My Roth IRA has lost 23% since January.

[Cattledog]

With a "socially responsible" investment plan. How many "on the fence" voters are seeing the same results and will it be the major factor in the Mid-terms? Economy vs Roe vs Guns?

[brooklynite]

1. Personal economics will overwhelm everything else.

[Demovictory9]

38. Most people say their personal finances are great

[captain queeg]

2. Ouch

[MontanaMama]

3. It isn't good right now

in the investment world. My kiddo’s college account and tanked since January. He starts college in the fall of 2023. I’m very worried.

[Tickle]

4. You are not alone in your

IRA loss. I've gone back to work fulltime something I didn't want to do

[Coventina]

5. I'm Gen-X. I've always known I would work until I dropped.

As I posted earlier: Work all day. Live on hay. You get pie in the sky when you die.......

[róisín_dubh]

43. I'm right on the cusp of Gen-X and Millennial (1977 kid).

I figured I'd work until I dropped dead, but then I said fuck it and moved to England. I have a job with a pension. It's kind of amazing. I also get holiday (a weird concept lol). I have a 401K from my job in the states that I'll probably close out, take the penalty, and do something with it (there's not a ton in there).
I'll still probably work until I drop dead, but at least I'll have health care while doing it.

[milestogo]

49. The US does offer Medicare at age 65.

[at140]

6. 20% fluctuations are common in stock market

Those happen with regularity. So long as you do not need to take cash out soon, just be patient, markets will come back sooner or later. They always have in the past.

[Thtwudbeme]

8. That is soothing for young long term investors. However in the eighties

Corporations started the bullshit about personal investments...and they ditched pensions.

When the rent is due...or tuition needs to be paid....that just wait crap doesn't cut it

[Coventina]

11. Thank you. n/t

[Thtwudbeme]

13. You're welcome!

I am sick and fucking tired of the economic geniuses that always make brilliant comments about waiting, and oh! Stocks are on sale!

What a load of crap. Half the US isn't going to be able to retire in a decade

[Coventina]

15. I love how we're all supposed to take our mythical money and buy cheap stocks!

I guess we're just....stupid? Lazy? Enjoying being poor?

[at140]

29. It is a serious mistake to leave money in stock market if...

you need the cash in less than 5 years. That is just my own rule.
I will only buy stocks if I am prepared to wait at least 5 years before needing the cash. Otherwise I stay out of the market.

[Thtwudbeme]

34. I agree. Tell that to people that have been sold on 401Ks to fund their retirements

and have a year left to go. Or six months.

The US fucked up when corporations quit offering defined benefits pensions. They sold Americans on the baloney that they were "smart enough to invest their own money."

The Boomers are going to be the last ones to retire and not eat cat food. I am the last: I was born in '64, and I think 401Ks are sleazy ponzi schemes. I haven't lost a dime.

[former9thward]

37. 401(k)s offer many places to invest.

You can invest in stocks or bonds or various cash equivalents. No one forces you to invest in stocks. They are not ponzi schemes. The investments you make do not depend on others "buying in".

[at140]

46. I never said stocks are Ponzi schemes.

What I said is avoid stocks if you need that money in less than 5 years.
Because stock market has dropped 20%-30%-40% and even 50% in the past.
You do not want to be caught holding stocks if you are going to need the money and be forced to sell at low levels.

Coinbase wallet...now there is a classic Ponzi scheme.

[former9thward]

50. I did not reply to you.

The poster I replied to said " I think 401Ks are sleazy ponzi schemes."

[at140]

53. Okay, thank you. /nt

[MerryBlooms]

36. Well, isn't that awesome for you. Telling that bs to the folks

Who thought they were set to retire Will Lose Us Votes. These experts on long term, buying opportunities, etc... Need to keep out of the national discussion. You will cost us votes! The average investor just wants to retire with their assets intact, and a little something for vacation once a year. That's pretty much it nowadays. We just want to not be on welfare, and take a week of fun once a year. We're not day traders, bitcoining, high risk investment. We're 401k, small low risk investment funds, etc... I'm so sick of the smiling assholes who jump in and Say they're taking advantage of the average investor loss. Fuckin vulture mentality, and why they're on DU is fuckin egregious.

[at140]

47. Your post makes no sense.

Obviously you did not comprehend what I was saying.

[multigraincracker]

7. Less than 10%

I’m in good quality dividend stocks. Boring, but I sleep better.

[Auggie]

12. Same here, kind of ...

mix of stocks and bonds

[llmart]

18. Same here.

I don't "play the market" with my IRA. I could live off just the dividends if I had to.

[multigraincracker]

26. 20th year of retirement and

that extra $400 to $500 per months helps a lot.

[Demovictory9]

39. Me too

[gratuitous]

9. I've gotten clobbered in the first two quarters

Fortunately, I still have three years or so to catch that up, and I'm optimistic it will be all right. If it isn't, I think between Social Security (which looks like it's lining up for a nice bump for next year) and even the reduced payouts from my various accounts will be sufficient. The habits of a lifetime of frugal living won't disappear overnight.

[doc03]

10. Hang in there it will come back. I took a big hit in the 2008 crash and gained 280% during Obama's

administration. We had the longest economic recovery in history 2009 to 2020. It dropped in 2020 but came roaring back in 2021.
We were well overdue for a correction.

[jonstl08]

17. This.

In 2008 and also during the Pandemic decline I increased my buying with the mind set the markets would come back. Moved more funds into full stock funds and the returns were enormous. Started doing this again the last few weeks except this time went to 40% Domestic 40% international and 20% stable funds.

[seleff]

20. What did it do in 2021?

Answer is up over 20%. It can't go up double digits year after year and never have down quarters. And yes, when it's down, stocks are cheaper, and investment brokers, even Fidelity, vanguard, etc will rebalance because your account will become overweighted with fixed income and cash. They will also pull from fixed income and cash for your retirement income over selling stocks at depressed values. Unfortunately, we tend to have short memories...

[KentuckyWoman]

14. Robber barons.

The last time they pulled this mess it ultimately lead to mass unionization and 4 straight terms of FDR. There were generations of suffering in the meantime.

I'm over 80. I've lost about 25% in value too in what little I have. I've moved things into accounts that won't lose any more principle but I'm not making anything on it. I can't afford to lose any more money because I don't have any time to make it up. If you are younger and have any faith at all in the general history of the market then you can afford to stick with it in the long haul.

[Takket]

16. i looked at mine today. down 18% for the year.

heartbreaking i was only able to make enough money to start saving in my late 30s, i'm 44 now, just saw a huge chunk of money go up in smoke. but i know it will come back eventually

[jonstl08]

19. Keep buying

Keep a steady amount going into your 401K or IRA. Dollar cost averaging pays off in the end.

[Demovictory9]

40. It only goes up in smoke if you sell

[AlexSFCA]

21. I've been too scared to look at 401k

this is because when pandemic hit and stock market started to drop I panicked and rebalanced - worst mistake.

[GoodRaisin]

22. Socially responsible investments tend to mimic the political and social climate of the time.

I didn’t make that up, it’s a bullet point in an Investopedia article. The article is linked here if interested. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sri.asp

Just a thought, if investments mirror the times. Turbulence?

[spinbaby]

23. I'm down about 12%

I’m already retired, so my investments are conservative.

[Scrivener7]

24. The S&P is about where it was in Feb of 2020. You are as rich as you were in Feb 2020

if you're in the s&P.

It's bad, but it's all relative.

[MichMan]

33. Zero growth in over two years while inflation is 8%

Doesn't seem like a good way to plan for retirement

[Scrivener7]

35. But as we plan we know that times like this are inevitable.

[Tracer]

25. I haven't figured out the percentage of loss, but

at a quick peek at my accounts, I've lost close to $40,000 (I can't bear to look more closely).

I worked until this February, when I turned 82. And thought that now I can relax and start to take out some money from my investments. Don't dare to that now.

And as someone up thread said, I'm a lot too old to wait for the markets to make a good recovery.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

27. Mine lost almost 26%

but my wife got a huge raise, so it sort of evened out.

I hope people don't think repubs are gonna do anything for this economy other freaking investigate Hunter Biden and find ways to demean Kamala Harris

[iemanja]

28. It's not just socially responsible plans

and some are doing worse than 23%. My retirement investments have dropped more than that.

[rownesheck]

30. I've lost too,

but the stock market seemed to grow at an abnormal pace a few years ago. I just see the loss as a correction on abnormal growth. No big deal. It'll come back.

[Thtwudbeme]

44. Many people don't have the time for "it to come back"

Please stop thinking "no big deal."

[treestar]

31. So why would a Republican Congress help?

[mnhtnbb]

32. The valuation of my investments is not pretty

now compared to the end of last year, but I've been investing for 40 years. Markets go up and they go down. Since I'm retired, I'm invested for income to supplement my Social Security and CSA survivor's benefit.

Fortunately, I bought a house in 2020 and I've reaped the paper benefit of that appreciation over the last two years.

So I take the interest and dividends out quarterly from my investments, and won't have to take RMD from my IRA until next year, unless they push the age back another year, or, if disaster strikes and Republicans take over both the House and Senate and throw themselves an orgy to privatize SS and reduce benefits. If that happens, forget the cat food. We could all become cannibals and hunt Republicans for dinner.

[Chuuku Davis]

41. "ESG" and "socially responsible"

Generally suck if you want to make $$.
I prefer profitable corps and dividends.

Retired and need income.

CD

[Mr.Bill]

42. Curiously, the stock market

is right about where it was (31,000) when Biden took office, yet most people will tell you Biden has "tanked the stock market".

[wishstar]

45. Yes, stocks are now exactly where they were in March 2021, so obviously lots of short memories

[Mr.Bill]

52. And absolutely no memory

of what George W. Bush did to the stock market during his term. I bet the people who cashed out at 6,500 and bought ammo are really pissed.

[andym]

51. Equities are forward looking-- if we are hitting the bottom now

after the next Fed rate increase, then the stock market should start recovering before then.

[RussBLib]

48. probably making some back today

We've taken a huge hit too, but we're now retired and primarily interested in dividends and not growth. As long as our dividends do not get cut, were in decent shape. So far, so good.

Don't know how old you are, but if younger, you have time to make it back.