Oh, you have a refrigerator box. Luxury.

So we can cut down on social security tax? Would be nice to keep some more of my own money

revrendjim: Tell me about it. I'm 53. I should have retired ten years ago. Now I'll be giving $5 BJs at the bus station.

We used to DREAM of having a bus station!

NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

LOLWUT. No it hasn't.

revrendjim: NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Tell me about it. I'm 53. I should have retired ten years ago. Now I'll be giving $5 BJs at the bus station.



Put me down for two.

/Not proud.

NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Just to make you feel like an even bigger retard.

DOW in 2002 was roughly 8000. It is now 12000. If you have made no money, you are farking more retarded than your original post. This is especially true considering that most in 401ks put in monthly, so they bought low, and have gained from lows, bought high, and still have gained. Basically you are one of the dumbest people on fark.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=^DJI&a=09&b=1&c=2002&d=01&e=15&f=2012 & g=d&z=66&y=2310

// yes, I'll enjoy my ban.

Backwards Cornfield Races: So we can cut down on social security tax? Would be nice to keep some more of my own money



And pass up on the untold riches?

Conceptually it's not that hard. Stay in good health through proper diet and exercise; pay off your house; stay out of debt; and make wise investments over the long term. Done.

revrendjim: NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Tell me about it. I'm 53. I should have retired ten years ago. Now I'll be giving $5 BJs at the bus station.

Ha! Got you beat, sucker!

Assimilate This: Conceptually it's not that hard. Stay in good health through proper diet and exercise; pay off your house; stay out of debt; and make wise investments over the long term. Done.

Oh, is that all?

Don't worry, they will fix Social Security. I just know they will.

revrendjim: NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Tell me about it. I'm 53. I should have retired ten years ago. Now I'll be giving $5 BJs at the bus station.

Will you hum the Subway song while you're doing it?

NewportBarGuy: //Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

My mutual funds have been doing fantastic. I've got an S&P500 index, which is all over the place, but I've got a dividend-focused strategic income and some international funds, which is where most of my money sits. Is it making as much as the theoretical stock market investing could? Probably not. But it's making solid money.

In any case, it seems to me that people taking out home equity loans are the ones pillaging their retirement. The single largest element of my retirement plan is getting the mortgage paid off by my early 40s. Once that's done, my cost of living drops precipitously. Oh, and kids. Kids are actually probably the worst thing to have if you plan to retire.

NewportBarGuy: MyRandomName: DOW in 2002 was roughly 8000. It is now 12000. If you have made no money, you are farking more retarded than your original post. This is especially true considering that most in 401ks put in monthly, so they bought low, and have gained from lows, bought high, and still have gained. Basically you are one of the dumbest people on fark.

Give me the 10 year avg return on the DJIA, then factor in inflation. Come back once you have the real percentage gain of investing in the DJIA over ten years. I didn't say it was zero, I said it has been a rough decade for buy and hold. For fun do the real gain for S&P and Russell 2000.

I just did:

SPY (a good way to invest in the S&P 500) on Feb 1, 2002: 111
SPY right now: 135

But if you hold the SPY, you also get dividends. Over $20 worth in those 10 years. Assuming reinvestment, you are looking at almost a 50% return over a decade.

My expenses did not go up by 50% over the past decade. Actually, I moved from a large northern city to Florida, so my expenses dropped by about a third.

Now, if someone had been prudently diversified with a few bonds during that period, the total return would be about twice as high, as bonds have much more than doubled during that period.

/retired early due to investment returns
//reading Fark by the pool right now

Can't fret about retirement. Just focus on putting money into your 401, 403, wherever you can and hope for the best. It took me until recently (i'm 30) that I have been able to put 10% of money income into my retirement, although I've always contributed something.

Granted i'm fortunate in that i've had a stable job for 10 years, don't have a wife and don't have kids. Theres no way I'd be able to save that much if I had that kind of financial responsibility.

the poster above hit it spot on though. Get a home, commit to living in it and pay it off. if you have a house that is paid for and you're in your 40's, you're going to be in a good spot come retirement if you start putting even more into your retirement. Its going to be hard, because theres always a temptation to get a different, bigger place or whatever. But having your living situation paid for is what will enable you to take it to the next level over the last 10-15-20 years of your working life.

Really the best thing any person can do is save within their means. Sometimes life gets in the way, but if you obsess or think about it to much you'll be miserable.

Forbes, the organ of the five-vacation-homes-in-the-US-and-three-overseas set, tells us not to worry about retirement income.

Got it.

chi_tino: NewportBarGuy: MyRandomName: DOW in 2002 was roughly 8000. It is now 12000. If you have made no money, you are farking more retarded than your original post. This is especially true considering that most in 401ks put in monthly, so they bought low, and have gained from lows, bought high, and still have gained. Basically you are one of the dumbest people on fark.

Give me the 10 year avg return on the DJIA, then factor in inflation. Come back once you have the real percentage gain of investing in the DJIA over ten years. I didn't say it was zero, I said it has been a rough decade for buy and hold. For fun do the real gain for S&P and Russell 2000.

I just did:

SPY (a good way to invest in the S&P 500) on Feb 1, 2002: 111
SPY right now: 135

But if you hold the SPY, you also get dividends. Over $20 worth in those 10 years. Assuming reinvestment, you are looking at almost a 50% return over a decade.

My expenses did not go up by 50% over the past decade. Actually, I moved from a large northern city to Florida, so my expenses dropped by about a third.

Now, if someone had been prudently diversified with a few bonds during that period, the total return would be about twice as high, as bonds have much more than doubled during that period.

/retired early due to investment returns
//reading Fark by the pool right now

I'm not piling on, and 50% is certainly better than nothing but a "good rule of thumb" was that a decent invesment will double every 7-8 years - (11% historical average on the Dow) - by that measure the ROR should triple what it has been over the last decade. In short, it's sucked.

Fizpez: chi_tino: NewportBarGuy: MyRandomName: DOW in 2002 was roughly 8000. It is now 12000. If you have made no money, you are farking more retarded than your original post. This is especially true considering that most in 401ks put in monthly, so they bought low, and have gained from lows, bought high, and still have gained. Basically you are one of the dumbest people on fark.

Give me the 10 year avg return on the DJIA, then factor in inflation. Come back once you have the real percentage gain of investing in the DJIA over ten years. I didn't say it was zero, I said it has been a rough decade for buy and hold. For fun do the real gain for S&P and Russell 2000.

I just did:

SPY (a good way to invest in the S&P 500) on Feb 1, 2002: 111
SPY right now: 135

But if you hold the SPY, you also get dividends. Over $20 worth in those 10 years. Assuming reinvestment, you are looking at almost a 50% return over a decade.

My expenses did not go up by 50% over the past decade. Actually, I moved from a large northern city to Florida, so my expenses dropped by about a third.

Now, if someone had been prudently diversified with a few bonds during that period, the total return would be about twice as high, as bonds have much more than doubled during that period.

/retired early due to investment returns
//reading Fark by the pool right now

I'm not piling on, and 50% is certainly better than nothing but a "good rule of thumb" was that a decent invesment will double every 7-8 years - (11% historical average on the Dow) - by that measure the ROR should triple what it has been over the last decade. In short, it's sucked.

Don't forget those pesky Capital gains taxes.

mcreadyblue: Fizpez: I said it has been a rough decade for buy and hold.

Don't forget those pesky Capital gains taxes.

Capital gains taxes for "buy and hold" are zero until you sell it (presumably when you are retired and pay little to no taxes). If it is in a Roth IRA or equivalent, it will never be taxed after you buy it.

MyRandomName: NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Just to make you feel like an even bigger retard.

DOW in 2002 was roughly 8000. It is now 12000. If you have made no money, you are farking more retarded than your original post. This is especially true considering that most in 401ks put in monthly, so they bought low, and have gained from lows, bought high, and still have gained. Basically you are one of the dumbest people on fark.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=^DJI&a=09&b=1&c=2002&d=01&e=15&f=2012 & g=d&z=66&y=2310

// yes, I'll enjoy my ban.

Many of us came of investment age in 2000.

fark you, you smugass boomer.

Retired in 2004. Income dropped from $120K to about $8,000/year. Of that $120K, I was living on less than$50K/year, half of that was the mortgage. Sold my house in California, paid cash for my place in Oregon, cash for my van, and cash for the remodel. Still have more in the investment accounts that the day I retired.

AcneVulgaris: MyRandomName: NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Just to make you feel like an even bigger retard.

DOW in 2002 was roughly 8000. It is now 12000. If you have made no money, you are farking more retarded than your original post. This is especially true considering that most in 401ks put in monthly, so they bought low, and have gained from lows, bought high, and still have gained. Basically you are one of the dumbest people on fark.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=^DJI&a=09&b=1&c=2002&d=01&e=15&f=2012 & g=d&z=66&y=2310

// yes, I'll enjoy my ban.

Many of us came of investment age in 2000.

fark you, you smugass boomer.


Then you still have lots of time, so long as you don't take an arrow in the knee.

revrendjim: Tell me about it. I'm 53. I should have retired ten years ago. Now I'll be giving $5 BJs at the bus station.

Damn, I will need to go to $4 to stay competitive.

Backwards Cornfield Races: So we can cut down on social security tax? Would be nice to keep some more of my own money

Good point. If there is one thing we have learned from the current recession it is that a safety net is not important and we will all be find fending for our selves.

*eyeroll*

James F. Campbell: Assimilate This: Conceptually it's not that hard. Stay in good health through proper diet and exercise; pay off your house; stay out of debt; and make wise investments over the long term. Done.

Oh, is that all?

yup. disabled, live correctly within my means. and am able to contribute to my savings and my nest egg every month. work smarter, not harder.
/thanks scrooge mc duck.

revrendjim: NewportBarGuy: If you believe in compound interest in equity investments, you'll wind up with a million dollars. Provided you start with 100 million dollars.

/Thanks, Jon Stewart.
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Tell me about it. I'm 53. I should have retired ten years ago. Now I'll be giving $5 BJs at the bus station.

Two questions. In which city and state is this bus stop? Question two is there an ATM on location or should I stop by a bank before hand?

Pick: Don't worry, they will fix Social Security. I just know they will.

My Daddy's got some costumes in the barn!

The reason you don't need as much when you're old is that you already bought all the basic stuff. Kitchenware, bedding, furniture, a house, lots of clothes. After a time, it's just a matter of replacing things that are broken. Plus, after doing some things hundreds of times, like...oh..sport shopping... are not as interesting as before.

NewportBarGuy: I
//Been a rough decade for buy and hold unless you are an amazing stock picker.

Not a rough decade for buy and hold if you remembered 2 things:

1) Diversify - if you want to retire you should never have all your money in stocks but spread out among different stock types, bonds, commodities, and real estate (which can all be done via mutual funds and ETFa). You don't do as good as the market when it has a good year, but you don't do as bad during bad years - and this works to your advantage especially during volatile times.

2) Dollar cost average - buying and holding but never continuing to invest is not as good as buying and holding with consistent investments over time.

With diversification and dollar cost averaging over the last 10 years, one would have done quite well. Maybe not a return that hit it out of the park, but a nice set of singles that have provided a nice gain.

Backwards Cornfield Races: So we can cut down on social security tax? Would be nice to keep some more of my own money

A guy named "stupido?" What the hell does he know?