Your experience living through new highs

[Oz investor]

i used to race bicycles,

if there is one thing more exciting than a nice descent , it is the same descent in the DARK ( and yes i do mean as fast as you can )

and the doctors think i am joking about being suicidal at 18 ( years of age )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK7Jho67a-E

[gcgang]

Wheeeeeeee!!!

[canuck5]

My wife and i will both be 62 next month and will be completely retired by the end of the year. We've always been LBYM, saved as much as we could and never tried to time the market.

We've seen lots of new highs over our time and some scarey lows. We first started to invest, in the spring of 1987. Our meager investment was 50% by that fall. Got serious about investing in 1994 and have kept after things, ever since. There have been a lot of ups and downs initiated by factors outside the USA and a few inside.

I anticipate seeing the same curve in retirement that I've seen over the last 24 years, minus my annual adding to the investment. All the "points" are where my investments were at the start of they year and what "scary" things might have occurred, during that year.

[brett]

Excellent returns coupled with low inflation for the past 5/6 years of retirement. We were good to go then but sequence of returns has sweetened the pot.

Cutting back a little on our allocations. Taking some profit. Should there be a collapse we want to protect our position but also be able to re enter a price attractive market.

[lem1955]

I retired in December 2015. My withdrawals were 3.72% of portfolio in 2016, 7.57% in 2017, and 4.55% in 2018. Asset allocation 62/38 (with ROTHs at 80/20, Trad IRA's at 60/40). I have two years expenses in CD's within the Trad IRA. Portfolio is 9.5% larger than when I retired. I don't plan to take SS until age 70. I'm 63 now. I will take less from the portfolio in the future if the market dips, but will continue to feel free with the money if growth keeps up with my current spending. My DW is 72. We are in good health and want to travel, help support kids and grandkids while we can.

[COcheesehead]

I've tracked my net worth since 2006. So that includes the '08/'09 bear, the virtual bear of 2011 and all the rises in between. I am almost 5x higher today than I was then. Stay the course and don't freak out when it drops.