Anyone else looking to park $$$ at "safe harbor"?

Hi Larry -- hope this works out for you. We've taken a huge haircut in our investments, like everyone. This is maybe the fourth time in our investment history this has happened. But we remain as before -- my issue is its easy to bail but I have no idea when to get back in.

I’ve been buying. Sold some index funds to pick up 50 GOOGL shares at $2300 in the IRA and considering doing the same in my taxable acct with AMZN..

Am typically a pretty conservative “boglehead” type investor but am 5-7 yrs from FIRE at least so it’s tempting.

Real men invested in magic beans and tulip bulbs.

We have two other 401K accounts. Our three moves to cash cost us nothing ... so that was good.

I know I feel much better watching these daily drops in the market, all the while, knowing we are no longer suffering any losses.

I’m pretty much an idiot when it comes to savings and investments,  however I can understand this stuff when it’s explained to me.

Early in my career, this company known as VALIC came to the shop and spoke with a co-worker and me, he was savvy about this stuff. What I did was automatically transfer paycheck raises before taxes, into this VALIC account, it has something to do with the Florida Teacher’s Association, I figure teachers are pretty savvy. Once or twice over the years my wife told me things were getting tight, so I would tell VALIC to put my next raise into my checking account. The next raise would be going back into Valic. The interest rate seems a little low to me, it’s locked in at 4%.

 My friend who I tour the country with every year, tells me 4% isn’t bad, she wasn’t getting that in the stock market and her other investments, at the time. I started this sometime back in 1985-86.

I made one withdraw shortly after I retired to the farm, I needed a Tractor. I don’t usually pay any attention to this account, but I did kind of freak out when I saw the balance after that withdrawal. I haven’t touched it since, but I’m amazed how quickly it recovered and grew. Plus we own, one with a small mortgage, three properties with houses, two in Homestead FL, south of Miami and the 21.2 acre farm I live on.

We’re doing OK for a retired bench tech. My wife has never needed to work. I have two traditional savings accounts as well, we rarely use, like occasionally vacations and stuff that is outside the budget. I roll cash into these savings accounts when extra cash needs a place. We have a rather large balance in the checking account as well. It makes my wife happy to have it available, for the bigger things that is usually not accounted for in the budget, but needs to be dealt with.

Ha!  I don't even know what happened in the market yesterday.  I don't follow it at all.  The reality is that, for the long term investor....no real impact either.  Corrections happen, but it's the long term growth that matters to me. 

Another month down the road 6-10-2022 ...

DJIA                  -9%
NASDAC            -18%
S&P 500            -12%
Russell 2000      -11%




I would suggest that losing some to inflation and retaining the basis is better than losing to both inflation and actual investment dollars during the same timeframe.

It's that time.

Time to begin thinking about places to get back in.

I have not made any trades on my own since I pulled out, so I'll be getting the hang of how this works within Schwab.

Just moved ten grand into this one: Parametric Commodity Strategy Fund Class A (EAPCX).   It's a no load, no fee transaction within my Schwab account

It carries a .91% *fund* expense ratio but has outperformed that by a fair bit over time. Rated as high return and moderate risk, again over time.

I have a couple of others I will move larger sums into once I see how this first transaction plays out.

As for that .91% fee. I had been paying 1.50% to the advisor I took the account away from. The .91% isn't too scarry after I take that into account.

Certainly looks like the market has adapted to the higher interest rate environment and is trying to price-in growth for possible rate cuts this year, or at the least, continued stability from the Fed.

Who knows though how much of those "gains" were reflected in the last few months? This is why I try not to time the market, just keep buying and try not to look at it..

At 62, I’m risk-averse. No matter how much I have, I don’t want to lose any of it.

I just keep buying stuff that I expect will never really go down long term. It’s been a successful strategy so far. I have a little more Tesla than I think I should and I may address that when the market opens Monday.

By last Friday, I’d regained everything I’d lost the prior 3 years. Presidential election years don’t generally see large market losses so I feel okay about my investment direction. I’m generally invested in a moderate growth managed account ~30/70 treasuries/equities and I’ve kept my wife’s account at ~40/60 treasuries/equities. I’m shooting for a realistic 6% average return long-term which is really what I’ve achieved in real estate and investment accounts through the years. I’m an engineer not a miracle worker.

I'm not sure If I mentioned this on the forum here or not.

Nevada changed its laws on registering Classic Cars.

My 67 Camaro had been registered on the Classic Car option with DMV. It has been for as long as we have had it.

We had Nevada drivers registering their (for example) 95 Honda Civic as a Classic Car. This registration status can allow for an emissions testing exemption. Folks were jacking the system around to gain that smog exemption on common cars. 

The result is the new law requires that any car registered as a Classic must carry Classic Car insurance, which always limits milage and usage for the car.

I drive my Camaro daily to work. I can't have Classic Car insurance on a daily driver. Even though I did not need a smog exemption (67 and older are exempt anyway), I had to give up the Classic registration.  My plate was "Classic Rod 1967" cool plate on a 1967 Camaro.

This did though compel me to get a new appraisal on the Camaro. Years ago, it had been valued at $8,500.00. I assumed maybe $15,000.00.

The new appraisal came in at $40,000.00. I guess I shouldn't argue the point.

Close to all time highs again. There is usually no reason to shift all of your money at once. There is usually no reason to alter a rational allocation scheme due to market conditions. Big life changes all of a sudden? There is perhaps a reason to make big shifts. Risk cannot be eliminated, it is only to be managed.