With things as they've been with the economy, I've been concerned of late about the waning status of our 401K. I has occupied my thoughts persistently. Then, last night, Mom and I got take-out from Mandarin House for dinner. It was delicious as usual, and ended well as my fortune cookie gave me some particularly timely advice:
"Don't worry about the stock market. Invest in family."
Let's hear it for the Chinese! They got it right, and I appreciate the reminder. I think I'll work a little harder on that. But, still I want to establish secure retirement sooner than later, so that we can spend more time in your lives and in service of the Lord. Of all the things we acquire and accomplish in this life, those are the only things that really count in eternity.
Dad
HISTORY
A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.
From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.
In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.
Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.
Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.
We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.
As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
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5 comments:
Dad, I've been thinking about my 401K a lot lately too, and I've been considering whether I should just re-allocate everything into government bonds for awhile until the market calms down. Well...I didn't, and at thus point I've decided probably the best thing I can do is leave it where it is so I won't miss out on earnings when the market bounces back. Because I think it will...but don't quote me on that. (Granted, mine has a little more time to bounce back than yours...) That's why mutual funds are so great - since they're diversified, you don't feel the hits quite so much. It's supposed to give you a little peace of mind, so you can focus on other things, like family! I know I'm supposed to be the one with all the answers since I'm in B-school...maybe next year I'll be able to be everyone's financial advisor.
Give me a call and I'll give you my checking account number.
Jason
Abby,
Hopefully you'll be a smarter financier than all those banking gurus who let this thing happen. I hope it will bebound. This is really uncharted territory for our country. I'm still not sure the democrats are accepting any personal responsibility in the matter, and they keep trying add pork to their proposed bail-out deals, not to mention rewards to the perpetrators of the mess. I hope the republicans stand firm against all that.
Whatever, at this point I think it's best to leave the money in the market because the prices are low. Sell now, and you would lose. Buy low, sell high.
Dad
You know, I think this conversation is probably had by about 80% of the people who have a 401k. I know mine is suffering. They say to stay aggresive when your young and then pull back as you get closer, but if I would have had it in the treasury bonds and such at least I would have been getting that steady return. And probably be better off by looking at my 5 year average.
But I agree with Abby, I'm getting a great price now on some stuff that hopefully will come back strong. If not, I hear McDonalds is hiring for the night shift.
Jason
I just read a blog entry of a friend of a friend that I thought did a pretty good job of explaining what in the world is going on right now with our market. Read it here.
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