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08-09-2008, 08:49 AM
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#21
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 4,337
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny
Hey, 3-4 weeks ago I said oil was going to drop and the dollar was going up.
Ta da!
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What I'm glad to see is that Europe is finally accepting that they are going to face an economic "slowdown." Some of their sactamoneous blather earlier this year is coming back to haunt them. Of course, it's all the USA's fault in their minds. I see Europe starting to cut rates. At that point the dollar will take off and oil will continue to fall. If oil falls enough, I'll be "retired" by my current (and final) employer. I'll get to live off the 6 months of severence pay -- anyone know what Texas unemployment insurance is?
As far as this year's "carnage," I'm only down a little under 5% for the year and, at the worst, down about 8%. As market meltdowns go, that isn't too serious.
As far as the market going nowhere during the last eight years, I'm about double my assets that I had in 2000. That's the joy of a diversified asset allocation. My foreign holdings had really gone up in that period. I've gotten decent interest rates on my fixed income and reinvested all of my dividends. Every year I've moved money from equities to fixed to maintain my desired asset allocation. Even with the downturn of this year, rebalancing today would move only a very small amount from fixed income to equities. Surprisingly, it would all go into foreign equities.
As far as $16,000 goes, I go up or down that amount about 2 or 3 times every week. I really have to stop checking my stocks so often.
__________________
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane -- Marcus Aurelius
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08-09-2008, 09:28 AM
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#23
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,764
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I look at it this way. It could be and someday will be worse Then again I also realize things might get better.
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08-09-2008, 10:14 AM
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#24
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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08-09-2008, 11:53 AM
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#25
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At The Cafe
Posts: 6,873
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Quote:
Originally Posted by retiringat50
....
when will it end?
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Take cover under your desks, kids!
I thank my lucky stars that only one of my seven financial accounts mails out a monthly statement. That one took only a couple of hundred dollars hit and it contains some equities. To figure the total hit, I would have to do some w*rk, haven't done it yet; may challenge myself to wait until the end of the third quarter. Be an optimist, wear a blindfold. Carry on.
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08-09-2008, 02:08 PM
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#26
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Posts: 4,337
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HFWR
$378 / wk
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Thanks. Now I can add $9,828 to my FIRE fund. If the dems win big, maybe they'll extend the benefits from 6 months to a year and double my money!
Hopefully, I won't be around there long enough to have the j*b market tank. Right now they're scrambling to hire more of everybody that can credibly pass themselves off to our clients. Project managers are fighting over engineers. Life is good if you consider it's still officially w*rk.
I may have had my last career performance review Friday. I had to interrupt my usual 3 day weekend to appear interested (old habits die hard) and show up for my performance review. I was told that I'm doing so well that the formal reviews will no longer be necessary unless something "comes up." Informal reviews will be less frequent.
This actually has left me with mixed emotions. I have targeted to model myself after "Wally" of Dilbert fame. As a former manager, I can't help but feel that I had successfully achieved marginal effectiveness. Now, I'm told I'm on the high end. Maybe the bar was really this low all the time and I wasted extra effort for years.
At least I was told I'm getting my second 5% raise for the year. Ever since I've been there, come February and August I get a raise whether I want it or not.
All I can say is that once you've decided you're FI things get so much easier. I used to worry about w*rk. Sometimes it's even "fun" now. This forum may need to do an intervention.
__________________
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane -- Marcus Aurelius
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08-09-2008, 02:18 PM
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#27
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7,968
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Quote:
Originally Posted by retiringat50
another $16,000 lost this month!
when will it end?
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Hmmm - since my big dog is 85% Target Retirement 2015.
Why I could watch daily - or even more often on something like Yahoo finance.
Just think of the thrills and chills!
heh heh heh - or I could watch the Saint's in season and let those trusty computers auto rebalance, auto transfer my living expenses to VG Prime MM once a year and enter my numbers into Turbo Tax in time for 4/15. .
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08-09-2008, 02:39 PM
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#28
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Texas~29N/98W Just West of Woman Hollering Creek
Posts: 6,673
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Technical definition of bear market: A period during which common stocks are returned to their rightful owners.
__________________
Part-Owner of Texas
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx
In dire need of: faster horses, younger woman, older whiskey, more money.
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08-09-2008, 02:46 PM
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#29
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 134
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I NEVER look at my monthly statements. IMO, planning for ER based on monthly statements is like planning your funeral based on what you did on your wedding night: Much as you'd like to think so, one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.
Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
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08-09-2008, 03:05 PM
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#30
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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For all those complaining about those big losses: what were you telling us when you had those big gains? Have you lost all of your gains?
ER means having a portfolio able to replicate a year's spending. If you can't stand to watch it lose an occasional year's spending, then that's a pretty good indication that you need a different asset allocation or that you're not ready for the withdrawal phase of your life. It may be worth looking into a different AA or getting a bigger ER portfolio.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultimate Cheapskate
I NEVER look at my monthly statements.
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I'm not sure why companies are even paying the postage to mail them out. We get our annual 1099 from Fidelity and everything else is online when I want to look at it... or not.
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-09-2008, 05:30 PM
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#31
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,525
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quote from 2B: "As far as $16,000 goes, I go up or down that amount about 2 or 3 times every week. I really have to stop checking my stocks so often"]
Funny thing about that $16K number. When I got it under my bonnet that early retirement was remotely possible that's exactly the number I had saved $16K - June of 1981 (spreadsheets are wonderful). Well, that grew so that by the end of 2002 I was able to do the ER thing and now -you are right- the pile goes up and down that much or more every other day it seems.
Having diversified now for many years I hate to think what would have happened if I had stuck with my first investment back in 1981 _ Gold!
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08-09-2008, 07:47 PM
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#32
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nords
Have you lost all of your gains?
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Nobody has gained or lost anything until they've sold.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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08-09-2008, 07:50 PM
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#33
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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But... but... but... that means I can't count my home equity until I sell it!
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-09-2008, 07:54 PM
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#34
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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You can count its value, you just cant count it as a capital gain or loss.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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08-09-2008, 08:10 PM
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#35
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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Well, gosh, now I'll never figure out whether or not to pay off my mortgage...
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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08-09-2008, 08:20 PM
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#36
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
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Its a decision you'll need to revisit daily.
I'll meet you at 8am every morning in the sweat lodge.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
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