Squalebear's Account Talk

[Silverbird]

According to the Tracker, Norman and I are neck & neck for the most
IFT's in the month of May. What stands out more then that is the fact
that soooooo many have made 2 or less with 7 days left in May. :blink:

Could this be the new wave of the future ? Does 99.9% of all members
believe that Buy & Hold is the way to go ? (Nothing wrong with that) !

I think that another part of it is this month's earlier uptick looked like a hot air balloon, and the kooky "follow the bouncing ball" actions of equities and F have us all crowded in the G lounge, because there's nothing that looks good to buy right now. The other shoe just doesn't seem to drop.

 

[Guest2]

A point that I have hammered repeatedly is that FRTIB and OPM are required BY LAW to educate TSP members. Relying on "self-education" from a website and "materials" doesn't meet that requirement. MANDATORY retirement seminars for new hires and for those within 5 years of retirement, and MANDATORY refreshers every 5 years are needed. If nothing else, this fiasco has made people aware that they need to pay attention to their TSP and to seek professional advice if they are lost. I wonder how many of them are within 5 years of retirement and suddenly realize they aren't going to have enough money to retire when they want to - and wish they had joined us in protesting the limits?

Strong and valid points Steady,Silver,L2R. I too fall into the catagory of
"with 5 years and suddenly realized" I won't have enough w/20 years in.
But can squeeze by upon mandatory age w/24.5 years in. My goal to
maximize my gains to shrink the amount of time I must stay in service
was hit hard by the Board. Simply put, I want a few good years with the
wife before my untimely departure from this earth. I'm not sure if the new
rules have taken that ability away from me all togather, but they have
certainly made it a heck of a lot harder.

 

[Guest2]

The bouncing ball and so many conflicting reports from the Gov't has most
definately had the affect that Silverbird has eluded to.

 

[luv2read]

lead balloon now...FOMC minutes? But I thought they weren't supposed to be released until tonight...:suspicious::notrust:

 

[Guest2]

lead balloon now...FOMC minutes? But I thought they weren't supposed to be released until tonight...:suspicious::notrust:

Usually in the afternoon, I think.
Anyway, Look out below, in coming
Lead balloons overhead. Ouch !!!!!!

 

[Silverbird]

lead balloon now...FOMC minutes? But I thought they weren't supposed to be released until tonight...:suspicious::notrust:

Oil, Moodys....
and the fed meetining minutes: http://www.cnbc.com/id/24760318 Not much good news here Fed lowering forecast.

 

[luv2read]

just read them over at fed reserve website. I don't trust CNBC pumping.:notrust:

No rate cuts ....rate increases coming.

 

[Guest2]

Yesterday, I documented some telling statements made concerning the
Fed's "Hold & Raise Policy" by Fed Kohn. No big surprise for me today.

http://www.tsptalk.com/mb/showpost.php?p=164892&postcount=289

 

[Guest2]

Initial response has stopped. C & S down approximately -1.38%
I expect some buying will occur to bring this back up a bit.

 

[XL-entLady]

I doubt that even 10% of this MB believes Buy and Hold is the way to go.

I agree. We wouldn't be here if we thought that. I don't know enough - and am not lucky enough - to be a jump in and out type. But I make frequent corrections to my allocations. Frequent enough to get one of the TSP hate letters anyway.

We're all here to learn from each other so we can maximize our accounts. And it's a good thing we have each other. Because like Luv2 has pointed out so eloquently, official government educational sources are so scarce that they don't help.

Too many of our brothers and sisters are like my friend who (I found out the other day) has ten years of TSP in G Fund only! I was appalled! She didn't realize what she was doing to her future. And she is an Administrative Officer! Since official channels can't or won't educate us, we've got to spread the gospel of this website and other tools so that others aren't caught in that trap!!

Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox now and go to my room. Sorry for the rant!!:embarrest:

Lady

 

[Guest2]

Sorry for the rant!! Lady

XL-entLady, your always welcome to share your thoughts and feelings
concerning any topic on my thread. I'm glad you stopped by. Please do
so often. We need and respect your contributions. One request, throw
a joke or two at us from time to time, life is so much nicer when we can
smile on down days.

 

[luv2read]

Too many of our brothers and sisters are like my friend who (I found out the other day) has ten years of TSP in G Fund only! I was appalled! She didn't realize what she was doing to her future. And she is an Administrative Officer! Since official channels can't or won't educate us, we've got to spread the gospel of this website and other tools so that others aren't caught in that trap!!

Okay, I'll get down off my soapbox now and go to my room. Sorry for the rant!!:embarrest:

Lady

Lady, that's a great post. I do hope your friend is CSRS and not FERS. If she's FERS, it may be too late and she will end up working 5 extra years to make it up.

 

[XL-entLady]

I too fall into the catagory of
"with 5 years and suddenly realized" I won't have enough w/20 years in.

Good for you, SB, that you pay attention and realized it in time! Too many feds, now that most are FERS anyway, don't understand the 3-tier retirement system of annuity/TSP/social security and will probably leave things until too late.

Nice that you are proactive!

Lady

 

[XL-entLady]

XL-entLady, your always welcome to share your thoughts and feelings concerning any topic on my thread. I'm glad you stopped by. Please do so often. We need and respect your contributions.

Thanks for the hospitality, SB! I'm not sure what a "Squale" Bear is but it must be pretty close to a teddybear, if you're a representative member of the species!:laugh:

Lady

 

[Steadygain]

Too many of our brothers and sisters are like my friend who (I found out the other day) has ten years of TSP in G Fund only! I was appalled! She didn't realize what she was doing to her future.

Lady

That is why I never discuss my TSP investments with my wife. She (and many others) are ULTRA CONSERVATIVE and can not believe that any investment is better than guarantted SAFETY with guarantted GAINS.

So once in awhile I make a graph - and show her where we would be if I'd left everything in G and where we are now.

Forgive me for this - I say this because it sounds like I'm tooting my horn - but usually I'm also showing her how my investments exceeded leaving my money in any Fund or any Combination of Funds over a years time.

 

[XL-entLady]

She (and many others) are ULTRA CONSERVATIVE and can not believe that any investment is better than guarantted SAFETY with guarantted GAINS.

I had the luxury of going to a retirement seminar a few years ago where a topnotch financial advisor showed us that G Fund was actually the most risky fund of all to be in longterm, once you figure in inflation. His presentation was a real eyeopener for me.

Lady

 

[Steadygain]

I had the luxury of going to a retirement seminar a few years ago where a topnotch financial advisor showed us that G Fund was actually the most risky fund of all to be in longterm, once you figure in inflation. His presentation was a real eyeopener for me.

Lady

I only leave money in G for safety - never for the penny. If there is a an obvious Recession or Sustained Bear Market - then G is the place to be - OTHERWISE IT'S THE WORST PLACE TO BE.

Those who are ultra conservative see high risk as "a gamble" and they would a thousand times rather have a 3 or 4% Gain - than take the RISK of losing. It is only because I can create graphs to show her the comparsion of what we have compared to what we would have had if everything stayed in G Fund - that she sleeps well and is content.

Whereas - your eyes were opened - and you understand.

 

[Guest2]

Thanks for the hospitality, SB! I'm not sure what a "Squale" Bear is but it must be pretty close to a teddybear, if you're a representative member of the species!,,,Lady

Your Most Welcome,,,, Nicknames are hard to let go of, especially when
they are stamped on your forehead by a spouse. I am Italian (not off the
boat) and she dubbed me Pasquale. I called her Teddybear. Soon, human
nature took over and my nickname had to relate to her's. Based on the
right to change her mind (never been my right) she shortened the original
and added the related word. ie.... SqualeBear. After 28 years, I answer
to the same and sign all gifts as such.

After 18 years at work, I have a different nickname there. However, due
to National Security and Prosecutorial Issues (just kidding) I will leave that
tidbit where it was born, the Federal Bureau of Prison.

Yes Lady, I'm represent'n everyday. It's a miracle that I don't have a
identity crisis going on in my life. Then again, you have to be two different
people to deal with the environment that I face on a daily basis. And then, I
go to work (LoL) :nuts:

I'll be back with an update early this morning. (Graveyard Shift Calls)

 

[XL-entLady]

she dubbed me Pasquale. I called her Teddybear. Soon, human nature took over and my nickname had to relate to her's.... she shortened the original and added the related word. ie.... SqualeBear. ... ..you have to be two different people to deal with the environment that I face on a daily basis.

SB, thanks so much for sharing the genesis of your name. That's very cool!

And regarding your job, my husband was in law enforcement for many years and I saw the hardships firsthand. Anyone who can deal with the shiftwork and stress and still have the kind of humor you have deserves all the good things of life! {blowing kisses}

Take care, my friend!
Lady

 

[Guest2]

It's too soon to tell if the (already expected) return of the deficit will
continue as it has all year. If the deficit grows over the next two days,
my confidence will grow along with it. Meaning that the cycle was not
reversed and the weeks ahead will look like the 12th thru the 16th. If
we continue to jump over to both sides of the isle, consistancy is up
for grabs. I'm waiting for three straight days (on either side) to call it
the normally expected differences between each Fund. For now, both
funds are down close to -2.5% YTD and reflect each other (their goal)
within the single digit range, as documented below;

EFA vs TSP (I) DEFICIT:
(5/12/08) +.258% -0.05 tsp cents
(5/13/08) - .324% -0.13 tsp cents
(5/14/08) +.292% -0.06 tsp cents
(5/15/08) - .079% -0.08 tsp cents
(5/16/08) - .099% -0.10 tsp cents

(5/19/08) +.408%-+0.00 tsp cents
(5/20/08) +.069% +0.02 tsp cents
(5/21/08) - .214% -0.04 tsp cents

THE KEY:
+.05 thru +.01 Overpayment to the I-Fund (rare)
-.00 thru -.09 Low Difference (It's goals are met)
-.10 thru -.15 Medium Difference (Flip A Coin)
-.16 thru -.23 High Difference (rarely goes higher)