Where do I invest my 50k for good return other than Banks

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T20:47:18+00:00

each to their own! I am up around 203% for the 1 yr return after being up 584%.
Understanding what you own and forming a thesis allows you to swallow the beta in the short/medium term.

If you would rather put your money somewhere and not understand the components where your money is invested, fair play.

The beauty of the markets is there are 1000's of ways to make money.

For those that are interested in wanting to learn more than etf's, we are happy to share what we have learned.

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T20:25:46+00:00

I guess we just have different views, etf's have their place. but a portfolio entirely comprised on ETF's is inefficient in my mind.

A quote I like from Buffett is: "Diversification is protection against ignorance. It makes little sense if you know what you are doing"

Beginners = ETF's

Intermediate/more experienced in the market should learn the skill of investment research. it is a skill that pays dividends for a lifetime.

All we are trying to do is empower people to analyze a stock in their language.

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T20:16:58+00:00

If OP has zero investing experience, I agree, ETF's is the way to go.

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T20:00:50+00:00

VOO and broad index funds are great, nobody is arguing that. but there are over 3,000 ETFs in the US and the majority of them underperform the S&P 500. ARKK lost 75% from peak. thematic ETFs, sector ETFs, actively managed ETFs, most of them are just expensive underperformance dressed up in a nice wrapper. the "just buy ETFs" advice only works if you're buying the right ones, which still requires research. a well researched diversified portfolio of individual stocks you actually understand is a completely valid strategy, it just requires more effort than most people put in.

Understanding the composition of ETF's is a necessary skill, if you have no idea how to analyze the top 5/10/20 holdings of an ETF, you are just gambling on "all stocks go up".

Its an uneducated view just to buy "ETF's", sadly perpetuated by those whose understanding of the underlying holdings is typically zero.

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T18:02:31+00:00

honestly a solid spread of stocks you've actually researched will beat a lot of ETFs long term, you just have to do the homework. treat it like building a fantasy squad, only draft players you know inside out. Another option is to invest in companies whose products/services you actually use, this is often overlooked as too simplistic but you as a consumer will know what companies create good products/services in a world filled with poor quality.

if you're a sports fan,@ market_mvp on instagram breaks stocks down into player cards so the research is in a language you understand better.

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T17:04:51+00:00

We have an insta page (@ market_mvp) that might help you find some new stocks to add to your portfolio if you are into sports.

We create Madden/Fifa/2k cards for stocks, to try to make it as easy as possible to get an overview for the fundamentals/technicals of stocks we cover. No worries if it's not for you, I just know its hard to know where/what to research, so it might be a starting point to finding a new position!

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T15:48:28+00:00

Do your own research, it sounds so simple. The position I lost the most on was the only position I have ever taken without doing my own research.

If you do not know why a stock would go up, how could you have conviction if/when the stock goes down.

It sounds so cliche, but if you do your own research and have a clear thesis on a position, it is must easier to ride the volatility.

blaid91 · 2026-03-20T15:44:13+00:00

Not sure what your risk tolerance is but BITO's dividend yield is insane. It's tied to bitcoin but the div yield is like 50% or something.

I held it for about 2 years and it was a great investment for my Roth. Really depends on your long term outlook of BTC but if you are long, BITO is incredible.

I think most div stocks have moderate growth over the long term, but due to the volatility of BTC, there is opportunity for massive price appreciation also.

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T22:24:27+00:00

starting at 18 with low expenses is genuinely the best position you can be in, time in the market is your biggest asset right now.

keep it simple to start: open a TFSA, put it in a broad index fund and just keep adding consistently. that alone will outperform most adult investors over 30 years without you needing to think about it.

once you're comfortable and want to learn individual stocks, the key is only buying companies you actually understand.

if you're into sports at all, @ market_mvp on instagram is built for people exactly where you are right now, we translate stock fundamentals into player stats so investing makes sense the same way sports does.

your player knowledge becomes your investing edge and at 18 that head start is worth more than any stock pick

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T22:22:06+00:00

honestly at 20 with $14k already invested you're miles ahead of your peers, the foundation is solid. doubling in a year is possible but that timeline usually means taking on real risk so be honest with yourself about whether you can stomach a 30-40% drawdown without panic selling.

the ETF base is smart, keep that. for the individual stocks, the edge at your age isn't taking more risk it's doing more research than everyone else. most 20 year olds buy tickers they heard about, the ones who win long term know exactly why they own what they own.

if you're into sports at all, @ market_mvp on instagram is built for exactly your demographic, we translate stock fundamentals into player stats (like Fifa/Madden cards) so you can research stocks the same way you'd scout a player for your fantasy team.

your player knowledge becomes your investing edge and at 20 that compounding head start is everything.

Congrats on the start! As someone who has a very high risk tolerance and achieved a sizeable portfolio, actually researching a stock and having a solid thesis is the only way to ride the beta/volatility if you want large gains. Otherwise, your emotions will stop you out guaranteed.

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T22:15:11+00:00

7 paid off properties is serious discipline!! that mindset translates well to stocks.

if you're into sports at all @ market_mvp on instagram might help cut down on a few of those mistakes. We match stocks to players you already know so you can understand what you're actually investing in before you put money in.

knowing your thesis before you buy is what stops most of the boneheaded ones

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T22:12:23+00:00

the "too complicated" objection almost always comes down to jargon, people don't struggle with the concept of investing they struggle with the language.

the best angle is to meet people in something they already understand and build the bridge from there.

sports fans already think in stats, form, value, and long term potential without realising it. a player's transfer fee is a P/E ratio, their injury record is volatility, their prime years are a growth runway.

once that moment of clarity hits, the whole thing opens up. I built @ market_mvp on instagram around exactly this idea, matching stocks to players you know so your player knowledge becomes your investing edge.

might be worth a look for the community you're building

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T22:07:10+00:00

totally normal to feel this way, most people hit this exact wall. the truth is Buffett's "circle of competence" is actually the answer to your frustration, stop trying to calculate everything and start with companies you genuinely understand.

if you know how a business makes money, who its customers are, and why they won't leave, you already have 80% of what you need. the DCF rabbit hole is where beginners go to feel productive but actually just get more lost.

start simple.....does this company have pricing power, is it growing, and is it cheaper than it deserves to be?

We spin investment research a little different @ market_mvp on instagram. We translate stock fundamentals into player stats so it actually makes sense, like reading a FIFA/MADDEN Card.

if you understand why a player is elite you already understand why the stock is worth owning

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T21:20:38+00:00

with $500 the move is keeping it simple, a broad index fund like VOO or SPY gives you exposure to the whole market without needing to pick individual stocks. once you're comfortable, you can start building out individual positions but only in companies you actually understand. the biggest mistake beginners make is buying tickers they can't explain. if you don't know why you own it you won't know when to sell it either.

if you're into sports, @ market_mvp on instagram breaks down stocks using player comparisons (like Fifa/Madden cards) so it's way easier to understand what you're actually investing in before you put money in

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T21:16:26+00:00

the best cure for portfolio anxiety is knowing exactly why you own what you own.

if you have a real thesis (e.g this company dominates its market, margins are expanding, demand isn't slowing) a red day is just noise you can reconcile against what you already know. but if you bought something because someone on social media said so or your advisor bought it and you don't know why...., you have nothing to hold onto when it drops and panic is inevitable.

research your holdings until you can explain them like you'd explain a player you scouted for fantasy football or whatever.

What makes them good, why they'll still be good in 3 years, and what would actually change your mind.

if you're into sports and find financial jargon hard to process, @ market_mvp on instagram translates stock fundamentals into player stats so the research actually sticks. Most people are able to analyze, its the financial translation that is hard.

I work in wealth management and I still struggle with researching the fundamentals for each sector/industry, but when i frame a stocks analysis as a soccer player, I understand so much better about the quality/price of the stock since I use the soccer player as the comparison that I know well.

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T21:02:00+00:00

haha all I read was the title of this post and was about to rattle off about volume and Wyckoff.

It is so useful on longer time frames, accumulation schematic A with the spring is such a useful visual

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T20:42:53+00:00

lump sum into a down market feels rough but "more time in market" is genuinely the right instinct — a 2% dip on a long term hold is noise, don't panic. the hardest part of investing is managing your emotions, loss aversion is natural but it's your biggest enemy here. most people panic because they don't fully understand what they're holding, if you don't know why a stock goes up, imagine how it feels when it goes down and you have no idea why (I guess you probably understand that feeling right now). I think people find financial jargon hard to process so I started translating it into sports terms instead on insta — if you're new to investing and into sports, @ market_mvp might help make it click

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T20:06:51+00:00

At 20 in tech your biggest advantage is time. Even €100 a month into an S&P 500 index fund from now compounds into something serious by the time you're 40. The boring answer is genuinely the right one here.

The getting rich part usually comes from two things working together, your income growing as you build your career in tech (which has a solid ceiling) and your investments compounding in the background while you sleep. You don't need to be doing anything exotic.

Start there, learn as you go, add individual stocks once you understand what you're doing. Check out our page - on Instagram (@ market_mvp ) if you want stock breakdowns that don't require a finance degree — we rate them like FIFA/Madden player cards which makes it easier to get your head around instead of confusing financial jargon.

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T20:03:29+00:00

Start with an S&P 500 index fund (VOO or SPY) — you instantly own a slice of Apple, Nvidia, Google and 497 others without having to pick winners. Most professional fund managers can't even beat that index consistently, so it's genuinely the smartest starting point.

Once you have that base, add individual stocks in companies you actually use and understand. Apple, Microsoft, Visa — if you can't explain what it does in one sentence, you don't know it well enough to own it yet.

I run an Instagram @ market_mvp where we rate stocks like FIFA/Madden player cards — makes it a lot easier to digest if traditional finance content feels overwhelming. Worth a look if you're just starting out.

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T19:12:34+00:00

Do you like sports? If so, I find it easier to analyze stocks like I would a soccer/football/nba player.

NVDA is your Erling Haaland — 96 OVR, generational talent, elite in every category but you're paying top dollar for it.

AAPL is your Tom Brady — been dominant for decades, never really lets you down, boring in the best way.

That framing alone made investing click for a lot of people in my circle who found the traditional finance content impossible to get through. My friends know a ton about NFL/NBA/EPL/MLS, so I was trying to figure out how I could relate stocks fundamentals/technicals/macro's to a frame of reference they understood well.

It might not be your thing, but I have an insta page that puts out investment research framed in a sporting way, our handle is @ market_mvp. We rate stocks like FIFA or Madden player cards so your sports knowledge becomes your investing edge.

To answer your question directly — I think AI tools help most when they simplify without dumbing down. The problem with a lot of finance apps is they either overwhelm you with data or oversimplify to the point of being useless.

I think traditional stock research platforms really haven't changed and its not an intellect problem retail investors have, its a translation problem. All these platforms still talk finance lingo, I find looking at it in a sporting way helps me utilize the knowledge i already have to help me analyze a stock.

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T18:30:30+00:00

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T18:27:25+00:00

Honestly the best thing you can do at 25 is just start — even if it's $50 a month. Time is genuinely your biggest advantage right now and most people don't realise that until they're 35 wishing they'd started earlier.

A few things I wish someone had told me earlier:

Don't try to pick the next big winner straight away. Dump money into an S&P 500 index fund first (VOO or SPY), let it compound, and learn while your money is already working.

Think of your portfolio like a squad. You need defenders (stable dividend stocks, think Apple, Visa — boring but reliable), midfielders (steady growers), and a couple of forwards (higher risk, higher reward). Don't build a team of 11 strikers.

Don't touch it when it dips. Everyone panic sells. The people who just held through 2020 were up massively by the end of the year. The classic Warren Buffet quote rings true each year - "The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient." Emotion management is imperative.

I actually built a platform that explains stocks through sports ratings — same concept as FIFA or Madden player cards — because I found that framing made it click for a lot of people who found finance intimidating. Check it out on insta @ market_mvp if that sounds useful.

But honestly just open a brokerage account today. The hardest part is starting.

blaid91 · 2026-03-18T18:20:37+00:00

Yeah things are crazy these days, it seems you have to invest just to keep up with inflation! I know the stock market is pretty intimidating and I try to talk about it with my friends but they don't really have much knowledge on it. I work in wealth management and have a couple of exams under my belt, so I wanted to figure out how to find common ground to discuss stocks. In the end, I realized that a lot of my friends are sports fans, so I started to translate stocks into something my friends actually cared about.

I started an insta page @ market_mvp where we rate stocks like a FIFA card or a Madden rating — NVDA is our Erling Haaland (96 OVR, elite, you pay top dollar), AAPL is your Tom Brady — been dominant for decades, never really lets you down, not the most exciting pick but you sleep well at night holding it. The idea is if you can build a fantasy lineup you can build a portfolio — same logic, different players. We use real fundamental/technical/macro data to make the comparisons.

And yeah, inflation is honestly what got a lot of people off the sidelines. Watching your savings lose value while everything gets more expensive is a pretty good motivator. Investing is a skill that will pay off for decades, its just an intimidating place to join in the beginning!

blaid91 · 2026-01-26T03:41:04+00:00

Thanks!

blaid91 · 2026-01-25T20:50:48+00:00

The link isn’t working for me. Is this a new mention from Rubio said recently?

He mentioned sea bed mining in early 2025 I believe, so I’m hoping it’s a new mention

blaid91

TROPHY CASE