Are 25-35 year olds feeling discouraged yet?

[CCdaCE]

I'd make damn sure I never had a return coming, ever again.

-CC

[DFrancis]

I look at my investments twice per year. I also try to block out the noise from the media. I am 32 and have lots of years of work and dca ahead of me. 2008 did hurt. I lost enough to buy a new Lexus and take a month trip to Europe. I am just staying the course. I stayed the course during the dot-com bubble bursting and was rewarded nicely for it. I truly feel that in 4 or 5 years I will look at my accounts and smile.

[citrine]

Not at all discouraged! Worse case scenario....move to Spain and teach English or move back to India and work in the family real estate business!
I plan on enjoying life, living simply, and not stressing myself out....there is ALWAYS an option!

[Jay_Gatsby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFrancis I look at my investments twice per year. I also try to block out the noise from the media. I am 32 and have lots of years of work and dca ahead of me. 2008 did hurt. I lost enough to buy a new Lexus and take a month trip to Europe. I am just staying the course. I stayed the course during the dot-com bubble bursting and was rewarded nicely for it. I truly feel that in 4 or 5 years I will look at my accounts and smile.

Good strategy, though I'd review your investments once a month rather than twice a year (unless you're talking about just a 401(k) as your investments, in which case, there's no need to check it except to re-balance). On a personal note, I didn't fear the recent downturn in the stock market. While I've lost even more than you, I put some money into a few individual stocks and mutual funds back in March. The stocks have DOUBLED in that time, while the mutual funds are up 25%. As Buffett has said "be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful."

[Iggy]

I was about 80% equities last year when the market seized. Over the past 10 months I have put more money into the market than any other year in my life (age 33). Fortunately I've had more money to invest this year. While some people view the lower value of their portfolios as a bad thing, I view the cheaper prices I'm buying stocks at as a good thing.

The last 10 months have been the best investment time of my life so far. Bear markets are bad for those NEAR retirement, not those 21 years from retirement ( I hope). Think long term and ignore the near term!

[Hobo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iggy I was about 80% equities last year when the market seized. Over the past 10 months I have put more money into the market than any other year in my life (age 33). Fortunately I've had more money to invest this year. While some people view the lower value of their portfolios as a bad thing, I view the cheaper prices I'm buying stocks at as a good thing. The last 10 months have been the best investment time of my life so far. Bear markets are bad for those NEAR retirement, not those 21 years from retirement ( I hope). Think long term and ignore the near term!

I am retired for 9 years. The best thing I ever did was to sell my "big house" and all my equities 5 years before I retired. I put the money in "revenue municipal bonds" - good interest, tax free, guaranteed by municipal taxpayers, and good for 30 years of constant income every month.

Don't wait until you are ready to retire to adjust your portfolio from investment to income yielding. Even a small downturn in the economy can bite if you wait until the last minute to adjust your portfolio for retirement.