Holy Trump Market

[jlwdm]

Originally Posted by thwart

This thread is likely to get locked, but...

Given what happened in 2008 pretty much as a result of regulation of the financial industry being too lax, I'd actually want to make sure I had a goodly amount of liquid assets around.

Especially if I was nearing retirement and needed to cash out.

Those who cannot learn from history...

I think we all need to look at history. The start of the problem in 2008 was people not having any financial (or personal) responsibility. Taking out bigger house loans than they could afford while saddled with credit card debt and not having any savings.

Not much has changed.

Jeff

[likebikes]

i'm in my 20s and just started a 401k a couple years ago. (roth ira with vanguard, 2050 target retirement iirc) it has only lost money since i started it, despite of the stock market gains/losses? am i or vanguard doing something wrong ?

[OtayBW]

Originally Posted by likebikes

i'm in my 20s and just started a 401k a couple years ago. (roth ira with vanguard, 2050 target retirement iirc) it has only lost money since i started it, despite of the stock market gains/losses? am i or vanguard doing something wrong ?

You are doing the exact, correct thing, IMO. Just keep maxing out your 401-k and let the magic of compounding lead you to a retirement that many of the rest of us wish we had!

[bobswire]

Originally Posted by likebikes

i'm in my 20s and just started a 401k a couple years ago. (roth ira with vanguard, 2050 target retirement iirc) it has only lost money since i started it, despite of the stock market gains/losses? am i or vanguard doing something wrong ?

Vanguard is one of the best there is, just keep doing what you're are doing. It ain't a loss unless you pull it out. Do you have Total Mrkt,if so ride it out.

[shovelhd]

You haven't lost any money, you just haven't made it yet. And you will make it. Buying low is a good thing.

[Fatty]

Originally Posted by likebikes

i'm in my 20s and just started a 401k a couple years ago. (roth ira with vanguard, 2050 target retirement iirc) it has only lost money since i started it, despite of the stock market gains/losses? am i or vanguard doing something wrong ?

Five year return show 5.5 percent. Not the greatest but not a loss either.
Add in your company match and the tax advantage sounds like a win.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by likebikes

i'm in my 20s and just started a 401k a couple years ago. (roth ira with vanguard, 2050 target retirement iirc) it has only lost money since i started it, despite of the stock market gains/losses? am i or vanguard doing something wrong ?

a) check the fees (which normally shouldn't be too big of a concern given it's Vanguard)

b) check the composition of your fund. If you have a disproportional amount invested in foreign index funds and/or bonds, then those will drag down your gains. That said both large cap and small cap domestic have done well, and those, if accounting for 40%, should have been able to offset loses from foreign index funds.

[Fatty]

Originally Posted by likebikes

i'm in my 20s and just started a 401k a couple years ago. (roth ira with vanguard, 2050 target retirement iirc) it has only lost money since i started it, despite of the stock market gains/losses? am i or vanguard doing something wrong ?

In your 20's and investing for the long haul is the best strategy. Way better to start early than try and catch up later.

[Mikej]

Vanguard is pretty good, is everything thing going into the 2050? Maybe transfer 20% into a little bit more of a conservative fund ?

[Ralph]

Actually....if I were in my 20's with many years ahead to accumulate.....I would wish the price of what I as buying would just keep going down and down....even if it did take down my whole portfolio value. So I could get more of it wit each paycheck. Then sometime down the road many years....when the market has one of these 40% up years....all those shares you bough cheaper and cheaper will sky rocket in price....and all the cheap shares you got from reinvestment will also sky rocket in price. It will work for you....not against you over time.

Folks in the accumulation phase of their assets would benefit if asset prices went down while accumulating.

This takes a lot of patience to handle, and some older age to understand it's true and how it works. Took a while before I fully understood how market volatility works for the accumulator....and against the retired person spending it down.

[sg8357]

Originally Posted by likebikes

i'm in my 20s and just started a 401k a couple years ago. (roth ira with vanguard, 2050 target retirement iirc) it has only lost money since i started it, despite of the stock market gains/losses? am i or vanguard doing something wrong ?

By the time of the 3rd Ivanka Administration you'll be sitting pretty.

[Llewellyn]

My retirement target is 60 but I may keep a couple of clients just to keep my hand in for a day or two a week. I'm 53 now and my wife is 57. We have a savings plan in place that we stick to and we're well on the way to be where we want to be by our target date. I'm planning to cut my hours a bit in the new year as part of my "transition to retirement".

[verbs4us]

Remember what moves the market is expectation and emotion. It is not based on creation or destruction of real value. The real effect of Donaldian action (not to be confused with Donaldian promises) will be seen 2 or 3 years hence.

[pbarry]

Originally Posted by echappist

a) check the fees (which normally shouldn't be too big of a concern given it's Vanguard)

b) check the composition of your fund. If you have a disproportional amount invested in foreign index funds and/or bonds, then those will drag down your gains. That said both large cap and small cap domestic have done well, and those, if accounting for 40%, should have been able to offset loses from foreign index funds.

This. I don't pay enough attention to my 401, but when things have been volatile, I've changed percentages and funds to more conservative, then moved them to funds gaining ground when things were on the upswing. Nothing close to day trading, and I do not consider myself clever in this realm whatsoever, but a little bit of attention has my account much better off than if I'd been leaving it in the retirement date fund.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by sg8357

By the time of the 3rd Ivanka Administration you'll be sitting pretty.

Elected fairly with a bigly margin.