Recent content by fireby40

Listen to the majority here and go directly with the Vanguard funds. For your "fun" account I would go with TradeKing. $5, and the site is much better to use than the other cheapies. I have a Roth with TradeKing for just that purpose :)

This is a good point-- It's been a year or two since I've dusted off my Bernstein books, but I think I recall him making this point. I could still move 5% out of equities... not too dramatic, but it still has some potential upside.

Animorph - I think you're dead on. OK, I'm going to bite the bullet and go for it. I'm going to mull it over a bit to nail down the details, i.e., just what percentage (probably still going to stick with 10% bonds) and in what increments. The long term upside just outweighs the risk...

A little more information: Yes, I am trying to time the market because long term I do believe in holding at least 20% bonds prior to FIRE. (Thanks for forcing me to acknowledge this. :) Allocation is roughly: 25% bonds 25% sp500 25% eafe 15% completion index 10% company stock (oil major)...

I'm 31 and have another solid decade of corporate drudgery ahead of me... I'm seriously considering swapping some or all the 25% of my portfolio that is in bonds for equity index funds. Yes, risky, but time is on my side, and I can't help but think that the long term upside outweighs the risk...

The references to 'top x%' and 'quartile' are all too familiar in my corporate job. The fact that we are ranked against our peers, the outcome determining who gets canned and who gets a raise should be enough to tell you that none of us are secure. My own bizarre challenge is to lower myself...

Like most everything else to do with 401Ks, I don't think many of the details are consistent between plans. Bottom line is you need to read the fine print for your specific plan. With my company (401K managed by CitiStreet) loans have zero impact on your account balance or contributions. It...

This thread makes me realize how lucky I am. I get a full 7% 401k match, and my employer has a pretty decent pension plan as well. Since I plan to check out long before 55 I'll need to wait until I'm 62 before I can get the 'full' benefit which I expect to be something around 25% of my ending...

Driven by a nagging fear that our country will someday be run by someone responsible, I voted 'not retired - save it' on the premise that I might actually be on the hook to repay this borrowed money. Amazing that people think a problem created in part by fiscal irresponsibility can be solved...

First, I must confess to quite a bit of lurking around the board before finally signing up today! I'm 30, and I've been plowing as much money as I can into my 401k for the last 6+ years since I started my job in 2001. During 2007 I finally got serious on asset allocation (I had been 100% in...