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Thread: Need Help Investing

  1. #1

    Default Need Help Investing

    My husband has given me free rein with our TSP funds. He has about 3 - 5 more yrs to work and then he will hit the 42 yrs and will retire. He does nothing with the tsp except contribute to it. So I have been looking around this site and reading as much as possible.

    I have some questions about some of the post that I read... it looks like y'all are talking about specific companies stock that you buy so I am assuming that you are also trading stock outside of TSP. Is this correct?

    What is Birch-Mode?

    I know everyone has their own system for investing but how do I know when and where to put the money? Is there are special thing that I am looking for on the news? Like interest rates going up or down.... trouble overseas... obama doing another speech?

    Please advise. Any advice is appreciated.


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  3. #2

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    Quote Originally Posted by secret squirrel View Post
    My husband has given me free rein with our TSP funds. He has about 3 - 5 more yrs to work and then he will hit the 42 yrs and will retire. He does nothing with the tsp except contribute to it. So I have been looking around this site and reading as much as possible.

    I have some questions about some of the post that I read... it looks like y'all are talking about specific companies stock that you buy so I am assuming that you are also trading stock outside of TSP. Is this correct?

    What is Birch-Mode?

    I know everyone has their own system for investing but how do I know when and where to put the money? Is there are special thing that I am looking for on the news? Like interest rates going up or down.... trouble overseas... obama doing another speech?

    Please advise. Any advice is appreciated.
    Birch-mode is bassically a name people gave to a member on this board "birchtree". He is a perma-bull aka people who thinks the market will always go up and never crash. People like him will always look at the market as cheap, they will buy every chance they get. Birch is a successful guy, he has money to blow, i rather go with premium service to get every edge i can get.

    The stock market is very complex, it takes decades of studying to make money. I suggest you look at one of the premium services here, it will help you rather than trying to figure the market out.

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  5. #3

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Gainesville, Florida, USA
    Posts
    24,244

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    I believe that Birch-Mode is a reference to being invested at all times - a disciplined approach that is the mantra of the buy and hold strategy. When it rains I'm all in all the time and when the sun shines I'm still all in all the time. It's a great approach when you can dollar cost average your purchases and accumulate shares. I've never had a system and never wanted a system, so I'm essentially system free. You should definitely learn before you churn - this board likes to do trading in and out. I plan for the long term and stick to my plan often utilizing my sticky pants to help keep me centered.

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  7. #4

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    With only a few years left, I certainly wouldn't do anything risky. I'd either keep all of it in the G, all in the F, or pay for a premium service. At these levels and less than 5 years till retirement, I certainly wouldn't go all in.

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  9. #5

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Boiled Peanut, Georgia, USA
    Posts
    76,396

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    Not me, I'm retired and still try and make MORE! Damn the torpedoes.tractor.jpg



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  11. #6

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Gainesville, Florida, USA
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    24,244

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    TINA - there is no alternative. If you want gains you have to be in the game. The easiest approach is to go 100% C fund to include contributions - the cycle is now right for outperformance of large cap shares. You could easily be looking at six more years of equity growth and the C fund covers 500 of the best companies available. My wife has her defined contribution plan following an SPX index - she is 100% all in and the money is flowing like a fine wine. A position of multi-thousands of shares in this bull market makes all the difference.

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  13. #7

    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    The way Birch is talking, it's a good thing this isn't 2007 as your husband would have lost over a third of his retirement money within the next year. You never know when another 2008 will come along, maybe never. What I do know is that not everyone can wait 4-5 years to make all those gains back, hopefully.

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  15. #8

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    $200-300 a year for premium service, I certainly got my money worth and I always make more than the average Joe on my retirement (more than 8%) if you are fine with earning 1-3% a year just put it all in the G fund and never look back, because if you do, you will notice the gains you missed out on the year. On the other hand, if there's a crash in the stock market, you can point, laugh and call me a loser.

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  17. #9

    Join Date
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    Oregon
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    3,651

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    Quote Originally Posted by nnuut View Post
    Not me, I'm retired and still try and make MORE! Damn the torpedoes.tractor.jpg
    Ditto here Tina. For me the keys are: (1) having more than what I absolutely rock bottom need in my TSP/retirement account to get my wife and I through the next 20-30 years somewhat comfortably, so I feel okay about (2) taking reasonable risk. As law87 said, take a look at the Premium Services here. The price is well worth the reasonable risk guidance you'll get.


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  19. #10

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    Quote Originally Posted by nnuut View Post
    Not me, I'm retired and still try and make MORE! Damn the torpedoes.
    But you are also not posting asking where to start. If a person knows the risk/rewards and they are ok with it... by all means, trade till you drop!

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  21. #11

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    Birchtree...Thank you for the information you have provided me tonight. You mentioned the easiest approach is to go 100% into C funds..... so right now the large companies are doing better than the small to medium companies (S funds)? How do you know this... what should I be looking that would tell me that large companies are doing better?

    I am already retired from civil service so my husband and I will both receive our pensions. He basically said the TSP money is just play money.. so I guess I really want to play but I want to play smartly.

    I also want to thank everyone else who shared their information with me.

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  23. #12

    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Gainesville, Florida, USA
    Posts
    24,244

    Default Re: Need Help Investing

    Most information is provided by people that follow market history - for example, Ned Davis Research and Doug Short as well as Laszlo Birinyi. You just have to look for it. We are in a possible multi-decade mega trend secular bull market that will soothe out many mistakes. There are a plethora of market gurus out there - guys like Ralph Acampora, Ed Yardeni, Stan Weinstein to name a few. They make their living providing data. And I read The Wall Street Journal daily. You might consider a subscription to Barrons - they publish weekly data. Barry Ritholtz is another one to watch.

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