Stock Markets do not like Tradewars - Is your Retire Fund in Jeopardy?

Is your Retire.Fund in jeopardy of a severe downturn in Stocks

You recently retired, or will retire in the next few years, but you are still heavily invested in the stock markets because that is where the growth has come from for the past 10 or so years.

  Did you take a beating in 2008? Do you even remember what happened that year? Maybe you didn't start saving/investing until late in your career, and you feel you need a bit more!

 Maybe it's time you considered "solidifying" the investments you still have.

Paper profits are great, until they are not! A sudden reversal in stock prices can wipe out 50% of your portfolio.  It can happen really fast these days as the Algos take over the selling, and markets drop like a rock! If that happens this year,(and this writer believes it will), then you may be left trying to decide to "stay in" to try and recoup your losses, or cash out with 20-50% less profit. If such an event occurs, it maybe a decade before you recoup those losses.

To this date the Nasdaq has returned, year to date, over 19%  "THAT" my friends is a great return on investment! The SP500 has returned almost as much YTD!

If your Index Funds are up over 15%, then congratulations, because, I believe, it won't happen again for years to come.  I sincerely do not believe that retirees or those nearing retirement, "will ever see" returns like this again!!!

If you are over 50 or need the money in your portfolio for retirement, if you don't have another 10-15 years to make up losses and cannot afford a downturn in stock prices (or bond prices for that matter see: Bonds) then maybe you should consider the wise advice of the foremost investor in modern history, Mr. Warren Buffett, who famously said:

Remember, "Cash" is also a Position and, at this juncture, it may be the best position!At this writing, we are mostly in cash, with a few exceptions.

Good luck, and be careful!  

Your Retire.Fund depends on it!