How bad a hit has your 401K taken?

[unkajed]

Mine is down -11.8% year to date.

[elroy]

I sold my IRA mutual funds a while back.

The larger one PRLAX [T Rowe Price Latin America] even though it was down from it's high, I still retained a 50% increase in the last 18 months.

[unkajed]

:shocked_ma: I'm doing something wrong then. So is everybody else. Everyone I talked to at work said theirs was off.

I am just throwing money down the drain. Screw privatizing Social Security.

[buff01]

I stopped bothering with 401k last year. Pulled it all out.

I'd be very skittish of having money anywhere in Wall St. right about now.

[Yenomsi]

Past 12 months: -19%

[Agamemnon]

Almost - 30%, after I liquidated it two years ago ...

I purchase my property with the balance, since then, it has paid great dividens - no rent, no mortgage payments.




.

[grinningdog]

Mine is up 5 3/4%. All in cds.

[demosfen]

My calculator repeatedly gave 'UNDEFINED' error when I tried dividing 0 by 0. After a few attempts the damn thing died and the room got covered in thick smoke.

[GreenSpirit]

Mine is up 5 3/4%. All in cds.

So after real-world inflation and taxes you're down about 7+ %

[grinningdog]

So after real-world inflation and taxes you're down about 7+ %

Yes better than down 37%.

[MKS]

I'm down 18%, Fidelity is my fund manager. I recently move a big chunk into international securities. That single investment took the biggest single day jump I have seen in my 8 years of being in the fund. +1.05

[cigarlover]

Factor in the 10-15% lost to inflation in the last year as well. Next year`should run minimum of 20%. Official government number will only be 2% though because they dont count the trivial stuff like food and energy. Only count big stuff like housing. Unless housing is really going up then they dont count that and only count raw land in northern Alaska. Anything to keep the inflation numbers down.

[unkajed]

My calculator repeatedly gave 'UNDEFINED' error when I tried dividing 0 by 0. After a few attempts the damn thing died and the room got covered in thick smoke.

I am still laughing.

[MystryBox]

Nobody will believe me but up 13%. I've been in cash since last sept. Only moving back to index funds for brief periods of times during rebounds then I take 5% and sell back to cash. That's how you play a bear.

[mike77777]

put wife's ira money in a commodity account.

[Dude]

Nobody will believe me but up 13%. I've been in cash since last sept. Only moving back to index funds for brief periods of times during rebounds then I take 5% and sell back to cash. That's how you play a bear.

It is my understanding most funds don't allow you to make frequent changes. Mine does not.

[Ag_man]

I'm "up" 3.5% YTD. I've been 100% cash for the last 2 years.

[MystryBox]

It is my understanding most funds don't allow you to make frequent changes. Mine does not.

Mine won't allow buy backs to any particular fund within 30 days. But it doesn't matter as I don't make frequent changes. I've only gone back in twice since last Sept (not including a small position long last week which I'll probably close on Monday or Tuesday if the rally continues). You just have to wait until people are really depressed/scared and VIX is very high... then decent rebound is likely. That only happens a couple times a year.

[Cassius]

If you're smart enough to time that (not impossible), then you're smart enough to learn options trading my friend...

A lot more profit there.

[Twisted Avatar]

Mine is up 5 3/4%. All in cds.

Now subtract that from the real level of inflation about 10%

You are -4 %.


T

[seektruth]

Mine is "up" a bit over 3%. A year ago, I went to the closest option we have to cash. Now I think I'm going to stop contributing and maybe even pull my money out any way I can.

[gypsybiker45]

We have one but i dont use it,i put my loot in PMs of my own accord, but some at work have seen losses of $25k or more.

[MystryBox]

If you're smart enough to time that (not impossible), then you're smart enough to learn options trading my friend...

A lot more profit there.

I do options and futures in my regular accounts, but my 401k doesn't allow that. And it's not smarts as much as time wasted staring at the market and reading books and articles that are mostly crap. And if you think they're the gateway to endless wealth or something you likely haven't used them--most people lose money with them, just like with everything else on wall street.

[Tragedy Trousers]

Down 13.5 percent year to date. All foreign stocks.

[Mone]

Back in may I cashed out all my RRSP's and purchased physical silver (eagles). I had to quit my job to access all of it.

Since (physical) eagles haven't dropped that much I don't think the hit has been that bad... though I dunno exactly how to figure it. I do know I can get near $20/ea if I try. But who's selling? :D

[Ag Age]

I don't even look any more. I will probably die chained to my desk or in a labor camp someplace.. :sarc:

[Rebel Yarr]

all in cash - 6% of pay getting 100% match - it's still a decent bet IMO.

[Igotyour6]

how do I go about cashing out my 401K at work?
I know I will pay interest and a penalty, but not sure how to cash them out.
Any advice?

[Rebel Yarr]

how do I go about cashing out my 401K at work?
I know I will pay interest and a penalty, but not sure how to cash them out.
Any advice?


Talk to your HR folks - I think they have to release it or file the paperwork. Either way they will know the process. I've cashed one out before and had to work through Hr to get the ball rolling.

[Ag_man]

all in cash - 6% of pay getting 100% match - it's still a decent bet IMO.
That's a damn good deal, few companies these days are giving a 100% match! My company doesn't give anything now, it used to be a measly 15%! The way I look at my 401K, if I didn't contribute to it (5%), it would be eaten up in taxes. The cash option rate is going to be lowered from 3.5 to 3.0% before the end of the year. I know my boss thought I was stupid not having any of my 401K in equities, but he doesn't have much to say about that lately.

I'm still worried about it, but not to the point of trying to cash it out, with the penalties and hit I would take on taxes. The plan is managed by Hartford, which I consider a fairly old-school firm. I just wish we had more options in the plan, like ETF's.