Friday Finance 7/21/2023: how the cookie crumbles
It's a bit hard for me to believe that August is almost upon us. Here at work, @iikrypticsii and I only have a couple more weeks of calm before the teachers start coming back into the buildings and hammering us with all of their tech support needs.
It really feels like the summer has just flown by. I guess that must mean I am having fun!
This Friday Finance post is going to be similar to my past ones. I am going to throw in some finance stuff, but I am also going to include a little bit of content to make it a #marketfriday post hosted by @dswigle. I hope you enjoy!
It is time again for another Finance Friday/Friday Finance. This is a series I started where I talk about random bits of financial stuff that I have seen, gathered, or experienced during the week. I hope as a reader you find it informational, entertaining, or both. I also hope it can generate some good discussion and edify the Leo community.
Well, the news about Ripple has come and gone and after a small uptick in the crypto markets we find ourselves with BTC back around (or below) the $30K mark. It would seem that the only thing you can really count on at this point is the four year cycle. It's not that I don't believe in the four year cycle, I'd just like to see some more data to support it.
If things follow the way they should within the next year, then I'll be the first to accept it as absolute fact.
I was really hoping this XRP thing might usher in the bull a little bit earlier, but I guess not. As they say, that's how the cookie crumbles...
Speaking of cookies (and crumbles), I got the chance to visit one of my nieces favorite places this past weekend. @mrsbozz and I were over in Mt. Pleasant, MI getting her jewelry inspected and I noticed that right next to the jewelry store was a Crumbl. Being a national chain, I have had their baked goods before down in Ohio, but I've never been in one myself.
I was pretty impressed with how clean and high tech it was. As you can see in the opening photo, they simply have kiosks. They have a fixed number of cookies that are available each day or week (like six to choose from), and then you just place your order and pay on the kiosk.
Then you wait.
Eventually, they give you a box with your delectable treats inside. I know this might not qualify for a true #marketfriday post since it is a national chain, but these cookies are just consistently good. I haven't had one that hasn't been mind blowing.
In this case I did prefer the Oreo one a little more over the peanut butter Butterfinger one, but it's really splitting hairs.
My niece has an app and she gets an alert each time new flavors are announced.
If you have never seen them, these cookies are massive. I took a cue from my sister in law and cut each of them up into four slices. That makes them much more manageable. Plus trust me, your blood sugar will thank you!
Markets
The US markets are looking a little better than they have been in a while. I logged into my account(s) for the first time in quite a while the other day and I noticed that Apple stock has been on a bit of a tear lately.
I also noticed that my portfolio is almost back to the value it was at during that run we had before Covid. Of course it should be much higher than that given the fact that I have been continuously adding to it, but I will take positive movement where I can get it. It will be interesting to see how this next political cycle impacts it.
I typically lean pretty far left, but I might swing my vote this year if I can find a candidate that is pro crypto, but moderate enough to not annoy my sensibilities.
Trust me, I know it is a losing proposition either way, nothing is going to change anytime soon and corporate greed is always going to win out. We have to keep hoping though right?
New Car
Finding a new car for @mrsbozz is proving to be more difficult than I had anticipated. The issue is, they just don't make cars anymore. The majority of the big three automakers have dropped sedans from their lineup unless you are looking at the luxury line of vehicles like Lincoln or Cadillac.
Sure, the foreign companies are still making cars, but as children of GM autoworkers my wife just can't bring herself to buy a foreign car. I'm more open to the idea than she is, but for her, it is a non starter.
That leaves us with few options. Basically if you don't want a truck or an SUV, you are out of luck.
We did look at a used Lincoln sedan, but we found it too small and not as roomy as her Buick Lacrosse. We also looked at a few Cadillac sedans, but those were a bit above our price range and they were all white.
Do Cadillac's only come in white?
Ultimately, we test drove a Buick Envision and she didn't totally hate that, so I think that is what we are going to go with. It has proven difficult finding one with all the options we would like though.
@mrsbozz's old Grand Prix had a sunroof and she absolutely loved it. We compromised with her Lacrosse and got one without a sunroof and she really misses it, so I have decided not to compromise with her next car.
Additionally, they don't seem to make six cylinder engines anymore for cars. Everything is a four cylinder with turbo and at 50 to 70 less horsepower than her current vehicle, I am afraid the driving experience is going to be disappointing.
Time will tell I guess, but right now, it hasn't been as fun of an experience as I was hoping it would be. Not that I consider adding new debt fun, but you gotta do what you gotta do right?
Sports Talk Social - @bozz.sports
toyota is quality
Foreign though, so it's a no go. I'd be open to Honda, but my wife is not.
Great post @bozz.
The XRP court ruling was the biggest news in the crypto verse in the past one week. This partial win has helped the ripple price in attaining a little hike in price($0.4 to $0.7/0.8).
Though, i am not familiar with cars, but i decided to make a research about the Buick Envision. My gosh!!!, that car seems unbelievable. I totally love the shape of the exterior, while the interior is n't looking bad at all🤗.
The problem is we can't find one. We really don't want to buy new, that's just a lot of money. We would like to find a nice used one, but they just aren't out there. That is true about the price of Ripple. I own a little bit, but not enough for the pump to be worth it.
Ohh 😢
Good to see you including some food snaps on your Friday Finance post, I was going to see if you could slip a burger in one of these days. Have you seen the burger white paper btw?
It is hard to know what is going on in the car market, it seems they are not making any cars for their customers anymore! One thing I heard from an insider was that all electro car production has been stopped here as nothing is moving.
I was on the phone to a stakeholder in Arizona last night, she mentioned that it is pretty much summer weather all year round, it's pretty hot. How is it by you?
Arizona has been getting hit really hard with the heat. People are actually dying. I had a burger in my post yesterday. I have some more coming up. No worries there. I haven't seen the burger white paper.
@mrsbozz coming from Europe we drive a lot of foreign cars and trust me most Europeans prefer a car that is not GM ....just saying.
I am glad I sold my XRP and got my investment out while keeping 45% of my bags.....
Damn I have nuts no cookies....cookies and beer don't mix but they are looking awesome
I wouldn't expect any less over there. It's a loyalty thing. Far too many jobs are being shipped out. we need to support our local workers. Quality is negligible at this point. It's more about which economy you choose to support.
Don´t take this the wrong way but that is so US supporting your own economy Dutch really don't care about that they take best price/quality. But I know that Germans and Spanish have it a little but not like the US...but not saying its a bad thing
Why would I take it the wrong way? I'm proud of my country. I understand what you are saying.
I didnt think you would but I can be a little unfiltered and I hate that I then kick some shins by accident. But I also get the support your country part it´s bigger over there than over here I guess
I've noticed the uptick in the stock market these past few weeks too! Although it's been great to see, it's been bittersweet for me since crypto's been relatively stagnant given all the good news in the sector recently. I wonder if it's market suppression by the corporations holding coins now, general investor fears (or a mixture of both)?
The car market is so strange right now. It think many automakers are scrambling to pivot to EVs so it's an odd time of transition. A friend of mine in Arizona has been trying to find a car now for months and hasn't had any luck. Either the prices are too high or he's been underwhelmed by what's out there. He was driven away from American cars and started looking at German brands. I don't know if it would reframe things for your wife or not but I recently came across this list of the "most American" brands/models and, except for Tesla, it wasn't what I expected. The Envision is a great vehicle though, that will be a good choice.
I haven't seen that site but I know brands like Honda are made right in or near Columbus and are probably more American than some other brands. I get where she is coming from though since both our dad's were union auto workers so it's a decision on her part I respect. I'm curious what happens as we get closer to the halving. Even if there is suppression, they might not be able to contain it.
Oh yeah, a few of my friends' parents worked at the plant in Marysville and would commute every day. I think they made Accords back in the day. Hondas are really popular in Central Ohio. I've owned many in my lifetime, including my second favorite car a 1986 Honda CRX.
I feel like those who're suppressing the market right now will want to run the market up as high as possible and take their gigantic profits. It's going to be very wild but it could wreck a lot of smaller investors who don't DCA. They always buy too high (FOMO) then sell too low (FUD).
Yes, I always see a lot of Hondas down there. I think you are right about the people not dca'ing too. So many people buy the top then get rekt.
Never heard of that cookie chain!
As for cars, they are all bland crap...
Good luck hunting!
What kinda investment plan do you on apple stock, is it profitable? Been looking for one to join myself but they're lots of internet scam, dont wanna risk myself
I just bought the stock outright many years ago and I hold it in my Roth IRA.
Ohhh i see, thats dope...
We will be in the US next month so we can try some of your sweet delights. I expect we need to pace ourselves as the portions may be bigger than we are used to.
We just don't see some of those US car brands over here. Most UK ones are foreign owned now and our next car may come from India or China. It's just what is available and affordable. I'm against cars getting bigger though. That is a bad trend. Our next will probably be electric.
Yes, the portions are huge here. If you can find something to share between the two of you that will be your best bet.
Four cylinders suck, no power whatsoever.... But that is what they are forcing them to do to meet emissions and mpg guidelines I guess. Car shopping is rough, but something I'll have to think about soon as well. Sigh...
Corporate greed is here to stay, after all they pay the bribes, wrong word, campaign contributions to all our elected officials. At least the Ripple case went our way, and I'm hoping for a nice upward drift for the near future!
I hope so as well. That turbo they put in the 3500 diesels is pretty legit, but whatever they use in the four cylinders hasn't impressed me thus far.
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I lost you in the shuffle! Sorry about that! I had a 4 cylinder car, meeting all of the guidelines they pushed out. I used it to commute in NYC so, I really didn't need to get anywhere fast... although, I couldn't trade it in fast enough either. I can understand the leaning towards buying American, but, not at the risk of getting something just because it is American. I like to support our country too, but, do I scrutinize everything that goes in my house? I cannot possibly do it. I can do a lot, but, just pick through your house and see how many things you own that are not made here. With such a big-ticket item, do you really want to make concessions?
Just because Crumbl is a chain doesn't disqualify it, I think that they are huge around here. I am pretty sure almost anything can qualify for a #MarketFriday if you try hard enough. :) Dividing that big cookie up into four shares is a great idea. That will work for many big things. They are too much to try to eat at one time. OK, you probably could, but you shouldn't!
My portfolio is doing okay. I am most a day trader, although I have a fair amount invested to hold.
I never noticed that about a Caddy. Not a car that I ever thought about buying, but now you have me curious! Thanks so much for taking us with you, it was a great #MarketFriday!
#MarketFriday began as a way to reach out across the globe and learn about different cultures through their markets, especially local markets and farmers' markets, and eventually branched out and evolved over time from straight shopping to a cultural affair as it highlights how we differ and then again, how much we are alike. We have become a melting pot of culture, but it is still the Rituals, Festivals, food, architecture, and even your language/languages that separate us... Along with the fact that these things are normal for us. There are unwritten rules that rule our social behaviors. I see this as allowing for increased tolerance between cultures and nations, and opportunities to come together on an even playing ground. A strong culture can be beneficial to a country as it promotes unity, especially during a crisis, peaceful debate, and open dialogue. I have learned so much about all of you and it has been an amazing experience. I can only hope that learning about each other can help us work together for a peaceful world.
Thank you for being a part of #MarketFriday
How about a !PIZZA ??
Trust me, I understand what you are saying about the American made thing, but my wife has specific feelings about it and that is not a hill I am willing to die on. The cookies were great, but I would have been bouncing off the walls if I ate a full one!
A smart man, indeed! One should always go with the winning battle. It makes for a good day.
Happy wife = Happy life.
For sure!
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@dswigle(1/5) tipped @bozz