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How much did we lose today?

HHusky
HHusky Member Posts: 24,368
edited May 2022 in Tug Tavern
I was asked this again, by she who must be considered, in light of the stock market drop today. My answer is always the same: “Nothing. We’ve never sold shares because the market goes down.” In fact, as we often do when there’s a slide, we bought some shares today.

But that got me to thinking how I am extremely reluctant to buy when the market goes up, even when I simultaneously expect that it can and will rise more. It’s irrational, and sometimes I overcome it, but I can’t shake it.

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Comments

  • creepycoug
    creepycoug Member Posts: 24,293
    HHusky said:

    I was asked this again, by she who must be considered, in light of the stock market drop today. My answer is always the same: “Nothing. We’ve never sold shares because the market goes down.” In fact, as we often do when there’s a slide, we bought some shares today.

    But that got me to thinking how I am extremely reluctant to buy when the market goes up, even when I simultaneously expect that it can and will rise more. It’s irrational, and sometimes I overcome it, but I can’t shake it.

    The psychology of it cannot be overstated. @DawgsCanDance
  • RaceBannon
    RaceBannon Member, Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 115,656 Founders Club
    HHusky said:

    I was asked this again, by she who must be considered, in light of the stock market drop today. My answer is always the same: “Nothing. We’ve never sold shares because the market goes down.” In fact, as we often do when there’s a slide, we bought some shares today.

    But that got me to thinking how I am extremely reluctant to buy when the market goes up, even when I simultaneously expect that it can and will rise more. It’s irrational, and sometimes I overcome it, but I can’t shake it.

    At 20,000 I was same - this is a horrible time to buy right at the top. It's 30,000 now

    The initial covid dip has been about as low as it got in recent times
  • DawgOfTheAges
    DawgOfTheAges Member, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 1,806 Founders Club
    One comment I can make is that in history if the market is ever down -25 or more from the previous peak if a person has stepped up and invested even a portion of their capital regardless of the nature of the calamity, they have done very well. Of course that assumes that you are not looking a repeat of the 30's where the market is simply not going to come back for a decade or more... as my dad used to say, if you want to, you can always identify a problem with any blanket assertion.
  • Swaye
    Swaye Moderator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 41,741 Founders Club
    edited March 2021
    Related thing. I have been thinking about pulling money out of the mutual fund my IRA money is in. Not removing it from the account, just letting it sit as cash for awhile. I know the conventional wisdom is never try to time the market, and I never have before, but I just have this nagging feeling that the other shoe will drop in the next year and we will have a big 20% correction (or whatever) and a few years of choppy markets. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
  • DerekJohnson
    DerekJohnson Administrator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 69,889 Founders Club
    Swaye said:

    Related thing. I have been thinking about pulling money out of the mutual fund my IRA money is in. Not removing it from the account, just letting it sit as cash for awhile. I know the conventional wisdom is never try to time the market, and I never have before, but I just have this nagging feeling that the other shoe will drop in the next year and we will have a big 20% correction (or whatever) and a few years of choppy markets. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

    I just did this with my Roth IRA last week. I'm leaving my regular IRA alone.
  • creepycoug
    creepycoug Member Posts: 24,293
    Swaye said:

    Related thing. I have been thinking about pulling money out of the mutual fund my IRA money is in. Not removing it from the account, just letting it sit as cash for awhile. I know the conventional wisdom is never try to time the market, and I never have before, but I just have this nagging feeling that the other shoe will drop in the next year and we will have a big 20% correction (or whatever) and a few years of choppy markets. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

    Yeah, this is the question with which I've been struggling for the last month or so. I wish I would have had the balls to do it $150,000+ ago.
  • creepycoug
    creepycoug Member Posts: 24,293

    One comment I can make is that in history if the market is ever down -25 or more from the previous peak if a person has stepped up and invested even a portion of their capital regardless of the nature of the calamity, they have done very well. Of course that assumes that you are not looking a repeat of the 30's where the market is simply not going to come back for a decade or more... as my dad used to say, if you want to, you can always identify a problem with any blanket assertion.

    This is my deepest darkest fear; that timeframe would cross my retirement line.

  • HHusky
    HHusky Member Posts: 24,368

    One comment I can make is that in history if the market is ever down -25 or more from the previous peak if a person has stepped up and invested even a portion of their capital regardless of the nature of the calamity, they have done very well. Of course that assumes that you are not looking a repeat of the 30's where the market is simply not going to come back for a decade or more... as my dad used to say, if you want to, you can always identify a problem with any blanket assertion.

    This is my deepest darkest fear; that timeframe would cross my retirement line.

    An argument for always holding some cash. Deflation averaged 10% a year 1930-33. And for a brave soul willing to buy every time the S&P 500 declined 10 or more percent, there were also some spectacular rises. Still, that would be nerve wracking.