What are ya'll doing with your 401K?

[Vipergrün]

Just checked my 401K and as of today, up 25.6% for the year, and that's after I re-balanced some funds into longer-term, year targeted funds. Crazy!

Hard to believe this trend can continue, and based on history, you'd think we'd be ripe for another crash, or major correction.

I am considering moving some $$ to cash, but don't want to miss out on the ride. Then again, at 52 and needing to really sock it away, I cannot be too risky.

What are you all doing?

Thanks
-Brad

[rwest]

Hoping and praying!

I'm planning on retiring in about 5 years, but I will have two pensions, so I can take a bit more risk with investments. I have half in high risk mutual, quarter in medium and quarter in low.

Been hearing a lot of people recommending putting money it a Roth as well.

[ckelly78z]

I am also 52 years old, and have been more than pleased with my 401K results this year (20%). I also get nervous about a major correction, but in the last 2 years I have made nearly 50% return so for now, I will be staying the course. I have been contributing 6% for 20 years, and then cranked it up to 20% contributions about 3-4 years ago when I paid off the house.

The 401K, along with my 25 year company pension, also having no debt, and whatever remains of SS for my wife, and myself should ensure a comfortable retirement.

[wdfifteen]

I got 40% out in late May. I'm nearly 68 years old, I don't have time to ride out a correction. I'm thinking of taking out another 40%, buy some real estate, and wait for the crash. It's coming. This kind of run up can't last forever, and I'm afraid when it falls it's going to fall hard.
If I was 20 years younger I would be holding and waiting it out. If it crashes it you have 20 years to recover. If it doesn't - you win big.

[masraum]

If you have a decent sized 401k, and you are close to retirement, then I would also be a bit concerned. I'm not that close to retirement, and I've wondered about trying to protect some of my gains by moving stuff around. The problem is that we could be wrong and this could keep going for a while or it could happen tomorrow.

What I understand is that as you get older and closer to retirement, you should be moving money from equities into bonds to protect it for just the reason that you are concerned. Then if the market does decline, you can leave the money in the market until it recovers (because it always does) and use the money within your bonds.

[MBAtarga]

I'm waiting for tabs to tell us all what fools we are!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

I'm waiting for tabs to tell us all what fools we are!

I'm sure you won't be waiting long. Chicken Little should be along to advise us on the status of the sky any time now.

[recycled sixtie]

Tabs may be right but it could be in another fifty years that he is proven right.
Hey tabs can you give me a time frame when the sky will fall? For instance a one year time frame so I can plan accordingly?

[vash]

i'm 51, and i am eyeballing my 401k..which is looking pretty damn good.

i'll watch this thread..

all the corporations are poised for a great great year..

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by vash

all the corporations are poised for a great great year..

<PARF>According to the Republicans, corporations are suffering and need an immediate 50% tax cut</PARF>

[mgatepi]

Just because they are doing well doesn't mean they are keeping their money.

[vash]

not trying to PARF it...just going with the basics..if a corps stock kicksass..the price goes up. that's all.

[aschen]

I reallocated my contributions a bit yesterday to more aggressive funds. I had a pretty good return this year as most of us have. I am 41 and had about 20% going into a bond fund which didnt do that well and has a high E/R (.7%). Otherwise I am mostly on the set it and forget it path. I struggle a bit choosing funds we have several low cost vangaurd index funds with very low ERs, as well as active funds with high costs .3-.6. I have quite a bit in the 2045 target date fund, I love the easy nature of it and it has made good returns but the I wonder how much the .5 ER would be easily offset by periodically rearaging cheaper assets myself. The problem is I don't trust myself to do it well.

I put 5500 in my roth when I was doing my taxes last year. I left it in cash because the market seemed high. I just put it in an total stock market index fund, so I lost at least 1000$ trying to time the market. The market will have a massive down word correction at somepoint and it will have a huge upswing at some point as well. The movements are assured but the timing is a bit harder. Unless you include dates with your predictions, your just moving your mouth as they say.

[vash]

oh..what is making me nervous..is that i am MAXED out on my 401k; taking advantage of that "over 50, catch up option". that would suck if the bottom fell out, and i still have to stare at my tiny ass paycheck.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by widebody911

<PARF>According to the Republicans, corporations are suffering and need an immediate 50% tax cut</PARF>

^^^I know. Especially the poor banks, suffering so I mean jeeez, the CEO's of BofA and Wells Fargo only combined for just over $50,000,000 in income last year with free use of the company jet. Who can live on that?

I retired this year (58) and my wife has almost two years to go. We have no pensions and 75% of our saving is in 401K and other qualified plans. I watch and worry about my 401K like my first born in surgery. I've gotten out and back in twice in 12 months (like an idiot). Can't walk away from these gains, but afraid the bubble is going to burst fairly soon. Like others, I don't have the years left to wait out a correction. Now I have everything in a low-fee Vanguard balanced fund ("VBIAX"). At 70/30 allocation, the highs aren't as high, but the lows won't be as low either...and I can get out at the first sign of trouble. I hope!

[ckelly78z]

Yea Vash, I am currently plugging away about $200 a week into the 401K with extra for the partial company match. It hurts, but the total amount is leaping up by staggering amounts....until it doesn't.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by widebody911

<PARF>According to the Republicans, corporations are suffering and need an immediate 50% tax cut</PARF>

The new owners really don't like it when you PARF up PPOT.

[RKDinOKC]

It is my opinion the average earnings whatever your investments are going to be just under the increase in the cost of living. i.e. any gains will match or be outpaced by the cost of living. That is what interest is and how it is paid to investors.

[wildthing]

I have at least 20 years, and the available investment options aren't that great (high fees). I had a target fund but the expense on that one was like 2%, so this year I moved to an S&P500 index fund with 1% expense ratio... I know you could get Vanguard for 0.5, but it wasn't available. I do have separate IRA and regular brokerage accounts that have individual stocks and a few ETFs.

[aschen]

S&P index fund should be much less than 1%, 2% is criminal for any fund and vanguard indexes are usually less than 0.1%

either you are off by a bit or truly getting screwed