Was there a point during investing when you decided to take on more risk?

[Linney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jIMOh Was there a point during investing when you decided to take on more risk?

Yes. When I started working many years ago, our company was reducing our pension contribution in exchange for a (then fairly new) 401k account with significant company match on contributions. I signed up for 20% stock funds and 80% money market. About two years later, the 401k expanded to add quite a number of new investment choices. A colleague analyzed the new funds and wrote a long but very instructive email with his analysis of how we should be investing our 401k accounts. I read his email three times through and then marched over to personnel and changed my allocation to 80% stock mutual funds and 20% money market. I also started taking more interest in learning more about investing -- it was in retrospect the beginnings of my quest for FIRE.

Over the years as the balance has grown larger and larger, I have slowly shifted the allocation and am now invested at 65% equities / 30% bonds / 5% MM. I like the fact that early investing has put me in a position where I do not need to take on as much risk.

--Linney