Your Investments

[SamplerDoc]

It would be nice if we could share tips and horror storys and help each other at least vent and survive together.

So with world markets in a tailspin and dropping daily.......
How are you making out?
Have you held steady?
Did you sell off?
Did you buy?
Are your retirement accounts deep in the red?
Your saving accounts flat or dropping?

What are you doing to get thru the days and nights of turmoil?
Are you checking your accounts daily or several times a day?

[SamplerDoc]

Well let me share to start us off:
I am down 125,000 USD as of yesterday in both retirement and savings.  I am feeling the pain for sure.

I have found myself checking several times a day and night at the accounts and trying to make a plan to bring accounts up.

To date I have not gone into a major panic but rather I was buying a few stocks here and there as well as putting more in those mutual funds but it is still very hard to watch and get a handle on

So far nothing major to report except a few sleepless nights.
So how are you guys doing?

Those guys retired in the LOS have to be sweating it

[stonefre]

Well, I was planning to retire in 4 years. That may have changed. I have lost quite a bit in my retirement account, but I have not stopped contributing. I'm hoping the advice I've been getting to continuing to contribute is right on. What I am buying now at low prices has to worth more late. I hope so at least. I've always been an optimist.

[post-op lover]

I've recently reviewed investment strategies with several 80-90 year olds. Having lived through the Great Depression and many wars, they learned about caution. They long ago shifted from any risky investments. They built up nest eggs by about age 50-60, and then it's been 25 years of slow and steady growth. Compound interest isn't half bad.

I'd much prefer to know how to live to be 90 years old. I think money is within my control, but life expectancy is challenging.

POL

[Monkey]

Investments? Retirement?

Fuck, I'm just happy to make it through til the end of the month...

[Anthony_Mustang]

If things get any worse I'm going to have to slap on a dress, shave my legs and put myself on walking st!

I've been practising my "your a hansum man"

[jaymee]

Gold and cash

I'm waiting for the precious metals bull run which will come when inflation results after overcompensated efforts to fight deflation.

[Stogie]

7% one year fixed rate bonds offered by the UK banks and guaranteed by the government. My bank of choice is Abbey but also have other accounts to spread the load, so to speak.

OK, so the money won't grow a lot but it won't lose either. I'm not much of a gambler or risk taker.

Actually; I may be a winner here as the things I want to buy in a couple of years (property) is sinking by 12% a year and my savings are growing at 7% a year.

I'm guessing that in June 2010 is a good time to cash it all in and buy a nice place to live...

...but we'll see. Who knows what will happen.

[terryw]

Fortunately half my pension will be paid by the Government so that is not affected (unless Gordon Brown completely ruins the UK economy). As for the other half its down 36% in value.

My Stocks & Shares ISA account is down 20%. Most of my cash is with Lloyds TSB which is one of the banks that should be a winner from the credit crunch.

I expect my property to have fallen by 25% in value before the bottom of the market is reached. Like most Brits expect to be working until I am 70.

[Stogie]

(terryw @ Oct. 10 2008,15:13) Like most Brits expect to be working until I am 70.

Interesting. I've never even thought about not working. It's something I'll always do.

[Monkey]

(terryw @ Oct. 10 2008,07:13) Fortunately half my pension will be paid by the Government so that is not affected (unless Gordon Brown completely ruins the UK economy).

I don't really believe there'll be a UK State pension by the time I hit 70 (not that it's a fortune anyway).

If there is then I wouldn't be surprised if they raised the bar to 90

[SamplerDoc]

(Monkey @ Oct. 10 2008,16:09) I don't really believe there'll be a UK State pension by the time I hit 70 (not that it's a fortune anyway).

If there is then I wouldn't be surprised if they raised the bar to 90

Don't give them any ideas

[azza33]

Not sure i got too much left

[dummy_plug]

Is up even a question? I'd wager that any man who tells you that is not either a liar or a thief, if not both!

[Monkey]

One of two things will happen:

1) Everything will recover at some point, maybe even as far away as a year or so.

2) Everything will collapse and it'll be the end of the financial world as we know it.

I'm going for No.1, even though No.2 looks more likely at the moment, especially with Iceland becoming more or less bankrupt and blaming the UK for it.

The thing that I don't quite get at the moment is that Banks are being bailed out by Governments with our money so they can lend it back to us for a profit...