Wish I could get that kind of return.

Maybe a bit higher. And it's time to move the thing to somewhere safer. Happily our retirement is not based on that money. We both have pensions, SS (in two years) and own two homes.

I always think that during the housing crisis when people where losing their homes right and left, no one ever came up with the idea to allow people to cash out their 401k's to help keep a home without all of the penalties but of course the big bankers got off scot free. The system is so rigged.

Never worked for a place that offered one.

My stock portfolio and IRAs got eaten up paying for bills and 'retraining' in a new career field, that has yet to result in a job.

It's still brutal out there.

-Laelth

said something about needing an upgrade to your resume. I had been thinking of offering some advice, and then the other day, I saw this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5486514


which was almost the exact same advice I was going to give you. I really dynamic "objective" that paints you as a person who is completely able and eager to do the job should be at the forefront. And you tweak it a bit (like Mad Libs) using the (positive PR spin adjectives and adverbs) language you find on the firm's website and the ad. Review the ad for all skills and how they are worded, and try to hit them all. It makes you appear to be a perfect fit to HR.

Good luck! I'd reach out to Xithras and ask if they'd review your edit. They seem more capable than I, but in a pinch feel free to PM me.

I didn't like the valuations I was seeing in early 2008 and moved a lot of money out of stock funds and into cash. We stayed in cash until the worst of the bloodbath was over. We lost some money anway, but it could have been much, much worse.

BTW, I took similar steps about 2 months ago and moved into short term investment grade bond funds. I think the next big move for stocks is likely to be down.

We are way overdue for a serious correction. Once that happens, buying spree!!!!!!

Moved everything into a fixed-income account that paid 8.25%. In 2010 we went back to 50/50 and have done very well, but... just went 100% fixed at 7% guaranteed by NYS. We're 63 and 64 so I don't think I'd like to experience the roller coaster again. I agree that we're looking at a downturn very soon.

Luckily we don't have to take any income until we're required.

My wife was a NYC teacher and I was making good money so she was able to put the maximum into enhanced retirement benefits and a tax deferred account that was matched by the city. Most city workers get 8.5%, but the UFT allowed the city to reduce the return to teachers to 7%. Still good and guaranteed for life.

We haven't taken out any income so by the time we have to draw the principal should nearly double. Plus, when we go to the great beyond our kids will inherit what's in the account.

It's a great deal and we've encouraged all of our younger friends who work for the city to take advantage.

Same as millions of others.

Cost of living is higher and salary is lower now. Hmmm....how exactly is that 401K going to spring back to life?

I have 5 mutual funds, 1 Roth IRA, 1 traditional IRA, pension, job. I have six individual stocks as well. I Still worry about retirement.

but I've found to make money you've got to spend a LOT of money. I've been through 3 or 4 heavy corrections and am doing better than I forecast (avg 5% return/yr).

Here are my investing points

1) Don't invest with funds you aren't willing or can't afford to lose
2) If you're investment horizons are greater than 10 yrs stay in
3) No one is capable of "timing" the market with 100% accuracy
4) Keep your cost down
5) Don't follow the daily news grind; it's just noise

Yea, the market can be a casino but like most human creations it generally works over the long-term

My guidelines for 401k investing...

1. Don't try to time the market. Put it in and forget it.
2. Don't invest in individual stocks, especially of the company you work for
3. For stocks, have several index funds (large cap, small cap, international)
4. For funds, read carefully the management fees - anything more than 0.5%
is too much (this is the main argument for index funds which have very low
fees)
5. Put money in every month - do NOT stop putting money in if the market
tanks or is at record highs.
6. Any money you will be needing in less than 10 years should not be in stock.
7. Be very skeptical of offers for management of your account - if you have a
sound and simple strategy you don't need to pay an added 0.5% or so.

The people hurt most in 2009/2010 are the ones who pulled their money
out at the bottom and/or stopped investing and missed tremendous bargains.
Now some maybe needed the money and had no choice but in most cases this
was predictable and they should not have been in the market.

If you rode it out, and kept investing during the dark days, you would be in
very good shape now.

but after taxes it's a pretty meager retirement. Would have been heftier before the Bush years. We are in our sixties and seventies and still working just to maintain. When we withdraw for a modest vacation or expense, we pay the piper. But still, many are much worse off.