Mary… I throw up my hands here and do a big LOL because once again just a few words you just uttered “we’d like to not lose it all” speak volumes.
Regardless of the awful feeling you have when markets are dropping like this week. (down 1000), the mere thought that you are going to LOSE IT ALL is so misplaced. This is not black jack in Vegas. Home Depot, Merck and McDonalds are not going to ZERO. These are some of the stocks you own in a Total Market ETF. This was the week to buy and I did. Wed Thur and Fri.
I re-state my entire case above based on those 7 small words from you.
Have a good weekend. I would stay away completely.
OKAY JIM!! I get it. AND…for the record, I hope you can understand that the vast majority of what people toss up on the internet and message boards isn’t perfectly thought through and peer reviewed and nit picked to be absolutely certain you’ve said what you want to say exactly the way you want it said, and the way it should be said. I appreciate your, and everyone’s, advice. Thank you. But I’m not an idiot and apologize for making you think I am. Please, take what folks say with a grain of salt and allow that they may not be ‘vocalizing’ perfectly online. No, of course I don’t think I’ll “lose everything!”. I’d go change my statement, but why bother? Not worth my time. Maybe I’ll catch another gullible fish who knee jerk assumes I’m a moron. It’s kinda funny.
So does sentence structure…just saying gentleman airbus. FYI - I’m not classy OR a lady and communicating online can be difficult, in case no one has ever made that clear to you. It is incredibly easy and extremely common to type a message and submit it only to realize later that it wasn’t entirely clear or autocorrect bit ya or your statement could be taken multiple ways or you missed a word or you didn’t think it through well enough or a nuance wasn’t getting through with your words…so try to have a bit of compassion for your fellow intertube users. Thank you.
Over time, having lived through the ups and downs of the market – 1987, 2000, 2008, etc, I regard it as a roller-coaster ride. I don’t check my balances much during that time – not always a good time to make a decision.
But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to adjust my allocation. But last year was a bust and this year was better, but not back to where it once was. But it’s not a loss until I cash out !
For the original poster, I’d suggest consulting with a financial advisor (a fiduciary, fee-only advisor) to help assess your risk tolerance. 53 is still young and there’s time before you might need the money. If you can tolerate risk, time is a big part of how you grow your money.