D.J.

Comments

• Well said, Mark. We faced a costly repair with a Honda at around 100,000 miles. It turned out to be chump change. We drove it to almost 200,000 miles and still attracted top dollar when we finally sold it. We also didn't fret about parking lot dings and scratches like we would've on a newer car!

  Post: Tempted by the Shiny and New: Another HD Car Post

  Link to comment from July 3, 2026

• Hi Randy. Dividend reinvestment is quite a theme here in the comments. IBM, too. It sounds like that stock has been good to you.

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 30, 2026

• Thanks, Ed. I hope the rest of your hygienist’s portfolio at least moderated her loss on that one stock. She was fortunate to have you break that news. Having read your writing on here for years, I’ve always appreciated your thoughtful, evenhanded way of stating things.

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 30, 2026

• Ricardo, your post reminded me of an economics professor I had years ago. He was from India and described how his country was shifting from producing English majors to producing engineers. His view of art in an economics context was that, however inspiring it may be: "You can't eat it." Perhaps one way people distinguish stocks from art is that stocks ultimately represent ownership in businesses that create goods and services, hire people, generate earnings, and can return cash to shareholders. But maybe it's time for a shift in perception. After all, artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé do much of the above when they go out on tour. Thanks for reminding us that art offers its own return.

  Post: Mr Market visits Art Basel

  Link to comment from June 29, 2026

• Those reinvested dividends do make for an interesting dynamic, Dick. On another note, your mention of the Enron fiasco is worth highlighting. And they weren't the only reason to be wary of employee stock in the early 2000s. Scandals at WorldCom, Tyco, Global Crossing and others that led to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 29, 2026

• Thanks, Dan. It's stories like your client's stock windfall that dreams are made of. It recalls those newly minted SpaceX employee millionaires.

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 29, 2026

• Great point. “When” rather than “if.” Memento mori. You have a happy 4th, too, William.

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 29, 2026

• It sounds like we are very much of the same mind in this regard. The headspace factor is real.

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 29, 2026

• Neat story, Mark. It’s fun to savor those gains on paper, isn’t it? That zero cost basis is pretty hard to beat but the tax reality is something to consider.

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 29, 2026

• Jeff, like Mark Crothers, below, you opted for dividend reinvestment. The stock I owned was pure growth. No dividend. I wonder how that might have affected my perspective on individual stocks. Would it make me more likely to keep the shares, or would I have never bought them to begin with in a taxable account? 

  Post: Independence Day

  Link to comment from June 29, 2026