Looking for insight on more ways to invest my money to make money on itself (1 Viewer)

[FordPickup92]

Hi all- I currently have a 401k and a Roth both supplied through my employer, and paid into by myself and employer match. My 401k is also 50% invested in stocks. I am not interested in day trading, simply because I do not have the time. I am always looking for more knowledge in the stocks department, as I am majoritarily self taught and manage all my balances myself. Also please note were talking middle class finances, I am not investing massive amounts of cash.
However, I am looking for any advice in other alternatives to investing. I am not interested in purchasing silver, gold or other precious metals. I have 0 knowledge/education in bitcoin/crypto but am open to learning. I have utilized high yield savings accounts before, but am looking for something I can pay into and exchange out as needed, but still see some rate of return.
Also worth noting, I do utilize cash back/rewards cards and have 2 seperate accounts at 2 different credit unions.

Thanks! Brie

Edit: my 401k & Roth are through Fidelity NetBenefits. I am going to inquire with them and utilize whatever free services are available to educate myself more on managing the stocks portion of my 401k
And yes I have an HSA with an interest balance, my HSA is funded both by my employer annually and paycheck deductions every pay period.

Please note the intent of this thread is not to start any arguments about what the best investment method is. I'm aware I can hire someone to do all my investing for me, but I WANT to learn about the options that are out there, and enjoy educating myself. I absolutely do not mind managing my own investments and savings, just seeking friendly conversation and input from fellow members.

 

[arch3r]

I hear poker chips are a good investment.

 

[FordPickup92]

I hear poker chips are a good investment.

While this is true, they do not offer any financial growth when not in use

 

[bigblind]

With your employer 401K match always put in max. Never leave money on the table

 

[Rieguy]

I hear poker chips are a good investment.

 

[JMC9389]

Real advice: sell a grail chip set and open an index fund with S+P 500 companies with the proceeds. Save at least $100/month on top of your IRA/401k's and put it in that index fund. You'll be a millionaire by the time you retire.

 

[springbox]

Max your tax advantaged savings accounts. Until you've hit the cap in your 401k, Roth IRA, and a HSA if you have one, you shouldn't put any in other investments. You can always withdraw your principal from a Roth IRA penalty-free since it's a post-tax contribution, so if you're worried about unexpected expenses max your 401k up to employer matching, then max the Roth IRA, then back to the 401k.

After that I have a HYSA that I essentially consider my emergency savings if I need cash suddenly, and then anything past that goes into a Vanguard brokerage account. Pick a broad market ETF or Mutual Fund (personally I hold VTWAX/VTIAX) and make sure you set it to reinvest dividends. Fidelity is a good Vanguard alternative I hear, I'm sure there are others too.

Bogleheads are a good resource: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Getting_started

 

[ekricket]

If possible max out your HSA every year but don’t use it. Let it grow.

 

[Gus]

Longtime bitcoiner here. If you're interested in socking away some cash for at least 5 years - no temptation to sell despite high volatility - this is an option to consider. It's very much in the 'moonshot' category in my opinion. Either it will be as important as email in due time, or it will fizzle as a silly libertarian experiment. Happy to chat more if you're curious, I've had some and been actively following the space since 2015 and am well versed in the arguments for/against, current challenges, etc.

Exposure is easy to get in a tax advantaged account via ETF wrapped bitcoin, or if non-tax advantaged you can buy directly and hold with a custodian (such as Coinbase) and even take self custody if you're interested in learning how to do all that.

--

One bitcoin adjacent high-yield product is some of the preferred share offerings from Strategy (formerly Microstrategy). They're paying about 10% or 11% annually via dividend yield if I understand correctly. There is of course loss of capital possible in this vehicle via devaluation of the prefs themselves.
https://www.strategy.com/strc
Basically Strategy is selling their prefs, taking that cash, and buying bitcoin with it. Then they have a cash cushion that they're using to pay out dividends. Definitely DYOR, and understand the risks compared to an ordinary high yield FDIC-insured savings account. I am not a holder of any MSTR prefs.

 

[Kam]

I am not qualified to answer, but I quite like the MoneyGuys for their approach. As others have mentioned, if you’re maxed out in other areas, then HSA is a good one:

 

[FordPickup92]

With your employer 401K match always put in max. Never leave money on the table

Already done

 

[FordPickup92]

So I do have an HSA, which also offers it's own investment balance, you must carry $1,000 minimum in the HSA account, anything over that can be invested separately. I haven't been able to hold a high balance in that account this year due to my shoulder injury, unfortunately

 

[FordPickup92]

Longtime bitcoiner here. If you're interested in socking away some cash for at least 5 years - no temptation to sell despite high volatility - this is an option to consider. It's very much in the 'moonshot' category in my opinion. Either it will be as important as email in due time, or it will fizzle as a silly libertarian experiment. Happy to chat more if you're curious, I've had some and been actively following the space since 2015 and am well versed in the arguments for/against, current challenges, etc.

Exposure is easy to get in a tax advantaged account via ETF wrapped bitcoin, or if non-tax advantaged you can buy directly and hold with a custodian (such as Coinbase) and even take self custody if you're interested in learning how to do all that.

--

One bitcoin adjacent high-yield product is some of the preferred share offerings from Strategy (formerly Microstrategy). They're paying about 10% or 11% annually via dividend yield if I understand correctly. There is of course loss of capital possible in this vehicle via devaluation of the prefs themselves.
https://www.strategy.com/strc
Basically Strategy is selling their prefs, taking that cash, and buying bitcoin with it. Then they have a cash cushion that they're using to pay out dividends. Definitely DYOR, and understand the risks compared to an ordinary high yield FDIC-insured savings account. I am not a holder of any MSTR prefs.

Hi @Gus, yes I would be interested in learning more. Some of this is above and beyond what I know and understand

 

[Gus]

There's a handful of different entry points to grokking bitcoin. Everyone has a different interest, and will usually find educational material horribly boring if it's not the right fit. Here's a couple entry points:

-Tech adoption curves (s curve), network growth (like growth of email usage or Facebook)
-zero-to-one innovation: the creation of a new thing (form of money), with different attributes than existing things (current forms of money), and the growth of a parallel system that doesn't replace an existing system, but rather complements it (email has not eliminated snail mail, both have their strenghts)
-non-state money/value. Broadly the history of money, currency, stores of value, etc over time. Why the world converged on Gold, and how national currencies play into this, global reserve currencies (and how they change over time)
-software/cryptography... investigating how this system functions and self perpetuates, the challenges of creating it, how it differs from other 'cryptos' etc...
-the role of the state in managing economies, setting interest rates, attempting to manage capitalism, etc... and how that impacts markets, asset prices, inflation, etc

If you enjoy audiobooks/podcasts, this is a like a 10-part series of Michael Saylor talking with Robert Breedlove about the history of civilization and the role of money/value. Both of these guys have their issues, but this series I find is the most approachable for most newbies. If you hate it after 15 minutes turn it off, but lots of people get sucked in and don't realize they've been nodding along for a couple hours

The internet is fundamentally the opening of information to the entire world, anyone with a smartphone has access to PCF, wikipedia, etc... A big change from the pre-internet era. Bitcoin is simply a layer on top of the internet that can facilitate financial services, most simply a savings account. We Americans have generally great access to financial services (30-year mortgages, tax advantaged accounts, credit cards with rewards, etc...) so it's not particularly exciting to learn you can get a new internet-money savings account... but the internet sucked for a long time, was way worse than the library, and email was useless until everyone you knew had email... So right now we're very early in bitcoin, it's like the equivalent of the early 1990's of the internet... so it seems pretty silly.

The investment hypothesis is therefore: bitcoin may grow to be as significant as email, or other fundamental parts of the internet. If this comes to pass over the coming decade+, it will be tremendously valuable. If it doesn't (for many possible reasons), it'll probably fade into general irrelevance.

Some people need to own some bitcoin before they'll learn about it, whether that's $5 or $100. Others love diving into the abstraction. And a few people I've given a short pitch to like this have simply said "ok" and bought a couple bitcoin in their brokerage account.

General disclosure: bitcoin is broadly in the bucket of 'crypto' but has significant differences that in my opinion make it superior. This is another rabbit hole, a fun one if you're into such things.

Uh oh I'm rambling... feel free to ask any questions here or DM me, I'll try to point you to concrete resources that match your interests

 

[doublebooyah85]

Why ask for investment help and also say what you are not willing to do? Silver gold and btc all have performed extremely well longterm why disregard that lol

Hire a financial advisor / planner. I wouldn’t rely or trust the PCF masses.

 

[FordPickup92]

Why ask for investment help and also say what you are not willing to do? Silver gold and btc all have performed extremely well longterm why disregard that lol

Hire a financial advisor / planner. I wouldn’t rely or trust the PCF masses.

I'm 100% open to crypto or bitcoin. I merely don't have time to follow day trading. But that doesn't mean I am against it. I am open to silver and gold, but not looking to make that a primary investment source. I would like to invest in some other options first, and then when I have all debt cleared and more abundant income I can look to invest in more opportunities.
Edit: and I have considered hiring someone to assist me with managing my investments and expenses, but I've been able to manage things on my own just fine so far. Once I hit a significant amount of cash invested I will deem that above and beyond my capabilities

 

[FordPickup92]

There's a handful of different entry points to grokking bitcoin. Everyone has a different interest, and will usually find educational material horribly boring if it's not the right fit. Here's a couple entry points:

-Tech adoption curves (s curve), network growth (like growth of email usage or Facebook)
-zero-to-one innovation: the creation of a new thing (form of money), with different attributes than existing things (current forms of money), and the growth of a parallel system that doesn't replace an existing system, but rather complements it (email has not eliminated snail mail, both have their strenghts)
-non-state money/value. Broadly the history of money, currency, stores of value, etc over time. Why the world converged on Gold, and how national currencies play into this, global reserve currencies (and how they change over time)
-software/cryptography... investigating how this system functions and self perpetuates, the challenges of creating it, how it differs from other 'cryptos' etc...
-the role of the state in managing economies, setting interest rates, attempting to manage capitalism, etc... and how that impacts markets, asset prices, inflation, etc

If you enjoy audiobooks/podcasts, this is a like a 10-part series of Michael Saylor talking with Robert Breedlove about the history of civilization and the role of money/value. Both of these guys have their issues, but this series I find is the most approachable for most newbies. If you hate it after 15 minutes turn it off, but lots of people get sucked in and don't realize they've been nodding along for a couple hours

The internet is fundamentally the opening of information to the entire world, anyone with a smartphone has access to PCF, wikipedia, etc... A big change from the pre-internet era. Bitcoin is simply a layer on top of the internet that can facilitate financial services, most simply a savings account. We Americans have generally great access to financial services (30-year mortgages, tax advantaged accounts, credit cards with rewards, etc...) so it's not particularly exciting to learn you can get a new internet-money savings account... but the internet sucked for a long time, was way worse than the library, and email was useless until everyone you knew had email... So right now we're very early in bitcoin, it's like the equivalent of the early 1990's of the internet... so it seems pretty silly.

The investment hypothesis is therefore: bitcoin may grow to be as significant as email, or other fundamental parts of the internet. If this comes to pass over the coming decade+, it will be tremendously valuable. If it doesn't (for many possible reasons), it'll probably fade into general irrelevance.

Some people need to own some bitcoin before they'll learn about it, whether that's $5 or $100. Others love diving into the abstraction. And a few people I've given a short pitch to like this have simply said "ok" and bought a couple bitcoin in their brokerage account.

General disclosure: bitcoin is broadly in the bucket of 'crypto' but has significant differences that in my opinion make it superior. This is another rabbit hole, a fun one if you're into such things.

Uh oh I'm rambling... feel free to ask any questions here or DM me, I'll try to point you to concrete resources that match your interests

Thank you! I will mull over this for a bit and reach back out!

 

[FordPickup92]

Real advice: sell a grail chip set and open an index fund with S+P 500 companies with the proceeds. Save at least $100/month on top of your IRA/401k's and put it in that index fund. You'll be a millionaire by the time you retire.

I did a small read on this and have interest, thank you for the suggestion

 

[RadicusScout]

I've used and recommended this guide from r/personalfinance. I think it's pretty sound and it looks like you're already tracking to most if not all of this.

You asked for investing ideas. I think this guide is also interesting and informative.

 

[Kam]

Why ask for investment help and also say what you are not willing to do? Silver gold and btc all have performed extremely well longterm why disregard that lol

Hire a financial advisor / planner. I wouldn’t rely or trust the PCF masses.

How dare you, I’ve watched countless hours of youtube of financial advice. And… also trying to find an advisor.

OP if you go with this advice which is 100% the best, just go in with eyes wide open.

Recommend you look for two things: certified fiduciary so that they act in your best interest (and not trying to make commission selling you stuff) and ideally in a ‘one time’ fee based approach. What I’ve found since I’ve been looking recently is a lot of advisors are ‘Assets Under Managment’, so they take a % cut of all your investments every year. That can end up being pretty significant over the years and might not be worth it.

GL!

 

[Gus]

Marc Andressen's 2014 "why bitcoin matters" essay. One of the biggest VCs of all time talking simply about why this tech might change the world, long before almost anyone had heard of it
https://a16z.com/why-bitcoin-matters/

Great friendly intro, explains any aspect you want in a very helpful way (what is mining? how do wallets work?...)
https://learnmeabitcoin.com/

General resources, well vetted
https://bitcoiner.guide/

Lyn Alden's book "Broken Money" which isn't explicitly about bitcoin, but lays out her understanding of the global financial system and how bitcoin may fit into it eventually
https://www.lynalden.com/broken-money/

2020-era bitcoin podcast "What Bitcoin Did" in my opinion the best interview show... this is a bunch of their episodes specifically aimed at folks new to the space:

 

[FordPickup92]

What I’ve found since I’ve been looking recently is a lot of advisors are ‘Assets Under Managment’, so they take a % cut of all your investments every year. That can end up being pretty significant over the years and might not be worth it.

This has been a large proponent of why I have self educated as much as possible. No expert by any means, and still very young. So the more I can learn early the better

 

[Sap]

Here is what I use as a framework:

1) Prioritize high‑interest debt​

• Any debt with interest above 5% should be paid down aggressively.

2) Build a 3‑month emergency fund​

• Keep this in a savings or high‑yield savings account.
• Enough to cover three months of expenses.

3) Maximize retirement contributions (based on age)​

• For 2026, the combined contribution limit for 401(k) + Roth 401(k) is $24,500.
• If you’re 50+, you can add a $8,000 catch‑up, for a total of $32,500.
• If you’re 60–63, the catch‑up increases to $11,250, for a total of $35,750.
• At minimum, contribute enough to get your employer match (usually 3–5%). Anything beyond that is optional but beneficial if you can afford it.

4) After covering the basics, invest in the stock market​

• For a simple, low‑maintenance approach, broad‑market ETFs or mutual funds work well.
• If you want to be more passive you can:
  
  • Put everything into a single ETF like VOO (tracks the S&P 500), or
  • Add some diversification, 75% VOO / 25% international ETF.
• If you want to be more hands‑on, you can pick individual stocks you believe in. This can be enjoyable but requires more research and carries more risk.

Also, personally, I’d avoid crypto entirely. It’s volatile, speculative, and far riskier than traditional stock‑market investing. Others have seen good experiences but it's just not for me.

Also for clarity, I'm 29, with nearly $350,000 in student loan debt (between my fiancee and I). Not exposed to the stock market at all sadly except for 401ks and Roth IRA.

 

[Boother36]

If you like pod casts, or videos, check out Suze Orman. She has great advice on investing and planning for retirement. Including setting up will/trust/POA's etc. She preaches the concepts of: paying down debt, living within your means, investing for the long haul, having a emergency fund, etc. All good, logical, sound principles to guide you financially. Plus, she is HUGE on women taking repsoniblity for their own futures and not being intimidated or affraid of the financial world!

 

[raynmanas]

I second the reddit.com/r/personalfinance suggestion - some very solid general advice in their guide.

If you want "set it and forget it" just put your entire 401k into a target date fund. A lot of people like to do a target date later than their actual planned date in order to be a bit more aggressive. Those come with management fees though, so if you want to avoid those and self-manage, you might also consider looking into a simple three-fund portfolio that you can manage and re-balance yourself as needed. See https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio.

my 401k & Roth are through Fidelity NetBenefits

Finally, I know you said you don't want to be a "day trader" but if you want to dip your toes a little bit into individual stocks, you can see if your Fidelity account offers access to BrokerageLink - you can split off some of your 401k balance to fund a brokerage account within your 401k, and trade stocks like any regular brokerage account (except you don't pay capital gains taxes on sales, and you can't touch it until retirement just like the rest of your 401k). You could also buy into Bitcoin ETFs within this account if you decide you want some crypto exposure without fully learning those ropes. I split off 10% of my balance into BrokerageLink almost 20 years ago, and have used it as my "play" account within my retirement funds, but at this point it is mostly long-term holds anyway.

 

[FordPickup92]

Marc Andressen's 2014 "why bitcoin matters" essay. One of the biggest VCs of all time talking simply about why this tech might change the world, long before almost anyone had heard of it
https://a16z.com/why-bitcoin-matters/

Great friendly intro, explains any aspect you want in a very helpful way (what is mining? how do wallets work?...)
https://learnmeabitcoin.com/

General resources, well vetted
https://bitcoiner.guide/

Lyn Alden's book "Broken Money" which isn't explicitly about bitcoin, but lays out her understanding of the global financial system and how bitcoin may fit into it eventually
https://www.lynalden.com/broken-money/

2020-era bitcoin podcast "What Bitcoin Did" in my opinion the best interview show... this is a bunch of their episodes specifically aimed at folks new to the space:

Solid. Thank you

 

[FordPickup92]

I second the reddit.com/r/personalfinance suggestion - some very solid general advice in their guide.

If you want "set it and forget it" just put your entire 401k into a target date fund. A lot of people like to do a target date later than their actual planned date in order to be a bit more aggressive. Those come with management fees though, so if you want to avoid those and self-manage, you could also consider a simple three fund portfolio that you can manage and re-balance yourself as needed. See https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio.



Finally, I know you said you don't want to be a "day trader" but if you want to dip your toes a little bit into individual stocks, you can see if your Fidelity account offers access to BrokerageLink - you can split off some of your 401k balance to fund a brokerage account within your 401k, and trade stocks like any regular brokerage account (except you don't pay capital gains taxes on sales, and you can't touch it until retirement just like the rest of your 401k). I split off 10% of my balance into that almost 20 years ago and have used it as my "play" account within my retirement funds, but at this point it is mostly long-term holds anyway.

Super! Good to know. I definitely want to follow up with Fidelity on this

 

[MatB]

Index funds for life!

 

[BNM]

This has been a large proponent of why I have self educated as much as possible. No expert by any means, and still very young. So the more I can learn early the better

How young? I ask because your OP said you were only 50% in stocks. Is the rest in cash, bonds, CDs? If you’re nowhere near retirement, you’re missing out on the probability of substantial wealth gains by not having 100%, or nearly 100%, exposure to equities in your 401k at a young age.

If the answer is you’re not comfortable with that level of exposure to equities (aka, that level of risk), then avoiding Crypto currencies would seem wise, as they are incredibly speculative and risky and the time you spent learning about them could be redirected.

Also, if you’re unaware, and just piling money into an S&P 500 index fund, it is likely market weighted, which means you are buying a disproportionate amount of the biggest companies (mag 7, etc.) which doesn’t give you quite the diversified holdings you might think you have. Great if those big names keep exploding up, bad if those names take an inevitable dump.

Hopefully @DrStrange will chime in, as he is a very steady hand, but use this forum only to get links or ideas. Generally when PCF-ers (duffer investors) are talking about a specific investment, it’s a sign that everyone knows about it and it’s usually played out so the top is in or close and the end is nigh. I include myself in this.

 

[ChipMonster]

Here is what I use as a framework:

1) Prioritize high‑interest debt​

• Any debt with interest above 5% should be paid down aggressively.

2) Build a 3‑month emergency fund​

• Keep this in a savings or high‑yield savings account.
• Enough to cover three months of expenses.

3) Maximize retirement contributions (based on age)​

• For 2026, the combined contribution limit for 401(k) + Roth 401(k) is $24,500.
• If you’re 50+, you can add a $8,000 catch‑up, for a total of $32,500.
• If you’re 60–63, the catch‑up increases to $11,250, for a total of $35,750.
• At minimum, contribute enough to get your employer match (usually 3–5%). Anything beyond that is optional but beneficial if you can afford it.

4) After covering the basics, invest in the stock market​

• For a simple, low‑maintenance approach, broad‑market ETFs or mutual funds work well.
  • Put everything into a single ETF like VOO (tracks the S&P 500), or
  • Add some diversification, 75% VOO / 25% international ETF.
• If you want to be more hands‑on, you can pick individual stocks you believe in. This can be enjoyable but requires more research and carries more risk.

Also, personally, I’d avoid crypto entirely. It’s volatile, speculative, and far riskier than traditional stock‑market investing. Others have seen good experiences but it's just not for me.

Also for clarity, I'm 29, with nearly $350,000 in student loan debt (between my fiancee and I). Not exposed to the stock market at all sadly except for 401ks and Roth IRA.

This is the way. Unless someone is already very wealthy and has enough excess capital to divert a small percent of net worth to speculative investments.