My Financial Journey

The IRS has announced that the contribution limits for 2008 will remain unchanged at $15,500, which sort of sucks. Apparrently the cost of living hasn’t increased for people who contribute to their 401ks See details below.

Many of the pension plan limitations will change for 2008 because the increase in the cost-of-living index met the statutory thresholds that trigger their adjustment. However, for others, the limitation will remain unchanged. For example, the limitation under Section 402(g)(1) on the exclusion for elective deferrals described in Section 402(g)(3) remains unchanged at $15,500. This limitation affects elective deferrals to Section 401(k) plans and to the Federal Government’s Thrift Savings Plan, among other plans.

Source (thanks H B)

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Quick report this month, despite the fact that “market is crashing” and we should all have our money hidden under the mattress because the end is near, all of my accounts managed positive investment gains this month. Bottom line - don’t try to time the market because you do not have a clue where it is going in the short run (long run though my money is on up )

Traditonal Rollover IRA - $13,245.15 (+0.32%)
My Roth IRA - $27,067.79 (+3.08%)
Wife Roth IRA - $14,183.87 (+0.38%)
Current Traditional 401k - $9,288.94 (+23.99%)

Roth/Traditional % = 64.67% (tax free)

Total Retirement Nest Egg $63,785.75 (+4.42%)

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I wrote an article last week that talked about some of what I perceived as over-reaction and irrational thinking by some of the best minds in the personal finance world. Now granted some of the situations I pointed out weren’t exactly off your rocker moments, but I still think at some level they fell into the trap of reacting to the markets recent performance when when things started heading south (read the comments and this post to get Dave’s full story). Again I think these guys are financial wizards and a great place for sound financial advice, but just wanted to point out that we are all susceptible to thinking we can time the market or know where it is headed and can make more money by selling or deferring buying when the market is in a little slump. So I’m going to hopefully point out a few things here that show you why if you want the best possible returns you won’t be selling just because the market looks bleak at the current moment.
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I’m sorry I have not been posting as often as I used to but with the new baby, new promotion, and weddings I’ve just not had the time to sit down and write every day. Anyway I’ve been keeping my pulse on most of the personal finance community and one thing that really surprised me is how some of the personal finance bloggers I admire most are reacting to the latest market movements and advocating or adjusting their investing strategies because of short term market fluctuations and the worst part is they are reacting in my opinion counter intuitively.
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I left my previous employer in January of this year and have been waiting to receive my matching funds from last year (deposited June 15th of this year). I was looking at the company’s 401k rules and see that I am only 20% vested after my 2.5 years of service. So basically what I was expecting was that I would get 20% of my matching funds for the previous year seeing how I am not longer an employee. It appears however that I got 100% of my matching funds.

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I was just perusing over my portfolio this weekend and realized that I have my first two “bagger”. In investing the term “bagger” was coined by Peter Lynch, which refers to an investment that has multiplied in value. He actually often used terms like 6 or 10 bagger, which he grabbed from the game of baseball where “bags” or “bases” that a runner reaches are the measure of the success of a play.
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Seeing as how the Roth 401k has only been around for a little over a year and a half, there isn’t a lot of information out there about rolling these things over. I have a Roth 401k at a previous employer and while the fees and funds are very acceptable at the previous employer I just want total control over my choice of investments and want to consolidate some of my accounts, so I will be rolling over my Roth 401k into my existing Roth IRA.

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