Favor to ask: For all of you either fortunate enough or savvy enough to have sold high, please refrain from posting? Many of us either don’t have the same opportunities or perhaps knowledge with our retirement accounts that are often managed by others. It stings to see our lifelong savings getting wiped near or after retirement . We’re in it for the long haul as well – and hope there is time to recover. We’re also hopefully diversified enough. But it still stings.
@kjofkw. This is a thread about the market… Good and bad. I am with you at 59 and my guy said we are good. But I like to learn from others also.
I really wanted to do what Warren Buffet did and pull cash 6 months ago to be able to reinvest now. I was over ruled. Next time I won’t be. Buffet is smarter then all of us (duh ?).
Richer too !
I have watched and studied markets for a long time, even having worked professionally in them for some time. We are now on the cusp of another 50%+ wipeout of equities, which will be the third time in 20 years. Pretty remarkable.
In my experience (~40 years) selling near a top is hard. However, knowing when to jump back in is much harder, if not impossible.
My guess is only that, a guess. However, my guess is that it is too late to sell and too early to buy. Right now I am doing nothing in the stock market.
I just bought frozen ravioli to put in the freezer.
“Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”
I’m not there yet, but I am planning to get greedy before this is over.
My S, 17, plans to go “all in” on stocks - investing his whole $800 fortune. 
I put nothing into my SEP in 2019. My plan is to put some cash in either weekly or every other week. Thoughts?
I’ve been buying here and there over the last few weeks and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. Mostly increasing current positions that were long term plays anyway. But did pick up some new dividend stocks that I’ve been watching for some time but never pulled the trigger on.
S1 (32) invested in the stock market last week, in his own account and his kids’ 529s.
We’ll likely put some $ in the grandkids’ 529s, and may convert some traditional IRA to Roth.
From 1929 - 1933 the stock market lost 90% of it’s value and it took over 20 years to get back to it’s high and only ended because of WWII. Maybe you consider that temporary?
There are some similarities leading up to 1929 and 2020. The “Roaring 20’s” and the period from 2009 - 2019 saw great economic expansion based on easy money, stock speculation, and high consumer debt. See any similarities?
I’m not suggesting that we will have another great depression but this may not be temporary and just might be a protracted recession for many years to come once this all shakes out.
Full disclosure, last week I moved all of my kid’s sizable college savings funds (529) from an equity account into the the most conservative FDIC insured account the program offers. I’m just not comfortable putting that money at risk for my D20 and S24 as things look to get much worse before it gets better.
@Groundwork2022
Just discussed this and my 21 year old told me the quote. He bought Starbucks today. Has $500 more to go. He is putting in $3,000 total. This is some of his money he made during school. Love that he is thinking about his future.
As he said… “your screwed”…? Lol… But I have time to recover.
Problem is I don’t have any cash liquid since I got 2 still in college ?!! Life sometimes is just not fair.?
It’s not time yet, in my opinion, to buy unless you know of a publicy traded company that manufactures respirators/breathing machines.
Certain blue chip type stocks should hold up well due to high demand in both the old, current & new environment. Working remotely will become quite normal now, and certain stocks will benefit.
Unless your within 18 months of retirement or were gonna pull cash out for college and take the hit in doing so , it really does not matter. The market will come back, yes it will take time, we have owned the stocks in our 401k for many years and it does suck when you lose 10% of it in a week but unless you need it real soon it should go back up. We were not gonna pull money out of the 401k for college so I think it will not effect our college decisions for the next 7 years.
Raises hand for the (hoped to be) within a year or so of retirement.
I think it may take years to recover. Fortunately I have a fair amount of cash, but will also be delaying retirement.
Totally agree with one of the posters above on both counts - knowing to sell at the top and then knowing to buy at the bottom are near impossible dreams.
On the other hand, buying the longest dated treasury bonds has been the most obvious trade for years and years. Anyone who traded and lived through the Japanese markets in the last 30 years can see where this will end. Even at 1.3% there is still juice left in this trade.
About equity markets coming back, sure, usually they do. But people should be reminded of the experience of the US 1929-1954 (no gains for 25 years, significantly negative on an inflation adjusted basis) as well as the more recent experience of Japan (about -60% in nominal terms over 30 years to date, looks a little better of course in dollar terms due to the massive appreciation of the yen).
@NJdad07090. Amen ??. I will try to keep telling myself these words of wisdom… Over and over.
Not too worried about the overall portfolio, we are in for the long hall. But it’s not fun watching DD’s 529 disappearing slowly. Good thing we can still pay her OOS tuition with the current salaries, and my son won’t start until she finishes.
p.s. and my son, in his 14 years old wisdom “you guys can use my 529 for T…it’s okay I’ll go to Rutgers”. <3
@Nhatrang , tell your sonRutgers is a great school and they would be lucky to have a kid w street wisdom at their school. Signed a Rutgers proud Parent.
A week? Try a day.