Does anyone hold cash?

Discuss all general (i.e. non-personal) investing questions and issues, investing news, and theory.
Topic Author
cresive
Posts: 543
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 11:12 am
Location: Rockville, MD
Contact:

Does anyone hold cash?

Post by cresive »

I just read an article about short-term investing. I was hoping to learn some tips for saving for bigger ticket items, or for emergency funds. I was underwhelmed with the information and left with a nagging question.
Quick Synopsis of me:
about 8-12 years from retirement holding more than the lion's share of my money in IRA and 401 accounts. I have a 70/30 stock/bond ratio with my equities of (50%/20% domestic/international). I have no money in cash, however, I do have a separate EF that is mostly safe investments and cash.

My question is this. The article suggested a asset allocation for someone with with a horizon of 8-10 years to have

20% cash,
20% FIdelity limited term municipal bonds,
40% Fidelity Intermediate municipal income and
20% Vanguard total stock (VTSMX)

I believe this is a poorly constructed allocation for at least two obvious reasons:

1 With low interest rates, this is an unsustainable allocation. If I retire at age 62, I would probably run out of money by age 67, unless interest rates shoot through the roof.
2. I don't see the protection of my assets with this allocation. Granted, cash doesn't lose money (except to inflation, see above) and Muni's do offer sine tax advantage, However, Trump just announced that people holding Muni's for PR should kiss that money goodbye. Even a fund would take a hit with that news.

Even if I had hit my goal for retirement, I would hot employ such a conservative asset allocation. I think the author had target fixation, trying to preserve capital for a specific date, without accounting for funding the many years AFTER your retirement date.

Please let me know where I am wrong in my analysis. I would love to be able to survive on "safer" allocations.

Thanks,
Ben
H-Town
Posts: 5911
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by H-Town »

Understandably stock is risky. For someone who is near retirement should evaluate his/her overall risk. But I agree with you that the suggested allocation in that article is way off. I would not hold that much cash, maybe 6 month expenses - not 20%. Your current allocation is on point! :beer
Time is the ultimate currency.
User avatar
Toons
Posts: 14467
Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:20 am
Location: Hills of Tennessee

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Toons »

Still working.
5-10% Cash
:happy
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
User avatar
Blueskies123
Posts: 737
Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2014 6:18 pm
Location: South Florida

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Blueskies123 »

I keep two years of expenses in cash now that I am retired.
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging
Topic Author
cresive
Posts: 543
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 11:12 am
Location: Rockville, MD
Contact:

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by cresive »

Blueskies123 wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:38 am I keep two years of expenses in cash now that I am retired.
I agree with your position. When I am retired, I plan to use a bucket-like system and hold at least 2 years expenses in cash or equivalents. However, the article was about someone 8-10 years prior to retirement date. I believe there are too many growth years that anyone following that allocation will miss.

I would love to hear how you do your budgets in retirement. Especially what has worked really well, and what you were glad you did had you run into any unexpected challenges.
Topic Author
cresive
Posts: 543
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 11:12 am
Location: Rockville, MD
Contact:

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by cresive »

Toons wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:35 am Still working.
5-10% Cash
:happy
Is that in your retirement fund, or is that an EF?
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52219
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by nisiprius »

I do. Always have. I have always regarded cash as being part of my "retirement fund" if I had the serious intention of holding it into retirement. Thus, we've had checking and savings accounts in our main bank that we considered to be part of ongoing household finances, but we've also had other cash-like accounts that we considered "untouchable," often with mild barriers to help with the mental accounting and make us stop and think before taking money out of them (e.g. bank CDs; Roth IRAs at banks; savings bonds).

I think it is worth noting that through the 1990s and well into the 2000's typical descriptions of model portfolios in retirement-savings books always included allocations to all three major asset classes: stocks, bonds, and cash. Or, if you like, equities, fixed income, and short-term reserves. Cash was considered a proper and prudent part of the portfolio. The "cash" allocation didn't vanish from the pie charts until around 2000 or so.

Vanguard's LifeStrategy funds, which began in 1994, were designed as all-in-one portfolios, suitable for retirement savers, with a stable allocation, and as recently as 2010 the Vanguard LifeStrategy Conservative Growth Fund had a "short-term reserves" allocation:

Image

Remember, that's the allocation within the fund itself. The "short-term reserves" in it are not an emergency fund and can't be used as an emergency fund. Vanguard had it in there because at that time they though "short-term reserves" was a suitable component within a retirement savings portfolio.

The word "cash" is always a little tricky and I've ranted and will continue to rant about this, because one so often reads that cash will not keep up with inflation. Well, literal paper currency will not, and there exist such things as non-interest-bearing bank accounts, and, for not quite ten years, bank accounts like checking accounts with interest rates that are virtually zero. But to me the essential elements that make something "cash-like" or "cash-equivalent" is a) near-perfect liquidity, and b) a dollar value that never goes down at all. Good bank savings accounts, savings bonds after the first year is up, money market mutual funds, Treasury bills, all meet the criteria for being "cash-like" while earning returns that have historically kept up with inflation and usually have eked out a tiny real return.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
User avatar
goodenyou
Posts: 3602
Joined: Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:57 pm
Location: Skating to Where the Puck is Going to Be..or on the golf course

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by goodenyou »

Yes. I am 55/35/10 stocks/bonds/cash. I am still working, but I hold cash for the option to make large purchases. If I am contemplating buying a car, I have the option and can proceed without depleting an emergency fund allocated for emergencies. We are considering building a new house. No definite plans, but holding cash will allow that decision without beholding to market fluctuations. I know holding cash will "cost" me lower investment returns in the long run, but at the price of options to purchase on my time schedule.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge" | “At 50, everyone has the face he deserves”
User avatar
welderwannabe
Posts: 1634
Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2017 8:32 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by welderwannabe »

My taxable is 80/15/5. 80% stocks, 15% bonds, 5% cash.

I don't hold a sizable cash position in tax deferred.
I am not an investment professional, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
User avatar
goingup
Posts: 4910
Joined: Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:02 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by goingup »

cresive wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:24 amMy question is this. The article suggested a asset allocation for someone with with a horizon of 8-10 years to have

20% cash,
20% FIdelity limited term municipal bonds,
40% Fidelity Intermediate municipal income and
20% Vanguard total stock (VTSMX)
This would be for a taxable account. Does the article advocate a bucket strategy? Link the article and maybe folks can give more informed responses.
livesoft
Posts: 86080
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by livesoft »

I have essentially no cash. I received cash dividends on Monday and I reinvested them. I hate cash.

There are lots of threads about cash at bogleheads.org. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some are in-between. It's a psychological thing.

Do you have any physical gold? :twisted:
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
dbr
Posts: 46181
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:50 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by dbr »

There is always some cash around, maybe 1%-2% of assets. But I don't "hold" cash. I suppose I could access a holding of about 5% of assets in credit card charges. Do you count that?
remomnyc
Posts: 1055
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:27 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by remomnyc »

I hold one year of expenses in cash. Taxable account is 100% stocks. Deferred is brokered CDs and bonds with the leftover stock allocation that didn't fit in taxable. Overall allocation between taxable and deferred is 60/40, excluding cash.
DrGoogle2017
Posts: 2528
Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:31 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by DrGoogle2017 »

I hold lots of cash, probably higher than 20%. Still very decent return. More than 10% YTD for my account.
Last edited by DrGoogle2017 on Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
friar1610
Posts: 2331
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:52 pm
Location: MA South Shore

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by friar1610 »

72/70, retired, mostly living off my pension with a rare dip into SS. Keep 4-5% in "pure" cash. But a substantial portion of remaining fixed income (about 55% at the moment) is in a tiered allocation ranging from "near cash" to "not near cash". The (after pure cash) tiers are:
- ST bond fund
- CDs in a 5 year ladder (with a few shorter maturities interspersed as the result of taking advantage of NFCU special deals).
-I-Bonds, some of which have great interest rates (3.4%) from the good old days, so I plan to hold them as long as I can. Others have paltry fixed rates, so if I have a need for cash I wouldn't hesitate to redeem them.
- Intermediate-term bond fund/Total Bond Market in taxable
- Intermediate-term bond/TBM in IRA

I have a few CDs maturing in Dec. Will probably reinvest those in one or more tiers. (Or, if we get the big correction in equities before then, I'll use the money to rebalance equities.)
Friar1610 | 50-ish/50-ish - a satisficer, not a maximizer
User avatar
Sandtrap
Posts: 19591
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:32 pm
Location: Hawaii No Ka Oi - white sandy beaches, N. Arizona 1 mile high.

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Sandtrap »

Lots and lots.
LBP heavily weighted for "black swan" protection.
Major sleep factor. :D
Wiki Bogleheads Wiki: Everything You Need to Know
dewey
Posts: 497
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:42 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by dewey »

Retired, holding approximately 2 years living expenses in cash.
“The only freedom that is of enduring importance is freedom of intelligence…” John Dewey
furikake
Posts: 353
Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2015 10:13 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by furikake »

Blueskies123 wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:38 am I keep two years of expenses in cash now that I am retired.
I do this as well, but I'm not retired yet. This is for when there is a down market when I'm retired.
User avatar
midareff
Posts: 7711
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 9:43 am
Location: Biscayne Bay, South Florida

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by midareff »

Under does anyone hold cash my answer is yes, but at no more than 6 or 7% of portfolio which includes an Ally 1.2% savings account, about 4% in a few 1.5% 11 month breakable Ally CD's and some cash on hand in a safe for trips and such. At 70 y/o this December, a roughly 50/50 equities/bonds CD's and cash portfolio meets my SWAN requirements.

AFAIC, holding 80% of a portfolio in cash and short to intermediate bonds has been well documented as a part to early ruin.
jebmke
Posts: 25477
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by jebmke »

Almost no cash by my definition. During a quarter I might peak at one months worth when I sweep my VG account but it draws down during the first month of the quarter.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
The Casualty
Posts: 142
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 9:09 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by The Casualty »

Retired 61 y/o with 2 years cash.
User avatar
Lauretta
Posts: 1157
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 6:27 am
Location: UK (temporarily)

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Lauretta »

I hold about 30% of my net worth in cash (and ~35% in stocks and ~35% in rental property).
When everyone is thinking the same, no one is thinking at all
J295
Posts: 3403
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:40 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by J295 »

Current "cash" allocation is 13%. This includes iBonds, CD, AMX savings account, misc cash in brokerage accounts. "Retired" at 53 and 5 years later am 48% equities and 4% alternatives, 35% "bonds" and 13% cash. Personal situation has us with no need to take on additional risk to generate returns for us or heirs. Could well be different under other circumstances.
MathWizard
Posts: 6561
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:35 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by MathWizard »

Just in my first tier EF. Normally about 2-3% which would last me about 5 months (health insurance would
be the biggest single expense by far.)
goblue100
Posts: 1729
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2013 9:31 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by goblue100 »

cresive wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:24 am I just read an article about short-term investing. I was hoping to learn some tips for saving for bigger ticket items, or for emergency funds. My question is this. The article suggested a asset allocation for someone with with a horizon of 8-10 years to have

20% cash,
20% FIdelity limited term municipal bonds,
40% Fidelity Intermediate municipal income and
20% Vanguard total stock (VTSMX)

I believe this is a poorly constructed allocation for at least two obvious reasons:

1 With low interest rates, this is an unsustainable allocation. If I retire at age 62, I would probably run out of money by age 67, unless interest rates shoot through the roof.
2. I don't see the protection of my assets with this allocation. Granted, cash doesn't lose money (except to inflation, see above) and Muni's do offer sine tax advantage, However, Trump just announced that people holding Muni's for PR should kiss that money goodbye. Even a fund would take a hit with that news.

Even if I had hit my goal for retirement, I would hot employ such a conservative asset allocation. I think the author had target fixation, trying to preserve capital for a specific date, without accounting for funding the many years AFTER your retirement date.

Please let me know where I am wrong in my analysis. I would love to be able to survive on "safer" allocations.

Thanks,
Ben
I don't like that AA at all. Essentially 60% bonds, 20% cash, and 20% equity. I am similar age to you, and my current AA:
70% equity, 45 US and 25 International.
23% US Bonds - AGG
7% - cash (building a very limited liability portfolio of 5 year CD's. Matching my property taxes, car and home insurance and some bills. If it's a good year, I'll draw from investment portfolio. If it's a bad year I'll use the CD money to pay bills)

5 years ago I was closer to 85 / 10 / 5, so have been taking money off the equity table as I get closer to retirement. I've always carried more cash then was probably wise just due to inertia. I considered it an EF, I suppose, but it wasn't really an intentional decision to hold X amount of cash.
"Confusion has its cost" - Crosby, Stills and Nash
student
Posts: 10764
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2015 6:58 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by student »

I hold about 5% in cash.
User avatar
telemark
Posts: 3389
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:35 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by telemark »

cresive wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:24 am I just read an article about short-term investing.
There's the thing. What is it that it is, this short-term investing? Does the author mean the same thing by it that you do? When I invest, it's always for the long term. If I have a specific short-term goal, say I want to buy a new Mazda when the 2019 models come out, I save for it, with cash.

I do have some cash, partly for psychological reasons and partly because my bond allocation is in a fund that's riskier than I like, due to a poor 401K, but I don't count it as short-term investing, whatever that means.
itstoomuch
Posts: 5343
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 11:17 am
Location: midValley OR

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by itstoomuch »

Depends
Retired. In Discretionary only., of which has been recently depleted for a home purchase. Cash holding in Discretionary is about 20% which is about enough to make two to four block purchases. Cash is about 2% of NetWorth and retirement assets.
YMMV
Rev012718; 4 Incm stream buckets: SS+pension; dfr'd GLWB VA & FI anntys, by time & $$ laddered; Discretionary; Rentals. LTCi. Own, not asset. Tax TBT%. Early SS. FundRatio (FR) >1.1 67/70yo
JBTX
Posts: 11228
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by JBTX »

cresive wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 7:24 am I just read an article about short-term investing. I was hoping to learn some tips for saving for bigger ticket items, or for emergency funds. I was underwhelmed with the information and left with a nagging question.
Quick Synopsis of me:
about 8-12 years from retirement holding more than the lion's share of my money in IRA and 401 accounts. I have a 70/30 stock/bond ratio with my equities of (50%/20% domestic/international). I have no money in cash, however, I do have a separate EF that is mostly safe investments and cash.

My question is this. The article suggested a asset allocation for someone with with a horizon of 8-10 years to have

20% cash,
20% FIdelity limited term municipal bonds,
40% Fidelity Intermediate municipal income and
20% Vanguard total stock (VTSMX)

I believe this is a poorly constructed allocation for at least two obvious reasons:

1 With low interest rates, this is an unsustainable allocation. If I retire at age 62, I would probably run out of money by age 67, unless interest rates shoot through the roof.
2. I don't see the protection of my assets with this allocation. Granted, cash doesn't lose money (except to inflation, see above) and Muni's do offer sine tax advantage, However, Trump just announced that people holding Muni's for PR should kiss that money goodbye. Even a fund would take a hit with that news.

Even if I had hit my goal for retirement, I would hot employ such a conservative asset allocation. I think the author had target fixation, trying to preserve capital for a specific date, without accounting for funding the many years AFTER your retirement date.

Please let me know where I am wrong in my analysis. I would love to be able to survive on "safer" allocations.

Thanks,
Ben
Was the article about investing with 8-10 years until retirement, or 8-10 years for a large expenditure? Those are two completely different things. For retirement you will need the money to last potentially decades after you retire, so you would have a relatively more aggressive asset allocation. For saving for something like a new home down payment, that is a true terminal value at a fixed point in time. The allocation the article listed would seem appropriate for such an activity.

Having said all that your retirement asset allocation, while within the range of generally "acceptable" retirement allocations for your age, is a bit too aggressive for my tastes. I'm in my low 50s and have between 55-60% in equities. With such a long bull market and high valuations I'd rather be more to the conservative range of allocations than aggressive.
Bacchus01
Posts: 3182
Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2012 8:35 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Bacchus01 »

We hold $100K in cash. It has nothing to do with diversification or risk. I just want to be able to have cash on hand to buy nearly anything we want at any time without dipping into other areas.
User avatar
unclescrooge
Posts: 6265
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:00 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by unclescrooge »

livesoft wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:14 am I have essentially no cash. I received cash dividends on Monday and I reinvested them. I hate cash.

There are lots of threads about cash at bogleheads.org. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some are in-between. It's a psychological thing.

Do you have any physical gold? :twisted:
Yes, as well as silver eagles!
delamer
Posts: 17459
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:13 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by delamer »

Have not read all the comments, but the OP started with short-term investing and then switched to talking about retirement.

The portfolio that the OP noted strikes me as appropriate for someone who has savings that they are going to completely spend down in 8 or 10 years -- like maybe a college fund or a downpayment on a retirement home.

It is not an appropriate portfolio for someone who is going to start withdrawing the money in 8 to 10 years and continue to draw it down over the next 30.
One thing that humbles me deeply is to see that human genius has its limits while human stupidity does not. - Alexandre Dumas, fils
hulburt1
Posts: 510
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:17 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by hulburt1 »

We are 64,62-We have 150,000 in cash 3 years living, The rest is in Stocks....We have close to 2.3m. We have our dividends go to our cash $30000 last year.. We will not take SS until 70. I do not have bond...When we have a good year will put more in cash. This year we are up 27% so will move more in cash. I keep a close eye on the 1 stock I have and that's Facebook. If we have a bad year or 2 will not need to cash in funds. This is my plan and its worked well for 10 years.
User avatar
Sandtrap
Posts: 19591
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:32 pm
Location: Hawaii No Ka Oi - white sandy beaches, N. Arizona 1 mile high.

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Sandtrap »

livesoft wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:14 am I have essentially no cash. I received cash dividends on Monday and I reinvested them. I hate cash.

There are lots of threads about cash at bogleheads.org. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some are in-between. It's a psychological thing.

Do you have any physical gold? :twisted:
I save up the gold we take out of streams and dried riverbeds and old mine tailings. Flakes, pickers, occasional nuggets. Lot's of that shiny stuff in our neck of the woods. Free for the taking if one is willing. :D
Wiki Bogleheads Wiki: Everything You Need to Know
Sconie
Posts: 971
Joined: Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:23 am
Location: Arizona

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Sconie »

I'm 68 and retired 5 years-----80% equity and 20% cash. I think of cash as equivalent to a very, very short term bond----however, in comparison to a bond, cash has much greater optionality.
I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. - Alan Greenspan
David Scubadiver
Posts: 522
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:40 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by David Scubadiver »

This thread makes me feel better about Schwab intelligent portfolio’s cash feature. Truth is I never owned bonds from 1993 to 2015 and then I only added a couple munies. I prefer cash to bonds. It never loses nominal value. Always there to buy stocks when they go on sale. And in a pinch I can roll around in it.
User avatar
abuss368
Posts: 27850
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2009 2:33 pm
Location: Where the water is warm, the drinks are cold, and I don't know the names of the players!
Contact:

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by abuss368 »

Cash is a part of our routine savings plan with no intent to use it. We direct income to savings with Vanguard's Prime Money Market Fund. This is insurance and peace of mind.

There is an old saying and for good reason "Cash is King".
John C. Bogle: “Simplicity is the master key to financial success."
KlangFool
Posts: 31529
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:35 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by KlangFool »

unclescrooge wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 2:48 pm
livesoft wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:14 am I have essentially no cash. I received cash dividends on Monday and I reinvested them. I hate cash.

There are lots of threads about cash at bogleheads.org. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some are in-between. It's a psychological thing.

Do you have any physical gold? :twisted:
Yes, as well as silver eagles!
Folks,

1) Cash

2) Physical Gold jewelry

3) Enough dry food and drinking water in the pantry to last 1 to 2 weeks.

KlangFool
30% VWENX | 16% VFWAX/VTIAX | 14.5% VTSAX | 19.5% VBTLX | 10% VSIAX/VTMSX/VSMAX | 10% VSIGX| 30% Wellington 50% 3-funds 20% Mini-Larry
emoore
Posts: 676
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:16 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by emoore »

No significant cash here.
AlphaLess
Posts: 3409
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 11:38 pm
Location: Kentucky

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by AlphaLess »

I always have a couple of hundred dollars in my pocket.

Does that count?

Or, say, if I have 3% in cash, does that count?
I don't carry a signature because people are easily offended.
User avatar
aegis965
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2016 6:06 am
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by aegis965 »

10% of investment portfolio. to me cash is more for solvency and wiggle room than reducing volatility.
I may be biased.
koozie
Posts: 36
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:20 pm
Location: Mountain Time

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by koozie »

I decided that I want to have $50k on hand in cash (checking/savings). Its not tied to net worth or anything, I just figure there are things available for people with cash that aren't for people without it. If I ever find out what those things are, and $50k was enough, I'll come back here and tell you all about it.
itstoomuch
Posts: 5343
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 11:17 am
Location: midValley OR

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by itstoomuch »

itstoomuch wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 1:00 pm Depends
Retired. In Discretionary only., of which has been recently depleted for a home purchase. Cash holding in Discretionary is about 20% which is about enough to make two to four block purchases. Cash is about 2% of NetWorth and retirement assets.
YMMV
Sold a block today on a stock that popped_up this week. Cash holding is up according. Also have a buy for same at 150 basis lower than today's closing price.
Cash can mean so many things to different people. The OP's question is nubleus.
We are on a 10 day trip and I feel rich with $100 cash in my wallet.
YcashMV
Rev012718; 4 Incm stream buckets: SS+pension; dfr'd GLWB VA & FI anntys, by time & $$ laddered; Discretionary; Rentals. LTCi. Own, not asset. Tax TBT%. Early SS. FundRatio (FR) >1.1 67/70yo
User avatar
dmcmahon
Posts: 2855
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:29 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by dmcmahon »

10% cash - I'd feel naked without it.
Slothmeister
Posts: 65
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 11:48 am

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by Slothmeister »

20% in cash in a HYSA will give you some flexibility when rates change. Plus, 60% is way too much in bonds. I'd split the muni-bonds and equity in half since they have low correlation.
User avatar
unclescrooge
Posts: 6265
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:00 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by unclescrooge »

KlangFool wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:46 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 2:48 pm
livesoft wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:14 am I have essentially no cash. I received cash dividends on Monday and I reinvested them. I hate cash.

There are lots of threads about cash at bogleheads.org. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some are in-between. It's a psychological thing.

Do you have any physical gold? :twisted:
Yes, as well as silver eagles!
Folks,

1) Cash

2) Physical Gold jewelry

3) Enough dry food and drinking water in the pantry to last 1 to 2 weeks.

KlangFool
What food items do you stock? I just stock cans of cooked refried beans and chili.
User avatar
unclescrooge
Posts: 6265
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:00 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by unclescrooge »

David Scubadiver wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 5:33 pm This thread makes me feel better about Schwab intelligent portfolio’s cash feature. Truth is I never owned bonds from 1993 to 2015 and then I only added a couple munies. I prefer cash to bonds. It never loses nominal value. Always there to buy stocks when they go on sale. And in a pinch I can roll around in it.
Always a solid reason :sharebeer
KlangFool
Posts: 31529
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:35 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by KlangFool »

unclescrooge wrote: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:14 am
KlangFool wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:46 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 2:48 pm
livesoft wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:14 am I have essentially no cash. I received cash dividends on Monday and I reinvested them. I hate cash.

There are lots of threads about cash at bogleheads.org. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some are in-between. It's a psychological thing.

Do you have any physical gold? :twisted:
Yes, as well as silver eagles!
Folks,

1) Cash

2) Physical Gold jewelry

3) Enough dry food and drinking water in the pantry to last 1 to 2 weeks.

KlangFool
What food items do you stock? I just stock cans of cooked refried beans and chili.
unclescrooge,

1) A bag of rice will last you a very long time.

2) You should have some kind of water filter like Brita Water Pitcher too.

KlangFool
30% VWENX | 16% VFWAX/VTIAX | 14.5% VTSAX | 19.5% VBTLX | 10% VSIAX/VTMSX/VSMAX | 10% VSIGX| 30% Wellington 50% 3-funds 20% Mini-Larry
User avatar
unclescrooge
Posts: 6265
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:00 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by unclescrooge »

KlangFool wrote: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:29 am
unclescrooge wrote: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:14 am
KlangFool wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:46 pm
unclescrooge wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 2:48 pm
livesoft wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 9:14 am I have essentially no cash. I received cash dividends on Monday and I reinvested them. I hate cash.

There are lots of threads about cash at bogleheads.org. Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some are in-between. It's a psychological thing.

Do you have any physical gold? :twisted:
Yes, as well as silver eagles!
Folks,

1) Cash

2) Physical Gold jewelry

3) Enough dry food and drinking water in the pantry to last 1 to 2 weeks.

KlangFool
What food items do you stock? I just stock cans of cooked refried beans and chili.
unclescrooge,

1) A bag of rice will last you a very long time.

2) You should have some kind of water filter like Brita Water Pitcher too.

KlangFool
Rice needs water to cook. So I imagine you need to store extra water.

Do you recommend chlorine tablets too?
JBTX
Posts: 11228
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Does anyone hold cash?

Post by JBTX »

About 6 months in bank accounts, plus another 6+ months in ibonds. We were probably closer to 15-18 months but a recent remodel and not working 3 months has taken care of that. :annoyed
Post Reply