Morning Market Download from Invincible Money

Personal finance + economics + markets

Staying on top of the markets, economics and the global issues that affect your money takes a lot of time and effort. We distill it down to a quick 5 minute read to help you make better money decisions.

Is an Ivy League Education Worth It?Yesterday was Ivy Day - the day applicants find out if they were accepted to their dream Ivy school. This year the most desired Ivy school was not Harvard, but MIT, according to Princeton Review. Acceptance rates at top colleges are around 3% (Harvard) and 4% (MIT).

The cost of an Ivy League education at a school like Yale has risen $10,000 every 4 years, now up to $80,000. Is that for the entire degree? Nope. That's for ONE year! Is it worth it?

Here's a graph showing how much the cost of higher education has increased for the past 50 years:

That graph is nothing but up and to the right. If that was a stock, you'd be thrilled. However, this graph is even more compelling as it shows the cost of higher education vs. inflation:

The cost of college has possibly outpaced even the cost of eggs!

GameStop Goes Back to Its RootsAfter a wild couple of years as a meme stock, GameStop has decided to go back to focusing on its stores and away from the strategy to get into e-commerce, which wasn't working out so well. The move led to its first profit in 2 years and the stock jumped 40%.

Disney Continues to CutAs part of its plan to cut 7,000 jobs, the company laid off 300 employees in Beijing who work on their streaming service, Disney Plus. They also shut down their metaverse division last week. You didn't know they had a metaverse? Well, that's why they shut it down.

Bank Sector Fears WaneTech stocks were up as Wall Streets starts to think the banking crisis is getting resolved. Most tech stocks were up 1-2%.

NASDAQ Now in Bull MarketWhile everyone was freaking out about the banks, the NASDAQ kept chugging and it now in bull market territory and looking to close one of it's best quarters since 2020, up 20% since December.

Lululemon up 12% on positives earnings.

Economy62% of Americans now report living paycheck-to-paycheck, which has led to a large increase in people starting side hustles.

The moratorium on student loan payments will end in the 2nd quarter and 45 million students will have to start repaying their loans.

Tax refunds are down this year compared to last. Reminder, if you get a big tax refund every year, that's not necessarily a good thing. It's not free money. It means you loaned money to the government, interest free, during the year by over paying your taxes.

CryptoXPR is up about 50% in the past 2 weeks on rumors that it could win its case against the SEC which charged that it was sold as an unlicensed security.

Be a Better Investor

Get Smarter

Here are 10 things that an older investor might wish they knew when they were 20:

1. The power of compounding: Starting early and consistently investing can result in significant growth over time.

2. The importance of diversification: Investing in a variety of asset classes can help reduce risk and volatility.

3. The impact of fees: High fees can eat away at investment returns over time, so it's important to pay attention to them.

4. The value of a long-term perspective: Market fluctuations and short-term volatility are normal, but the market tends to rise over the long term.

5. The role of asset allocation: Choosing the right mix of assets based on personal goals and risk tolerance is crucial.

6. The benefits of dollar-cost averaging: Investing a fixed amount on a regular basis can help smooth out the effects of market volatility.

7. The importance of saving for retirement: Starting to save for retirement early and consistently can help ensure a comfortable retirement.

8. The role of taxes: Understanding the tax implications of different investments can help optimize returns.

9. The impact of inflation: Over time, inflation can erode the purchasing power of investments, so it's important to factor it into investment decisions.

10. The value of seeking professional advice: Consulting with a financial advisor or other investment professional can provide valuable guidance and help avoid costly mistakes.

Legal StuffNothing in this newsletter is financial advice. Always do your own research and think for yourself.