Post your 401K gains & positions?

[wutamess]

I was up as high as 27% for the year.

Currently I'm sitting @ 24.3

Positions - YTD:
NTGI EAFE INDEX - 13.44%
CAPITAL G EM MKT EQ - 34.15%
HARBOR MIDCAP GRTH I - 24.09%


My Roth IRA, I'm up only 10%ish That's because I just started getting in the plan mid year.
Currenlty buying into: FNARX 39%YTD return for the Sector Fund.

What's yours?
No this isn't a biggest dick thread... I'd looking to see if there's other ways to maximize my returns.

Any advice would be appreciated also. I know I'm supposed to get at least one more fund to diversify my 401K but the other selections available had nothing compared to the track record of these 3 so I kept it to 3.

[Buehler445]

I just started mine two months ago. I'll keep you posted.

[rad]

I have 70% in aggressive and 30% in growth. I don't pay much attention to it. Although I did select Dodge & Cox because when you say it out loud, it sounds like " dodging cocks"

[KC Jones]

holy suckage, my YTD ROR is 1.2% :(

New job this year and that's only since June 15th. Plus I'm hardly putting anything in yet so I really haven't bothered watching. Now my Rollover IRA and my Roth have had a very good year. The funny thing about this 401k, is that I'm at a 401k company and I used our automated investment advice system to pick my funds (eating our own dog food).

My Current Deposit allocations:
American Funds EuroPacific Fund A 9%
Oakmark International Fund 21%
American Funds Cap Wld Gr & Inc R4 6%
Maxim Index 600 10%
Buffalo Small Cap Fund 3%
Dodge & Cox Stock 5%
BGI Equity Index - Collective F 25%
American Century Ultra Inv 4%
AIM Constellation A 9%
Lord Abbett Mid Cap Value - Y 5%
Wells Fargo Advantage Opportunity Adm 3%

[Simplex3]

I would have to call my financial manager and ask.

I used to think that only rich fools would get a financial planner, but since I've had one my investments have made almost twice as much as I used to even after he gets paid. Not to mention that I now have more free time.

[Stewie]

I'm only in the 401K plan for the matching funds. An instant 50% return on my money is hard to resist. My returns have been outstanding this year, but that's because our company stock has soared. Outside of the company stock I own in the 401K my other investments have done well. I'm mostly in international and mid-cap aggressive funds. I'm in the process of reallocating my allocations. Huh?

[2112]

I would have to call my financial manager and ask.

I used to think that only rich fools would get a financial planner, but since I've had one my investments have made almost twice as much as I used to even after he gets paid. Not to mention that I now have more free time.
I agree with this, my friend is a financial manager and I told him to move my stuff where he moves his stuff. it's been very profitable for the both of us, and I don't have to do anything or pay anybody to monitor it.

[KC Jones]

I agree with this, my friend is a financial manager and I told him to move my stuff where he moves his stuff. it's been very profitable for the both of us, and I don't have to do anything or pay anybody to monitor it.

Yep, I have one in charge of my rollover and roth accounts and that's why they tend to kick ass every year. I honestly don't even know why the guy puts up with us as clients. He's a VP now, and nearly all of his clients are millionaires. Still, he dutifully calls us 2-4 times a year with updates on positions he'd like to move us into or things he see's coming up in the markets. I fell into his lap when I cashed out some stock from a successful start up and he has been taking care of us ever since.

I'm only in the 401K plan for the matching funds. An instant 50% return on my money is hard to resist.

Yep, I try to do the min to get the max match in the 401k and then dump everything I can into our Roths. Seems to be working fairly well so far.

[Simplex3]

I'm only in the 401K plan for the matching funds. An instant 50% return on my money is hard to resist. My returns have been outstanding this year, but that's because our company stock has soared. Outside of the company stock I own in the 401K my other investments have done well. I'm mostly in international and mid-cap aggressive funds. I'm in the process of reallocating my allocations. Huh?
Can you say Enron? Worldcom? Just don't put too much of your retirement into the place you make your living. Then you can be totally f**ked if one place shuts down.

[Simplex3]

honestly don't even know why the guy puts up with us as clients. He's a VP now, and nearly all of his clients are millionaires...
Hehe. We're in the same spot. The place that does our investments only takes clients with over a mil and we don't even approach that. We slid in because of a couple of his other clients that we know.

[2112]

Can you say Enron? Worldcom? Just don't put too much of your retirement into the place you make your living. Then you can be totally f**ked if one place shuts down.
Quoted for truth

[Stewie]

Can you say Enron? Worldcom? Just don't put too much of your retirement into the place you make your living. Then you can be totally f**ked if one place shuts down.

We're a manufacturer, not speculators or M&Aers. My 401K is a small part of my investments and I wouldn't be in it except for the match. After 9/11 our stock dropped to a low of about $1.75 in March 2003, it's now at $45. As I said, I'm in the process of reallocating.

[petegz28]

I was up as high as 27% for the year.

Currently I'm sitting @ 24.3

Positions - YTD:
NTGI EAFE INDEX - 13.44%
CAPITAL G EM MKT EQ - 34.15%
HARBOR MIDCAP GRTH I - 24.09%


My Roth IRA, I'm up only 10%ish That's because I just started getting in the plan mid year.
Currenlty buying into: FNARX 39%YTD return for the Sector Fund.

What's yours?
No this isn't a biggest dick thread... I'd looking to see if there's other ways to maximize my returns.

Any advice would be appreciated also. I know I'm supposed to get at least one more fund to diversify my 401K but the other selections available had nothing compared to the track record of these 3 so I kept it to 3.

Check intot he Fidelity Overseas fund and also add something like Fidelity Dividend Growth or a fund with some Multi-National companies like McDonald;'s, Coke, Yum, Pepsi......takes advanatage of the weak $ we have right now.

[allen_kcCard]

Damn, I've always gone with the pre-mixed portfolios, primarily the Aggressive Growth Portfolio, but it hasn't come close to that.

That was all with Sprint, now that Cerner has switched to Fidelity as well this month there are all new investment options to look at, but I think it is definately time to redistribute things from my Sprint 401k to get into Stock Investments like those.

[PastorMikH]

Started a new IRA the end of august with Hartford's Cap App 2. I've already made back the class a commisions, and until yesterday's crash I had earned another 5%.

Redistrubuted some of the wife's back in July that is with Fidelity. The funds we are in are running about 20-30% right now.

Have some with Edward Jones that hasn't done quite as well this year but it's already doubled once and we've had it for about 6 years now.

[alnorth]

I only have year-end 9/30/07 (so 9/30/06 through 9/30/07)

I'm at about 20.37%

I'm a huge believer in broad diversification into mutual funds. Anybody can win in this market, but in a year when everything's going to hell I should be fine. I dont play around with trying to chase the hot sector (this year its emerging markets), I picked an allocation 2 years ago that I thought would work in any market and stuck with it, only rebalancing every once in a while. I also use both managed and index funds. Sometimes money managers win, and sometimes the index wins, so I'll take both. Given my young age, I've got this dialed up very aggressively. I may mellow it out a bit in 20 years.

Positions:

Almost all of my funds are some kind of private fund with a tiny fee that doesnt have a ticker symbol to look up, designed only for my company 401k (yeah, I work for a very huge evil corp). So, I'll just describe what type of funds they are.

Bonds (10%)
Junk Bonds - 10%
(sometimes other similar funds just call it high yield bonds)

Large Cap stocks (30%)
Large Value Managed Fund - 7%
Large Value/Growth Index (tracks S&P 500) - 15%
Large Growth Managed Fund - 8%

Small/Mid Cap Stocks (30%)
Mid Value/Growth Index (tracks S&P Mid Cap 400) - 7%
Small/Mid Value Managed Fund - 7%
Small Value/Growth Index (tracks Russell 2000) - 8%
Small/Mid Growth Managed Fund - 8%

International Stocks (30%)
International Equity Managed Fund - 10%
International Equity Index Fund (tracks MSCI EAFE Index) - 10%
Emerging Markets Managed Fund - 10%

The Junk Bonds were the worst in the last year at 6.12% (Rising interest rates always kill bonds, next year should be better).

The best, by FAR at double the return of my second best was the Emerging Markets fund at 53.26%. (The other two international funds were 2nd and 3rd best, the world is kicking the USA's ass this year) Thats nice and all, but I'm not going to jump on that bandwagon and put more money into it. I've been skimming some off the top of those 3 to redistribute to my other USA funds at rebalance time over the last year. I'm looking for diversification not "guessing right", for all I know those international funds could lose 20% next year.

[sd4chiefs]

My Energy funds are kicking ass.


BJBIX JULIUS BAER INTL EQUITY FUND(BJBIX) 16.53%
LSBDX LOOMIS SAYLES BOND (LSBDX) 7.25%
SGOVX FIRST EAGLE OVERSEAS FUND (SGOVX) 9.69%
Fidelity Select Energy (FSENX) 33.39% :clap:
Fidelity Select Energy Service (FSESX) 52.90% :clap:
Fidelity Select Natural Gas (FSNGX) 16.55%
Fidelity Mid-Cap Stock (FMCSX) 16.53%

[Fairplay]

Unfortunately my 401 K options changed a couple years ago and the selections
aren't as good.


The main ones for it are:
FDIVX-DODGX and a small and mid cap stocks are doing good so far.

I have BHP and thats been a solid horse.

[Buehler445]

Good info guys. Thanks for the input.

[Rain Man]

I wish you would've asked this two days ago.

[Buehler445]

I wish you would've asked this two days ago.

LOL Take a bit of a dive did they? I have a few shares of Cabela's through an ESPP. I looked at the price yesterday afternoon, and it had dropped like 10%. WOW. I'm glad I only put $25 a month in it. Hopefully it will bounce back in Q4.

[sd4chiefs]

My Energy funds are kicking ass.


BJBIX JULIUS BAER INTL EQUITY FUND(BJBIX) 16.53%
LSBDX LOOMIS SAYLES BOND (LSBDX) 7.25%
SGOVX FIRST EAGLE OVERSEAS FUND (SGOVX) 9.69%
Fidelity Select Energy (FSENX) 33.39% :clap:
Fidelity Select Energy Service (FSESX) 52.90% :clap:
Fidelity Select Natural Gas (FSNGX) 16.55%
Fidelity Mid-Cap Stock (FMCSX) 16.53%


Fidelity Select Energy Service (FSESX) was down 7% on Friday. :deevee:

[wutamess]

Holy fugg! today was the day all my positions set records:

Currently I'm sitting @ 28.4%

Positions - gains as of 9/30/07 (That's risen by now because they've also set record highs):
NTGI EAFE INDEX - 13.44%
CAPITAL G EM MKT EQ - 34.15%
HARBOR MIDCAP GRTH I - 24.09%


My Roth IRA, I'm up 15.5% That's because I just started getting in the plan mid year.
Currenlty buying into: FNARX 46.71%YTD return for the Sector Fund.

'07 Looks to be THAT year.

[alnorth]

Nice return!


NTGI EAFE INDEX - 13.44%
CAPITAL G EM MKT EQ - 34.15%
HARBOR MIDCAP GRTH I - 24.09%

Currenlty buying into: FNARX 46.71%YTD return for the Sector Fund.

International index, Emerging markets, and buying into energy (along with your other US fund. No large cap stocks?)

Whats the allocation between the 4? It's easy to fall into the insidious trap of chasing the hot return from last year. I like the international and US funds, but emerging markets and energy is probably a high risk, high reward type of investment. Putting much more than 15% into either of those 2 would be extremely aggressive.

[wutamess]

Nice return!



International index, Emerging markets, and buying into energy (along with your other US fund. No large cap stocks?)

Whats the allocation between the 4? It's easy to fall into the insidious trap of chasing the hot return from last year. I like the international and US funds, but emerging markets and energy is probably a high risk, high reward type of investment. Putting much more than 15% into either of those 2 would be extremely aggressive.

25, 50, 25 % is the way they are now.
I'm open to all suggestions.

As far as energy though isn't that bound to do nothing but go UP for the time being?

[cookster50]

25, 50, 25 % is the way they are now.
I'm open to all suggestions.


I'm young and don't have a large balance in my 401k, so I'm aggressive with a lot in international. If it tanks, I don't have enough to really feel the pain. It is my philosophy that at a young age, be aggresive, there is time to overcome a setback. I believe you are still fairly young, so I see nothing wrong with being in aggressive sectors.

[wutamess]

I'm young and don't have a large balance in my 401k, so I'm aggressive with a lot in international. If it tanks, I don't have enough to really feel the pain. It is my philosophy that at a young age, be aggresive, there is time to overcome a setback. I believe you are still fairly young, so I see nothing wrong with being in aggressive sectors.

That's the logic I chose as well.
However, I do think I need to talk to a financial planner so i can learn how to reallocate, etc. I know there's something I'm not doing right when i see that you're supposed to readjust your positions/balance every so often.

[PastorMikH]

I'm young and don't have a large balance in my 401k, so I'm aggressive with a lot in international. If it tanks, I don't have enough to really feel the pain. It is my philosophy that at a young age, be aggresive, there is time to overcome a setback. I believe you are still fairly young, so I see nothing wrong with being in aggressive sectors.



My financial advisor was telling me a while back his rule of thumb with older people is 100 - your age is the percentage you should still have in the more aggressive options.


I'm 39 and still have 85-90% of mine in the more aggressive stuff. I'm spread out into about a dozen funds with different areas of investment but most are on the aggressive side.

[HonestChieffan]

Best move I ever made was getting away from Fidelity in my 401k and rolling it over to an excellent advisor at Merrill Lynch when I retired.

[ChiTown]

90% of my money is in my business. That is my 401K.

I won't depress you with the type of returns we're making this year :) It's been a GREAT 2 year run, and 2008 looks to be better.

[nbkc fan]

You guys should read "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" by Bogle. You might be suprised at some of your fund choices afterwards.

[cookster50]

That's the logic I chose as well.
However, I do think I need to talk to a financial planner so i can learn how to reallocate, etc. I know there's something I'm not doing right when i see that you're supposed to readjust your positions/balance every so often.
Reallocating means just moving the funds around to equal the percentage you want. So, if you have 3 funds and you want 25%, 50%, 25%, every now and then you need to go in and move funds from something that is above those thresholds and into ones beneath those levels.