Results 1 to 24 of 24

Thread: How Should I diversify my 401k?

  1. #1
    Old Town Road Senior Member Strike For The South's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Between Louis' sheets
    Posts
    10,369

    Default How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Right now I'm mainly in stocks and bonds but I was looking to maybe get into the metals market as it seems there is no ceiling for gold
    There, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford

    My aim, then, was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us. Fear is the beginning of wisdom.

    I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation.

  2. #2
    Needs more flowers Moderator drone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Moral High Grounds
    Posts
    9,276

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    I would stay away from gold, it's already pretty high. Look for things that are undervalued at the moment. Don't forget, your 401k is for the long run, if stocks are down now, it just means you are buying low.
    The .Org's MTW Reference Guide Wiki - now taking comments, corrections, suggestions, and submissions

    If I werent playing games Id be killing small animals at a higher rate than I am now - SFTS
    Si je n'étais pas jouer à des jeux que je serais mort de petits animaux à un taux plus élevé que je suis maintenant - Louis VI The Fat

    "Why do you hate the extremely limited Spartan version of freedom?" - Lemur

  3. #3
    master of the pwniverse Member Fragony's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    The EUSSR
    Posts
    30,680

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    401k as in 401.000?

  4. #4
    In the shadows... Member Vuk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    R.I.P. TosaInu In the shadows...
    Posts
    5,992

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Get it its own busing policy...
    Hammer, anvil, forge and fire, chase away The Hoofed Liar. Roof and doorway, block and beam, chase The Trickster from our dreams.
    Vigilance is our shield, that protects us from our squalid past. Knowledge is our weapon, with which we carve a path to an enlightened future.

    Everything you need to know about Kadagar_AV:
    Quote Originally Posted by Kadagar_AV View Post
    In a racial conflict I'd have no problem popping off some negroes.

  5. #5
    TexMec Senior Member Louis VI the Fat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Saint Antoine
    Posts
    9,935

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Strike For The South View Post
    Right now I'm mainly in stocks and bonds but I was looking to maybe get into the metals market as it seems there is no ceiling for gold
    Buy whatever metals sledgehammers are made off!
    Anything unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
    Texan by birth, woodpecker by the grace of God
    I would be the voice of your conscience if you had one - Brenus
    Bt why woulf we uy lsn'y Staraft - Fragony
    Not everything
    blue and underlined is a link


  6. #6
    Senior Member Senior Member gaelic cowboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    mayo
    Posts
    4,833

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Everyone is looking to buy gold apparently and the likes of bloomberg is running stories a lot lately on how silver is the new gold which is all a sure sign that those commodities are in bubble territory.

    Now water there is a differ story but how you would invest your 401k in it I dunno failing that there is always magic beans.
    Last edited by gaelic cowboy; 11-02-2010 at 18:59.
    They slew him with poison afaid to meet him with the steel
    a gallant son of eireann was Owen Roe o'Neill.

    Internet is a bad place for info Gaelic Cowboy

  7. #7
    Grand Patron's Banner Bearer Senior Member Peasant Phill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Somewhere relatively safe, behind some one else, preferably at the back
    Posts
    2,953
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    So you're taking advice on investments from a few internet acquaintances you barely know.
    If that's the case, you should totally invest in a time-share property somewhere in West-Flanders Belgium.
    Quote Originally Posted by Drone
    Someone has to watch over the wheat.
    Quote Originally Posted by TinCow
    We've made our walls sufficiently thick that we don't even hear the wet thuds of them bashing their brains against the outer wall and falling as lifeless corpses into our bottomless moat.

  8. #8
    TexMec Senior Member Louis VI the Fat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Saint Antoine
    Posts
    9,935

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Peasant Phill View Post
    you should totally invest in a time-share property somewhere in West-Flanders Belgium.
    The West-Flemings are at it again!


    As coincidence would have it, I once visited the pitiful remains of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernout_%26_Hauspie
    Anything unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
    Texan by birth, woodpecker by the grace of God
    I would be the voice of your conscience if you had one - Brenus
    Bt why woulf we uy lsn'y Staraft - Fragony
    Not everything
    blue and underlined is a link


  9. #9
    Nur-ad-Din Forum Administrator TosaInu's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    12,326

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    What Peasant Phill says is true Strike For The South, but professional advise may not work either. In the end it's your own feeling, skill and 'luck'. It won't hurt to get some discussion about it.

    Gold tripled in some six years, that's impressive. Some stuff has done better: phosphate. That did 10* within a very short time in 2008. For a special reason. People who got impetuous at 4*, bought a lot, got carried away by 'phosphate is a limited resource and will $$$' and forgot to sell again, lost a lot of money, because it more or less got back to the point where it was very quickly. A bit higher than before actually and it was expected to increase again, but that may not happen. Recently more resources have been found, and it's likely to last for 300 years instead of the 50. It might even be that recycling projects will lose momentum now (crisis afterwoes, delaying investment in the 'luxury').

    I think we'll still see some rough water, but the chance that the gold price drops drastically 'soon' is likely. Whether soon is tomorrow or a year from now, I don't know. Buying 'cheap' stocks will be a smarter move and guarantees good nights sleep. Those may also go down a bit, and companies may default, but it's not a bubble that will burst any second. Don't put all eggs in one basket.
    Ja mata

    TosaInu

  10. #10
    The Usual Member Ice's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Northville, Michigan
    Posts
    4,259

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Since you are young, I'd say about 80% in S &P, 10% cash, and 10% conservative bonds. It's really a crap shot man... it depends how much risk and upside you want to expose yourself to.

    This thread title makes me feel god damn old.



  11. #11
    Nur-ad-Din Forum Administrator TosaInu's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    12,326

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ice View Post
    This thread title makes me feel god damn old.
    It was that long ago you got 401k?
    Ja mata

    TosaInu

  12. #12
    The Usual Member Ice's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Northville, Michigan
    Posts
    4,259

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by TosaInu View Post
    It was that long ago you got 401k?
    When I joined this forum, Strike was talking about AP classes and getting his license. Now he is almost done with college and investing in a 401k.



  13. #13
    Nur-ad-Din Forum Administrator TosaInu's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    12,326

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Oh, that way.
    Ja mata

    TosaInu

  14. #14
    Nobody expects the Senior Member Lemur's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Wisconsin Death Trip
    Posts
    15,754

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Strike, never buy something when you see the crowd howling for it. If everybody is convinced that goose feather futures are the path to eternal riches, that's when you either sell or completely avoid goose feathers.

    Simple rule of investing: When people are screaming that the end is near and we're all going to be living in moldy barrels under a bridge any minute, buy. Conversely, when you hear that we're in a new economic paradigm where X* is going to go up and up and never come down 'cause the rules have changed, sell.




    * X = Any commodity, stock or substance which has become popular for no good reason. See housing bonds, gold, ARs, junk bonds and tulips for further reference.

  15. #15
    Senior Member Senior Member gaelic cowboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    mayo
    Posts
    4,833

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lemur View Post
    Strike, never buy something when you see the crowd howling for it. If everybody is convinced that goose feather futures are the path to eternal riches, that's when you either sell or completely avoid goose feathers.

    Simple rule of investing: When people are screaming that the end is near and we're all going to be living in moldy barrels under a bridge any minute, buy. Conversely, when you hear that we're in a new economic paradigm where X* is going to go up and up and never come down 'cause the rules have changed, sell.




    * X = Any commodity, stock or substance which has become popular for no good reason. See housing bonds, gold, ARs, junk bonds and tulips for further reference.
    If you hear on the likes of Bloomberg "It is different this time" then immediately go grab granpappys blunderbus from the attic and stock up on bean tins and if there telling you to sell then buy and hold your nerve.

    The problem as I see it is for some reason Economists seem to think the economy is outside the laws of thermodynamics or summit.
    They slew him with poison afaid to meet him with the steel
    a gallant son of eireann was Owen Roe o'Neill.

    Internet is a bad place for info Gaelic Cowboy

  16. #16
    master of the pwniverse Member Fragony's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    The EUSSR
    Posts
    30,680

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lemur View Post
    Strike, never buy something when you see the crowd howling for it. If everybody is convinced that goose feather futures are the path to eternal riches, that's when you either sell or completely avoid goose feathers.

    Simple rule of investing: When people are screaming that the end is near and we're all going to be living in moldy barrels under a bridge any minute, buy. Conversely, when you hear that we're in a new economic paradigm where X* is going to go up and up and never come down 'cause the rules have changed, sell.




    * X = Any commodity, stock or substance which has become popular for no good reason. See housing bonds, gold, ARs, junk bonds and tulips for further reference.
    Worst financial advice ever. Tosa nailed it spread the risk.

  17. #17
    Senior Member Senior Member gaelic cowboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    mayo
    Posts
    4,833

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fragony View Post
    Worst financial advice ever. Tosa nailed it spread the risk.
    Spreading the risk only works IF you know the value of the risk, that is why the world is in recession cos risk was spread across the system and no one knew the true value of it. The idea was that risk had being reduced so much it could now almost be ignored and we could just concentrate on value for money.

    Unfortunately for those bankers any farmer could have told them price is an indicator of what someone is willing to pay, value however is far more hazy.
    They slew him with poison afaid to meet him with the steel
    a gallant son of eireann was Owen Roe o'Neill.

    Internet is a bad place for info Gaelic Cowboy

  18. #18
    Hope guides me Senior Member Hosakawa Tito's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Western New Yuck
    Posts
    7,914

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    The Fed is printing even more money to satisfy Washington's runaway spending in the hopes of proping up our failing economy. The end result will be a rise in inflation and devaluation of the dollar. During periods of rapid inflation your money is literally worth more today than it will be tomorrow. So “spend” it. Whether that means buying a car now instead of next year or investing in the stock market depends on your personal situation. But sitting on cash will cost you in the long run.

    Hosa's inflation hedge:

    1. Buy TIPS, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. Unlike conventional Treasurys, these bonds see their value adjust with inflation to ensure you don’t get eaten up as the dollar fades.If you have any doubt whether or not TIPS work or how bullish Wall Street is on this vehicle, consider that in October the U.S. Treasury successfully executed its first-ever TIPS auction in which the bonds actually had negative yields. That’s because the specter of inflation is so likely that investors were willing to enter the investment in the red with the expectation of rising yield over the life of the investment that makes a short-term loss well worth it.

    2. Buy gold. Even though it's had a significant run up in price this year on the expectation that inflation will rise, when it does gold could soar much higher. Don't be tempted by mining companies though. I'd recommend a reputable dealer or a gold ETF like GLD. Gold is a speculative asset. It looks attractive but is high risk at this price. If the economy stabilizes and high inflation doesn't materialize, gold could drop significantly. You're betting on a specific scenario for the US economy, double digit inflation.

    3. Invest in crude oil ETF's like OIL. Crude oil is priced in U.S. dollars. As a result, when the dollar drops in value, it takes more dollars to buy the same amount of oil. That means oil prices rise in an inflationary environment, as do profits in the crude oil sector.

    There are ETF's that bet against the dollar and you can also play exchange rates between the dollar and other currencies, but I'm not sophisticated enough in that stuff to even think about trying it.
    Last edited by Hosakawa Tito; 11-06-2010 at 02:13.
    "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." *Jim Elliot*

  19. #19
    Member Megas Methuselah's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Prairie Grasslands
    Posts
    5,040

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I'm poor.

  20. #20
    master of the pwniverse Member Fragony's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    The EUSSR
    Posts
    30,680

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Megas Methuselah View Post
    Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I'm poor.
    I'm not by now, comfortably living from interests, but where the hell does a student get 400k from

  21. #21
    Senior Member Senior Member Ser Clegane's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Escaped from the pagodas
    Posts
    6,606

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fragony View Post
    I'm not by now, comfortably living from interests, but where the hell does a student get 400k from
    401k

  22. #22
    Arena Senior Member Crazed Rabbit's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Between the Mountain and the Sound
    Posts
    11,074
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fragony View Post
    Worst financial advice ever. Tosa nailed it spread the risk.
    The what now? That's similar to what Warren Buffet, world class investor, has been saying for decades:
    I will tell you how to become rich. Close the doors. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful.
    CR
    Ja Mata, Tosa.

    The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter; the rain may enter; but the King of England cannot enter – all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement! - William Pitt the Elder

  23. #23
    Banned ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Castle 2_5_2, Swissland.
    Posts
    0
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    You can give it all to me.

  24. #24
    master of the pwniverse Member Fragony's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    The EUSSR
    Posts
    30,680

    Default Re: How Should I diversify my 401k?

    Quote Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit View Post
    The what now? That's similar to what Warren Buffet, world class investor, has been saying for decades:


    CR
    It's easy to boast when succesful, but when a company is going down psychological gravity pulls it down further. You can take a risk surely, but never risk everything. Doubt he did.

    Anyway there is a lot of art-deco being for sale grab what you can, in tough times art gets hit first and it has relative value no matter the currency, it's a sound investment that will treat you well if you don't want quik results, it's at it's natural comeback the real deal is going to be very valuable. I would be a bit cautious with investing dollars into dollars since the FED's latest stunt.
    Last edited by Fragony; 11-07-2010 at 09:43.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO