How soon should I start my Roth IRA?

[Eeezee]

I want to start my Roth IRA this year, and I'd like to start it once the market has completely bottomed out.

How soon should I get started? I'm getting ready to start an account with Vanguard using their Core funds approach and starting off with high risk investments.

I'm not sure. I don't think the market has bottomed out just yet. What does ATOT think?

 

[darkxshade]

how soon can you bend over you ask?

 

[Brainonska511]

I just added some more money (whenever Vanguard makes the transfer of course) to my Roth IRA today. I see no reason to not add now, it might not have bottomed out, but if you're in it for the long run, you're certainly buying cheap.

 

[Yossarian]

No one knows with any degree of certainty when it will bottom out. I recommend taking the money you plan to contribute for the year, divide it by 12, and invest that much each month regardless of what the market is doing.

 

[Random Variable]

It's impossible to know when a market has bottomed until about a year after the fact.

 

[jpeyton]

The stock market hasn't bottomed out yet. Even the housing market hasn't bottomed out yet.

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: Yossarian
No one knows with any degree of certainty when it will bottom out. I recommend taking the money you plan to contribute for the year, divide it by 12, and invest that much each month regardless of what the market is doing.

I'm 100% sure it's bottomed out at 0.

 

[mugs]

Don't try to time it. Spread your contributions out over the next few months.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I hearing we've only scrubbed of 1/4 of what we'll loose, capitulation hasn't occurred yet

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: mugs
Don't try to time it. Spread your contributions out over the next few months.

Why catch a falling knife?

The bailout isn't going to fix the root cause of this economic crisis: the housing market collapse.

We'll see a small rally or two because of the bailout package, but the market overall has a nice tumble in store as America gets a reality-check about the seriousness of the problem (and the fact that a $700 billion kiddie-sized band-aid won't fix it at all).

 

[axelfox]

Well, fund it ASAP. You don't have to buy anything just yet.

 

[ponyo]

It's only $5,000. It won't matter. I would put it in now or soon.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Go ahead & fund it, put it in a gold mutual fund, hang tight for a few months...

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Go ahead & fund it, put it in a gold mutual fund, hang tight for a few months...

I think I'm going to go with this suggestion.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Warren BUffet said if this bill does not pass that he might sell all his holdings in Berkshire. That should tell you soemthing about today.

 

[palswim]

Hmm, so in my Roth, I have some mutual funds that aren't doing so hot. I'm thinking I should sell, even though it'll pain me. Good idea?

 

[smartcap]

U can start your IRA anytime...you can leave it in cash in your brokerage account; or you can invest in gold for a position play... But you can make $$$$ in any market..up/down...


I don't believe you can short stocks in an IRA though...

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Warren BUffet said if this bill does not pass that he might sell all his holdings in Berkshire. That should tell you soemthing about today.

Bullshit.
Sell to whom exactly?
If anything would signal the "End of The World" (c) (tm), that would be it.
He's just adding to the "pile on" with that threat.

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: palswim
Hmm, so in my Roth, I have some mutual funds that aren't doing so hot. I'm thinking I should sell, even though it'll pain me. Good idea?

Why not just hold it until the market eventually recovers?

Investing 101: Buy low, sell high.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: palswim
Hmm, so in my Roth, I have some mutual funds that aren't doing so hot. I'm thinking I should sell, even though it'll pain me. Good idea?

No, just stop putting money into them. Re-allocate into a safer haven such as USTreasury Instrument. The Government is not collapsing.

 

[KingGheedora]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: mugs
Don't try to time it. Spread your contributions out over the next few months.

Why catch a falling knife?

The bailout isn't going to fix the root cause of this economic crisis: the housing market collapse.

We'll see a small rally or two because of the bailout package, but the market overall has a nice tumble in store as America gets a reality-check about the seriousness of the problem (and the fact that a $700 billion kiddie-sized band-aid won't fix it at all).

Why exactly do you say that 700 billion is so overwhelmingly not enough?