Do retirement accounts have any protections the way the FDIC does for bank accounts?

[progree]

17. Yes, I remember

https://democraticunderground.com/11213664

The one where I supposedly couldn't read a graph and said I didn't think much of permabears? Yup yup, that one.

Yes, on average, 1966-1982 were that bad IF you were invested in a generic, run of the mill stock mutual fund, that is the proxy for index funds of the day (index funds did not exist at that time). Just look at the long term chart of DJIA or S&P 500 for the last 100 years and look for 1966 and 1982. It's that simple.

Thanks for the data and links on the performance of the average generic, run of the mill stock funds

Probably true given that they probably had 2% or more expense ratios back then and that certainly kills returns over a 16 year period. So did bond funds. Individual stocks came with hefty commissions back then too. And so... I should forego the returns of post#9 worrying my pretty little head off that we might be at the beginning of a long flat spot?

Edited to add 625pm ET - Well, it claims a 6.8% annualized average return in that time. So a 2%/year expense ratio would not kill that, it would reduce it to about 4.8% annualized average return. But that would be below the approximately 6.8% inflation rate. -- End edit

You time the market with recessions, interest rates, general economic conditions. It's not a science. It's better than buying at the top.

Like at Stock Market Watch? Where everything was supposed to go to hell since 1987, or soon after Obama appointed his economic team in late 2008? Or Jeremy Grantham? https://democraticunderground.com/11213664#post1

Maybe you can help out your fellow progressives with more of your "not a science" suggestions. Some specific actionable guidelines.

Links appreciated on anyone who has been able to time the market consistently (and that has been verified -- not some newsletter ad, I've seen probably a hundred of those in my time). Particularly since the stock market tends to be a leading indicator -- it generally has fallen quite a bit before the economy's peak, and turning up before the economy's bottom. But even that doesn't always happen in that order.

I've been very tempted for many months to lighten up on the equities, given that the economy seems to be around a peak (like it was in 2019 too) as far as jobs and unemployment rate. And even more so since many think the Feds are going to push us into a recession or at least a weak period by raising interest rates or even maintaining the current interest rates (The latest 3 month average of the core CPI and the core PCE is more than double the 2% target rate. Anyone who thinks the Feds are going to be happy with inflation that cuts the dollar in half in 16 years and just throw up their hands and say the 2% target rate was always just for shits and giggles is fooling themselves). Obviously lately we've seen the banks are having difficulties.

But I've been wrong calling peaks and bottoms in the past -- any time we're setting new all-time highs and the economy is pretty good and improving (which is most of the time) -- seems like a possible peak. But if I sat out of the market during all those times, I would miss many doublings for fear of a crash or hitting one of your dreaded long flat spots.

Instead I've just been buy-and-hold except I moved a major chunk from non-equities to equities last June because the market had fallen 20%, aka buying stocks on sale. Because I can't time the bottom, so I settle for buying equities on a 20% discount.

Good luck on your individual stock picking. Like I say, I will live with the thin-gruel returns in post#9.

EDITED TO ADD: BTW I would never take investing advice from a "real stock broker", as they make money selling stocks and bonds, and the more churn, the higher the commission. And favoring the higher commission products over lower commission ones. I would rather suggest a no-fee fiduciary financial adviser, but even then I wouldn't be so sure they are without conflicts of interest.