I fully admit that I did the wrong thing back in 2008 when the stock market got walloped. I had only been investing for about 10 years and I freaked out:I logged into my 401(k) account late one night and lowered my contributions so that I put in exactly enough to get the company match and no more. For the next couple of years, I paid no attention to my investment … [Read more...] about The Right Question To Ask About The Crazy Markets
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Performance Update, April 2022: Zoom Out
My main goal* was to build an investment and cash portfolio of $1,120,000* ($1,000,000 to retire on and $120,000 to pay off the house) in 1500 days**, starting from 1/1/2013 and ending in February of 2017. I made my goal in 2016, my 1500 Days are over, and I’ve left my job. In the interest of openness, I’ll continue to share my numbers.What a … [Read more...] about Performance Update, April 2022: Zoom Out
Frozen Dinosaurs, Axe Murderers, Murderous Multiples, Ignorance, Recession, And Depression
So, back in August, I wrote this:And 7 months later, here we are.(Side-note: I sandbagged it. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones are 30% and 35% off their all-time highs respectively.)I'm no clairvoyant. I could have predicted a downturn at just about any time in history and been correct. Markets go mostly up, but they go down too. Frequently.I also had no idea … [Read more...] about Frozen Dinosaurs, Axe Murderers, Murderous Multiples, Ignorance, Recession, And Depression
Joining The Multimillionaire Club (And What I’ve Learned About Money)
I started my first real job right around 1/1/1998, about 20 years ago. To get my investment portfolio (primary home excluded) to the first $1,000,000 (Double Comma Club), it took a long time, almost 17 years. Or, because I like to measure stuff in days:6,174!During that period, I worked hard at various programming jobs. Some of them were very stressful and I … [Read more...] about Joining The Multimillionaire Club (And What I’ve Learned About Money)
Funny Money Portfolio Update
Ever since JL Collins showed me the wisdom of index funds, I've been a big fan. Prior to that, I invested in individual stocks.Stocks worked out pretty well for me. I'm a tech nerd, so I was heavily biased towards geek stocks. I bought Google when it IPOd in 2004 at a split-adjusted $42.50/share (over $1,200 today). I also bought Apple back in 2007 when the iPhone was … [Read more...] about Funny Money Portfolio Update