Déjà vu

Just when I was regaining some lost ground...

I first began investing back in 2006 or 2007. About a month before the 'global financial crisis'.

Result : an almost instant loss of about 50% of my money. Not the ideal start.

(I had only invested in a few managed funds.)

Anyway, I pulled myself together and committed to regular contributions. Over the last 3 years or so I managed to regain some lost ground and build my value to 50K.

Now in the space of a week I've lost a further 20%

Is anyone else in a similar situation?
Will it take another 3-4 years to 'bounce' back?. We aren't talking huge sums of money, and I'm young enough that this wont really matter in the long run, but I don't really see any light at the end of the tunnel at the moment.
It seems like the market can crash almost overnight, and then take years to recover.

Has anyone been investing successfully over the last 5 year?
What am I doing wrong??

This thread doesn't really have any real purpose.
Just venting a little

Cheers.

 

You'll find no shortage of people in this forum who will tell you how wonderfully well they've been doing, up hill and down dale. They'll tell you how smart they are, how prescient, and how anybody who was wise enough to follow them would have done equally well.

Amongst graziers, the rule of thumb goes 'the larger the hat, the smaller the property'.

The reality is that few people have done enormously well over the eight years. There are obviously exceptions because individual investments go in different directions, and so some people really have picked winners. But it's probably equal parts good luck and good management. And the blow-hards who tell you about their ten-bagger probably have a list of also-rans ten times as long.

It's been a crappy decade, without doubt. And with the benefit of a crystal ball, you'd opt to have sat by the sidelines. But nobody has a crystal ball. And things will get better.

 

If you are young enough, why don't you take your finances in your own hands?? It is not that hard.
There are plenty of good books (eg, series of "Fast Money" by Edna Carew), seminars and information on the internet but you need to search for it yourself and adopt what suit your situation.
Fund Managers are simply hopeless (there are probably some exceptions), and charge you a lot of money for their services.
What you are witnessing now may last for many years with some ups/downs...
Market cycles are getting shorter and shorter...so long term approach is a recipe for disaster.

 

don't worry you are not alone

Welcome to the 21st century.
With all this uncertainty around, buying and waiting for prices to go up isn't the best approach.

Nothing.
That's how the markets are these days and it doesn't look like things will change anytime soon.
Until the sovereign debt situation is resolved markets will be going sideways.
Maybe we should buy looking for yields and if growth comes then it will be a bonus.