Numbers
Confused about dryer sheets
So I happened across this site today during a web search and was so thoroughly impressed by the thoughtful & honest responses to various posts I felt compelled to join.
As I'm sure with most here, I am seeking a bit of advice, but a bit about myself first. I'm 37, married to my wonderful wife of 17 years and we have 2 children together, 7 & 4. For income, I work full time (10 hr/days + 3 hr commute), run a small home improvement business on weekends and some nights, manage a small rental apartment on our property & do my best to track investments. Although I used to be rather free spending (I still am a bit), since my first child was born (2005), I've managed to amass roughly $200k in cash & $50k in a rolled over 401k from a previous employer. My current employer does not offer health or retirement benefits but I earn a decent salary considering my level of education (some college). My wife does work part time although this salary only covers child care costs & health insurance. We have no debt other than our home on which we owe ~$180k, valued at roughly $300.
I dabble in the market and have actually done very well in picking specific stocks, in fact other than the first trade I ever placed, I have never lost money in the market. Though it was dumb luck, I happened to be in all cash & CD's during the 2009 crash and did fairly well during the rebound. The problem is I am extremely risk averse and do not invest significant amounts of money to start with and usually take gains much earlier than I should. This wasn't much of a problem when CD's were paying 5+% but simple savings accounts & CD's no longer seem a viable option. The market seems to have run much to far since the crash to warrant investments at this point but I fear inflation eroding all the work I've done to date.
In closing, I suppose my query would be are there any safe investment vehicles for modest returns (at least on par with inflation) that I may possibly be overlooking or are we to the point that risking everything in the markets is the only option?
Thanks in advance for reading and I look forward to any input!
As I'm sure with most here, I am seeking a bit of advice, but a bit about myself first. I'm 37, married to my wonderful wife of 17 years and we have 2 children together, 7 & 4. For income, I work full time (10 hr/days + 3 hr commute), run a small home improvement business on weekends and some nights, manage a small rental apartment on our property & do my best to track investments. Although I used to be rather free spending (I still am a bit), since my first child was born (2005), I've managed to amass roughly $200k in cash & $50k in a rolled over 401k from a previous employer. My current employer does not offer health or retirement benefits but I earn a decent salary considering my level of education (some college). My wife does work part time although this salary only covers child care costs & health insurance. We have no debt other than our home on which we owe ~$180k, valued at roughly $300.
I dabble in the market and have actually done very well in picking specific stocks, in fact other than the first trade I ever placed, I have never lost money in the market. Though it was dumb luck, I happened to be in all cash & CD's during the 2009 crash and did fairly well during the rebound. The problem is I am extremely risk averse and do not invest significant amounts of money to start with and usually take gains much earlier than I should. This wasn't much of a problem when CD's were paying 5+% but simple savings accounts & CD's no longer seem a viable option. The market seems to have run much to far since the crash to warrant investments at this point but I fear inflation eroding all the work I've done to date.
In closing, I suppose my query would be are there any safe investment vehicles for modest returns (at least on par with inflation) that I may possibly be overlooking or are we to the point that risking everything in the markets is the only option?
Thanks in advance for reading and I look forward to any input!
