I retired in 2013 just as the market was recovering from the 2007/2009 "crash". Has been a pretty good run since then with a few hiccups, but nothing like 2007-2013. Glad I didn't retire in 2007 though as I was self-funded/self-insured for a few years. Obamacare in a good state while unemployed wasn't so bad.
With the rise of BRICS and a lot of countries getting tired of the worldwide monopoly of the almighty dollar, I wouldn't count on the status quo always being there.
Regardless of the downturn, my portfolio is still way above where it was at this time last year, and a bit above where it was in April of this year. Not to say I didn't "lose" money compared to the high on July 16, 2024 and if looking at just that timeframe it is a good chunk of money. But looking at the this time last year, I've done so much better. The market goes up, the market goes down, then it does it all over again. I've been in this since in the 80's, so I just don't even look when everyone else is panicking and doom-and-glooming so I'm not tempted to do anything stupid. Also, it seems to me that it is pretty typical for the market to fall shortly before presidential elections - although that is just my thought and I'm not going to try to prove it as I'm not presenting it as fact.
As financial advisors state, past performance does not guarantee future gains. Review risk and determine if that's for you. Over the past several years, with us both retired, we've followed our advisor's suggestions for safer investments with opportunities for growth. There's no need for home runs. Many baseball players make lots of $'s hitting singles.
Not trying to be bossy / stick nose in BUT money you need in 3-5 years should already be out. Or have a transition plan in place..
Does anyone know about Ascensus? I can’t find anything useful on the web. Supposedly they bought out some/all of Vanguards IRA’s. They claim to be the largest independent retirement plan administrator. I find this hard to believe. I know you can’t go wrong with Fidelity, Edward Jones, Charles Schwabe, etc.
Ascensus was bought/acquired by Stone Cold Capital (which may or may not mean much of anything) LittleSis: Charles A Davis I'd be more worried about Schwab. Aside from their bank having the same problem with holding bonds when interest rates went up, they've now divested from their bank business, which is where they were getting quite a bit of their income, which I can't make sense of.
