Lost 22% of our IRA/401Ks/Investments

[ruffdog]

The value of the dollar is also down 10% YTD.

 

[RSKY]

I would say a better plan is to put together a plan that makes sense for you and stick with it. Re-assess it once a year or so to see if a particular investment still makes sense but the market is a long game.
Trying to time the market is for fools. Not every stock that's down is a bargain.

When they announced the plant closure at the last place I worked (Goodyear Tire and Rubber) a guy come in and showed our department manager his 401K papers. He had built it up to $1.6 million with a simple plan. When Goodyear stock reached a certain point, I believe it was $30, he swapped it for a bond fund. When the stock fell below a certain point, I think that was $10, he bought Goodyear again. For various reasons that particular stock had some wild swings during the 90's and early 2000's. I'm not for sure what his trigger points were, never talked to the guy myself, but all the salaried people were talking about it for days.

He had a plan and stuck to it.

I only worked there four years but the stock was well over $30 when I hired in and dropped way below $10 at one instance. Then it started it's way back up to the $30 range. I wasn't keeping up with it and didn't realize what was going on but several of the 30+ year salaried people made a killing and retired that year.

RSKY

 

[duffer]

You don't lose money unless you sell it, and you don't make money unless you sell it. Your statements are no more than a snapshot in time. A week from now, things could be better or worse.

Last Friday the S&P hit an all time high. Doesn't mean your portfolio should've hit an all time high, based on your investment diversification and risk that you've chosen.

I look at the charts of the things I buy, and follow the trend. If the trend is downward, then stay away, sell it, or don't buy more until it shows a reversal. If the trend is upward, I buy more on any pull backs. It's not complicated.

 

[Torvy]

Another thing to consider is that it's not just about the stock price. Much of our annual gain is due to dividends. They pay (mostly) based on the company's profit, not the whims of uninformed investors. Stock price doesn't really affect dividends.

 

[JJT]

YTD I'm up 32% and I did suffer a $60K loss in April when my account was automatically rebalanced. The market was down due to the on again off again tariff nonsense. If the account wasn't rebalanced I'd be up more than 37% year to date. Needless to say my annual rebalance option has been turned off.

 

[KennyG]

I just checked my relatively mainstream portfolio of mutual funds and I'm seeing a healthy gain for the quarter, for the year to date and for the year over year. Hard to imagine how one would have a 20% loss.

 

[WM75Guy]

We went down about 10% but are up over 4% for YTD. Our goal is between 5% to 10% annual growth, we are on track for that and have averaged 10% for the last 13 years. Some years up, some years down. After retiring we are still diversified but conservative.

Here are the sectors our ETF portfolios are invested in by equity type. There are 38 different ETFs in 3 different risk portfolios, some ETFs are in more than one portfolio type. Merrill Lynch makes it easy to keep track of our money. Plus, I talk to our financial advisor several times a month.

 

[ultrarunner]

You don't lose money unless you sell it, and you don't make money unless you sell it. Your statements are no more than a snapshot in time. A week from now, things could be better or worse.

Last Friday the S&P hit an all time high. Doesn't mean your portfolio should've hit an all time high, based on your investment diversification and risk that you've chosen.

I look at the charts of the things I buy, and follow the trend. If the trend is downward, then stay away, sell it, or don't buy more until it shows a reversal. If the trend is upward, I buy more on any pull backs. It's not complicated.

Or the stick goes to zero and is delisted…

I bought several stocks to put away around age 20… didn’t follow and didn’t worry so it came as a surprise when they became worthless…

Still a stock that dropped from 30 to 10 about 40 years ago and it’s still around 10…

The only stock I ever sold was Apple… bought 1980-81 and needed the money for school and it was up $800 so I sold.

 

[square1]

Hit a goal 10 months ahead of schedule thanks to TACO trades and have a surplus. I don't consider it real investing, more of a gimmick, but it worked

 

[RSKY]

I just checked my relatively mainstream portfolio of mutual funds and I'm seeing a healthy gain for the quarter, for the year to date and for the year over year. Hard to imagine how one would have a 20% loss.

I only invest in mutual funds, no single issue stocks. And I am in the riskier types. One fund Select Semiconductor has averaged a 25% yearly gain over the past ten years. But when the market drops, that fund DROPS. Then it comes back strong. Not the first time I have watched this happen.