Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

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texasdiver
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Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by texasdiver »

Back when my portfolio was 20% of its current value I was an incredibly active investor. I subscribed to Morningstar and read all the financial rags in the library and online. Was constantly checking my portfolio of 10-20 randomly assembled active funds and following the market with laser intensity.

Today with a 5x larger portfolio I have everything rolled into 3 index funds and the TSP. All current contributions go into the lowest fee index fund options my wife and I have available in our plans. I plug everything into Morningstar about once a year to see how asset allocations have changed. But I haven't even had to rebalance in recent years. Our equity/fixed income ratio is about 65/35 and our domestic/foreign equity ratio is about 65/35. And fees are a low as we can get them. So there's basically nothing ever to do.

I've got investing books on my shelf and on my kindle that I intended to read but just haven't gotten around to looking at. A bunch of financial podcasts on my phone that I don't listen to anymore.

I feel like I've optimized our portfolio about as much as I possibly can from a Boglehead perspective and so there's just nothing left to do anymore. I guess that's how it should be.

Anyone else find themselves in the same position? Just bored with it all? It's just hard to get really engaged with day-to-day investing news when none of it is remotely actionable. I don't even talk investing with my work colleagues anymore because they are so far from being on the same page it's like we aren't even speaking the same language.
itstoomuch
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by itstoomuch »

yep.
There's very little that I can do with 75% of our assets.
The 25% remaining is in small amounts in Index/MF, cash, and individual stocks. I look at the stocks to see if I guess correctly. :? :annoyed It's Discretionary :| :mrgreen:
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DomDangelina
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by DomDangelina »

I have not yet reached this point. I envy you greatly.
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stimulacra
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by stimulacra »

Yes, I was in the same boat for a bit. My solution was to allocate 20% of my equities to individual stocks, to the extent possible I try to minimize overlap with my core holdings but I'm sure there is some.

Others might disagree but it keeps me entertained and engaged in investing. It's not like I'm day trading, I'm primarily a buy and hold type guy but enjoy the process of researching and screening stocks to buy.

This Matrix/Zion dichotomy gives me most of the benefits of the Boglehead philosophy but allows for allows for the occasional bragging rights with a great stock purchase, there's nothing super sexy about a 3-4 fund portfolio.
aspiringlawyer
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by aspiringlawyer »

Can't wait to get to this point! It sounds relaxing. I do like the thought of a discretionary account though.
inbox788
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by inbox788 »

My core retirement investments have pretty much reached this state and won't be touched for over a decade or two. Just adding to bonds to adjust my glidepath and occasional rebalance. I do keep a speculative fund that keeps me interested in the market and individual stocks. If not for the tax and accounting complications, I would be investing in a bunch of individual stocks with the hopes of TLH and going for big gains. I do some limited trading, but mostly short term to avoid having to keep track of too many things for too long. I've gotten very impatient about trading on actionable information and want nearly immediate feedback, so one to two years is the worst timeframe for me. Most of my trades are closed in a week or month. And longer than two years, you might as well go BH.
letsgobobby
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by letsgobobby »

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texasdiver
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by texasdiver »

aspiringlawyer wrote:Can't wait to get to this point! It sounds relaxing. I do like the thought of a discretionary account though.
Rather than a discretionary stock fund, I do think about things like messing with real estate rentals, house flips, doing AIRBnB rentals, or something like that. But i start to look into what's involved and decide I just don't have the time or energy on top of my full time job. I work hard enough as it is. I don't need more time obligations taking me away from the family and leisure time.
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texasdiver
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by texasdiver »

letsgobobby wrote:
texasdiver wrote:Back when my portfolio was 20% of its current value I was an incredibly active investor. I subscribed to Morningstar and read all the financial rags in the library and online. Was constantly checking my portfolio of 10-20 randomly assembled active funds and following the market with laser intensity.

Today with a 5x larger portfolio I have everything rolled into 3 index funds and the TSP. All current contributions go into the lowest fee index fund options my wife and I have available in our plans. I plug everything into Morningstar about once a year to see how asset allocations have changed. But I haven't even had to rebalance in recent years. Our equity/fixed income ratio is about 65/35 and our domestic/foreign equity ratio is about 65/35. And fees are a low as we can get them. So there's basically nothing ever to do.

I've got investing books on my shelf and on my kindle that I intended to read but just haven't gotten around to looking at. A bunch of financial podcasts on my phone that I don't listen to anymore.

I feel like I've optimized our portfolio about as much as I possibly can from a Boglehead perspective and so there's just nothing left to do anymore. I guess that's how it should be.

Anyone else find themselves in the same position? Just bored with it all? It's just hard to get really engaged with day-to-day investing news when none of it is remotely actionable. I don't even talk investing with my work colleagues anymore because they are so far from being on the same page it's like we aren't even speaking the same language.
must be a vancouver thing.
Maybe so. New job is also keeping me busier than I used to be which might be a factor. I just have better things to do then obsess about investments.
Peter G
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Peter G »

Have you calculated your funding ratio?
Should you be thinking about an income floor under your more at-risk investments?
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FIREchief
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by FIREchief »

OP: maybe it's time to move onto estate planning. Figuring out how to invest is simple compared to understanding the many variables of estate planning (both financial and otherwise). Development of long term Roth conversion strategies is another layer to this whole realm.
I am not a lawyer, accountant or financial advisor. Any advice or suggestions that I may provide shall be considered for entertainment purposes only.
The Wizard
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by The Wizard »

OP hasn't retired yet, so is just in the calm before the storm.

Start worrying about what your DESIRED income in retirement will be and how you will assemble the cashflow.
Will you be a bucketeer in retirement?
What will your Roth conversion strategy be?
Will you be annuitizing a portion of your assets for enhanced income?
And so forth...
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red5
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by red5 »

Yep :)

I get about 10 minutes of "excitement" a year when I invest my IRA contribution and balance my accounts at the same time. Then it's just checking asset allocation throughout the year for any rebalancing opportunities (which never come).
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by magneto »

Maybe OP's IQ is too high (or too low)?

Perhaps a 50% Stock meltdown would rekindle some interest; and get those books off the shelf?
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by truenorth418 »

Yes this has happened to me. I feel as if my asset allocation is optimized and I don't mess with it anymore. I made a Google spreadsheet that updates the value of my holdings in real time and I check that a few times a day. I am so excited now because we are nearing the end of the quarter and dividends will be paid within a couple of weeks, and that means I can update the spreadsheet with some of the reinvestments, and that will give me something to do.
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Cyclesafe
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Cyclesafe »

I'm with the OP. This is the first thread I have opened in months.

Three funds plus muni's here. Very boring. Nothing to read about, nothing to watch...

ZZZZZZ......
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bottlecap
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by bottlecap »

Yes, I've been there for a few years now.

Congrats, you've reach the enlightenment stage.

Now, can you tell me how you think the healthcare sector will fare over the next ten years? :D

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Toons
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Toons »

I never did look towards investing as exciting.
More of a means to an end.
Having some gold in the golden years.
Index fund investing is like watching "paint dry".
:mrgreen:
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
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Garco
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Garco »

Bored? With investing? I suspect the vast majority of folks who post here are not bored.

I'm retired and (as the expression used to be) "clipping coupons."

But investing is not only important to me since that's where I get my money (except for Social Security) but also an intellectual challenge. More importantly, the consequences affect my style of life as well as the welfare of my family.

I am not interested in some of the more arcane investing approaches. But I do enjoy the challenge and rewards.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by tbradnc »

It's a bit like building a house. During construction it occupies your time and thoughts and you're always learning. After the house is complete you move in and slowly but gradually work out the little kinks until that's eventually finished and you're just living in the house.

As far as reading investing forums online, a ton of repetition in threads and many times before I open a new thread I can guess what most of the replies are going to be.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by oldcomputerguy »

If you mean "bored" in the sense of "no real desire to do anything with my investments", then I confess I'm not quite there yet, although I would say I'm about 90% there. I still have this little voice in the back of my head that tries to tell me I should be just a bit more aggressive in my Roth, but my plan says "no" so I try to stomp on that little gremlin whenever he rears his head.

I began trying to learn something about investing when DW asked me to invest half of her inheritance from her mom (no pressure there, right?), but it's set up now and I have no need to diddle with it. I've read many of the books linked here, and feel pretty good about how I've educated myself. I feel like we're positioned well enough given our particular situation in life that we can weather a significant downturn. I'm now just sitting back and seeing what happens.

I confess I do look at the Fidelity web site daily to see yesterday's market moves as well as the news articles, as I find it entertaining to see how the "financial analysts" try to explain each and every market move. Kinda like listening to a play-by-play commentator describing a slow-motion three-ring circus. And I do still come here to this great community frequently. But other than that, yep, pretty bored.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by TomatoTomahto »

FIREchief wrote:OP: maybe it's time to move onto estate planning. Figuring out how to invest is simple compared to understanding the many variables of estate planning (both financial and otherwise). Development of long term Roth conversion strategies is another layer to this whole realm.
I agree. Thankfully (?!?), Roth conversions are probably out of the question, so at least I won't have to worry about that.

Bored with investing? Yes. Bored with financial planning? I wish! And, to be honest, the non-financial aspects of estate planning are the largest concern.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by carolinaman »

I agree that a simple index portfolio is boring and it should be. However, there are a lot of other topics in the finance and retirement planning space to study and consider that are applicable to me. This is typically my focus in reading the Forum.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by mak1277 »

I found investing completely uninteresting before I found Bogleheads. It was really nice to stumble onto a philosophy that fit my mentality so perfectly. I don't want to have to *do* anything...or think about it. I love passive, index fund investing.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by jebmke »

Toons wrote:I never did look towards investing as exciting.
More of a means to an end.
Having some gold in the golden years.
Index fund investing is like watching "paint dry".
:mrgreen:
Same here. For nearly all of the accumulating years I was too busy to pay much attention. A lot of our assets were not highly visible anyway so it would have been too much work to pay close attention.
Stay hydrated; don't sweat the small stuff
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by panhead »

I wouldn't say I'm bored, I'm still very interested in financial news and am always trying to learn something new, but I am also at the point where I finally got the portfolio to a point where I am happy with its construction, and new contributions (for the most part) are automatically deducted out of my paycheck so I don't have to do anything regularly anymore. I check on it quarterly and target distributions at whatever is lowest. I do have additional income about 4 times a year I need to distribute to the portfolio, but yeah, I try to only check it about 4 times a year.

I've moved on to other topics, primarily trying to understand the tax code as well as I can so I understand the consequences of any action I may be considering. I also still have one rental property that I will likely sell in 3-5 years so I've created a spreadsheet to get a handle on the tax consequences and depreciation recapture.

I also daydream about starting my own business, though I still have no idea what that would look like, but its something I think about and sometimes read some entrepreneurial sites.

Other than that, jump on the Harley and go for a putt!

-pan-
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by TheTimeLord »

texasdiver wrote:Today with a 5x larger portfolio I have everything rolled into 3 index funds and the TSP. All current contributions go into the lowest fee index fund options my wife and I have available in our plans.
............................
Anyone else find themselves in the same position? Just bored with it all? It's just hard to get really engaged with day-to-day investing news when none of it is remotely actionable. I don't even talk investing with my work colleagues anymore because they are so far from being on the same page it's like we aren't even speaking the same language.
I can totally relate. Thanks to the Bull market, a Mega Corp early retirement package and a consulting job that allows me to have an Individual 401k my investment portfolio is worth 2.5+ times what it was in 2010. Add in the windfall I am looking to receive from the IPO of a company I have shares in and the die seems like it is pretty much cast. While I still contribute a meaningful amount to my savings monthly if I look at the difference it will make monthly of a 30+ year retirement it doesn't seem like it is that big a deal. Seems like any change I make only effects things at the margin and unless I radically alter my AA I am just shuffling around the deck chairs, Confirmed again last night using FireCalc that if the DW and I were to be let go today and never worked again we should be fine and have a retirement significantly better than the one I was planning for when I considered retiring at the end of 2014. Best way to put it is I feel about investing like Bill Murray in "Meatballs" when he gave his inspirational speech wrapping up with "It just doesn't matter".
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by DomDangelina »

panhead wrote:
Other than that, jump on the Harley and go for a putt!

-pan-
I see you were just now watching Maria Bartiromo's interview with the Harley CEO at the U.S. Open. :sharebeer
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by White Coat Investor »

Once you realize the extra effort doesn't do you any good, you tend to focus your effort elsewhere and just accept the market returns. There are places in investing in additional effort has the potential to pay off- things like real estate investing for instance- much less efficient.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by panhead »

DomDangelina wrote:
panhead wrote:
Other than that, jump on the Harley and go for a putt!

-pan-
I see you were just now watching Maria Bartiromo's interview with the Harley CEO at the U.S. Open. :sharebeer
Busted!!! lol!
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by whaleknives »

texasdiver wrote:. . . I feel like I've optimized our portfolio about as much as I possibly can from a Boglehead perspective and so there's just nothing left to do anymore. I guess that's how it should be.
I've gone from managing my investing to managing my spending, Roth conversions, and Medicare. There's always something new to learn. :D
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by jebmke »

whaleknives wrote:
texasdiver wrote:. . . I feel like I've optimized our portfolio about as much as I possibly can from a Boglehead perspective and so there's just nothing left to do anymore. I guess that's how it should be.
I've gone from managing my investing to managing my spending, Roth conversions, and Medicare. There's always something new to learn. :D
Thanks for the reminder on Medicare. I have3-4 more months to figure this out. Have been procrastinating as long as possible. :twisted:
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by SmileyFace »

I'm with the OP on this but I've simply moved on to other hobbies.
One of the reasons I got out of individual stock trading many years ago is it became an obsession - a second job. I'm happy to be bored with investing.
I still read some financial news - but when I read about Amazon buying Whole Foods now - I think more about how it might impact me as consumers of both - versus how it might impact me as an investor.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by SGM »

What keeps me interested is estate and tax planning and the financial education of my grown offspring. Some of you BH authors need to get cracking publishing new books because I have pretty much read the all. :)
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TheTimeLord
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by TheTimeLord »

DaftInvestor wrote: One of the reasons I got out of individual stock trading many years ago is it became an obsession - a second job.
Exactly, it wasn't underperformance that was my issue but it is a lot of work to stay engaged when investing in individual stocks.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by asif408 »

texasdiver wrote:I feel like I've optimized our portfolio about as much as I possibly can from a Boglehead perspective and so there's just nothing left to do anymore. I guess that's how it should be.

Anyone else find themselves in the same position? Just bored with it all? It's just hard to get really engaged with day-to-day investing news when none of it is remotely actionable. I don't even talk investing with my work colleagues anymore because they are so far from being on the same page it's like we aren't even speaking the same language.
I'm getting to that point. I haven't really fooled around much with my asset allocation in a while. I don't really follow much of the day to day investing news, but I kind of enjoy reading about the behavioral finance aspects now, as that is most interesting. I also like posting here from time to time and helping others that have dealt with some of the same issues I have in the past. I also occasionally insert myself into some of the spirited debates that never come to a final consensus (such as why anyone needs international stocks, real estate vs. investing, etc.) for fun and mental stimulation.

But you're right, there's probably not much more you can do that will make a huge difference. You've got the most important things in place. I imagine it might get more interesting as you near retirement and have to think about taxes, withdrawals, etc. But yea, the accumulation phase is pretty boring.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Texanbybirth »

Toons wrote:I never did look towards investing as exciting.
More of a means to an end.
Having some gold in the golden years.
Index fund investing is like watching "paint dry".
:mrgreen:
+1 I tend to agree with your posts. :beer

OP, investing for me is a long-term thing. It's like looking at Mt. Everest and realizing you're only in the valley. My investing life is pretty easy as I don't plan to change my 100% allocation away from Vanguard's TDF2050 (VFIFX). Maybe that's just the simpleton in me.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by pkcrafter »

Bored? Good, it means you are doing it right. :moneybag

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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by dbr »

texasdiver wrote:
Anyone else find themselves in the same position? Just bored with it all? It's just hard to get really engaged with day-to-day investing news when none of it is remotely actionable. I don't even talk investing with my work colleagues anymore because they are so far from being on the same page it's like we aren't even speaking the same language.
I spend about zero time and energy on my own investing. I would say it doesn't even rise to being bored.

I find talking about investing and sharing comments and opinions with others to be very interesting. I am not bored by that and post a lot here.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by FelixTheCat »

Yes! I used to love reading. I was enthusiastic about evangelizing the Boglehead way!

My investments are on auto-pilot. Most people I've encountered are not motivated or too confused about investing. Now, I only check the boards once in a while to help the people wanting to know.

The good news is I found another vice; exercise.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by oldzey »

“Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.”

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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by SamB »

I got bored with it about 20 years ago. It took years, reading numerous books, and thinking about it to realize what was possible. That effort was necessary because it established a working frame work, and the realization that I could not do any better. Of all things financial asset allocation is the simplest, but realizing it is not so simple. Most people will never get there.

Legal issues, tax issues are much more complicated and may be the only consideration complicating an asset allocation. If I do have to devote any time to finance it is because of tax or legal issues. My rate of return is the market rate, minus my costs, and it became obvious years ago.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Fallible »

I don't follow daily market doings, or non-doings, but can't imagine being bored with the Boglehead principles as they apply to the human nature side of investing and as that plays out on the forum. The principles are an endless challenge for every investor.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Toons »

Texanbybirth wrote:
Toons wrote:I never did look towards investing as exciting.
More of a means to an end.
Having some gold in the golden years.
Index fund investing is like watching "paint dry".
:mrgreen:
+1 I tend to agree with your posts. :beer

OP, investing for me is a long-term thing. It's like looking at Mt. Everest and realizing you're only in the valley. My investing life is pretty easy as I don't plan to change my 100% allocation away from Vanguard's TDF2050 (VFIFX). Maybe that's just the simpleton in me.
Bingo.
You got the right idea.
Just keep on keepin on...
Invest you must,,,
Tune out the daily nonsense :sharebeer
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
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Tycoon
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Tycoon »

No, losing, and sometimes gaining, more money in a day than my first yearly salary keeps me interested.
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Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by friar1610 »

On one hand, yes I am getting bored. On the other hand, I'm probably addicted to this and a few other investment/retirement web sites because I look at them almost daily. Also, although I'd like to think my AA is locked and loaded for the next 5 years or so, I spend a lot of time considering whether or not to reduce my equity allocation by 5%. (Currently 45/51/4). And then the tax implications thereof. And then what it'll do to my Medicare premiums. And then....

Maybe I need a motorcycle. ;-)
Friar1610 | 50-ish/50-ish - a satisficer, not a maximizer
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WiscoTrout
Posts: 64
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2016 2:21 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by WiscoTrout »

pkcrafter wrote:Bored? Good, it means you are doing it right. :moneybag

Paul
+1 If I want exciting, I'll take 20 bucks and blow it at a racetrack. That will cure me of being bored with money for at least 6 months, and probably more.
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Meg77
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Joined: Fri May 22, 2009 1:09 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by Meg77 »

I got to that point with my portfolio, but there are lots of other personal finance matters to tinker with and obsess about. I project our tax burden under different circumstances, analyze our spending patterns using Mint.com, project our net worth statement out years into the future (again and again using various assumptions). I play with scenarios involving different rental properties we could buy, forecast our budget under different lifestyle changes, color code and update a global cash flow chart. When all else fails, research something a bit more tangible like a home improvement project or vacation. I'm a planner and am not easily content to ignore the idea of the future. I should probably take up mindfulness meditation. But instead I'm keeping my busy mind occupied answering another Boglehead question. :beer
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
GoldenFinch
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Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:34 pm

Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by GoldenFinch »

Yes, I'm bored with investing. I think it's because we're on automatic. Also, we've hit new highs for ages and I know that one of three things will happen: the money will go up, down or sideways. :happy I can't really get excited anymore because I realize we've exceeded our goals. For me this means EXISTENTIAL CRISIS because now I need to focus on other things. I just have to figure out what to focus on next (I'm not complaining about this silly first world problem, but it is a conundrum).
heyyou
Posts: 4452
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:58 pm

Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Post by heyyou »

I too have become a passive, passive investor.
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