Investing in the USA: Everything You Need to Know About the American Stock Market & S&P 500

Welcome! I’m Mark Larishin, a financial adviser, and in this video I’ll walk you through the basics of investing in the U.S. stock market - no matter where in the world you live.

🔗 You will find my investment-consultations here :
👉 https://bit.ly/invest_in_america

💰 Interactive Brokers — my preferred broker, here’s a link to sign up:
👉 https://ibkr.com/referral/mark4944
(referral link — we both get a small bonus, it's standard practice)

🚀 Useful resources:

🌍 For immigration and investing questions (I offer consultations too):
👉 https://bit.ly/world-is-free

🏡 5 Things You Need to Know Before Buying an Apartment in Batumi:
👉 https://bit.ly/418Fbbd

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timecodes:
00:00 – Intro & course overview
00:19 – What is a stock? Private vs public (LEGO, Nvidia)
01:01 – Public listings & required financial disclosures
01:45 – Big winners example (Nvidia) & caution on stock-picking
02:00 – Competitors: AMD vs Intel performance (5-year view)
02:56 – Why ETFs? Basket - single stock for most people
03:15 – S&P 500 explained (index basics, turnover)
03:46 – VOO (Vanguard S&P 500) ticker intro
04:02 – SPY vs VOO comparison (performance nearly identical)
04:31 – Liquidity & history: SPY older, VOO younger
05:00 – Market-cap weighting vs equal weighting (mega-caps dominate)
05:25 – REIT examples (REALTY INCOME “O”, VICI) growth vs income
06:02 – Dividends 101 (payout cadence, “rent + appreciation” analogy)
06:39 – ETF facts page tour: management style (passive)
07:02 – Expense ratio basics (VOO 0.03% example)
07:59 – Tech ETF VGT (lower yield, higher growth; fees can change)
09:02 – Price per share & recent “bull run” vs bear markets
09:45 – Dividend math & compounding reminder
10:14 – Back to S&P 500 page; needing a broker
10:50 – Fractional shares & small-amount investing
11:40 – Broker pick: Interactive Brokers (referral note)
12:28 – “Risk scale” critique; base ETF idea
12:52 – Simple portfolio: thirds (VOO / VGT / SCHD)
13:35 – VGT vs VOO growth comparison (5-year)
14:15 – SCHD overview (stable dividend names; ~4–5% range)
15:12 – Why ETFs again: rebalancing & following the index
16:09 – Stream & comments CTA
16:18 – So many ETFs: growth vs dividend; JEPQ (covered-call income)
17:07 – JEPQ yield & monthly payouts (income illustration)
18:05 – Who income ETFs fit (retirees, Thailand passive-income example)
18:37 – Norway Wealth Fund example (investing national profits)
19:20 – Inflation: why cash loses value
20:38 – Inheritance/tax efficiency point (portfolio vs property)
21:16 – VOO vs SPY recap (fees & liquidity differences)
22:00 – VICI liquidity note vs mega-caps (order fills)
22:41 – Passive vs active ETFs recap (teams still follow rules)
23:19 – Growth vs dividends: choosing by age/goals
23:55 – Final takeaway: 2–3 ETFs are enough for most
24:33 – IBKR, global access & jurisdictions note
25:35 – Discipline vs over-complication; buying the dip anecdote
26:17 – Thailand calendar aside; simple buy-red/sell-green maxim
26:28 – Wrap-up, links, comments, and goodbye