Just took a look at the one Roth account I have, and the 401K. First time since the slide I have logged on to see the damage.

One is down 50%, the other looks like around 42%. Anyone manage to pick a few winners?

My boss went out and bought Citibank stock a few years ago. I wont dare ask what the damage is there.

T

See hearing that makes me wonder about what I was about to do. I'm re-enlisting soon and looking to get a sizeable SRB, and one financial advisor I talked to told me to consider opening a Roth IRA (one for me and one for the wife). But then I hear these stories about peoples' retirements crumbling, and I see the Dow on a 3 month tank, and I think I'd have to be crazy to get into something like that right now.

T;
Since I made a conscious decision to put my TSP money in the highest potential REWARD and highest potential RISK possible, the I fund, the value is at a little less than half of what is was a year or so ago. True loss of MY MONEY though is is may 15%. I look at that though and see that I am more than two decades away from being able to touch it and I don't really see it as loosing a penny.
Now, if I was realy close to being able to use it, and still had it all in the I fund, I would think I deserve the kick in the nuts for being stupid enough to have it all in the I fund instead of in the G. That's one of the things that is grating me right now. I seem to be hearing a lot of people asking me to take on a share of their 'losses,' whether it be a mortgage, a retirement account or whatever. I just don't seem to recall them ever offering up a piece of their gains when things were good.....

Right now, I have nearly zero effect on myself irt the economy. My primary retirement plan is fully funded, my employer is fairly stable and I have made myself somewhat above average for my employer. Life ain't bad.

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Originally posted by Coastie123:
See hearing that makes me wonder about what I was about to do. I'm re-enlisting soon and looking to get a sizeable SRB, and one financial advisor I talked to told me to consider opening a Roth IRA (one for me and one for the wife). But then I hear these stories about peoples' retirements crumbling, and I see the Dow on a 3 month tank, and I think I'd have to be crazy to get into something like that right now.

If you are young, you would be crazy not to buy now. You wont need the money anytime soon anyway, so does it matter that the stock market has dropped? You best believe I am still buying as much as I can.

Might be just my thoughts, but the market cant keep declining forever, and if it does, retirement will be one of the last things many of us have to worry about.

T

I would agree with a lot of thing T said and would add that before you do any of it, PAY someone, who is properly accredited and has a fiduciary responsibility to YOU to give you advice. Now CAN be a great time to by stocks, as long as you buy the correct mix of the right stocks. Of course, you got to remember that your money COULD go 'poof' any day in stocks. If you stumble upon the next "apple" in an IPA, you could land millions.

What are the chances of finding the next Apple or Microsoft? I am sitting on my money until the market recovers, then I will reinvest. In my humble opinion, its STUPID to by stocks now. Have you watched the news lately??? Sure you can take the advice of others and buy now, and you could even strike it rich... Or you could wait for the market to level off, then buy at a much lower risk. Just my 2 cents....

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Originally posted by FS4ever:
What are the chances of finding the next Apple or Microsoft? I am sitting on my money until the market recovers, then I will reinvest. In my humble opinion, its STUPID to by stocks now. Have you watched the news lately??? Sure you can take the advice of others and buy now, and you could even strike it rich... Or you could wait for the market to level off, then buy at a much lower risk. Just my 2 cents....

Not following you. So if were at the bottom now, you are sitting on your money? While it would be nice if we all had the last name of Buffett, thats not the case, and most of us wont have a clue it was the bottom until were about half way through recovery.

T

Like everyone else....our portfolio has been been hit. Ours is spread in several different vehicles. Stocks, low risk mutual funds, IRA. Roth IRA, TSP. We are still doing monthly allotments to them.

I was just watching Tracy Whatsherface on Fox a second ago. She was saying many investors are sitting on their money right now waiting to see some details from the Administration on what they plan on doing to fix the credit markets. Once the market has confidence in the Administrations game plan, money will pour back into the market. That means we hit bottom and are on our way back up. Sooo....watch what the Administration does and how their plan is received. If received well, consider getting back in. If not received well, stay on the sidelines for a bit longer.

The benefit to mutual funds and the TSP is you have professional managers managing your money. I don't have the time nor skills to sit there and flip stocks.....they do. So that is something to consider before anyone wonders out on their own. Utility stocks that pay dividends might be a good thought.

If I was to go on my own, I would look very close at the solvency of the company before I buy their stock. I would not invest in one that could possibly file for bancruptcy. Some examples are GM and Citibank.

Hopefully things will rebound sooner rather than later......

No stocks cause its too much like gambling. No money in the bank. No mortgage. Just USCG, state and ss retirement. Life is good! Feel sorry for the younger generation. Try to do all i can for the less fortunate in my area.

We fully funded our Roths this year, but a CD for the wife, and a indexed bond fund for me. The bond fund flucutates in price, but only 10 cents or so up and down, and pays out 4.5 percent. So I have purposely sacrificed potential gain for stability.

The junior Coasties need to get into TSP or a Roth. All the stock market buzz and bad news can drive them away, and TSP offers a bond fund, and also stocks for those willing to take the risk and have a long investment timeline. Plus the tax deferment is the real point. They need to be told that you don't have to have just stocks to enjoy the tax deferred gains of TSP or a Roth.

My son's girlfriend, who's company does a 100 percent 401k match, and who is only 24, has stopped putting money into her 401k. I keep telling her she's crazy, since her investment timeline is 40 years long. I also told her to research and see what investment vehicles her 401k offers, but I don't think she did.

I feel very fortunate. My employeer matches 150%. For the 4% I contribute, they contribute 8% for a total of 12%. I think thats 150%, might not be with my math. It might be 200%. Anywho, I am talking to myself now, and will head out to enjoy the warmest day in 4 months.

Life is good.

T

It's all about risk/reward, like Phil said.

If you are dollar cost averging, and TSP sort of forces you to do that if you are contributing monthly, there will be a day that your reward will come.

Markets are cyclical. We sometimes seem to forget that markets go DOWN as well as go up.

Do not fret. If you are twenty or more years away from retirement you will be ok if our country is still based on a capitalist economy.

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you will be ok if our country is still based on a capitalist economy.

The way we are headed looks more and more like socialist.

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Not following you. So if were at the bottom now, you are sitting on your money? While it would be nice if we all had the last name of Buffett, thats not the case, and most of us wont have a clue it was the bottom until were about half way through recovery.

Who says were at the bottom? I will continue to sit on my $$$ until it does bottom out, then I will reinvest... But you may as well just burn your money if youre still playing the market right now... I will continue to wait and not be risky with my money. If you want to continue to take that risk... good for you!!!

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One is down 50%, the other looks like around 42%. Anyone manage to pick a few winners?

There are no winners in the stock market.. Two investors I know are saying it may bottom out at 5K...

The government should put out high interest savings bonds... we all know they have lots of money.. after all, Hillary just gave 900 Million to re-build Gaza....

Wray...

When my husband died (Floyd Stormer CWO3) his brothers said "put your money in stocks and bonds. I didn't know what stocks and bonds were, I ended up putting my money in the Coast Guard Federal Credit Union. I get a part of Floyds SS and Pension. My brothers in law took a bath with the stock market. My money is safe. I don't gamble oh, I go to Vegas once in awhile but I don't take more money than I can afford.....

Esther, Good for you.... many here are too young to remember the story about the tortoise and the hare...

Wray...

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Who says were at the bottom? I will continue to sit on my $$$ until it does bottom out, then I will reinvest...

How will you know when it bottoms out? You are right, investing at the bottom is the way to do it but tommorow could bring record highs or record lows. All you can do is guess when the bottom is.

If you wait so long that the trend is upward, you could invest your money only to find out that it was just a bump and it goes down again hard the next day. You then invested high and lost your money anyway.

An investor friend of mine has a saying that goes "only invest in what allows you to sleep at night." If you can't handle ups and downs, invest in stable bonds. But don't be too grumpy when those that invested in volatile markets make three or four times the return in the long run. Just like they can't be upset when you make a steady 3% and they have lost much more than that in the short term.

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many here are too young to remember the story about the tortoise and the hare...

Wray, what do you mean many are too young to remember? Unless you were at the original race, you heard the story just like those younger than you. But at your age, it is of course possible that you were actually there.

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But at your age, it is of course possible that you were actually there.

I was at that race and lost my arse betting on that lazy hare!