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• Monday, December 1, 2008 08:55 AM

  This is the expected market correction -- do NOT sell now

  I have 25 or so years till retirement and investments that are way down, too. But I don't understand why people in my situation are freaking out. Capitalist systems like ours go up and go down with regularity. That's the model. With a mild regulatory climate like we've had over the last decade, the highs are delirious, which means the lows can be crushing. That's what I expected. And it will probably happen again before I retire (hopefully, not right before).

  I'm not looking at my retirement statements because I hardly ever look at them anyhow. I picked good funds with good track records and make my contributions. I meet with my financial adviser a couple of times a year. Like previous commenters pointed out, my semimonthly contribution will be buying many more shares of these funds while prices are down. When I get closer to retirement, I'll consider putting my $$ in a CD, but like one commenter pointed out, if the rate of interest is less than the rate of inflation, a CD loses you money even as it seems to grow.

  Don't sell out of your funds now. Don't even worry about your funds now unless you think you might have picked bad ones. The advice to meet with a financial adviser was good, as a good one can help you sift through your choices and reorganize your investments when prices recover. But don't stop investing and don't sell low -- AND DON'T HANG YOUR HEAD IN FRONT OF YOUR HUSBAND. When his CDs come up for renewal, the interest available to him may be depressingly low.

  —chelicera Read chelicera's other letters
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