Thread: Hey

Welcome to the Forum badgerland. We are all trying to figure out what the Markets will do next, so I can't give you any advise. But if the market turns around and starts back up for a day or two I'm in!
Best of luck
Norman

Every TSP Talkers goal is to efficiently increase their retirement money. You are in the right track, so "Welcome, Mabuhay,
Hafa Adai,Aloha,Benvenuto,Bienvenido, Shalom..."

if you are market savvy like most of the talkers here, lucky you! If not, there are premium services that you can subscribe to for a fee. Subscription members here can attest that it is worth every penny.

I don't care about any of this market stuff right now. I have your Badgers winning the Tourney so your boys need to dominate. I have KY losing to ND, but if that doesn't happen I'm counting on Bucky to prevail. Please, make it happen!

Originally Posted by badgerland

Hey guys. First time caller, long time listener. 6'1, 180. (Dan Patrick reference).

Anyways, for the past 4 years I've had 100% of my TSP in the 2050 lifecycle, but on March 24 (right when the DOW took a dump) I decided to go 100% S fund.

Thoughts? Should I run over to G, or let it ride hoping the Bear doesn't bite? Thanks for any advice. I look forward to using this forum.

Welcome! I'm guessing you're young and have a lot of years ahead of you (assuming by choosing the 2050 L fund). I don't know what the market's doing next, so I can't give you specific advice on where to go (I'll leave that to the people who run the premium services). But I'll say if you have many years till retirement, don't be afraid to play riskier than say, someone who's retiring in 5 years or less. As for me I'm in S as well so good luck!

Originally Posted by badgerland

Hey guys. First time caller, long time listener. 6'1, 180. (Dan Patrick reference).

Anyways, for the past 4 years I've had 100% of my TSP in the 2050 lifecycle, but on March 24 (right when the DOW took a dump) I decided to go 100% S fund.

Thoughts? Should I run over to G, or let it ride hoping the Bear doesn't bite? Thanks for any advice. I look forward to using this forum.

Hi Badgerland... wishing you a big welcome.

No telling where this market is going. Seeing that you jumped in the day before the drop3/25, if IFT was effective 3/24, I would not jump out just yet--but that is strictly my opinion. I am not a financial adviser or expert by any means. What I would consider is that if you jump out you are locking in the loss, but if you do choose to sell, you would move into April and able to buy in at a lower price point (and you maybe saving yourself more downside), provided the market continues downward. Then again, maybe this is a very short term drop and it could go up.... ..its a call only you can make.

IMHO, I think it may go lower for a few days before it starts moving back up and I do not think it is going to take a huge tumble just yet (i.e. like 4%) but it could move a percent lower (hoping not more than that). I bought into S fund today because the Slow Stochastic indicator is very low and I am HOPING I bought into a small lull.... will see next week. If so, then I am well positioned for April. I feel fairly positive, but remain cautious and watching it daily. The market has had lots of volatility.

There are lots of world events that can affect it to. For example, Yemen and Saudi arabia bombing caused oil prices to increase yesterday which made the market go down due to fear.... if that is what really caused it. So many things in the mix it is hard to really tell and someone is always trying to explain why something happens in the markets. humm...

Best wishes to you and everyone on their investments!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the nice welcome, everyone. @MrBowl - I'll try to get my Badgers in the big Dance for you and take home the CHIP!

In a slightly different direction, what is everyone's view on TheFedTrader.com? Like him? Hate him? Seems to be knowledgable

Originally Posted by badgerland

In a slightly different direction, what is everyone's view on TheFedTrader.com? Like him? Hate him? Seems to be knowledgable

Hadn't heard of him 'till now. Thanks. I'll check him out.

Off the top, he doesn't seem to trade often. (Last move was November.)

Oh yes!! And those are very wise words coming from Sniper. If you have a long time to get to retirement, you can take more risk. For more than 20 years, I just put my money in the C and then into the S fund almost 100% and just let it ride for years! If you go on the TSP Govenrment website, you can look at the different funds and see how much they have earned overtime. The S and C funds are the best longterm. Some years they are in the negative and other years they are in the positive, but overall you can see they come out ahead especially compared to G and F funds. So best to read some of that, and then start learning as much as you can to see if you want to risk having a more hands on approach to managing your investment. I wish I had done that earlier, but I must admit... my old buy and hold strategy did me very well for many years. I am still learning and been doing this for almost 2 years. Not sure I am convinced that this is the best thing for me to do. Buy and hold would have been better for me .. .out performed my own managment these past two years. Gotta keep it real!

Originally Posted by badgerland

In a slightly different direction, what is everyone's view on TheFedTrader.com? Like him? Hate him? Seems to be knowledgable

Did a quick check....no bueno. (Underline added.) From his FAQ:

13. Is there a place I can check on The Fed Trader’s previous year returns? Do you have a rate of return for your system versus leaving funds in the C Fund, S Fund, I Fund etc?

Unfortunately, I do not have one at this time. Other readers have remarked that their TSP performance routinely exceeds the performance of the SP 500 index. Most all readers, by following information posted on this site, were into G-Fund ahead of the 2008 market crash, thus protecting their balances. I sent an email advisory on 11-09-2007 recommending G-Fund. The market continue to slide downward and had a severe break downward in mid-2008, causing great pain to many TSP participants. Standard disclaimer: I make no performance claims on this site, past performance is not indicative of future results, and this site is entertainment only.

Welcome to TSPtalk! I'm currently in the process of learning that patience is key. When drop days of 1%+ hit, not to panic and pull out for the G fund and then miss out on the follow-up gains. We're both still young in our careers it seems, so there's plenty of time for learning, and profits.