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hi,
for the past few years, i've been contributing the max to my 401k..........but here we are, close to the end of the year, i have about 16k added since jan. 1, and i'm pretty diversified, but yet, i have a 14.8% losss for the year (up to now!).
i know the market fluxuates but i would have been much better off if i had held cash instead. well, i guess to be fair, i have to take into account the tax breaks and the 4% employer contribution....but still.
i have close to 100k in my 401k but am contemplating the continuation......given the poor performance....year after year after year!
ps. (half of my total balance is with my previous employer.....and that account is up 0.2% over the past 5 years! silly!
Pay no attention to Mr Rational. His replies are of two styles; sardonic and ironic.
I can hear your concern. A couple of suggestions if I may. Talk to the representative of your current employer's 401K vendor about the mix and diversification in your portfolio. Your mix of funds (assumption the only choice is mutual funds) might be out of kilter. Or, you might not be as diversified as you think. The other thing is to move your former employer's 401K either to your current employer's plan, or to a self directed IRA.
Oh, and a third thing. Keep chunking the money into your 401K and or a self directed Roth. If you educate yourself financially along the way, you'll be happy when that retirement dates rolls around.
You're also present as a humorless sod who isn't enjoying his life one bit.
Focus on now. Take a real vacation trip.
Take up a hobby and gain some expertise in that.
Blow a grand on something frivolous or maybe generous.
In short...
find *something* to do that will take your mind off stacking coins like a miser
hth
look at you trying to 'figure me out' when you know nothing about me.
i bet i've taken more vacations to more exotic places than you have....even if you're twice my age.
Quote:
Originally Posted by earthlyfather
Pay no attention to Mr Rational. His replies are of two styles; sardonic and ironic.
Hang in there
thank you very much. I appreciate all the advice. will do.
Location: Finally escaped The People's Republic of California
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Definatley check your portfolio, do you have alot of company stock? I just checked my 401K and my return has been 6.8% for this year. Call whom ever administers your plan and start asking questions, How diversified am I?. Also your 30, your buying low......
This year has been pretty disastrous investment-wise for lots of people. But investments are intended to accrue gain over the long-term - like, decades. So don't ignore a bad year, but don't let it discourage you from investing.
This year has been pretty disastrous investment-wise for lots of people.
How?
Going into today the S&P 500 was basically flat YTD and bond funds are mostly up. (Admittedly, the market lost 2% today, but still....)
I'm still trying to figure out how the OP has lost almost 15% since Jan. 1 in a "pretty diversified" portfolio. Is it posible that he was looking at a statement with an ending period of 9/30? If so, it doesn't take into consideration the close to 10% gain so far in October.
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