# How Is Your 401K Doing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665 "2017-10-12T17:42:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/21 "2017-10-12T21:26:29Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I suppose if you feel certain a crash is looming around the corner you could slide all your money into bond funds and wait for the drop. Problem is no one knows when the drop will occur, how it will occur (all at once or in downward up/down steps), when the bottom has been reached, and how long it will stay there. And of course if the market keeps going up for another year before the drop you’ve missed out on all those gains. > I’ll just probably stay pat and play the long game with the historical booms and crashes with the booms always coming back stronger than the crashes. Depends on when you need the money. If not for a while, crashes are excellent buying opportunities - as long as you have a job that is. I’ve moved a lot of my gains into more stable dividend stocks. They’ll go down, but as long as they produce cash I don’t care. And of course you lose out on some gains - it is impossible to time the market, and silly to try. And of course you diversify. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/22 "2017-10-12T21:29:44Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > What I’ve generally heard is that the Trump economy starts in October. So we’ll see what happens. Of course, I’m not actually all that convinced that the president (Trump or otherwise) has that much of an impact barring special circumstances. Well, I think it is possible to argue that the Bush deregulation and unwillingness to do anything about what was clearly looking like a housing bubble driven by shady Wall Street practices contributed to the depth of the crash. Plus he was unlucky enough to still be in office when it happened. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/23 "2017-10-13T00:16:34Z")
> [@Aufgeblassen](#): > > … Thank you, Mr. Trump! 😃 Said all the marks that thought Trump would make them rich. Keep your eye on the long game. (Unless you’re rich already, then I guess Trump The Elite is your guy after all.) ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/24 "2017-10-13T12:21:40Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Well, I think it is possible to argue that the Bush deregulation and unwillingness to do anything about what was clearly looking like a housing bubble driven by shady Wall Street practices contributed to the depth of the crash. Plus he was unlucky enough to still be in office when it happened. I’d argue you left Congress of the list. The Congress that forced Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac to make loans to low income folks that they knew weren’t good lending risks. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/25 "2017-10-13T12:55:09Z")
More to the point, American workers and American business drive the American economy, not the President. Some times it’s luck, sometimes it’s timing, but largely, the President pay little part in the market as far as I can see. If the market was tanking, Dems would blame Trump and Republicans would blame Obama. Or vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/26 "2017-10-13T13:47:49Z")
I have to say mine is doing pretty well, mainly due to the fact that the international stock index I’m in is beating hell out of the US stock market. If you’re interested look at VTIAX (Vanguard Total International Stock Market Index) vs VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index). The US index is down 50% relative to the global economy. Trump can’t even beat the Europeans. Sad! ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/27 "2017-10-13T15:08:01Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I have to say mine is doing pretty well, mainly due to the fact that the international stock index I’m in is beating hell out of the US stock market. If you’re interested look at VTIAX (Vanguard Total International Stock Market Index) vs VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index). The US index is down 50% relative to the global economy. Trump can’t even beat the Europeans. Sad! Me too - the bulk of my 401k is it three index funds - VITSX, VTSNX and VBTIX (even lower cost institutional versions of the funds you mention). As far as exuberance goes, my tracking spreadsheet is looking a lot like the late '90s and 2006. So, I expect my market accounts to drop sometime in the future, but I have diversified and am living off some stable value funds. My plan is to do what I did in 2000 and 2008 - sit tight and hold on. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/28 "2017-10-13T17:07:53Z")
It is beginning to feel like Rockefellers advice from the shoeshine boy…I think I’ll go move a little money. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/29 "2017-10-13T17:24:43Z")
Moved, what is left is in dividend stocks, some in the Vanguards S&P index fund, and the rest in handpicked stocks (mostly dividend). There is bond funds, and utilities EFTs and cash and international funds all in there too, but I dumped a stock mutual fund that wasn’t great and higher risk. And I had to dump my Amazon stock for conflict of interest reasons a few months back - so I’m set to invest when it tanks. (None of this is the 401k - thats a whole different portfolio that is sit and let ride. Nor is any of it for the kids college - with them the ages they are, that’s all in bond funds). ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/30 "2017-10-13T17:29:40Z")
The shoeshine boy story: [How to Buy Stocks: Who are Your Shoe Shine Boys?](http://howtobuystocks.blogspot.com/2013/12/who-are-your-shoe-shine-boys.html) (its sometimes Joe Kennedy). Also: “Be Fearful When Others Are Greedy and Greedy When Others Are Fearful” ― Warren Buffett ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665/31 "2017-10-13T20:15:28Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > I’d argue you left Congress of the list. The Congress that forced Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac to make loans to low income folks that they knew weren’t good lending risks. Cite? Because Congress forced banks to not discriminate, not to make bad loans. Banks and non-banks aggressively pursued bad credit risks, for reasons which are clear to anyone who has looked at the causes of the crash. Now, Congress supporting deregulation is indeed a cause, so I’m happy to add Congress to the list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-your-401k-doing/798665.md?page=1)