The Crash of 2008

[drsevrin]

So what're you all doing with your money these days now that the market is in free fall? As for me, for the last two years I'd been planning on moving a chunk of my 401k money from stocks into bonds but never did because equities kept going down. So, at age 42, I'm essentially adhering to investment basics and doing nothing but waiting it out and hoping it all bounces back in the next few years. Right now I've got about 70% in stocks (US and international) and 30% in bonds and cash. I have also been planning on moving some into precious metals but never got around to it. It takes discipline to resist the urge . . .

[glokstadt]

I have everything in stocks! 100% in US and International Aggressive Growth Funds... got 21 more years (or more!?), so will ride it out out just like the crash of 1987!

As they say: "What goes up goes down, and what goes down--goes up!" It has historically gone that way... if not, then we are all up shit creek because then money will be worthless and I'll be trading items from the Dollor Tree/Big Lots/99 Cent Store then!

I have something on thing inserted in my Mutual Fund statement from either American or Van Kampen Funds today in the mail... I'll add it in later, quite interesting.


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[abacab66]

After reading countless articles about the coming economic storm I moved all my 401k assets into an interest bearing mutual fund back in March. So far it's worked out great. Now the question is when and if to jump back in.

[glokstadt]

[quote][i]Originally posted by abacab66[/i]
<br>After reading countless articles about the coming economic storm I moved all my 401k assets into an interest bearing mutual fund back in March. So far it's worked out great. Now the question is when and if to jump back in.
[/quote]

One can never time the market; however, any day the NYSE/Dow Jones starts going back up--start buying!!! Redump back in from the gureenteed account... it's all discounted now! [:p]


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[abacab66]

In all honesty I thought the DOW would bottom out around 9500. Now 8500 is well within reach and looking at the DOW futures it looks like that may happen tomorrow although anything can happen in 10 hours. Heck, lately anything can happen in 5 minutes!

[drsevrin]

What's a bit unnerving to me is how the problem is quickly spreading to international exchanges. Today Iceland suspended trading for two days, in addition to the now all-too-common government purchasing of bank equity. There doesn't seem to be a lot of safety in foreign stocks either. With the sinking dollar even bonds and cash seem risky. But, let's hope it's just a bump in road, or as one expert recently said: "a target rich environment" for stocks.

[drsevrin]

[quote][i]Originally posted by glokstadt[/i]
<br>I have everything in stocks! 100% in US and International Aggressive Growth Funds... got 21 more years (or more!?), so will ride it out out just like the crash of 1987!

As they say: "What goes up goes down, and what goes down--goes up!" It has historically gone that way... if not, then we are all up shit creek because then money will be worthless and I'll be trading items from the Dollor Tree/Big Lots/99 Cent Store then!

I have something on thing inserted in my Mutual Fund statement from either American or Van Kampen Funds today in the mail... I'll add it in later, quite interesting.


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[/quote]

You're an inspiration to me, Glok. I don't fee quite so bad knowing I'm not the only one sticking it out in stocks. I might just jump in deeper and buy, buy, buy . . .

[glokstadt]

[quote][i]Originally posted by drsevrin[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by glokstadt[/i]
<br>I have everything in stocks! 100% in US and International Aggressive Growth Funds... got 21 more years (or more!?), so will ride it out out just like the crash of 1987!

As they say: "What goes up goes down, and what goes down--goes up!" It has historically gone that way... if not, then we are all up shit creek because then money will be worthless and I'll be trading items from the Dollor Tree/Big Lots/99 Cent Store then!

I have something on thing inserted in my Mutual Fund statement from either American or Van Kampen Funds today in the mail... I'll add it in later, quite interesting.


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[/quote]

You're an inspiration to me, Glok. I don't fee quite so bad knowing I'm not the only one sticking it out in stocks. I might just jump in deeper and buy, buy, buy . . .
[/quote]

If had some money right now, I'd be buying! [:p]

[Panorama]

My portfolio is down about 50% but so is most peoples... I'm in my mid 40's so I'm not worried cause I don't need the money right now, maybe another 25-30 years of investing.

I take 15% of each check and send it into my Roth IRA and fully fund that, and then fund my SEP IRA. When I have $500 - 1000 or more sitting in cash, I buy some stocks, hopefully when they are on sale.

I bought GE last week at $22.13 -- the lowest it had been since I started buying GE in 2001 (at $28 per share)... it closed today at $19.01 (I've already lost -16.24% on that deal alone), so yes, it's near impossible to time the market. I just hope in the year 2030 GE is selling for $150/share or more, but until I retire I'll continue putting away 15% of each check and buying when stocks are on sale. Also I've enrolled in the DRIP system, so the dividends reinvest in the same stocks, so 25 years = 100 quarters of earnings, and of course they compound upon themselves, i.e. compound interest and a long time horizon is the key.

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[club80]

Most of my portfolio is in stocks and, while this is a scary time, I'm riding it out. With twenty plus years left until retirement, there's no real concern. I'll probably move some of the more conservative money into large caps in the next week or so to take advantage of bargains.
Let's face it...the market was drastically overpriced and p/e ratios have been way too high for years compared to historical levels.

We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

[Frau_Blucher]

Down 50%?! I would say you must have been pretty imbalanced.

I don't think we're out of the woods yet. Interesting auction today to settle liabilities on insurance on the debt of collapsed Lehman Brothers. Their insurance contract claims were suspected to be as high as $400 billion. If claims are anything close to that amount, the underwriters may not be liquid enough to pay. If other companies are counting on those claims as part of their assets, they suddenly won't have those assets. Lose-lose. Big day today; possibly the biggest yet.

[Max Murdoc]

Just like most here I'm going to sit and wait.

[KYYX4ever]

I have Roth IRAs, and I'll just sit, contribute when I have extra cash, and wait it out. Retirement for me, like many of you, is another 20+ years (-ish). Growing up, I always learned the market had ups and downs, so it'll straighten out eventually.

[Frau_Blucher]

I guess it's a battle between Longfellow's "good things come to those who wait" vs Ben Franklin's "God helps those who help themselves". I say "the ball is in your court". [:D]

There is opportunity right now. The Whens and Hows are just infuriatingly unknowable entities. I've started taking some baby steps, which is kinda scary ahead of the G7 meeting that might end with "us cunts couldn't decide to do anything together"!

[plagiarism]

I'll be putting more money into the stock market very soon. I have no idea where the market will bottom, but it's looking like there's some bargains out there.

That said, I sure am glad I'm not participating in my company's stock purchase plan. [xx(]