Lost 40K in my TSP acct this year.................

[mark.]

Well..............here I am again, reporting on the bear market we've been dealing with.

I just read this from the TSP website:

Your Personal Investment Performance (PIP) for the 12 months ending 02/28/2010 is 57.59%. (Your PIP is posted by the 3rd business day of each month.)

WOW.....57% ?? They must be kidding. I haven't looked at it in 2 months. I've recooped the 40% loss from 2008 probably due to increasing the deductions I've made to the TSP acct. I was sending 5% when the market crashed & saw that the funds were on sale & went to 10% when the market tanked in March 08.

Here's the breakdown:

C Fund Common Stock Index 32.20%
S Fund Small Cap Stock Index 38.16%
I Fund International Stock Index 29.64%

I still have nothing in the G Fund because of it's poor returns.
I have 9.5 years to go so the bear market didn't hurt too bad..at the moment.

So....would anyone else care to comment how their investments are doing at the moment? ............see ya mark

 

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[wreckdiver1715]

I decided to ride out the market as far as my TSP account, so I have not looked at it in a year and a half (mainly because I lost my password), that and I did not want to think about the loss. I have 50% in the C Fund, and 50% in the I fund. Just looked up the returns for the last 12 months, and wow! C Fund up 49.92%, I Fund up 54.74%. I am going to rollover the whole thing into my new 401K, "TRRBX" now that I have retired from Civil Service.
My other favorite investment is in Odyssey Marine. I have been investing in OMEX since the days they were listed in the Pink Sheets. However, I have been taking a beating on my shares the last couple of years, but I am still way ahead after taking profits out during the peak of the Mercedes treasure recovery. I'm about ready to increase my holdings again as I think they will soon be victorious in the battle against Spain.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

There will be more ups and downs - for sure.

Just so you have a little "yea!", there, at least once half is gone, you (hopefully you have a good lawyer, because I know you don't have a choice about the 1/2 to the ex-spouse) but, 2 things - half the taxes (if your lawyers work it right, she can pay 100% of the taxes for early withdrawal - that's how our friend make a little lemonade out of his lemons), AND, the next 9-1/2 years won't have to be shared (assuming you don't get married again).

The only really GOOD thing we did with this economy is splurged and bought Ford at $1.07. (we did a "guess and by golly" since they were the only ones that didn't take government money) and, we came out ahead. (everyone thought we were insane, including us). Other than that (and that was a personal buy), most everything is very slowly going up and down, but a little more up than down.

Beth

 

[WishfulThinker]

You are not going to get ahead of the game by holding on to old ideas. I do not know if most of you are traders out there, but you are going to have to come up to speed on trading techniques at least to buy in. The problem with the 401K's was that they had to be fully invested in the market, (no or minimum cash reserves) and they were, as they rode it to he bottom during the credit crunch. If nothing else, put 1/2 of your money into a self managed ROTH IRA with a brokerage company and ride herd on it yourself -- you will not do any worse than the losses most of you incurred, if you use stop loss trading techniques as you can move into cash and hold your position.

Just for info., stocks started breaking out in some sectors last month (3/2010). Right now looking at threshold point of 11,000 for DOW. If interested in trading, get Toni Turners Book, Short Term Trading In New Stock Market, and William O'Neil Books (IBD) How To Make Money In Stocks, & Sucessful Investor. Will Post more info later if people are interested. 25% to 45% gains in better stocks during trading cycles of 3 months to 6 months average... some jump on the gravytrain stocks rise 75% or more ... just remember Uncle Sam gets 1/2 if you trade in cash account as opposed to retirement account.

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[mrs.oroblanco]

Why would someone who is great at making money in the market bother to write a book on trading stock? They want the competition? Or, they want everyone doing what they are doing? Everyone knows if lots of people keep buying a stock, the stock will go up, and if everyone starts to sell, the price drops. Stock trading in groups that can affect the price are very popular. Doesn't make for good trading though. (long term).

There are "experts" trading all these people's 401K's and retirement funds - and all these folks lost all this money? How well are the experts doing?

Don't depend on books for your trading - read and learn how - definitely - but, everyone has a different way to trade - every writer, every investor, every individual, every company, every trading group.

You've got to do what you feel comfortable with. I've had a bunch that was controlled by the company I worked for. So has my husband, - we did better on our own.

A friend of ours lost a lot of money - using American Express brokers. He paid "more" for better service. He got screwed to the tune of over
100 grand. How? Well, buy 1000 shares of stocks in something (an order he placed), they bought it, in smaller increments, and charged for each transaction (Etrade doesn't do that). He called to sell something - they didn't get it sold for over a week - the broker was busy, you know, that's what happens when you want individual care - meanwhile, he (our friend) lost half of the money invested in that stock, when he would have made a profit if they sold it the day he called). (by the way, American Express was fined by the "commission" for faulty service of over 2000 customers).

Even the professionals are not soothsayers. They take their best guesses, or they put your money with someone elses so they can get a bigger "hit" on the stock.

Bottom line, as I said - you do what you are comfortable with. Someone saying that some people don't understand, is just another person with another way of doing something.

Beth

 

[USMCLion]

I got really lucky, we were having another baby and my wife lost her job at the same time. I took a 30k loan out of my TSP, we didn't need that much but I took more just to be safe. Ended up only using 4 k and put the rest back in after the big falls in the market. I'm actually 7-8 k ahead of where I was before I took the loan. I use the TSP 2030 fund where they manage it for you.

OUCH!! That hurts.

I've been investing 20% in international stock, 20% in small cap & 60% in the S & P.

The other choices we have are bonds & the gov't "G" fund which is merely a savings acct.

Since the European market is run by 28-30 countries, I doubt they can agree on anything regarding stocks/mutual funds, so, I see the overseas markets in disarray for while.

.......I've decided to stop overseas investing & moving my investing ( payroll ) deductions back to the U.S. markets for a short while.

Anyone else doing something similar? ...or....are you sitting tight on your investments?

Why or why not?? ............see ya mark

 

[mark.]

I got really lucky, we were having another baby and my wife lost her job at the same time. I took a 30k loan out of my TSP, we didn't need that much but I took more just to be safe. Ended up only using 4 k and put the rest back in after the big falls in the market. I'm actually 7-8 k ahead of where I was before I took the loan. I use the TSP 2030 fund where they manage it for you.

WOW, what great timing. I was always scared of taking out of the TSP fearing that something would happen & I'd have to repay within the 60 day limit.
Sounds like you made out like a bandit.............see ya mark

 

[mark.]

I got really lucky, we were having another baby and my wife lost her job at the same time. I took a 30k loan out of my TSP, we didn't need that much but I took more just to be safe. Ended up only using 4 k and put the rest back in after the big falls in the market. I'm actually 7-8 k ahead of where I was before I took the loan. I use the TSP 2030 fund where they manage it for you.

WOW, what great timing. I was always scared of taking out of the TSP fearing that something would happen & I'd have to repay within the 60 day limit.
Sounds like you made out like a bandit.............see ya mark

 

[PressedTrousers]

Euros! At 1.23 a throw at this writing, they'll go back up soon enough. I can't see the USD coming to fruit anytime soon, ie in the near future. I bought $450 worth in 1998, now worth quite a bit more. Either that or a CD....