Can't bring myself to check my 401K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:minor? a MIIIIIIIIIINOOOOOOOOOOOOOR?

Investing is a mental game and it's a lot tougher nowadays because you can't even look at any type of screen without being bombarded with hyperbolic headlines about the stock market.

I agree. DCUM is the same sort of fear mongering. All these “so smart” so rich people freaking out- it really hows how many here lie through their teeth. I’m wealthy and this means nothing to me- DCUM professes to be so wealthy but the panic here is off the charts. Seems like some here lie.

Lol. You think? What on earth would possess you to post something so obvious? Oh, wait ... the desperate need to write out "I'm wealthy and this means nothing to me" because you have no one in real life to brag about this to because no one will listen to you anymore.

[Anonymous]

I find it somewhat helps if you look at your overall growth over the past 5-10 years and also look at total net assets not just equities. I think we’ve lost about 15% of total net assets just in this dive but we are still ahead of where we were a couple of years ago. Of course if it keeps gojng this way it won’t be true and I’m not as confident in the rebound this time but I guess we’ll see. I’m so cautious that I never really considered any of that money as “mine”—I always discounted out net worth by at least 20% mentally, figuring that at least some of it is bubble.

[Anonymous]

Unlike 2008 and 2020 (real problems), this market drop was orchestrated by the stroke of a pen, and therefore can be underdone the same way. Congress will feel the heat first if layoffs start, and Trump has to negotiate the budget with Congress this summer, so Congress will have leverage to check Trump’s power. R margin is very thin and not all will toe the line if layoffs start.

So I look for Trump to make deals and reverse some this, country by country. Look for some big aircraft sales by Boeing (or some other product) that will happen at the same time, and Trump will take credit, he just wants the headlines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it somewhat helps if you look at your overall growth over the past 5-10 years and also look at total net assets not just equities. I think we’ve lost about 15% of total net assets just in this dive but we are still ahead of where we were a couple of years ago. Of course if it keeps gojng this way it won’t be true and I’m not as confident in the rebound this time but I guess we’ll see. I’m so cautious that I never really considered any of that money as “mine”—I always discounted out net worth by at least 20% mentally, figuring that at least some of it is bubble.

+1
I also like to think about my assets increasing or decreasing by 25-50%. In either case, my life wouldn't change one bit. Worst case scenario of an extended bear market around the time of retirement would mean that I might need to work part time for a few years. That's not exactly the end of the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you expect that the market will further decline, it makes sense to sell now and buy it back when it gets even lower.

No that will cause a taxable event. It might be better to wait it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you so heavily invested in stocks you should be setting up an index fund with target date that will take money out of stocks and into bonds and money market

Because they are 7-10 years from retirement, but hopefully 20-30 years from being dead. So you still want a good portion in stocks to get 20 years more growth

JHC, this. I'm 59, would like to retire in 5 years. Because I will get a decent pension (assuming the federal government continues to pay out pensions, which is starting to seem like a big assumption), I've always had my TSP funds in 100% stocks. But I moved everything to life funds (2025 and 2030 retirement funds) at the beginning of March. Since the end of February, I'm only down 4.8%, so doing well relatively speaking. Still, I was hoping, given how great the economy was chugging along pre-Trump, to increase my holdings by 25% before I retired. LOL. Can't wait to see the value of my house start to decline. Will my adult kids have jobs? Will my parents continue to get SS checks?

What a time to be alive.

[Anonymous]

I checked and wish I hadn't. Down $180k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unlike 2008 and 2020 (real problems), this market drop was orchestrated by the stroke of a pen, and therefore can be underdone the same way. Congress will feel the heat first if layoffs start, and Trump has to negotiate the budget with Congress this summer, so Congress will have leverage to check Trump’s power. R margin is very thin and not all will toe the line if layoffs start.

So I look for Trump to make deals and reverse some this, country by country. Look for some big aircraft sales by Boeing (or some other product) that will happen at the same time, and Trump will take credit, he just wants the headlines.

Why would other countries want to make deals with us now? Why would they trust the Trump administration to keep its word about anything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're still in the market, it's probably best to just ride it out at this point. It's likely the moron-in-chief will back down like he always does and the markets get juiced.

Nope that is not the plan.

Wealthy are going to buy for pennies on the $

Everyone else will be destitute while they give more tax breaks to the rich and destroy healthcare for the rest.

SAVE Act might want to read it.

[Anonymous]

Very vocal gloom and doom poster around these parts.

[Anonymous]

Markets go up and down. Nothing new. Try to wait to buy low

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unlike 2008 and 2020 (real problems), this market drop was orchestrated by the stroke of a pen, and therefore can be underdone the same way. Congress will feel the heat first if layoffs start, and Trump has to negotiate the budget with Congress this summer, so Congress will have leverage to check Trump’s power. R margin is very thin and not all will toe the line if layoffs start.

So I look for Trump to make deals and reverse some this, country by country. Look for some big aircraft sales by Boeing (or some other product) that will happen at the same time, and Trump will take credit, he just wants the headlines.

Why would other countries want to make deals with us now? Why would they trust the Trump administration to keep its word about anything?

Because we are their primary market for certain goods, and they want to protect that. Do you think the other Asian countries are going to buy all that plastic crap we buy from China every year? No way, no one consumes like the US. Same way for JP and Ger cars. They will come to the table.

Trump is right in one respect, they need us more than we need them.

[Anonymous]

Historically This level of drop recovers in 8-10 months. But it’s clear we are not over yet. Hard to compare what we are dealing with to history.

[Anonymous]

I only have a bit more than $100k in my 403b (I'm a teacher) and mine is down $24k since Jan/Feb. I have a good 17 yrs until retirement but it is sickening to see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sell if you want to but stop whining about it.

How do you sell your 401K?

You don’t take money out of your 401k, but within your 401k there should be different investment options. There is probably a money market, perhaps a bond fund, or a conservative target date fund that blends treasuries, bonds and a small amount of equities. People are talking about selling equities or equity mutual funds within the 401k and putting the money into one of these safer options in the 401k.