The best part

[MikeyMarks]

I posted this (see below) on these forums less than three months ago. As of today, my net worth is even HIGHER than it was on March 1st.

And the best part is I didn't even have ONE sleepless night.

God bless.




Calming thoughts, maybe
I've been reading these boards for about 15 years, but decided to register an account today just to share a few thoughts on the market.

1. I'm old enough to remember 9/11 and the Great Recession and how they both felt like the end of the world. They weren't the end of the world. And neither is this. It's funny how much calmer I am now, and it's because I've experienced the fall AND the rise several times now - it's a normal rhythm that you must embrace psychologically. It feels terrifying when you watch the market drop seven percent two or three days in a row, but just keep looking at the 100-year Dow Jones chart to reassure yourself that the market has always headed in one direction long-term: up.

2. Every expert was saying we were due for a market correction and/or a recession. So, it finally happened. Okay. You didn't think it would never happen, did you? Markets must have corrections, and economies must have recessions. But they're always temporary. And this one in particular seems so inextricably linked to an externality (the virus) that just think how positively the market will react when the US announces a major drop in cases or a company announces a vaccine.

3. These boards are helpful for information and (sometimes) reassurance, but just remember nobody in this community knows anything more about the future than you do. Don't be influenced by those who post predictions, especially dire ones, with confidence - they have no idea what they're talking about.

That's all for now. Just thought I'd share.

 

[racy]

Nice post. Thanks. As I write this 1:45PM CDT, 6/5/20, the Dow is up 911 points, 3.47%. Not bad.

I invested continuously from 1977 to 2013 in a 401k. I bought 1 share of Berkshire Hathaway after Black Friday, Oct 1987. I've never been out of the market and I've see many crises come and go. I'm not one of those smart enough to know when to get out and back in so I just stay the course.

 

[rk911]

maybe i'm older than the OP but i never thought 9/11 or 2007/2008 were the end of the world.

i...we...were new to investing in 1982. by 1987 we were in it to win it. then the crash. and just as we were getting ready to buy a house. i was nervous, very nervous but hung in there. ever since...dot comm, 9/11, housing, bubble here, bubble there, doom, gloom, yadda yadda...haven't fazed either of us in any meaningful way. prior to retiring in '05 and '06 we were 100% debt free and living waaaaay beneath our means...still are and still do.

we've stayed the course and are essentially where we were in terms of net worth when the current EOTW crisis-de-jour struck. not my intention to minimalize the pain, suffering and death that has occurred...not at all. we realize we are fortunate in having the foresight and ability to steadily invest in America between 1982 and 2010 (still investing, just not as steadily) and i give my wife and bro-in-law all the credit for starting us down this path. but financially CV19 was no big deal.

 

[cyber888]

Yesterday, my networth is higher than it was in January 2020 when the Dow was at 28,600-28,800. I paid some mortgage debts and my IRA went up buying cruise and Vegas stocks. My 401k is still lower by 1.8% since January.. not much

 

[Finance Dave]

Optimism...I like it. And in the case of the stock market...realism!

I was very conservatively invested before the drop (only 20% equities), so I bought chunks when the market was down approx 5%, 12%, 20%, and 28%. I must admit I was smacking myself when I'd buy at 5% down and then it went down 28-30% lol....but it has worked out. Our portfolio is now slightly higher than it was before the drop, and we still haven't fully recovered to the peak. I've since sold off a bunch and am now back at 20% equities, which is where I'm comfortable. Another 30% drop would be nice LOL...so I can buy more!