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From looking at the forum posts, Most HD readers are calm and it seems not worried about the markets. I really don’t believe that because what has happened in the last week and a half has been unprecedented and there is no end in sight.
Without injecting politics into the discussion how are we HD readers going to handle the next 45 months of this turmoil that is caused by the whims of one man who doesn’t understand economics and no one else in his cabinet no matter how bright and successful somehow agreed to be a yes man. I’m looking for a real discussion about how to protect my retirement savings. There, I said it.
I have no desire to play censor. But when Forum threads veer into politics or the tone becomes uncivil, we’ll be closing them to new comments — and this thread has the ignoble distinction of being the first to get cut off.
Wow, looks like you hit a nerve here Kevin.
It sounds like Kevin is masterful in structuring his personal finances. It also seems to me, though, that this is a very unusual period that threatens both our economy and a free democracy: congress has abrogated its authority to the executive branch, which disregards the Judicial branch. I am afraid we are going to end up like Disneyland’s “Mr Toads Wild Ride” that had a finale of driving onto train tracks–a train crashes into you and you wind up in Hell with demons and the devil!
“Without interjecting politics into the discussion…” and then you spew Democrat Party Talking Points and offer proof positive that you suffer from TDS!
I don’t know you, or your portfolio holdings, or your personal situation, but I do know that your attitude is not one that will serve you well as an investor, or as human being, for that matter.
You stated, “I’m looking for a real discussion about how to protect my retirement savings.” Fair enough. Read on!
Do you have a low cost, broadly diversified portfolio of mutual funds of ETFs? Yes I do.
Is your portfolio divided between Taxable, Tax Deferred, and Tax Free holdings? Yes, mine is.
Do you have at least 18-24 months of cash or cash equivalents on hand? Yes I do.
Are you debt free, including no mortgage payments? Yes, I am.
Do you have dependable transportation? Yes I do.
If you are already retired, is your retirement income guaranteed, by a combination of social security benefits and portfolio income from dividends, or annuity income? Yes, mine is.
If you are still working, are you maximizing your 401k/403b/457 plans? I am retired so, N/A, but I maxed out my 403b and Roth IRA the last 12 of the last 15 years I worked.
Is your retirement income greater than your total retirement expenses? Yes, by 112%.
Do you have a quality health insurance program in place if under age 65, or a Med Sup Policy in place to bolster your Medicare Coverage, if over age 65? Yes I do.
You stated, “Most HD readers are calm and it seems not worried about the markets. I really don’t believe that because what has happened in the last week and a half has been unprecedented and there is no end in sight.”
First of all, your statement is false. Period.
What we are experiencing is not “unprecedented.” Were you not alive in 1973-74…1987…1993-94 … 2000… 2008…2020…2022? We are experiencing a market correction, not unlike others we have experienced a number of number of times in the past 75 years that I have been alive. As a matter of fact, the COVID Crash of 2020 was worse, and you may recall that from the March/April depths of 2020, the year ended with positive gains in the S&P.
In addition, whether you believe it or not, there are, in fact, HD readers who are perfectly calm in the midst of the current economic situation. I know this is true, because I am one of them. Am I happy that my portfolio has an 18-20% decline on paper? Of course not, but when I planned for my retirement and I planned for the worst and hoped for the best.
I retired in January 2024. My first year in retirement saw my portfolio grow by 22%. In 2025, despite the market correction, I am still enjoying my income streams from Social Security and Annuities, which have been unaffected by the market.
As I indicated above, by answering the questions I asked you, if you plan adequately and arrange for income such that market corrections are irritating but not devastating, you can also enjoy calmness in the face of market corrections in your retirement.
One other comment for your consideration. As you disparage the President and his advisors…luckily for you, despite your distain for the programs and processes being implemented, people like you will be allowed to enjoy the benefits that sound government and sound economic policies deliver. And based on 12 of the last 16 years those principles have been absent, and replaced with years of the waste, fraud and abuse, perpetrated by Democrat Control of the federal bureaucracy, you can even be excused for not being able to recognize America First policies when you see them.
Good Luck with your retirement savings and remember Jack Bogle’s advice for troubling times, “Stay The Course!”
I don’t believe the tariffs and the market turmoil and uncertainty they create because they change day to day are sound policy that will benefit this country. I don’t see any mention from this administration about the things they promised they would do on inflation, the national debt or healthcare. All I see is chaos and uncertainty. Let’s talk in 6 months about how this plays out.
And you are free to believe that Nick. This is still America, and we still have freedom of speech and thought here, despite the best efforts of the Democrat Party.
Perhaps, however, if the Democrats in Congress were making positive efforts to assist the President with his agenda, instead of trying to throw up road blocks daily, and filing frivolous lawsuits in every leftwing, radical, jurisdiction in the country, more progress would have already been made.
This is the same playbook from President Trump’s first term. Don’t you remember, lying, corrupt dam Schiff and “Russia, Russia, Russia?” Same playbook, different mantra.
Please defend the Democrats resisting the elimination of waste, fraud and abuse.
Please defend Democrat Congressmen and women, as the rally support for destruction of personal and business property, in the form of Tesla Cars and dealerships.
Please defend biased Judges, demanding that sovereign, foreign leaders respond to their partisan demands to return illegal alien gang member criminals to the US.
Lastly, you want results in 3 months from President Trump, after 4 years of the Democrat Party doing everything in their power to destroy our country by undermining our military, weaponizing our courts, and shoving DEI down our throats? And that’s not even counting the untold damage done to the economy by The Green New Deal and Climate Change lies.
It’s so generous of you allow President Trump six months to show positive results from his agenda and tariffs. I sure he appreciates it.
And finally, remember, YOU introduced politics into this discussion in your OP!
I’ve learned that there are people who use the terms TDS and Democrat Party, use Random Capitalization, and Trumpet falsehoods, and what these people say I take with a grain of salt.
Ignoring judges may be the worst transgression of the rule of law. What happens next, will Trump order the Fed to lower interest rates? Will he telegraph that to certain insider traders?
