both contribute to (36,496 + 37,735 = 74,231) taxable income and possibly move you into a higher marginal tax bracket). Basically, those two distributions will be added together and possibly move you into a higher tax bracket. What strategies exist to protect my wealth? Yes - you can convert pre-tax savings to ROTH and pay the taxes now. Once money is in a ROTH you can leave it to grow until you are deceased. However, once you’re over 72 years old, you cannot convert money into a ROTH until AFTER your full required minimum distribution is taken. So I recommend planning early and converting pre-tax money before you reach 72. Converting pre-tax dollars to a ROTH does not affect your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) used to calculate eligibility to contribute to an IRA or a ROTH IRA - you’ll just have to pay the taxes now, but at least you’ll have more control over your assets when you turn 72. Our Crypto Custodian.BlockFi - was created to provide credit services to markets with limited access to simple financial products. BlockFi sets itself apart from other crypto service providers by pairing competitive rates with institutional-quality benefits. BlockFi is the only independent lender with institutional backing from investors that include Valar Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Fidelity, Akuna Capital, SoFi, and Coinbase Ventures.Sign up here!Retire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day! Join us on our journey to help others by subscribing below! If you liked this post from Retire By Investing, why not share it?Thumbnail Pictures Provided By These Artists on Pexels.* Burak Kebapci* Anthony Shkraba This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Income Bias vs Purchasing PowerPurchasing power is not the same as income. The amount of income one receives for their product or service determines one’s income, but it does not define the amount of wealth they have accumulated. Many people define someone making a decent amount of money by how many figures they make per year. Majority of people, through conversations, will frame upper class as anything more than 250k per year. No one necessarily talks about how many assets they’ve accumulated because net worth is more private than the amount of money one makes per year. We call this the Income Bias because it focuses the attention on how much one should make, but doesn’t talk about the amount of purchasing power one attains from investing and accumulating wealth.It really isn’t about the income.There are about 56.1 million millionaires globally, 22 million millionaires are located in the United States, and 1/3rd of those 22 million millionaires in the US, have never made six-figures in their lifetime. The importance of this research shows that it is not the amount of income, but what an individual does with their money that makes the difference.The amount of money someone makes per year will never translate to how much they will able to make in the future. Income can shrink or expand depending on inflation or deflation, but in an inflation environment, it can shrink one’s lifestyle significantly. Income can allow one to live comfortably, but it will not help them attain anything significant in the long run if they do not understand the concept of purchasing power.So what is purchasing power?Purchasing power is defined as what your dollar is/can be worth in the future. Those who have been investing for the longer term have seen their money grow as assets continue to increase in value. Assets that increase in value are growing the original amount of capital to a higher value to be sold at. If the rate of return is outpacing inflation and more, then they will be able to attain other assets classes such as equities, commodities, cryptocurrency, and real estate. The importance of this concept is vital to attaining any amount of wealth because it allows one to “snowball” once they understand how to use certain asset classes to their advantage.Anyone with a W-2 will eventually get capped on their salary/income. This cap will weigh heavily overtime as asset classes start to grow faster than one earns. A great example of this is the Silicon Valley, also known as the Bay Area, where majority of the homes are over a million dollars. Of course these homes weren’t always worth a million, but homes bought back in the day, have definitely kept up with the amount of purchasing power for those that got in early.Keep it simple.Don’t get sucked into the façade of a high-income lifestyle. It is easy to spend more than you make and live above your means - causing you to accrue debt rather than assets that will appreciate over time. Income is not typically transferred over to any family members and will end when that individual dies. Wealth, however, can be transferred over to family members, and will usually preserve the capital from the original purchase price.Not having any assets right now isn’t a problem. It’s usually the lack of education and execution that will force an individual to become another statistic.  Habitually saving, investing, and lifelong learning can lead the process to attain wealth. So if you haven’t, try to start dabbling in saving, investing, or accruing assets. You don’t have to start big, small steps and changes in your habits can snowball into millions.“The best time to have planted a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today” - Confucius“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.” - Charles Dickens from David CopperfieldRetire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day! Join us on our journey to help others by subscribing below! If you liked this post from Retire By Investing, why not share it?Thumbnail Pictures Provided By These Artists on Pexels.* Burak Kebapci* Anthony Shkraba This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

IntroductionOwning a home is one of the biggest milestones for some people. A place to own and call home is something many wish they could do, but are unfortunately not able to. When an opportunity arises, many people think about their life within the home they are buying, but do not think about the financial risk. Majority of the conversations that occur in the workplace, or outings with friends, revolve around a 20% down payment on a mortgage to avoid Private Mortgage Insurance - otherwise known as PMI. Due to hearsay opinions, this concept of 20% down on a house or the “wasted” money on PMI gets thrown around without much thought into the risk part of the decision.Why do people put 20% down on a home?Lender’s (majority are banks) have to protect themselves from taking on a huge mortgage liability. A homebuyer is required to put a minimum down payment of 3.5%. If a homebuyer is only putting 3.5% down then the lender has to finance 96.5% percent of the loan. On a million dollar home, the lender is financing a 965,000 dollar loan.Private Mortgage insurance is a fee that the homebuyer pays just incase the homebuyer defaults on the loan. This extra payment is actually paying for the lender’s cost of the insurance because the bank is assuming majority of the risk. Unfortunately, this extra fee is not considered a write-off during tax time, which most see as wasted money.A 20% down payment is required to remove the monthly fee of Private Mortgage Insurance. This is worth it for some people because it decreases their monthly expenses.Who is taking on Financial Risk?20% Down Payment ScenarioIt is up to the homebuyer to decide what is best for their financial situation. For a million dollar home, one needs 200k to free themselves from PMI. 200k for most people is a hefty amount of money. In comparison to the lender, the lender is actually not taking as much financial risk if the homebuyer does this while depleting their emergency funds. The homebuyer may be putting themselves into financial risk if they decide to empty all of their savings. Loss of a job, unplanned events, or economic downturns can create a stressful living situation if they are not planned for. Any of these situations may also cause the homebuyers to default on the loan and may end up losing all of their capital. If the homebuyer has extra emergency funds, this may be the reason to get rid of PMI, but only if the downside risk is assessed.3.5% Down Payment ScenarioThe same homebuyer with 200k ,who is putting a 35k down payment, is actually at less risk overall, but their monthly payment will be higher than the person putting 20% down. Loss of a job, unplanned events, or economic downturn will not heavily affect the homebuyer who has 165k left in savings. If they default on the loan, the max loss on the home is 35k. The monthly payment will be higher because the PMI will be added until a certain threshold of equity is reached (usually 80% loan to value). Since the bank is taking on the majority of the risk, the consumer has the upper hand if things go south, but may also take a hit on their credit.So which is better?That decision is up to the homebuyer. Everyone has different financial liabilities, but it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each situation when buying a home. As a rule of thumb, plan for your downside risk first - you already know the best case scenario. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

1.Introduction.What is a Brokerage Account? It is an arrangement where an investor deposits money with a licensed brokerage firm. This firm places trades on behalf of the customer. What are the tax implications of selling investments in a Brokerage Account? When the customer sells an investment, they will need to pay either short term capital gains (income level taxes, see tax brackets - up to 39.6%) or long term capital gains (ranging from 0% to 20% based on taxable income). Capital gains is any profit your original investment has earned. Long term capital gains is any sale that is 366 days or more after the date of the original purchase, any sale that is 365 days or less is considered short-term capital gains.2. So why make my children beneficiaries instead of the primary account owner? Reason #1: Step-up BasisSay the brokerage account owner dies and has listed beneficiaries to inherit the account upon their death. Their beneficiaries will inherit the account and get step-up basis. Step-up basis is when the assets received by the beneficiaries are “stepped-up” to its current market value, tax-free. For example, if the original owner of the account bought Apple Stock for $10 USD/share over a year ago and upon their death Apple Stock is now trading for $170 USD/share, then, the new “stepped-up” cost basis for the beneficiary will be considered at $170 USD/share. What this means is if the beneficiaries sell their Apple inheritance for $170 USD/share they owe zero taxes. If, however, they sell Apple for $180 USD/share then they will owe long term capital gains taxes on only the $10 USD gain/share (because the original purchase was 366 days or more ago).2) Avoiding Probate CourtLet’s take the above example and say the original brokerage account owner did not have any listed beneficiaries. Then that account’s assets will have to go through probate court (if account is worth more than $150k). You can research more about probate court, but it is essentially a long and grueling process (1-2 years) that takes unnecessary money away from the inheritance (for CA: 4% of the first 100k, 3% of the next 100k, and 2% of the next 800k plus attorney fees). That is why it is extremely important to have your beneficiaries listed on all of your accounts. Now compare this to if your children were the primary account owner. You will see that there would be no stepped-up basis and they would owe long term capital gains tax on the Apple Stock originally purchased for $10 USD/share. If they were to sell the Apple Stock at $170 USD/share they would owe at most 20% long term capital gains tax on $160 dollar profit/share ($170 minus $10 = $160). Important Info: Say before the account owner died they gifted their beneficiary all of their apple stock. This would not receive “stepped-up” basis and the original cost basis for the Apple Stock would remain at $10 USD/share. Food for thought: One could gift up to 15k a year (as of 2021) to their parent (or other entrusted family member). Their parent invests that money into a brokerage account they own with the person who supplied the 15k gift as a beneficiary. When that money is inherited in the future, the investments will get a step-up in cost basis. 3. Additional informationConsider setting up a Revocable Trust as the primary account owner. Revocable Trusts can make it much easier to manage your estate upon your death and ensure your assets do not end up going through probate court. Watch for new tax laws. Congress may try to end step-up basis in the future. Make sure to understand estate taxes upon inheritance. Federal estate taxes kick-in on anything over 11.7 million (for 2021) and 12.06 million (for 2022) ranging from 18%-40% (depending on how much over the threshold your estate is). Some states also have estate taxes (California does not!) You would need to compare the burden of estate taxes (brokerage account with beneficiaries) vs. gifting the assets (as discussed above) and make a decision on which strategy is better for you (which results in fewer taxes). Retire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day! Join us on our journey to help others by subscribing below! If you liked this post from Retire By Investing, why not share it?Thumbnail Pictures Provided By These Artists on Pexels.* Burak Kebapci* Anthony Shkraba This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

How To Read Market UpdatesDisclaimer: Every market update reflects the opinion of Retire By Investing based on the date in the title. Market updates are not financial advice. Please seek a licensed professional before investing or trading. We are not liable for any decisions you make based on our opinion.Explaining the ChartCandle sticksCandle sticks are important because they represent price movement in a minute, hour, day, week, or month. Depending on the timeframe that you’re on (in this case, we go by a weekly chart), you can dive into deeper detail. A better understanding of this is to look at your own hand. On the macro level you can see it’s a hand, but on the mid-level you know there are layers of skin, muscle, fat, that make up the hand, and what makes up those parts, in a micro-level, are the cells that are all put together.Green/Red CandlesDepending on the timeframe, these candles can be red or green. Red means that the price decreased for that timeframe and green would mean that the price increased. You may see other investors use charts and have different colors, but the important takeaway is to know if the price closed red or green for the day.OHLC Open, High, Low, and Close. The most important part of these candles is the open and the close. The open and close will primarily make up a green or a red candle in relation to the price. The low and the high just tell you what happened within the designated timeframe.WicksThe low and the high of a candle stick make up the “Wick”, which is a very thin line that travels through price. During volatile days the price can dip or rise to a certain level, but close in totally different price at the end of the day.PatternsOvertime candle sticks can make up certain patterns. These patterns can tell you about supply, demand, and human behavior in the markets. These patterns can tell you when the market is shifting from an uptrend to a downtrend and vice versa. Fortunately, you will not have to worry about this because we will point out the patterns in the chart. SupportImagine being on the third floor of an apartment, breaking through the floor you’re on, landing on the second floor, and stabilizing on the second floor. That is the visual representation of price action when it hits a support. When price action hits a support, or when we say it, it means that the price has hit an area that is hard to break. We expect that price to hold depending on market conditions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will.ResistanceImagine trying to push the ceiling of your car, it would be pretty hard right? Now think of price action trying to hit a ceiling of the car – it will most likely fail. It doesn’t mean that overtime it’ll never break the ceiling. It just means that the price may not advance for a while, but when it does there is nothing blocking the price from going higher.Terminology* Bull - Investors who believe the stock will go up.* Long – Investors who have a position and profit by the stock going up.* Bear - Investors who believe the stock will go down.* Short – Investors who have a position and profit by the stock going down.What do we cover?We cover Cryptocurrency (Digital Assets) and Stocks (Equities). We believe the majority of people follow these two topics when it comes to investing. Bitcoin is our main focus in Cryptocurrency because it has the longest history out of all the digital assets. We have shared our opinion on this asset, which can be seen here. As for equities, our focus is the NASDAQ (IXIC), which primarily includes growth stocks. We believe growth stocks bring in the highest return and use the NASDAQ as a marker for the general health of most stocks in the index.Why a weekly timeframe?Investors usually have longer time horizons than most people. Majority of Equities and Cryptocurrency will go through boom and bust cycles. Watching the market every single day isn’t going to change the decision if the NASDAQ or Bitcoin is going to fail or succeed. If you’re investing for the longer term then the weekly timeframe is going to reflect that in your decision. In our opinion, we believe that you should live your life and look at the market at the end of every single week. You don’t have to do it alone though. We’re here to help.What do the colors represent – Explained in-depth.These colors are going to mean more to you as you get more into investing. They may seem vague, but once you have the understanding through this article, you’ll appreciate it more.The colors represent certain areas of support and resistance in relation to the probability of market direction (Please refer to the beginning of this article to clarify any terminology you do not understand). No one has a crystal ball that can tell us where the market is going, but we can make an educated guess based on price action. Price action is objective data that we interpret and put in probabilities. As an investor, you are always taking a probability or a chance that the price of a stock or crypto will increase or decrease. There are no absolutes in investing, and you will most likely lose money if you think this way.In our market updates, the colors represent our opinion on the market direction based on historical price movement. It reflects our ideas on when we would most likely buy or sell, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we will. We understand that the market can be hard to navigate, and we want to help everyone understand the probabilities so they can hedge themselves against risk. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

1. IntroductionThe first Roth IRAs were opened in 1998 due to the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. This Act is arguably one of the greatest gifts Congress has ever given the American Taxpayer.What is a Roth IRA (R-IRA)?A Roth IRA is simply an after-tax individual retirement arrangement (IRA) that grows tax-free - giving the taxpayer the opportunity to pay their taxes upfront and owe nothing later.What is a Traditional IRA (T-IRA)?A Traditional IRA is a way to utilize tax-deferred income that grows - giving the taxpayer savings on taxes upfront but will owe them later - and trust me - Uncle Sam always collects his debts.2. Tax Difference Between R-IRA / T-IRASay you max out your Roth IRA one year at $6000 and it grows to $100,000. When you turn 59 and 1/2 years old, that $100,000 is all yours - nothing more needs to go to Uncle Sam.Now say you max out a traditional IRA one year at $6000 and it grows to $100,000. If your original $6000 contribution was after-tax money then you owe income level taxes (based on tax bracket system) on $94,000 ($100,000 minus $6,000). If however your $6000 was pre-tax money then you owe income level taxes on the whole $100,000 the account grew to.3. The “Backdoor” Method“But I make too much money to save into a Roth IRA” is something I hear all the time. The fact is yes on the surface if you make a modified adjusted gross income greater than $139,000 for single-filers or $208,000 if married and filing jointly (for the year 2021), then you cannot contribute directly to a Roth IRA. But if you delve deeper you will see that original statement is false- you actually can contribute to a Roth IRA through the “backdoor” Roth IRA method. Since there is no income limit to contribute money to a traditional IRA one simply needs to contribute USD to a T-IRA up to $6000 (for 2021) and then convert their traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.If you meet Income Requirements:Bank → Roth IRAIf you do not meet Income Requirements:Bank → Traditional IRA → Roth IRALet’s say, as a single-filer, you made a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $150,000 for the year 2021. Given that you made over $139,000 MAGI you cannot contribute directly to a Roth IRA. Therefore, you instead open up a Traditional IRA and decide to contribute $6000 and max out that year’s contribution limit. If the $6000 is used as pre-tax money, when you convert it, you will pay income tax on whatever amount you convert to Roth IRA. If the $6000 you contributed to the T-IRA is after-tax money, then only the earnings your contribution made, is taxed as income upon the conversion. An example is as follows: In January 2021 you contributed $6000 after tax dollars to a T-IRA for the 2021 tax year. In December, you check your account and it is now worth $6100 and you decide to convert your T-IRA to a Roth IRA. This will result in you paying income taxes on the $100 earned in your account. Therefore, it is best to convert your T-IRAs to R-IRAs sooner than later if you are using the backdoor method to save even more on taxes.4. Required Minimum DistributionsRequired Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are not required for Roth IRAs, but are required for Traditional IRAs after age 72 (for 2021 - this age may increase depending on laws passed by Congress).5. Who qualifies to contribute to a Roth IRA/Can I open one up for my kids?You need to have reported taxable income for the year you want to contribute directly to a Roth IRA that is also less than the MAGI limits discussed above. If you only make $4000 USD from a summer job and file taxes you can contribute only up to the amount you made that tax year ($4000 USD) even though the IRA contribution limit is $6000 USD. This particular topic is for people asking if they can open up a Roth IRA for their children (simple answer is yes only if they have earned income and file taxes).6. Withdrawing from your Roth IRA:You can take out what you put in (contributions) penalty-free, but the earnings your contributions make are untouchable unless you pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty and income level taxes (for Roth IRA).To withdraw your earnings (not contributions) you must have had a Roth IRA for at least five years (open one sooner than later to meet your five year requirement!) and meet one of the following: you’re 59 and 1/2 years old, disabled, deceased (your estate withdraws your funds), or using the money up to $10,000 for a first-time home purchase.7. What to watch out for:New tax laws: Congress will potentially try to get rid of the backdoor conversions either for everyone or for high-income earners in 2022 (we won’t know until something is passed).Pro-Rata Rule: If you have a Traditional IRA or multiple Traditional IRAs and rollover IRAs with a mixture of pre-tax and post-tax money, it becomes a ratio of how much tax you owe when you convert from T-IRAs or rollover IRAs to a Roth IRA. An example: if you have two traditional IRAs, one with $5000 of after-tax money and the other one with $10000 of pre-tax money and you decide to convert $5000 to a Roth IRA you will have to use the Pro-Rata Rule to determine how much income tax you owe. You cannot say the $5000 converted is only the after tax money in your one account, all accounts must be added together before you convert. So if you convert $5000 you will owe income level taxes on two-thirds (2/3) of it - which amounts to income level taxes on $3,333.33 (2/3 times 5000 = 3,333.33). This fraction is found from the use of proportions as follows: $10,000/$15,000 or pre-tax money divided by total worth of pre-tax IRA (Rollover, SEP, Simple, Traditional IRAs) accounts.Important to note: Conversions of rollover IRAs or Traditional IRAs do not count towards the contribution limit per year ($6000 contribution limit for year 2021). There is no limit on how much money you convert. If you have $200k pre-tax money in a rollover IRA you can convert any amount up to the $200k in a given year to a Roth IRA (just be aware of how much income tax you’ll owe on the conversion). You cannot contribute 6k to both a traditional and Roth IRA in the same year. The 6k limit (year 2021) is cumulative between both the traditional and Roth IRAs. For example, you can legally contribute 3k to a traditional and another 3k to a Roth IRA (3k + 3k = 6k). You cannot contribute 6k to a traditional and 6k to a Roth (6k + 6k = 12k contributed- which is over the 6k contribution limit).Retire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day! Join us on our journey to help others by subscribing below! If you liked this post from Retire By Investing, why not share it?Thumbnail Pictures Provided By These Artists on Pexels.* Burak Kebapci* Anthony Shkraba This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retirebyinvesting.substack.com/subscribe

Bitcoin is the apex asset class that is a true hedge against inflation. Bitcoin, known as being a cryptocurrency, has been labeled as an asset class after reaching a market capitalization of more than one trillion dollars. Bitcoin has been the leader for the past decade with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) greater than 150% when compared to all other asset classes. There has been no other asset class that has produced such a return in a small amount of time. Fundamentally, Bitcoin has a fixed supply cap of 21 million Bitcoin, making it one of the the most scarce resources known to man. Other asset classes, when compared to Bitcoin, do not have this characteristic of having a hard fixed supply cap.Long term holders (Orange) has increased to an all time high (at the time of this writing), while price is slowly increasing back to Bitcoin’s all time high price.Out of the total 21 million Bitcoin, there are roughly 18 million Bitcoin that have already been mined and 3 million Bitcoin left to be mined over the next 119 years. It is estimated that 16 million of the 18 million Bitcoin can no longer be purchased, leaving around 2 million Bitcoin on exchanges for the world to purchase. If you take the global population of 8 billion people and divide that by the sum of the remaining 2 million Bitcoin left on exchanges and 3 million to be mined over 119 years – you quickly realize that not everyone can own a full Bitcoin. Every 4 years, the amount of Bitcoin that comes onto the market (mined per day) is lessened (halvening cycles per Bitcoin protocol), which makes it harder for people to mine or obtain Bitcoin. Since the amount of Bitcoin lessens, the supply is constrained, which will increase the demand for this asset over time.Bitcoin’s fixed supply cap is attractive to many investors because it automatically adjusts for inflation. Inflation is a hidden tax that only gets worse as the government injects more and more money into the economy. Many do not realize how much inflation eats into their purchasing power of everyday costs. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) of October is said to be 6.2 percent inflation – the highest it’s been in 30 years. CPI is a metric that does not include food, energy (gas), or rent – which is important to any human. Since CPI does not include all data for inflation, the number is actually higher than what is stated. The majority of larger cities over the last five years have experienced an inflation rate of 12% (If you haven’t read our other article – please do so here), but that was before COVID. With COVID and the increase in monetary supply, inflation is way over 15%. Housing prices for 2021 have risen 18% - meaning, if you were holding USD (fiat) then your money has depreciated by the same amount.Bitcoin is potentially a great investment over a longer timeframe. Over a shorter timeframe, Bitcoin can chop up many investors who try to take profits early. Those that have held for more than 4 years have received asymmetrical returns on their capital. Four years may seem like a long time, but in the investment world that is very short. Investors do not need to put in a large portion of their net worth to obtain a great return. Many have put in less than 5% of their net worth and have grown that into astronomical amounts due to Bitcoin’s programmed asset scarcity.The macro backdrop of the global economy is accelerating the cryptocurrency trend. The massive amounts of quantitative easing we have witnessed is a powerful driving force for Bitcoin, along with other asset classes, to adjust accordingly to accommodate for inflation. Gold, which has historically been used as an inflation hedge, has performed poorly when compared to Bitcoin. It can be argued that Gold (when compared to Bitcoin) is harder to use as a currency (means of exchange), experiences more inflation as Gold is mined every year (not a true fixed supply), and can be confiscated more easily. The current market cap of Gold is around ten trillion dollars while that of Bitcoin is only 1 trillion. If Bitcoin succeeds in taking over Gold as a store of value, then Bitcoin’s market capitalization will go from one trillion to ten trillion dollars. At a ten trillion dollar market cap, each Bitcoin will be worth more than $500,000 USD per coin. Bitcoin also has the potential to become a peer-to-peer monetary network that will provide a way to pay for good and services. Simply put, Bitcoin’s worst case scenario is that it replaces Gold as a store of value.Some of the wealthiest people have started to invest in Bitcoin on a personal and institutional level. Jack Dorsey (Square), Elon Musk (Tesla), Michael Saylor (Microstrategy), Cathie Wood (Ark Invest), and Tim Cook (personal only) (Apple has not publicly announced BTC purchase to date) have exposure to Bitcoin. This begs the question why some of the greatest minds are beginning to invest in Bitcoin. Bitcoin is not just for the wealthy - politicians and athletes are now starting to collect their salaries in Bitcoin.The question is not why are they adding Bitcoin to their portfolios – the question is why aren’t you?Disclaimer: Retire By Investing holds a position in Bitcoin as a treasury asset. Please seek a financial advisor. This content is intended to introduce the thought of adding Bitcoin to your portfolio, but it is not financial advice. Please seek a licensed professional for your financial decisions.Retire By Investing is on a mission to help others increase their free time through financial education. This substack does not provide financial advice of any kind. We do not sell or manage financial investments or vehicles. We are not licensed individuals and are not liable for any financial decisions you make. Please do your own due diligence and consult/seek your financial advisor regarding any decisions. Thank you. Have a great day! 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