Bye Bye Retirement
- Thread starter z118
- Start date
It's just a cycle and it will go back up. You need to buy more while its down so that you'll be quicker to go into the black when it does it's upturn again.
Ed in KC
Forum Supporter
I haven't even looked at mine, but I know it's bad. I hope to retire in three years, so I hope things get turned around shortly.
Ed in KC
Forum Supporter
If you contribute to a 401(k), you should definitely keep making contributions, and not take your money out at this point. If you're just investing in the market, that's another question, because no one has any idea where we're heading.
pinheadken
Elite Member
Ive taken some losses also. It will go go back up. Maybe after the election.
Ken
Ken
Rudy
Admin
Well, it could have been worse today. The markets closed down 370 points, but it was as much as 700 points down during trading hours.
I just retired last year and my nest egg is feeling the pinch. Fortunately I had invested over half of it in a CD ladder and state bonds. My stock portion is down between 15 and 25% depending on the industry sector.
I just retired last year and my nest egg is feeling the pinch. Fortunately I had invested over half of it in a CD ladder and state bonds. My stock portion is down between 15 and 25% depending on the industry sector.
RickO
"In Memory of"
I am retiring in about a month... fortunately, I have diversification... RickO
z118
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- Sep 30, 2006
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Yeah, that's pretty awesome when the market closes down 300+ points and it is actually GOOD compared to the 700 points it was down earlier in the day. Sweet!
I've got a LONG way to go until retirement (30 years or so) and I put a good amount in a 401K each week - 20 percent money market, 40 percent small cap index fund, and 40 percent large cap index fund. I'm sure I'll be okay barring a wtshtf scenario. These days you just never know.
I've got a LONG way to go until retirement (30 years or so) and I put a good amount in a 401K each week - 20 percent money market, 40 percent small cap index fund, and 40 percent large cap index fund. I'm sure I'll be okay barring a wtshtf scenario. These days you just never know.
Last week I lost thousands on my stocks... they were down again today... I was going to buy a new truck for my business but I waited about a month too long...
I always tell my friends when they ask when I'm going to retire and I tell them when I'm dead
Give the market sometime to shake it out... I'm pretty sure it will head up again...
RelicHound
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- Sep 11, 2007
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i actually started putting more into mine was only putting 3% of my wages in it and bumped it up to 7% last week and also started putting an extra $20 a week into a simple IRA my wife and i have set up..which im not sure how smart that was. im afraid to see what my stocks have gone down to.
Ed in KC
Forum Supporter
Don't just take my word for it, because these days financial information from very good sources is available on the net, but if I was 30, or even 40, I wouldn't have anything in money markets, because they're way too conservative. Everybody invests the way they're comfortable with, but the number one mistake people make is to invest too conservatively, and if you've got 30 years until retirement, you can afford a big risk factor--it can be the difference between retiring at 55 or 65.
hoser
Forum Supporter
I hear ya loud and clear. My 4001 is dropping as well. I'll still continue to put in but it kinda hurts when all you see is a downward trend. Yeah I know it will turn around. Just gives me a queezy stomach when I see what is happening right now.
Ed in KC
Forum Supporter
The more the better. If you go with the full 10% you'll get a better tax break, and if your employer is making a matching contribution, you're that much ahead for every dollar you put in regardless of where the market goes, which is going to be up again over the long haul.
Rudy
Admin
Last month I had a 401K. Reading today's results, it is now a 299K plan.
Ed in KC
Forum Supporter
Rod
Junior Member
If you have any type of investment in the stock market, the worst thing you can do is ignore it. That's simply being irresponsible with your money. You need to know and control where and how your money is allocated.
Empower yourself and know where your account stands and ensure you are diversified!
Empower yourself and know where your account stands and ensure you are diversified!
Rod
Junior Member
I am a gov. employee (USAF) and invest in the TSP (Thrift Savings Plan), a 401(k) equivalent. I follow the markets regularly, and had a feeling this mess was coming. So, in late Jan I moved all of my money into short term US Treasury securities- that would be the (G) Fund in the TSP.
I have not lost 1 cent since.
I am now simply waiting for that bottom to set in, and settle in, before I move any $$$ into Mr. Market.
If any of you are gov. employees with a TSP check out- tsptalk.com.
I'm a moderator there, and we have a great bunch of folks.
Good luck, all!
I have not lost 1 cent since.
I am now simply waiting for that bottom to set in, and settle in, before I move any $$$ into Mr. Market.
If any of you are gov. employees with a TSP check out- tsptalk.com.
I'm a moderator there, and we have a great bunch of folks.
Good luck, all!
Rudy
Admin
I am 60% in CD's and state bonds and 40% in well diversified equities, with a purposeful underweight in the technology and consumer discretionary sectors.
Problem is all equities, including international ones, are getting pummeled.
So, the question is: Should one turn the paper losses into real losses, or hang on for a while?
Ed in KC
Forum Supporter
I don't know anything about TSP, but for anyone invested in mutual funds, like a standard 401(k), it's better to get the advantages of dollar value averaging by leaving your money in the market for both the highs and the lows. If someone takes their money out of the stock market and puts it into bonds, they may stay safe, which is a good thing if you're nearing retirement, but they're also missing out on all the reinvested dividends and all the low priced stock buys which come with a falling market. Everyone who has been invested in the stock market through all these down times has been adding low priced stock to their portfolio, and it will payoff down the road. No one loses any money unless they panic and sell.
