The Energon Pub

[amtm]

A couple years ago, I was having a hard time justifying how much money I knew I would likely end up spending on Transformers. (I began buying them in 2008, starting with Movie Stockade--the first new Transformer I had since the late 1980s when I got Double Dealer for a birthday present.)

So, I decided to buy some Hasbro stock to get some of my money back via the dividends. Not a ton, mind you, but enough that, combining dividends and capital appreciation, it has offset a pretty fair portion of the money I've spent on Transformers in the past two and a half years. Of course it's in a retirement account so I won't be selling it off anytime soon if ever, but anyway.

So, I was wondering:
1. Are any of the other collectors here also shareholders of Hasbro stock?
2. Do any collectors here consider their Transformers toys an investment that they will eventually sell for a profit?
3. What do you intend to do with your collection in the future?

[Random]

This is a very good idea. Your supporting your hobby and yourself in the process. How did you go about getting the stock, I.E. Etrade, or Scottrade? Also, how is it in a retirement account?

I've only gotten stocks through my 401k, so I don't really know all that much about them.

[amtm]

It's in an IRA (individual retirement account). I use Wells Fargo Brokerage, aka WellsTrade. They give you up to 100 free trades per account per year, provided you have a "PMA" checking account with Wells Fargo Bank that is linked to your brokerage account, and at least $25,000 in assets with Wells Fargo. Up to 10% of your mortgage can count toward that balance, so a $250,000 mortgage alone gives you enough "assets" to get the free trades. I have a Roth IRA, rollover IRA (from a previous employer's 401(k) plan), and a taxable account with them, so I get 300 trades every year. I used to use Etrade but the Wells Fargo deal is much better, and Etrade charged me $180 for switching, so I will never go back to them. And it's convenient having my brokerage accounts and mortgage in the same place, though I keep about half of all the money I have at other companies.