How are your investments doing?

[grsthegreat]

my investment have been doing great as long as i can remember. After paying off all debts i was able to load up investments. Were set. Wifes been retired about 8 years. Me, im semi retired. I only work for the fun of it (generator service). I dont mind working a few days a week….when i want to, not when the boss says to.

Since retirement, weve been making more money each month from investments than we made while working. Its really amazing.

 

[RSKY]

my investment have been doing great as long as i can remember. After paying off all debts i was able to load up investments. Were set. Wifes been retired about 8 years. Me, im semi retired. I only work for the fun of it (generator service). I dont mind working a few days a week….when i want to, not when the boss says to.

Since retirement, weve been making more money each month from investments than we made while working. Its really amazing.

My situation also, except I'm not working. Unless you count the two days a week babysitting as working.

The main fund I'm in dropped from $47/share to $41/share in the past month. That's about a 15% drop. But I am not upset because three months ago I was hoping it would get up to $40 by year's end.

I am in the market for the long run. Timing the market is not a consideration. I consider my investments to be generational wealth to be passed on. Though I check it every single day I seldom make changes. Parts of the investments are destined to go to grandkids when my wife and I are gone. Roughly one quarter is managed by Fidelity in safer bond and other funds with lower returns but lower risk. One quarter in lower risk mutual funds. And half in higher yield but riskier funds, mainly Fidelity's Select Semiconductor Fund.

Our income from pensions and SS is enough that we could get by on that without dipping into our investments. We still try to save money/pinch pennies as we were both taught by our parents. The only thing we really splurge on is dining out.

We could afford to buy a bigger house. I am still driving a 2014 truck. We could go on a cruise every month. We don't do any big spending. Just live life as we always have and try to invest to aid the next generations of our family. Part of that will be teaching the next generation how to handle money.

RSKY

 

[Snobdds]

Just remember that until you sell, those gains are fiction.

Larry...you are the only one to get it. A person could be up 33% in the last 6 months, but if you don't bank the profits...you're only up 33% on paper.

 

[jmc]

Larry...you are the only one to get it. A person could be up 33% in the last 6 months, but if you don't bank the profits...you're only up 33% on paper.

Uh, that's not exactly rocket surgery.

 

[jmc]

Remember during the Great Recession of 2008, when a lot of investors threw in the towel at what turned out to be the market's bottom? They swore off stocks forever. There's actually a market indicator to buy, based on when retail investors capitulate.

 

[Snobdds]

Uh, that's not exactly rocket surgery.

Have you read all the posts here. They are all proud of their paper gains. Not one of them are brave enough to bank the profits, and wait for a better reentry point.

 

[Snobdds]

Remember during the Great Recession of 2008, when a lot of investors threw in the towel at what turned out to be the market's bottom? They swore off stocks forever. There's actually a market indicator to buy, based on when retail investors capitulate.

We also had our indicator to sell here just a week ago.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Mine are fine. I spend more time picking out decent high proof bourbons and english pipe tobaccos, than I do worrying about the markets.

It's served me well.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Have you read all the posts here. They are all proud of their paper gains. Not one of them are brave enough to bank the profits, and wait for a better reentry point.

It's not bravery, it's calculated. And yes we do understand that we have to sell the asset to realize the gains or losses. Do you mind sharing your personal last 5 year gains using your market timing method? A few of us have and we are happy with what we have made, though it would be great to make improvements. The "earnings potential" - to use words closer to what you would like to see - I have is based on time in the market, consistent input, and decisions made to the best of my ability.

I have tried to time the market the way you claim is easy. I was terrible at it and lost more than I was putting in.

 

[Snobdds]

It's not bravery, it's calculated. And yes we do understand that we have to sell the asset to realize the gains or losses. Do you mind sharing your personal last 5 year gains using your market timing method? A few of us have and we are happy with what we have made, though it would be great to make improvements. The "earnings potential" - to use words closer to what you would like to see - I have is based on time in the market, consistent input, and decisions made to the best of my ability.

I have tried to time the market the way you claim is easy. I was terrible at it and lost more than I was putting in.

I've been trading since I was 22, I'm now 44. I had a professor in college that was the head of the Chicago Mercantile exchange. He retired to Wyoming and got board. So he taught one investment class each semester and basically taught us how to momentum trade. It's not day trading.

He taught us how to use the tools available to pick entry and exit points. He taught us how to manage risk with simple tools. It was the best education of my life. I have taught about 5 people how to do it as well. I feel knowledge should be shared. They are now very successful at doing it to.

It's not my primary job though, I am a Actuary that manages risk for all the BCBS plans.

I've made tens of millions in the market, but guess what...you have to sell and buy to make money. Buy and hold is for security, more than anything else.

If you have a 33% gain...sell. That should not be a hard decision.