quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
No clue. I am too young to care. Won't be retiring for 25-30 years.

If I got excited every time it went up a bunch or down a ton then I'd likely have a heart attack before I could use any of it.

Pretty much this.

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
Up 70%

Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!
Woo HOO!
You people in the mid teens are so lame....

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
Up 70%

Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!
Woo HOO!
You people in the mid teens are so lame....

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
Up 70%

Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!
Woo HOO!
You people in the mid teens are so lame....

Dude that ain't shit. I got this bridge in Brooklyn up for sale, you wouldn't believe the ROI you can get from tolls on that sum bitch.

Up a lot from 2008, I can tell you.
We’re living on a defined benefit pension and SS, so the tax-deferred accounts are almost all in stocks and mutual stock funds. Those are for the kids.

Interesting how big a difference there can be in how you define year.

2017 YTD +11%
Past Year +19%

The 4th quarter of '16 was tremendous.

If you are a young person reading this thread and have a 401k at work and are not using it, go enroll today. I have made many stupid money decisions in my life including cashing out my first 401k. I have left the second one alone and the plan is to add to it, and let it grow for 17 more years.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ibanda,

I was forced to reallocate an old 401k in January 2009. I left the company in August 2008, and between August and January, I had lost about 27% of my value, but YoY, I had lost 42%.
I purchased ETF's and 3k in Apple stock (at $18.12/ share). Since Jan 2009, I am up 361.77%, excluding drips. Including drips and net of commissions, I am up 379.82%, mainly because I have not done a single trade since set up.

Annually that comes out to 15.35%.

Risk and return are correlated. I love this, as I enjoy investing. But there are corollaries.

This has been a great time for 'risk on' because we have been moving from record highs to record highs. It is reality, for now and perhaps for a while going forward, but atypical.

Keep in mind the portfolios that generate high returns in this environment do the other thing sometimes.

If you have decades till you may need these funds for retirement, or have other irons in the fire (defined benefit pensions, annuities, other assets) you can ride corrections/crashes and use them as buying opportunities.

If you don't have decades, though, please be careful out there.

I was at 13.42% on the moderate to aggressive plan. I am bumping up to aggressive again since Trump is in office and I am in my mid 30's. Thanks for the reminder.

quote:

If you don't have decades, though, please be careful out there.

Absolutely.
I made fun of Deqlyn a little bit above, but those types of returns (Up 70%) are very possible with active trading.
I was an active stock trader in the late '90s and made and lost in (March of 2000) more money than a lot of people make in a lifetime. It was made fast, but it is easily lost fast as well.

Now, I'm a bit older.... and my 'glide path' is based on an 8% return. I'm well above that YTD, so it's probably time to get a bit more conservative. Your mileage may vary.

The real question is how long can this stock rally continue and when will it correct, crash or whatever you want to call it.

Pretty Durn Good! At 63 I need all my retirement financials to be hitting on all cylinders! And I assume that I will stay in the markets for the first few years of retirement, instead of retreating to more conservative investments.
What would help the most would be for the price of oil to increase, that would help my overall compensation, these last few years of work....

Pretty good. around 10% or slighty above. I am a bit in the conservative mode. Well balanced. If the market down turns suddenly I hope to be able to absorb it without major damage. While still take some advantage of the bull market these days.

I don't have thirty years to let the thing bang away at the normal ways and means of the market now.

I will need what funds I have to live going forward.

Am grateful that things have been good in the market. Hope they can continue.

I kind of feel the way Joel9507 put it.

And yes, be careful.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
If you don't have decades, though, please be careful out there.

I have negative decades , being as I'm now retired and beginning to draw on my retirement investments.

Our manager is good--very good. He and we, together, spread the gain/risk out. Very, very little high risk, some moderate risk, most quite conservative. Nonetheless: Even with us taking cash, we're up in this calendar year and over the last twelve months.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
The real question is how long can this stock rally continue and when will it correct, crash or whatever you want to call it.

Indeed.

About a month before my retirement, in a meeting with our guy: After significant gains over the prior twelve months, and upon his advice, we took nearly all the profits that were not moved into cash (for impending disbursement) and moved them into safe investments. (His advice went something like "This can't last forever. Let's not be greedy. I recommend you take the profit.")

Some of you guys... wow. If you're not exaggerating or miscalculating your gains I can only pray for you the market doesn't burp, because, if it does, you are not going to be happy.

My wife and I, when we were managing our own 401K distribution, had things spread out, not unlike our current portfolio, only a bit more aggressively. When 2008 hit I witnessed friends and colleagues right-and-left nearly cry when they saw what happened to their investments. My wife and I not only didn't take a very bad hit, but soon made it back.

So, like Joel wrote: Be careful out there.

So let's hear some good tips!

I've invested a grand total of $2,000 into my retirement. Back in 2012. In bitcoin.

Don't know the percentage, but good enough that we are considering moving up my retirement.

It can't get here soon enough!

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:
Don't know the percentage, but good enough that we are considering moving up my retirement.

Careful with that!

I don't know where you're at, or your financial situation, but I would think twice if you're thinking about retiring before you hit Full Retirement Age.

We planned it such that our retirement savings would be a supplement to our SS income. I.e.: It would put a crimp in our lifestyle, maybe even make things difficult. Maybe even demand I go back to work part time. But we could survive w/o that retirement plan money being there.

Likewise: If our SS benefits are reduced we could make up the shortfall from the retirement investment w/o impacting wrecking it. Probably. Depending.

Now, if there were a "perfect storm": SS benefits are decreased, and we lose most or all of that retirement investment, we'd be in trouble. But both of those happening, while possible, is fairly unlikely.

Retiring and collecting SS re not necessarily the same thing. I hope to retire at 59 or so, but don't plan on collecting SS benefits until a later age.

My 2 accounts are up 16% and 21% YTD. It's been a good several years.

quote:

Originally posted by Dead_Eye:
I've invested a grand total of $2,000 into my retirement. Back in 2012. In bitcoin.

So what's that worth now? 1.2 million?

I have a buddy that did exactly that. Bought 100 bitcoins when they were dirt cheap. Not sure if he cashed out at 3k a piece or if he still has any....