Investments and retirement funds way down

[Anonymous]

My husband said today our investment account was down $300k. Does anyone think with the disaster of Trump and Musk not knowing what they’re doing that the stock market might crash? Would it recover when they’re gone?

[Anonymous]

Ours is down $200k 😭

[Anonymous]

Down $300k from when? It should be about where it was last fall unless you’re doing something risky with your investments. I think there’s a risk for total economic ruin but we’re not there yet.

[Anonymous]

You deserve to lose some money, OP, if you are lax to the point of suddenly waking up after a stock market slide and post on DCUM wondering where your money went.

Also, PP is correct. I've made millions in the stock market. The stock market has been volatile ever since Trump came to office and all indices had a bad day today. Tomorrow the Commerce secretary said there might be a compromise on tariffs - the stock market has always been the pride and joy of Trump, and this White House doesn't like seeing it slide like that.

I cashed out of a portion of my stocks in February, something I've never done before in my 20 years of investing. I will be staying liquid until I can buy one of last dips before the market stabilizes.

[Anonymous]

I have literally never sold stock in my life. Until about 2 weeks when I sold $1M worth.

I never get timing that good…. Until now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have literally never sold stock in my life. Until about 2 weeks when I sold $1M worth.

I never get timing that good…. Until now.

This is meaningless if you don’t time correctly when to buy back in. By the time there is an upswing, you will have already missed it.

[Anonymous]

Keep your head down and keep investing. It'll come back. Always does. The stock market is a place where the impatient transfer wealth to the patient. Be the latter.

[Anonymous]

Economic ruin? You people.

OP, go to Bogleheads.org for non-partisan discussion as to what to do. You are letting hyperbole, lack of education and fear guide your decision making. That isn't how you make decisions about investing.

You should be diversified. Any money you need short term should not be in stock, especially high growth stocks.

We are 50/50 Stock to Bonds and HYSA. The 50 stocks is way down. But it was far worse during Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep your head down and keep investing. It'll come back. Always does. The stock market is a place where the impatient transfer wealth to the patient. Be the latter.

Pretty much this. I rarely check my balances. I am not an active trader, just a long-term investor. And we are still a decade+ away from retirement.

[Anonymous]

I love checking the balances when they are going up but it's depressing and scary when they are going down because we don't have pensions and our 401ks and IRAs are our total retirement (not Feds). For us February was slightly down from January but I fear that's only going to get worse.

[Anonymous]

I'm not selling but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be the smart thing to do. Everything is so volatile that I'm sure I would sell at the wrong time and not get back in at the right one. I'm pretty paralyzed, I guess. But I also don't need the money to pay current bills, so I'll just ride it out.

[Anonymous]

This is when you have to be an ostrich.

Stop looking, ignore, and keep moving forward.

[Anonymous]

44...42K for DJIA. If you are all stocks or heavy in stocks you are gambling. Have you seen some economy indicators?? Atlanta Fed GDP forecast, manufacturing, private employment... There is no way this goes much higher or any higher. It did go 50% up during Biden, but there were lots of money poured in to stimulate economy. Only way is down given the amount of cutting happening. Buffett is heavily liquid right now. When things crash, then buy back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep your head down and keep investing. It'll come back. Always does. The stock market is a place where the impatient transfer wealth to the patient. Be the latter.

But this assumption that "it always comes back" presupposes that the United States is the world leader and that the USD is the world's reserve currency.

We are upending the post-WWII society and headed into a multipolar world where China, India, and several African nations will have the demographic- and resource-advantage.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't have thunk it...but all my international stock funds and European stocks are helping significantly to offset US declines.

They have been duds for many years, but it seems that Trump/Musk has now aligned the rest of the world against the US, especially European defense stocks.

I guess that's why you diversify.