There is only so much money in the world to go around. And you know there is a micro-percentage of that in your accounts. Hobbies and collectibles all cost money, and that is why Collectors Dashboard views higher-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. Quite simply, spending hundreds or thousands of dollars (or much more) is an investment whether you consider it fun and pleasure without even considering the money and capital aspect at all.

The years 2020 and 2021 were very pivotal and transformative in collectibles. As the economy shut down in March of 2020, many collectors assumed that prices would tank just like stocks did. The opposite happened. And even as the economy opened back up in 2021 some record prices have continued. And still, many collectibles lost significant value in 2021. You know there are no guaranteed profits in anything, right!/?

With 2022 just 10 days away, it is time to ask yourself how you plan to invest in 2022. First off, how much will you budget to invest – and what part of that is conservative and what part is speculative? Will you choose traditional stocks, bonds mutual funds and ETFs? Or will you go after vintage cards, hot new rookie cards, NFTs, Bitcoin, fractional ownership, private company offerings, coins, stamps and so on?

Almost all of us have to invest to have a comfortable retirement and life as you age. Outside of a pension, the quality of your future life is really up to you and how you allocate all of your after-tax dollars. For those making $50,000 or more, having a goal of $10,000 per year is feasible to help get your future life. For those under that threshold, how you save each year will make a major difference.

Before anyone says they cannot set funds aside, let’s think of some basic spending averages and try to keep some regional premiums or discounts that will come into play (Laredo is cheaper than Austin and New York costs more than Indianapolis):

• Lending Tree showed that the average American spent $563 in monthly new car payments and $397 for a used car in 2021, all before gas insurance etc.
• Dave Ramsey puts the median mortgage at $1,609 per month (over $2,000 mean), and that is before considering basic ongoing costs.
• Statista showed that the average monthly rent for an apartment in the United States was $1,124 in Feb-2021.
• The Labor Department (BLS) reported that an average consumer unit spent more than $28 on dinner away from home in 2018, but have you noticed restaurant prices this year?

And, finally, just wait until 2022 price reflections include the latest inflation data… But 2021 was not a year that it was just prices that changed.

Let’s consider the changes in the digital collectibles. This year ushered in more cryptocurrency investors than could have been imagined and Bitcoin alone was up over 65% on last look (versus 23% for the S&P 500 and 21% for the NASDAQ-100). Almost no one in the public knew what an NFT was in 2020. If you ask most investors what a DAO is they will think it’s something from Asia. What about virtual properties in the Metaverse (or Omniverse)? How many investors are even daring to grasp how Web3 will be quite different? And how many people were investing fractionally in shares of cards, stamps, fine art, cars and comic books before 2020?

No matter how you cut it, it seems as though 2022 is going to be a rather different year. The Federal Reserve may stop debasing the U.S. dollar and start raising interest rates (at least a tad). Goldman Sachs sees the S&P 500 hitting 5,100 for a 10% gain in stocks (more or less).

Collectors Dashboard is asking you to share “investing” views for 2022. Whether they are in collectibles or traditional assets. Please share. These are just some of the items that millions of Americans can and will have to choose from with that budget in mind:

• Stocks, ETFs & Mutual Funds
• Treasuries & Bonds
• Gold & Silver
• Bitcoin & Alt-Coins in Crypto
• Vintage Cards
• Hot Rookie Cards
• Private Co’s
• NFTs
• Coins
• Wine & Whisky
• Fractional Collectibles
• Other?

2022 is 10 days away… Anyhow, feel free to share this in whatever format you wish. You can comment below, email “editor at collectorsdashboard dot com” or you can hit @CollectorsDash1 on Twitter. Any comments below that include links will be permanently blocked.