Who Just Can't Look? - Page 2

GoodSense · 10-12-2008, 05:03 PM

After reading this thread, I looked. (Haven't looked for about a month)

Pretty horrible, but since I am in the accumulation phase and the most risky investments are in 401(k) anyway, it doesn't feel that real.

The question is when we should start DCA a little more into the market. My head is telling me now is a good time to start, but my heart is under a cardiac arrest.

audreyh1 · 10-12-2008, 05:11 PM

I've been looking. Every day. It's not pretty. Disbelief maybe, but I still look.

Audrey

Rustward · 10-12-2008, 05:32 PM

I look. Don't like to sweep bad news under the rug.

FIREdreamer · 10-12-2008, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodSense

After reading this thread, I looked.

Ditto. I had not looked since last Saturday. It is nasty for sure. Retirement accounts are down about 22% YTD and our net worth has shrunk by 19% YTD despite some pretty substantial inflows. But believe it or not, I thought it was worse. I am glad I looked.

Dawg54 · 10-12-2008, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1

I've been looking. Every day. It's not pretty. Disbelief maybe, but I still look.

Audrey

Same here.

audreyh1 · 10-12-2008, 06:48 PM

Never mind - some bad data got downloaded, it was more like this:

Friday 10/03/08 - retirement portfolio: -18.01% - ouch.
Friday 10/10/08 - retirement portfolio: -27.37% - WHA HAPPENED!!!!!

Audrey

Midpack · 10-12-2008, 06:57 PM

OK, I looked, and was pleasantly surprised. Down 13% since 9/30. Ugly but I can live with that, but we'll see what happens tomorrow/next week. Have people calmed down over the weekend, or will pent up panic rule? Stay tuned...

**CuppaJoe** · 10-12-2008, 07:06 PM

Received my 3rd qtr. statement from an old account that is done only by snail mail so just today figured 9/30/08 totals, not bad! I figure as of COB on Friday I may be down an amount equal to my cushion but won't figure it exactly until the end of the month. I'm figuring end of months for the first time because I REed at the end of August and want to keep a record now.

Rambler · 10-12-2008, 07:16 PM

I look most days...but I don't really need to. I have a good idea what the daily changes do to my port. I seem to be obsessed with re-calculating my standard of living in ER everytime there is a sell-off though. I guess I just want to make sure that DW and I can survive, and I think we can, even if equities go down another 10-15% from their highs...we won't like it, but we could do it if necessary. Flip side is that it seems I'm still important enough at megacorp that I won't likely be out of work anytime soon unless it is by my choice, so we have plenty of room to watch and wait.

R

TromboneAl · 10-12-2008, 07:51 PM

Quote:

I was more amazed by the fact that I had enough invested to be down by $60k.

I think you get the Look at the Silver Lining prize.

Oldbabe · 10-12-2008, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1

Never mind - some bad data got downloaded, it was more like this:

Friday 10/03/08 - retirement portfolio: -18.01% - ouch.
Friday 10/10/08 - retirement portfolio: -27.37% - WHA HAPPENED!!!!!

Audrey

That looks very familiar. Not a good sight at all.

calmloki · 10-12-2008, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower

...Calmloki, you might give your sis a head's up that Starbucks is going into the crapper, to put it delicately. $3 coffee just won't cut it in this economy I think.

It's a delicate situation. Older brother know-it-all is my designated role. I practice saying "lots of ways to live a life" & "who can say her style of living won't have been the better one". We're very different - she's a monthly payment vs. my total cost style, she buys lots of new cars and shops with vigor, i don't. I agree that Starbucks is heading down - we bought in close to it's high and sold at a loss a year or more ago. Think i'll mention selling some of our international fund at a loss and buying a replacement cheap and gaining a tax write-off! Maybe she'll get a good idea.
In defense of her hands off one stock approach, i suspect that the biggest gain (and the biggest potential loss) comes from putting all one's chips on one pony. Not my style, though we sure are awful real estate heavy....

donheff · 10-12-2008, 09:07 PM

Bad news: we are down enough that some people might consider retiring on that amount.
Good news: same

mews · 10-12-2008, 09:17 PM

I looked.

yeeeks!

It s&cks to see for real what I already knew ...

The bond fund, however, is doing its job. The stock funds, ick, ick, ick, to put it in technical terms.

ta,
mews

who may be w*rking for more than the 5 - 6 years she had hoped.
(I had wanted to bail by 60/62-ish, but hey, earlier than 70 is still 'early retirement', right

)

Gardnr · 10-12-2008, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calmloki

It's a delicate situation. Older brother know-it-all is my designated role. I practice saying "lots of ways to live a life" & "who can say her style of living won't have been the better one". We're very different - she's a monthly payment vs. my total cost style, she buys lots of new cars and shops with vigor, i don't. I agree that Starbucks is heading down - we bought in close to it's high and sold at a loss a year or more ago. Think i'll mention selling some of our international fund at a loss and buying a replacement cheap and gaining a tax write-off! Maybe she'll get a good idea.
In defense of her hands off one stock approach, i suspect that the biggest gain (and the biggest potential loss) comes from putting all one's chips on one pony. Not my style, though we sure are awful real estate heavy....

OMG! She's going to have a rude awakening and learn a really hard lesson about diversification and LBYM. With the retrenchment that's coming from our debt-fueled consumerist economy to one in which people actually have to spend only what they make (or preferably less), companies like SBUX are going to take a huge hit IMO. (And I do drink SBUX brewed coffee at home, but they've made the bid BUX on those drinks they sell in stores, as we all know.)

I don't know what her total situation is like but I hope she wakes up soon to the new reality, and it's not going to help that's she's bet everything on one stock. She's got plenty of company I'm afraid.

Walt34 · 10-13-2008, 03:31 PM

I still haven't looked. It's only a snapshot of one day, or even one moment, and the horizon for withdrawals from the deferred comp and DW's thrift savings accounts are still ten years away. I'll wait for the quarterly paper statement, get a little depressed like I did last time, and try to remember that it goes up more than it goes down.

Meadbh · 10-13-2008, 04:07 PM

The TSX is closed today for Thanksgiving, so I have nothing to look at except my US individual stocks. I hope the TSX will go up tomorrow, but since tomorrow is election day, anything could happen!

Heard that Israel's stock market was the only one that didn't tank last week. Why? Closed for the High Holy Days.

See, sometimes it pays to just go away and get a life!

tmm99 · 10-13-2008, 04:29 PM

I used to like looking at it when it was growing fast. I looked the other day and it just about ruined my day. I don't need the money yet, so why look at it and get all bent out of shape? So I don't want to look now. I will have to soon to rebalance though....

tmm

Dawg54 · 10-13-2008, 04:35 PM

I don't mind looking after a day like today.

Donzo · 10-13-2008, 04:49 PM

I have not been looking since the bottom fell out -until I decided to take one more "bold"(crazy?) shot at buying more equity on Friday. I decided to re-allocate my IRA to the 70% equities that I want for this part of my portfolio - it represents about 1/3 of my totals.

10-12-2008, 06:48 PM	#26
audreyh1 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,222	Never mind - some bad data got downloaded, it was more like this: Friday 10/03/08 - retirement portfolio: -18.01% - ouch. Friday 10/10/08 - retirement portfolio: -27.37% - WHA HAPPENED!!!!! Audrey Last edited by audreyh1; 10-12-2008 at 07:50 PM.. Reason: Bogus data download form Quicken

10-12-2008, 06:57 PM	#27
Midpack Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 1,035	OK, I looked, and was pleasantly surprised. Down 13% since 9/30. Ugly but I can live with that, but we'll see what happens tomorrow/next week. Have people calmed down over the weekend, or will pent up panic rule? Stay tuned... __________________ You only live once...

10-12-2008, 07:06 PM	#28
CuppaJoe Moderator Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,399	Received my 3rd qtr. statement from an old account that is done only by snail mail so just today figured 9/30/08 totals, not bad! I figure as of COB on Friday I may be down an amount equal to my cushion but won't figure it exactly until the end of the month. I'm figuring end of months for the first time because I REed at the end of August and want to keep a record now. __________________ “Say the secret word, win $100.”--the one, the only, Groucho Marx

10-12-2008, 07:16 PM	#29
Rambler Full time employment: Posting here. Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 778	I look most days...but I don't really need to. I have a good idea what the daily changes do to my port. I seem to be obsessed with re-calculating my standard of living in ER everytime there is a sell-off though. I guess I just want to make sure that DW and I can survive, and I think we can, even if equities go down another 10-15% from their highs...we won't like it, but we could do it if necessary. Flip side is that it seems I'm still important enough at megacorp that I won't likely be out of work anytime soon unless it is by my choice, so we have plenty of room to watch and wait. R __________________ Find Joy in the Journey...

10-12-2008, 09:07 PM	#33
donheff Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 2,729	Bad news: we are down enough that some people might consider retiring on that amount. Good news: same __________________ Every man is, or hopes to be, an Idler. -- Samuel Johnson

10-12-2008, 05:03 PM	#21
GoodSense Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 361	After reading this thread, I looked. (Haven't looked for about a month) Pretty horrible, but since I am in the accumulation phase and the most risky investments are in 401(k) anyway, it doesn't feel that real. The question is when we should start DCA a little more into the market. My head is telling me now is a good time to start, but my heart is under a cardiac arrest.

10-12-2008, 05:11 PM	#22
audreyh1 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,222	I've been looking. Every day. It's not pretty. Disbelief maybe, but I still look. Audrey

10-12-2008, 05:32 PM	#23
Rustward Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 178	I look. Don't like to sweep bad news under the rug.

10-12-2008, 09:17 PM	#34
mews Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 180	I looked. yeeeks! It s&cks to see for real what I already knew ... The bond fund, however, is doing its job. The stock funds, ick, ick, ick, to put it in technical terms. ta, mews who may be w*rking for more than the 5 - 6 years she had hoped. (I had wanted to bail by 60/62-ish, but hey, earlier than 70 is still 'early retirement', right)

10-13-2008, 03:31 PM	#36
Walt34 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: WV Panhandle Posts: 1,281	I still haven't looked. It's only a snapshot of one day, or even one moment, and the horizon for withdrawals from the deferred comp and DW's thrift savings accounts are still ten years away. I'll wait for the quarterly paper statement, get a little depressed like I did last time, and try to remember that it goes up more than it goes down. __________________ Retired six years ago at age 52

10-13-2008, 04:07 PM	#37
Meadbh Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,644	The TSX is closed today for Thanksgiving, so I have nothing to look at except my US individual stocks. I hope the TSX will go up tomorrow, but since tomorrow is election day, anything could happen! Heard that Israel's stock market was the only one that didn't tank last week. Why? Closed for the High Holy Days. See, sometimes it pays to just go away and get a life!

10-13-2008, 04:29 PM	#38
tmm99 Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 117	I used to like looking at it when it was growing fast. I looked the other day and it just about ruined my day. I don't need the money yet, so why look at it and get all bent out of shape? So I don't want to look now. I will have to soon to rebalance though.... tmm

10-13-2008, 04:35 PM	#39
Dawg54 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Mississippi Posts: 3,335	I don't mind looking after a day like today. __________________ Full time golf bum.......

10-13-2008, 04:49 PM	#40
Donzo Full time employment: Posting here. Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 531	I have not been looking since the bottom fell out -until I decided to take one more "bold"(crazy?) shot at buying more equity on Friday. I decided to re-allocate my IRA to the 70% equities that I want for this part of my portfolio - it represents about 1/3 of my totals. __________________ Freed at 49. You only live once - live it

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