Hi!
I've been lurking here occasionally for a few years now, and since I've found myself here a lot more often daily, I've decided it's time to register and participate in the tracker. I appreciate all that everyone here does to help this community, and respect the advise of all. I would classify myself as a novice, but am trying to learn. As of lately, I currently read Tom's daily commentary every day, watch Ira Epstein's midday financial report, watch InTheMoneyStocks.com afternoon commentary, and try to keep up with most of the member's account talk forum posts, including watching various system signals from members here. I don't currently have any other sources of information other than what is discussed here, and probably most here also follow. If I stumble upon 'outside' analysis, I'll be sure to link to it to let everyone know. But honestly, at this point in my education, all the info here is keeping me overwhelmed and I'm not actively seeking out further info. Perhaps in the future?
As for my TSP history and account management to date, I started my TSP in 1994 as a FERS employee. I asked someone at work who had more knowledge of markets and the TSP for allocation advise, as I had none. He suggested 25% G / 75% C - which I followed (remember this was before S, I and lifecycles). Unfortunately, being a new hire, and having too many expenses, I only contributed 1% for several years. About 12 years ago, I upped it to 10%, and am at 11% now. Luckily, time is on my side, as I have 18.5 years until minimum retirement age (57). I kept that original 25% G / 75% C allocation all the way through the crash of early 2009. I can't remember now if I had been following along the markets before that or if that caught my attention, but I started paying attention more and made a decently timed move to 100 % stocks on 3/30/09 (the bottom was close to 3/9/09) - 65% C / 35% S. That was my first IFT.
I then once in a while lurked here, trying to learn and watching just enough to perhaps sidestep a big crash. Not really paying enough attention to make any well timed moves. Really it was mostly I was scared to make a wrong move, and thus made no moves. Plus, buy and hold and the resulting DCA isn't an awful investment strategy. But about a year ago, I started learning more and watching more, and wanted to try taking a more proactive account management style (in the spirit of this website) trying to do better than the market, and mainly preserving capital by sidestepping big downturns. But I never had the courage to make a move. Through last year, there were two times that I really felt like making a move, but didn't, and it turned out that they would have been good moves. That hindsight finally has inspired me to start making (hopefully) wisely timed IFTs.
And to that, I made my second ever IFT a few weeks ago on Feb 22 COB - 100% G. Hoped to catch that modest correction that seemed imminent and pick up few to several percent, but we all know it was either over in a flash, or (for me anyway) hopefully not yet arrived as I still am sitting on the side watching the rise again today. If nothing else, I'm preserving capital and avoiding risk (I'll keep telling myself that!).
I don't know what percent I am at for the year, as I joined the tracker today, but I'm guessing +10%ish for the year. Sure hope I didn't miss the train up right now, but 10% for the year isn't bad.
Later!
I've been lurking here occasionally for a few years now, and since I've found myself here a lot more often daily, I've decided it's time to register and participate in the tracker. I appreciate all that everyone here does to help this community, and respect the advise of all. I would classify myself as a novice, but am trying to learn. As of lately, I currently read Tom's daily commentary every day, watch Ira Epstein's midday financial report, watch InTheMoneyStocks.com afternoon commentary, and try to keep up with most of the member's account talk forum posts, including watching various system signals from members here. I don't currently have any other sources of information other than what is discussed here, and probably most here also follow. If I stumble upon 'outside' analysis, I'll be sure to link to it to let everyone know. But honestly, at this point in my education, all the info here is keeping me overwhelmed and I'm not actively seeking out further info. Perhaps in the future?
As for my TSP history and account management to date, I started my TSP in 1994 as a FERS employee. I asked someone at work who had more knowledge of markets and the TSP for allocation advise, as I had none. He suggested 25% G / 75% C - which I followed (remember this was before S, I and lifecycles). Unfortunately, being a new hire, and having too many expenses, I only contributed 1% for several years. About 12 years ago, I upped it to 10%, and am at 11% now. Luckily, time is on my side, as I have 18.5 years until minimum retirement age (57). I kept that original 25% G / 75% C allocation all the way through the crash of early 2009. I can't remember now if I had been following along the markets before that or if that caught my attention, but I started paying attention more and made a decently timed move to 100 % stocks on 3/30/09 (the bottom was close to 3/9/09) - 65% C / 35% S. That was my first IFT.
I then once in a while lurked here, trying to learn and watching just enough to perhaps sidestep a big crash. Not really paying enough attention to make any well timed moves. Really it was mostly I was scared to make a wrong move, and thus made no moves. Plus, buy and hold and the resulting DCA isn't an awful investment strategy. But about a year ago, I started learning more and watching more, and wanted to try taking a more proactive account management style (in the spirit of this website) trying to do better than the market, and mainly preserving capital by sidestepping big downturns. But I never had the courage to make a move. Through last year, there were two times that I really felt like making a move, but didn't, and it turned out that they would have been good moves. That hindsight finally has inspired me to start making (hopefully) wisely timed IFTs.
And to that, I made my second ever IFT a few weeks ago on Feb 22 COB - 100% G. Hoped to catch that modest correction that seemed imminent and pick up few to several percent, but we all know it was either over in a flash, or (for me anyway) hopefully not yet arrived as I still am sitting on the side watching the rise again today. If nothing else, I'm preserving capital and avoiding risk (I'll keep telling myself that!).
I don't know what percent I am at for the year, as I joined the tracker today, but I'm guessing +10%ish for the year. Sure hope I didn't miss the train up right now, but 10% for the year isn't bad.
Later!
