Don't Spend Your Bonus...Invest It! Here's How
When I was working as an Investment Counselor at a $40 billion money management firm, my job was to manage a book of around $150 million. It was difficult work at times - building relationships with 120 clients and making sure that their investment portfolio was working towards their long-term goals was the main task, but we also had to make sure our clients understood what was happening in the capital markets at all times. With the 24-hour news cycle, it's easy in the world today to allow fear and emotion to influence the investment decision making process, and my job was to keep emotion out. Any time there were volatile markets - which is often - it meant long hours and lots of hand-holding.
But like many hard workers out there, there's a reward for the effort. That reward came in the form of quarterly bonuses, depending on how well you performed.
Over the years I developed a system for how to deal with bonuses. When I received them, the very first thing I would do is pay down any interest-bearing debt I had. Period. I'd zero out my credit accounts faster than Usain Bolt in a track race.
Then, I'd allow myself one modest purchase - a plane ticket, a nice new kitchen appliance, maybe some new running shoes. Whatever it was, it could only be one item. That was a hard and fast rule. No exceptions!
Then, with whatever was left over, I would invest it with a long-term approach in mind. I set it in my mind that I would use my bonus money to buy stocks I really liked, companies I believed in, companies I thought would continue to do well far into the future. But here's the thing - I wouldn't invest in those companies with the mindset that I wanted to make a quick buck. I was buying stocks with the vision that 20, even 30 years from now I'd still have shares of the company, and that over the years I was constantly purchasing shares. It was my homage to Warren Buffet, who would surely back such a strategy (and has before).
So, over the course of the six years I worked there, every quarter I'd go through the same routine. At the beginning of my tenure, I chose 3 stocks I liked. They were: Costco (ticker: COST), Visa (ticker: V), and Salesforce (ticker: CRM). To this day, I own those three stocks in my portfolio (amongst other holdings), and I've owned them now for the better part of 12 years.
Here's been my return on each of them:
Costco: +268%
Visa: a little over +450%
Salesforce: +2,000%
You read that last number right. I've made a 2,000% gain on my Salesforce shares. I made a long-term commitment to a strategy and I've stuck with it, and plan to continue sticking with it as long as I'm a fan of those three companies. I still very much am today.
Investing your bonus can be a lot of fun, especially when you see your bonus turning itself into bonus after bonus after bonus with gains in the stock market. You worked for your bonus, let it also work for you!
Now that you're ready to invest your bonus or any extra cash you have, you need ideas. You can generate fresh ideas right here on Tickeron.com, by using the DivScore feature or engaging with the state of the art Artificial Intelligence you'll find on this website. Explore ideas, pick one that you like, then see it through.
Contributor
Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
COST in upward trend: price expected to rise as it breaks its lower Bollinger Band on August 20, 2026
COST may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options. In of 31 cases where COST's price broke its lower Bollinger Band, its price rose further in the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
COST moved above its 50-day moving average on August 21, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend.
The 10-day moving average for COST crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on August 06, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In of 18 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where COST advanced for three days, in of 359 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Stochastic Oscillator may be shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. In of 62 cases where COST's Stochastic Oscillator exited the overbought zone, the price fell further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on August 20, 2026. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on COST as a result. In of 75 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for COST turned negative on August 20, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 48 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 48 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
The 50-day moving average for COST moved below the 200-day moving average on August 04, 2026. This could be a long-term bearish signal for the stock as the stock shifts to an downward trend.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where COST declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator for COST entered a downward trend on July 21, 2026. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 63, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating fairly steady price growth. COST’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: COST's P/B Ratio (12.547) is slightly higher than the industry average of (7.193). P/E Ratio (47.673) is within average values for comparable stocks, (37.617). COST's Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (4.598) is slightly higher than the industry average of (2.850). Dividend Yield (0.006) settles around the average of (0.014) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (1.435) is also within normal values, averaging (1.065).
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General Information
a company which sells goods through membership warehouses
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