Is investing wrong?

[Guest guest]

Hi, I want to save for retirement through 401k, Roth IRA, and stocks. Also to save for my child's college expenses.

 

Is investing considered to be gambling? Should I refrain?

[Guest guest]

If you want to help your daughter or son's education. I dont think it's wrong.

 

As long as you do not have the selfish desire of making money, know your limitations and contended, I think its fine.

 

Its better you wait and listen to what others say in this forum.

[Vanguard 0]

Investing is not gambling, but ultimately, it depends on the mood of your activities. Day trading might be considered a form of gambling, but regular investments? Nah.

[gopidust 0]

Is it wrong to give 100% of our laxmi to our families? To hoard it for our future at risk of loss? To go to college instead of joining a temple after high school so we can make more money for ourselves and STILL not to give any laxmi to spreading Krishna consciousness?

Yes it is wrong! Especially if our beloved children turn out to be meat-eating karmis! /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Guest guest]

you're simply offensive... you do not know anything about our friend but you give to him some imaginary faults and you heavily insult

 

if he has a krsna conscious family he's already spreading krsna consciousness even if he send his sons to university

 

better if you ask for forgiveness, also eating meat is better of offending and giving a bad image of krsna's devotees

[Vanguard 0]

Nobody said anything about not giving anything to the temple or to Krsna consciousness. However, if one is to have children, you can't expect them to subsist solely on food and bread. They need to be educated, whether if they want to make families of their own, or preach full time.

 

“Regarding Srinivasa Svarupa it is very pleasing to hear that this Indian boy wants to surrender his whole life to Krishna. There is no harm if he finishes college and gets his degree. If possible, he can live in the temple and attend the university daily. At any rate, he should carefully follow all the regulative principles and associate with his fellow devotees as much as possible. The university is well known for demonic association, but if he is able to keep up his devotional practices and protect the creeper of devotional service, then he may complete his degree. I think there is more advantage in Bir Krishna remaining fully engaged in his temple duties than in going back to college. What would be the practical benefit of such degree?”

 

Srila Prabhupada letter to Bhakta Das, April 13, 1974 (Bombay)

 

“So far as your course at the Temple University is concerned, [Ravindra Swarupa was studying for his Ph.D. at Temple University] that is the best platform for introducing our philosophy to the serious persons. And if they become sincere to learn the highest topics of subject matter or transcendental knowledge from us, that will be the perfection of their education. If you must read some other books of philosophers, even they are Mayavadis, as a sideline we can speak about them as comparative study. Otherwise our main aim is to study and preach Bhagavad-Gita and Lord Caitanya. Our purpose is to teach our own philosophy. Do not lose sight of that purpose or become distracted by other things. I have also made one book about other philosophies of your western philosophers, but I did not make compromise.”

 

Srila Prabhupada Letter to Ravinda Swarupa das

[gopidust 0]

I wasn't offending anybody or accusing them I was just trying to give the other side of the argument that nobody else was giving. But I apologise anyway in case the devotee took it personally.

All I was saying is everybody else seemed to say it was great to not give anything to Krishna and spend it on your family and invest it instead. What happened to giving 50% to spreading Krishna Consciousness if we have that much money?

[Guest guest]

That is the question, and even people of society sometimes will by a so called "moral stock fund" that is specific for your conserns.

 

I do not buy any stock fund that supports things like Mc Donalds etc., I have bought some in banking though and feel for me it is better than supporting the killing of Cows.

[Guest guest]

Haribol. Do you know how the back uses your investment? They give loans to entrepaneurs (sp) so they can go start a small hamburger stand. So, "bank" investments mean you support the "insight" of the bank, which is rather risky, spiritually, dont ya think?

 

I dont but that "give it to the temple" stuff, because whos to say a devotee household is not doing much more devotional service with 100% of the funds, while a temple may be quite wasteful. Srila Prabhupada was a finance person, and did not approve of anyone investing in wasteful endeavors, so maybe the devotee householder should use alll their funds in their family preaching work.

 

So, using money to make money is the activity of the vaisya, a member of varna-sarama dharma. Karma yoga is bhakti yoga, according to purports to bhagavad gita, karma yoga is recommended for the householder. But dont give your money to banks, find a profit making farm endeavor, how about investing in alternate energy. (If you do, and make a bundle, Ill only ask for 1/10 of 1%, but make sure I get what is fair.) Lightweight Batteries and solar panels are soon going to be a fact of life, and banks will invest here as well, but still in the new hamburger joint as well.

 

Lets talk, what bank, what fund, Ill tell ya soon what they use your money for.

 

Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa (twice very rich and three times very poor).

[Guest guest]

All I was saying is everybody else seemed to say it was great to not give anything to Krishna

–––

this is your speculation... 4th principle

 

spend it on your family and invest it instead.

––––

if one's a krsna conscious grihasta his family is his devotional service. Bhagavad Gita teachs this principle

 

What happened to giving 50% to spreading Krishna Consciousness if we have that much money?

––––

what's spreading krsna consciousness? i have learned that it is having a krsna conscious family (=fulfilling our duties in the society in a krsna conscious way, like arjuna) and give to the society the example of a transcendental happy behaviour

 

in this way we spread krsna consciousness

[Gauracandra 1]

There is nothing wrong with investing. If you diversify away the company specific risk with a balanced portfolio you can earn fairly good returns for relatively little risk. If you want to be real strict then only invest in hard assets like gold, real estate etc... However, you can also buy bonds and utility stocks that will return some steady income with no risk. Also, before you invest in a stock, look into Standard & Poors or Moody's to see the stock's Beta. Beta is a measurement of the riskiness of a stock and measures how a stock fluctuates in comparison to the overall market. For instance, a Beta of 1 means if the market goes up 10% it will likely go up 10% (1 to 1). However, a Beta of 2 is much riskier. It means if the market goes up 10% the stock will likely go up 20%. But that also works in reverse, so if the market drops 10%, the stock will likely drop 20%. I think you can invest without it being a gamble. Still, the stock market is odd because once you are on, its a bit like a roller coaster ride. Its difficult to jump out in the middle.

[Guest guest]

Been doing this 4 a while, day trading and forex.... it is just like buying and selling any comodity. Lifes a gamble. If u are a bussiness person u may buy stocks and u don't know 4 certain that u gonna profit. When u invest in banks they trade with your money. most investment companies do. So y not trade oneself. But be careful. If you don't know the art you will loose just like in any other business. You have to know when to buy and when to sell.

[Guest guest]

What does this word "karmi" refer to anyway? By Karmi do you mean someone who has karma? then doesn't that mean we are all karmis?

 

-Sravan.

[Guest guest]

Sravan,

 

A karmi is a non-devotee or materialistic person.

[Guest guest]

Karmi has a meaning, but I dont use such a word because it has taken a very derogatory meaning by the ignorant accustomed to throwing it around, like they are dirt or something.

 

If karmi is used to note one who practices karma yoga, then it is a word describing a devotee of Krsna. If the word is used to describe one whoise works are dedicated to the body and mind, nation, race, etc, then this may be applied with sensitivity, knowing that such folks are the targets of Lord Chaitanyas movement, and the reason the great acaryas like srila prabhupada come to this realm.

 

I have come to hate this word because it is used often to describe one who may be more spiritually advanced than the one using the word, meaning that most of the time when I hear the word, it is by someone with a false ego fully intact, needing to feel superior to someone, but is probably not, at all.

 

"Sleeping souls" is a better word to describe those who have not yet taken to submission to a higher authority, the Supreme Person. "Karmi" is a word used by less advanced devotees often to describe a target, not for devotional service, rather one they can exploit, take money from, and cheat them with their sectarian nonsense.

 

Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

 

PS I know how Srila Prabhupada used the term, so dont blast me for this note, because you are not Him. In fact, he agreed with me that his disciples were often mean spirited in their dealings with outsiders.

[Guest guest]

I think that was a wonderful answer Mahak. I think you make sense, karmi should be used for some one who is a devotee of krishna, after all he does karma yoga.

 

I think , one should respect the other like another living entity even if he is a "non devotee". Respect the devotee potential, respect the true inner energy- krishna who is supporting that person, respect him.

 

That is why we use "Namaste", it is to prostrate on to the Supreme entity -Sri Krishna , who lies with in the inner chambers of our hearts, He is always with us. The supreme father, supreme care-taker and is always respectable. He supports the non devotee as well as the devotee and is totally aloof, so why shouldn't we prostrate unto krishna who lies with in every being.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

That was from sravan- me.

 

sorry for that, I will log on some time.