Quote:
Originally Posted by carlsonjok
Stock represents fractional ownership in the underlying company and, thus, a claim on the cash flows of the company by way of dividends. Unless you are investing in SPACs, you are investing in companies that sell goods and services and, ideally, make money. Cards don't do any of that. Maybe you make a huge profit when you sell it or maybe you start the next in a long line of "someone got a great deal on that" threads. But, as long as you hold the card, it is no different than that 5-pound bag of sugar in your pantry that you pull out once a year to make Christmas cookies.
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i disagree, Jeff. That's the fiction Wall Street sells. Common stock gives the owner nothing real unless he holds a sufficient % of the issue to demand a board seat. Otherwise, Joe Investor owning 100 shares of Megabig Corp. doesn't hold a claim on jacksquat. Most companies do not pay dividends and the ones that do can terminate them at will. It is basically a bet on increased price, same as a card. The real owners of these companies are their creditors. if the company goes belly up the shareholders are the last to be paid, and usually get nothing for their shares. The only difference between most stocks and cards is that entry and exit are a lot easier with stocks. Now, with all of the different venues for card sales, exiting has never been easier. It still costs a lot more than a stock trade, relatively speaking, and takes longer, but that is consistent with any hard asset investment.