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I have a portfolio plan that I have developed over a long period of time. It's appropriate for me and my circumstances. Since I have given it so much thought, and seen it perform in good times and bad, I'm prepared to stick to my plan regardless of the news. Experience has taught me that the daily &...

Welcome to the forum. You've got work to do. First I'd read the Wiki, follow the link previously given. Then when you feel like you are at a point to ask questions, use this link to format them. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6212.

I retired on schedule and at what I think was the right time. As it turned out, just before I retired my wife became very ill, and I needed to transition into the role of caregiver, thus reaffirming my decision.

OP- Have you even tried to use the Vanguard website? It's not complicated. Your question is a little bit like coming on here and asking us to teach to you to ski, but you haven't even put on a pair of skis yet. If you can't figure out how to use the website to buy/sell/exchange, or you lack the mat...

Why don't you wait until you open the account and see what tools are available? Dollars and percentages will amount to the same thing. Vanguard will give you an overview that tells you how much you hold in equities/fixed/cash by percentage. Just rebalance by applying that percentage difference from ...

"CLICK"

Belated Happy Birthday Jack. I remember the first time I saw you on Wall Street Week so many years ago. I never forgot how memorable your discussion was. You spoke plainly and courageously! We all owe you a debt of gratitude for what you've accomplished.

I have a young friend, about your age. She lost a lot working for Enron and losing her job. When I sat down with her and we talked about her investments, she decided to go 50/50. She couldn't be comfortable with more risk. She is going to be fine. She is a high earner and a good saver. She has no ne...

ricb wrote:So, for retiree decumulators you're NOT saying to stay the course with TBM (e.g., BND)?

I'm a retiree in the distribution phase, I stick with what I said above.

Comparing an active fund with 53 holdings to an index of 500 holdings does not permit me to conclude anything. I am not sure you are saying. Bogleheads believe in buying the whole market, hence comparing the "hot" active fund to an index fund is relevant. It says that overtime, the index ...

It sounds to me like you are trading one risk for another. I'd figure out what duration I need in my portfolio and buy the bond index funds to meet that duration. A second choice might be to go the CD route if you are really concerned about interest rate risk. Also don't look only at yield, look at ...

I agree that there is nothing here beyond what could be attributed to random returns based on chance. Comparing an active fund with 53 holdings to an index of 500 holdings does not permit me to conclude anything.

Another benefit is the increase in the SS Benefit as you delay it. If you can do the same in your portfolio then it's a wash. From figures I've seen, that's a toss up these days. Of course there's the risk/return consideration. Delay SS and you get a risk free return on those increased benefits. Wel...

I voted "depends on bands". The TSP is just one part of my portfolio. I track my asset classes in excel and the TSP is just one line of a few.

It bothers me too. I think it could be ok if put in the context of illustrating probability of outcomes versus random chance. That way it could be used to teach the principles of responsible (for me indexing) investing.

Call_Me_Op wrote:

Sbashore wrote:I agree. 3% without interest rate risk is a real deal these days.

I assume the pun was unintended.

I'll never tell.

I agree. 3% without interest rate risk is a real deal these days.

livesoft wrote:I suggest that you are overthinking this.

+1
You can't predict the future so apply criteria you can control. Like costs, liquidity, duration, etc.

I hold my short term corporates in VCSH too. I'm happy with that choice.

That was a good article. Thanks.

All those experiences contributed to who you are now. And just look, you're 40, have some retirement savings and you are aware at a relatively early age that you must prepare for a retirement. Can't know for sure, but I bet your current realizations and future success will be shaped by not only what...

If they are of modest means I would go with option 4 to lay off the longevity risk. There is a lot to be said for the peace of mind that this approach brings to the table. I agree, as I said in a previous post. The fact that it's cola'd makes option 4 even more desirable in my opinion. That's a lot...

I share the reactions of the previous posts. Having a plan eliminates all those questions that arise when the market hits new highs or lows. Develop a plan and stick to it. You'll feel a lot better about your portfolio fluctuations. At least I do.

I agree with Livesoft. You must "season" your IPS with experience until you get to a point where you are prepared to stick with it. As your situation in life changes (achieving goals, marriage, children, death, divorce, etc.) you can change your IPS, but other than that you should have an ...

If it were me I'd take the 2650 assuming the survivor benefit is 100% (2650). I made a similar decision years ago, where the difference in benefit was much greater between a no survivor benefit and an unlimited survivor benefit. It happened that I am the survivor, so am glad in retrospect that we ma...

Actually I seem to remember rebalancing into equities in March of 09. I remember it because some friends had gone to cash and I was telling them they should have done the opposite. Those folks are still out of equities and will never return.

I think rebalancing your TSP once a year is fine. What I don't agree with is moving in and out of equities 6.5 years from retirement. If you want that 400k to stay in fixed, even into retirement then fine, but if you're planning to go to 60/40 in retirement, then I don't understand the strategy. You...

Thanks to everyone for their input. To further explain my thinking, and I emphasize I have never timed the market since I constructed my portfolio after reading books by Swedroe, Ferri, and Bernstein years ago, what I've read is interest rates can't go any lower and thus, it seems inevitable the F ...

It could be a bubble, or not. It could be the end of a secular bear market or the beginning of a secular bull, or.........I'll let you know in 10 years.

I got a 93.3 (missed one). It was the Hedge Fund question. I consider not being familiar with them a badge of honor.

As others have said there are far too many variables to know for sure if you are "Safe" for retirement. You look like you're planning and thinking right. I'm a retired Fed, and retired at age 57. What worked out for me was that, by chance, I leveraged the effect of time on my investments b...

There's a nice section on IRA's in the Bogleheads Wiki. You could go there and read about Traditional and Roth IRA's. Chances are it would answer most of your questions. Congratulations on thinking about this at your age. If you start learning now, you should do well.

Good Luck.

I check and update my balances and totals weekly, on Saturday morning. In my opinion, financial programs are more likely to trigger obsessive behavior than the knowledge of one's finances. Victoria That's what I usually do. A weekly "interim" spreadsheet. I also do a month end spreadsheet...

I'm retired from the Fed. Gov't. I'm in my eighth year. What I do, like others is calculate my income needs and expenses. I make up the shortfall from my portfolio. I do not consider any of my income streams as part of my asset allocation. My overall asset allocation is 50/50. If I did not have the ...

I've been beating the pants off of the total stock market for decades. I ascribe my success to not talking about it.

I read these HY threads with interest since I hold a small amount (4%). What I concluded, and what is important to me in my portfolio is that HY is an asset class that seems to act "differently" from equities or fixed. Yes it may have "equity like" risk and yes it may carry more ...

Yes I agree. So how to mitigate it? Take a look at your investment plan. Is it something you have faith in? If so, stick with it. I'm looking at soaring markets too, but my investment plan, documented in an excel spreadsheet, is a source of solace and stability when the completely human urge to &qu...

Yes I agree. So how to mitigate it? Take a look at your investment plan. Is it something you have faith in? If so, stick with it. I'm looking at soaring markets too, but my investment plan, documented in an excel spreadsheet, is a source of solace and stability when the completely human urge to &quo...

I'm about to turn 65. A couple of thoughts. If you're not concerned particularly about loss in value then why worry? While I like the income from bond holdings, that's not why I hold them. They are a counter balance to my equity holdings. Another thought is that if you look at the historical perform...

I fully undertand the "stay the course" and not "timing the market" principles, but what can passive investors do ahead of another 2008 possibly happening down the road? It seems like "actively" managed accounts get more oversight, so they may have a better chance to a...

Reminds me of the Schwab Bank Visa I had years ago. It paid 2% and was pretty slick. It's long gone.

I will address this from a completely different perspective. I went thru the death of a spouse so while my financial goals and results were completely different. While the loss of my wife was emotionally devastating the financial aspect was covered by very good health, disability, and life insuranc...

I'm retired so have a spending model in an excel spreadsheet. I calculate portfolio spending after using all my other sources of income for disbursements. I track my spending by the month and have a target maximum per month. If I spend less one month, I can spend more next month. It's cumulative for...

I almost sold some Small Value when it almost broke through it's upper band, but then things backed off a little, so.....staying the course.

I just consolidated EAFE and Emerging Markets positions into Vanguard Total Intl. I not only simplified my portfolio, but gained a lot more diversification. Moving towards simplification is good.

Thanks for the post and thoughts. I've always considered MMF money riskier than insured accounts. You're observation as it applies to me is correct, I have no cash in a MMF, only insured accounts.

I tend to look at things from a risk standpoint. My first impression of your proposal was that you are concentrating risk. Not saying it's a bad idea, just that you should be aware of it, which based on your comments you seem to be. Can you help me understand more what you mean by "concentrati...

I tend to look at things from a risk standpoint. My first impression of your proposal was that you are concentrating risk. Not saying it's a bad idea, just that you should be aware of it, which based on your comments you seem to be. Can you help me understand more what you mean by "concentrati...

I tend to look at things from a risk standpoint. My first impression of your proposal was that you are concentrating risk. Not saying it's a bad idea, just that you should be aware of it, which based on your comments you seem to be.

My experience has been that it is usually a bad time to buy when you want to and a good time to buy when you don't want to. That's why I use a plan that tells me what to do.