Just Checked My Mutual Funds

[ClairefromClare]

Not just patient. I'm buying and adding to it. I just wish the buy-in for the mutual fund I want wasn't so high, or I'd be able to diversify a bit more. But since it's for a Roth IRA, there's a limit to what I can contribute.

Good for you--absolutely the right way to go.

Let's just hope the government doesn't look for the traditional solution--starting a war. It took WWII to get us out of the Great Depression, and 2003 (when we invaded Iraq) was a great year in the market. Bottom line: there's nothing you can do. Either the financial world implodes and nothing--including cash and T bills--is worth anything, or we get some traction and eventually pull out of it. Stay the course.

[Grogger31]

I spent most of yesterday in a fetal position.

[pjsnyc]

AAAAND the DOW is in another freefall today...only this time in the morning. Ugh...I mean its like spooky quiet here in NYC. On my way to work today, it was COMPLETELY silent on the trains...and there was a track fire which delayed me 45 minutes. It just plain sucks right now.

The weather is beautiful today though

[Lemay427]

I wonder how many suicides there will be because of this....

[julie_m]

I wonder how many suicides there will be because of this....

Ken Lay style suicides, perhaps.

Oh, wait, "sudden, unexplained deaths."

[immts007]

I just looked at my retirement accounts.

Oh my. I wish I hadn't.

must. forget. the. horror.

[Ben]

I wonder how many suicides there will be because of this....

In the local news (the actual same town I'm in) Tuesday there was a story of a dude that killed himself and family (wife and two sons) because he had lost everything he had in this market. Pretty sad.

[iQuest Golfer]

Stick with your asset allocation and rebalance. It's a really scary thing to do, but I guarantee that in five years, you'll be bragging at parties how you bought into the market at the bottom.

Exactly!

[Harry Longshanks]

It always amazes me how little people think before putting something on TV.

This aired during Friday's second round of the LPGA Long's Drug Challenge:

[ClairefromClare]

As opposed to what, this? How far in advance do you think the advertisers are signed up?

3xQLTxvDkk4 [/URL]

Rats--yet again I am technically challenged to upload this sucker. You'll just have to follow the link.

Screw this--now the link doesn't even work. On youtube, search "etrade bad girl."

[Harry Longshanks]

As opposed to what, this? How far in advance do you think the advertisers are signed up?

Well, I think they are both awful. But in the one I posted, the protagonist vomits after realizing he just bought a bunch of stock. Considering the current state of the market, is that really the image eTrade (a company that wants you to use them to buy stock) wants to portray? That is: buy stock + stock market dives = you too can vomit when you realize you just lost all your money! And I'm pretty sure that eTrade could have substituted another ad if someone had been paying attention.

[ClairefromClare]

Thanks for fixing it Harry. I'm supposed to be smart enough to figure this out...

Maybe eTrade figures they can get commissions on all the panic selling?

My current theory is that we have one of two outcomes: either this really IS the end of the world, and by the end of the month nothing will be worth anything--not cash, not Treasuries, not gold. So it won't matter what you do.

Alternative 2 is that we get some traction and some sense. Anyone who guts it out now will look like a genius in a few years (I know, I've said this all along).

So--in either scenario, staying the course isn't the wrong thing to do.

[immts007]

I'm wondering if it's a good time to drop $5k into a really tanked stock.

We got to be near the bottom, no?

[Shindig]

I'm wondering if it's a good time to drop $5k into a really tanked stock.

If you don't now much about the stock market, but want to invest, advice is generally to buy mutual funds, and to buy them in stages - put a set amount in each month/week/etc. If you are eligible for a Roth IRA or other form of IRA, you can invest that $5K over a year and let it grow, tax-free, until retirement.

[Grogger31]

I'm wondering if it's a good time to drop $5k into a really tanked stock.

If you've got $5K to "play with", absolutely. I wouldn't be dropping $5K you need back into the market right now. But whatever stock you plan to buy, you still need to make sure the company's "fundamentals are strong" (sorry, I couldn't resist).

[immts007]

We max out our Roth conributions every year and volutarily put an additional $250 (each) a month into our 403B's.

So this about 5k out of our savings to invest in a bargain stock.

In 1996 I bought $5k of Apple Stock and sold it 4 years later for a profit of $70k.

Apple has dropped almost $100 a share since August. Wondering if it might be a good buy. Although I worry about the "Is Steve Jobs Going To Die" issue.

[ganjagolfer]

I'm wondering if it's a good time to drop $5k into a really tanked stock.

i would say things are looking pretty good right now, the market only lost 200 points on friday

[ClairefromClare]

i would say things are looking pretty good right now, the market only lost 200 points on friday

Only 128! But 1,000 point intra-day swings.